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The monies are an issue in both monarchies and capitalistic democratic republics. We do live in interesting times. And a really off-topic
article I just stumbled across.
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/17/the-mirage-closes-in-las-vegas-to-make-way-for-hard-rock-guitar-hotel.html?recirc=taboolainternal
Something feels prescient about this transformation in the gambling capital of the USA.
You may have already seen this but just in case.
Joe’s out. Kamala’s in.
Now that Biden has dropped out of the presidential race, the Trump campaign is sharpening its attacks on a new opponent.
Obama endorses open nominating process while Clintons endorse Harris
The Clintons want Harris. Obama backs an open process.
MIA MCCARTHY
07/21/2024, 4:16PM ETUPDATED: 07/21/2024, 4:43PM ET
Former President Barack Obama endorsed an open Democratic primary process at the convention next month — less than an hour after former President Bill Clinton endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
“I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama said in a statement, which did not mention Harris. “I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August.”
Earlier Sunday, a joint statement between Clinton and former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said the two were backing Harris: “Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”
Their statements came soon after President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking reelection and endorsed Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket. Harris announced shortly after that with Biden’s support, she would seek the Democratic nomination.
The Democratic National Convention starts on Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Both former presidents Obama and Clinton thanked Biden, who served as Obama’s vice president, for the current president’s service. In his statement, Obama wrote about picking Biden as his running mate and said the president had “every right to run for re-election and finish the job he started.”
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight,” Obama wrote. “For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life.”
Lead Art: Former President Barack Obama (left) and former President Bill Clinton (right) cheer for President Joe Biden (center) during a campaign fundraising event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 28, 2024. | Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/07/21/joe-biden-drops-out-election/biden-obama-clinton-harris-00170063
So would I.
Vance doesn't surprise me as the rose recipient for VP.
From your post:
Vance has been criticized for just copying Trump.
"Vance is an echo to Trump," said Niven, "not a new voice."
I'll add the following: Vance was the least threatening choice to Trump. He's politically naive and not that wealthy. Both Rubio and Burgum had either political resumes and/or wealth. My prediction is Trump will treat Vance badly because he will not respect him and will demand complete loyalty. What a job to have for such a "sensitive" guy. Have you read Vance's book?
https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Elegy-Memoir-Family-Culture/dp/0062300547
Do you think it will make a difference after 2 weeks if he comes back? I slimmed this board down a while ago and I dislike blocking people. However the repetition on this board is too time consuming to read. I do learn or get new content from many here though the noise to signal ratio was just too annoying. So I just made it clearer for me. If necessary I can go back and clarify a response. If I sound like a bitch I don't care. I'm sure some here have blocked me.
Glad you took an action. Time will tell if two weeks makes any difference.
New Trey Crowder
I don't fully agree with that statement however it is quite funny! thanks for the laugh.
Reasearch This - This is for you.
True. The Donniebuoy has a smile that is more of a grin like the grinch.
https://images.app.goo.gl/Y32fetNwPtqHjFQN7
Agree. Definitely an improvement from his debate performance. He actually answered questions with command of the issues and context. He needs to push back on the Trumpistan agenda more. He did much better tonight reminding people of the differences between him and D J Toddler. More smiles would be good though they need to be appropriate. Like when he's making a joke or being a more Dark Brandon.
ShowerCap, and/or any others with satirical sword wordship skills, should take some of those questions and write a Donald Duckistan answer to them. Biden didn't mention sharks once or how horrible America is!
Go JOE! Don T. Rumpledskin couldn't string together .01% of your cogent thoughtful responses to press questions in his entire lifetime.
GALVANIZE WOMEN. SAVE DEMOCRACY. https://www.senecaproject.us/
The link below is a discussion of this new plan to really focus in the swing states and to reach as many women with the message to vote blue. Denver Riggleman is with COTS (Coalition of the Sane) and has as guest Tara Setmeyer
talking about this new project she has started to defeat Trump in the election.
https://www.americanprogress.org/events/project-2025-exposing-the-far-right-assault-on-america/
This is a discussion today at 1 pm.
Only point I would add to your excellent post is many founding fathers considered themselves Deists.
Excerpt from mirriam-webster dictionary:
"Belief in God based on reason rather than revelation or the teaching of any specific religion is known as deism. The word originated in England in the early 17th century as a rejection of orthodox Christianity. Deists asserted that reason could find evidence of God in nature and that God had created the world and then left it to operate under the natural laws devised by God. By the late 18th century, deism was the dominant religious attitude among Europe’s educated classes; it was accepted by many upper-class Americans of the same era, including the first three US presidents"
https://shorturl.at/1dNaL
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-founding-fathers-religious-wisdom/
FYI - in case anyone is interested in watching this tonight.
MSNBC EXCLUSIVE:
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 2, 2024
Rachel Maddow talks exclusively with Stormy Daniels.
It's her first U.S. TV interview since testifying against Donald Trump.
Watch a special two-hour edition of The Rachel Maddow Show.
Tonight 9pm to 11pm ET on MSNBC. pic.twitter.com/MYWC3wPOKv
John Oliver explains parts of Project 2025. There is considerable time devoted to Schedule F in the second half of the video.
"Disagree, and here's why.
This debate wasn't going to be about anything decisive, it's half a year early so it was wipe. The fact that shittyface wasn't going to debate even as he was there made it a non event. If there was any decisions, it was that orangeshithead can't debate or follow rules. The moderators were shit. An important part of their job is to moderate and keep people in format.
Within 10 minutes they let fatass ignore all questions, backtrack and go utterly off topic... every... single... time. Then the moderators broke long standing rules that participants can not comment on past questions or reiterate anything within a new question. Perhaps, presidential debates have no rules. We know shithead doesn't believe rules apply to him. I have never seen someone so blatantly bald orange face lie like Thursday night."
Ok I actually agree with most of what you posted about the debate except the first sentence. And current media conversation social and otherwise, is bearing that out. The result of this remains to be seen.
Another thing with your sentiment of your posts, do you have some sort of problem with a possible black woman as president? Could this be a small factor in not being happy with Biden and siding with the 'too old' theory? I would say there's more to your simple 'vote for the lessor of two evils' kind of reasoning.
No I would like having a woman become president. Preferably by being voted in so their mandate is clear. However Kamala Harris is not problem in my mind and I'm wondering what evidence in my post would lead you to think such. You did see where I posted I would be voting for Biden.
And on another unimportant note, isn't joyceschoice your wifes' alias from the past?
I can assure you, I've never had a wife. Where that question came from is a mystery to me. Want to explain?
I agree. However this debate did not put this country on a firmer path. Both parties are responsible for their representative candidates. This is the worst choice in an election I've ever had. Biden is a leader but he's too old for four more years. Biden gets my vote because theothereffingguy is a puppet for the evangelicals, Christian nationalists, proud boys, conspiracy nuts and autocrats of other countries. This is not the best we can do. If it is, we have some much bigger problems to come.
It's the weekend. Some humor and a podcast.
SAVA went through this last October. The company's response then is in the post to which I'm replying. I picked up a few shares under $10 today.
Response is a bit shorter this time.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/06/28/2906117/8339/en/Cassava-Sciences-Issues-Statement-on-Former-Science-Advisor.html
I'm almost afraid to post this link from June 17 2024.
"Deutsche Bank sues Finepoint Capital for claims against Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy estate
Maria Nikolova 0 Comments June 17, 2024
deutsche_bank
INSTITUTIONAL NEWS
Deutsche Bank sues Finepoint Capital for claims against Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy estate
Maria Nikolova 0 Comments June 17, 2024
Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch has filed a Complaint against Finepoint Capital LP, Warbler Run I, LLC, and Warbler Run II, LLC.
The document, seen by FX News Group, was submitted on June 14, 2024, at the New York Southern District Court.
This is an action for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The parties in this action entered into a trade nearly six years ago in which the defendants agreed to acquire from Deutsche Bank claims against the bankruptcy estate of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., with a face amount of $906 million, in return for a purchase price of approximately $14.6 million.
Deutsche Bank argues that, for more than five years, the defendants have frustrated the parties’ ability to settle the Trade by unreasonably refusing to execute an assignment of claim unless it includes either:
i. literally impossible representations and warranties, which would be breached the moment the assignment was
signed, which is obviously not something Deutsche Bank agreed to when it entered into the Trade; or
ii. idiosyncratic indemnification language that goes well beyond what the parties agreed to when they agreed to the
Trade. " (excerpt only - article continues)
https://fxnewsgroup.com/forex-news/institutional/deutsche-bank-sues-finepoint-capital-for-claims-against-lehman-brothers-bankruptcy-estate/
Its worth the read though too much to copy whole here. Just reading this makes me realize why its taking so very, very, very long to end.
Yes it was a good company and what went wrong was him. That's my opinion until he proves otherwise. I'll be around to know.
Shhh
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/apollo-edgio-rewrite-white-squire-deal-to-end-investor-lawsuit
Perhaps the wheals of justus fade slowly. Clearly an autoimmune issue. Banking and commercial real estate sector is under pressure.
I don't know that it is a target. You posted about ENZN which is on my favorites list. It doesn't get many posts. I posted and your reply to me was about energy as a target for the shell. I did a quick google search based on my historic knowledge and found the recent link to Ambroxol. Maybe you should do some more research. I'm not going to do it for you.
Thank you. At least you read and understood. It's all I wanted.
I think you're not really comprehending my posts. I am very familiar with the history of Enzon. I will wait to see what developments occur. I just understand that Energy=no NOLS. Biotech=NOLS valuable.
I like to keep track of stocks I've traded over the years. And certainly ones that I feel were not treated well by activist investors. And if you review my post history, you'd know that waiting a few months is not scary to me. I've traded stocks over years. I'm ancient..
OK From my perspective Enzon was fairly cash rich for a biotech before Icahn. When he came on board he asked the company to use their cash to buy back shares. While they did so, short interest increased and the share price dropped. Then when they had spent much of the cash they had, it was harder to fund research. There were a few special dividends to shareholders but they did not make up for the gutting of the company. And I believe China was involved somewhere along the line. Anyway if there's not a chance that Ambroxal is the target company going forward and the ENZN NOLS are not utilized then there should be really strong grounds for any existing ENZN shareholders to file a lawsuit if any are left.
Good luck! You'll need it.
Thanks for the reply. It doesn't excite me because he killed a biotech with interesting research and well here we are. He is 91. I wonder whatever happened to the ENZN assets he sold.
https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/data-insights/ambroxol-belrose-pharma-gaucher-disease-type-i-likelihood-of-approval/
Energy maybe. But I would think the NOLS would apply here.
Pause just for an hour and ask yourself is this helpful or just a continuing reflexive argument. Can you stop feeding the trolls? If you can't, why? Can you stop being a troll? If you can't stop, ask yourself why?
Bait and hook. This is a big part of a problem we can't seem to solve.
There was a time when I followed certain activist investors many years ago. Icahn was one when he took a shine to Enzon. You would have to go back many years for that. I wasn't very happy with his activism. He didn't help shareholders. He gutted the company's research assets and sold them for a peanuts after he had encouraged them to use all of their cash to buy back stock. He created the shell where there was a company. Just curious what you feel will happen now.
You have two recent posts on ENZN and you've been on Ihub since 2016. I'm really curious how you found this one. It has quite a long history with Icahn.
Jimmy Kimmel tonight
And one more article from just a few days ago. It's also long so this is an initial excerpt of the article.
Republicans call for spiritual warfare at Texas GOP convention
Robert Downen May 28, 2024
"At Texas GOP convention, Republicans call for spiritual warfare" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
SAN ANTONIO — From his booth in the exhibit hall of the Texas GOP’s 2024 convention, Steve Hotze saw an army of God assembled before him.
For four decades, Hotze, an indicted election fraud conspiracy theorist, has helmed hardline anti-abortion movements and virulently homophobic campaigns against LGTBQ+ rights, comparing gay people to Nazis and helping popularize the “groomer” slur that paints them as pedophiles. Once on the fringes, Hotze said Saturday that he was pleased by the party's growing embrace of his calls for spiritual warfare with “demonic, Satanic forces” on the left.
“People that aren’t in Christ have wicked, evil hearts,” he said. “We are in a battle, and you have to take a side.”
Those beliefs were common at the party’s three-day biennial convention last week, at which delegates adopted a series of new policies that would give the party unprecedented control over the electoral process and further infuse Christianity into public life.
Delegates approved rules that ban Republican candidates — as well as judges — who are censured by the party from appearing on primary ballots for two years, a move that would give a small group of Republicans the ability to block people from running for office, should it survive expected legal challenges. The party’s proposed platform also included planks that would effectively lock Democrats out of statewide office by requiring candidates to win a majority of Texas’ 254 counties, many of which are dark-red but sparsely populated, and called for laws requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools.
Those moves, delegates and leaders agreed, were necessary amid what they say is an existential fight with a host of perceived enemies, be it liberals trying to indoctrinate their children through “gender ideology” and Critical Race Theory, or globalists waging a war on Christianity through migration.
Those fears were stoked by elected officials in almost every speech given over the week. “They want to take God out of the country, and they want the government to be God,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Thursday morning.
“Our battle is not against flesh and blood,” Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, said Friday. “It is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
”Look at what the Democrats have done,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Saturday. “If you were actively trying to destroy America, what would you do differently?”
[“The house is on fire”: Texas GOP plots its next chapter amid civil war, depleted staff, funding drops]
Controlling elections
The Texas GOP’s conventions have traditionally amplified the party’s most hardline activists and views. In 2022, for instance, delegates approved a platform that included calls for a referendum on Texas secession; resistance to the “Great Reset,” a conspiracy theory that claims global elites are using environmental and social policies to enslave the world’s population; proclamations that homosexuality is an “abnormal lifestyle choice”; and a declaration that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected.
The 2024 convention went a step further.
It was the first Texas GOP convention set against the backdrop of a civil war that was sparked by the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton and inflamed by scandals over white supremacists and antisemites working for the party’s top funders, West Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks. This year’s convention was also sparsely attended compared to past years, which some longtime party members said helped the Dunn and Wilks faction further consolidate their power and elect their candidate, Abraham George, for party chair.
“What we're seeing right now is a shift toward more populism,” said Summer Wise, a former member of the party’s executive committee who has attended most conventions since 2008, including last week’s. “And the [party’s] infrastructure, leadership, decision-making process, power and influence are being controlled by a small group of people.”
That shift was most evident, she said, in a series of changes to the party’s rules that further empower its leaders to punish dissent. The party approved changes that would dramatically increase the consequences of censures — which were used most recently to punish House Speaker Dade Phelan for his role in impeaching Paxton, and against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales for voting for gun safety legislation.
Under the changes, any person who is censured by the party would be banned for two years from appearing on GOP primary ballots — including judges, who are elected in partisan races but expected to be politically neutral once on the bench. The party also voted to unilaterally close its primaries, bypassing the Legislature, in a move intended to keep Democrats from voting in Republican primaries.
“It’s pretty hypocritical,” Wise said of the changes, which legal experts and some party members expect will face legal challenges. “Republicans have always opposed activist judges, and this seems to be obligating judges to observe and prioritize party over law — which is straight-up judicial activism.”
The convention came amid a broader embrace of Christian nationalism on the right, which falsely claims that the United States’ founding was God-ordained and that its institutions and laws should reflect their conservative, Christian views. Experts have found strong correlations between Christian nationalist beliefs and opposition to migration, religious pluralism and the democratic process.
[Proposed Texas GOP platform calls for the Bible in schools, electoral changes that would lock Democrats out of statewide office]
Wise said she has seen parts of the party similarly shift toward dogmatic political and religious views that have been used “to justify or rationalize corrupting the institution and stripping away its integrity, traditions, fundamental and established principles" — as if “‘God wants it, so we can rewrite the rules.’”
“Being Republican and being Christian have become the same thing,” she said. “If you're accused of being a (Republican in Name Only), you're essentially not as Christian as someone else. … God help you if you're Jewish.”
The “rabbit hole”
Bob Harvey is a proud member of the “Grumpy Old Men’s Club,” a group in Montgomery County that he said pushes back against Fox News and other outlets that he claims have been infiltrated by RINOs.
“People trust Fox News, and they need to get outside of that and find alternative news and like-minded people,” Harvey, 71, said on Friday, as he waited in a long line to meet Kyle Rittenhouse, who has ramped up his engagement in Texas politics since he was acquitted of homicide after fatally shooting two Black Lives Matter protesters.
Rather, Harvey’s group recommends places such as the Gateway Pundit, Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News or the Epoch Times, a far-right website that also had a booth at this year’s convention and is directly linked to the Falun Gong, a hardline anti-communist group.
Such outlets, Harvey said, are crucial to getting people “further down the rabbit hole,” after which they can begin to connect the dots between the deep-state that has spent years attacking former President Donald Trump, and the agenda of the left to indoctrinate kids through the Boy Scouts of America, public schools and the Democratic Party.
Harvey’s views were widely-held by his fellow delegates, many of whom were certain that broader transgender acceptance, Critical Race Theory or “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives were parts of a sinister plot to destroy the country and take over its churches.
The culprits behind the ploy differed — Democrats, socialists or “globalists,” to name a few. But their nefarious end goals loomed over the convention. Fearing a transgender takeover of the Republican Party of Texas, delegates pushed to explicitly stipulate that the party’s chair and vice chair must be “biological” men or women.
At events to recruit pastors and congregations to ramp up their political activism, elected leaders argued that churches were the only thing standing between evil and children. And the party’s proposed platform included planks that claim gender-transition care is child abuse, or urge new legislation in Texas that's "even more comprehensive" than Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation or gender identity in public schools...." article continues.
https://www.alternet.org/the-right-wing/gop-convention-warfare/
Here is another article.
Former Texas House speaker says GOP megadonor Tim Dunn told him only Christians should hold leadership positions
Straus, who is Jewish, publicly confirmed the conversation for the first time Thursday. It had previously been reported by Texas Monthly.
Former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said on Thursday that Midland oil magnate Tim Dunn, one of the state’s most powerful and influential GOP megadonors, once told him that only Christians should hold leadership positions in the lower chamber.
Straus, a Republican who is Jewish, relayed the encounter in an interview with former Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. It appeared to be the first time Straus publicly confirmed the anecdote, which was first reported by Texas Monthly in a 2018 story that cited “Straus insiders.”
The alleged remarks came at a November 2010 meeting, shortly after Dunn’s political network had targeted many of the Democrats and moderate Republicans who had helped Straus ascend to the speakership the year before. With Straus poised to seek a second term as speaker the following January, he said he asked Dunn to meet in the hopes of finding common ground on “fiscal tax issues.”
But Dunn reportedly demanded that Straus replace “a significant number” of his committee chairs with tea party-aligned lawmakers backed by Dunn’s political advocacy group, Empower Texans. After Straus rebuffed the demand, the two began to talk about social policy, at which point Dunn allegedly said he believed only Christians should hold leadership posts.
“It was a pretty unsatisfactory meeting,” Straus said Thursday. “We never met again.”
Dunn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Straus’ confirmation of the comments comes as Dunn’s political empire continues to face scrutiny for its ties to avowed white supremacists and antisemites. In October, The Texas Tribune reported that Jonathan Stickland, the then-leader of Dunn’s most powerful political action committee, hosted prominent white supremacist and Adolf Hitler admirer Nick Fuentes at his office for nearly seven hours. The Tribune subsequently uncovered close ties between numerous other Fuentes associates and Defend Texas Liberty, the PAC that Stickland led until he was quietly replaced last year.
The reporting prompted Speaker Dade Phelan and 60 other House Republicans to call for the Texas GOP to cut ties with Defend Texas Liberty and Stickland. Dunn has not publicly commented on the matter, though Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Dunn “told me unequivocally that it was a serious blunder” for Stickland to meet with Fuentes. Patrick added that Dunn had assured him his political action committee and its employees would have no “future contact” with Fuentes.
Late last year, the state party’s executive committee narrowly rejected a ban on associating with Holocaust deniers, neo-Nazis and antisemites — which some members said could create a slippery slope and complicate the party’s relationship with donors or candidates. After outcry, the Texas GOP’s executive committee passed a significantly watered-down version of the resolution earlier this year.
At the time of his alleged remarks to Straus, Dunn was a lesser-known political entity, using groups such as Empower Texans to push for libertarian economic policy and help fund the state’s nascent tea party movement. Groups and lawmakers backed by Dunn had been particularly critical of Straus, frequently attacking him as a weak conservative — a claim they’ve made against each of Straus’ successors, including Phelan.
Since then, Dunn’s influence on state politics has steadily grown. He and another West Texas billionaire, Farris Wilks, have poured tens of millions of dollars into far-right candidates and movements who have incrementally pulled the Texas GOP and Legislature toward their hardline, anti-LGBTQ+ and immigration stances. Dunn's allies have meanwhile pushed back against claims that he is antisemitic or adheres to Christian nationalism, which argues that America's founding was God-ordained and that its institutions and laws should thus favor their brand of ultraconservative Christianity.
Even after the Tribune’s reporting sparked a wave of backlash, Dunn emerged from last month’s primary perhaps stronger than ever, after his political network made good on its vows for vengeance against House Republicans who voted to impeach their key state ally, Attorney General Ken Paxton. Nine GOP incumbents were unseated by hardline conservative challengers and eight others, including Phelan, were forced into runoffs — mostly against primary foes backed by Dunn’s network.
The primary also paved the way for the likely passage of legislation that would allow taxpayer money to fund private and religious schools — a key policy goal for a movement that seeks to infuse more Christianity into public life. The push for school vouchers was spearheaded by Gov. Greg Abbott, who spent more than $6 million of his own campaign money to help unseat six anti-voucher Republicans and push four others into runoffs.
Straus, whose decade-long run as speaker overlapped with Abbott’s first term as governor, criticized Abbott’s spending blitz to take out fellow GOP lawmakers. He also accused Abbott of falsely portraying members as weak on border security even after they voted for the GOP’s entire slate of border legislation last year, pointing to Abbott’s ads attacking state Rep. Steve Allison, Straus’ successor in his San Antonio district.
“It’s too bad the governor took on all these members who are 99% with him,” Straus said.
Abbott has called the results “an unmistakable message from voters” in support of school vouchers. He recently said the House was two votes away from a clear pro-voucher majority and urged supporters to “redouble our efforts” during the runoffs.
Straus argued Abbott’s move to unseat anti-voucher incumbents “showed more frustration than political courage,” citing the governor’s failure to pass a voucher measure during the spring regular session and multiple special sessions.
“Persuasion failed, so he took on retribution,” Straus said. “I think it’s really unfortunate, and I think it just further diminishes the work of the Legislature and our state government.”
Abbott's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Straus, who served in the House from 2005 to 2019, announced he would not seek reelection in the fall of 2017, after concluding a months-long feud with Patrick over a bill that would have regulated which bathrooms transgender Texans could use. Straus opposed the measure, which never made it through the House.
Since Straus’ retirement, the Legislature has passed laws barring transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapies and restricting which sports teams transgender student athletes can join.
Straus said the array of recent laws aimed at LGBTQ+ Texans have left the community “borderline persecuted.”
“Where's the humanity in that? And why is it such an obsession?” Straus said. “Time and time again, they try to find some niche thing they think will play well in the primary when, in my view, it's rooted in just plain indecency.”
Straus largely demurred when asked to assess Phelan’s performance as speaker, quipping that he “really didn't appreciate former members pontificating about whether I was good or bad” during his run as speaker. He said Phelan has generally been a good speaker, though when asked if Phelan made the right move to impeach Paxton, Straus said, “history has made that questionable,” citing the primary results.
Still, he argued that it remains to be seen how the House will change next session, even with its apparent shift to the right last month and calls from hardline House members to align more with Patrick and the Senate.
"In my experience, the House has never been easily tamed," Straus said after the LBJ School interview. "And I think that if I were a betting man, I would bet that the House will want to protect its independence, that it'll want to protect its institution."
Disclosure: Texas Monthly and University of Texas at Austin - LBJ School of Public Affairs have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
We can’t wait to welcome you to downtown Austin Sept. 5-7 for the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival! Join us at Texas’ breakout politics and policy event as we dig into the 2024 elections, state and national politics, the state of democracy, and so much more. When tickets go on sale this spring, Tribune members will save big. Donate to join or renew today.
Texans need truth. Help us report it.
BY JASPER SCHERER AND ROBERT DOWNEN
APRIL 4, 2024
UPDATED: 4 PM CENTRAL
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/04/tim-dunn-joe-straus-christian-texas/?utm_campaign=trib-social-buttons&utm_source=copy&utm_medium=social
This is a long article though worth the read imo. It adds another billionaire character to the growing list of people intent on building a Christian Nationalism movement and Christian Theocracy to replace our Democratic Republic. More important than the presidential race in this election cycle will be the races at the local government level. Democrats need to bring their A+ game to the grassroots level this year.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/billionaire-tim-dunn-runs-texas/
Dems will gloat, no doubt, just adding to it all....
Yes I will.
Fact: 12 American jurors just did what hundreds of our elected congressional republican representatives haven't had the spine to do for years. Kudos to them.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/30/politics/jury-decision-trump-verdict-dg/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc
A phucking beautiful candle. Congrats to anyone who got in near the bottom.
https://elite.finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=PLAB&p=d&r=m6
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/u9c1Mvf7Ufo
No surprise here. Order in near the lower gap close. NVDA reports today also so this rollercoaster may take another turn.