"An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy."
Mon, Jan 18, 2021, 3PM (CT) #KPFTHouston 90.1FM. POSSIBLE TOPICS: Voting info; “Vote By Mail” applications; Texas DMV announces end date for waiver of vehicle title, registration requirements; Stopping storm surge: Coastal barrier aims to protect Greater Houston area; Ken Paxton is only state attorney general in the U.S. who didn’t sign letters condemning Capitol insurrection; Texans call for Ken Paxton’s resignation outside Texas Attorney General’s Office; Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz plan to attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration; Joint Chiefs Affirm Election Results, Condemn ‘Assault on Our Constitutional Process’; Democrats have a new tool to undo Trump’s ‘midnight rule-making.’ But there’s a catch; Biden’s agenda gets a fighting chance after Democrats capture Senate control; Biden Seeks Quick Start With Executive Actions and Aggressive Legislation; After Georgia Senate Victory, Will Democrats Kill the Filibuster?; FBI probing if foreign governments, groups funded extremists who helped execute Capitol attack; MORE. Guest: [AUDIO/VIDEO]
This program was recorded early in the morning on SUNDAY, January 17. Due to Covid-19, shows are being prerecorded beginning March 13, 2020 and until further notice. We miss our live call-in participants, and look forward to a time we can once again go live.Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig(@ThinkwingRadio), a listener call-in show airing live every Monday from 3-4 PM (CT) on KPFT-FM 90.1 (Houston). My co-host and Editor is Andrew Ferguson.
Listen live on the radio, or on the internet from anywhere in the world! When the show is live, we take calls at 713-526-5738. (Long distance charges may apply.) Please take a moment to visit Pledge.KPFT.org and choose THINKWING RADIO from the drop-down list when you donate.
For the purposes of this show, I operate on two mottoes:
An educated electorate is a prerequisite for a democracy.
You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
“There’s a reason why you separate military and police. One fights the enemy of the State. The other serves and protects the People. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the State tend t become the People.” ~ Commander Adama, “Battlestar Galactica” (“WATER”, Season 1 episode 2, at the 28 minute mark.)
Pledge to support KPFT by Text: Listeners can now text “GIVE” to 713-526-5738 and they’ll receive a text message back with a link to KPFT’s donation page, with which they can make their pledge on-line at their convenience.
Next Election: May 01, 2021 – Uniform Election. Early Voting: April 19th – April 27th
If you are denied your right to vote any place at any timeat any polling place for any reason, ask for (or demand) a provisional ballot rather than lose your vote.
Fill out a declaration at the polls describing a reasonable impediment to obtaining it, and show a copy or original of one of the following supporting forms of ID:
A government document that shows your name and an address, including your voter registration certificate
Current utility bill
Bank statement
Government check
Paycheck
A certified domestic (from a U.S. state or territory) birth certificate or (b) a document confirming birth admissible in a court of law which establishes your identity (which may include a foreign birth document)
MIKE: DO click on the story link to see the numerous explanatory graphics!
After five years of work, a study of how to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from storms is nearing final approval, and it could result in a slew of some of the longest and most expensive projects in the state’s history. …
The study calls for $26.2 billion worth of projects, including building gates between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula; constructing miles of beaches and sand dunes along Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula; creating a ring barrier system of various defenses around Galveston Island; building gate systems and pumps at Clear Lake and Dickinson Bay; and conducting “nonstructural improvements,” such as home elevations, along the west side of the bay.
The study will go before U.S. Congress in the summer, and, pending funding, work would begin as soon as 2023. …
In September, Tropical Storm Beta flooded Friendswood when the storm dropped up to a dozen inches of rain on the area while also causing coastal storm surge, giving the creeks nowhere to drain, Friendswood Mayor Mike Foreman said.
“Our rain flow couldn’t get out,” he said. “It’s a perfect example of why we need help holding back surge events from these storms.” …
The study’s proposed projects include two large sector gates between three artificial islands that would be constructed between Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. …
Additionally, the Corps and the GLO have proposed building a series of beaches and sand dunes to protect the coast—particularly the peninsula and the west side of Galveston Island. …
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: Representatives from [environmental groups and] Rice University … as well as other environmental experts have all spoken out against some proposed projects, saying they are more expensive than necessary and harmful to the environment.
Of the $26.2 billion in projects, over half … would fund the gate system. The gates would dramatically affect the flow of water in and out of the Galveston Bay, and its environmental impacts have not been studied, coastal ecologist Azure Bevington said. …
… “There’s so many what-ifs about how this will function based on the sedimentation and hydrodynamics that we experience.”
Nonstructural improvements, estimated at $220 million, should be considered everywhere in the Bay Area, Bevington said, as they could be cheaper than and even eliminate the need for the $14 billion gate system.
If the plan is approved, nonstructural improvements would not begin until 14 years after the start of the overall project, according to the Corps’ timeline. [Azure Bevington said that they] need to happen earlier because they are cheaper and faster while providing adequate benefits …
MIKE: There is a great deal more to this story. I strongly recommend clicking on the article link and reading the full article.
… There has been no evidence that antifa activists participated in the Jan. 6 attack that left five people dead and was intended to disrupt the certification of the presidential election results.
Attorneys general from 46 states — in addition to those representing Washington D.C. and three U.S. territories — signed a letter Tuesday sent to Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen condemning the attack. Only Paxton and the Republican attorneys general from Louisiana, Indiana and Montana did not sign the letter. …
Asked why he did not sign either letter of condemnation, Paxton said through a spokesperson that he “already addressed this issue multiple times” and pointed to recent tweets and a Fox News interview in which he disavowed the mob and “absolutely” said its violent actors should be prosecuted. …
MEANWHILE, FROM A STORY JUST 5 DAYS EARLIER: Texans call for Ken Paxton’s resignation outside Texas Attorney General’s Office – The indicted attorney general is also now under investigation by the FBI after he was accused of abuse of office. Author: KVUE NEWS STAFF | Published: 11:45 AM CST January 11, 2021, Updated: 2:54 PM CST January 14, 2021
[S]hould he not accept their call, they said the Texas Legislature should move to impeach him under Article 15 of the Texas Constitution.
[The activists said in a press release that,] “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is criminally and morally unfit for office. His harmful pro-Trump speech fed a violent riot charged by white supremacists in D.C., leading to the death of five people, and sought to upend the 2020 presidential election. He is using our tax dollars for baseless legal action; funds that are desperately needed to assist Texans affected by the intersecting and ongoing crises of COVID-19, the economic recession, and racial injustice, plaguing millions of people in our state.”
After the riots at the U.S. Capitol, Paxton falsely said that the rioters were not Trump supporters, citing incorrect reports. …
[Paxton said ,] “We’re here. We will not quit fighting. We are Texans, we are Americans, and we’re not quitting.”
Paxton is also currently under investigation after several people in his office accused him of crimes such as bribery and abuse of office linked to his dealings with Austin-based real estate investor Nate Paul.
The news of their attendance is perhaps most unexpected for Cruz, who has spread baseless claims attempting to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Biden’s win over President Donald Trump since the November election.
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office told KVUE-TV that he would not attend the inauguration ceremony. Abbott’s office did not respond to a request for comment from The Texas Tribune. Abbott attended Trump’s inauguration in 2017. …
Cruz’s office confirmed he would attend the inauguration but did not respond to other questions.
Cornyn, however, accepted Biden’s victory over Trump and voted against Cruz’s objection to the election certification.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an extraordinary statement to the entire armed services of the United States on Tuesday afternoon, affirming Joe Biden as the lawfully-elected president-elect and condemning last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol as “a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building, and our Constitutional process.”
“On January 20, 2021, in accordance with the Constitution, confirmed by the states and the courts, and certified by Congress, President-elect Biden will be inaugurated and will become our 46th Commander in Chief,” read the memo, signed Tuesday by all eight members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including Chairman Gen. Mark Milley.
That the military’s senior-most uniformed leaders should feel compelled to issue such a message to the force reflects not only deep-seated concerns about the impact bitter national division may have within the force, but also a tacit recognition that the military still remains one of the most trusted organizations in an American deeply divided over its own institutions.
In taking the Senate majority, Democrats are newly empowered to undo Trump-era policies through a seldom-used tool that allows Congress to reverse federal rules.
But the tool, known as the Congressional Review Act, has limits: It applies only to recently finalized rules, and when Congress uses it to reverse a rule, it places new restrictions on federal agencies’ ability to issue similar rules going forward, raising questions about how broadly Democrats will use it to take Trump policies off the books.
Usually, it’s only possible to reverse federal rules with a court decision or the lengthy rule-making process — a formidable undertaking that can take years. Under the 1996 Congressional Review Act, however, Congress can quickly overturn a rule through a fast-track vote of disapproval and a simple majority in the House and the Senate — lower than the 60-vote threshold needed to pass most legislation in the Senate.
The Congressional Review Act applies only to rules that have been finalized during Congress’ previous 60 working days — a period that often stretches to months, because Congress is usually only in session part of the time. That would apply to Trump-era rules that have been completed since late August, including the most recent flurry of midnight rule-making since Election Day.
Potential candidates for repeal under the Democrat-controlled Congress include many contentious environmental rules, such as Trump’s restrictions on the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to consider the benefits of regulating air pollutants; limits on the agency’s use of scientific research in justifying public health rules; and the repeal of energy efficiency standards for showers, washing machines and other bathroom fixtures.
A senior Democratic aide in Congress confirmed that Democrats are planning to use the tool to overturn some Trump regulations …
Democrats have never reversed a rule through the Congressional Review Act, which was created to allow legislators to rein in the executive branch. In the early months of the Trump administration, the Republican-led Congress used the tool to kill 14 Obama-era rules, undoing new record-keeping requirements for workplace injuries and illnesses, prohibitions against dumping coal-mining waste into streams and hunting bans in Alaskan wildlife refuges, among other changes. …
Some leading Democratic lawmakers and progressive groups, however, have urged that the Congressional Review Act be repealed altogether, arguing that it has allowed rampant deregulation without adequate public scrutiny, and its use could make it harder for federal agencies to replace rules that have been scrapped.
The law contains a provision that prohibits federal agencies from issuing a new rule that is “substantially the same” as the one that Congress has disapproved, unless Congress passes legislation specifically instructing the agencies to create the new rule.
That could be an additional boon if Democrats want to prevent future administrations from enacting rules similar to the Trump-era policies they want to overturn. …
But some progressive advocates are concerned that this could backfire by precluding rule changes that Democrats may want in the future that are deemed to be “substantially the same” as the overturned rules — a requirement that is left undefined in the law.
MIKE: The upshot: Elections have real consequences, but it sometimes pays to carefully examine a gift horse’s mouth.
Biden’s agenda gets a fighting chance after Democrats capture Senate control – Progressive policies that were dead on arrival in a GOP Senate are now on the table. Chuck Schumer, preparing to become majority leader, promises “bold change.” By Sahil Kapur | NBCNEWS.COM | Jan. 8, 2021, 3:14 AM CST / Updated Jan. 8, 2021, 10:25 AM CST
[Schumer has promised to begin] with Covid-19 pandemic relief. He will soon seize control of the chamber from Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and have the power to decide what legislation and nominations are voted on.
But Schumer will be limited by a slim majority and a 60-vote threshold for most bills. He’ll be able to bypass that under the budget process for some items, which will be the key to advancing major progressive legislation in a Democratic-controlled Washington. …
The power shift also means Biden won’t have to negotiate with McConnell over top administration personnel or judicial nominees — nor will Republicans have the power to vote them down. Cabinet secretaries and other jobs that require Senate confirmation need simple majorities.
But although Democrats will be in control, the 50-50 Senate will still limit their policy ambitions. A faction of centrist Democrats, like Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have resisted policies like “Medicare for All” and abolishing fossil fuels, both of which are unlikely to get far.
The party also has a narrower House majority, which could empower centrists in both chambers.
Current and former Democratic aides said the best bet to pass new programs is through the budget reconciliation process, in which policies of taxing and spending can pass with simple majorities. That could mean unemployment assistance and aid to state and local governments, as well as spending on infrastructure and clean energy and bolstering the Affordable Care Act.
It is the same process Republicans used to enact a major tax cut in 2017 and through which they tried unsuccessfully to repeal the Affordable Care Act that year.
“Budget reconciliation offers Schumer and the Democrats the chance to enact meaningful and significant policies early in the Biden presidency,” said Matt House, a consultant and former Schumer aide. …
Climate change activists are far more excited about their opportunities now than they were before the Georgia victories, when they expected endless McConnell-led blockades of their priorities.
[President-elect Biden and his team, inheriting a collection of crises unlike any in generations … have] developed a raft of decrees that he can issue on his own authority after the inauguration on Wednesday to begin reversing some of President Trump’s most hotly disputed policies. Advisers hope the flurry of action, without waiting for Congress, will establish a sense of momentum for the new president even as the Senate puts his predecessor on trial.
On his first day in office alone, Mr. Biden intends a flurry of executive orders that will be partly substantive and partly symbolic. They include rescinding the travel ban on several predominantly Muslim countries, rejoining the Paris climate change accord, extending pandemic-related limits on evictions and student loan payments, issuing a mask mandate for federal property and interstate travel and ordering agencies to figure out how to reunite children separated from families after crossing the border, according to a memo circulated on Saturday by Ron Klain, his incoming White House chief of staff, and obtained by The New York Times. …
He also plans to send sweeping immigration legislation on his first day in office providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million people in the country illegally. Along with his promise to vaccinate 100 million Americans for the coronavirus in his first 100 days, it is an expansive set of priorities for a new president that could be a defining test of his deal-making abilities and command of the federal government.
For Mr. Biden, an energetic debut could be critical to moving the country beyond the endless dramas surrounding Mr. Trump. …
The bill will include increased foreign aid to ravaged Central American economies, provide safe opportunities for immigration for those fleeing violence, and increase prosecutions of those trafficking drugs and human smugglers.
But unlike previous presidents, Mr. Biden will not try to win support from Republicans by acknowledging the need for extensive new investments in border security in exchange for his proposals, according to a person familiar with the legislation. That could make his plan far harder to pass in Congress, where Democrats will control both houses but by a slim margin.
All of which explains why Mr. Biden and his team have resolved to use executive power as much as possible at the onset of the administration even as he tests the waters of a new Congress. …
On Mr. Biden’s second day in office, he will sign executive actions related to the coronavirus pandemic aimed at helping schools and businesses to reopen safely, expand testing, protect workers and clarify public health standards.
On his third day, he will direct his cabinet agencies to “take immediate action to deliver economic relief to working families,” Mr. Klain wrote in the memo.
The subsequent seven days will include more executive actions and directives to his cabinet to expand “Buy America” provisions, “support communities of color and other underserved communities,” address climate change and start an effort to reunite families separated at the border.
… Democrats are set to take control of the Senate for the first time since 2015
The chamber will now face a 50-50 split with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris breaking ties for at least the first two years of President-elect Joe Biden‘s administration.
However, a razor thin Democratic majority could still be hamstrung by Republican use of the filibuster. …
Social media users speculated about the chances of filibuster reform … with many pointing out it remained unlikely despite Democratic victories. …
… NBC national political reporter Sahil Kapur … tweeted: “Anyone who thinks a hypothetical 50-50 Democratic-controlled Senate will pave the way for the end of the filibuster, expansion of the Supreme Court, Medicare For All and a Green New Deal needs to be reminded of the existence of Joe Manchin [the Democratic senator from West Virginia].” …
[David Bateman, associate professor at Cornell University’s Department of Government, told Newsweek … , “The chances of filibuster reform are not great. After all, just one senator is needed to block reform—and Joe Manchin has made clear that he is opposed to filibuster reform. Unless he and the other more ‘centrist’ or conservative Democrats can be persuaded that an issue is sufficiently important enough to warrant jettisoning the filibuster, it is not going anywhere.”]
“What does change is that the Democrats now have a real opportunity to use some of the procedural exceptions to the filibuster, most notably reconciliation. This ironically will make it tougher to find issues that conservative Democrats might find important enough to reform the filibuster, since a lot of issues important to them could be included in reconciliation bills. What we might see instead of filibuster reform is a push to expand what can be done through reconciliation.”
… [T]he bureau is examining payments of $500,000 in bitcoin, apparently by a French national, to key figures and groups in the alt-right before the riot, … sources said. Those payments were documented and posted on the web this week by a company that analyzes cryptocurrency transfers. Payments of bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, can be traced because they are documented on a public ledger.
Separately, a joint threat assessment issued this week by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and various other federal and D.C.-area police agencies noted that since the Jan. 6 riot, “Russian, Iranian, and Chinese influence actors have seized the opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid the presidential transition.” …
Law enforcement officials and terrorism experts say there has long been “a mutual affection between Western white supremacists and the Russian government,” as two scholars put it in a February paper on the JustSecurity web site.
Thinkwing Radio with Mike Honig 