Feb. 26, 2024 - Biden summons Johnson for shutdown summit
… Shutdown summit … Gaza protester in critical … RNC chief out … Breakfast deadline …
Gonna be a short one today, kids, and 73% less “funny” than usual, as I spent all of yesterday prepping questions for a certain group of Republicans involved with a certain impeachment of a certain Homeland [sic] Security secretary…and I’ll spend most of today writing up the stuff I just asked them about.
In other words, original-reporting alert! Stay tuned!
Biden Summons Congressional Leaders for Talks to Avert Shutdown
Pres. Joe Biden tomorrow will host all four congressional leaders for negotiations to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of Friday’s deadline to approve a funding package.
You may recall that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) headed off a shutdown last time by splitting government spending into two baskets. One of those basket deadlines is Friday. The second is March 8, a week from Friday.
The stakes are pretty low this week — except of course for the poor bastards directly affected — with only about 20% of the government’s spending on the line. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Johnson issued dueling statements last night blaming each other for the lack of a deal.
It’s worth noting that, since Pres. Ronald Reagan, Republicans have made not liking government an explicit part of their platform. And Democrats have added something to their funding requests that Republicans really don’t like: Food for poor people who want to eat it!
Democrats want to add another $1 billion in funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) (SNAPfWIC). The House wants to keep WIC funding at last year’s levels after spending the entire year yelling that the price of food went up. Democrats in the Senate are only proposing an additional $300 million.
Without that full extra billion, the White House warns, states will have to start putting eligible recipients on wait lists. Again, that’s wait lists for — and I really can’t stress this enough — food for eating.
Then there’s the whole having-a-place-to-eat-in thing. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warns that even the best spending package on the table (where food’s supposed to be) also doesn’t include enough in housing subsidies. In other words, people who can’t put food on the table might not have a roof over their heads.
Without almost a billion more dollars, some 80,000 families will lose those housing subsidies. If only America had some money!
Protester Self-Immolates Outside Israeli Embassy
A U.S. Air Force active-duty member set himself on fire yesterday as he declared “I will no longer be complicit in genocide.” He’s said to be in critical condition this morning, as is Gaza.
The man identified himself as Aaron Bushnell during his live stream outside Israel’s embassy in Washington. He yelled “Free Palestine” as he burned, as does Gaza.
UNMOVED The Israeli government today moved forward with plans for a major ground offensive in Rafah, where about one million people fled because Israel told them Rafah was a swell place for fleeing.
Hemmed in on one side by the Israeli military and on the other side by the border with Egypt, it’s not clear where Palestinian refugees are supposed to go without violating Isaac Newton’s Law of Conservation of Mass.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday called Rafah “the last Hamas stronghold.” At least until Palestinians flee to the next last Hamas stronghold.
Talks continue today in Qatar on a possible temporary cease-fire (the only kind of cease-fire there is).
Haley’s Hail Mary
Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) raised one million dollars yesterday from Republican donors who still can’t believe she’s losing to a guy who spent four years showing us how bad he is at presidenting.
That cash influx came after D4FRFP1 Donald Trump soundly defeated her in Saturday’s primary in her own state, South Carolina. Haley is refusing to get out of the race because (a) why should she and what do you care? but also (b) the people telling her to get out to aren’t writing her checks for one million dollars and, in fact, she’s going full steam ahead into tomorrow’s Michigan primary.
One big donor that is conceding defeat-by-proxy is the Koch family’s Americans For Prosperity, which decided to drop its backing for Haley and focus on congressional races. That way, after spending millions failing to block Trump, they can now fight to make sure there’s a Congress that will help Trump if he wins. Rich-people brains!
RNC Chief Steps Down to Bow Down
To make way for D4FRFP Donald Trump’s handpicked choices to run the Republican National Committee (RNC), current Chair Ronna McDaniel announced this morning that she’s stepping down as of March 8. That’ll be just three days after Super Tuesday, meaning former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) by then will likely be telling us how Trump will be the greatest re-president ever.
Suck it, Grover Cleveland!
It’s not clear whether Daniel will resume using her deadname after transition her gender from Romney to non-Romney-curious. But replacing her (they/them?) will be a guy the AP refers to as “a little-known veteran operative focused in recent years on the prospect of voter fraud.” Meaning the entire party — and the fight to control both chambers of Congress — will be in the hands of a dude who’s got zero national fundraising profile and is deep in the quagmire of tired, boring, voter-fraud poopy-stink that even a significant proportion of Republican voters now find distasteful.
Countdown to Christ Stuff!
Just a reminder that Wednesday is February 28, or as we call it here in the Fucking household, The Rapture. Wednesday is the deadline that Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) gave for the folks behind the National Prayer Breakfast to answer six questions he sent them seeking details on how they do the voodoo they do so well.
This was all triggered by my previous reporting on how the organization known as the Fellowship Foundation — a.s.k.a. (also spookily known as) The Family — paid to send Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) to Uganda’s National Prayer Breakfast, where he urged everyone to “stand firm” behind last year’s new Anti-Homosexuality Act, which is so anti it includes the death penalty.
But this is about much more than Uganda. The Family for decades has conducted shadow diplomacy on behalf of shadow theocracy all around the world. And it’s been effective because The Family’s had access to U.S. presidents and lawmakers and government officials, making the organization attractive to theocrats rich and poor alike but almost overwhelmingly rich. Pocan is now telling them that by Wednesday they’ve gotta spill the breakfast beans about all the countries where they fund organizations or individuals and all the countries where they serve up prayer breakfasts.
Which means that on Wednesday we’ll have an unprecedented X-Ray of The Family’s global operations. And that’s where things could get really interesting.
Or it’ll mean that The Family has chosen to defy a request for information coming from not just a lone member of Congress, but the chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. And while I’d love to hint that I’ve got any insights into what’ll happen in that case, I’d be fibbing. But it’s hard to imagine that Pocan didn’t have a Plan B for The Family stiffing him. And that’s where things could get reallyer interesting.
TCB
TEASER As I mentioned, I’ve got some original reporting coming up, so please stay tuned!
Also, I’m seeing a reliable coalition of folks restacking and retweeting your humble TFN, which in its revived form is now one month old. And already cursing profusely!
Thanks for all the support — with enough folks sharing TFN, I can make this work! So if you’re one of those hardworking Newsfuckers, please let me know, but it on Twitter or Facebook or Bluesky or Mastodon. Thanks, loyal Newsfuckers!
Now go get ‘em…!
D4FRFP = Disgraced, quadicted, fraudster, rapist, former President.