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MURDER, POLITICS, AND THE END OF THE JAZZ AGE by Michael Wolraich Order today at Barnes & Noble / Amazon / Books-A-Million / Bookshop |
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The dominant conservative philosophy for interpreting the Constitution has served its purpose, and scholars ought to develop a more moral framework, by Adrian Vermule, Professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School
Video edited by Anshul Verma, March 30
Streets around the Indian capital Delhi have been filled with people walking to reach their villages in neighbouring states. Most of them are daily-wage workers who are now out of work after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown of the country on 24 March to halt the spread of coronavirus. In the absence of money and jobs, they are desperate to reach their villages. Some found government-run buses to reach home and others just continued to walk.
The BBC's Vikas Pandey finds out more.
Los Angeles County is reopening gun shops to the public after a federal memo listed them as "essential" businesses. Sheriff Alex Villanueva closed shops last week, but reversed course on Monday, following the guidance.
The LA county closures had prompted a lawsuit from gun rights groups.The change comes amid a national dispute over whether gun access is critical amid the Covid-19 pandemic.The federal guidance issued on 28 March classified munitions makers and sellers as "essential critical infrastructure workers".
Mr Villanueva said that though the memo was non-binding, it has national scope and he would therefore open shops closed last week [....]
By Jeff Cox @ CNBC.com, March 30
The congresswoman is declining to back primary challengers following in her footsteps — and working within the system in Congress.
By Alex Thompson & Holly Otterbein @ Politico.com, March 30
[....] Ocasio-Cortez’s reluctance marks a break with the outsider tactics of the activist left, represented by groups like Justice Democrats. This election cycle, the organization is trying to boot not just conservative Democrats but also some liberal Democrats and to replace them with members who are more left-wing. In other words, to replicate what it pulled off against Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018 by recruiting Ocasio-Cortez.
Ocasio-Cortez’s shift coincides with turnover among top aides in her congressional office — replacing some outspoken radicals with more traditional political professionals — along with a broader reckoning on the left on how to expand Sanders’ coalition after his failure to significantly do so in the presidential primary. Some progressives have questioned whether Sanders should have softened his anti-establishment rhetoric and tried to build bridges with mainstream Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 rather than betting big on turning out disaffected and first-time voters.
Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement moves are not a fluke but part of a larger change over the past several months. After her disruptive, burn-it-down early months in Congress, Ocasio-Cortez, who colleagues say is often conflict-averse in person, has increasingly been trying to work more within the system. She is building coalitions with fellow Democratic members and picking her fights more selectively [....]
By Hayley Bird @ CNN.com, March 30
House Democratic leaders laid out their priorities for an ambitious fourth coronavirus response package on Monday, saying they hope to pass bipartisan legislation with more direct payments for individuals, money for state and local governments, and funding for infrastructure.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said members will be working together to craft the legislation as they remain in their districts for much of April, hoping to vote on the bill when the House returns. Exactly when House members will come back to the Capitol remains in flux, but House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Monday in a notice to lawmakers that no votes are expected before April 20.
"We're not coming back for a few weeks, but I do think we can be working on our committee work in the meantime," Pelosi said during a phone call with reporters Monday. "I think it is really important that as soon as we are here, we are ready to pass legislation."
She said she does not expect to have the legislation finalized before the House returns. [....] Democrats on Monday laid out a number of policies Republicans are likely to take issue with [....]
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, the US president claimed that, if his administration keeps the death toll to 100,000, it will have done “a very good job” – a startling shift from his optimistic predictions of a few days ago when he said he hoped to restart the economy by Easter.
Of course, if half a million die, he'll claims if you weren't one of them, you should show him some appreciation.
By Emma Newberger @ CNBC.com, March 19, 6:19 pm
KEY POINTS
- President Donald Trump on Sunday extended the national social distancing guidelines to April 30, walking back his previous remarks that he wanted the country to reopen for business by Easter.
- “Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory has been won,” Trump said at an evening press briefing after suggesting that the coronavirus death rate would likely peak in two weeks.
- Public health experts had warned that loosening restrictions by Easter, on April 12, would result in unnecessary death and economic damage.
Just a reminder: The Mafia arose in Sicily as a vector of popular resistance. There was a reason that the people protected Dudus, El Chapo and (wait for it....) Robin Hood.