March 30, 2023

Thursday, March 30, 2023. Annette’s News Roundup.

To read an article excerpted in this Roundup, click on its blue title. Each “blue” article is hyperlinked so you can read the whole article.

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Kamala is always busy.

Touch 👇 to watch the video of the Vice President speaking at the Dark Dungeons of the Cape Coast, Ghana.

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The real madness is a nation that let’s this continue.

“Across the Republican party, the response to yet another mass shooting in a school has included attacking the transgender community, promising to do absolutely nothing, and suggesting that religion is the answer. One exception, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, stands out for doing exactly the opposite.

“Until people start to go into the streets and protest, we’re not going to see the changes…if you don’t have the people rising up like what they did with civil rights…they’re going to keep passing the buck….this is about saving our children at this point…then you begin to put the pressure on the politicians,” Kasich explained.”

(Occupy Democrats).

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Judge Michael Luttig could have been a GOP choice for the Supreme Court.

Luttig now says, if Trump is “not prosecuted for January 6, I will believe that that's a great disservice to democracy and to the rule of law in America.”

Judge Luttig Has a Warning for America. By Charlie Sykes.

It was called the “tweet heard round the world.”

On the morning before the January 6 attack on the Capitol, one of the nation’s most prominent conservative jurists, former Federal Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Luttig, posted a message aimed at Vice President Mike Pence.

A close friend of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, Luttig had frequently been mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee, and when he spoke, conservatives paid close attention.

That day his message was brief and clear: The vice president had no power to alter the election results.

“The only responsibility and power of the Vice President under the Constitution is to faithfully count the electoral college votes as they have been cast,” Judge Luttig wrote.

“The Constitution does not empower the vice president to alter in any way the votes that have been cast, either by rejecting certain votes or otherwise,” Luttig continued.

If Pence had caved to Donald Trump’s demands and refused to count the electoral votes, Judge Luttig told the January 6 Committee last summer, the nation “would immediately have been plunged into what would have been tantamount to a revolution within a paralyzing constitutional crisis.”

Now, Judge Luttig is back, with even a starker warning.

The institutions of our democracy and law, he says, “are under vicious, unsustainable, and unendurable attack — from within.” 

Last week, at the University of Georgia School of Law, Luttig said:

With the former president’s and his Republican Party’s determined denial of January 6, their refusal to acknowledge that the former president lost the 2020 presidential election fair and square, and their promise that the 2024 election will not be “stolen” from them again as they maintain it was in 2020, America’s Democracy and the Rule of Law are in constitutional peril — still. And there is no end to the threat in sight….

We are a house divided and our poisonous politics is fast eating away at the fabric of our society….

The Republican Party has made its decision that the war against America’s Democracy and the Rule of Law it instigated on January 6 will go on, prosecuted to its catastrophic end.

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On Tuesday’s Bulwark podcast, I sat down with Judge Luttig. He recounts the story behind his decision to speak out; the call he received from Pence the day after the Insurrection; and his reaction to Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to spread lies about the 2020 election.

It’s a remarkable conversation, and very much worth your time. You can listen to our whole thing here.

Some highlights:

“Treason-like”

Charlie Sykes: Here you have the former president very openly saying we should terminate the Constitution in order to overturn this election. And yet the Republican Party still looks at him and says, ‘Yeah, if he’s the nominee, we’ll support him again for return to the Oval Office.’ What has happened to conservatives and Republicans that they are willing to tolerate that kind of thing?

Judge Michael Luttig: In another day, those words spoken by a president or a former president, for that matter, would be treason-like — not treason. Treason is a defined term in the Constitution. It's treason-like because that statement, as well as January 6, the events inspired by the former president, were a betrayal of America and a betrayal of Americans. The former president and his allies betrayed the sacred trust that had been conferred on them by the American people.

Indicting Trump

Sykes: “I don't want to put words in your mouth. But my sense is that you're not calling for Trump's indictment, but you now believe that he will be indicted, and you've been laying out the factors … that Merrick Garland should be considering. So, what should we do about this, and what does it say if the legal system does not hold Donald Trump accountable for his attempts to overturn the election and for his role in January 6?

Judge Luttig: Yes, it's not my role to call for the indictment and prosecution of the former president — and I've studiously not done that. As these various prosecutions have come to the forefront, I have commented on what I thought was their legitimacy and their likelihood.

The four in particular that I've commented on, beginning with the most important is January 6 — the investigation being conducted now by the Department of Justice in the person of Jack Smith, for the former president's conduct on January 6. Second, the investigation of the taking and retention of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, followed closely by the investigation in Georgia by Fani Willis of the former president's effort to interfere with the election in Georgia in 2020. And last and most recently, this expected indictment in Manhattan related to the Stormy Daniels case.

But I would say today, Charlie, that I would have hoped that the first of any prosecutions of the former president would not have been either the Stormy Daniels matter in Manhattan, or frankly, the classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. And that instead, if there are to be prosecutions of the former president, the first would be by the Department of Justice and Jack Smith, for January 6.

I'll go even one step further and say that if it happens to be the case that the Stormy Daniels prosecution and the classified documents investigation are the only two prosecutions of the former president coming out of all of his antics, and that he's not prosecuted for January 6, I will believe that that's a great disservice to democracy and to the rule of law in America.

(The Bulwark).
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Luttig 👆 is a moral man. Kasich 👆 has his occasional moments. Name any other “good Republican,” or is this an irreconcilable oxymoron?

Remember to remind all college students you know to prepare to vote either at school or by absentee ballot at home

Republicans Face Setbacks in Push to Tighten Voting Laws on College Campuses.

Party officials across the country have sought to erect more barriers for young voters, who tilt heavily Democratic, after several cycles in which their turnout surged.

Students at the University of Texas at Austin lined up to cast their ballots on campus during the 2020 primary. A new proposal would eliminate all college polling places in the state.

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Alarmed over young people increasingly proving to be a force for Democrats at the ballot box, Republican lawmakers in a number of states have been trying to enact new obstacles to voting for college students.

In Idaho, Republicans used their power monopoly this month to ban student ID cards as a form of voter identification.

But so far this year, the new Idaho law is one of few successes for Republicans targeting young voters.

Attempts to cordon off out-of-state students from voting in their campus towns or to roll back preregistration for teenagers have failed in New Hampshire and Virginia. Even in Texas, where 2019 legislation shuttered early voting sites on many college campuses, a new proposal that would eliminate all college polling places seems to have an uncertain future.

“When these ideas are first floated, people are aghast,” said Chad Dunn, the co-founder and legal director of the UCLA Voting Rights Project. But he cautioned that the lawmakers who sponsor such bills tend to bring them back over and over again.

“Then, six, eight, 10 years later, these terrible ideas become law,” he said.

Turnout in recent cycles has surged for young voters, who were energized by issues like abortion, climate change and the Trump presidency.

They voted in rising numbers during the midterms last year in Kansas and Michigan, which both had referendums about abortion. And college students, who had long paid little attention to elections, emerged as a crucial voting bloc in the 2018 midterms.

But even with such gains, Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the voting rights program for the Brennan Center for Justice, said there was still progress to be made.

Out of 17 states that generally require voter ID, Idaho will join Texas and only four others — North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee — that do not accept any student IDs, according to the Voting Rights Lab, a group that tracks legislation.

A fight over out-of-state students in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, which has one of the highest percentages in the nation of college students from out of state, G.O.P. lawmakers proposed a bill this year that would have barred voting access for those students, but it died in committee after failing to muster a single vote.

Nearly 59 percent of students at traditional colleges in New Hampshire came from out of state in 2020, according to the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts.

The University of New Hampshire had opposed the legislation, while students and other critics had raised questions about its constitutionality.

A Texas ban on campus polling places has made little headway

In Texas, the Republican lawmaker who introduced the bill to eliminate all polling places on college campusesthis year, Carrie Isaac, cited safety concerns and worries about political violence.

Voting advocates see a different motive.

“This is just the latest in a long line of attacks on young people’s right to vote in Texas,” said Claudia Yoli Ferla, the executive director of MOVE Texas Action Fund, a nonpartisan group that seeks to empower younger voters.

G.O.P. voting restrictions flounder in other states

In Virginia, one Republican failed in her effort to repeal a state law that lets teenagers register to vote starting at age 16 if they will turn 18 in time for a general election. Part of a broader package of proposed election restrictions, the bill had no traction in the G.O.P.-controlled House, where it died this year in committee after no discussion.

And in Wyoming, concerns about making voting harder on older people appears to have inadvertently helped younger voters. A G.O.P. bill that would have banned most college IDs from being used as voter identification was narrowly defeated in the state House because it also would have banned Medicare and Medicaid insurance cards as proof of identity at the polls, a provision that Republican lawmakers worried could be onerous for older people.

“In my mind, all we’re doing is kind of hurting students and old people,” Dan Zwonitzer, a Republican lawmaker who voted against the bill, said during a House debate in February.

But some barriers are already in place

Georgia has accepted student IDs only from public colleges and universities since 2006, so students at private institutions, including several historically Black colleges and universities, must use another form of identification.

In Ohio, which has for years not accepted student IDs for voting, Republicans in January approved a broader photo ID requirement that also bars students from using university account statements or utility bills for voting purposes, as they had in the past.(New York Times).

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Florida authoritarian Governor Ron DeSantis doesn’t really know how to play with the big boys.

DeSantis’ Reedy Creek board says Disney stripped its power.

LAKE BUENA VISTA — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handpicked board overseeing Disney World’s government services is gearing up for a potential legal battle over a 30-year development agreement they say effectively renders them powerless to manage the entertainment giant’s future growth in Central Florida.

Ahead of an expected state takeover, the Walt Disney Co. quietly pushed through the pact and restrictive covenants that would tie the hands of future board members for decades, according to a legal presentation by the district’s lawyers on Wednesday.

“We’re going to have to deal with it and correct it,” board member Brian Aungst Jr. said. “It’s a subversion of the will of the voters and the Legislature and the governor. It completely circumvents the authority of this board to govern.”

Disney defended the agreements.

“All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open, noticed public forums in compliance with Florida’s Government in the Sunshine law,” an unsigned company statement read.

The previous board, which was known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District and controlled by Disney, approved the agreement on Feb. 8, the day before the Florida House voted to put the governor in charge.

Board members held a public meeting that day but spent little time discussing the document before unanimously approving it in a brief meeting.

The agreement allows Disney to build projects at the highest density and the right to sell or assign those development rights to other district landowners without the board having any say, according to the presentation by the district’s new special legal counsel.

Out there 👇 but true.

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Lives will be saved.

Narcan, overdose-reversing drug, is approved for OTC sales by the FDA.

The overdose-reversing drug Narcan could soon be available to buy over the counter without a prescription, the Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday.

The FDA's approval of the nasal spray Narcan — the brand name for the drug naloxone — means the medication could be more widely available across the U.S. as the country continues to grapple with an opioid epidemic.

"Today's action paves the way for the life-saving medication to reverse an opioid overdose to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations, as well as online," the FDA said in a statement.

It could take months before Narcan becomes available over-the-counter and the cost would be determined by the manufacturer, the administration added.

The specific dose approved for over-the-counter sales is the 4 milligram (mg) naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray. Other formulations and dosages of the drug would still require a prescription, the FDA said. (NPR).

How to Use Narcan, the Overdose-Reversing Nasal Spray,Safely.
(New York Times).

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A fascinating poll of who Americans are and what we/they value.

Click on the link below.👇 It is worth your while.

https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/WSJ_NORC_ToplineMarc_2023.pdf

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The fight for Democracy. The 3rd Summit for Democracy is happening this week.

Did you know this is happening?

Standing Together for Freedom: A Commitment to 14 Democratic Principles.

This week’s Summit for Democracy provides a moment to take stock of what’s at stake and recommit ourselves to the principles that will help advance a world where all people live freely.

BY KATIE LAROQUE | In 2022, democracy declined globally for the 17th consecutive year—according to the latest edition of “Freedom in the World,” Freedom House’s annual report on political rights and civil liberties across the globe.

But there is also reason to hope: The gap between the number of countries that experienced declines and those that experienced gains was the narrowest it has been since the 17 years of global deterioration started, suggesting we could be at a turning point.

That’s why this week’s second Summit for Democracy could not come at a more critical time.

Led by the United States, the Netherlands, Zambia, South Korea and Costa Rica, this meeting of leaders from more than 100 governments provides a global policy stage to build stronger democratic alliances and double down on commitments to address the summit’s three themes: respect for human rights, combatting corruption, and countering authoritarianism. This is a critically important time to strengthen commitments to democracy, not just by supporting drivers of democratic change in countries that aren’t free, but also committing to reform in our home countries.

In the run-up to the summit, three groups—Freedom House, the Bush Center and the McCain Institute—led a coalition of organizations in drafting a Declaration of Democratic Principles. It outlines wide-ranging, actionable recommendations for advancing democracy and countering authoritarianism. More than 90 organizations have signed, including Ms.

The declaration presents 14 core principles that all democratic governments should live up to. Among them are several that promote inclusive policymaking—including by giving citizens a greater voice in government, promoting youth involvement in democratic processes, and supporting gender equality and policies that encourage women’s political participation. Recognizing that all democracies are a work in progress, the declaration states that we must hold one another accountable in pursuit of these principles and work together to reinforce shared ideals and confront common threats. 

The 14 principles and associated actions in the declaration will be presented during the official summit programming to provide a roadmap for policymakers to fight back against dictators working to extinguish calls for freedom around the world.

To read more, click here.

(Ms. Magazine).

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Joint Statement by President Biden and President Yoon on the Third Summit for Democracy | The White House.

The United States and the Republic of Korea share deep bonds, rooted in our common democratic values and respect for human rights, and we are committed to further strengthening our robust political, economic, security, and people-to-people ties.

As a reflection of this work, we are looking forward to co-hosting the second Summit for Democracy today to continue building the connections among democracies, so that we can better deliver for the needs of our people and the world. And today, we are announcing that the Republic of Korea will host a future, third Summit. 

The Republic of Korea’s democratic institutions are a beacon of strength in the Indo-Pacific and demonstrate to the world that democracy fosters the conditions needed to cultivate continued security and prosperity. In recent years, the Republic of Korea has emerged as a global leader, in no small part because of the enduring commitment of the Korean people to increasing governmental transparency, ensuring effective checks and balances, and developing laws that are responsive to public needs.

Since 2021, the Summit for Democracy process has brought together hundreds of leaders from governments, civil society, and the private sector committed to strengthening democratic governance, protecting human rights, and advancing the fight against corruption.

Participating governments have made hundreds of commitments to reform laws and policies, bolster transparent and accountable institutions, and contribute additional support to democratic reformers, journalists, and activists. Non-governmental organizations have used the Summit for Democracy platform to expand their own vital work of protecting the most vulnerable and holding their leaders to account. Corporations have taken action to improve democratic resilience through their business practices and engagement with workers, communities, and other stakeholders.

Strengthening transparent, accountable governance rooted in the consent of the governed is a fundamental imperative of our time. Cooperation among strong, resilient democracies is essential to tackling the world’s greatest challenges: safeguarding shared security and prosperity, addressing the climate crisis, promoting global health and pandemic preparedness, and ensuring new and emerging technologies work for, and not against, democratic societies.  

We are proud to continue our work together to ensure that the momentum built by the first two Summits for Democracy will continue into the future and reflect this effort’s global leadership.

Touch the tweet 👇 to watch the President address the Summit for Democracy.

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Women’s Basketball is building TV audiences.

Will the women's March Madness tournament get its own TV deal? | 9news.com

The top seed women’s basketball team, the South Carolina Gamecocks, led by #4 Aliya Boston. Their coach is Dawn Staley.

Friday, March 31 — Final Four

• No. 1 Virginia Tech vs. No. 3 LSU | 7 p.m. | ESPN

• No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Iowa | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN

It's been a good year for the women's bracket. TV ratings for games on Friday and Saturday averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 73% increase over last year.

WASHINGTON — Women's basketball seems to have found a winner with its new Sweet 16 format in March Madness and the timing couldn't be better with looming TV contract negotiations on the horizon.

There were record-setting attendance at the two sites — Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle — along with record numbers for TV ratings. It fueled the momentum heading into a star-packed Final Four lineup in Dallas.

NCAA selection committee chair Lisa Peterson expects the format success to help in upcoming contract negotiations. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer.

“It has to,” she said. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing those conversations. It only can be good for the game. People are talking about it.”

TV ratings for games on Friday and Saturday averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 73% increase over last year. Saturday afternoon's Ohio State and UConn matchup on ABC was the most watched women's Sweet 16 game on record with an average of 2.4 million.

Ratings were also up for the games Sunday and Monday on ESPN — up 43% gain and averaged 2.2 million. Sunday night's Iowa-Louisville contest which featured dynamic guard Caitlin Clark led the way at 2.5 million, making it the most watched Elite Eight game on record.

Tag Garson, Wasserman’s senior vice president of properties, said this year's ratings will be one of many pieces that factor into what path the NCAA will take.

“When you’re looking at how ratings are performing as you’re preparing for a negotiation you don’t just look at one year,” he said. “You're looking at the historical value while projecting out the future value.”

The NCAA is expected to decide by this fall whether to separate the women’s tournament or keep it as part of the championships TV package that includes at least 24 sports.

Peterson and her group will have a lot to review.

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Jimmy Carter’s legacy on energy efficiency, environment, and climate.

Refrigerators have gotten really freaking good. Thanks, Jimmy Carter.

The underrated way energy efficiency has made life better, and climate progress possible.

Consumer tech news tends to focus on the latest gadget like a new smartphone camera, but the boring old refrigerator ought to get its share of credit — when we weren’t looking, the fridge got really good.

Since the 1970s, the standard fridge has grown in size, but uses a quarter of the energy of those older models. And you’re getting more for less money, since the manufacturer price of the fridge has halved (adjusting for inflation) in those 50 years. Walk into a Home Depot or Lowes for a replacement, and you can trust that whatever you come out with could be bigger than what you had before, work better than expected, and still not raise your energy bill.

It’s not just the refrigerator that’s transformed. Clothes washers and dishwashers have also become more powerful while using less energy and water. LED lights use 75 percent less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent. And when US energy-related carbon emissions peaked in 2007, one overlooked factor for that peak was better efficiency.

All this progress is thanks, in part, to former President Jimmy Carter, who entered hospice at age 98 in late February. While in office, he pioneered many of these gains in US efficiency.

From 1977 to 1980, Carter proposed and signed a series of laws that raised the floor for efficiency in the home. One of the most pivotal included creating the Department of Energy, and setting up the appliance standards program that exists today. They cover 65 categoriesthat make up 90 percent of home energy usage, including washing, drying, lighting, refrigeration, heating, cooling, and cooking.

Overall, Carter was “the first president to pass a law on energy efficiency standards that had teeth,” says Jay Hakes, a former administrator of the Energy Information Administration and former director of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. (VOX).

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