Daily Archives: November 12, 2020

TRUMP LEAVING WITH MANY EXECUTIVE ORDERS

TRUMP LEAVING WITH MANY EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The White House is eyeing executive orders and regulations on immigration, trade, health care, China and school choice.

TRUMP LEAVING WITH MANY EXECUTIVE ORDERS

On Monday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gathered senior aides on a call.

One of his goals: to plot the conservative policy moves they could push through in their final 10 weeks on immigration, trade, health care, China and school choice.

Even as President Donald Trump refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden, Meadows was asking aides on the call to give him three goals by the end of the week that could be accomplished by Biden’s inauguration, according to two people briefed on the conversation. Since then, staffers have compiled a list of roughly 15 moves they could make through executive orders, executive actions or finalizing agency rules that they plan to pursue in the coming days, according to interviews with three administration officials.

On immigration, they are seeking to finalize a rule related to making the standards stricter around H-1B visas, which allow U.S. employers to temporarily hire foreign workers in specialty occupations. And a potential school-related executive order would seek to give Covid-19 relief money to parents in public school districts shut down by the coronavirus, allowing them to use the funds for private or parochial schools.

Pfizer says preliminary data on its Covid vaccine shows 90 percent effectiveness. Pretty awesome, but does that mean we’re on the road back to normal life? It’s complicated. POLITICO’s Sarah Owermohle and Dan Diamond explain why.

THE ORDERS WILL BE SIGNED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

The president intends to start issuing the orders as soon as possible, aides said, while agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Homeland Security are rushing to finish rules already in the pipeline. It’s unclear how legally binding each executive order might be — Trump has earned a reputation for overstating the power of mostly symbolic EOs during his four years as president.

The planning is the latest sign of White House aides privately acknowledging the outcome of the election and eventual transfer of power to Democrats, while the Trump campaign publicly continues to wage legal battles in a handful of states over ballot counts and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.

“It will put pressure on Biden because a lot of the ideas are popular things,” said Stephen Moore, an informal economic adviser to the White House. “It would be a little politically tough for Biden to go into the White House and cancel them.”

Already, the Biden team has plans to sign its own set of executive orders on Jan. 20 to undo some of Trump’s four years of policymaking — reversing the Trump travel bans on mostly Muslim-majority countries, restoring protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, rejoining the Paris climate agreement and revising dozens of public health and environmental regulations Trump rolled back.

Up until the election, Trump aides had not made definitive plans for a lame-duck period — even though several were aware that President Barack Obama used his final months in office to finish a raft of regulations and executive orders. To do so would have acknowledged the chance of losing the election, a decidedly un-Trumpian position.

TRYING TO MAINTAIN CONSERVATIVE POLICIES

Trump aides want to ensure conservative policies and Trump’s norm-breaking views on immigration and trade hold for as long as possible. Inside the Trump White House, Meadows, senior adviser Jared Kushner and White House counsel Pat Cipollone are leading the various discussions on last-minute policymaking.

“The people who want to make sure their China policy sticks will attempt to take advantage of that moment in time,” said one former senior administration official, citing actions on Chinese apps and interfaces or strengthening sanctions as potential moves.

“Since taking office, President Trump has never shied away from using his lawful executive authority to advance bold policies and fulfill the promises he made to the American people, but I won’t speculate or comment on potential executive action,” said White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere.

MUCH WORK TO BE DONE

The White House discussions come as Trump and some of his aides act like they are starting a second term — even as Biden unveils a transition website, starts to vet potential White House staffers and Cabinet members and announces teams of aides and volunteers who will work inside of agencies once the formal transition process begins.

“Regardless of who is president on Jan. 20, there’s plenty of work left to do this year,” said Dan Eberhart, the CEO of the energy company Canary and a Trump donor. “The Trump administration should be dotting its I’s and crossing its T’s on its priorities. The president is understandably focused on the ballot counting, but at some point soon, he needs to turn his attention back to the lame-duck session and putting a capstone on his first four years.”

In addition to rolling out executive orders and actions, Trump’s plans for the next several weeks include firing Cabinet officials who have irked him or refused to follow his lead on investigations. He kicked off the axings Monday by tweet-firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper. In the coming weeks, Trump may also fire CIA Director Gina Haspel and FBI Director Christopher Wray. Haspel was spotted in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office on Tuesday afternoon.

Presidents from both parties have long used the lame-duck period to cement their agenda and create headaches for the next administration. In 2008, as President George W. Bush’s administration neared its end, the federal government finished 105 regulations. In 2016, the Obama administration moved to complete 127, according to data from the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center.

Typically, the process of overturning an unwanted regulation takes at least one year, while undoing an executive action can be accomplished with a signature, said Susan Dudley, who directs the Regulatory Studies Center and formerly oversaw the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under George W. Bush.

ALABAMA APPROVES CHEMICAL CASTRATION IN OFFENDERS

ALABAMA APPROVES CHEMICAL CASTRATION IN OFFENDERS

Alabama becomes seventh state to approve castration for some sex offenses

ALABAMA APPROVES CHEMICAL CASTRATION IN OFFENDERS

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed into law a measure requiring anyone convicted of sex crimes with children younger than 13 to be chemically castrated as a condition of parole.

Under the new law, offenders required to undergo the reversible procedure must begin the treatment at least a month before their release dates and continue treatments until a judge finds that it’s no longer necessary.

Ivey, a Republican, made no public statement about the measure. She had given little indication whether she supported the measure until Monday, the last day she could sign the bill.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Steve Hurst, a Republican representing Calhoun County, who said that if he had his way, offenders would be permanently castrated through surgery.

“If they’re going to mark these children for life, they need to be marked for life,” Hurst told NBC affiliate WSFA of Montgomery.

“My preference would be if someone does a small infant child like that, they need to die,” he said. “God’s going to deal with them one day.”

THE ACLU OBJECTS OF COURSE

The Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, opposed the measure as unconstitutional.

“It could be cruel and unusual punishment,” Randall Marshall, the chapter’s executive director, told WSFA. “It also implicates right to privacy. Forced medications are all concerns.”

“They really misunderstand what sexual assault is about,” Marshall said. “Sexual assault isn’t about sexual gratification. It’s about power. It’s about control.”

Alabama is at least the seventh state allowing or requiring physical or chemical castration of some sex offenders, joining California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin. In most of those states, the treatment is a reversible chemical procedure, and in many of them, it is an optional process for which offenders can volunteer to win or speed up their parole.

DAWG SAYS: JUST AS A REMINDER, SOME PEOPLE FEEL CHEMICAL CASTRATION IS A REMOVAL OF THE TESTES.

IT IS NOT, IT IS JUST A PROCEDURE TO LOWER LIBIDO AND DESIRES.

NO SINGING IN CALIFORNIA

NO SINGING IN CALIFORNIA

California’s War on Holidays, Gatherings, Singing, Chanting, and Shouting

Mandatory Requirements for All Gatherings

All persons planning to host or participate in a private gathering, as defined above, must comply with the following requirements. Local health jurisdictions may be more restrictive than this guidance. Refer to your local guidance for what is allowed in your area.

1.    Attendance

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  • Gatherings that include more than 3 households are prohibited. This includes everyone present, including hosts and guests.  Remember, the smaller the number of people, the safer.
  • Keep the households that you interact with stable over time. By spending time with the same people, risk of transmission is reduced. Participating in multiple gatherings with different households or groups is strongly discouraged.
  • The host should collect names of all attendees and contact information in case contact tracing is needed later.

2.    Gather Outdoors

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  • Gatherings that occur outdoors are significantly safer than indoor gatherings. All gatherings must be held outside. Attendees may go inside to use restrooms as long as the restrooms are frequently sanitized.
  • Gatherings may occur in outdoor spaces that are covered by umbrellas, canopies, awnings, roofs, and other shade structures provided that at least three sides of the space (or 75%) are open to the outdoors.
  • A gathering of no more than three households is permitted in a public park or other outdoor space, even if unrelated gatherings of other groups up to three households are also occurring in the same park or other outdoor space.  If multiple such gatherings are occurring, mixing between group gatherings is not allowed.  Additionally, multiple gatherings of three households cannot be jointly organized or coordinated to occur in the same public park or other outdoor space at the same time – this would constitute a gathering exceeding the permitted size.

3.    Don’t Attend Gatherings If You Feel Sick or You Are in a High-Risk Group

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  • Anyone with any COVID-19-like symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, night sweats, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, muscle or body aches, headaches, confusion, or loss of sense of taste/smell), must stay home and not come into contact with anyone outside their household.
  • Anyone who develops COVID-19 within 48 hours after attending a gathering should notify the other attendees as soon as possible regarding the potential exposure.
  • People at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 (such as older adults and people with chronic medical conditions) are strongly urged not to attend any gatherings.

4.    Practice Physical Distancing and Hand Hygiene at Gatherings

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  • For any gatherings permitted under this guidance, the space must be large enough so that everyone at a gathering can maintain at least a 6-foot physical distance from others (not including their own household) at all times.
  • Seating must provide at least 6 feet of distance (in all directions—front-to-back and side-to-side) between different households.
  • Everyone at a gathering should frequently wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. A place to wash hands or hand sanitizer must be available for participants to use.
  • Shared items should not be used during a gathering. As much as possible, any food or beverages at outdoor gatherings must be in single-serve disposable containers. If providing single-serve containers is not possible, food and beverages must be served by a person who washes or sanitizes their hands frequently, and wears a face covering. Self-serve items from communal containers should not be used.

5.   Wear a Face Covering to Keep COVID-19 from Spreading

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  • When gathering, face coverings must be worn in accordance with the CDPH Guidance on the Use of Face Coverings (PDF), unless an exemption is applicable.
  • People at gatherings may remove their face coverings briefly to eat or drink as long as they stay at least 6 feet away from everyone outside their own household, and put their face covering back on as soon as they are done with the activity.
  • Face coverings can also be removed to meet urgent medical needs (for example, to use an asthma inhaler, take medication, or if feeling light-headed).

6.   Keep it short

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  • Gatherings should be two hours or less.  The longer the duration, the risk of transmission increases.

7.   Rules for Singing, Chanting, and Shouting at Outdoor Gatherings

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  • Singing, chanting, shouting, and physical exertion significantly increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission because these activities increase the release of respiratory droplets and fine aerosols into the air. Because of this, singing, chanting, and shouting are strongly discouraged, but if they occur, the following rules and recommendations apply:
    • All people who are singing or chanting should wear a face covering at all times while singing or chanting, including anyone who is leading a song or chant. Because these activities pose a very high risk of COVID-19 transmission, face coverings are essential to reduce the spread of respiratory droplets and fine aerosols;
    • People who are singing, shouting, chanting, or exercising are strongly encouraged to maintain physical distancing beyond 6 feet to further reduce risk.
    • People who are singing or chanting are strongly encouraged to do so quietly (at or below the volume of a normal speaking voice).
  • Instrumental music is allowed as long as the musicians maintain at least 6-foot physical distancing. Musicians must be from one of the three households.  Playing of wind instruments (any instrument played by the mouth, such as a trumpet or clarinet) is strongly discouraged.
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DAWG SAYS: SINGING OR CHANTING CAN ONLY BE DONE IN A NORMAL VOICE?

ISNT THAT NOT SINGING OR CHANTING SO SINGING AND CHANTING IS ACTUALLY OUTLAWED.

BUT BESIDE ALL THESE DEMANDS FROM HEIR NEWSOME HAVE FUN.

DOES THIS MEAN HEIR NEWSOME IS NOT HAVING DINNER WITH HIS INLAWS THE PELOSI’S?