Donald Trump
Finances
Corinne Ramey, “New York Attorney General Says Evidence Suggests Trump, Company Falsely Valued Assets,” Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-york-attorney-general-evidence-suggests-trump-and-company-falsely-valued-assets-11642573790
Coup attempt
David G. Savage, “Supreme Court rejects Trump’s plea to shield White House records from House inquiry,” Los Angeles Times, January 19, 2022, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-01-19/supreme-court-turns-down-trumps-plea-to-shield-his-white-house-records-from-house-probe
Pittsburgh snow
The temperature climbed into the 40s most of the day today while I had short rides with long intervals in between. I didn’t make it into Pittsburgh until late in the day; by then most of the slush had melted. One of my passengers said a snow plow had just finally made it to her street today.
According to Weather Underground, it’s supposed to dip back into the 20s tomorrow, teens tomorrow night, and there’s still lots of moisture on the roads just waiting to freeze. Just can’t wait.
Erie
My January trip to Erie will be next Wednesday and Thursday, staying overnight Wednesday. I’m taking these trips to evaluate whether there is sufficient business in Erie to support me as, unfortunately, an Uber driver. The December trip was impressive, but January is worse, and February is still even worse. The goal is to at least match the dismal Pittsburgh baselines at the worst time of year. If, as I now expect, I do at least as well, then it becomes possible for me to consider moving to Erie, where the roads are better, the driving is much saner, and the people overall seem more progressive politically.
The February trip is scheduled for the Wednesday the 9th through Thursday the 10th, staying overnight Wednesday.
Right-wing dictatorship
As expected, Republicans filibustered voting rights legislation on the Senate floor. Now filibuster reform was widely expected to fail and utterly unsurprisingly did, thanks, equally unsurprisingly, to Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.[1]
Theodore Schleifer, “Silicon Valley’s Doomed Pursuit of D.C. Nirvana,” Puck News, January 18, 2022, https://puck.news/silicon-valleys-manchin-sinema-voting-rights-campaign/
Mike DeBonis, “Senate Republicans block voting rights bill, dealing blow to Democrats’ effort to overhaul election laws,” Washington Post, January 19, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-brace-for-likely-defeat-of-voting-rights-push-due-to-gop-filibuster/2022/01/19/2f9a734c-792d-11ec-bf97-6eac6f77fba2_story.html
Greg Sargent, “Joe Manchin finally makes it plain: He is in favor of minority rule,” Washington Post, January 19, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/19/joe-manchin-filibuster-voting-rights-minority-rule/
- [1]Mike DeBonis, “Senate Republicans block voting rights bill, dealing blow to Democrats’ effort to overhaul election laws,” Washington Post, January 19, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-brace-for-likely-defeat-of-voting-rights-push-due-to-gop-filibuster/2022/01/19/2f9a734c-792d-11ec-bf97-6eac6f77fba2_story.html↩