Fig. 1. “Elon Musk shared a video of his entrance on his Twitter account.” Photograph attributed to Elon Musk, October 26, 2022, via the New York Post,[1] fair use.
There is a new blog post entitled, “Attempts to automate the policing of hate speech are doomed to ludicrity.”
Gilead
Donald Trump
Coup attempt
Fig. 2. Original: The White House. Derivative work: J. J. Messerly, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
[Lindsey] Graham’s office issued a statement describing Tuesday’s ruling as confirming “that the constitution’s Speech or Debate clause applies here.” The statement noted that the justices ruled the senator may return to the lower court if he has concerns about questions from the prosecution. Graham’s “legal team intends to engage with the District Attorney’s office on next steps to ensure respect for constitutional immunity,” the statement said.[2]
The Supreme Court actually affirmed the lower courts’ rulings that Lindsey Graham could return to those courts should he doubt the constitutionality of some questions. He still has to testify, which is what he was trying to get out of.[3]
Last month, a district court judge said prosecutors could not question [Lindsey] Graham about portions of his calls that were legislative fact-finding. But the judge said [Fani] Willis’s team could explore coordination with the [Donald] Trump campaign in its post-election efforts in Georgia, public statements regarding the 2020 election and any efforts to “cajole” or “exhort” Georgia election officials.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit agreed that those actions “could not qualify as legislative activities under any understanding of Supreme Court precedent.” Two of the judges were nominated by Trump.[4]
Robert Barnes and Tom Hamburger, “Supreme Court clears way for Sen. Graham to testify in Ga. election probe,” Washington Post, November 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/01/supreme-court-lindsey-graham-grand-jury-trump/
Pennsylvania
2022 election
Fig. 1. John Fetterman as mayor of Braddock, photograph uncredited and undated, via Next Pittsburgh,[5] fair use.
Y’all might have picked up on a growing unease I’ve been feeling about the midterm race in Pennsylvania between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz for a U.S. Senate seat. To be honest, I’m still feeling that unease.
But I wound up spending nearly my entire day in more conservative parts of southwestern Pennsylvania and even West Virginia. And what’s surprising is the number of signs I saw for Josh Shapiro and Fetterman. It’s a hopeful sign. But I’ve got this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach I can’t shake.
- [1]Thomas Barrabi, “Elon Musk barges into Twitter HQ as deal nears: ‘Let that sink in,’” New York Post, October 26, 2022, https://nypost.com/2022/10/26/elon-musk-barges-into-twitter-headquarters-as-deal-nears/↩
- [2]Robert Barnes and Tom Hamburger, “Supreme Court clears way for Sen. Graham to testify in Ga. election probe,” Washington Post, November 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/01/supreme-court-lindsey-graham-grand-jury-trump/↩
- [3]Robert Barnes and Tom Hamburger, “Supreme Court clears way for Sen. Graham to testify in Ga. election probe,” Washington Post, November 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/01/supreme-court-lindsey-graham-grand-jury-trump/↩
- [4]Robert Barnes and Tom Hamburger, “Supreme Court clears way for Sen. Graham to testify in Ga. election probe,” Washington Post, November 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/01/supreme-court-lindsey-graham-grand-jury-trump/↩
- [5]Kim Lyons, “Braddock Mayor John Fetterman keeps on truckin’ in his quest for the Senate,” Next Pittsburgh, March 11, 2016, https://nextpittsburgh.com/features/the-challengers-braddock-mayor-john-fetterman-keeps-on-truckin/↩