“McConnell’s conference was furious with him after he made the deal, with Sen. Lindsey Graham calling it ‘a complete capitulation’ and Sen. Ted Cruz declaring that ‘Chuck Schumer won this game of chicken.’ Cruz – who is back in his own beloved game of pissing off his colleagues to build material for his next presidential run – insisted on Thursday on forcing a cloture vote, meaning Republican leadership had to scrounge up 10 votes to help Democrats break a filibuster (they got 11). So why did McConnell, in the short term at least, back off from his original insistence that Republicans wouldn’t help Democrats, and that Democrats needed to raise the debt limit through the filibuster-free reconciliation process? According to some members of his conference, McConnell was worried that the pressure on Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema to nix the filibuster, at least in this specific case, might become too strong for them to resist.”

“If that’s the case, then McConnell – who is lauded for his ability to see every step of the game well in advance – might be losing his edge, because he surely should’ve seen that coming. The rage from his conference, though, as well as the difficulty Republicans had putting up votes to break a filibuster, suggests this monthslong strategy of refusing to help Dems wasn’t a McConnell offensive play so much as an act of desperation to keep a lid on divisions in his conference. McConnell swears he won’t do this on the next vote. But isn’t that what he said the last time?” – Slate.

Aaron Rupar: “Back when I started watching every Trump rally back in 2017, he was president. What he said inherently had news value. That dynamic has changed now that he’s out of power. At one end of the spectrum of opinions about how to cover the 2021 version of Trump is the view that his public statements and rallies serve little purpose beyond spreading hate and misinformation, and aren’t really worthy of attention. Sure, journalists generally improved at calling out Trump’s lies by the end of his presidency, but with so many other important things going on right now, there’s no reason to give Trump and his tired schtick oxygen. The opposing view is that as the leader of the Republican Party and its presumptive 2024 presidential nominee, what Trump says still matters and needs to be covered. As hateful and misinformed as he may be, it’s a mistake to ignore the sayings and doings of an influential aspiring authoritarian.”

“To me, these views aren’t really in conflict. We should be wary of giving Trump free publicity, but as leader of a party that currently holds 50 seats in the Senate and is the betting favorite to take back the House next year, he needs to be responsibly covered. I agree that journalists shouldn’t help Trump circumvent his Twitter ban by tweeting out statements of his that are chock full of smears and misinformation, but I also think it’s important for people who aren’t immersed in MAGA media to understand what his incessant lying about the 2020 election means for the stakes of 2022 and beyond. As much as some may want to pretend otherwise, the fact is that the Republican Party literally did not have a platform in 2020 beyond what the former president says – and not even an insurrection could persuade leading Republicans to distance themselves. So understanding Trump is key to understanding the Republican Party.”

You know that feeling when you go to to AMPfest21, the very MAGA conference held at the Trump Doral golf course in Miami, and you expect the very best in entertainment but instead of someone good like Ted Nugent or Mary Hart or even Scott Baio you get Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe singing show tunes?

Yeah, neither do I.

Axios:  “California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Friday to require public schools to stock their restrooms with free menstrual products.  The legislation comes after many women’s rights advocates have pushed nationwide for affordable access to pads, tampons and other women’s hygiene products.  The requirement follows in the footsteps of many other states, like Washington and Illinois, which passed similar laws this year.

“The California bill states that all public schools with students grades 6 to 12, community colleges and California State Universities must provide feminine hygiene products in their restrooms starting in the 2022 school year.  The bill signed Friday expands a 2017 law that requires low-income schools to provide students with free menstrual products.

“‘Our biology doesn’t always send an advanced warning when we’re about to start menstruating, which often means we need to stop whatever we’re doing and deal with a period,’ Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia said in a statement.  ‘Just as toilet paper and paper towels are provided in virtually every public bathrooms, so should menstrual products,’ she added.”

“State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister is running for governor as a Democrat. The 57-year-old lifelong Republican told the Tulsa World in an exclusive interview that she is changing her party registration on Thursday in order to launch a bid to unseat Republican incumbent Kevin Stitt,” reports TulsaWorld.com.

“’Gov. Stitt is running the state into the ground,’ said Hofmeister. ‘Through extremism, partisanship, ineffective leadership, he is hurting our education system, our health care, our infrastructure…Governor Stitt has hijacked the Republican Party in Oklahoma.’ Hofmeister said.”

“I’m in New York, and I was just here for the evening last night at the New York Metropolitan Republican Society accepting an award,” Republican South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace says menacingly into her phone while doing some name dropping.  “Anyway, I’m on my way back to Charleston now, and just went to go have coffee and breakfast and in order for me to sit inside this coffee shop, I had to show not only my vaccine card to show I was vaccinated, but also my ID just to sit in a coffee shop to have coffee.  It’s not the business’s fault, right.  It’s not their fault the government has placed this mandate on them, but I never thought in a country as free as the United States that you would have to show your ID and show paperwork just to sit down and have a cup of coffee. This is fucking ridiculous.”

Mace apparently doesn’t understand that the reason these things are required is that people like her refused to adhere to public health guidance throughout the pandemic, thereby requiring those of us who did do everything to stop the spread of the virus to have to live with those restrictions.

https://rumble.com/embed/vffilv/?pub=4

“Trump supporters attorney Lin Wood and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, are feuding in public after Wood accused Greene of being ‘a communist’. Wood filed multiple 2020 election challenges along with pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell in the wake of President Joe Biden win. He has gone on to promote various election conspiracy theories. Greene, also a staunch Trump loyalist, has similarly promoted misinformation about the 2020 election. While their interests may align when it comes to Trump, the two right-wing figures now appear to be starkly at odds with each other,” reports Newsweek.

“Can you hold it up so I don’t have to bend down and be submissive to you?”

Hate it when they delete the tweet before I publish and I have to screenshot it instead.

Food manufacturers have informed grocery store chains that they’re having difficulty fulfilling orders as they experience continued supply chain and transportation problems, CNN reports.

Companies like McCormick Spice, Ben & Jerry’s, Marie Callender’s and Kellogg’s have had issues with obtaining raw materials.  They’re also experiencing labor shortages and transportation that further disrupt their ability to ship products.  Manufacturers have taken the unusual move of requesting retailers refrain from promoting or advertising their products in sales fliers or specials.

Kellogg’s is also dealing with a worker strike impacting its production capacity.  The company alerted grocery distribution companies and retailers that Pringles Snacks Stacks, Eggo pancakes and MorningStar Farms plant-based hot dogs and bacon will be on allocation and Rice Krispies Treats snacks “will remain below service expectations” through the end of the year.  It also requested planned promotions for Rice Krispies and Corn Pops cereal be canceled “to allow for recovery.”

Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey extended a series of emergency provisions that will help state hospitals continue to deal with an ongoing influx of coronavirus patients, the Associated Press reports.

The order allows hospitals to hire medical professionals like doctors and nurses who are not licensed in the state to treat patients at Alabama hospitals.  It also allows hospitals to circumvent state regulations to obtain needed supplies and equipment to treat patients.

The declaration by Ivey continues the emergency provisions she first signed August 12th and demonstrates an ongoing crisis in health care caused by the pandemic.  Alabama has not instituted any mask or vaccine mandates to help stem the spread of the virus.

“Thousands of protesters including members of far-right groups demonstrated in Italy’s capital against the extension of the COVID-19 health pass system. Demonstrators marched in downtown Rome on Saturday in opposition to a government-validated certificate system, known as a “green pass”, that was made mandatory for all workers,” reports Al Jazeera.

“Italian media reported 10,000 participants, while organisers said they numbered 100,000. Al Jazeera could not independently verify the numbers. At least one person was injured as an unauthorised march broke off from the main rally in Piazza Del Popolo, in Rome’s downtown, and attempted to reach Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s office. Police officers in riot gear blocked the demonstrators by forming a line and spraying water on protesters.”

An earlier editorial by my colleague noted that right-wing apoplexy over the labor force participation rate is unfounded.  On that, he is correct:  the rate fell just 0.1% in the previous month, but it still shows a 0.2% increase since Biden’s inauguration in January.  But we’re giving too much credit to the right-wing trolls who exclaim that this is a legitimate point of concern.

The big thing countering the right-wing breast-beating:  Trump entered office with a LFPR at 62.8%; it peaked during his term in January 2020 at 63.4%, a little more than a half point higher.  And due to his mishandling of the pandemic, it fell to 61.4% when he left office.  They didn’t seem that concerned then that Trump did nothing to significantly increase the rate, and they certainly didn’t care that it tanked on his watch.  And student workforce participation is actually higher now (36.3%) than at any time during the Trump administration.  So they’re just bitching to bitch, which is what they do best.

Let’s get some concepts clear before we continue.  The Labor Force Participation Rate is the percentage of the US population over the age of 16-years-old who are either employed or looking for work.  They’re the group that wants to have a job.  Retired people and the handicapped/physically unable to work are the majority of people who account for the non-participation percentage.

“The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows 53% of Iowans now have a favorable view of the former Republican president.” The poll was commmissioned by the Des Moines register on the Eve of a Trump fundraising rally in Iowa,” reports the Des Moines Register.

“The numbers come as Trump begins to reengage with the state that is expected to kick off the 2024 presidential nominating process for Republicans. And they show favorable feelings for him have not waned in his absence…Trump will return to Iowa Saturday for the first time since the 2020 election, holding a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. It’s his most overt entrée back into Iowa politics, but he’s also made quieter overtures in recent months that would help lay the groundwork for a potential caucus campaign, should he choose to run.”

“Senior Taliban officials and U.S. representatives are to hold talks Saturday and Sunday about containing extremist groups in Afghanistan and easing the evacuation of foreign citizens and Afghans from the country,” reports ABC News.

“It’s the first such meeting since U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in late August, ending a 20-year military presence there, and the Taliban’s rise to power in the nation. The talks are to take place in Doha, the capital of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who is based in Doha, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the talks will also revisit the peace agreement the Taliban signed with Washington in 2020. The agreement had paved the way for the final U..S. withdrawal.”

1/ After taking COVID and flu shots, Angela West tested positive for COVID yesterday, Friday. Col. West is experiencing a low grade fever and light body aches. Out of concern for public health, Col. West is suspending in-person events until receiving an all-clear indication. pic.twitter.com/Cwpc2XkWVG

— Allen West (@AllenWest) October 9, 2021

Thread continued: “Col. West will be available through virtual means to do events until his family’s health issue is rectified. He is already taking Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin protocols. The West family thanks y’all for your prayers. ‘God’s blessings and Texas First!'”

“CLARIFICATION: In reading the comments, it appears there is some misunderstanding: Dr. Angela West received the vaccine. LTC West did not. LTC West has publicly stated he supports individual choice and this is reflected in his own family.”

“As congressional investigators accelerate their probe of Donald Trump’s 2020 election challenges that culminated on Jan. 6, one thing is clear: All roads run through a handful of their GOP colleagues. And getting those Republicans to testify could get ugly. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack has so far avoided directly roping in fellow lawmakers, even as it homes in on Trump’s inner circle. Yet each of its investigative steps so far has further underscored the roles that Trump’s staunchest House GOP allies played in his bid to throw out the election results. Those Republicans connected the former president to willing partners in the Justice Department who might fuel inflated claims of fraud.”

“They huddled with Trump to deliver counsel. And they spoke with Trump by phone on Jan. 6 as he watched his own ‘Stop the Steal’ rally morph into a violent riot that overtook the Capitol. Veterans of recent high-profile congressional inquiries say the committee’s seven Democrats and two Republicans will soon reckon with the importance of direct testimony from GOP colleagues. ‘In order to get at the truth, the committee is going to need to selectively, carefully and precisely target the testimony, documents and other evidence of some of these [lawmakers],’ said Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who advised the House Judiciary Committee during the first Trump impeachment. ‘Clearly they’re central'” – Politico.

Associated Press:  “President Joe Biden on Friday restored two sprawling national monuments in Utah, reversing a decision by President Donald Trump that opened for mining and other development hundreds of thousands of acres of rugged lands sacred to Native Americans and home to ancient cliff dwellings and petroglyphs.

“The Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in southern Utah encompass more than 3.2 million acres — an area nearly the size of Connecticut — and were created by Democratic administrations under a century-old law that allows presidents to protect sites considered historic, geographically or culturally important.  ‘This may be the easiest thing I’ve ever done so far as president — I mean it,’ a smiling Biden said at a White House ceremony attended by Democratic lawmakers, tribal leaders and environmentalists.

“Restoring the monuments’ boundaries and protections restores their integrity, upholds efforts to honor the federal trust responsibility to tribal nations and conserves the lands and waters for future generations, Biden said.  Bears Ears in particular was an important site to protect, Biden said, noting that the 1.3-million acre site is the first national monument to be established at the request of federally recognized tribes. It is ‘a place of healing … a place of reverence and a sacred homeland to hundreds of generations of native peoples,’ Biden said.”