Category: Politics

Events of a political nature.

Trump arraignment on April 4, 2023

Former President Trump Indicted

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Former President, Donald Trump, has been indicted by a grand jury in New York on more than 30 counts of business fraud.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election.

Source: CNN

He lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, but late in 2022 he announced that he would run again in 2024.

One thing to note: he can still run, and win, even if he is convicted. There is no law to prevent a felon from winning the office of President. But, it is very unlikely they can convict him in 18 months. Another thing to note: the Office of Legal Counsel has said you can’t prosecute a sitting president, but they haven’t said what happens if a convict wins the election.

Some think he can (and will) use his mugshot as a campaign poster. Trump said it might help his numbers. He’ll spin this so that he is seen as a martyr; he has already done this at campaign rallies.

UPDATE 4/4/2023

He was arrested, booked and arraigned on April 4, on 34 felony counts of business fraud.

UPDATE 5/23/2023

The trial date has been set for the Stormy Daniels trial.

Donald Trump’s trial on criminal charges over hush money payments to the porn star Stormy Daniels will begin on 25 March 2024, amid the Republican presidential primary and less than than eight months before the general election the former president hopes to contest.

Source: Guardian

The 2022 Midterm Elections in Texas

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The General (Midterm) Election Day this year is November 8 (early voting starts October 24), and the Texas Tribune has published ballot information.

Local

Mayor

  • Bobby Gutierrez
  • Brent Hairston
  • Mike Southerland

Single Member District No. 1

  • Raul Santana
  • Paul Torres

Single Member District No. 2

  • Ray Arrington
  • Rafael Peña III

Single Member District No. 3

  • Doris Machinski
  • Jared Salvato

Single Member District No. 5

  • Marca Ewers-Shurtleff
  • Anjuli “A.J.” Renold
  • Kyle R. Schumann

At Large, Place 6

  • Kevin C. Boriskie
  • Patrick Giammalva

U.S. House District 10

  • Michael T. McCaul (R) [Incumbent]
  • Linda Nuno (D)
  • Bill Kelsey (L)

Texas Senate District 5

  • Charles Schwertner (R) [Incumbent]
  • Tommy Estes (L)

Texas House District 14

  • John Raney (R) [Incumbent]
  • Jeff Miller (L)

State Board Of Education District 10

  • Tom Maynard (R) [Incumbent]

Statewide

Governor

  • Greg Abbott (R) [Incumbent]
  • Beto O’Rourke (D)
  • Mark Tippetts (L)
  • Delilah Barrios (G)

Lieutenant Governor

  • Dan Patrick (R) [Incumbent]
  • Mike Collier (D)
  • Shanna Steele (L)

Attorney General

  • Ken Paxton (R) [Incumbent]
  • Rochelle Garza (D)
  • Mark Ash (L)

Land Commissioner

  • Dawn Buckingham (R)
  • Jay Kleberg (D)
  • Alfred Molison (G)

Agriculture Commissioner

  • Sid Miller (R) [Incumbent]
  • Susan Hays (D)

Comptroller

  • Glenn Hegar (R) [Incumbent]
  • Janet T. Dudding (D)
  • V. Alonzo Echevarria-Garza (L)

Railroad Commissioner

  • Wayne Christian (R) [Incumbent]
  • Luke Warford (D)
  • Jaime Andrés Díez (L)
  • Hunter Crow (G)

Queen Elizabeth II has died

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Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest serving monarch at 70 years, has died at the age of 96. Her eldest son, Charles, is now King Charles III.

Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor is also survived by her other children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. Prince William, next in line to the throne, and Prince Harry are among her eight grandchildren. She has a dozen great-grandchildren.

Source: NBC News taken September 8, 2022

King Charles III is 73 years old. The King’s oldest son, heir apparent, William, is 40 years old, and his grandson, William’s oldest child, second in line, George, is 9 years old.

King Charles III

Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

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Roe v. Wade is literally as old as I am. (They began arguments 1 month after I was born.) Today, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, held that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion, thus overruling Roe v. Wade (and Planned Parenthood v. Casey).

Continue reading →

Russia Invades Ukraine

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Vlad the (Impudent) Impaler
Vlad the (Impudent) Impaler

Have you seen this guy? Of course you have. It’s ol’ Vlad. The Putinator. The Russian President for Life. Well, about 10 days ago he went off his meds and attacked – excuse me, launched a ‘special military operation’ – in the sovereign nation of Ukraine with soldiers, tanks, bombs, missiles, etc.

In the past 10 days over 1 million people have crossed the border to neighboring Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary. Estimates range from 136 to 2,000 Ukrainians have been killed so far.

Some of the Ukrainians fought back with what else – the quintessential weapon of choice – Molotov cocktails made by an Ukrainian brewery.

The 2022 Primary Election in Texas

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It’s midterm election season once again, and somethings have changed: the Texas Legislature redrew district maps. I was in US Congressional District 17, now District 10. My State House District stayed 14. My State Senate District stayed 5. I was State Board of Education District 8, now District 10.

The Primary Election this year is March 1 (early voting starts February 14), and the General Election will be November 8 (early voting starts October 24). As usual, the Texas Tribune has a useful primary election guide.

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Can Texas Secede in 2021

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Kyle Biedermann [R-Fredericksburg] introduced HB 1359 on January 26, 2021, to the 87th Legislative session of Texas.

Introduction:
Relating to proposing a referendum to the people of the State of Texas on the question of whether this state should leave the United States of America and establish an independent republic.

This isn’t the first time Texans wanted to secede – even I lived through a vote – but alas, we can’t.

U.S. Capitol Mobbed

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Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

At about 2:30 PM on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, unarmed protesters mobbed the U.S. Capital building as the Electoral College vote was being counted.

Pro-Trump protestors breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, violently clashing with law enforcement as lawmakers were gathered inside to formalize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in November’s presidential election.

Source: APnews.com

The fighting came shortly after Trump addressed thousands of his supporters, riling up the crowd with his baseless claims of election fraud.

UPDATE 1/9/2021

Trump riots: Democrats plan to introduce article of impeachment

Source: BBC

Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats plan to introduce an article of impeachment – the charge of “incitement of insurrection” – on Monday, January 11, 2021, just 9 days before Joe Biden’s inauguration.

President Tests Positive for COVID-19

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Just 32 days until the election, and 2 days after the first presidential debate of 2020, the President and the First Lady both test positive for COVID-19. The President tweeted the announcement late Thursday (10/1/2020) night.

Administration officials were surprise it hadn’t happened sooner.

CBS News White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reported that administration officials had expressed surprise for weeks that the virus hadn’t been detected among White House officials, given Mr. Trump’s own unenthusiastic embrace of measures recommended by senior health officials.

The president has often flouting his own administration’s guidelines on social distancing, mask-wearing and not gathering in large groups.

Source: CBS News

Stock markets around the world reacted negatively to the news; risk aversion set in.

Later in the morning, Biden and his wife, tested negative for the virus.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, tested negative for coronavirus on Friday morning, the Bidens’ doctor said, following President Donald Trump’s disclosure that he had tested positive just days after the first debate.

Source: CNN

Terrible Trifecta

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On Friday, September 18, 2020, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead at age 87 – just 45 days before Election Day – thus leaving a power vacuum in the highest court of the land. (There are now 5 conservative and 3 liberal justices.) Thus the stage is set for a terrible trifecta: a Supreme Court battle, a contentious presidential election, and a worsening (COVID-19) pandemic.