Wanna know how much Republicans care about free speech?
A bill protecting reporters' sources, and shielding reports from prosecution, passed the House UNANIMOUSLY. (You read that right.)
Trump just ordered Republican Senators to kill it.
1/4
Let's watch and see if they follow Trump's commands, or if the bill passes the Senate.
Senate rules allow one (1) Senator to slow a bill down. The Senate has a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. It will be easy for some Trumpsucker to kill it.
2/4
Trump is also telegraphing that he intends to order his "Justice" Department to prosecute reporters he doesn't like, and so doesn't want this new law standing in his way.
Let's see if Senate Republicans value free speech.
3/4
Trump and his people have exhibited no interest in the legally required transition process. I suspect it's for two reasons:
1) As of 2019, they have to sign certain ethics pledges, AND reveal all conflicts of interest. I don't think they want to do that.
But also...
1/6
2) The purpose of the transition process is to teach the incoming Administration what it needs to know to run the 400+ federal agencies in the Executive Branch. Trump expects to dismantle nearly all of them, so doesn't care how to run them.
I know I'm right about 1).
2/6
If I'm also right about 2), we'll likely know late on Jan 20, or early morning Jan 21, because Trump would then sign a series of sweeping Executive Orders which would fire thousands of federal employees, including all the people who run virtually everything.
3/6
Biden made banks stop surprising you with hidden charges. That's gone now.
$35 insulin is gone.
Medicare negotiating drug prices--gone.
EPA, HHS, Dept of Energy--gone.
All consumer protections--gone.
Dept of Labor. National Hurricane Center.
NOAA.
National Parks.
1/6
Protection for preexisting conditions.
Staying on parents' insurance until 26.
Reproductive rights.
LGBTQ+ rights.
Voting rights.
Paid vacations and holidays, 40-hour workweeks, child labor protections, paid overtime--gone.
USDA, meat inspections, CDC, Dept of Education.
2/6
Student loans. Pell grants.
Medicare. Medicaid. SCHIP. ACA.
Social Security.
Miranda rights.
Dept of Transportation.
FAA. FTC. FEC. HUD. Interior.
All of the above, and much, much more, will be eliminated, severely curtailed, or massively corrupted.
3/6
Democrats will likely take back the House, though it may be late in the week before we see that for certain.
I have no good feel for the Senate. A lot depends on presidential coattails.
For President, I'll give states to watch.
1/13
There are a group of states that, if they come in early for Harris, would mean an almost certain Harris win at the end of counting.
There are some that, if they are called Tuesday night for Trump, will mean a fascist win, and the end of American democracy as we know it,
2/13
The states that, if called Tuesday for Harris will likely mean a win for America, are, in no particular order of likelihood (because I don't trust the polling) and no special order of when results might come in (because the counting rules have changed from 2020: