September 30, 2023
Vol. 12, No. 2099

From Los Angeles …

MIDNIGHT COMING: Twenty-one hardened right wingers in the House of Representatives yesterday shot down a stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution to keep the US government running, virtually assuring a shutdown at midnight tonight.

  Speaker Kevin McCarthy had scheduled the vote in an effort to show some kind of leadership in a party that evidently cannot be led.

  Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who led the in-party opposition, said, “Every time we vote for a continuing resolution, we make no changes in policy or spending.” He said, “It’s a vote to continue the status quo.”

  Among the 21 representatives refusing to compromise on their demands are Gaetz, Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Paul Gosar from Arizona, and Nancy Mace, South Carolina.

  Among the federal functions that would run out of money within days are the nutritional program known as WIC (Women, Infants, Children), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, (SNAP), small business loans, workplace inspections, and national parks.

  Potentially the most politically damaging for the Republicans who claim to love and support the military, paychecks would stop for the 2.2 million Americans in uniform, some of whom are already struggling to live on what they’re paid. 

 BRAVE AND GRACEFUL: Accolades poured in yesterday for California Sen. Diane Feinstein, who died Thursday night after casting her last vote. 

  A tearful Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “Today there are 25 women serving in this chamber and every one of them would admit they stand on Dianne’s shoulder,” Schumer said. “Dianne’s impact extended far beyond the Senate floor and far beyond politics itself, so today, we grieve.”

  His voice wavering as he motioned to Feinstein’s desk, Schumer said, “We look at that desk and we know what we’ve lost but we also give thanks. Thanks to someone so rarefied, so brave, so graceful, a presence served in this chamber–someone like that served in this chamber for so many years.”  He said, “Her integrity was a diamond.”

  President Biden said in a released statement, “Dianne was tough, sharp, always prepared, and never pulled a punch, but she was also a kind and loyal friend, and that’s what Jill and I will miss the most.”

  Even House Speaker Kevin McCarthy delivered begrudging praise before turning to border control politics. “We come from different parties,” McCarthy said. “We have different philosophies, but we put our state first.”

  Of course, there are also the politics of replacing the irreplaceable. The job goes to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is increasingly mentioned as a candidate for president in 2028, and even 2024 if Joe Biden drops out. Already declared as candidates are the high profile Rep. Adam Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter. But Newsom has said he is likely to name a Black woman because they are under-represented in the Senate.

ORANGE ALERT: One of the 18 people indicted along with Donald Trump in the Georgia election tampering case has pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to testify against other defendants. Scott Hall, 59, a bail bondsman who believed the 2020 election was rigged against Trump, had been charged with racketeering for his part in breaching voting machines in rural Coffee County looking for a fix that was never found.

  Hall must pay a $5,000 fine, give up his license to carry a gun, perform 200 hours of community service, and write a letter of apology to the people of Georgia.

Thug Life: Former gang member Duane Keith Davis, who for years admitted that he was in the SUV from which shots were fired killing rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996, has been charged with murder.

  Davis is accused of ordering the hit in Las Vegas after Shakur and his buds beat up Davis’s nephew. Davis wrote in his memoir, “Compton Street Legend,” “Them jumping on my nephew gave us the ultimate green light to do something.” 

NO EVIDENCE: The first witnesses testifying in House Republicans’ impeachment inquiry into President Biden this week said they had no proof that Joe Biden committed impeachable offenses. The hearing revealed no new information and nothing that damaged Biden.

  Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said, “If the Republicans had a smoking gun or even a dripping water pistol, they would be presenting it today.” 

  There’s an old adage in legal proceedings: “Don’t ask a question to which you don’t already know the answer.” The Republicans asked anyway.

PICKET LINE: The United Auto Workers announced that it is walking out of two more assembly facilities to step up the pressure against Ford and General Motors in its two-week strike. It’s the second time the UAW has expanded the strike that started at just three plants.

  The new walkout involves 7,000 workers who make the Buick and Chevrolet SUVs in Lansing, and SUVs made by Ford in Chicago.

IN DEEP: Eight inches of rain fell on New York City and the Hudson Valley yesterday flooding streets, subway tunnels, and even a runway at LaGuardia. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency. 

THE SPIN RACK: Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 in 2021 when he killed four students and wounded seven at his Michigan high school, is eligible for a sentence of life without parole, a Michigan judge ruled. Noting that Crumbley has a continuing obsession with violence, the judge said, “At this point, defendant’s possibility of rehabilitation is slim.”  — A former worker at the Deutsches Museum in Munich has been convicted of stealing early 20^th century paintings from the museum, replacing them with forgeries, and selling the originals at auction. Interestingly, he couldn’t find a buyer for one out of the four pieces he took. — 

BELOW THE FOLD: We generally ignore news and gossip about the Jenner/Kardashian clan who make a business of celebrity. But, after 27-year-old Kendall Jenner strutted in a fashion show, one critic tweeted, “She is an example of how a door would move if it had legs.”