April 11, 1916 Annie Besant, founder of the India Home Rule League and publisher of New India. Annie Besant, a Briton and active suffragist who moved to India, established the Home Rule League with autonomy for India from British colonial rule as its goal. Head of the Theosophical Society of India, she was also the publisher of the newspaper, New India, and CommonWeal. More on Annie Besant
April 11, 1961 The trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann began in Israel. The man accused of leading Hitler’s effort to exterminate the Jewish people and others faced 15 charges, including crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people, and war crimes, all of which took more than an hour to enumerate. Adolf Eichmann The charges against Eichmann
April 11, 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson just one week after the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Known as the Fair Housing Act, it first outlawed discrimination in the sale, rental or financing of housing and now bans it for reasons of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or handicap. The struggle for Fair Housing
Hi everyone. I did this video around 11:50 AM this morning. It took about as long as it is to record, give or take the sudden breaking of the video by the program. I do have to change that setting. Then I had to merge the two videos something I have become really good at, and because I am not adding stuff at that point I can save and “export it” Ok if I was willing to give Cyberlink access to all my YouTube channel then the video would automatically upload to my YouTube to my channel. Instead because I don’t agree to give Cyberlink the rights to everything I post and watch, I prefer to make my own video of the original file. That took more time. About 40 minutes maybe less.
What took almost another 40 minutes is the settings I used to put my HD filmed videos to YouTube in HD on YouTube had now disappeared. Now my program only allowed me to load it up as either 400 something P or 2K. WTF!
What took all the time was I started uploading it and after it was nearly 17% I had to change VPN spots, and the entire upload stopped. I waited an hour and it did not restart. I then closed everything, restarted, reset the VPN and came pack up. But each place I tried with or without the VPN. The speeds were dirt slow. So I again closed everything, this time I shut the modem and the router down. Then I restarted it all again.
So now before I tried to upload the video to YouTube I checked speeds … not for downloads but upload speeds. I found one that was 10 MPS and stayed with it. It was the highest I had. I clicked upload on the video again. Nearly 3 hours. Oh I could do that it as midday but I had the time … except I did not.
Ron and I had taken out a couple bags that were to be wings and drumsticks to fry for supper. Yet the one bag had one drumstick and the other bag had two and all the rest were wings. Ok, but the instructions were only to bake, not fry. So we had to find our own way. I tried a batch at 3:30 minutes and Ron said they were cooked. I tried a batch at 3 minutes but he did not like the skin on them. He wanted the skins crispy. So I did the rest at 3:30 and cooked the fries while he ate his fill. Then he noticed I had not eaten yet, so said he would take over as I had already cooked the wings and there was only one more hopper of fries to do. I had a few wings too tired to really eat, and then he told me he tried a few back in the fryer longer but it did not crisp the skin any. I could have told him that. But OK. So then I went back and finished my video at well after 7 pm. I am so tired having gotten up at 3 am, and trying to nap during the day but only laying there resting. So here is the video, I hope you enjoy. I will be going to bed. At this rate of uploading I will need to make the videos two days before they get posted. Hugs
I talk about a recent event with Ron’s memory. I also talk a lot about doogie (my name for Musk’s actions in the US government) Where is the money they claim to have saved as it has already been put in those agencies budgets. Hugs
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Corbin Hiar reports at the Scientific American that the big banks are now banking on a 5.4º F. (3º Celsius) rise in global temperatures above the pre-industrial average.
Morgan Stanley let the conclusion slip in a report on air conditioner sales, which it expects to double, what with the extra heat. Hiar says that especially after the election of Trump, the banks accept that that is just the way it is going to be.
Air conditioners run on electricity, and reliable electricity may be a problem if the average temperature of the earth’s surface skyrockets 5.4º F.
Remember, that is an average increase. In some places it may be 10º or 15º F. That’s not going to be a pretty picture in Phoenix, Az., Miami, Fl. or for that matter Orlando, Fresno, Ca. and a bunch of other cities that are already sweltering in the summer
I’ve lived a lot of my life in hot places. I was in Cairo once in the summer and there was an article in the Arabic newspaper al-Ahram [The Pyramids] about the heat in Aswan in Upper Egypt, where it was about 115º F. The article said that there was a big electricity outage because the insulation of the electrical wires melted.
There are lots of ways ambient heat can interfere with the transmission wires. It can melt the insulation, or it can overheat components, it can cause oxidation. And here’s the thing. Hot wire shows more electrical resistance, which reduces its efficiency.
Moreover, overheated wires or components can cause fires. California is a big tinderbox at certain times of year, with dry forests, which overheated electrical wires can set off. The smart thing to do will be to bury all the electrical wires, but that is an expense the power companies do not want to bear. Another possibility is that people will put up solar panels and use home batteries, and disconnect from the grid.
Hot river water causes nuclear plants to go offline because they can’t cool the rods. Heat and droughts reduce hydro-electric production. Just generating electricity for the air conditioners can be a challenge. Your best bet will be solar panels, an industry Trump is trying to crush, and the banks are happy to help because of their fossil fuel investments and their willingness to kowtow to Trump’s diktats.
Then there is the air conditioner itself. It isn’t magic. AC’s don’t function well at over 100º F. They may break down. They may not be able to displace the heat outside. Cooling down things by more than 26º F. is a challenge. So if it is 120º F. out, don’t count an getting lower than the 90s inside.
In fact, it has recently been discovered that a combination of 122º F. and 80 percent humidity will just kill you dead right there.
All this is not to mention the massive hurricanes that will repeatedly knock down the electricity poles. Already, Duke Energy filed with the state of Florida for $1.1 billion in compensation for all the grid repair work it had to do after the 2024 hurricane season. What if the costs rise so much that the state can’t bear them, and Duke Energy goes bankrupt? I mean, these are little dinky storms compared to the ones we’ll be having if temperatures rise another couple degrees Fahrenheit. Some scientists argue that the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which only goes up to 5, is increasingly inadequate, and that we are already seeing sixes. Can force 7 hurricanes be far off?
Duke’s press release says, “Given the severity of these three storms, the filing covers a range of costs, such as deploying hundreds of Duke Energy crews from the entire span of the company’s service territories and acquiring significant mutual assistance from across the country and even Canada; standing up staging sites, basecamps and temporary lodging, while also providing meals for thousands of lineworkers and field personnel; and repairing, rebuilding and replacing critical infrastructure, including poles, wires and transformers, that were damaged and/or destroyed by catastrophic storm surge and wind.”
I don’t think they’re going to be getting that help from Canada anymore. And this is just the beginning.
Hurricanes are caused by warm ocean water. The oceans off Florida are already getting up to 100º F. in the summer. That kind of temperature whips up a lot of wind. It is now clear in the data that the intensity of hurricanes is increasing because we are burning so much coal, fossil gas and petroleum.
Not only will the hurricanes be fiercer, damaging homes and businesses and knocking down those made of wood, but they will dump more and more water, causing massive flooding.
Stefan Rahmstorf writes, “our planet’s current coastlines are home to more than 130 cities larger than a million inhabitants, plus other infrastructure such as ports, airports, and some 200 nuclear power plants with seawater cooling (such as Sizewell B on the British North Sea coast). Even 1 m [3 feet] of sea rise would be a disaster.”
Those banks that see a 5.4º F. temperature increase as an opportunity to sell more consumer goods such as air conditioners are not reckoning with the likelihood of climate chaos and climate breakdown at that level, of a sort that will make maintaining current levels of civilization challenging. We’ll survive it. We’re unlikely to survive it in style.
And the billionaires who think that they can sell us gasoline and coal and gas for another century and just protect their families with big mansions in the mountains or on islands are fooling themselves. The mansions will slide down the side of the mountain in a massive downpour, and the seas will swallow up the ones on islands with storm surges.
Booker began the all-night speech by making his intentions clear:
“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.
“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy. These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”
While we were writing this piece, Booker was every bit as impassioned as he condemned the Republican budget plan that would slash Medicaid and the social safety net so billionaires and corporations could have (more) huge tax cuts, adding trillions to the US debt, asking, “If you’re a Christian conservative, how can you hurt the weak to benefit the rich and powerful? The people of the United States have to stand up and say ‘NO!’”
This man does not look like he’s been speaking for more than 14 hours. Here’s the AP’s live feed. Watching this, we’re even feeling some hope — especially if other senators follow up with marathon speeches of their own.
(And it’s still running! -A)
Also too, we’re going to go ahead and call this a filibuster anyway, if only because the Washington Postwent out of its way to explain in its subhead (archive link) that it’s not actually a filibuster because Booker isn’t delaying a vote on legislation. Just seems like the sort of nitpick best saved for the body of the article, which is where all the other outlets have placed it. So why did we mention it in our subhed? Because fuck WaPo is why.
Booker received help throughout the night — and still, this morning — from other senators, because he is allowed to take questions, which tend to come in the form of brief speeches ending with a question mark. But it’s not just a tactic to help him preserve his voice; it’s also a chance for fellow Democrats to show their unity, with multiple voices pointing out how completely not normal the last two months have been. Booker and other senators called out Trump and co-president Elon Musk for multiple assaults on democracy, like their attempts to shut down federal agencies created by Congress, to cancel spending authorized by Congress, to withhold grants to nonprofits that were already awarded, to fire large segments of the federal workforce without regard to worker protections, and to effectively dissolve America’s alliances by siding with Russia against Ukraine and our European allies. And much more.
We should also note that, unlike the longest talking filibuster on record, old racist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond’s 25-hour filibuster of the 1957 Civil Rights bill, Mr. Booker doesn’t have the opportunity to take restroom breaks. Now that’s impressive.
“Senator McCain, I know you wouldn’t sanction this, I know you would be screaming, I’ve seen how angry you can get, John McCain. I’ve seen you tear people apart on this floor, Democrat and Republican, for doing the same stupid thing over and over again. Listen to John McCain explain why he voted ‘no’ the last time the Republican Party tried to unite and tear down health care with no idea how to fix it, threatening to put millions of Americans in financial crisis and health care crisis. I can’t believe we are here again.”
Booker returned again and again to that theme: Why on earth are we allowing this madness to happen? How on earth are we in a situation where a US president is threatening to invade our allies and help our adversaries?
As we wrap up here, Booker’s voice is beginning to get a little raspy, but his overall energy isn’t flagging so far. At the moment, he’s having a colloquy with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) about the importance of US foreign assistance, which Trump and musk have unconstitutionally slashed. Coons called attention to how those cuts have left us unable to provide help to the victims of the earthquake in Myanmar — and Booker immediately pointed out that by wrecking America’s soft power, Trump has handed all that influence to China.
We hope Booker keeps going a couple more hours. And that as many of his Democratic colleagues follow his example with filibusters of their own. (snip)
March 31, 1492 King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella ordered the expulsion from Spain before August of all Jews who refused to convert to Christianity under penalty of death.
March 31, 1776 Abigail Adams wrote to her husband, John (later to be the second U.S. president): I long to hear that you have declared an independancy—and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If perticuliar care and attention is not paid to the Laidies we are determined to foment a Rebelion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation. That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. Men of Sense in all Ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your Sex. Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in immitation of the Supreem Being make use of that power only for our happiness.
March 31, 1968 President Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek re-election, ordered a partial bombing halt in Vietnam, and appointed W. Averell Harriman to seek peace negotiations with North Vietnam.
March 31, 1970 The Oakland, California, Induction Center revealed that over the prior six months, half those drafted for the Vietnam War had failed to appear, and 11% of those who reported then refused induction into the U.S. Army. Later that Spring 2500 University of California-Berkeley students at once turned in their draft cards to the Oakland Center.
March 31, 1972 Protesters – singing, blowing horns and carrying banners – launched the latest leg of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s 56-mile Easter march from London to Aldermaston, Berkshire, England. The banner used in the 1960s Aldermaston marches.
March 31, 1985 Throughout Australia, 300,000 demonstrated in peace and anti-nuclear rallies.
March 31, 1991 Before dawn on Easter, five Plowshares activists boarded the USS Gettysburg, an Aegis-equipped Cruiser docked at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. They proceeded to hammer and pour blood on covers of vertical launching systems for cruise missiles. “We witness against the American enslavement to war at the Bath Iron Works, geographically near the President’s home.” They also left an indictment charging President George H.W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, the National Security Council and the Joint Chiefs of Staff with war crimes and violations of God’s law and international law, including the killing of thousands of Iraqis. Remembering Aegis Plowshares
March 31, 1997 Four East Timorese were arrested in Warton, England, at the British Aerospace factory where Hawk fighter jets were built for the Indonesian military, who used them in the ongoing occupation and genocide of their homeland.
March 31, 2004 Air America, intended as a liberal voice in network talk radio, made its debut on five stations.
It’s one of the Tabs on Wonkette this AM. I have a soft spot for Chicago for reasons, and was just interested because it’s not topical, and now I’m sharing it here because maybe we could all pool our money and buy this place for us and our allies! Actually, I’m sharing it because it’s different and interesting to look at. Take a look, and dream a little!
Once-in-a-life time opportunity to own one of Chicago’s iconic estates, showcasing over 25,000 Sq. Ft. of combined living spaces and situated on nearly a third of an acre on Gold Coast’s most coveted Astor street. This palatial architectural masterpiece designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw for the Goodman Family graces the market for the first time in 40 years, promising to leave you speechless. A true hallmark of Chicago’s rich history, Astor Court has long captivated passersby with its magnificent neo-classical/Georgian Revival architecture spanning an impressive 80′ feet across. This distinguished estate is centered around a one-of-a-kind tremendous courtyard, meticulously landscaped with lush gardens and flowing fountains, transporting you to the tranquil Italian countryside, creating a peaceful sanctuary in the vibrant urban setting. The main residence of the estate features over 10,000 sq. ft. of exquisitely renovated grand spaces blending timeless elegance with modern luxury. No expense was spared in creating this treasure, presenting a rare opportunity to own a coveted piece of Chicago’s history. Every inch of the home exudes sophistication and grandeur offering unparalleled living experience featuring 13′ ceilings, venetian plaster walls, incredible intricate millwork and hardwood oak flooring throughout, fireplaces with magnificent original marble mantles, and gold plated fixtures. As you enter the home, you are immediately captivated by the grand sense of space, elegant design and a sweeping curved staircase that ascends to the expansive main living areas. Every room exudes scale and sophistication offering both beauty and functionality. There are five en-suite bedrooms, each with its own style and personality. The luxurious primary suite features beautiful lake views and a grand primary spa bath adorned with exquisite Italian marble. In addition to the main residence, Astor Court showcases six gorgeous unique rental units, each with its own distinct charm and character, generating significant income. The entire estate encompasses 45 rooms, 16 bedrooms, 17 baths and 18 fireplaces offering endless opportunities to expand the main residence or transform it into a sprawling multi-generational family compound. Currently, there are two parking spaces located directly behind the property with the option to convert the coach house into a garage for additional parking. This extraordinary estate is perfectly situated just steps from Michigan Avenue, the lakefront, parks, premier shops, favorite restaurants, and world-class entertainment.
Request a tour as early as Today at 12:30PMSchedule TourRequest Info
Home Highlights
Parking Open Parking Outdoor Patio A/C Heating & Cooling
What a day. I have been training my self to get up at 5 am. My body and bowels now wake me at anytime between 4:15 am to 4:30 am. Ok I can live with the waking up, but not with how the bowels like to do it. Warning for poop talk ahead. See since my primary care doctor figured out why I was having diarrhea and worked with my other doctors to change my medications, my poop went from diarrhea to being rocks that could be used as paving blocks. When they move through the lower system they let themselves be known.
Ron had been letting himself sleep in later and later until he got to after 9 am before he would wake up. I told him we couldn’t have that. So I asked him to pick a reasonable time to get up, he picked 6:30 am. But after a few weeks of that and coming to bed earlier, he now wakes up when I get up to start my day. He also now gets up with me. Sometimes he goes back to bed after he has his three cups of coffee and sometimes not. Today he stayed up and went out shopping for a bit of stuff at a bit past 9 am. But … big but.
Our getting things taken care of around here has been a bit haphazard. Sundays are a news day for me. This morning Ron wanted me to make a scrambled eggs and ham breakfast as he likes the way I do eggs the best. I normally add to the meal either fried the potatoes we did not eat from the night before or shredded hash browns along with a few sausages, separate from the eggs but as sides. But today we did not have anything but 6 bread slices, eggs, and the thick ham slices from what we sliced yesterday. So why does Ron want me to cook the eggs. Two reasons, eggs can turn very quickly when cooking no matter how you are cooking them other than boiling them. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, it doesn’t matter. Ron is incapable of paying the eggs that much attention so they come out bad for him. So how do I make my scrambled eggs different.
First I have a system for breaking the eggshell that makes sure no shell bits get into the eggs. You have to do it when the eggs are very cold. Then take the sharp side of a knife and carefully hit the lower side of the egg at about midline. That causes the egg to makes its own clean break. Next in the bowl add water. Here is the normal thing. Milk adds something I forget since I don’t use it, water adds fluffy. So most cooking shows say add a teaspoon or such … screw that. I add about a huge dash. I never measure it, like I never measure anything I add to stuff I cook (except bread. That needs to be exact to make sure the bread forms correctly), I put the bowl under the faucet and give it a “shot” or today I put the water into a cup measuring cup and between the two bowls I added about a 1/4 cup of water.
Why don’t I worry about the amount of water? Because after stirring it up in the bowls, I put the sauce pot on the stove with a large tab of real butter. Ron used to ask why a sauce pot as he uses a flat pan. Because the smaller pot can let me get the temperature up to a point there the water comes out on top and boils off and lets you fold and refold the eggs until the moisture boils away, then you can fold / chop the scrambled eggs up into ever smaller bits of good dry but not desiccated plate of scrambled eggs. They still have enough moisture to let you mix ketchup or hot sauce into them.
Thinking I was done, I started making posts. But Ron had to go out and get stuff. Crap. But that was where all the other stuff of the last few days came to bite me in the butt. On Sunday I don’t do much but watch news, and I guess on Saturday we had not done dishes, so we had two and a half days of dishes this morning … to be washed. Ron wanted me to do that before he got home. Damn it … OK Ron I will. It took me until well after noon to wash / dry the dishes. Again I thought I had blogging time. But no.
I had barely sat down when Ron came home with the groceries. Actually there were few groceries but He had spent most of that three or four hours he had been gone in Home Depot getting parts for the plumbing project he needed. Ok now I could return to blogging right … Nope. Ron decided that it was time to have the roast he put in the crock pot this morning at about 6 AM. OK, help Ron make supper. Yes we eat early. About between 2 and 3 PM. Why because after 4 pm I can’t eat, or have no interest to eat. Help him with the corn, and potatoes which we decided to bake. 45 minutes later was lunch. The meal was great.
Then came clean up and putting away the food. It is now well after 3 pm, nearly 4 pm. So Ron decided he needed a nap. Would I like to nap with him? Yes of course. We never even got to the cuddle part as he went out right a way after putting on his C-Pap mask. I laid there trying to rest. At 5 pm my phone alarm for me to take my evening pills and set up my morning ones went off. Ron decided he had to get up as he was too sore to cuddle, I got up and made my pills. Now at 5:30 pm I am in my office finishing this post up. This is why it is hard for me to post and much harder to make a video. I did a load of laundry and still have one in the dryer that Ron forgot. I don’t have the energy to fold them or putting them away today. I am done. Just now one of our cats demanded wet food. I have not even managed a shower today, how can I find time to set up everything in my system, record, and then edit a video. Sadly most days I would go with Ron when he goes out shopping, today he fooled me which is why I kept texting him asking if he was OK. He had a small list of 10 items, and yet was gone over three hours. If he had told me he was going to go prowl Home Depot I would have insisted on going along. Not that he doesn’t know what he wants but he gets confused over if he got enough part a or enough part b, and maybe instead he needs part d or f and so he ends up getting far more parts than he needs. Then he says it is OK because they come in handy … some time. When I am with him he can bounce it off me and I can say well you got 5 of this and 6 of that, what is the goal.
Anyway I am going to proofread this. I want to stress that I do not regret spending my time doing housework or helping Ron. I do regret not getting to much of what I want to do with the blog. But I am reassured that even if I do not post some day or days, Ali and Randy will. Sadly that day may be coming sooner than I would like. I always figured that it would be my health that made it hard for me to keep up with the blog, now it is both my health and Ron’s. I have to tell you all, some days I only want to turn my 55-inch 4K TV to viewing position and just watch movies. But I can’t retreat like that. I hope you won’t either. Hugs.
I wanted to update everyone on the small bathroom construction and the under the both bathrooms kitchen sink broken pipe. Here is the original pipe break. Please remember Ron is 70 years old. Hugs
So that was just past the wall inside out master bedroom bathroom. But to reach it Ron had to take up the floor in the small bathroom off the hallway and climb / twist his way in around the pipes and then crawl on his belly to the break. He had to work laying on his belly.
This was the hole he had to crawl / twist down.
Here is where the project stands now. Our bedroom bathroom has a thick rubber tarp over the plywood floor, the small bathroom entire flooring has been removed. This morning we talked about what should be placed where in the new lay out. Hugs.
This picture shows him standing where he had to crawl down, notice the layout of the pipes. The entire floor and insulation has been removed in the small bathroom. He is right now cleaning up all the cat litter he put down, 60 pounds to dry up the leak, along with any wood pieces or stuff that fell into the hole while he worked. Hugs
Simply very bad news. Precisely what Project 2025/Agenda 47/Republican National Platform said they want to do. I’m sorry; I don’t like to bring bad news. But people need to prepare. This is written in editorial/opinion style, but facts are within and there are citations. For people like us who need time to prepare for austerity, it’s news we ought to read.
Also, there are Senator names included for who we should write to regarding this bill. That’s our last chance. Shutdown is on Republicans, not Democrats, no matter how they try to deflect. We need to tell the Dem senators to speak what’s in this bill, every chance they get, and to refuse to vote in favor, pointing at Republicans the entire time.
There are parts in the article complaining about Democrats and their choices, etc., et. m. Read it if you want (you’ll have to click through for it,) but it won’t help anyone to read more complaining about Democrats. We the people need to energize Dem. Senators to speak out, and to vote no. Especially the speak out portion; Sen. Mark Kelly does that especially well, and is among those the author of this piece feels is wavering. I intend to start first thing in the morning, and I hope all of us will devote some time to this. It’s vital.
Without the luxury of Republicans falling apart, Democrats in the Senate need to decide whether to prevent a dangerous and harmful budget that shrinks the power of Congress in the government. Since operating on principle goes against their “adults in the room” mindset, they are wavering on what to do. But it should be an open-and-shut case.
A normal continuing resolution funds the government at the same level as the previous budget. This bill does not. It cuts non-defense discretionary spending by $13 billion below last year’s level, while increasing military spending by $6 billion. It zeroes out funding for programs that fund homeless shelters and prevent child abuse. It cuts health care funding for clinics and hospitals, emergency preparedness for communities, clean water projects and tribal assistance. Meanwhile, it adds money for mass deportations, just as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has illegally detained a green card holder for his political beliefs.
Most of the budget cuts are achieved by removing earmarks, which members of Congress put in to direct projects. But usually when earmarks are removed, the money goes back to the agency to decide how to distribute it. This maneuver cuts the earmarks and the money.
The House Republican bill also fails to fix a carryover of a $20 billion rescission to IRS money from the Inflation Reduction Act, effectively doubling that cut. This was kind of pre-ordained when Democrats punted on this in a prior continuing resolution last December, but it still means that practically all of the IRA’s funding for greater enforcement of tax collection is now gone.
The bill not only adds $6 billion to the Department of Defense’s enormous budget, but adds $8 billion in “transfer authority” that allows the agency to shift spending where they deem important, a flexibility no other agency gets.
While Republicans tout a $6 billion increase in veterans health care in the bill, they neglect to mention the removal of a $23 billion appropriation to the Toxic Exposure Fund to implement the PACT Act, which cares for veterans exposed to burn pits and other cancer-causing chemicals. While there’s an extra $2.2 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund, there’s no additional money to support the rebuilding in southern California after the January wildfires.
But most important, the bill grants an open invitation to Trump and Elon Musk to continue to ignore Congress and toss out disfavored spending. Vice President JD Vance, while selling the deal to House Republicans, stated outright that “Trump would continue cutting federal funding with his Department of Government Efficiency initiative and pursue impoundment — that is, holding back money appropriated by Congress.” This has been reiterated by others in the Trump administration.
In fact, the House Republican bill gives the president more leeway to move money around. It appropriates money for things that Musk has eliminated, meaning that money can operate as a floating slush fund for Trump’s priorities, as long as the courts don’t roll back the illegal impoundments.
… The Trump administration is saying that they will sign a bill appropriating specific funding, and then go about cutting funding anyway. If you’re a member of Congress, you’re being told that your work product doesn’t matter, that the constitutional power of the purse doesn’t matter, and that there’s no guarantee that anything you pass will actually reach the people you serve.
I can see why Republicans would take this deal: they want budget cuts but know they don’t have the votes for them, so they’re plenty happy to outsource that to the president, even if it turns Congress into a separate and unequal branch of government. But why would Democrats willingly submit to a fake budget on paper that can be so easily circumvented? As Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on X, “The Republican spending plan will supercharge Musk’s theft from working people to pay for billionaire tax cuts. Senate Democrats must stop it.”
…
So far, only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has committed to voting yes. But as Josh Marshall has documented at Talking Points Memo, a number of Senate Democrats have stated no position on the bill, leaving their options open. In general, senators have been hedging their bets until forced to make a decision. That time has come.
Credible sources indicate that the most likely Democrats to offer up the remaining seven votes to avoid a shutdown are Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
A difficult anniversary—and a moment to remember Ukraine by José Andrés
Supporting recovery efforts with the Longer Tables Fund Read on Substack
Today is a day that I’m thinking about the people of Ukraine. It’s been a special place to me over the last few years, where I’ve spent over 100 days on the ground, as the team from World Central Kitchen has worked to keep communities fed since the Russian invasion in 2022.
This week marks three years since the invasion…and the beginning of our work there, so I hope we can all take a moment to remember.
Over these three years, we’ve learned so much about resilience, about innovation, about community—the Ukrainian people have been an incredible example to the world for how to live bravely in the shadow of war, in constant fear of losing their homes, their farms, their lives.
Yuliya and me
I’m proud of the part that WCK has played in the country, with leaders like Yuliya Stefanyuk, our Ukrainian Response Director. Yuliya has been with WCK from the beginning, first working to coordinate meal production in Lviv, then expanding operations across the country. She’s played a critical role to establish our food distribution networks, secure partnerships, and to make sure that meals are reaching people in need, even in the hardest-hit areas.
And I’m also proud to share that through the Longer Tables Fund, I am continuing to support some amazing organizations and people in Ukraine, to keep recovery efforts moving forward.
You might not have heard me talking about the Longer Tables Fund yet, but it’s one of the things I’m most excited about these days. (No relation to our Longer Tables newsletter here, though it’s a good name, right?) I launched it in 2022—powered by the Bezos Courage and Civility Award that I was honored to receive in 2021—to support people and organizations who believe, like I do, that food has the potential to solve some of humanity’s biggest problems.
Its goal is to make change in three areas: local food systems, where we are aiming to transform the way humanity is producing, accessing, and consuming food; education, where we are hoping to inspire the next generation of food leaders; and (re)building communities, where we are using the power of food to help people build resilience after times of crisis.
In Ukraine, we’re supporting a few amazing organizations doing incredible work to help the nation and its people respond, recover, and rebuild. I want to tell you a little about them—and I hope you’re inspired too.
A dairy farm supported by SaveUA. Photo from saveua.in.ua.
SaveUA
I’m really excited to announce that the Longer Tables Fund is now supporting the work of SaveUA. Representing thousands of Ukrainian farmers, SaveUA is an organization made to help the country’s agricultural system build resilience to the shocks of war. Ukraine historically has been one of the most important breadbaskets in the region, growing grain for Europe and beyond. Ukraine’s energy grid is in crisis due to the ongoing war, leaving many communities without reliable access to power.
We’re helping SaveUA purchase generators for dairy farmers on the front lines. These generators are more than just a source of electricity…they’re a lifeline. They will power milking equipment and refrigeration systems, ensuring that farmers can continue their work, sustain their communities, and feed their people even in the face of unimaginable challenges. This isn’t just about keeping the lights on—it’s about standing with the people of Ukraine as they seek to protect their land, their livelihoods, and their food supply.
A photo from the Superhumans rehabilitation center
Superhumans
The next organization is doing some incredible work for the people of Ukraine who have been physically injured by the war. Over the last three years, thousands of Ukrainians have lost limbs due to mines and shelling, and with mines buried across a huge amount of the country, there will be many, many more people who will require prosthetics and medical support in the years to come.
Superhumansis a rehabilitation center that provides prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, and psychological support—free of charge. The Longer Tables Fund has supported medical staff at Superhumans by helping invest in advanced surgical and 3D laboratory equipment, which will let the Superhumans team expand their services to include complex facial reconstruction procedures.
I love this project because prosthetics and reconstructive surgery lets people transform trauma into resilience, empowering a new generation of survivors—truly making them superhuman.
Children rescued by Save Ukraine
Save Ukraine
The third organization that the Longer Tables Fund is supporting is called Save Ukraine, an NGO focused on rescuing Ukrainian children that were deported to Russia at the beginning of the war and over the last three years. It’s important work that offers a lifeline to families affected by these deportations, which horribly tear into the heart of communities around the country.
Save Ukraine’s three-pronged approach—to rescue, to restore, and to rebuild—ensures that every child regains the safety, stability, and care needed to thrive.
We are supporting their Community Center and Bomb Shelter in Irpin, one of the cities that I visited in 2022 after it was liberated from Russian occupation. The center will provide comprehensive services for children with disabilities and their families and give them tools to rebuild their lives.
My friends—I think you will agree with me that this work is super important to the rebuilding of a strong Ukraine. I’m proud to support it in the small way we can, especially as we pass such a difficult moment of commemorating three years of war. Since the beginning, World Central Kitchen has been on the front lines, making sure communities are fed. Now, the Longer Tables Fund is the newest step in continuing to build longer tables – creating a community where no one is left behind, where survivors are empowered, and where resilience is born from the hardest of circumstances. With these new projects, I know that the people of Ukraine will continue to be supported today, tomorrow, and for years to come.
Take care of yourselves this week, and please keep Ukraine in your thoughts.
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