#Fetterman & Associates

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

As a train derailment and fire forced evacuations in Minnesota on Thursday, a trio of Democratic U.S. Senators introduced another piece of legislation inspired by the ongoing public health and environmental disaster in and around East Palestine, Ohio.

The Railway Accountability Act—led by Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)—would build on the bipartisan Railway Safety Act introduced at the beginning of March by Brown and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials including vinyl chloride derailed in the small Ohio community on February 3.

While welcoming "greater federal oversight and a crackdown on railroads that seem all too willing to trade safety for higher profits," Eddie Hall, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), also warned just after the earlier bill was unveiled that "you can run a freight train through the loopholes."

The new bill is backed by unions including the Transport Workers of America (TWU), the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO), and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Division (SMART-MD).

"It is an honor and a privilege to introduce my first piece of legislation, the Railway Accountability Act, following the derailment affecting East Palestine, Ohio, and Darlington Township, Pennsylvania," Fetterman said in a statement. "This bill will implement commonsense safety reforms, hold the big railway companies accountable, protect the workers who make these trains run, and help prevent future catastrophes that endanger communities near railway infrastructure."

Fetterman, who is expected to return to the Senate in mid-April after checking himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last month to be treated for clinical depression, asserted that "working Pennsylvanians have more than enough to think about already—they should never have been put in this horrible situation."

"Communities like Darlington Township and East Palestine are too often forgotten and overlooked by leaders in Washington and executives at big companies like Norfolk Southern who only care about making their millions," he added. "That's why I'm proud to be working with my colleagues to stand up for these communities and make clear that we're doing everything we can to prevent a disaster like this from happening again."

As Fetterman's office summarized, the Railway Accountability Act would:

• Direct the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to examine the causes of and potential mitigation strategies for wheel-related derailments and mechanical defects, and publish potential regulations that would improve avoidance of these defects;

• Ensure that employees can safely inspect trains by prohibiting trains from being moved during brake inspections;

• Require that the mechanic that actually inspects a locomotive or rail car attests to its safety;

• Direct the FRA to review regulations relating to the operation of trains in switchyards, and direct railroads to update their plans submitted under the FRA's existing Risk Reduction Program (RRP) to incorporate considerations regarding switchyard practices;

• Require the FRA to make Class 1 railroad safety waivers public in one online location;

• Require railroads to ensure that communication checks between the front and end of a train do not fail, and that emergency brake signals reach the end of a train;

• Ensure Class 1 railroad participation in the confidential Close Call Reporting System by requiring all railroads that have paid the maximum civil penalty for a safety violation to join; and

• Ensure that railroads provide warning equipment (such as white disks, red flags, or whistles) to railroad watchmen and lookouts.

A preliminary report released in late February by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggests an overheated wheel bearing may have caused the disastrous derailment in Ohio. The initial findings added fuel to demands that federal lawmakers enact new rules for the rail industry.

"Rail lobbyists have fought for years to protect their profits at the expense of communities like East Palestine," Brown noted Thursday.

Casey stressed that "along with the Railway Safety Act, this bill will make freight rail safer and protect communities from preventable tragedies."

In addition to pushing those two bills, Brown, Casey, and Fetterman have responded to the East Palestine disaster by introducing the Assistance for Local Heroes During Train Crises Act and—along with other colleagues—writing to Norfolk Southern president and CEO Alan Shaw, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, and U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator Michael Regan with various concerns and demands.

[disasterhimbo]

Source

[ID: a quote tweet by Stephen Semler (@stephensemler) dated March 23, 2024. It is responding to a tweet by the Associated Press (@AP) that says, “BREAKING: Senate passes $1.2 trillion funding package in early morning vote, ending threat of partial shutdown.”

It says, “All but two Democratic senators just voted to:

-give Israel $3.8B in weapons, violating US law

-defund a UN inquiry into Israel's violations of international law

-defund UNRWA, worsening famine in Gaza

-sanction the UN Human Rights Council if it highlights Israeli abuses.”

It contains an image of only text showing who voted yea, who voted nay, and who abstained. 74 senators voted yea, including 47 democrats, 25 republicans, and 2 independents. 24 senators voted nay: all republicans except Senator Bennet (Democrat, Colorado), and Senator Sanders (Independent, Vermont). 2 Republican senators abstained. Full transcription of this image under the cut.]

Transcript of the image contained in the tweet:

“YEAS --- 74

Baldwin (D-WI)

Blumenthal (D-CT)

Booker (D-NJ)

Boozman (R-AR)

Britt (R-AL)

Brown (D-OH)

Butler (D-CA)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Capito (R-WV)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Casey (D-PA)

Cassidy (R-LA)

Collins (R-ME)

Coons (D-DE)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Cortez Masto (D-NV)

Cotton (R-AR)

Cramer (R-ND)

Duckworth (D-IL)

Durbin (D-IL)

Ernst (R-IA)

Fetterman (D-PA)

Fischer (R-NE)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Hassan (D-NH)

Heinrich (D-NM)

Hickenlooper (D-CO)

Hirono (D-HI)

Hoeven (R-ND)

Hyde-Smith (R-MS)

Kaine (D-VA)

Kelly (D-AZ)

King (1-ME)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Lujan (D-NM)

Manchin (D-WV)

Markey (D-MA)

McConnell (R-KY)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Moran (R-KS)

Mullin (R-OK)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Murphy (D-CT)

Murray (D-WA)

Ossoff (D-GA)

Padilla (D-CA)

Peters (D-MI)

Reed (D-RI)

Romney (R-UT)

Rosen (D-NV)

Rounds (R-SD)

Schatz (D-HI)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Sinema (I-AZ)

Smith (D-MN)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Sullivan (R-AK)

Tester (D-MT)

Thune (R-SD)

Tillis (R-NC)

Van Hollen (D-MD)

Warner (D-VA)

Warnock (D-GA)

Warren (D-MA)

Welch (D-VT)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wicker (R-MS)

Wyden (D-OR)

Young (R-IN)

(This is the end of the yeas.)

NAYS --- 24

Barrasso (R-WY)

Bennet (D-CO)

Blackburn (R-TN)

Budd (R-NC)

Crapo (R-ID)

Cruz (R-TX)

Daines (R-MT)

Hagerty (R-TN)

Hawley (R-MO)

Johnson (R-WI)

Kennedy (R-LA)

Lankford (R-OK)

Lee (R-UT)

Lummis (R-WY)

Marshall (R-KS)

Paul (R-KY)

Ricketts (R-NE)

Risch (R-ID)

Rubio (R-FL)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schmitt (R-MO)

Scott (R-SC)

Tuberville (R-AL)

Vance (R-OH)

(This is the end of the nays.)

Not Voting - 2

Braun (R-IN)

Scott (R-FL)”

(This is the end of the transcribed image.)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Markos Moulitsas (kos) at Daily Kos:

Donald Trump had no shortage of potential vice presidential running mates. There were several seemingly serious contenders on the list, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Trump picked Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio. He was the worst possible choice.  In some ways, VP picks are overrated, rarely making a meaningful dent in the overall dynamics of the race. Usually, they work best when they mobilize the candidate’s base. Vance isn’t the worst pick in that regard, having made a hard-right turn in recent years that should delight the MAGA faithful. 

But this isn’t a normal election year. Vice presidential picks can serve a useful purpose as attack dogs when the presidential candidate needs to stay above the fray. Dick Cheney comes to mind, or Sarah Palin. The least effective running mates are those who have with zero credibility with the base, like Hillary Clinton’s pick, Sen. Tim Kaine.  Trump doesn’t need an attack dog. No one will mobilize the MAGA base more effectively than him, and he’s not shy about what he says. Trump isn’t staying above any fray.  Other VP picks help fill a hole in a presidential candidate’s resume, such as when Joe Biden shored up Barack Obama’s perceived lack of foreign policy experience (a thing no voter ever cared about, but in those days, the David Broders of the Capitol Hill commentariat had to be appeased). 

[...] All of those picks could’ve served Trump well strategically. Instead, he picked Vance, who once called Trump “America’s Hitler.”  Indeed, we have a vast catalog of Vance quotes lambasting Trump. Stories detailing the ripostes are forthcoming, but include such gems as, “a lot of people think Trump is just the first to appeal to the racism and xenophobia that were already there, but I think he’s making the problem worse," and, ”[Trump] is ultimately a destructive force." But there is nothing Trump loves more than a former enemy bending the knee—and Vance has done so with extreme relish and obsequiousness.  So what does Vance bring to the ticket? 

He can’t deliver the base any more effectively than Trump can. Electorally, he dramatically underperformed in his Senate race, winning by just 6 percentage points in 2022. His Republican predecessor, Sen. Rob Portman, won it by 21 points in 2016. (Trump won Ohio by 8 points in 2020 with a presidential-year electorate.) Vance was a disastrous candidate and hopeless fundraiser, forcing Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to spend $32 million to save Vance’s ass. That was money that could have been spent against Democratic opponents including Sen. Raphael Warnock in Georgia, Sen. Mark Kelly in Arizona, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, or John Fetterman in Pennsylvania. All four won by less than 5 points, and with that, Democrats held on to the Senate.  It figures that Trump would pick Vance, and not an actual winner. Trump rarely associates with competent, effective people. 

And despite Vance’s past criticism of Trump, his record is everything Democrats could wish to run against, including directly thanking the authors of Project 2025, the extremist blueprint for Trump’s next term in office.  Put another way, Trump needs all the help he can get to expand his base. By choosing Vance, he specifically demonstrated that he has no interest in doing that. 

The pick of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance to join Donald Trump on the ticket was all about doubling down on the MAGA base with no intent to reach out to swing voters, disillusioned Ds, and Trump-skeptical Rs. If Trump were serious about reaching beyond his base, then he would have picked either Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, or Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

This may be the pick that dooms Trump’s chances to win again.

See Also:

Wake Up To Politics: Trump’s confidence play

[beardedmrbean]

Sen. John Fetterman could land himself in trouble with voters after he doubled down on his claims that he is not a progressive Democrat, despite comments he made during his election campaign.

"I'm not a progressive, I'm just a regular Democrat," Fetterman said on X, formerly Twitter.

The statement was contradicted by the website's community notes feature, referencing tweets from Fetterman in 2016 and 2020 in which he clearly said he was a progressive.

Despite the contradiction, Fetterman has noticeably shifted away from the position upon which he narrowly defeated Donald Trump-endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 midterms.

Politicians such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent closely aligned with the left of the Democratic Party, have called for a ceasefire in Gaza, whereas Fetterman has said he supports the Israeli response to the attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7 "unequivocally," despite criticism that it has been too strong.

"I just think I'm a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I'm going to be on the right side of that," Fetterman said.

The Pennsylvania senator's stance on Israel is a particular source of ire for many who consider themselves part of the progressive movement, largely younger voters.

A November 2021 poll by Pew Research recorded that 71 percent of the progressive left movement is made up of people aged 18 to 49.

It is young voters that favored Fetterman in his 2022 Senate race against Oz. According to an exit poll taken by Statista, 72 percent of voters aged 18-24 who answered said they voted for the Democrat. The figure was similar for voters aged 25 to 29, at 68 percent.

His position on Israel-Gaza could spell trouble among this voter demographic. According to a New York Times/Siena poll published on Tuesday, 45 percent of people aged 18 to 29 think President Joe Biden is "too supportive" of Israel. In the same age group, 46 percent of people who responded said they were supportive of Palestine, compared to 27 percent favoring Israel.

The same poll said that just 20 percent of all voters aged 18 to 29 believe Biden is handling the conflict well. Asked about the result on CNN on Tuesday, Fetterman said: "If you're getting your perspective on the world on TikTok, it's going to tend to be kinda warped."

He added: "Sometimes you may alienate some voters, but it is really most important to be on the right side on that. That's where I am at."

A total of 16 of his former campaign staffers wrote him an open letter, asking him to change his stance.

"It is not too late to change your stance and stand on the righteous side of history," it said.

An op-ed in news outlet PennLive was published in November by Mireille Rebeiz, Ph.D., chair of Middle East Studies and associate professor at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in which his position on the issue was labeled "disturbing" and saying he was "unworthy of my trust."

Fetterman has called for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza, but criticized pro-Palestinian protesters when they staged a demonstration outside a Jewish-owned store in Philadelphia in December, calling the gathering antisemitic.

Immigration is also a divisive issue in Congress, and Fetterman has made it clear he wants to work with Senate Republicans and says it is a "reasonable conversation" to have. The GOP has pushed for stricter measures along the southern border with Mexico.

"It's a reasonable conversation—until somebody can say there's an explanation on what we can do when 270,000 people are being encountered on the border, not including the ones, of course, that we don't know about," Fetterman said to NBC. "To put that in reference, that is essentially the size of Pittsburgh, the second-largest city in Pennsylvania."

His wife, Gisele Fetterman, arrived undocumented from Brazil as a 7-year-old and was an important part of his Senate campaign. Some accused him of throwing his wife under the bus because of his stance.

Newsweek has reached out to Fetterman via email through his Senate office for comment.

"Fetterman has never been progressive, but endorsing talks for tougher immigration laws when he's married to an incredible woman who was once an illegal immigrant and who kept his campaign alive while he was recovering from a stroke is actually sickening," said Alexandra Hunt, a former Democrat candidate for Pennsylvania's 3rd Congressional District.

The conversation around Fetterman has some such as left-leaning commentator Mehdi Hasan questioning if he is the "new Kyrsten Sinema," the Arizona senator who became an independent in 2022.

"Fetterman has been a pleasant surprise for his Republican colleagues and a thorn in the side of progressive Democrat," Hasan wrote in British news magazine The Spectator in December. He added: "One still has to wonder if he might follow in Sinema's footsteps and officially extricate himself from the two-party system."

Sinema cited a "deeply broken two-party system" as the reason she left the Democratic Party in 2022.

However, Heath Mayo, a conservative who founded the anti-Trump nonprofit Principles First, praised Fetterman.

"John Fetterman is testing a lot of new boundaries for the Democratic Party right now. Aggressively pro-Israel, pro-border security, anti-corruption in his own party[...]That's principled leadership and Dems should embrace it. He is speaking to a lot of us," Mayo said.

On X, Hasan said Fetterman's comments on him not being aligned with the progressive movement was "a total attack on the people who worked hard to elect him."

[swan2swan]

You are every bit as bad as the Comicsgaters who hate Moon Girl (and the rest of Marvel's stuff) because of """forced diversity.""" If you hate nearly all Jews, hate the symbols and, yes, colors associated with our community for millennia, that is not caused by Israel, it is caused by your moral defectiveness and bigotry.

Well, this is an interesting comment to wake up to.

Tell me something:

How often do you see the Prussian Cross in media?

We're not even jumping into the heavy-hitters right now. We're sticking with the particular variant of the Prussian Cross. Black cross. White outline.

Outside of historical stuff and bikers...how often do you see this?

If the answer is "Barely anywhere at all, especially in Children's Media", you'd be correct. Because after the early 1900s, it kind of took on a MAJOR negative meaning.

Obviously, there's plenty of other cross variations to use, so this wasn't exactly a DEATH KNELL for Christian Imagery. Just because people don't want to be associated with the Kaiser's Germany or their biggest crowd that was super-popular in Europe during the 30s and 40s doesn't mean they can't use a DIFFERENT design of cross. But obviously, using that particular brand became something of a cultural taboo

And, again...this isn't even the heavy-hitters.

But now consider: if a bunch of constituents go to John Fetterman's house to protest his support for Israel's genocide, and his only response is to wave a huge Israeli flag...blue and white with the Star of David...what is the message he's sending there? What is the association going to become?

Now, begin to multiply that. Not by hundreds of times directly, but by little moments. People with the Israeli flag on Twitter, putting up arguments about how all Palestinians are terrorists, and how DARE you not sympathize with Israel after the events of October 7th!

Actually, here, you know what? Let's just DEMONSTRATE.

...oh, I was looking for less-silly examples, but sometimes, you get the PERFECT ONE that is making EXACTLY your point:

Here it is. Right here. I dunno how serious the OP is, but yeah, people are actively turning the Star of David into an "I Stand With Israel" symbol, while Israel is committing ALL OF THE CRIMES, and digging a hole deeper and deeper. The longer this goes, the worse it gets, the more entangled they become...do you see why I'm upset now? Do you understand yet?

Especially because...you know who's really having a great time with this? The antisemites. They get to watch a military force do a genocide against those brown Arabs all the way over in a desert while everyone gets MAD, and all they have to do is keep encouraging the fight! Make that Star of David an EVIL symbol! In a few years, guess what you get to do? You get to start SHAMING people for wearing the Star! Heck, you can do that right now! But you don't have to, because plenty of other people are doing that for you.

So we return to my original point:

The fact that while watching a children's cartoon, for s *split second*, I saw something that I immediately associated as a red flag, because it was on my computer screen. And where do I generally see blue and white stars on my computer screen these days? News stories. Propaganda. The guys in your mentions who jump in to accuse you of antisemitism because you say something like "Genocide is bad".

Let's leave with this:

[doodle-do-wop]

If cammie went to college, what do you think the other girls (Anna, Tina, Mick etc) as well as Zach and Preston did after graduation?

OH BOY :DDDDDD!!!

this one is a long one good lord

Anna Fetterman

went into the field but for her civilian disguise, she's training to be a pilot.

She actually had to go through said training to keep up the disguise.

She does undercover work and honestly it's quite scary to realize Anna could've been on the same mission as some of her friends or coworkers as silent backup and they might not always spot her.

Married Carl (her boyfriend from book 1) and has two amazing daughters now

can and will surprise visit her friends just to keep them on their toes (she and Macey do coffee dates where they try out new cafes and chat)

Eva Alvarez

worked in the field for a few years in the FBI but after Kim Lee got seriously injured she left quickly

currently works a simple 9-5 office job and helps out in her community because even without being a super spy she can still help change the world

Kim Lee

did go to a community college to get an associate's degree in engineering and later continued to pursue a higher education in that field

even after her injury, Kim stayed in the field but soon moved into lab work making gadgetry and usually explosive prototypes. She did accidentally microwave one prototype and Eva put her on bed rest until she could correctly count the number of fingers Eva was holding up

Mick Morrison

went to college with Tina Walters as they had planned a long time ago

Got a degree in kinesiology and tried working in the field for a few years but she could never feel like it was really her place

When an opening for a new P&E assistant coach opened up Mick gave it a shot and found she really loved teaching

Sits beside Liz at the teachers table in the Grand Hall and they share gossip about their students

Courtney Bauer

worked for the CIA for quite some time. Stayed in the field as she found it was the place and path for her. Her civilian disguise was at first just a fresh out of high school young adult traveling the world to find herself. Now she's in a 'complicated business' that requires her to go overseas a lot but she fights tooth and nail to make it home for the holidays, big events, etc

she's usually late or the last to arrive and no one lets her live it down

(she was at least early to the reunion)

She, Eva, and Tina stayed close

those three idiots could never just fall apart even if they sometimes go weeks with zero communication

Tina W Walters

took some time after the fire to heal and breathe

went to college alongside Mick Morrison. Worked damn hard for that journalism degree and while she technically fulfilled her legacy as a third-generation gossip columnist, she's got a lot going on behind the scenes.

Worked for a short time in the field for the CIA like the rest of the Walters Women of the past

Changed to being a recruiter after mending her relationship with her mom and has nearly doubled the class count with how many girls she's adopted recruited

unknowingly became the next Buckingham for most of these girls and ya know Rachel it would've been nice to, you know, TELL HER SHE WAS ON THE DAMN PAYROLL

99.99% of her gossip papers are all about Macey, it's so damn funny

Macey helps by the way, they bond over it

there is an infamous page 10 Tina wrote one day that was more of a petty revenge thing than a 'lol taking shit about Macey for my job' thing

The much anticipated Preston freaking Winters

I'm not honestly sure

He spent a lot of time with his mom for sure, she didn't know anything after all and she just lost her husband. He wasn't going to let her lose her son too

did a lot of soul-searching but I'm not sure how much he stayed in politics. He might've honesty just stayed to keep in the loop about anything nefarious and found a way to contact his favorite girls

probably had to go underground with his mom for a while as the Circle scrambled after their leaders were gone (he is an heir technically)

I'd like to think he and Macey still talked but they didn't date for quite some time. They both needed to heal but they were there for each other. Who else could possibly understand them better than the other?

Zach Goode

from what I personally think along with the timeline of the books I do believe Zach went straight into the field while Cam did halfsies with school and work

did a lot of leg work with Bex since she also went straight into the field and while they were technically working for different agencies they're still a goofy little duo that know each other well enough to figure out where on earth they might be off to

attended some of Cammie's classes with her sometimes, mostly when he had downtime and wanted to just be with her or even take notes for her when she wasn't feeling too good

i refuse with all of my ass to believe he waited ten years to propose (sorry y'all but have you SEEN HIM)

if you guys wanna hear about any OCs do let me know because I will totally talk about the Background Girlstm

[ausetkmt]

Opinion | The Root Cause of Violent Crime Is Not What We Think It Is - The New York Times

"There is a prevailing narrative about crime that positions bad people as the problem and toughness — in the form of police and prisons — as the solution. It’s emotionally powerful, enough to make politicians allocate money for more cops and more prisons in order to avoid being labeled weak or, worse, pro-crime. The recent decision by Mayor Eric Adams of New York to get more homeless mentally ill people involuntarily committed — which shocked even the N.Y.P.D. — is just the latest example.

But policies like this have little, if any, effect on violent crime, in part because they do not address what causes the problem.

The 2022 midterm elections, in which the Republican Party poured considerable sums into a tough-on-crime message and did far worse than expected, offer hope that change is at last possible. Candidates with the courage to do so can run — and win — on a promise to reduce the causes of violence, addressing it before it occurs instead of just punishing it when the damage is already done.

If throwing money at police and prisons made us safer, we would probably already be the safest country in the history of the world. We are not, because insufficient punishment is not the root cause of violence. And if people are talking about how tough they are and how scared you should be, they care more about keeping you scared than keeping you safe.

The tough-on-crime narrative acts like a black hole. It subsumes new ideas and silences discussions of solutions that are already making a difference in people’s lives. And it provides bottomless succor to politicians who are more interested in keeping themselves in power than keeping people safe.

I have seen the message of “strong communities keeping everyone safe” open the minds of Republican voters, Democratic voters and many in between. It is backed up by science. Academics, government commissions and even many police chiefs have agreed with the substance behind the message for decades. And there is evidence, including the results of last month’s midterms, that it can work politically on a larger scale.

Local successes can be harder for national and statewide candidates to take credit for. But they are still better off telling a story about solutions than trying to outpunish their opponents. Senator-elect John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, often advertised his efforts to eliminate shooting deaths as the mayor of Braddock.

In contrast, many New York State Democrats defaulted to a defensive posture. In the closing weeks of the midterms, Gov. Kathy Hochul cut an ad highlighting stricter bail terms and trumpeted increased police presence in New York City. The powerful Police Benevolent Association spent half a million dollars on ads attacking Representative Sean Patrick Maloney’s opponent in the Democratic primary (though it later endorsed his Republican challenger). While Ms. Hochul survived an unexpectedly close race, Mr. Maloney lost his seat, as did other Democrats in the state.

Even in areas that have doubled down on punishment, the police are finding it exceedingly difficult to solve crimes. This is particularly true of homicides. In New York City, by contrast, the decision to end the unconstitutional tactic of stopping and frisking hundreds of thousands of mostly young Black and brown men did not lead to a spike in crime.

Local policies that get closer to the cause are showing results. Dozens of communities are demonstrating how to ensure safety and, in many cases, save money along the way. In Austin, Texas, a 911 call from a person reporting a mental health emergency used to get directed to the police. Now, if there is no immediate danger, dispatchers have the option to transfer the call to a mental health clinician. In the first eight months after the program’s 2019 start, 82 percent of calls that were transferred were handled without police involvement, which resulted in savings to the taxpayer of $1,642,213. By the 2021 fiscal year, the program was involved in almost 2,000 calls. In Brooklyn, young people who completed an alternative program for illegal gun possession had a 22 percent lower rearrest rate than peers who went to prison. In Olympia, Wash., a new unit of the police department that, according to the Council of State Governments Justice Center, provides “free, confidential and voluntary crisis response assistance” has responded to 3,108 calls since 2019, all while minimizing arrests and with no injuries to responders.

Communities that have adopted these approaches have not done away with enforcement; they have just required less of it. In Denver, a five-year randomized control trial of a program that provides housing subsidies to those at risk of being unhoused found a 40 percent reduction in arrests among participants. These kinds of results are why localities from New Jersey to New Mexico are restructuring their local governments to invest in the social determinants of health and safety.

And yet, as I have learned over more than two decades of work in this field, the black hole narrative cannot be changed by statistics alone. If you want policies that actually work, you have to change the political conversation from “tough candidates punishing bad people” to “strong communities keeping everyone safe.” Candidates who care about solving a problem pay attention to what caused it. Imagine a plumber who tells you to get more absorbent flooring but does not look for the leak.

Because the old narrative is so ingrained, candidates often assume that voters agree with it. But common sense and recent polling show that a majority of voters are concerned about crime and also supportive of changes in how we keep communities safe. This has fueled thousands of local innovations across the country. City governments, community groups and nonprofits are comparing notes on what works. And organizations like One Million Experiments are tracking innovations aimed at producing scalable solutions that do not rely on punishment. Reducing crime and reducing reliance on punishment seem incompatible only if you accept, as the narrative black hole dictates, that police and prisons are the only solution.

Voters know the status quo does not work. In the run-up to 2024, for the sake of public safety, candidates need to give them real alternatives. That is the only way to get out of the black hole and into the light.

Phillip Atiba Goff is the chair and a professor of African American studies and a professor of psychology at Yale University. He is also a founder and the C.E.O. of the Center for Policing Equity, a nonprofit that focuses on making policing less racist, less deadly and less pervasive.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/opinion/crime-policies-cities.html#:~:text=There%20is%20a,Subscriptions

[giftsforus]

Biden Fetterman 2024 Its A No Brainer Political T-Shirt

The Biden Fetterman 2024 "It's A No Brainer" Political T-Shirt is a must-have item for anyone who supports the potential partnership between Joe Biden and John Fetterman in the 2024 presidential election. With its bold design and powerful slogan, this t-shirt is not only a fashion statement but also a way to show your political allegiance. The t-shirt is available for both men and women, making it a versatile gift for everyone. Its unisex design ensures that it can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender. It comes in various sizes, ranging from small to XXXL, so finding the perfect fit should not be a problem. The slogan, "It's A No Brainer," is a clever play on words that highlights the strong candidacy of Joe Biden and John Fetterman. It suggests that their partnership is an obvious and logical choice for voters. By wearing this t-shirt, individuals can express their support for these two political figures and their potential bid for the presidency. The design of the t-shirt is simple yet impactful. The text is prominently displayed on the front, making it easy for others to read and understand the message. The colors used are patriotic, combining red, white, and blue, which are commonly associated with American politics. This t-shirt allows individuals to proudly display their political beliefs while also looking stylish. Aside from being a fashion statement, the Biden Fetterman 2024 "It's A No Brainer" Political T-Shirt also serves as a conversation starter. By wearing it, individuals can engage in discussions about politics and share their viewpoints. It can spark meaningful conversations and encourage others to consider the potential benefits of a Biden-Fetterman ticket in the upcoming election. Moreover, this t-shirt could also act as a rallying symbol for like-minded individuals. By wearing the same t-shirt, supporters of Biden and Fetterman can create a sense of unity and solidarity. It serves as a visual representation of a shared belief system and can bring people together in support of a common cause. In conclusion, the Biden Fetterman 2024 "It's A No Brainer" Political T-Shirt is a versatile and impactful item. It allows individuals to showcase their support for Joe Biden and John Fetterman in the 2024 presidential election, while also starting conversations and fostering a sense of unity among supporters. Whether you are a man or a woman, this t-shirt is a great gift option for anyone interested in politics and wanting to express their beliefs in a stylish and meaningful way.

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[southjerseyweb]

Fetterman backs Kim as Dems scramble to keep Menedez's Senate seat - Trentonian

… Jersey in his campaign to succeed Sen. Bob Menendez in New Jersey.(AP Photo/Ryan Collerd, File). By Associated Press | ap@dfmdev.com. January 19 …

[ailtrahq]

The scandal enveloping New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez over his acceptance of bribes for political favors escalated Monday. Senator Menendez, the Democratic chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would not resign. Even as an important political ally, Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.), vowed to return a $5,000 campaign contribution. Senator Menendez Gave Lavishly to Ally Before Scandal According to a CNBC report, Fetterman’s office announced it was in the process of returning the $5,000 in envelopes full of $100 bills. The money had originally come to Fetterman’s campaign for senator in 2022 via a Menendez-led PAC, said CNBC, citing the website OpenSecrets. It went on to note that Fetterman was the first senator in his party to call on Menendez to resign as the explosive story made headlines last week. Senator Menendez received hundreds of thousands of dollars from three business associates in New Jersey. According to the federal indictment, they showered him with cash, gold bars, a luxury car, and even a sinecure for his wife where she would receive pay for little or no work. In return, the three associates received favors from one of the most powerful figures in the US Senate. Menendez helped one of them get a lucrative business opportunity from the government of Egypt. He used his clout to impede law enforcement investigations of the other two. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHckTnejs40[/embed] An Enemy of Cryptocurrency Since the scandal broke, some news sources have called attention to a curious fact. Senator Menendez has posed as a morally upright figure. Warning people about the dangers and, indeed, the fraud that he believes cryptocurrency facilitates. In June, Menendez worked across the aisle with Senator Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican, to re-introduce a bill calling for an inquiry into El Salvador’s acceptance of crypto as legal tender. Learn more about a small country’s experiment with cryptocurrency in the face of Senator Menendez’s hostility. And that’s not even his most sanctimonious stance. In September 2022, Menendez was the lead signer of a letter from six senators to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The purpose of the letter? To express the lawmakers’ concern that Meta enables crypto scammers. Facebook, as it was then called, may have banned crypto ads in 2018. But Menendez and his colleagues felt that this step did not go far enough. And that Zuckerberg had failed to convince them of his commitment to transparency. Menendez did not mince words in addressing Zuckerberg on this point. As the strongly worded September 8, 2022, letter stated: “We are concerned that Meta provides a breeding ground for cryptocurrency fraud that causes significant harm to consumers.” Fraud—something that Senator Menendez would obviously never engage in. Source

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Republican analysts and commentators blamed Donald Trump for the party's disappointing performance in the midterm elections when hopes for sweeping victories fell short.

The former president had endorsed hundreds of candidates in the midterm elections as he sought to cement his control over the party. But as of early Wednesday many were performing poorly.

The most prominent setback came in Pennsylvania, where Mehmet Oz, the Trump-endorsed Senate candidate, was defeated by Democrat John Fetterman, damaging Republican prospects of taking control of the upper chamber.

In a CNN interview, former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin blamed the failures on the poor quality of the candidates Trump championed.

"Are they going to continue to nominate poor-quality candidates to appease Donald Trump?" she said of Republicans.

"If you want the Republican Party to thrive, we've got to just finally speak out and say, 'This man is a loser, he lost 2020, he's losing a seat that is winnable this time," she continued.

Scott Jennings, a conservative analyst who has been an advisor to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said the results showed that Trump's hopes of winning back the presidency were a non-starter.

"How could you look at these results tonight and conclude Trump has any chance of winning a national election in 2024?" he said.

Caleb Hull, a pro-Trump communications strategist, said that it was time for the GOP to move on from Trump.

"I LOVED Trump and campaigned for him in 2016 but the guy has lost his mind and attached (sic) everyone in our party far too much to be a serious face going forward. The COVID-19 briefings did him in and now he's sealed it. Time to move on," he tweeted.

Liam Donovan, a former aide to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also laid the blame at the feet of the former president.

"If this proves to be another Senate flop in a year that was otherwise favorable to Republicans — even if not a wave — it will again be a function of the candidates they put up, which was unmistakably shaped and steered by Donald Trump," he told The New York Times.

Trump has endorsed hundreds of loyalist candidates who have embraced his lies that the 2020 election was stolen. Many of them have checkered pasts and have pushed fringe conspiracy theories.

Oz had attracted criticism with a series of gaffes on the campaign trail and even recorded a campaign video from his New Jersey mansion while seeking to assure voters of his ties to Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, Trump's defeated candidate for the gubernatorial race, Doug Mastriano, had associated himself with the QAnon conspiracy theory movement and attended a rally before the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump-endorsed Georgia senate candidate Herschel Walker's campaign was rocked by revelations he'd paid for a woman to have an abortion while calling for the procedure to be banned on the campaign trail. That race is in the balance and may result in a run-off vote.

Trump had hoped to use the successes of his candidates in the midterms to launch his own campaign to return to office in 2024, but much of the praise from senior Republicans Tuesday went to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose sweeping reelection victory was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing evening for the GOP Tuesday. He is considered Trump's leading rival for the 2024 GOP nomination, and Trump had attacked him in interviews on the eve of the midterms.

"All the chatter on my conservative and GOP channels is rage at Trump like I've never seen," Michael Brendan Dougherty, a Senior Writer at National Review, wrote on Twitter. "'The one guy he attacked before Election Day was DeSantis — the clear winner, meanwhile, all his guys are shitting the bed.'"

[college-girl199328]

The senator's health remains under scrutiny as he continues his treatment in the hospital, and there are serious questions about what Democrats might do if the senator chooses to resign.

Fetterman's team has made no indication that he will resign, and Pennsylvania's Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro has said there is no "contingency plan" if he does resign.

Shapiro would be tasked with selecting someone to fill Fetterman's seat in the event, but there would then have to be a special election in 2024. That would take place at the same time as Democratic Senator Bob Casey is seeking reelection—and during the presidential election, where Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state.

Political experts who spoke to Newsweek suggested that a Fetterman resignation could be an opportunity for Democrats to put questions about the senator's health behind them, but it could also carry significant risks.

Fetterman's health problems have been the subject of intense scrutiny since he suffered a stroke in May 2022, and they have only grown since the Democrat checked himself into the hospital in February.

If Fetterman chooses to resign from the Senate, it would be a "headache" for the party, according to Mark Shanahan, an associate professor at the University of Surrey, in the U.K., and co-editor of The Trump Presidency: From Campaign Trail to World Stage.

"But it could also offer an opportunity," Shanahan told Newsweek. "Governor Shapiro will be able to appoint a replacement for Fetterman in the short term, but that person will face a special election in 2024—a date when the other Pennsylvania Senate seat comes up for election and the state will be pivotal in the Democrats' defence of the Senate."

Robert Singh, a professor of politics at Birkbeck, University of London, U.K., told Newsweek that "in one sense" it would be "preferable for the party to try to get a more conventional and reliable official who is actually serving in the Senate and has the chance to consolidate the Democrats' appeal."

"In another, it would open the seat up for a new election in 2024, alongside the other Pennsylvania Democratic senator, Bob Casey, which could prove problematic in a presidential election year with the increased turnout. In some sense, there are no good options," Singh added.

Next year is a presidential election year, and President Joe Biden has said his intention is to run again, though he has not formally announced a campaign. Democrats may not welcome another election in Pennsylvania if it can be avoided.

Shanahan noted that Democrats will "be looking to hold the White House and win back the House of Representatives, so another election in a state the GOP could quite conceivably win is a high risk."

"But it's an opportunity too to reset the playing field and move on from the contentious Fetterman candidacy," Shanahan went on. "John Fetterman was the first Democrat from western Pennsylvania to reach the Senate since 1940—ideally, the Democrats would like to find his successor in the same region."

Thomas Gift is the founding director of University College London's Center on U.S. Politics, and his home state is Pennsylvania. He told Newsweek that it's "hard to see how Fetterman's resignation has a clear political upside for Democrats."

"It would put the issue to bed; yes, an open seat in two years—rather than six—is reason enough for Democrats to hope Fetterman can hold on," Gift said.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has said "it is 100 percent Senator Fetterman's decision as to what he will do in the future," but the governor would be the person who has to choose a successor if Fetterman steps aside.

Gift told Newsweek that Shapiro "might be able to install a party loyalist into Fetterman's seat now." But even if Democrats can hold the seat in a special election in two years—hardly a foregone conclusion—that new senator would almost certainly be more moderate than "far-left Fetterman."

"Consider, for example, a likely replacement like former U.S. Representative Conor Lamb," Gift suggested. "He has broad appeal in Pennsylvania. Yet he couldn't make it through the Democratic primaries' last go-round because he was too middle-of-the-road."

Gift said that compared to Fetterman, "an independently minded replacement could pose headaches for party leadership."

Shanahan noted that "there's a growing clamour for Pennsylvania to elect a female senator."

"Combine meeting those needs with trailing the west of the state, and the field is pretty small, very inexperienced, and has virtually no national exposure," he said.

Shanahan said, "This could move the Democrats on from an unhappy Senate campaign and outcome and offer something—and someone—new to pair up with senior Senator Bob Casey."

"Whatever happens, Pennsylvania is likely to be an absolutely crucial state for the 2024 congressional and presidential elections," he said.

Newsweek has reached out to Fetterman and Shapiro's offices about the possibility of resignation.

[beardedmrbean]

The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday putting into effect a formal dress code, The Associated Press reported.

The vote comes a week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., changed the dress code to allow casual dress on the Senate floor.

The new resolution, shepherded by Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Mitt Romney of Utah, calls for requiring business attire on the chamber floor, including a coat, tie and slacks for men.

“The United States Capitol is more than just a place of work — it serves as a symbol of freedom and democracy to the world,” Romney said. “Hard work was done, and sacrifices made, to ensure that our legislative branch of government wasn’t just housed in some tent. As senators, we should demonstrate a high level of reverence for the institution in which we serve — and our attire is one of the most basic expressions of that respect.”

Schumer’s decision to relax the standards for the Senate floor was a nod to Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who is known for wearing shorts and a sweatshirt hoodie in the halls of Congress.

Manchin said he and Romney introduced the new rule to codify formal wear and “put all of this to bed once and for all.”

“For 234 years, every senator that has had the honor of serving in this distinguished body has assumed there were some basic written rules of decorum, conduct and civility, one of which was a dress code,” Manchin said in a speech on the floor.

After the vote, Schumer said from the floor, “Though we’ve never had an official dress code, the events over the past week have made us all feel as though formalizing one is the right path forward.”

“I deeply appreciate Sen. Fetterman working with me to come to an agreement that we all find acceptable.”

After a week of defending his choice of clothing, Fetterman told CNN prior to Wednesday’s bipartisan vote that he would wear business attire during Senate votes.

Following the vote, Fetterman’s office sent out a photo of the viral meme showing actor Kevin James as the “King of Queens,” shrugging his shoulders and smirking at the camera.