Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me.” ― George Orwell, 1984
DAILY SPECIALS |
JEFFERSON BEAUREGARD SESSIONS III |
Attorney General
FAMINE |
EPA |
PRUITT'S WATERSHED MOMENT: EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt is approaching his two separate House committee
hearings this week with sagging support on the hill. The make-or-break moment
is approaching as once-stalwart backers begin to express concern about the
controversies that have swirled in recent weeks. Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe (Okla.) - perhaps Pruitt's staunchest ally in
Congress - told Pro's Anthony Adragna he thinks it's "appropriate to have
a hearing in so far as any accusation having to do with his office is
concerned," and he cited a report in The New York Times detailing a
sweetheart deal Pruitt received on an Oklahoma City home previously owned by a
lobbyist.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) also thought Thursday's hearings before the House Energy and Commerce
and Appropriations committees would prove pivotal for Pruitt's long-term future
in the administration. "It's really important," Capito said.
"He's going to have to answer some tough questions. I'm sure they'll be
put to him by both sides and we'll see what his response is."
And Sen. John Boozman joined his two Republican colleagues in supporting hearings by the Environment and
Public Works Committee. Meanwhile, sources told Bloomberg that administration officials privately
cautioned lawmakers and other conservative allies to pump the brakes on their
defenses of Pruitt.
Publicly, however, the White House stands firm in
its commitment to Pruitt. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the administration is "continuing to review a
number of the reports" about Pruitt, but noted the EPA chief "has
done a good job of implementing the president's policies," particularly on
deregulation and energy dominance. White House legislative affairs director
Marc Short was more direct earlier Monday: "I think Scott Pruitt is doing
a great job and we look forward to keeping him there as EPA
administrator," he told MSNBC.
More to come? Earlier Monday, five senior
congressional Democrats asked House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy to obtain further documents and hold hearings after
obtaining new records they say raise "troubling" new questions about
Pruitt's security expenditures. EPW ranking member Tom Carper told Anthony he had a good conversation with Gowdy
regarding Pruitt, but said there was no formal bipartisan agreement to work
together on an investigation. "I just gave him plenty of
encouragement that he's doing the right thing," Carper said. Read more. [POLITICO's Morning
Energy, April 24, 2018]
ENVIRONMENT |
RULES TO MEET ON COLUMBIA RIVER BILL: The House Rules Committee will meet at 5 p.m. to formulate a rule
on H.R. 3144 (115), which would void the environmental
impact statement process for altering the hydropower system along the Columbia
and Snake rivers. Earlier this
month , the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the state of Oregon, the Nez Perce tribe
and conservation groups, ruling that dam operations on the Columbia and Snake
rivers must forgo hydropower production during key times of the year to protect
endangered salmon. An environmental impact statement for the system has been
the subject of congressional fights, with Rep. Cathy McMorris
Rodgers filing the
legislation to void that process [POLITICO's Morning Energy, April 24, 2018]
SENATE HELP PANEL TO MARK UP OPIOIDS BILL - Lawmakers
today will mark up the bipartisan Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018,
introduced by Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and ranking member Patty Murray (D-Wash.).
The bill, S. 2680 (115) , reauthorizes a grant program created by the 21st
Century Cures Act to fund treatment for another three years. It would change
the formula to prioritize states and tribes hit hardest by overdose deaths,
following criticism from lawmakers about how the money has been doled out.
The bill would also create
new grants for communities to set up comprehensive opioid recovery centers that
are required to provide medication-assisted treatment and counseling, among
other services. It would also allow NIH more flexibility to speed up
opioid-related research. An earlier draft of the legislation included a
provision to allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to administer
medication-assisted treatment, but it was ultimately scrapped due to cost.
- How Lamar Alexander sees it: "Solving
the opioid crisis ... is not something that can be solved by an agency in
Washington, D.C.," he says in remarks previewed with PULSE. "What the
federal government can do is create an environment so that everyone - judges,
mayors, counselors, police officers, [DEA] agents, doctors, nurses, parents,
pharmacists, and hospitals - can succeed in fighting the crisis."
- The committee is considering other bills, too. Among
the legislation on tap today: the "Over-the-Counter Drug Safety,
Innovation, and Reform Act" ( S. 2315 (115)); and the "Children's Hospital GME (graduate
medical education) Support Reauthorization Act of 2018" (S. 2597 (115)). [POLITICO Pulse, April
24, 2018]
READ |
TRUMP'S LAWYERS |
Pettifogging Mouthpieces
TRUMP - RUSSIA PROBE |
TRUMPATERIA |
IN CELEBRATION OF EARTH DAY: The president touted his administration's rollback of
"unnecessary and harmful regulations," and pointed toward a
"market-driven economy" as an essential tool in environmental
protection. "A healthy environment and a strong economy go hand in
hand," a White House presidential message said. "We know that it is
impossible for humans to flourish without clean air, land, and water. We also
know that a strong, market-driven economy is essential to protecting these
resources." Trump said for that reason, his administration is
"dedicated to removing unnecessary and harmful regulations that restrain
economic growth and make it more difficult for local communities to prosper and
to choose the best solutions for their environment." [POLITICO's Morning
Energy, April 23, 2018]
U.S. AGRICULTURE |
MONSANTO'S LEGAL ROLLERCOASTER: Arkansas
farmers are taking matters into their own hands over whether they can spray the
herbicide dicamba onto crops this growing season and into the future.
In late 2017, the Arkansas Plant Board banned use of the
herbicide after widespread complaints from farmers that the herbicide drifted
from neighboring fields and damaged their crops. Monsanto sought to block that
rule from taking effect but a state judge tossed out the suit based on
sovereign immunity grounds, citing an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that makes
it difficult to sue state agencies. Monsanto has filed a notice of appeal in
that case.
But the judge also ruled that six farmers involved in
challenging the ban were denied their due process rights because they had no
means to get the ban overturned (because of the state sovereignty loophole) so
the ban would not apply to those particular growers.
That prompted a mass run to courts. Groups of farmers are
seeking the same relief, and some judges have granted temporary restraining
orders preventing the plant board from enforcing its regulation. Meanwhile, the
state attorney general's office is gathering up those restraining orders and
taking them to the state Supreme Court. That ruling is expected to be imminent.
Halted sales: While the cases are
being hashed out, Monsanto will not be selling its signature XtendiMax product
this growing season to Arkansas farmers.
"We look forward to the day when Arkansas growers will be
able to take advantage of this important technology, and we will continue to
assess the legal and regulatory environment as we move forward," the
company said in a statement. [POLITICO's Morning
Agriculture, April 23, 2018]
SCREEN |
JUDICIARY |
West Coast legal woes: Over in California,
Monsanto was handed a court loss by a California appellate court that decided
the state is allowed to list glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's
flagship product Roundup, as a probable carcinogen under Proposition 65.
"This is a huge win for Californians -- and a huge loss for
Monsanto -- as it upholds our right to protect ourselves and our environment
from unnecessary and unwanted exposure to the dangerous chemical,
glyphosate," the Center for Food Safety, which joined the case, said in a
statement.
The California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment based its decision to list glyphosate on a 2015 conclusion from the
International Agency for Research on Cancer that the chemical was a "probable"
human carcinogen. An IARC finding is one way under that a chemical can be
subject to Prop 65 rules.
No word yet on whether Monsanto will take the ruling up to the
highest court. The company said it is reviewing the ruling "and will be
analyzing further options." [POLITICO's
Morning Agriculture, April 23, 2018]
NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any commercial or business interest information shared is purely informational, not an endorsement. I have no connection with any such commercial or business interest.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended.
Comments
Post a Comment