WH chief of staff: Trump improving but doctors were 'very concerned'
October 04, 2020
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'Absurdity and vindictiveness': GOP ripped over their hypocritical treatment of Ilhan Omar
February 01, 2023
The newly Republican-controlled House of Representatives showed its power by quickly removing Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) from her committee assignments, because of her past controversial comments that were deemed antisemitic.
According to New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait, the GOP's sudden hard-line stance on antisemitic comments and behavior is shocking when it is compared to their previous stance of looking the other way when party superstar Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) has made much more direct and derogatory antisemitic statements.
"The absurdity and vindictiveness of the Omar decision is thrown into the starkest relief when you consider it in conjunction with the treatment of Greene.Greene was immediately restored back to her committee privileges with the GOP control of the House," Chait wrote in an op-ed.
Omar's been attacked from the right mainly for a 2019 statement where she said that U.S. support of Israel is financially motivated, and drew heavy criticism from both political parties. The House of Representatives even specifically denounced Omar's comments in a formal resolution.
IN OTHER NEWS: ‘Homicidal maniac’: Sparks fly as GOP refuses to ban guns in House committee room
In direct contrast, Greene has made a series of highly publicized comments steeped in antisemitism without any reprimand from the Republic party.
Greene is a political colleague of known white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who has become a popular personality within some fringe GOP political circles. Greene also drew public ire when she compared COVID restrictions and the noting of vaccinated and non-vaccinated employees was similar to what Jewish people dealt with during the Holocaust. She initially apologized for her comments, but then withdrew her apology after pressure from the far-right.
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More bad news surfaced for Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on Wednesday, according to disabled U.S. Navy veteran Richard Osthoff. According to a Politico report, two FBI agents contacted him as part of the U.S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of New York to ask about their conversations around a GoFundMe scheme.
Osthoff said that he turned over all of the text messages that the two exchanged and any other pertinent details.
The funds were coming as part of an effort to help the veteran whose service dog was ill and needed life-saving surgery. Despite raising the money, Santos then allegedly made off with the cash.
“I’m glad to get the ball rolling with the big-wigs,” Osthoff told Politico. “I was worried that what happened to me was too long ago to be prosecuted.”
IN OTHER NEWS: ‘Homicidal maniac’: Sparks fly as GOP refuses to ban guns in House committee room
It's the latest in a slew of Santos scandals, including a request sent by fellow New York Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), who asked the Security and Exchange Commission to look into Santos' work with Harbor City Capital. He alleges that Santos was doing work that required him to be registered with the SEC as a broker.
“There’s no one that poses a greater threat in Congress than Santos. It’s undeniable that he’s broken the law. We have to protect Congress from George Santos, who threatens it from within,” Torres told Politico.
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DeSantis trolls with 'tax-free gas stove' proposal — there's just one big problem with that
February 01, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan to protect the right to own a gas stove in his state, including a plan to exempt them from sales taxes, reported Fox News on Wednesday — and he made clear that he is staking this as a culture war fight against the Biden administration.
"I think it needs to be done, no tax permanently on gas stoves," he said in his address unveiling his budget proposal. "They want your gas stove, and we're not going to let that happen."
There's just one problem with that: very few Florida homes use gas stoves at all.
In fact, according to the Energy Information Administration, 92 percent of Florida households use electric or induction stoves — the highest percent of any state in America. In general, gas stoves and appliances are more common in states with older housing stock, like California, New York, and Illinois — nationwide, 70 percent of households use some form of electric stove.
IN OTHER NEWS: ‘Homicidal maniac’: Sparks fly as GOP refuses to ban guns in House committee room
In fact, many homes in Florida do not have natural gas utilities at all; fewer than 5 percent of homes in Florida use natural gas even for primary residential heating, compared to roughly 64 percent of homes in California and 34 percent of homes in Texas.
DeSantis even acknowledged this in his speech, saying he wants the tax exemption even if it won't be of any help to most Floridians because "it's just the principle."
Republican lawmakers and media erupted into a furor after a recent announcement by the Consumer Product Safety Commission on gas stoves, announcing they would be investigating new regulations on gas stoves, following studies that suggested indoor pollution from burning gas might be linked to childhood asthma, cancer, and a variety of other health problems.
An agency commissioner, Richard Trumka Jr., said of the investigation, "Products that can’t be made safe can be banned," sparking a firestorm of speculation the Biden administration might ban gas stoves altogether.
READ MORE: 'Clearly annoyed' Trump mocks Nikki Haley's honor in cryptic post
CPSC chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric later clarified an outright ban of gas stoves is not on the table, and that the agency is instead considering "voluntary safety standards" to help manufacturers reduce their risk to consumers.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that another federal agency, the U.S. Energy Department, was considering new regulations for stoves.
Even before this controversy, DeSantis has championed laws favorable to the oil and gas industry over municipalities looking to move away from the energy source. In 2021, he signed legislation that bans city governments from restricting the types of energy utilities that operate in them — something several municipalities like Miami had been considering as a climate mitigation measure.
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