Supreme Court Subpoenas & Cybertrucks Roll Out
December 1, 2023
The Senate Strong-Arms On SCOTUS Subpoenas
While many different headlines may have vied for your attention in recent months, you might remember the Supreme Court ethics stories that broke earlier this year. Washington has begun taking those issues seriously, as the Senate Judiciary Committee is taking aim at some close associates of Justice Clarence Thomas, who found himself at the center of a controversy after it was revealed that he’d accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.
On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved measures to subpoena both conservative activist Leonard Leo (yes, his name is “Leo Leo”) and Harlan Crow after a long procedural battle. 11 Democrats in the committee voted to approve the subpoenas, while all of the committee’s Republican Senators declined to vote. The GOP lawmakers had tried to block the subpoena votes by stalling the meeting and then claiming that the results of the vote were illegitimate because the meeting had lasted two minutes past noon, when it was supposed to end. Republicans submitted 177 amendments to the subpoenas prior to the meeting, but Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin avoided this timeout strategy by simply saying the committee wouldn’t vote on the amendments.
The committee wanted to subpoena Crow for giving the lavish gifts to Justice Thomas in the first place, and also went after Leo for organizing the trip. It’s unclear whether or not the subpoenas will result in anything, though, because they need to be approved by 60 Senators. Democrats hold the literal smallest majority in the Senate, with 51 votes to the GOP’s 49, and the odds that nine Republicans jump ship are just about zero. Republicans have warned that Democrats’ strong-man tactics regarding the subpoenas will make them less likely to work on bipartisan solutions as federal budgeting issues loom large.
Some Good News
- A critically endangered Sumatran rhino named Delilah successfully gives birth in Indonesia (AP)
- Groundbreaking transatlantic flight using greener fuel takes off (BBC)
- Whitmer signs package to push Michigan to 100% clean energy by 2040 (NBC)
- Gas prices drop more than 60 days in a row (CNN)
- Still alive! Golden mole not seen for 80 years and presumed extinct is found again in South Africa (AP)
I Think She’s Taunting You, Mr. Xi
- Speaking at an event in New York City, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said that China would not be able to invade her country anytime soon because Beijing is “overwhelmed by its internal challenges.” China considers Taiwan part of its own territory, and Beijing has long promised to “reunify” the island nation with China. While Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he hopes for a “peaceful” reunification process, Beijing has become increasingly aggressive in its military operations near Taiwan.
- “My thought is perhaps this is not a time for them to consider a major invasion of Taiwan … largely because of the economic, financial and political challenges, but also because the international community has made it loud and clear that war is not an option and that peace and stability serves everyone’s interest,” she told press at the event. U.S. intelligence services say that China’s military is set up to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027, but that estimate just might be another reason to call for funding of the military-industrial complex.
Russian Into Self-Imposed Isolation
- Russia is being quickly cut off from its neighbors as countries bordering the global power are accusing Moscow of waging a “hybrid attack” against the E.U.’s eastern border states. On Thursday, Estonia followed in the footsteps of Finland and announced a plan to shut down its Russian border crossings. The move is a response to Moscow sending a surge of migrants from Africa and the Middle East into Estonia, which says the Kremlin is trying to spark a migrant crisis with a “blatant hybrid attack.”
- On Wednesday, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna said that his country is “prepared to close its border with Russia” if Moscow continues to push migrants into Estonia. He added that the “hybrid attack” is “yet more proof that Russia is not fighting only in Ukraine; instead, it poses a threat to other countries.” Finland closed all its border crossings with Russia earlier this week after Russia allegedly sent over 600 migrants into the Nordic country in just a few weeks.
Additional World News
- Two Hamas gunmen open fire at Jerusalem bus stop, killing three (Reuters)
- Release of Palestinian prisoners sheds light on controversial Israeli justice system in the occupied West Bank (CNN)
- Nearly 100,000 Gaza buildings may be damaged, satellite images show (BBC)
- There are now more land mines in Ukraine than almost anywhere else on the planet (Vox)
- Russian court bans ‘LGBT movement’ (BBC)
- UN weather agency says 2023 is the hottest year on record, warns of further climate extremes ahead (AP)
- Meta warns that China is stepping up its online social media influence operations (NPR)
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” – Amelia Earhart
Should We Replace That Before It Comes An Issue?
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed stricter rules for lead in drinking water that would require most U.S. cities to replace their lead pipes within the next decade. It would mark the biggest overhaul of lead rules since the 1990s and cost billions of dollars.
- For the first time, utilities would be required to replace lead pipes even if their lead levels aren’t too high. The EPA argues that replacing the pipes could improve IQ scores in children, reduce high blood pressure and heart disease in adults, and help avoid health crises like the ongoing one in Flint, Michigan.
- Lead pipes are most common in older, industrial parts of the country, and have hit majority-Black and Latino communities hardest. “We’re trying to right a longstanding wrong here,” said Radhika Fox, head of the EPA Office of Water. “We’re bending the arc towards equity and justice on this legacy issue.”
Hey, I Called Dibs On That Federal Bureau Of Investigations!
- The inspector general for the General Services Administration is investigating the decision to move the FBI’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Maryland, rather than selecting a spot in Virginia. Virginia and Maryland competed for the honor, but Virginia’s senators and representatives said in a joint statement Thursday there was “overwhelming evidence” indicating the process was influenced by politics.
- The GSA maintains that everything was above board, saying it chose Maryland because it’s easier to access by public transportation and cheaper. Virginia’s delegation has asked the GSA to pause anything relocation related until the review is complete, but Maryland lawmakers said they plan to move forward because “Any objective evaluation will find that the GSA arrived at this decision after a thorough and transparent process.”
Additional USA Reads
- Some Republicans sound alarm after Trump revives focus on Obamacare (CNN)
- Several arrested during pro-Palestinian demonstration near Rockefeller Center tree lighting (ABC)
- Santos refuses to resign a day ahead of expected expulsion vote (CNN)
- Trucking company involved in deadly Ohio bus crash has history of alleged violations (ABC)
- Harvard and NYC Education Department face federal probe over allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia (CNN)
- How a ‘Goon Squad’ of Deputies Got Away With Years of Brutality (NYT, $)
- Warren Buffett’s company says a billionaire family offered bribes to inflate earnings at a truck stop chain (AP)
A Tepid Response To Tesla’s Truck
- It’s finally here! After a years-long wait, Tesla (our favorite stock company that happens to sell cars) finally began handing over its much-anticipated Cybertruck to customers on Thursday. The stainless steel-clad, angular truck is Tesla’s first new car in three years, and already has hundreds of thousands of customers waiting to get their hands on the hot new commodity. According to Elon Musk, over 1 million people have placed $100 reservations in line to buy the truck, though those reservations are all refundable.
- While the Cybertruck has already made a splash in the media, this isn’t even its final form. Production of the vehicle will need to ramp up quickly to meet demand, as the vehicles are currently being produced at a trickle. Tesla says it expects to boost production to 250,000 units per year by 2025, but given the company’s long history of false promises (and the two years of delays for the Cybertruck), it’s unclear whether that will actually happen.
- Currently, the only model of Cybertruck available is the base model, which costs $61,000 – about $21,000 more than its originally-promised price. Tesla will also sell an all-wheel drive model ($80,000) and a premium “Cyberbeast” model ($100,000). Unfortunately for Tesla, the reception to the Cybertruck event wasn’t too hot – the company’s shares tumbled 1.8% late Thursday.
Additional Reads
- For Republican Governors, Civics Is the Latest Education Battleground (NYT, $)
- Gilgo Beach suspect’s wife’s cheek swab matches her DNA on victims (ABC)
- Study says the US is ill-prepared to ensure housing for the growing number of older people (AP)
- Sunak’s Greek ‘hissy fit’ won’t stop marbles deal, says British Museum’s George Osborne (Politico)
- EVs have 79% more reliability problems than gas cars, says Consumer Reports (Ars Technica)
- Underwater video shows tires of Navy plane that went into a Hawaii bay touching a coral reef (NBC)
- Plans to present meat as ‘sustainable nutrition’ at Cop28 revealed (Guardian)