Hi friends,
Today, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments to determine if the former president has immunity from prosecution for crimes he committed while in office. My sense is that the judges were not impressed by the arguments for excusing Trump from prosecution.
If your idea of a good time is to listen to two knowledgeable former prosecutors explain the progress of the various cases against Donald Trump, I recommend the podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. Hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord read the briefs and follow all the moves and it is fascinating.
The interviews put firmly on record Trump’s statements during the three hours on Jan. 6 when he refused like a petulant child to ask the Capitol invaders to go home.
I’m fairly certain that there will not be exculpatory evidence forthcoming and that when the charge of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding is eventually adjudicated, the former president will be convicted.
I do not believe that even this Supreme Court will say that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution. My hope is that the District Court will rule and the Supreme Court will let the ruling stand so we can get on with this. Let’s call this speculative good news.
About 10 million workers across 22 states got an economic lift when higher minimum wages took effect at the beginning of this year. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that these workers will see almost $7 billion in additional annual wages.
Later this year, three more states and more than 20 localities will raise their minimum wage levels.
Minimum wage increases are good news for all of us, because when people don’t earn decent wages, their employers are effectively externalizing the cost of doing business onto taxpayers, who pay for public assistance programs that low-wage workers must rely on.
The Economic Policy Institute has also estimated that if the federal minimum wage increased to $15 by 2025, “annual government expenditures on major public assistance programs would fall by between $13.4 billion and $31.0 billion.”
This Congress is unlikely to pass any increase to the paltry federal minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 /hr since 2009. We will keep this on our to-do list, however.
The plan also includes better mental health care for pregnant people, benefits to pay for doula care, and eliminating co-payments for prenatal care.
Tell Governor Hochul that paid leave for prenatal care is a great idea!
Remember, elected officials need encouragement.
My favorite future elected official, Lena Greenberg, has been officially nominated for a seat on Burlington’s City Council. They have collected the necessary signatures for their petition and canvassing is underway. They have already been endorsed by the young climate organizers of Sunrise Burlington.
Follow greenbergfor5 on IG and donate to Lena’s campaign.
Another first time candidate, Harry Dunn, is a former US Capitol Police officer seeking to fill a soon-to-be open seat in Congress as a representative from Maryland’s 3rd district. He explained why he is running now:
I don't think that it's an exaggeration to say that we're one election away from, you know, the extinction of democracy as we know it. I don't have the luxury of waiting to see if I can retire and then maybe consider running for Congress. There's a clear and present threat right now to our democracy, and I believe it's worth fighting for.
I appreciate his sense of urgency and will learn more about him before the Maryland primary in May.
I’m going to keep beating the drum for congestion pricing in NYC. One reason is that reducing traffic congestion improves air quality. In London, they recently expanded their low-emission zones to include ultra low-emission zones (Ulez). Their city hall commissioned a report that shows
improvements in air quality between 2019 and 2022 from lowering motor vehicle pollution — even before the expansion of the Ulez throughout the capital since August — rivalled the potential savings from entirely cleaning up London’s aviation or industrial and commercial heat and power generation.
This week, the head of the MTA expressed confidence that lawsuits intended to stop NYC’s plan from going forward will fail. The MTA has promised mitigation efforts that are significant for the areas expected to see a potential increase of congestion from drivers seeking to avoid the fees.
Among the mitigation efforts — which would be paid for by the MTA — are upgrades to parks and green spaces, new air filtration systems in schools situated near highways, and an expansion of a city program to incentivize the purchase of electric trucks to replace existing medium- and heavy duty trucks.
All of these efforts are good. The congestion pricing plan could be ready to go this May, however the lawsuit brought by the teachers’ union could delay it, and that would be bad.
If you are a UFT member, please urge Mike Mulgrew to drop the lawsuit against congestion pricing initiated in your name.
Stay dry!
with love,
L