Extra, Extra
Kansas Backwards: “Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials. That means that once the law is officially enacted, your current credentials will be invalid immediately, and you may be subject to additional penalties if you are operating a vehicle without a valid credential.” Kansas informs trans residents their driver’s licenses become invalid on Thursday. “Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill on February 13, calling it ‘poorly drafted,’ but the Legislature overrode her veto days later. In addition to the driver’s license provisions, the law bans transgender people from using bathrooms matching their gender identity in public buildings and creates a bathroom bounty hunter system allowing citizens to sue transgender people they encounter in restrooms for at least $1,000 in damages, including potentially in private restrooms.” Erin Reed: Kansas Sends Letters To Trans People Demanding The Immediate Surrender Of Drivers Licenses.
+ A College Try: “Department of Homeland Security agents allegedly detained a Columbia University student early Thursday morning after making ‘misrepresentations to gain entry’ to a residence hall.” And the US justice department sues UCLA over alleged antisemitism amid pro-Palestinian protests. (I don’t think it will work, but I have a feeling there will be an increased effort to make colleges the enemy because polling was better back when that was a focal point.)
+ Hill v Hill: “You have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation. in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers. If this committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.” Hillary Clinton says she has no new information on Jeffrey Epstein in testimony excoriating Republicans. Meanwhile, while Americans are being distracted by this nonsense, people around the world are paying a price for Epstein connections. World Economic Forum chief quits after Epstein investigation. This is part of a broader trend. Adam Serwer in The Atlantic (Gift Article): How America Chose Not to Hold the Powerful to Account.
+ Six Figure: “The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate slipped this week below 6% for the first time since late 2022, good news for home shoppers as the spring home-buying season gets rolling.”
+ Point Taken: “The crypto bros who spent millions getting Donald Trump elected seemed to get virtually everything they might want: a longtime industry investor elevated to White House adviser; one type of crypto given the imprimatur of the federal government; the near annihilation of effective regulatory scrutiny; invitations to White House dinners hosted by Mr. Trump. But instead of cementing crypto’s legitimacy, the administration has only pulled back the curtain on the fundamental worthlessness of its assets.” NYT (Gift Article): Crypto Is Pointless. Not Even the White House Can Fix That. (Well, not pointless. It provides the means to a lot of crime and corruption and financial gains for insiders.)
+ Fraudian Slip: White House to pause $259M in Minnesota Medicaid dollars in fraud crackdown. Gov Walz: “His [U.S. Department of Justice] is gutting the U.S. Attorney’s Office and crippling their ability to prosecute fraud. And every week Trump pardons another fraudster.”
+ Snowball Effect: Mayor Mamdani has his first controversy. It’s about snowballs.
