What Debate?

There's Lots of Other Bad News, Too!

Did President Biden and Donald Trump have a debate yesterday?

Sorry if I didn’t watch what the Guardian headlined as “90 Miserable Minutes.” I was busy having a panic attack over the other really bad, terrible, no-good news. This is what we used to call “below the fold” news.

The Supreme Court threw hundreds of January 6 prosecutions into doubt.

It limited the power of federal agencies to issue regulations – super-boring, I know, but the “Chevron doctrine” is a foundational tool for regulating pollution and almost anything else in America. The ability of the executive to direct federal agencies has been undone by decades of business lobbying.

The court also upheld a ban on “camping” in Grant’s Pass, Oregon, meaning cities all over America can now prosecute homeless people for sleeping outside. I have mixed feelings about this one—the need for some restrictions seems reasonable, but this has nothing to do with solutions. It is just moving the homeless along, to ever more desperate campsites.

And the New York Times says new abortion rulings are due any minute.

Also, the same paper reports that Russia is easily replacing its casualties in Ukraine by offering more money for recruits, and won’t need a mobilization.

So yeah, bad day.

BTW, how did the debate go?