August 4, 2020

Could this be why the Republicans think American workers won't work because of unemployment benefits

I went through the House and Senate calendars for 2020. They can be found at congress.gov
https://www.congress.gov/days-in-session

What I found interesting was the number of days the Senate was in session for 2020: (or should I say, not in session)
In January the senate did actually work 20 days.
In February they worked zero Fridays and took the 18th, 19th and 26th off
On the 10th of February: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 6:38 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2020
On the 17th: The Senate met at 1:45:01 p.m. in pro forma session, and adjourned at 1:45:33 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., on Thursday, February 20, 2020.
On the 3rd and 24th it appears they were actually in session for the whole day

March 18 days
Took 3 Fridays off. They were in session one Friday, one Saturday and one Sunday
Mon, Mar 2: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 6:56 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.
Mon, Mar 9: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 7:10 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.
Mon, Mar 16: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 7:19 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17, 2020
The 30th they were in session, but were nor Mar 31 and Apr 1. I guess they were celebration April Fool's Day

April 10 days
They worked no Wednesdays or Fridays
They worked 1 Tuesday
Mon Apr 6: The Senate met at 10:00:20 a.m. in pro forma session, and adjourned at 10:00:49 a.m. until 10 a.m., on Thursday, April 9, 2020
Mon Apr 13: The Senate met at 10:00:02 a.m. in pro forma session, and adjourned at 10:00:41 a.m. until 3 p.m., on Thursday, April 16, 2020.
Mon Apr 20: The Senate met at 2:00:03 p.m. in pro forma session, and adjourned at 2:04:25 p.m. until 4 p.m., on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.
Mon, Apr 27: The Senate met at 8:02:15 a.m. in pro forma session, and adjourned at 8:02:45 a.m. until 1 p.m., on Thursday, April 30, 2020.

May 15 days
They worked 1 Friday, 3 Mon and 3 Wed
Mon May 4: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 6:21 p.m., until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Mon, May 11: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 6:36 p.m., until 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.
Mon, May 18: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 6:44 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.

June 19 days (However did they stand working all those days?)
They took off 3 of 4 Fridays
All 5 Mondays they opened session at 3 pm and adjourned between 6 m and 8 pm

July 14 days
July 6: Pro Forma session 30 seconds. Then they took 2 days off
July 13: Pro Forma 33 seconds. Took two days off
July 20: 3pm to 7 pm
July 27: 4pm to 7:12 pm

For people who get all upset that people are getting 600 bucks a week and then claim they'll do nothing
Senators make about 170k a year and their calendars reflect very little work
Maybe they just think those on unemployment are as lazy as they are
For anyone who wants to know about the House, 2 things:
1. I didn't check
2. Isn't relevant, since it's not Pelosi and the House Democratic leadership that is pushing this narrative about people living like Jeff Bezos on unemployment

August 1, 2020

5 Stories from Europe You May Have Missed

1. Surging Belarusian Presidential Candidate Plans Three Rallies Amid Security Concerns

Belarusian presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, whose recent campaign events have drawn large crowds, is scheduled to hold three rallies on August 1.

Tsikhanouskaya, who announced her candidacy only after her husband was arrested last month after he expressed his intention to run for the presidency, will appear at rallies in Grodno, Volkovysk, and Slonim.

Tsikhanouskaya has said that all events planned for her campaign would proceed despite a warning from the Belarusian Security Council about the need for additional security measures at public events.

The warning came after Belarusian authorities this week said they had detained 33 Russian mercenaries who authorities allege wanted to destabilize the country ahead of the election. Moscow has rejected the claims, saying the men were only transiting through Belarus on their way to Turkey.

https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-presidential-candidate/30760999.html


2. Kremlin calls for release of Russians accused of conspiracy in Belarus

On Friday, Russia demanded that 33 of its citizens who had been arrested in Belarus be released. The detainees are accused of wanting to orchestrate "mass riots" in Belarus a few days before the presidential election, which is proving a difficult endeavour for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

According to the government in Belarus, the suspects are men from the private paramilitary company Wagner, a group long accused of being close to the Kremlin and of deploying its mercenaries in foreign countries.

"We hope that our Belarusian allies will explain this incident as soon as possible and that our citizens will be released," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

https://www.euronews.com/2020/07/31/kremlin-calls-for-release-of-russians-accused-of-conspiracy-in-belarus

3. Moscow Court To Decide Next Week On Trial Of Sisters Charged With Killing Their Father

A court in Moscow says it will make public next week its decision regarding how to proceed with the trial of two sisters, who along with their younger sister are accused of killing their father in 2018.

After holding a preliminary hearing, the Moscow City Court said on July 31 that the court's decision on the extremely high-profile case will be made public on August 3.

Lawyers for Krestina and Angelina Khachaturyan have asked the court to send the case back to prosecutors, saying that the two sisters must be tried together with their younger sister Maria.

Maria Khachaturyan, who was 17 when the alleged crime took place, is set to be tried separately. A medical evaluation following the killing found her mentally unsound at the time of the crime, and she was recommended for psychological treatment.

https://www.rferl.org/a/moscow-court-to-decide-next-week-on-trial-of-sisters-charged-with-killing-their-father/30759195.html

4. Azerbaijan's Despotic Ruler Throws 'Tantrum' In Unprecedented Crackdown On Pro-Democracy Rivals

Facing growing public dissent over corruption, a mismanaged economy, his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and no progress in the country's long-running conflict with neighboring Armenia, Azerbaijan's strong-arm ruler Ilham Aliyev decided to crack down on the opposition.

In an action widely seen as an attempt to eliminate pro-democracy advocates and political rivals once and for all, as many as 120 opposition figures and supporters have been rounded up in the past two weeks by Aliyev's security services.

They include senior members of the largest opposition group, the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (AXCP).

Political analysts say charges of "attempting to overthrow the government" against the AXCP's Fuad Qahramanli and Mammad Ibrahim suggest Aliyev's regime is ultimately seeking to arrest and silence AXCP leader Ali Karimli.

https://www.rferl.org/a/azerbaijan-s-despotic-ruler-throws-tantrum-in-unprecedented-crackdown-on-pro-democracy-rivals/30757480.html

5. Catalan politicians to sue Spain's former spy chief over alleged phone hack

Two Catalan separatist politicians have filed a lawsuit against the former head of Spain’s intelligence agency for allegedly trying to hack their mobile phones.

Roger Torrent, the speaker of Catalonia’s regional parliament, and Ernest Maragall, a member of Barcelona’s town council, filed the suit at a Barcelona court against former spy chief Félix Sanz Roldán on Thursday.

The two politicians have also launched proceedings against an Israeli technology company, NSO Group.

snip

Earlier this month an investigation by newspapers El País and The Guardian reported that Torrent had been targeted by spyware that is only sold only to governments and national security services, according to its owner NSO Group.

https://www.euronews.com/2020/07/30/catalan-politicians-to-sue-spain-s-former-spy-chief-over-alleged-phone-hack