Polybius
Polybius's JournalThe Texas abortion ruling is taking longer than some expected
Last weekend the media was saying the ruling would probably come Monday the 22nd. A week later nothing. I guess it will come when it's ready.
All 50 Governor's approval ratings
Interesting graph. Not sure why Phil Scott (R-VT) is so popular, but at least he's not a Trumper.
Young man who was accidentally invited to 'grandma's' Thanksgiving as a teen celebrates 6th year of
Young man who was accidentally invited to 'grandma's' Thanksgiving as a teen celebrates 6th year of dinner together(CNN)After an accidental Thanksgiving invite in 2016 introduced Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench, they celebrated yet again.
Thursday marked the sixth year the pair celebrated the holiday together. Hinton shared a photo on Twitter, writing "Thanksgiving 2021."
The two first met in 2016 when Dench, from Mesa, Az., sent a text inviting Hinton over for dinner. It was meant for her grandson, who had changed his phone number. Instead, Hinton, who was 17 at the time, got the message while sitting in class at Desert Vista High School.
The two figured out the mistake, then sent selfies to each other, with Hinton asking if he could still come over. Dench texted, "Of course you can. That's what grandmas do ... feed everyone."
Read more...
https://twitter.com/Jamalhinton12/status/1464017987392794638
This is an amazing story!
Supreme Court will hear dispute over GOP legislators' defense of North Carolina voter ID law
Source: CNN
(CNN)The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will hear a case brought by Republican legislators in North Carolina who are seeking to defend the state's strict voter ID law because they think the Democratic state attorney general is not adequately representing their interests.
North Carolina Senate Bill 824 requires a photo ID to vote. It was immediately challenged by the North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, which argues that the law disproportionately impacts African American and Latino voters.
The dispute raises questions about who can act as an agent of the state to defend a law in a divided government.
The Republican politicians, Philip Berger, the president pro tempore of the state Senate and Timothy Moore, the speaker of the state House of Representatives, seek the right to intervene to defend the law. They argued in court papers that the case raises issues that are of "particular importance in the context of divided government and litigation involving controversial matters."
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/24/politics/supreme-court-north-carolina-voter-id/index.html
This ought to be interesting...
Is there a suggestions forum where admins can read our ideas?
Or would be post something like that in here? I have an idea for a main forum that I think would be cool.
NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams considers Goldman Sachs CFO for a key economic role in his administration
New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams is considering a Goldman Sachs executive for a role in his administration, according to people familiar with the matter.
Adams and his allies have been discussing the idea of giving Stephen Scherr, Goldmans chief financial officer, a leadership position in the new administration, these people said. These people declined to be named in order to discuss ongoing private conversations.
Scherr, who is set to retire from New York-based Goldman at the end of the year, is a co-chair of Adams transition team. He could be in line to be deputy mayor for housing and economic development, or could end up leading the New York City Economic Development Corp., or NYCEDC, the people said.
Adams has not publicly said who he will end up choosing for those roles. Its likely he will make the decisions closer to his swearing-in date, Jan. 1. He has been moving ahead with planning for other important positions, such as asking New York Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. to be a deputy mayor and noting that hes close to deciding the next police commissioner.
Read more...
Eric Adams Hitches a Ride to Puerto Rico on Crypto Tycoon's Jet
Not LBN-worthy, but thought I'd post it here.
New York City mayor-elect Eric Adams continues to roll deep with the super rich. The club-hopping politician flew to Puerto Rico earlier this month on a plane owned by crypto tycoonand former controversial presidential candidateBrock Pierce. According to Politico, which first reported the news, Adams took the G4 plane to San Juan. Adams spokesman told The Daily Beast that he traveled to Puerto Rico to meet with the governor and attend a conference; he added that Adams paid the equivalent of a one-way trip on a private flight. No government or campaign funds were used for his travel or lodging, nor was any part of his travel gifted to him, the spokesperson said.
Read more...
Is it too late in the day for a Supreme Court decision (Texas abortion law) to come today?
So far it's almost 1:30 EST and nothing.
Private SCOTUS files that could reveal what happened in Bush v. Gore remain locked up
Source: CNN
(CNN)Internal Supreme Court documents that could enhance public understanding of the Bush v. Gore election battle and other significant cases of the late 1990s and early 2000s were to be opened last year under a deal forged by a long-serving justice, but the high court has delayed release of the materials, citing the pandemic.
The late Justice John Paul Stevens, whose tenure spanned 35 years, planned for most of his case files to be opened and "freely available" at the Library of Congress by October 2020. His arrangement with the library -- the details of which have not been previously reported -- covers cases up to October 1, 2005.
Along with the 2000 Bush v. Gore decision that continues to reverberate in election-law controversies, the trove would include documents related to two groundbreaking gay-rights decisions, a seminal University of Michigan affirmative action dispute and several post-9/11 Guantanamo detainee appeals.
The release of once-private files can help illuminate one of the country's most secretive institutions, even as the open files often spawn tensions among still sitting justices. The justices keep many of their procedures confidential and all their negotiations occur behind closed doors. Historians, law professors and journalists mine the papers to understand how the nine operate.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/23/politics/private-supreme-court-files/index.html
I honestly didn't know that the SC was "one of country's most secretive institutions." I thought everything was public.

Supreme Court to Issue Opinions Monday, Possibly Ruling on Texas Abortion Case
Source: Bloomberg News
The U.S. Supreme Court scheduled Monday as the first opinion day of its term, opening the possibility of an imminent decision on challenges to Texas ban on abortion after six weeks.
The court said the justices wont take the bench and instead will release any opinions online starting at 10 a.m. Washington time, as has been their practice since the Covid-19 pandemic began last year. The court doesnt say which opinions will be issued on particular days.
The high court is considering separate bids by abortion providers and the Justice Department to block the Texas law, the strictest in effect in the nation. The Supreme Court let the measure take effect Sept. 1 on a 5-4 vote, pointing to an unusual mechanism that puts enforcement entirely in the hands of private parties.
The provision has complicated efforts to block the law since judges usually take that step by ordering the responsible government officials not to enforce a challenged measure.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-19/supreme-court-sets-monday-as-opinion-day-abortion-case-possible
I'm not one to blindly say we'll win (see my VA pre-Election Day posts), but this one I'm confident on. The Texas abortion law will be struck down, possibly even 6-3.