Polybius
Polybius's JournalFederal judge orders minority-business agency opened to all races
Source: Washington Post
A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a 55-year-old federal agency created to help minority-owned businesses must now open its doors to every race, siding with a group of White plaintiffs who argued that the agency discriminated against them.
In a 93-page opinion rendered Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Mark T. Pittman ruled that the Minority Business Development Agency’s presumption that businesses owned by Blacks, Latinos and other minorities are inherently disadvantaged violated the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. He permanently enjoined the agency’s business centers, which have assisted minority-owned businesses in accessing capital and government contracts, from extending services based on an applicant’s race.
“If courts mean what they say when they ascribe supreme importance to constitutional rights, the federal government may not flagrantly violate such rights with impunity,” Pittman wrote. “The MBDA has done so for years. Time’s up.”
The ruling is the latest blow to government affirmative action programs after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in June against Harvard and the University of North Carolina that upended race-conscious college admissions. The decision sparked a broad legal offensive against affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the private sector and public sectors. In July, a Tennessee judge ruled that the Small Business Administration 8(a) Business Development program’s use of the racial presumption of disadvantage was unconstitutional, forcing the agency to overhaul its program.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/03/06/minority-business-programs-racial-disadvantage-unconstitutional/
American Samoa 2024 Democratic caucus results: Little-known candidate Jason Palmer beats Biden
Source: ABC News
President Joe Biden lost the Democratic presidential caucuses for American Samoa on Tuesday.
A little-known candidate, Jason Palmer, won over Biden, the local Democratic Party chair confirmed to ABC News.
With 99% of the expected vote reporting, Palmer leads with 56% of the vote, followed by Biden with 44%, though the overall vote total is tiny: less than 100 ballots.
A Biden campaign spokesperson brushed off Biden's first loss in the nominating race, saying in a statement to ABC News on Tuesday night: "There are unique politics on the island."
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/american-samoa-2024-democratic-caucus-results/story?id=106645547
I'd ask for a recount. No way does a guy no one's ever heard of get 11 delegates.
Is Facebook down for you guys, or if it just me?
It's telling me that my password is incorrect, but when I send a reset to my email and then try to change it, it says something went wrong.
Keith Olbermann went off the deep end yesterday
While he claims to champion democracy, here he is calling for the Supreme Court to be dissolved. 
https://twitter.com/KeithOlbermann/status/1764672353378652544
So, if the Supreme Court says that only Congress can enforce the 14A, Section 3...
Is it a simple majority in the House and Senate, or a 2/3rd majority? Does the President still have to sign it if passed?
Or, is this issue still left uninterpreted?
US VP Harris calls for 'immediate' Gaza ceasefire in rare rebuke of Israel
Source: Al Jazeera
United States Vice President Kamala Harris has called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza while issuing a rare rebuke of Israel.
“Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” Harris said on Sunday.
“This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in.”
In some of the strongest criticism of Israel yet by the administration of US President Joe Biden, Harris said Israel must do more to allow the delivery of aid, including opening new border crossings and committing not to impose “unnecessary restrictions”.
Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/4/us-vp-harris-calls-for-immediate-gaza-ceasefire-in-rare-rebuke-of-israel
Trump, Biden win Michigan primaries but Democrats mount Gaza protest vote
Source: Reuters
DEARBORN, Michigan, Feb 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden easily won the Democratic presidential primary in Michigan on Tuesday, Edison Research projected, but a protest vote by Democrats angry over his support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza was growing as returns were counted.
Donald Trump won the state's Republican presidential primary by a large margin, Edison Research projected, strengthening his grip on the party’s White House nomination as Nikki Haley, his last remaining rival, came in a distant second.
Although Biden and Republican former President Trump had been expected to easily win their separate party primaries, the vote count for both was being closely watched for signs of wavering support.
In Michigan, home to a large Arab American constituency, Democratic voters had been urged to mark their primary ballots as "uncommitted" on Tuesday in protest at Biden's Gaza policy.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-faces-protest-vote-over-gaza-michigan-polls-show-trump-beating-haley-2024-02-27/
Trump exchanges a close hug with Argentine President Javier Milei at conservative summit
Source: Associated Press
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Javier Milei, the fiery, right-wing populist president of Argentina, gave Donald Trump on Saturday an ecstatic hug a day after meeting with Biden administration officials in Buenos Aires.
Trump and Milei were the biggest speakers to wrap up the annual Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington. During their backstage greeting, captured in a video posted by a Trump campaign staffer, Milei shouted “President!” and pulled Trump in for a close hug before they took pictures together.
Milei took office in December after running a campaign inspired by Trump, complete with red “Make Argentina Great Again” hats in a nod to the former president’s own “Make America Great Again” movement. He was the last of several foreign politicians at CPAC to echo popular Trump themes on issues like migration and the perceived threat of socialism.
In the video, Trump tells Milei, “Make Argentina Great Again.” Milei then uttered his famous phrase, “Long live freedom, damn it!”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-milei-cpac-argentina-biden-f8e97d401a13318f8cc55faf29021030
Odd that the State of the Union isn't on a Tuesday (it's Thursday, March 7)
Yeah I know that the State of the Union Address for April 28, 2021 was on a Wednesday, but that one was extremely late for some reason. All other recent ones were on a Tuesday. 
The one and only good thing about Tesla CEO Elon Musk being a right-wing nut job...
It may change conservatives minds on EV's. My MAGA boss who loves Musk just bought a Model S. There may be hope! 
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Member since: Thu Sep 28, 2017, 10:03 PM
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