“‘Trump money’ is what we call it,’ Missouri farmer Robert Henry told NPR of the taxpayer-funded subsidies sent to him and other farmers by the Department of Agriculture.
Farm subsidies have now hit a 14-year high after the USDA sent out payments of approximately $16 billion in aid in 2019 and $12 billion in 2018. The two-year total of $28 billion paid to American farmers tops the auto-industry bailout following the 2008 financial crisis by billions.
But Trump is paying off those affected by his decisions, effectively buying their silence. “The sector that is hurt the most, and which would normally complain, all of a sudden it’s assuaged by these payments. To me, that’s a problem,” the USDA’s former chief economist Joe Glauber told NPR.
NPR goes on to report that, according to studies from independent economists, the government is subsidizing farmers by almost double their losses from “actual harm suffered from the trade war,” with larger farms reaping the biggest rewards — which, again, are coming from taxpayers.
“Progress Iowa is honored to create the Ruth and Tom Harkin Hero Award, to be given each year to an elected official in Iowa who follows in their footsteps. The Harkins received the first award named in their honor at the 7th Annual Progress Iowa Holiday Party on December 19, 2019. To learn more, visit http://progressiowa.org. Photos & Video courtesy of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement at Drake University. Narration by Ray Walton.
Never underestimate the power of your vote. It was our votes that made it possible to slow down Donald Trump’s agenda. Our votes elected a Democratic congress. We did this by voting.
Eddie Mauro is a Des Moines Democrat working to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst in November. I do not believe he is the chosen one of the DSCC or the Iowa Democratic establishment to win the primary. But I like him because he is going after Ernst with a flair and is cleverly using her own campaign ads against her. He is making gun violence a major campaign theme. One of Ernst’s gun-glorifying ads in 2014, was utterly appalling and that’s exactly where Mauro struck first.
Watch the segment below where The Damage Report spoke with Mauro about his ad “Cool Under Fire,” He is on message, hard hitting and doesn’t back down. He uses his time to also elaborate on the fact that Ernst has done nothing for Iowa in her first term and pointed out that she is one of the members of congress who received the most money from the NRA, over $3,124,773. Blog for Iowa posted awhile ago about Mauro’s ad and Joni’s reaction to it.
I appreciate Mauro’s willingness to go after her and not beat around the bush with conventional, lame talking points. He’s not messing around. He went on Fox News, took no crap, and by anyone’s standard won the exchange. That’s not easy to do. Most progressives who go on Fox just end up getting slapped around and talked over. That didn’t happen to Mauro. We need someone like that to defeat Ernst, who is the quintessential Iowa girl in the eyes of many, will have tons of dark money, and won’t go down easily even if she is under investigation for breaking campaign finance law.
Another thing, maybe small. I took a look at the other Democratic primary candidates’ campaign websites to make a comparison. Of the four, Theresa Greenfield, Michael Franken, Kimberly Graham and Mauro, Mauro’s website is the most professional with the most information. Greenfield and Franken each have only a video and short personal bio. on the page with sign-up and donation widgets. Neither has an issues page, events page, or anything else. It looks like nobody’s home. Graham has a scaled down issues page, but only has bullet points for policy positions. Mauro has a full page of text for each issue, describing his views on climate, gun violence, criminal justice reform, health care, campaign finance, economy, retirement policy, poverty, reproductive rights and impeachment.
This may seem like a small thing but I think it is important. The primary is only six months away. If you want to be a U.S. Senator but you can’t be bothered to have your policy positions outlined and available to voters on your website maybe you’re not ready to run a campaign or hold office.
I don’t know who is favored to win this primary, but for my money so far, Mauro is the one showing campaign skill, competence and leadership.
In Washington, the people’s house has been working hard passing legislation even while the country is mesmerized with impeachment and Dear Leader’s daily twitter rants. According to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the House passed 300 bills that Mitch McConnell, the grim reaper, refuses to allow a vote on in the Senate.
Iowa has done well in replacing two Republican do-nothing congressmen Dave Young and Rod Blum with actual representatives, Democrats Cindy Axne and Abbe Finkenauer. As we move toward November we need to do the work to continue to replace Republicans with Democrats and make sure we retain our congressional seats. There are Republican challengers for every seat that Democrats now hold.
We need to make sure Axne and Finkenauer head back to congress. We need to ensure Dave Loebsack’s seat stays in Democratic hands, send JD Scholten to DC to replace Steve King and send Joni Ernst packing as well. (And let’s also remember to support Democrats at the state level to end the Branstad legacy of Republican corruption in Iowa).
The reality is Democrats are actually doing their jobs in Washington while Republicans are raking in cash for themselves by worshiping at the alter of Dear Leader/Putin/NRA/Koch brothers. Iowa Starting Line reported on accomplishments of Iowa Democrats this past term. Below are some highlights. Head on over to ISL to read their full report.
All four of Iowa’s representatives, Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer, Dave Loebsack and Steve King, voted in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
In her first term, Finkenauer took the lead on extending the biodiesel tax credit for five additional years.
Axne secured an additional $3 billion in the House disaster relief bill aimed at flood recovery in the Midwest and tornadoes in the South, including $500 million in emergency assistance for farmers.
Loebsack’s bipartisan “Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability Act” passed the House of Representatives in the final week of session this year. In the Senate, which is expected to take it up next year, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is the bill’s lead sponsor.
If you want someone to represent you in Congress rather than the Koch Brothers, the NRA or Vladimir Putin, vote for Democrats up and down the ticket in November.
Did you see our email last week about farm bankruptcies?
Things are only getting worse. Ethanol plants are shutting down or going idle, families are forced to rent out their century farms, and dairy corporations are in talks to consolidate — further hurting our farmers, shrinking our markets, and thinning our choices. It’s high time we have a representative in Congress who will do something about the ongoing suffering in rural communities.
When our farmers suffer, America suffers. And right now, American farms are $426.6 billion in debt. As farmers are squeezed out of business, the ripple effects begin: the local economy shrinks, schools consolidate, grocery stores close, and kids move away and don’t come back.
The government is only making matters worse. In fact, time and again, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue pushes “get big or get off the farm policies” that hurt the little guy and back corporate consolidation, which has led to the rise of farm bankruptcies, farm loan delinquency rates, and farmer suicides.
Farmers don’t need much — they don’t want handouts. Truth be told, they just want a fair shot at making a profit and providing for their families. They are some of the most resilient, determined, hard-working, and creative people — and all they need is a little help.
Here’s where we can start:
Enforcing our antitrust laws, and preventing corporate consolidation that leaves farmers with few options and thinner margins, and pushes them out of business.
Securing trade deals that tackle the issues before us and don’t use our farmers, manufacturers, and consumers as collateral damage.
Giving younger generations and minority farmers the tools they need for success.
Paying farmers for their environmental services and incentivizing sustainable techniques that will promote soil health, ensure clean water and safe food, and protect our environment.
Bringing farmers to the table for climate change solutions.
Without action, our farmers won’t make it. But that doesn’t mean we should give up now. We need to have their backs and fight for fairness in farming.
When folks in Washington talk about trade policy, farm bills, and tax breaks, they think of our farmers as bargaining chips, not as people and families who deserve a fair shot.
Once elected, J.D. will be a loud, strong voice for our farmers — and will stand tall with them every day.
Hopefully, folks are paying attention to news beyond the impeachment, even though impeachment seems to be all many news organizations seem to be concerned about. If there is one sector of the news that should be mandatory for people to pay attention to, it is what is happening in climate change.
As we celebrated Christmas, Australia continued to break heat records as their summer started. It seems like the whole Australian continent is on fire. The Amazon continues to burn. This will have some long term effects on the livability of the planet since the Amazon is one of the major sources of oxygen for the planet.
Looking beyond that a young man named Ben See posted a thread on Twitterin which he consolidated many of the expected consequences of climate change into a couple of short and very understandable statements:
Scientists:
1. Warming is underestimated.
2. Warming is faster than expected.
3. Warming of 2- 4°C looks certain.
4. Warming of 4°C kills 7 billion.
5. Warming of 4°C by 2045 possible.
6. Warming of 4°C by 2095 likely.
7. Warming is just 1 of 10 existential threats media ignore.
Scientists privately accept that humans stand no chance of staying below 2C of global warming.
Half of humanity (4 billion humans) and all animal & plant life in their vicinity will soon be exposed to at least 20 days of *deadly* heat extremes a year.
These are just a sample of the tweets in which Ben See paints a very scary, but probably very realistic picture of climate change.
To add insult to injury the current president is in the process of withdrawing us from all climate cooperation around the world. He has gutted the EPA on his watch and rolled back as much of the climate related actions as he could. Plans yet include logging in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska which is anther major source of oxygen for the world.
On the heals of these stories comes the news that the world population reached 7.75 billion in 2019 on its way to 8 billion in 2023. Projections for the future has human population leveling off. According to some experts the maximum human capacity of the earth is around 9 billion.
However, with climate change and the predicted disruptions (see above) the climate may step in to be a brake – albeit a very harsh brake – on continuing population rise.
Yet one more piece to the puzzle of the future of the earth came out Monday. In a more locally focused projection, climate change may be hard on midwestern farmers. From Yale environment:
Climate change is hitting the United States’ corn and soybean belt on two fronts. Warming temperatures are both increasing evaporation of soil moisture in the region and causing weaker summer rainstorms that are dropping less precipitation in the Midwest during the growing season, according to new research by scientists at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory. The researchers said this trend will only get worse as global temperatures continue to rise.
The U.S. corn belt — which includes western Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, eastern Nebraska, and eastern Kansas — accounts for more than a third of the global corn supply and is the world’s largest source of soybeans. The region typically gets most of its rainfall during summer months. But the new research, presented this month at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, found that evaporation from soils and plants in the region is exceeding net rainfall during these months. In addition, summer storms — which are shaped by temperature differences between the poles and midlatitudes — are becoming weaker, leading to less precipitation.
As global temperatures increase, the atmosphere holds more moisture, explains a press release from Columbia University. This triggers a greater moisture difference between the Central Plains and the polar regions, “so the storms are trying harder to remove the moisture from the region, to smooth out the gradient,” said atmospheric scientist Mingfang Ting, who led the research. Ting and her colleagues’ work shows that this moisture is being transported away from the corn belt to higher latitudes, including northern regions of the Great Plains.
“Our results suggest that in the future, the U.S. Midwest corn belt will experience more hydrological stress,” Ting said in a statement.
Facing the prospects outlined above, the US will need to lead the world in facing (and I believe there is still time to conquer) the coming crises. The Green New Deal has been proposed but still needs to be fleshed out. Since the GND hasn’t been fleshed out there is time to create programs and actions to directly confront some of the potential hazards coming. This will need to be an “Apollo moon shot” type program knowing that it is a life and death situation.
Lyndon Johnson first warned of the effects of climate change in 1965. We have done little to curb climate change since. We had ample warning and many predictions have come to pass. We are now in a desperate situation. If nothing else this fall please vote for candidates who understand the seriousness of climate change.
Note that Iowa’s Joni Ernst is right there with McConnell as he declares Trump will be acquitted
Well, here it is. Presidential election year. Many of us have been waiting for this year since Nov. 9th, 2016.
As Iowans we all know we have the caucuses directly ahead of us in another month.
However before that happens we will be immersed in the continuing drama of the Republican Party doing all they can to destroy constitutional government in this country in the pursuit of one man’s fantasies of being above our laws and being effectively the King of America. I am speaking of course of the current president, Donald Trump.
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two-thirds of the Members present.
Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States; but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.[2]
Many folks think that since the Senate will be acting as a jury, they should be bound by the rules that juries would in in any trial. However, since there is nothing in the constitution that states that, there is really nothing to hold the senate or senators to any such rules. Therefore Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has long since declared that his party will hold a mockery of a trial and that they will acquit the president.
This has stirred the anger of citizens for many reasons. Once again in this country where everyone is supposed to be equal under the law, we have special rules for those with power. Or actually we have no rules for those with power. The Senate Majority Leader has stated unequivocally he has no intention of having a real trial.
If there were a real trial, one would think that recordings of the president seeking help from foreign leaders to interfere in the presidential election would be pretty convincing of guilt.
McConnell may think he has pulled a real fast one on the voting public by taking away what most of us thought were constitutional protections against an out of control president. But there will be more at work than the senate conducting a show trial. While Republicans will be performing almost as if in a play, the US public will be acting as a jury on Republicans in the senate.
America has had its fill of power grabs by the Republican when they are in power. From voter suppression to the now kangaroo court that McConnell has announced, the in-your-face-America brand of ruling has played it course. Americans will be watching Republican senators closely. If McConnell sticks to his plan expect Americans to judge Republicans harshly.
Among those who can be expected to be judged most harshly will be Iowa’s Joni Ernst. Ernst has made little secret that she is in the bank fro Trump and McConnell. She has made some very tepid remarks about a fair trial, yet her action – such as being by McConnell’s side when McConnell announced his plans for a kangaroo court – speak much louder.
After three years where Iowa farmers have been pawns for Trump to bargain with that have hurt them badly plus having Trump break promises to them along with the Trump atrocities at the border and his breaking of long alliances while Ernst has mostly stood by silently has really frayed her relationships with Iowans. It has been very clear that Ernst is not working for Iowans, but for the big dollar donors to her campaign.
And as an extra in-your-face kick from the Republicans, Trump has been raising money for Joni Ernst’s campaign. Why, if Joni Ernst were say a juror in a trial in which Trump was the defendant – look at that! She is a juror in a trial with Trump as the defendant – one could accuse her of taking bribes.
On Wednesday, the Trump reelection campaign sent a fundraising appeal to its massive email list urging donors to provide a contribution that would be divided between the president and Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis. Each of the senators are supporting the anti-impeachment resolution despite being endangered in 2020.
“If we don’t post strong fundraising numbers,” the message warned, “we won’t be able to defend the President from this baseless Impeachment WITCH HUNT.”
Will Ernst do the right thing and reject that money? Don’t hold your breath.
“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” Gary Kasparov
You’ve probably heard by now about The Rolling Stone interview with Chuck Todd, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, How Disinformation Spreads, According to Chuck Todd.
Todd told Rolling Stone that his program’s consistent practice of having Republicans on the show who lie, and letting them get away with it, was simple naivete on his part. Actually, his words were “absurdly naive.” And that was the most interesting thing he said in the interview, the rest of it being himself of all people lecturing us about how disinformation spreads and taking very little blame for it even while acknowledging the liars were using his program to do it.
Todd tried to sell his naivete via several examples including this one that he must truly be naive to think anyone’s going to buy. Basically, Ted Cruz asked to be on the show and Todd said he had no idea why, but thought it meant he wanted to warn people about the dangers of Trump and all the lying:
“And by the way, they came to us. They came to us saying they wanted to come on this week. And I really naively thought, maybe he wants to remind people that with Russia [and blaming Ukraine] this is getting ridiculous. And it turned out not to be the case.”
There is no way he can possibly be that naive, of course. I have been a guest on a talk radio program just once in my life, but from that experience I learned that when you are a going to appear on a program, the host goes over with you generally what you are planning to say.
That is not the only time in the interview Todd gave a less than plausible version of how things work. He wants us to believe he’s been accidentally helping the Republicans lie for years due to naivete. Apparently, the producers and staff that work for MTP were also just as absurdly naive. So don’t waste your time reading Chuck Todd’s disingenuous interview but do read The Christmas Eve Confessions of Chuck Todd by Jay Rosen.
Here’s a sampler from The Christmas Eve Confessions of Chuck Todd.
Three years after Kellyanne Conway introduced the doctrine of “alternative facts” on his own program, a light went on for Chuck Todd. Republican strategy, he now realized, was to make stuff up, spread it on social media, repeat it in your answers to journalists — even when you know it’s a lie with crumbs of truth mixed in — and then convert whatever controversy arises into go-get-em points with the base, while pocketing for the party a juicy dividend: additional mistrust of the news media to help insulate President Trump among loyalists when his increasingly brazen actions are reported as news.
Chuck Todd repeatedly called himself naive for not recognizing the pattern, itself an astounding statement that cast doubt on his fitness for office as host of Meet the Press. While the theme of the interview was waking up to the truth of Republican actions in the information warfare space, Todd went to sleep on the implications of what he revealed. It took him three years to understand a fact about American politics that was there on the surface, unconcealed since the day after inauguration. Many, many interpreters had described it for him during those lost years when he could not bring himself to believe it. (I am one.)
The right wing ecosystem for news does not operate like the rest of the country’s news system. And increasingly conservative politics is getting sucked into conservative media. It makes more sense to see Fox News and the Trump White House as two parts of the same organism.
Governor Kim Keynolds: (515) 281-5211 U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Iowa Members of Congress - Rep. Randy Feenstra (R) - Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) - Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) - Rep. Zach Nunn (R) Iowa US Senators - Senator Joni Ernst (R) - Senator Charles Grassley (R)
Eddie Mauro is a Des Moines Democrat working to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst in November. I do not believe he is the chosen one of the DSCC or the Iowa Democratic establishment to win the primary. But I like him because he is going after Ernst with a flair and is cleverly using her own campaign ads against her. He is making gun violence a major campaign theme. One of Ernst’s 
“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.” 
