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We Can’t Let Hegseth Win His War on Women

We Can’t Let Hegseth Win His War on Women

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White House aspirants sign on to Supreme Court ethics bill

The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumFeb 11, 2019
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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Four of the five Democratic senators already running for president have signed on to a bill requiring the Supreme Court to adopt a code of ethics.

The nine justices are not bound by the code of conduct that governs all other federal judges.

Members of the high court have successfully resisted legislation, pushed in every Congress since the early 1970s, mandating a Supreme Court code of conduct. The justices argue such legislation would be an improper meddling in the separation of powers, pointing out that the Constitution allows the justices to serve so long as they exhibit "good behavior" or face possible impeachment by the House and removal by the Senate for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

A dozen Democrats (but no Republicans) have signed on to this year's version of the ethics bill, including 2020 presidential aspirants Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has not yet said definitively if he will run again, is also a co-sponsor. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who formally launched her candidacy over the weekend, is not.


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Chicago’s First Environmental Justice Ordinance Faces Uncertain Future in City Council

David Architectural Metals, Inc. is a longtime Chicago metal fabrication company for commercial and industrial construction. The company is situated in the same area as the other sites.

Chicago’s First Environmental Justice Ordinance Faces Uncertain Future in City Council

CHICAGO— Chicago’s first environmental justice ordinance sits dormant in the City Council’s Zoning Committee. Awaiting further action, some activists and alders have been pushing to get it passed, while others don’t want it passed at all.

At a Nov. 3 rare special committee meeting, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward), chair of the City Council’s Zoning Committee, said he would not call for a vote on the ordinance. His decision signaled the measure may lack enough support to advance, but its sponsors think there is enough community support to push it forward.

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Democrats' Affordability Campaign Should Focus on Frozen Wages
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Democrats' Affordability Campaign Should Focus on Frozen Wages

Affordability has become a political issue because the cost of basic necessities - food, health and child care, transportation, and housing - for 43% of families today outruns their wages.

Inflation is one factor. But the affordability issue exists primarily because inflation-adjusted (real) wages for 80% of working- and middle-class men and women have been essentially frozen for the past 46 years.

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Silence, Signals, and the Unfinished Story of the Abandoned Disability Rule

Waiting for the Door to Open: Advocates and older workers are left in limbo as the administration’s decision to abandon a harsh disability rule exists only in private assurances, not public record.

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Silence, Signals, and the Unfinished Story of the Abandoned Disability Rule

We reported in the Fulcrum on November 30th that in early November, disability advocates walked out of the West Wing, believing they had secured a rare reversal from the Trump administration of an order that stripped disability benefits from more than 800,000 older manual laborers.

The public record has remained conspicuously quiet on the matter. No press release, no Federal Register notice, no formal statement from the White House or the Social Security Administration has confirmed what senior officials told Jason Turkish and his colleagues behind closed doors in November: that the administration would not move forward with a regulation that could have stripped disability benefits from more than 800,000 older manual laborers. According to a memo shared by an agency official and verified by multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions, an internal meeting in early November involved key SSA decision-makers outlining the administration's intent to halt the proposal. This memo, though not publicly released, is said to detail the political and social ramifications of proceeding with the regulation, highlighting its unpopularity among constituents who would be affected by the changes.

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