How’s the Constitutional Crisis Treating Ya?; Grants for Tropical Storm Hilary Victims–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Oct. 23, 2023

Indy Digest: Oct. 23, 2023

The U.S. House of Representatives is currently the political equivalent of a raging dumpster fire.

What’s happening right now among House Republicans is truly historic. In fact, it’s never happened before. And as a result, the United States is in the midst of an actual constitutional crisis.

That phrase, “constitutional crisis,” has been thrown around a lot in recent years. But what does it actually mean? Stefanie Lindquist, a law and political science professor at Arizona State University, wrote a piece published by The Conversation today with the cheeky yet terrifying headline “GOP’s House paralysis is a crisis in a time of crises.”

Here’s Lindquist’s explanation of how this is indeed a constitutional crisis (the included links are from The Conversation):

In short, the speaker is critical to the administration of House business. Under the Presidential Succession Act, passed to supplement Article 2 of the Constitution, the speaker also stands second in line to the presidency, after the vice president, in the event of the president’s incapacity.

For now, the House is presided over by a temporary speaker, U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, but scholars and experts are divided about whether the House rules allow the person in that role to fulfill all the critical duties of the speakership. Because the situation is unprecedented and because the rules are ambiguous, McHenry appears reluctant to exercise anything other than the minimal powers necessary to elect a new speaker.

Thus the House remains in limbo, with action needed as budget deadlines loom and a war between Israel and Hamas threatens to spread to other fronts. As a scholar of both constitutional law and politics, I believe the U.S. could be viewed as in constitutional crisis – a crisis that, if it does not end, could provoke larger crises ahead.

Lindquist goes on to explain what, exactly, a constitutional crisis is. Basically, it’s “paralysis of government machinery without a readily available solution under the Constitution,” and this qualifies.

“The absence of a speaker—a single individual but the linchpin in Congress—could thus produce a dangerous crisis in our constitutional democracy,” Lindquist writes. “The longer this impasse continues, the greater the threat to the constitutional order.”

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• If your home was disrupted or damaged by Tropical Storm Hilary, you may be eligible for some help from the Greater Palm Springs Realtors: “GPSR remains committed to helping our community and we have teamed up with the National Association of REALTORS®️ and the REALTORS®️ Relief Foundation to provide grants to those affected. Grants are available up to $2,500 for at least 200 local households in need.” The link to apply is here, and the deadline is Nov. 7. (A tip o’ the hat to the Palm Springs Post for this news item.)

• The state is taking steps to restrict the use of artificial grass—but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have taken those steps even further. Our partners at Calmatters say: “Less than a decade ago, then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law prohibiting cities and counties from banning synthetic grass. At the time, the state was in the middle of a crippling drought and fake lawns were thought to be helpful in saving water. But this year Democrats in the Legislature went in a different direction, proposing bills that would discourage synthetic turf. They’re worried about health risks created by the chemicals present in these lawns, including perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS chemicals. Some chemicals in the crumb rubber base of synthetic turf, such as bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, can leach out during extreme heat. These chemicals have been linked to various chronic diseases including cancers, diabetes and neurological impairments. One of the bills Newsom signed … undoes the Brown-era law and allows cities and counties to again ban artificial turf. Some California cities have already begun moving to prohibit fake lawns, including Millbrae in San Mateo County and San Marino in Los Angeles County.” Newsom did veto a bill banning the use of “forever chemicals” in various things, including artificial turf, saying he supported the intent, but that the state had no way to enforce the law or determine compliance.

• Calmatters also reports on some actions the California Energy Commission is taking to potentially lower gas prices … maybe, perhaps, down the line, in a while: “Last week, (the commission) voted to begin proceedings for two key initiatives that Gov. Gavin Newsom says could lower prices at the pump. The actions were outlined in the gas price gouging and transparency law that Newsom signed in March. Before holding its vote, commission members and staff described the first of two initiatives—which enables the commission to begin looking into oil company profit caps and to potentially penalize those who exceed that cap—as ‘complicated’ and a ‘monumental task.’ Drew Bohan, the commission’s executive director, said agreeing to move forward allows the commission to further evaluate gas prices. It will also permit stakeholders, including environmentalists and oil companies, to weigh in and authorize staff to develop recommendations. … Given the wider scope of data that their newly formed watchdog group can collect, the commissioners also voted to start a rulemaking process to investigate refinery maintenance. This may lead to the commission imposing time limits to lessen the impact of production losses.”

• Wired reports on a life-saving vaccine that not nearly enough boys and girls—boys especially—are getting: “Since its development and rollout in the mid-2010s, the HPV vaccine’s prowess at heeding off cervical cancer rates has been remarkable. Over an 11-year period in the United Kingdom, cases of cervical cancer fell by 87 percent among those who received the vaccine compared to those who didn’t. It’s conceivable that one day, a whole form of cancer could be effectively eliminated. And the vaccines don’t just protect against cervical cancer. They can also prevent head and neck, vaginal, anal, and penile cancer, as well as protecting against genital warts in both genders. But there’s the rub: Although these vaccines protect against cancers that affect both men and women, boys and men aren’t offered the vaccine in two-thirds of countries where they are available. In those places, half the people who could benefit are missing out on a potentially life-saving intervention. But that’s starting to change.” (Boys/men can get it in the U.S., by the way.)

• This is one attention-grabbing headline: “A new Washington Post analysis shows that climate change and demographic growth could put more than 5 billion people at risk for malaria by 2040.” Eek. A few more details from the interactive digital story: “The threat posed by malaria stands to soar as the planet warms because of longer transmission seasons, more frequent and severe extreme weather events, and the migration of malaria-carrying mosquitoes to new latitudes and altitudes, according to a Washington Post analysis of climate modeling and reporting from the southern African country of Mozambique. Health data obtained and analyzed by The Post reveals how dire the situation is becoming, with Mozambique’s malaria cases on pace this year to reach their highest level since 2017, when the government began its current process for counting cases. The results of the Post analysis reveal which countries and regions are at most risk, in particular as seasonal changes benefit disease-carrying mosquitoes. In some regions of the world, transmission seasons could increase by up to five months by the year 2070.”

• And finally … here’s a really scary story from the world of air travel. CNN says: “An off-duty pilot riding as a passenger in the cockpit of an Alaska Airlines flight Sunday tried to ‘disrupt the operation of the engines,’ forcing the flight en route to San Francisco to divert to Portland, Oregon, the airline said in a statement Monday. The suspect, identified by police as Joseph D. Emerson, 44, was subdued by the flight crew and taken into custody by the Port of Portland police officers, the port said in a separate statement. Online booking records show Emerson has been charged with 83 felony counts of attempted murder, 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft. … Alaska Airlines told CNN the off-duty pilot attempted to shut down both engines by pulling the Embraer 175’s engine fire extinguisher handles. The quick reaction of the captain and first officer kept the engines from failing completely, the airline said. … The FAA is supporting a local law enforcement investigation, it told CNN. Separately, it informed airlines the incident was not connected to ‘current world events,’ a veiled reference to the war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas.” Thank heavens for the pilot and co-pilot!

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