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(First column, 10th story, link)
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Significant milestones over the next few weeks could shuffle the status quo. For now, both sides remain dug in as the closure heads into a fifth week.
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(Second column, 3rd story, link)
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We speak with journalist David Sirota about his new book, Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America. Co-authored with Jared Jacang Maher, the book is based on their award-winning investigative podcast of the same name for The Lever.
Sirota says that while the United States is now "immersed in corruption" in a way that seems like an inevitable part of politics, it is the result of a decadeslong agenda by the wealthy to deregulate the campaign finance system and to essentially make anti-bribery laws unenforceable. "This is all part of a plan by a corporate movement that sees democracy — the government providing what people want — sees that as a threat."
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Senate Republicans cited a call by the American Federation of Government Employees to pass a funding extension in an attempt to pressure Democrats to relent. The effort fell flat.
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Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election for a House seat in Arizona two weeks ago, has still not been sworn in to Congress. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is blaming the government shutdown for the delay, even though he previously expedited the swearing-in of multiple Republicans who won their special elections before election results were even in. It's more likely, say supporters, that Grijalva is being held up to prevent what she has pledged will be her first act in Congress: adding her name to and thus triggering a vote on California Congressmember Ro Khanna's bill for the public release of files related to the federal investigation of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. "She needs to get sworn in today," says Khanna, adding that every day Grijalva is not seated in the House "is breaking precedent and depriving people of who they voted for." Grijalva says, "This is an incredibly scary precedent to set. If you don't agree with the politics of the speaker, then they can keep you out of your duly elected office."
Khanna and Grijalva also discuss the legacy of Grijalva's late father, the longtime Arizona Congressmember Raúl Grijalva; the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration; right-wing attacks on freedom of the press; and more.
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WASHINGTON - Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released the following statement on President Biden's Executive Order, Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government:
"Today's Executive Order is a historic step forward in ensuring that all Americans who interact with the federal government can more easily access its programs and services. The Department of Homeland Security is committed to ensuring the public can seamlessly interact with its agencies and offices and is taking key steps to reduce administrative burdens and improve efficiency, equity, and accessibility throughout the customer experience."
The President's Executive Order, explicitly designed to reduce the "time tax" imposed on people who interact with federal agencies, builds on a long list of initiatives launched by DHS this year to eliminate unnecessary administrative barriers and burdens related to disaster assistance, immigration, trade and travel facilitation, and much more.
Under today's Executive Order, the Department's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will:
develop a streamlined, online disaster assistance application;work with states to proactively update existing rules and policies on supporting documentation needed for disaster assistance to reduce burdens to applicants and increase accessibility;test the use of innovative technologies at airport security checkpoints to reduce passenger wait times; and,provide new opportunities for the public to more efficiently connect with TSA, including through online chat options, improved communication during additional screenings, and other mechanisms to receive customer feedback to inform future improvements to the customer experience.DHS interacts more frequently on a daily basis with the American public than any other federal agency, from trav
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