Government shutdown: Far-right Republicans in the House of Representatives continue trying to scuttle legislation for funding the government so they can force a government shutdown after Sept. 30. Yesterday they blocked a defense spending bill from coming up for a vote. They’re expected to oppose any continuing resolution proposed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy that could prevent a government shutdown. At the same time the far-right Republicans are likely to force a vote on ousting McCarthy as speaker.
Garland’s testimony: In testimony to the House Judiciary Committee today, Attorney General Merrick Garland defends the Justice Department from Republican allegations that it’s a political tool of the Biden Administration. Garland points out that the Justice Department is not like it was under the Trump Administration when Donald Trump referred to the Justice Department as being his and said that Attorney General William Barr was his lawyer. Garland says that under President Biden the Justice Department works for the people of the United States, operates independently of the White House and is divorced from politics.
Book bans: The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom reported today that in the first eight months of the year there have been a record 531 attempts to censor books. The book banning was directed against 3,923 books on public library or school library shelves, 20% more than in the same period last year. Targeted were 220 school districts and 208 public libraries. The far-right group Moms for Liberty was involved in most of the book ban efforts.
Oil refinery: Ukraine said today that a Russian drone has damaged the largest oil refinery in Ukraine. It’s in the Poltava section of Central Ukraine. The refinery was set on fire in the attack. The Russians have periodically attacked the refinery since invading Ukraine. Ukraine said Russian drones also hit some houses, but they shot down 17 of the 24 drones Russia used in the latest attack.
Chinese economy: Chinese officials today expressed confidence in their country’s economy, saying they planned to hold interest rates steady. At a news conference in Beijing, the Chinese economic leaders said the country will be working to improve factory output. They also said that tourism has been growing and that the Chinese Communist Party will make sure that the economy continues its recovery from effects of the pandemic.
Writers’ strike: The Writers Guild and Hollywood producers represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are negotiating again today in a renewed effort to reach a contract agreement that would end the writer’s strike. The two sides were reported to be widely apart on the issue of residuals for streaming of TV shows and movies. The strike has been underway for almost five months.
