An Author They Can’t Refuse
August 5, 2022
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“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.” – Helen Keller
You’re Not Fired
When new presidents take office, they typically get to replace over 4,000 so-called “political” appointees to oversee how their administration runs. Below this rotating layer of political appointees are some two million government workers who typically continue their service from one administration to the next regardless of the president’s party affiliation, operating within a merit-based employment system meant to protect them from changing political winds.
But changing that system is exactly what Donald Trump set out to do with an Executive Order issued on October 21, 2020, that would create an excepted service category called Schedule F. Trump planned to reassign approximately 50,000 government employees who serve in roles deemed as “policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating positions.” Once reassigned, these “Schedule F” workers would lose their employment protections, making them functionally at-will employees and therefore much easier to fire so Trump loyalists could then be installed in those positions. President Biden rescinded the policy in 2021.
Sources say Trump would immediately reimpose his Schedule F Executive Order if he takes back the White House in the 2024 election. Indeed, at a rally in South Carolina in March, Trump said: “We will pass critical reforms making every executive branch employee fireable by the president…The deep state must and will be brought to heel.” Several groups allied with Trump have been quietly working to prime an administration-in-waiting by preparing personnel and action plans that could be executed in the first 100 days of a second term. Thousands of civil servants would be purged and career posts filled with adherents to his “America First” ideology. Along with typical conservative targets like the EPA and IRS, their plans would potentially strip layers at the Justice Department, including the FBI, and reach into national security, intelligence, the State Department, and the Pentagon.
The prospect is so unthinkable that six Democratic senators, led by Tim Kaine of Virginia, have introduced new legislation to prevent any position in the federal civil service from being reclassified outside of merit system principles without the express consent of Congress. “Workplace protections for federal workers exist for a reason: so any one administration cannot fire career employees and install their own political appointees,” co-sponsor Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca) said. A House version sponsored by Gerry Connelly (D-Va) has already passed. (Axios, GovExec, Tim Kaine)
Burden Of Peru-f
- Peruvian Prime Minister Anibal Torres Vasquez has abruptly resigned after less than six months on the job. He is the fourth premier to leave the post in the year President Pedro Castillo has been in office. Torres’ predecessor, Hector Valer, stepped down after just four days amid allegations of domestic violence.
- Castillo himself is currently the subject of five investigations – four of them for alleged corruption – and the opposition is pressuring him to resign. Castillo previously admitted he had made mistakes and said he was willing to cooperate with any investigation.
- Under Peru’s constitution, a sitting president may only be impeached on four charges: treason, preventing presidential, regional, or local elections, dissolving Congress, or blocking the work of the National Election Jury or other electoral bodies. Castillo told local media Thursday that he will swear in a new cabinet on Friday. (CNN)
A Degree Decree
- Europe is suffering from this summer’s extreme heat, rising energy costs, and large wildfires in several countries. One of the hottest nations is Spain, which has already experienced two heat waves this year with temperatures often surpassing 104F for several days in a row.
- This week, the government issued a decree requiring air conditioning in public spaces to be set at or above 80F. The rule applies to offices, shops, bars, and restaurants, as well as public transport systems and transport centers. Shops must also keep doors closed and store window lights turned off after 10 p.m., but street lighting will not be affected.
- Heating in winter is to be kept at or below 66F and heating systems must be checked more often to increase efficiency. Recent E.U. energy agreements call for member states to reduce gas consumption by 7% to limit dependency on Russian gas. France has told businesses that use air conditioning to keep their doors closed or risk being fined, and Germany has banned the use of mobile air conditioning and fan heaters. (CNN, CBS)
Additional World News
- Furious China fires missiles near Taiwan in drills after Pelosi visit (Reuters)
- Volcano eruption near Iceland airport sparks travel fears, risky photo shoots (WaPo, $)
- Armenian and Azerbaijani forces reignite conflict in separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh (NBC)
- Zelenskyy urges China’s Xi to help end Russia’s war in Ukraine (Al Jazeera)
- At least 24 people dead as flash flooding hits eastern Uganda (Guardian)
- New Zealand’s national climate plan includes possibly seeking higher ground (NPR)
- Iraqi cleric calls for dissolution of parliament, early vote (ABC)
Free BG
- WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to 9 1/2 years in a Russian prison for carrying vape cartridges with less than a gram of cannabis oil into the country. The female judge rejected the player’s plea for leniency and her apology for “an honest mistake” in bringing the vape into the country in February.
- The athlete’s supporters and fans in the U.S. see Griner as a political pawn being held hostage, and the harsh sentence will certainly add pressure on the Biden administration to reach a deal with Moscow on a prisoner swap to bring her home. A behind-the-scenes negotiation has been ongoing to try to obtain releases for Griner and former security consultant Paul Whelan, currently serving a 16-year sentence at hard labor after being convicted of spying in 2020. Whelan says he was framed.
- Griner, who’s been in a Russian jail for six months already, was also fined 1 million rubles ($16,590). President Putin will make the final decision on any potential prisoner exchange. (WaPo, $)
An Author They Can’t Refuse
- In November 2020, ViacomCBS announced it was selling publishing company Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House in a deal worth $2.175 billion. The merger would mean the publishing industry’s “Big Five” — Penguin Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan – would be reduced to four, and Penguin Random House would become the “megapublisher” of around 30% of all books sold in the U.S.
- The deal caught the attention of antitrust regulators, and a year later the Biden administration’s DOJ sued to stop the merger. The antitrust trial is underway, arguing that allowing Simon & Schuster to be absorbed would create a monopsony (a single buyer substantially controlling the market). Fewer rivals for book rights would mean lower compensation for authors, especially those who earn advances of $250,000 or more for anticipated best sellers.
- To punctuate the point, “Stephen King, a freelance writer” (yes, that Stephen King) was brought in to testify for the government Tuesday. The indomitable King was questioned for about 45 minutes by the DOJ’s attorney. “I came because I think consolidation is bad for competition,” King told the court. “That’s my understanding of the book business, and I’ve been around it for 50 years.” (Vulture)
Additional USA News
- Jurors in Parkland gunman’s trial visit mass shooting site on what would have been victim Joaquin Oliver’s 22nd birthday (CNN)
- Democrat Seeks Inspector General Inquiry Into Pentagon’s Missing Jan. 6 Texts (NYT, $)
- Maloney doubles down on debate remark that she doesn’t think Biden will run in 2024 despite apologizing (CNN)
- US faces new era of political violence as threats against lawmakers rise (Guardian)
- Monsoonal rains flood streets and casinos in Las Vegas (NBC)
- California declares a state of emergency due to monkeypox outbreak (NPR)
- UC Berkeley halts site work at People’s Park after angry protests and police clashes (LAT, $)
Grin And Bear It
- It’s soooo hot. How hot is it? Hot enough that bears are breaking into houses in California just to get a drink of water. On Wednesday, Santa Barbara County firefighters were called to a home in Cuyama Valley. When they arrived, they found a bear “relaxing” in the laundry room.
- The bear had broken a pipe in the room and was casually sipping the water. The firefighters escorted the bear outside the house, after which it “immediately climbed a tree.” Upon learning the news, one person tweeted “He just looks tired… he needed a break from bear life.” (News Observer)
Additional Reads
- Phil Mickelson, other LIV golfers file antitrust suit against PGA Tour (WaPo, $)
- “Stray” cat video game brings some benefits to real cats (AP)
- Cheney touts endorsement by Kevin Costner: ‘Real men put country over party’ (The Hill)
- Prince’s estate is finally settled after a 6-year battle (CNN)
- Pythons are eating alligators and everything else in Florida. Snake hunters stand poised to help. (NBC)
- A record amount of seaweed is choking shores in the Caribbean (NPR)
- Man survives 16 hours trapped in capsized sailboat in Atlantic Ocean off Spain (CNN)