Tag: takes

Post Iftar party in Bihar, Owaisi takes dig at Nitish, Tejashwi over riots

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Patna: A day after Iftar party held at former chief minister Rabri Devi’s residence in Patna, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi lashed out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav.
He said that they (Nitish, Tejashwi) are busy in fancy dress competition while police are taking action against Muslim youths in riots case.
Referring to communal violence in Sasaram and Biharsharif, Owaisi claimed that Nitish Kumar government is taking one sided action against youths of Muslim community and arresting them.

“Following the communal violence in Sasaram and Biharsharif, the Nitish-Tejashwi government is sending the people of Muslim community to jail instead of rioters of Hindu community. Bihar Police are taking harsh action against Muslim youths and the ‘secular’ chief minister and deputy chief minister are busy in fancy dress competition,” Owaisi said in a tweet.
पवित्र रमजान के महीने में आज आवास पर आयोजित दावत-ए-इफ़्तार में आमंत्रित रोजेदारों व अतिथियों के साथ सामूहिक दुआ में सम्मिलित होकर राज्य की तरक्की, खुशहाली, प्रगति, अमन-चैन, आपसी भाईचारे एवं मोहब्बत के लिए परवरदिगार से दुआएं की। pic.twitter.com/QYRt8ZetwU
— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) April 9, 2023
Nitish Kumar attended the Iftar party at Rabri Devi’s residence on Sunday. During the occasion, Tejashwi Yadav was wearing a Pathan suit while Nitish Kumar wore a shawl and cap.
Bihar Police have registered 15 FIRs against 104 persons form both the communities and arrested 100 so far. Bihar Police also arrested five persons for their alleged involvement in uploading provocative contents on social media during Ram Navami.
The officials claimed that due to provocative texts, audio and video contents, communal riots flared up in Biharsharif.
VIDEO | AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi holds Nitish Kumar government responsible for violence in Bihar during Ram Navami, demands compensation for victims pic.twitter.com/VRf8TkNlf8
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 10, 2023
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#Post #Iftar #party #Bihar #Owaisi #takes #dig #Nitish #Tejashwi #riots
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 10, 2023
Congress has to be fulcrum of coalition that takes on BJP in 2024: Kapil Sibal

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New Delhi: The Congress has to be at the centre of any coalition that would take on the BJP in the 2024 general elections and all Opposition parties should be more mindful of sensitivities as well as be circumspect in criticising each other’s ideologies in order to build a strong alliance, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said on Sunday.
Sibal, a prominent voice in the Opposition ranks, gave a clarion call to all political parties opposed to the BJP-led government to first find a common platform which, he said, could also be his newly-launched ‘Insaaf’ platform for fighting injustice.
In an interview with PTI, the former Union minister said the leadership question of an Opposition coalition for 2024 need not be answered at this stage and also cited the example of 2004 when the incumbent Atal Bihari Vajpayee dispensation was voted out of power despite the Opposition not having a declared face.

He asserted that the Congress certainly has to be the fulcrum and at the centre of any coalition of Opposition parties that will take on the BJP in 2024.
Asked if Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar’s statement backing the Adani Group which is facing certain allegations jolted the Opposition unity, Sibal said, “If you narrow down issues then you will have differences among political parties. If you have a broad collaborative platform which does not deal with narrow issues, the possibility of consensus is much greater.”
“If Rahul Gandhi has a point of view in the context of crony capitalism in India, I think Sharad Pawar ji would not be averse to a platform relating to crony capitalism, that subsumes individuals. So what we need is to have these broad platforms on the basis of which we can ensure that the Opposition is united,” he said.
He said the moment issues are narrowed down problems arise and gave the example of parties having different points of view on a particular legislation.
“You should allow different parties to have different views. We should allow Rahul Gandhi to have a view on an individual and Sharad Pawar also have his point of view. That should not be an example of disunity,” said Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2, and quit the Congress in May last year.

Sibal, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party’s support, recently floated a non-electoral platform ‘Insaaf’ aimed at fighting injustice.
“Opposition unity will come about only when we have a broad consensus and a platform that elucidates broad issues of that consensus,” he said.
Sibal said his message to Opposition parties would be that the bottom line is that great injustices social, economic and political are being perpetrated in this country by the diktats of this government.
“In fact the entire Constitution is a narrative of how to achieve justice. So, the fight against injustice can be a common platform,” he said.
On whether his newly floated platform could provide what the Opposition needs, Sibal said “could be”, but added that a lot of work needs to be done to bring all political parties on that platform.
Asked if it was practical that the Opposition parties of diverse backgrounds come together and cede parliamentary seats to each other to take on the BJP jointly in 2024, Sibal said parties have to be more generous, more circumspect in criticising each other’s ideologies and have to realise that wherever they are weak, they should allow the dominant partner to have a say.
On the strengthened Opposition unity during the second half of the budget session of Parliament, especially after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha, Sibal said as far as the joint protests in Parliament are concerned, that by itself is not a reflection of Opposition unity.
“As far as Opposition unity is concerned this is the first step. We need political parties to be more generous to each other and allow space for each other to have their own ideological moorings but at the same time get together to fight a government which is hell bent on silencing the people of India and converting this so-called democracy into an autocratic country,” he said.
Sibal said that having a common minimum programme for a united Opposition was a “tall order” and it would be decided only a few months before the general elections.
On whether the Adani issue and the caste census be the main planks for the Opposition going forward towards 2024, Sibal said he cannot suggest that as he is just an independent member of Parliament.
“I think the caste census issue is a big issue. It is a big issue in many states, in particular northern India, but whether that will be a unifying factor or whether that will be projected as a national issue, I cannot possibly say,” he added.
On the Adani matter, Sibal said the issue is not about A, B or C, it is how the state and big conglomerates are collaborating with each other to control resources, media, centres of power and along with that the central agencies.
Rebutting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charge that the Opposition is coming together as they are afraid of his government’s anti-corruption crusade, he asked if the Centre was so concerned about graft why did it not appoint a Lokpal for five years after coming to power.
Why has the Lokpal been inactive and not investigated anybody in government, he asked.
“Is it the premise of our dear prime minister that nobody in government in any BJP-ruled states and in the central government can ever be charged for corruption, and that each one of them is as white as snow,” Sibal asked.
He also questioned the prime minister as to why ongoing investigations against those joining the BJP stopped.
“Why is it that the map of India has been divided into two parts, wherever there are BJP-ruled states, the CBI has no access to, while in the Opposition-ruled states, they have complete access,” Sibal said.
This narrative of the prime minister is based on a weak premise, he asserted.
Asked about several Congress leaders quitting the party to join the ideologically opposite BJP, Sibal said that is why he has been calling for an amendment to the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution which deals with the issue of defection.
“Anybody who in the midst of a term of Parliament seeks to leave (a party) and join another party for greener pastures should not be allowed to hold a public post for five years or fight an election,” he said.
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#Congress #fulcrum #coalition #takes #BJP #Kapil #Sibal
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
Maher Zain’s heartfelt Naat takes internet by storm in Ramzan

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Stockholm: The holy month of Ramzan is going on and Muslims across the world offer prayers, listen and recite Quran, Naats and Hamd more than they do in other months. During this holy month, people also listen Naat-e-sharief (Poem with praise of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W) and Hamd (Poem with praise of Almighty Allah) on YouTube and from past few years, every two or three Naats trend all over the globe during Ramzan. During this year’s Ramzan, Lebanese-Swedish singer Maher Zain’s voice is trending all over the internet.
Yes, the Naat-e Sharief ‘Muhammad (PBUH) Rahmatun Lil Alameen sung by Maher Zain is trending on the internet nowadays. Hundreds of thousands of reels and YouTube shorts are doing rounds on social media platforms which feature Maher Zain’s voice in the background. The Naat-e-Sharief has garnered more than 79 million views on YouTube within 10 months.
About the Naat-e Sharief
The ‘Rahmatun Lil Alameen Naat-e-Sharief’ is one of the poems Maher Zain has sung. The lyric video is produced by Awakening Music and directed by Emrah Ozbilen. Habibi Ya, Ya Muhammad (PBUH) means ”My Beloved, O Muhammad SAW.” The lyrics and soulful voice behind this Naat-e-sharief is what made it trending. The Naat-e-sharief makes you emotional and people find peace while listening to it.

About Maher Zain
Maher Zain studied Aeronautical Engineering and after graduation , he linked up with Moroccan-born Swedish producer RedOne. Zain became a very popular singer because of his voice in the US but after returning home to Sweden, he decided to not produce music anymore. He became the singer of R&B music and started singing Naat and Hamd only. Zain has worked with Awakening Records and given several hit Islamic songs. Currently, he only sings Naat and Hamd and is one of the popular Nasheed artists in the Muslim world.
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#Maher #Zains #heartfelt #Naat #takes #internet #storm #Ramzan
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 8, 2023
President Murmu takes historic sortie in Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft in Assam

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Guwahati: President Droupadi Murmu took a historic sortie in a Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft at the Tezpur Air Force Station in Assam on Saturday.
She is now the third President and second woman President to undertake such a sortie.
As the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, the President, who is on a three-day visit to Assam, flew for approximately 30 minutes covering the Brahmaputra and Tezpur Valley with a view of the Himalayas before returning to the Air Force Station.

An official statement mentioned that the aircraft was flown by Group Captain Naveen Kumar, Commanding Officer of the 106 Squadron.
The aircraft flew at a height of about 2 kilometers above sea level and at a speed of about 800 km per hour.
Later in the visitor’s book, she expressed her feelings by writing a brief note.
She wrote: “It was an exhilarating experience for me to fly in the mighty Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. It is a matter of pride that India’s defence capabilities have expanded immensely to cover all the frontiers of land, air and sea. I congratulate the Indian Air Force and the entire team of Air Force Station Tezpur for organising this sortie.”
The President was also briefed on the operational capabilities of the aircraft and the Indian Air Force (IAF).

She expressed satisfaction on the operational preparedness of the IAF.
The President’s sortie in the Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft is a part of her efforts to engage with the armed forces, as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, the statement added.
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#President #Murmu #takes #historic #sortie #Sukhoi #MKI #fighter #aircraft #Assam
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 8, 2023
‘We need you all’: Harris takes White House message on guns to Nashville

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“We need leaders who have the courage to act at statehouses and Washington, D.C. in the United States Congress,” Harris said, her voice rising above the cheers and applause in Fisk Memorial Chapel. “Have the courage to act, instead of the cowardice to not allow debate and to not allow a discussion on the merits of what is at stake. Courage. You can’t call yourself a leader if you don’t have the courage to know what is right and act on it regardless of the popularity of the moment.”
President Joe Biden spoke to the three lawmakers Friday evening and invited them to the White House, according to officials. And Harris, in her last-minute trip, brought the White House’s push for an assault weapons ban and universal background checks to Nashville.
“Some things are up for partisan debate. Sure, and they will be because that is also a sign of a democracy. But on the issue of smart gun safety laws — background checks — the policy is really pretty straight forward. It’s to say, you might want to know before someone buys a gun whether they have been found by a court to be a danger to themselves or others. You just might want to know,” Harris said.
During the speech, Harris praised the lawmakers for their bravery and leadership amid the tragedy, drawing a throughline from Johnson, Jones and Pearson to civil rights icons like John Lewis and Diane Nash.
Harris looked out to the crowd of students and said it would be the younger generation to lead on this issue.
“We need you all. And your leadership in this movement is going to impact people that you may never meet. People who may never know your name. But because of your leadership, they will forever be benefited,” she said.
“We will not be defeated. We will not be deterred. We will not throw up our hands when it is time to roll up our sleeves. We will fight. We will lead. We will speak with truth. We will speak about freedom and justice. And we will march on.”
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#Harris #takes #White #House #message #guns #Nashville
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 8, 2023
Chris Christie takes wait-and-see approach to Trump indictment news

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Christie, a Trump acolyte-turned-critic and potential 2024 presidential rival, said Sunday that while criticism of Trump’s attacks on the judicial system is fair, there are “legitimate questions,” about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s motives.
“You can be incredibly critical of the way Trump treats all of our institutions, the judiciary, being part of it. And he has called for the use of prosecutorial power against people that he’s opposed to without knowing at all what the facts are. He should be criticized for that. I’ve criticized him for it and others have,” Christie said.
“At the same time, there can be legitimate questions to be raised about Alvin Bragg’s conduct and his lack of use of prosecutorial discretion here,” said, Christie, who argued that Bragg may not be making the best use of his limited resources.
“What I hate about our conversations about this right now, George, is that you have to be in one camp or the other. It’s not true,” Christie told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
The charges, Christie noted, could contain some unexpected material. “I do think there may be surprises in there for us,” he said.
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#Chris #Christie #takes #waitandsee #approach #Trump #indictment #news
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 2, 2023
Indian-Australian sworn in as treasurer of NSW, takes oath on Bhagavad Gita

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Melbourne: Indian-origin politician Daniel Mookhey took oath on the holy Bhagavad Gita as he was sworn in as the Treasurer of Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state by Governor Margaret Beazley in Sydney.
Mookhey was sworn in on Tuesday along with NSW Premier Chris Minns and six other ministers.
“Sworn in as Treasurer of the great state of NSW. Thank you to the people of NSW who entrusted us with this honour and privilege,” Mookhey said in a statement.
“I am incredibly honoured and humbled to be the first Australian Minister, state or federally, to take my oath of allegiance on the Bhagavad Gita. This is only possible because Australia is so open and so welcoming to the contributions of people like my parents, who I was thinking about a lot as I took my oath earlier today,” he said.
In 2015, Mookhey was elected by the Labor to replace Steve Whan in the NSW upper house — making him the state’s first politician of Indian background, and the first to take oath of allegiance on the Bhagavad Gita.
In 2019, he became the Shadow Minister for Finance and Small Business and Shadow Minister for the Gig Economy.
“This is a time to relax and enjoy before the period of really, really hard work starts again,” Governor Beazley said addressing the ministers.
Mookhey’s parents had migrated from Punjab to Australia in 1973.

Born in Blacktown suburb, Mookhey has three university degrees and has worked as a consultant to unions, charities and community groups.
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#IndianAustralian #sworn #treasurer #NSW #takes #oath #Bhagavad #Gita
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 29, 2023
CAG takes lid off massive illegalities, irregularities in SKUAST recruitment, promotions

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Srinagar, Mar 29: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has taken the lid off brazen illegalities and irregularities in recruitment, promotions and allowances in Jammu & Kashmir’s two prestigious agricultural varsities- SKUAST (Kashmir) and SKUAST (Jammu).
In its report, which was tabled in the Parliament on Tuesday as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the CAG has exposed wrongdoings by the SKUAST authorities in appointments, promotions and entitlements over the years, raising serious questions over silence on J&K’s successive regimes over their affairs.
In the report, the auditor pointed out that both universities violated UGC norms for the direct appointment of teachers and filled these posts through lateral entry.
“The mandatory criteria for appointment and career advancement of teachers was diluted. Pre-mature promotions, inadmissible benefit of career advancement scheme, incorrect pay fixations, inadmissible allowances and entitlements, resulted in an extra financial burden to the government exchequer,” reads the report.
The CAG has said that the human resource function of the universities was far from satisfactory and was plagued by irregular appointments, favoritism and inadmissible financial up-gradations.
“Relaxing the minimum standards for appointments and promotions of teachers compromised the quality of teaching and research in the universities. Lateral entry to teaching positions from lower technical positions deprived the university of availing the benefits of recruiting meritorious teachers through open advertisements. Extension of undue benefits due to excess drawl of pay, allowances and entitlements led to financial strain on the state coffers,” the report states.
SKUAST was established in 1982 under a law enacted by the legislature of Jammu & Kashmir for catering to the requirement of agricultural research, education and extension education.
It was bifurcated into two universities- Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST- K ) and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences (SKUAST-J)- by virtue of an amendment in the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Act in 1999.

*Illegalities in appointments*
The CAG noticed cases of appointments without adoption of mandatory academic performance indicators, appointments without mandatory NET qualification, appointments by counting inadmissible periods in teaching experience and appointments through lateral entry by irregular up-gradation of technical posts.
The auditor said that though the Agriculture Universities had adopted (July 2009) the revised University Grant Commission pay scales, they notified a diluted version of the performance-based appraisal system (PBAS) for the appointment and career advancement of teachers after a gap of over six years in July 2017.
The UGC regulations 2010 prescribed a Performance Based Appraisal System (PBAS) with specific Academic Performance Indicators (API) for the appointment and promotion of teachers. “During the intervening period between January 2011 (due date of implementation of UGC regulations) and July 2017, SKUAST-J appointed 31 assistant professors, 14 associate professors and seven professors on the basis of a self-devised format with respective weightage of 30 percent, 40 percent and 50 percent given to interview up to 2014 and 30 percent thereafter against the prescribed weightage of only 20 percent. In a similar manner, SKUAST-K appointed 68 assistant professors, four associate professors and two professors on the basis, during the period between January 2011 to July 2017,” the report states.
The auditor has remarked that in absence of PBAS, the teaching, learning, professional development, research and academic contribution of the candidates remained un-assessed.
Pointing out to more illegalities in appointments, the CAG report states that out of the 31 assistant professors/junior scientists appointed between the year 2011 and 2017, seven did not possess the minimum eligibility of NET-something which is necessary for these posts as per University Grants Commission and Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR).
“In SKUAST-J, 31 assistant professors/ junior Scientists and 13 SMSs were appointed between the years 2011 and 2017. Out of the 31 assistant professors/ junior scientists, seven did not possess the minimum eligibility of NET. The selection committee had recommended these cases subject to obtaining certificates from the candidates that their PhD degree was as per UGC regulations, 2009. The requisite certificates, though called for, were neither produced to audit nor available on record. In eight out of 44 appointments, the representative from the state government was not present in the meeting of the selection committee. Thus, the oversight mechanism of government was not availed by SKUAST-J in respect of these appointments,” reads the report.
Audit further noticed that the Agriculture Universities had not specified any norm regarding the minimum number of applications required for holding an interview.
“Records showed that in 29 cases, interviews were conducted when applications received were less than three and in eight cases interviews were conducted when there was only one candidate,” the report states.
The audit noticed that in respect of six associate professors (SKUAST-J: 04, SKUASTK: 02) appointed between January 2004 and November 2015, time spent on acquiring PhD, service rendered as guest lecturer, adhoc/ consolidated service and as visiting scientist was included in teaching experience of seven/ eight years required for appointment of associate professors.
The UGC regulations and University statutes stipulate that previous regular service as assistant professor or in an equivalent post should be counted for direct recruitment to the post of associate professor and time spent on acquiring PhD and as guest lecturer shall not qualify for being counted as teaching experience.
The auditor has found that the appointment of teaching posts through lateral entry caused a financial burden of Rs 10.16 crore to state exchequer.
“In violation of UGC regulations which stipulated appointment of assistant professors only through direct recruitment, the Agriculture Universities notified (1994, 2012 and 2018) Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for technical posts stipulating promotion of non-teaching technical employees to teaching positions. While notification of 1994 specified placement of senior technical assistants (STAs) borne on University establishment as assistant professors after successful completion of two years of probation, notifications of September 2012 and July 2018 extended the benefit of scheme to technical posts of programme assistants/ TAs borne on ICAR strength,” the report lays bare.
The report states that Agriculture Universities irregularly upgraded 10 senior technical assistants in SKUAST-J and 45 STAs in SKUAST-K, to entry level UGC pay scales of assistant professors.
“Even requirement of two years of service arbitrarily fixed by the Universities for up-gradation was not followed as one STA of SKUAST-K was prematurely designated (February 1998) as assistant professor after completing only four months of service as STA which led to further future up-gradations and resulted in excess payment of ₹ 0.30 crore. Further, one STA in SKUAST-K was placed in the next higher pay scale before successful completion of probation with the result he was prematurely designated as assistant professor leading to further placement in higher scales under CAS. This had resulted in excess payment of Rs 0.26 crore,” the report further states.
The CAG has observed that by upgrading non-teaching staff to teaching positions, the Agriculture Universities had restricted competition and denied opportunities to aspiring meritorious candidates to apply for teaching posts, and compromised quality of teaching in such cases as minimum standards prescribed for appointment of teachers had not been maintained.
The audit also noticed that the Universities had compromised the standards for assessment of research achievements of candidates claiming promotion to the post of professors by diluting the criteria of quality and number of research publications.
“Against the requirement of five publications for professors, the Universities stipulated a requirement of only three publications. Submission of publications for assessment of eminent experts before interview was also not ensured by the Universities. The Universities had thus avoided the methodology prescribed in the UGC regulations for CAS, which defeated the purpose of PBAS,” the report states.
It further says the move rendered promotion of 122 associate professors (62 in SKUAST-J and 60 in SKUAST-K) to professors in the Universities irregular.
The audit noticed cases of premature placements in next higher grade pay without completion of prescribed residency periods. “Against the minimum residency period of five years required for placement in next higher Grade pay of ₹ 8,000, 17 assistant professors (SKUAST-J: 05; SKUAST-K: 12) were placed (between August 2010 and July 2017) in the higher grade and designated as associate professors prematurely after completing service ranging between two years and four years eight months only,” the report states.
Audit scrutiny of service records of 557 non-teaching employees out of a total of 1,794 revealed cases of recruitments through regularisation of adhoc/ contractual employees, appointments without qualifying mandatory tests, direct recruitments to posts required to be filled through promotion, lateral entry to posts prescribed to be filled through direct recruitment etc.
“Audit noticed that out of 557 cases checked in audit, 112 (SKUAST J: 31; SKUAST-K: 81) personnel were initially engaged (between March 1992 and November 2010) either on adhoc or contractual basis for a period of 89 days. Their period of their engagement was extended from time to time. These adhoc/ contractual employees were regularised (2015) without advertising the post,” the report states.
The auditor has also pointed towards the dearth of manpower, both teaching and non-teaching, in Agriculture Universities of J&K.
“In SKUAST-J, the shortfall ranged between 26 and 33 per cent under the teaching category and 19 and 26 per cent under the non-teaching category during the period. Similarly, shortage of manpower in SKUAST-K ranged between 22 and 33 percent under teaching category and 29 and 32 per cent under non-teaching category during 2016-21,” the report states.
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#CAG #takes #lid #massive #illegalities #irregularities #SKUAST #recruitment #promotions
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

March 29, 2023
California takes on oil companies again with law that could cap profits in state

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“We proved we can actually beat big oil,” Newsom said at a signing ceremony at the Capitol.
That victory came despite the industry deploying “30-plus lobbyists” to stymie the bill, he said.
The industry acknowledges the setbacks.
“I think what we’ve seen is the governor has put this industry in the crosshairs for a number of years now,” said Kevin Slage, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, the main lobbyist for the industry in Sacramento. “With a supermajority and the ability of governors to pull levers with legislators, it’s a tough policy environment for us for sure.”
Newsom has aggressively pursued an ambitious legislative climate agenda since last summer, winning praise from environmentalists who once lamented his hands-off approach and adding to executive orders phasing out gas-powered car sales and fracking. And he has regularly denounced oil companies for standing in his way. Last summer, he excoriated the companies for running ads that framed his push last summer as a matter of righteousness and “which side we’re on.”
“Big oil lost,” Newsom told an audience in New York after pushing the package through the Legislature, “and they’re not used to losing.”
He rode the momentum from those victories into a quest to curtail oil industry profits, announcing his plan before the bill-signing period ended. The proposal has evolved substantially, morphing from a windfall profits tax to a framework for the California Energy Commission to investigate earnings. But Newsom’s rhetoric remained the same: oil companies are ripping you off.
Newsom was uncharacteristically engaged with legislators throughout the process, visiting caucuses and speaking with members individually and in smaller groups. After legislators balked at Newsom’s initial idea, expressing fears it would backfire and raise prices, the administration agreed to language requiring the Energy Commission to ensure the benefits to consumers would outweigh harms.

That both assuaged legislators’ fears of unintended consequences and helped lawmakers feel they were being brought in rather than dragged along. A senior legislative staffer called Newsom’s tactic a “sea change” in his approach to the Legislature and a “very significant factor in how this got landed.”
“This is not something the governor is shoving down our throats,” Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) said on the Assembly floor.
Crafting that language took months. The revamped proposal then rocketed through the Legislature in less than two weeks as Newsom and Democrats sought to preempt a counteroffensive. Oil industry opponents protested that Newsom was rushing through an unvetted proposal that would harm consumers by distorting a complex industry. It didn’t matter.
“Fossil fuel obsolescence is on the horizon,” Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-Milpitas) told members.
That hasn’t always been the case. California’s proud environmentalist bent belies the political and economic might of in-state oil extractors and refiners. Industry groups spend millions of dollars to elect allies to the Legislature — often moderate Democrats — where the corridors teem with lobbyists who are tasked with thwarting legislation that hurts companies’ bottom line. The Western States Petroleum Association spent nearly $20 million on lobbying and campaigns in 2021 and 2022.
They have enlisted powerful political allies. That has meant hiring connected players like the former leader of moderate Democrats and California’s former oil and gas regulator. More crucially, the oil industry forged an alliance with a union umbrella group whose members work at refineries — a critical source of influence in a Capitol where organized labor holds significant sway.
Bills to slash emissions or require new oil wells be far from homes and schools could not overcome that opposition. Newsom’s intervention was decisive. Lawmakers revived the measures at the governor’s urging and pushed them to his desk.
“That is perhaps the most powerful political coalition in the state Capitol,” said Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), who has become a vocal critic of oil industry influence. “We’re only able to overcome that with the governor taking the lead and championing climate measures.”
Shifting voter views are also driving political dynamics. A decade ago, a plurality of California voters said strict environmental laws were too costly. By 2021, nearly two-thirds said they were worth the cost. Voters are more likely to call climate change a serious issue as annual wildfires have become more destructive. Both Newsom and the Legislature have taken advantage.
“The governor was more aggressive, and I think that inspired the Legislature to be more aggressive. While there’s allies in both parties to the oil industry, I think a lot of folks were hungry to get stuff done,” said former Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, who helped negotiate last year’s climate package. “The governor deserves some credit but I think here’s some other factors as well with the stars lining up politically so it doesn’t feel like you’re taking such a political hit.”
The money map is changing as well. The climate-focused Energy Foundation spent millions in Sacramento last year, putting it on the same plane as oil companies. The California Democratic Party now refuses oil money. The industry can still shower candidates with cash, but their resources increasingly run up against voter distaste with fossil fuel influence.
The shifting calculus for some lawmakers, Garcia said, has been from “’You’re going to come spend a bunch of money against me, and I could lose my seat” to “you’ll come spend a bunch of money against me and I won’t lose my seat, because the electorate rewards us for being bold.”
Several Democrats who benefited from millions of dollars in oil industry campaign spending voted for Newsom’s oil profits penalty. At the same time, a bloc of Assembly Democrats who were industry beneficiaries withheld their votes.
“A lot of those members rely on campaign support from big oil,” Muratsuchi said.
That support will likely continue. The industry could also undercut Newsom by passing a referendum overturning the oil well setbacks law. But the governor has helped shift the political dynamics around the oil industry, said former Sen. Fran Pavley, an architect of the state’s cap-and-trade system who is now the USC Schwarzenegger Institute’s environmental policy director.
“They are very influential in many parts of the state,” Pavley said, but “I think Gavin Newsom’s done a good job in getting the political wind changing.”
Lara Korte contributed to this report from Sacramento.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 29, 2023
From drag shows to pronouns: Florida GOP takes aim at LGBTQ issues

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“It is maddening and it is sad to see the continuous attack of people who are quote unquote, other,” state Rep. Michell Raynor-Goolsby, a Democrat from St. Petersburg and the state’s first Black female queer legislator, said in an interview. “And that is what we’re seeing in this legislature, in this body, through the different types of legislation that is passed by the majority.”
Florida’s Legislature is known for fulfilling DeSantis’ big priorities, such as approving last year’s redistricting maps that gave the GOP a 20-8 congressional seat advantage over Democrats. But legislators are now in overdrive ahead of DeSantis’ expected 2024 presidential announcement — just four weeks into the 60-day annual session, lawmakers already sent a handful of bills to the governor. And the culture war focused bills on gender identity and sexual identity will give DeSantis a list of legislative victories he can use while campaigning for the conservative base.
A spokesperson said the DeSantis administration doesn’t typically comment on pending legislation, but in general stated that the governor “is a staunch defender of a parent’s right to be informed about and involved in their child’s education; believes that sexually explicit content is not appropriate to display to children; and believes that children should not be encouraged to physically or chemically alter their bodies for life.”
Republican lawmakers in the supermajority claim their intent is to protect kids and improve education, not discriminate. Members of LGBTQ community, however, contend they’re being slighted and disenfranchised by the legislation that GOP lawmakers are rapidly advancing in the Capitol.
GOP Florida House Speaker Paul Renner said that lawmakers are legislating issues that children should not have to face in the first place.
“We need to stop all of this stuff, whether it’s these crazy books that are on library shelves, and just focus on reading, math and core knowledge to succeed in life,” Renner said in an interview. “That is a bipartisan issue — something we all agree with.”
Gender identity and sexual orientation
One of the bills lawmakers are considering would expand Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, labeled by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” This proposal is set to broaden the state’s prohibition on teaching about sexual identity and gender orientation to pre-k through eighth grade. It also targets how school staff and students can use pronouns on K-12 campuses, stipulating that it would be “false to ascribe” someone with a pronoun that “does not correspond to such person’s sex.”
Florida’s Department of Education is also looking to broaden “Don’t Say Gay” to 12^th grade, a proposal that doesn’t need legislative approval and has drawn objections from Democrats and LGBTQ advocates.

Opponents of the legislation, such as advocacy groups Equality Florida and PRISM, claim it is effectively expanding the “censorship and attacks” on LGBTQ families in the state from last year’s law. They point to “sweeping censorship” that followed in 2022, like schools asking teachers to hide pictures of same-sex spouses from their desks.
“You have the choice to uplift students, to let them feel seen or heard, to learn about the reality of our world, or … to erase 25 percent of students in schools today from their classrooms,” Maxx Fenning, a University of Florida student and president of PRISM, and LGBTQ advocacy group, recently told lawmakers.
Republican legislators, however, argue that the intent of the parental rights law has been misinterpreted. Instead, they blame local school districts for “abusing” last year’s legislation that was meant to regulate classroom instruction by misinterpreting and politicizing the issue.
“What many school districts have done with that bill is terrible,” state GOP Rep. Randy Fine said during a bill hearing Thursday. “Because they have acted in bad faith to take a bill that they knew did not do those things. And, in order to try to score political points, they have actually done what they say they’re trying to stop to hurt people.”
Florida conservatives also are criticizing advocacy groups, claiming they are helping “blow out of proportion” the effects of the legislation by also politicizing the issue. As a result, Republican lawmakers claim naysayers are only hearing one side of the debate, maintaining that the proposal “doesn’t do anything to hurt children, but to protect children.”
“Opponents of this bill, especially the media, they want you to believe a manufactured narrative, one that they created, one that contradicts the substance and the purpose of this good bill,” said state Rep. Adam Anderson (R-Palm Harbor), a cosponsor of the House’s parental rights expansion.
But many Democrats disagree and see it as an attempt by DeSantis to excite the conservative base and, ultimately, win the GOP 2024 presidential nomination.
“The governor will be filing for president soon,” Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell told reporters Monday. “Our suspicion is that he wants to get as many of his priorities out of the way so that they will already be passed, and perhaps he can even sign them into law before he makes his announcement.”
Drag shows
Republican lawmakers are also pushing legislation that will ban children from attending drag shows with “lewd” performances, an effort that comes after DeSantis called for tighter regulations and said such events “sexualize” kids.
In February, the DeSantis administration filed a complaint against the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation for hosting “A Drag Queen Christmas,” a performance advertised for all ages that the state alleged was explicit and inappropriate for children. But the Miami Herald found that undercover state agents attending the event reported that they saw nothing indecent at the show.
Democrats contend the legislation aims to scare drag performers and the LGBTQ community while performers testified that the bill was an all-out attack on the drag community.
Renner said the efforts by Republicans on gender dysphoria and drag shows were in response to what he claimed are adults pushing their lifestyles on children.
“I think the point of our members, and our side of the aisle, is let kids be kids,” Renner said. “There’s a time for them to make decisions about sexual issues, and they will do so and we will support whatever their decision is when they become adults.”
During a Friday House committee meeting, Fine, the sponsor of the drag show bill, said he would fight for drag performers even if he isn’t interested in watching them. “I don’t want to go, but I will fight like hell to make sure you can do it,” Fine said. “But leave the children out of it.”
In fighting against bills advancing through the Legislature, Democrats say that conservatives are slighting the LGBTQ community in an attempt to increase the rights for parents. Policies like restricting the use of pronouns are ostracizing students, making them feel like refugees in their own country, said state Rep. Marie Woodson (D-Hollywood).
“I’m from Haiti, I know what it feels like,” Woodson said. “I know how it feels to be disrespected, I know how it feels not be acknowledged, I know how it feels to … feel different than anybody else. And this is how those kids are feeling, they cannot be themselves. Who am I to judge them?”
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#drag #shows #pronouns #Florida #GOP #takes #aim #LGBTQ #issues
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 28, 2023