What Shall We Make Today?

Food 1 Minute

This month’s popcorn recipe is Sweet & Salty Popcorn!

Ingredients 

3 tablespoons coconut oil, (or olive oil or vegetable oil)

1/2 cup fresh popcorn kernels

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Place the oil and 3 popcorn kernels in a large, deep Dutch oven or pot with a good fitting lid and set it over medium high heat.

Once all 3 kernels pop, remove them and add the rest of the popcorn kernels as well as the sugar and salt, stirring well to coat. Cover the pot with the lid and allow the kernels to pop, vigorously shaking the pop every 5 to 10 seconds to keep the popcorn evenly distributed and from burning.

When the popping slows, after about 3 minutes, remove the pop from the heat but continue shaking until popping ceases. Immediately pour the popped corn onto a large baking sheet and spread it into an even layer, breaking up clumps as needed. Taste and add salt if desired.

Recipe Tips

Use a pot that is at least 3 quarts. A large stock pot or Dutch oven works great. However, you will be lifting the pot from the stove to shake the kernels, so don’t use a pot with too much weight.

Start with only three kernels. You will know the pot is hot enough to pop the remaining popcorn kernels as soon as the first three pop.

Shake, shake, shake: When the popping slows to 1 to 2 seconds between each pop, lift the pot off of the heat and continue shaking, continuously rotating the kernels as they finish popping.

Allow the popcorn to cool: Quickly spread the sticky popcorn out on sheet pan to cool. Otherwise, the pieces will cool in large clumps.

ENJOY!

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Published by pat frederick

Published

82 thoughts on “What Shall We Make Today?”

    1. Morning! It’s 34 here this morning but sunny and clear, which makes it bearable. Wheezer was asleep on the chair until I put his food out – he ate and promptly departed.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!
        overcast here.
        just watching a mourning dove stroll around the deck…lol. like it was checking out a home to buy. looking under the chairs and the bench…checking out the wooden swing. it was comical. then it flew to a tree branch where the mate was.

        Liked by 1 person

          1. maybe…but there’s dried grasses and twigs all over the woods…lol
            have you gotten any orioles yet?
            i saw something small flying around yesterday afternoon, but it was only a butterfly.
            they LOVE the muddy driveway) and the dirt road too

            Liked by 1 person

            1. Nope, nary a one yet….but it’s still getting pretty cold at night – predicting 28 tonight and tomorrow night.

              Liked by 1 person

  8. FFS!

    Rep. Matt Gaetz

    @RepMattGaetz

    Joe Biden and Antony Blinken claimed that Niger would be the “centerpiece” of their Africa strategy. Then a coup happened. Now 1100 American troops are stranded in Niger, being denied access to supplies, and at risk of another Benghazi-style attack. But the State Department has covered this up, because Biden and Blinken would rather avoid their own embarrassment than do the right thing for our troops.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Mike Lee
    @BasedMikeLee
    Mike Johnson is better than this.

    I respectfully request that he either clarify or retract this misleading statement—immediately.

    He’s entitled to his own opinions.

    He’s not entitled to his own facts.

    (in response to this:)

    Liked by 1 person

  11. nimrodman

    April 19, 2024 3:27 am

    Democrats Seize Control of House
    
    Speaker Mike Johnson Relies on Minority Party Votes to Advance Foreign Aid Plan

    House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made history Thursday night just before midnight by essentially surrendering Republican majority control to Democrats.

    For the first time in recorded history — since the House began keeping records — the House Rules Committee relied on minority party votes to overcome objections from the majority and advance a rule bill to the House floor.

    The committee voted nine to three, with all four Democrats on the committee voting with five Republicans to move a rule to the House floor, which, if passed with Democrat support as expected, would allow votes on Johnson’s foreign aid package, including a bill that includes tens of billions to fund Ukraine.

    Conservative Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Ralph Norman (R-SC) voted no.

    The Speaker is about to use Democrats to ram his #AmericaLast foreign wars package (w/ zero border security) thru the Rules Committee over opposition by @chiproytx, @RepThomasMassie & @RepRalphNorman.

    A Speaker has NEVER used the minority to steamroll his own party in Rules.
    — House Freedom Caucus (@freedomcaucus) April 18, 2024

    Liked by 1 person

  13. The story is the same when we look at other munitions. Take the Patriot missile system — our premier air defense weapon. It’s of such importance in this war that Ukraine’s foreign minister has specifically demanded them.

    DEMANDED THEM? i would tell the foreign minister to stuff it!!

    Winston

    April 19, 2024 8:24 am

    APRIL 12, 2024
    SENATOR VANCE: THE MATH ON UKRAINE DOESN’T ADD UP
    “This is not just a matter of dollars. Fundamentally, we lack the capacity to manufacture the amount of weapons Ukraine needs us to supply to win the war.”

    https://www.vance.senate.gov/press-releases/senator-vance-the-math-on-ukraine-doesnt-add-up/

    Ukraine’s challenge is not the G.O.P.; it’s math. Ukraine needs more soldiers than it can field, even with draconian conscription policies. And it needs more matériel than the United States can provide. This reality must inform any future Ukraine policy, from further congressional aid to the diplomatic course set by the president.

    Consider our ability to produce 155-millimeter artillery shells. Last year, Ukraine’s then defense minister assessed that their base line requirement for these shells is over four million per year, but said they could fire up to seven million if that many were available. Since the start of the conflict, the United States has gone to great lengths to ramp up production of 155-millimeter shells. We’ve roughly doubled our capacity and can now produce 360,000 per year — less than a tenth of what Ukraine says it needs. The administration’s goal is to get this to 1.2 million — 30 percent of what’s needed — by the end of 2025. This would cost the American taxpayers dearly while yielding an unpleasantly familiar result: failure abroad.

    Just this week, the top American military commander in Europe argued that absent further security assistance, Russia could soon have a 10-to-1 artillery advantage over Ukraine. What didn’t gather as many headlines is that Russia’s current advantage is at least 5 to 1, even after all the money we have poured into the conflict. Neither of these ratios plausibly lead to Ukrainian victory.

    The story is the same when we look at other munitions. Take the Patriot missile system — our premier air defense weapon. It’s of such importance in this war that Ukraine’s foreign minister has specifically demanded them. That’s because in March alone, Russia reportedly launched over 3,000 guided aerial bombs, 600 drones and 400 missiles at Ukraine. To fend off these attacks, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and others have indicated they need thousands of Patriot interceptors per year. The problem is this: The United States only manufactures 550 every year. If we pass the supplemental aid package currently being considered in Congress, we could potentially increase annual production to 650, but that’s still less than a third of what Ukraine requires.

    Like

  15. “NY v. Trump: We have a jury — .Jury selection finishes”

    TECHNO FOG, APR 19, 2024

    Jury selection in Trump hush money trial enters final stretch, opening remarks as soon as next week | PBS NewsHour

    “Jury selection concluded today in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump. All twelve jurors have been selected – not without some headaches, hiccups, and jurors outright lying to sit in judgment of Donald Trump.

    On Tuesday, we summarized the initial selections. Some of them, after further developments, have been excluded. The jury is comprised of 7 men and 5 women, not counting the alternate. Here’s the final rundown, with the assist from Fox and NBC News and CNN. (Two jurors who were selected on Tuesday were excused – more on that below.)

    Juror #1: He’ll serve as the foreman because he was seated first. He lives in West Harlem but is originally from Ireland. He works in sales and previously worked as a waiter, and has attended some college. He is married. His spouse is in school and they have no children. In his spare time he enjoys doing anything outdoorsy. He gets his news from the New York Times, the Daily Mail, and some Fox News and MSNBC.

    Juror #2: He works in investment banking. He follows Twitter and Truth Social posts from Trump and stated: “I don’t have any beliefs that might prevent me from being fair or impartial.” He follows Michael Cohen on Twitter (sorry, we still don’t call it “X”) and “other ‘right wing’ accounts” like Kellyanne Conway. He said he would keep an “open mind” about the evidence, commented that his feelings about Trump go “both ways,” and said Trump has done some good for the country.

    Juror #3: He’s likely in his early 30s. He is originally from Oregon and works as a corporate lawyer. He’s Asian. He gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Google. He is aware of Trump’s other criminal cases but is not “super familiar with the other charges.”

    Juror #4: A security engineer. He’s married with three children. His wife is a teacher and he’s originally from California. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking and metalworking. He doesn’t use social media, and expressed “no feelings” about Trump’s prosecution.

    Juror #5: A black woman who teaches English. She has a master’s in Education. Per Fox, she previously worked as a caseworker at a juvenile detention center. She is unmarried with no children. Her godfather was a homicide detective. She gets her news from TikTok and Google. She stated that she enjoys listening to podcasts on relationships and pop culture.

    She said she isn’t a “political person,” though her friends have strong opinions on Trump (likely negative). She stated she tries to avoid political conversations and doesn’t really care for the news. She does appreciate Trump’s candor: “President Trump speaks his mind and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking.” She was unaware that Trump faces charges in other criminal cases.

    Juror #6: She is a software engineer likely in her 20s. She says she has no strong feelings about President Trump either way, and said “I will be fair and impartial.” She is unmarried, has no kids, and lives with three roommates in Chelsea. She gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook, and TikTok.

    Juror #7: A lawyer who practices civil litigation. He has children and enjoys spending time outdoors. His wife works in risk management for a bank. He gets his news from The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and the Washington Post. He admitted to having “political views as to the Trump presidency” but said he didn’t pass any judgment on Trump’s character.

    Juror #8: He’s retired; previously worked for a major wealth manager. He enjoys skiing, fly fishing, and yoga. He said he could be objective.

    Juror #9: A speech therapist with a Masters degree who gets her news from CNN. She’s single and lives alone. She said she wouldn’t be pressured by others when making judgments on the case. According to Fox: “She said she does have opinions about Trump, but said she believes she can put them aside and be fair and impartial.”

    Juror #10: An Ohio native who lives in Manhattan. He has a college degree and works in commerce for a large company. He’s unmarried, has no children, and lives with a roommate. He enjoys the outdoors and loves animals. He also has an interest in podcasts with a focus on behavior psychology, and he reads the New York Times.

    Juror #11: She works for a multinational apparel company. She is unmarried and has no kids. With respect to her opinions on Trump: she doesn’t like Trump’s “persona” and said “he just seems very selfish and self-serving.”

    Juror #12: A female physical therapist (she has a doctorate) who enjoys running and tennis. She listens to podcasts on sports and faith. Married, no children. She reads the New York Times, USA Today, and CNN.

    Alternate #1: She is an analyst for an asset management company who was raised in England. She reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. In her spare time, she enjoys running and socializing with friends.

    Two of the jurors who were initially seated were excused from service. The first – who was only identified as “Juror #2” – informed the Court that her friends identified her as a potential juror. She admitted, contrary to her statements earlier this week, that “I don’t think I can be fair.”

    The other juror – identified as “Juror #4” – had the “same name” as a man previously arrested for tearing down right-leaning political advertisements. It was also discovered that his wife was involved in a corruption scandal. Fox is reporting that it was the same man, though we’re not sure it has been confirmed. But it sure seems likely – he was excused after a private conference with the judge.

    As we previously discussed, the trustworthiness of jurors is always an issue in jury selection, and that concern is only heightened in Trump’s trial. Political bias, absent social media comments or marching for a cause, is difficult to prove. That’s why honesty is necessary.

    Already we’ve seen potential jurors who lied about their political leanings. Some more probably slipped through the cracks. The concern isn’t just that they’re liars – it’s why they lied.”

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Just The News: “The United States blocked Palestine’s latest effort to become a full member of the United Nations on Thursday, using its veto power during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Palestine has applied to become a full member of the UN on two separate occasions, with the first attempt failing in 2011. Palestine is currently a non-member observer state, a status it obtained in November 2012, per CNN.

    The Thursday vote saw 12 of the 15 countries on the panel support the application. The United Kingdom and Switzerland abstained. A resolution needs nine votes to pass absent any vetoes, according to the Associated Press. The Middle Eastern territory has seen a broad increase in support recently, with more than 140 countries in the UN recognizing its statehood amid its conflict with Israel. 

    “The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will and it will not defeat our determination,”  Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour said after the vote. “We will not stop in our effort. The state of Palestine is inevitable. It is real. Perhaps they see it as far away, but we see it as near.”

    Robert Wood, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the UN, said the veto does not reflect the U.S. position on Palestinian statehood, but rather its belief that such status must come from negotiations. 

    “The United States is committed to intensifying its engagement with the Palestinians and the rest of the region, not only to address the current crisis in Gaza, but to advance a political settlement that will create a path to Palestinian statehood and membership in the United Nations,” he said. Wood further highlighted lingering concerns about whether Palestine met the criteria for statehood.”

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Just The News: “The GOP-led House voted Friday in favor of advance a roughly $100 billion foreign aid bills that includes funding for Ukraine and Israel, setting up a final vote this weekend.

    The vote was 316-94 with 165 Democrats voting yes and 151 Republicans also voting yes. There were 39 Democrats and 55 Republicans who voted against the rule.

    The funding bill also includes money for Taiwan. The Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act are each included in the legislative package.”

    Liked by 1 person

  19. Oh, my – it doesn’t get cuter than this!!! Bookmark at least the first one, Pat!

    Ingenious!

    Oh, dear! Doing somersaults!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Well, finally! At least a house finch has discovered the jelly and I know it will definitely work. I was a tad bit worried that the silicone material might put the birds off.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. The Gipper Lives
    The Gipper Lives
    April 19, 2024 12:46 pm

    BREAKING: Konnech Election Software CEO Who Was Arrested Earlier For Ties to China
    and Labeled “Significant Flight Risk” Caught With Luggage On Way To MI Airport
    – Left Cell Phone Behind – Has “Substantial Ties to China” | The Gateway Pundit

    EXCLUSIVE: Election Firm ‘Konnech’ That Sent Poll Data to China Donated ALL Political Cash
    To Democrats… Including Joe Biden. (thenationalpulse.com)

    The Curious Case Of the US Dept. of Defense Contract Signed During Obama Presidency,
    Konnech and Overseas Voters (thegatewaypundit.com)

    AND Magazine: CEO Of Konnech Arrested – Now The Big Question – Does Konnech Work
    For Chinese Intelligence? (substack.com)

    FBI Conceals Chinese Infiltration of U.S. Election Software (kanekoa.news)

    Like

  23. “This amazing seemingly hand-colored photo shows the Banana docks on the lower east side of New York city some time around 1890.”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. looking for more sauce for this

      WM

      April 19, 2024 3:22 pm

      Reply to  Anonymous II

      The protestor who set himself on fire was distributing pamphlets titled “The True History of the World” and published an online manifesto where he explained why he was taking such an extreme act.

      “My name is Max Azzarello, and I am an investigative researcher who has set himself on fire outside of the Trump trial in Manhattan.

      This extreme act of protest is to draw attention to an urgent and important discovery:

      We are victims of a totalitarian con, and our own government (along with many of their allies) is about to hit us with an apocalyptic fascist world coup.”

      Source: Max Azzarello, NY Post

      Liked by 1 person

  27. is this the invisible hand moving Johnson?

    Brian Costello

    @bpcostello

    The CEO of Citadel Securities, Ken Griffin, backed by Sequoia and now expanding in China (just met with Xi Jinping) has donated $4 million to

    @SpeakerJohnson

    ‘s PAC and $7 million to

    @LeaderMcConnell

    PAC. This is how the CCP quid pro quo works; buy DC malfeasance, expand in China! Like FTX’s CEO SBF, Griffin likely also personally invests in Sequoia’s funds – most of their portfolio CEOs do. Thus, Johnson and McConnell are receiving donations from a ByteDance TikTok) investor.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. mass psychosis
    mass psychosis
    April 19, 2024 3:54 pm

    Half the attorneys general in the U.S. file a legal challenge to Biden’s EV mandate

    A coalition of 25 state attorneys general filed a legal challenge against the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandate.

    The coalition, led by Kentucky’s Russell Coleman, argues that the Environmental Protection Agency’s tailpipe emissions standards rule, which was finalized in March, exceeds the agency’s authority.

    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/half-attorneys-general-us-file-legal-challenge-bidens-ev-mandate

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Liked by 1 person

  34. They really want to shut down the meat and dairy industry!!!

    EXCERPT: “GENEVA: The H5N1 bird flu virus strain has been detected in very high concentrations in raw milk from infected animals, the WHO said Friday, though how long the virus can survive in milk is unknown.

    Avian influenza A(H5N1) first emerged in 1996 but since 2020, the number of outbreaks in birds has grown exponentially, alongside an increase in the number of infected mammals. The strain has led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry, with wild birds and land and marine mammals also infected.

    Cows and goats joined the list last month — a surprising development for experts because they were not thought to be susceptible to this type of influenza.

    US authorities earlier this month said a person working on a dairy farm in Texas was recovering from bird flu after being exposed to cattle. “The case in Texas is the first case of a human infected by avian influenza by a cow,“ said Wenqing Zhang, head of the global influenza programme at the World Health Organization.

    “Bird-to-cow, cow-to-cow and cow-to-bird transmission have also been registered during these current outbreaks, which suggest that the virus may have found other routes of transition than we previously understood,“ she told a media briefing in Geneva.

    It was only the second case of a human testing positive for bird flu in the United States, and came after the virus sickened herds that were apparently exposed to wild birds.

    “Now we see multiple herds of cows affected in an increasing number of US states, which shows a further step of the virus spillover to mammals,“ Zhang said….”

    https://thesun.my/world/h5n1-strain-of-bird-flu-found-in-milk-who-HF12352665

    Liked by 1 person

  35. “Undoubtedly died going after a bug stuck in same amber…54 million year old gecko trapped in amber…”

    “Property price just skyrocketed. “waterfront dubai appartment“… Before and after the recent storm in Dubai. Those guys now have a lake view apartment… LOL!”

    https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/unprecedented-discovery-of-mysterious-circular-monument-near-2-necropolises-found-in-france

    “US ends annual training exercise with “largest mass fly-off” of B-2A stealth bombers in years…”

    “Imagine a massive celestial bubble made of ice and dust surrounding our Solar System. That’s the Oort cloud and this is its scale……”

    Liked by 1 person

  37. tish is at it again

    FTA

    The New York Attorney General’s office on Friday asked a judge to effectively void a $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump to secure a much larger monetary damage award in his civil business fraud case as he appeals the judgment.The
    AG’s office in a filing said that Trump and other defendants in the
    case had failed to show there is enough identifiable collateral to back
    the bond for the judgment in Manhattan Supreme Court.The
    filing notes that the surety Trump used to obtain the bond, Knight
    Specialty Insurance Company, is “a small insurer that is not authorized
    to write business in New York and thus not regulated by the state’s
    insurance department, had never before written a surety bond in New York
    or in the prior two years in any other jurisdiction, and has a total
    policyholder surplus of just $138 million.”The filing opposes a joint motion by Trump and KSIC to justify the insurer as the surety company holding the bond.Lawyers
    for AG Letitia James asked Judge Arthur Engoron to require Trump and
    other defendants to put up a replacement bond within seven days of
    ruling on the issue. James’s lawsuit against Trump led to the massive
    civil judgment against him.A hearing on the bond dispute is set for Monday.Engoron
    in February found Trump, the Trump Organizations and other defendants
    liable for fraud, saying they had falsely inflated the value of real
    estate assets for years with the goal of boosting Trump’s net worth.
    Those actions in turn helped the company get better loan terms and other
    financial benefits.Trump
    personally was ordered to pay $454 million in damages, an amount that
    is growing every day with interest. He is appealing the verdict.Trump was required under New York law to post a bond to guarantee the judgment as he appeals the decision.

    https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/19/new-york-ag-says-175-million-trump-fraud-bond-isnt-properly-backed-should-be-voided.html

    Liked by 1 person

  42. “The CDC Doesn’t Want You to Hear This Conversation Between Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson — YouTube isn’t going to be happy about this.”

    THE VIGILANT FOX, APR 19, 2024

    “In the 2138th episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring the hugely popular political commentator Tucker Carlson, the taboo subject of autism entered the conversation.

    Tucker Carlson asked, “Is your average Amish teenager happier than your average conventional American teenager on Instagram? And, of course, the answer is, oh, yeah.”

    Rogan replied, “Well, they certainly have less instances of autism, which is really fascinating. It’s very, very fascinating.”

    Watch: (Video excerpt)

    TUCKER: Is your average Amish teenager happier than your average conventional American teenager on Instagram? And of course, the answer is, oh, yeah.

    ROGAN: Well, they certainly have less instances of autism, which is really fascinating. It’s very, very fascinating.

    CARLSON: The Amish have less autism?

    ROGAN: Yeah, there’s almost none.

    TUCKER: Well, I’m not surprised.

    ROGAN: It’s extremely rare.

    TUCKER: Why do we think that is?

    ROGAN: I wonder. I really do.

    TUCKER: Well, I can think of a couple — Yeah, I don’t want to go Bobby Kennedy on you.

    ROGAN: But that’s the problem. If you go Bobby Kennedy, they’ll come for you. But the question is why?

    TUCKER: Look, and I don’t know the answer, but…

    ROGAN: How is that not in the debate? How is that not in the conversation?

    TUCKER: Well, it’s not only not in the conversation, you’re punished for adding it to the conversation. And so, like…

    ROGAN: We are dancing around anti-vax conspiracy theories right now.

    TUCKER: Why be on the defensive? It’s like, if you purport to represent science, and you’re mad about a question.

    ROGAN: And you’re ignoring data.

    TUCKER: Yeah, but even in the absence of data, science is a process. Yes. It’s not a result. It’s a way of doing things. And at the core of science is asking questions, including unlikely questions. That’s what science is. And if you don’t allow that, then you may be doing something, but what you’re not doing is science. We can say that conclusively. So, for people to wrap themselves in the mantle of science and attack you for asking a question, they’re frauds.”

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=DfTU5LA_kw8%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

    Liked by 1 person

  43. Burgess Everett

    Burgess Everett04/19/2024, 1:34pm ETUpdated: 04/19/2024, 3:15pm ET

    It’s not often the Senate whip finds himself at odds with his own party’s administration, yet the controversial surveillance bill has prompted that exact split — with only hours left until the law expires.

    The Biden administration is moving to crush an amendment from Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) that would prohibit access to American communications without a warrant. Durbin said this week that he will not be able to support reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702 program, which allows warrantless surveillance of foreign targets, without changes. The program incidentally sweeps up information from Americans, which has worried privacy advocates in both parties for years.

    Durbin’s amendment continues the long-running debate in the House, which discussed before passing the bill last week whether to require a warrant for accessing American communications. Lawmakers in that chamber barely defeated a similar amendment, with Speaker Mike Johnson providing the decisive vote to block it. The intelligence community has repeatedly argued that increasing warrant requirements could imperil national security.

    No stranger to skepticism of surveillance programs, Durbin said his amendment would be “narrower” because it focuses on a smaller number of situations. He estimated on Friday afternoon that it would result in “80 requests for warrants in a month out of millions of inquiries. That doesn’t sound like a crippling amendment to me.”

    “Any change that’s suggested is always treated by every administration the same way: It’s the end of the 702 program,” Durbin said. “We’ve found a way to make it as reasonable as possible and still they think it’s too much.”

    The amendment from the Illinois Democrat and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) would need just a simple majority to get adopted. Cramer said the high probability that several amendments might pass is holding up a deal to speed up votes and consider amendments.

    “What really offends me is that they don’t let us vote on anything that might pass,” Cramer said of the impasse. “The big excuse that they use is, if we pass something with an amendment it has to go back to the House and then it’s midnight tonight and the world ends.”

    Amending the measure is a significant concern for leadership, since changing the surveillance bill would mean sending it back to an uncertain fate in the House and almost certainly result in a program lapse. So the administration is moving swiftly to stop Durbin and Cramer’s amendment was well as a bipartisan amendment stripping language that changes which data providers are subject to the program.

    In a statement, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen called Durbin’s amendment a “flat-out prohibition on our ability to use U.S. person queries to disrupt threats and protect Americans.”

    “It is also not a ‘compromise.’ It’s an extreme proposal that cripples the value of Section 702, especially in protecting Americans from lethal plotting, hacking, recruitment as spies, and more,” Olsen said.

    The administration dispatched National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Capitol Hill to urge quick passage of the reauthorization. And several other top officials, such as Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director Bill Burns and Attorney General Merrick Garland, are talking to senators.

    As of Friday afternoon, the Senate had not yet clinched a deal to vote on the legislation before that expiration, a pact which will require agreement from all 100 senators. Durbin’s amendment is just one of several that may get a vote Friday.

    Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said an amendment agreement is “going extraordinarily slowly” and Senate Republicans discussed on Friday how important it was to avoid even a brief lapse of the program.

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Good night, Pat! We’ve been partly sunny all day, breezy but not too bad, and bounced from 44 to now 56. All in all, a decent day!

    Liked by 1 person

  45. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

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