Noteworthy News

[Mr Greene]

It's long time till a proper election Reform is a phase

Hope so, but Farage somehow keeps popping up.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

It's long time till a proper election Reform is a phase

Hope so, but Farage somehow keeps popping up.

Politics are like a septic tank - the really big chunks always float to the top.

Boru

[Angrboda]

Trump Administration Shuts Out Advocates, Researchers In Probe Targeting Autism

As the Trump administration lays out ambitious plans to address autism, many longtime leaders and well-known experts in the field have been left out, stakeholders indicate.

National autism advocacy groups and top researchers tell Disability Scoop that they have not had any contact with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Meanwhile, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee — a panel comprised of government officials and members of the autism community tasked with coordinating federal autism efforts — has not met since January.

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Since 2006, the federal government has authorized more than $5 billion in research funding through what’s now known as the Autism CARES Act, according to Dr. Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence at Boston University, who’s leading the Coalition of Autism Scientists, a newly established group of more than 150 researchers in the field.

“That none of the scientists who have received this funding has been contacted in recent weeks is alarming and does not bode well for the plans that seem to be underway,” said Tager-Flusberg who indicated that she’s heard directly and indirectly from over 400 colleagues. “In the past, research plans to rapidly expand support for autism came after extensive consultation with parent and advocacy organizations and the scientific community. No such process has been undertaken this year.”

Similarly, groups ranging from Autism Speaks to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network say that they have not heard from federal health officials.

“We have heard almost nothing from anyone at HHS since the HHS communications freeze was first implemented in January, and so far our requests for meetings and information have not been successful,” according to Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, who said she wasn’t aware of any other autism organization that’s had more contact with the agency. “This is very unusual — different administrations have had more or less contact with us, but to shut all of us out to this extent is unprecedented.”

[Jackalope]

^ that should give everyone a warm fuzzy

[Nanny]

The thing about Dunning-Kruger is that incompetence lacks the competence to recognize its own incompetence.

We have engineered this. Thanks social media.

[Deesse23]

Berlin:

For the first time in post WWII history a coalition agreement to elect a chancellor failed to reach its goal. In todays free, fair (including secrecy of each individual vote) election in the Bundestag the CDU/SPD coalition missed its goal of 316/630 votes to elect Friedrich Merz as chancellor by a margin of 6 votes with 310 votes total. The coalition had a majority of 328 votes, indicating that 18 MPs of CDU/SPD did NOT vote for Merz.

Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
Article 63
(1) The Federal Chancellor shall be elected by the Bundestag without debate on the proposal of the Federal President.
(2) The person who receives the votes of the majority of the members of the Bundestag shall be elected. The elected person shall be appointed by the Federal President.
(3) If the nominee is not elected, the Bundestag may elect a Federal Chancellor within fourteen days of the election by more than half of its members.
(4) If an election is not held within this period, a new ballot shall be held immediately, in which the person receiving the most votes shall be elected. If the person elected receives the votes of a majority of the members of the Bundestag, the Federal President must appoint him or her within seven days of the election. If the person elected does not receive this majority, the Federal President must, within seven days, either appoint him or her or dissolve the Bundestag.

Note to (4): In this election the majority of the MPs ATTENDING is sufficient, a majority of ALL MPs is not needed!

We are at a point now, somewhere in March 1930 (May, ok, still history rhymes), when Präsidialkabinette started after the last grand coalition of SPD Chancellor Müller failed (history rhymes...). Weimar showed its weakness in dealing with the inability to reach compromise in order to get a functioning government. Weimar resorted to the mentioned Präsidialkabinette by (ab)using Article 48. Post-war Germany now is at a point where rubber has to hit the road: Are we better than that?

We dont have Article 48. According to the Basic Law the President has to dissolve the Bundestag (and call for new elections? Does he have a choice here? I have to look it up) or appoint a chancellor with a minority vote.

Now, this is all to happen, if no agreement can be made. I am confident the CD/SPD are having internal discussions as to why (and who) 18 MPs didnt vote for Merz and how an agreement can be made.

At last another interesting fact: In Sept. 1930 was the next election and the NSDAP got 18% of votes. Current polls put the Afd at 25%.

Make of that what you wish.

[Deesse23]

After the failed first attempt, an immediate 2nd one was scheduled (2/3 of MPs had to approve of this, and did). In the resulting election, Merz accumulated 325/316 votes and has been sworn in as chancellor. Habemus chancellorum!

[Nanny]

Well, it's not a planet-smashing asteroid but maybe this thing will hit Mr. Orange

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/05/nx-s1-538...atmosphere

52 year old Soviet spacecraft to crash land on earth.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

But It’s All About The Children, Right?

The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated.

Clearly, the seal of confession is more important that punishing child rapists. Fuckers.

Boru

[zebo-the-fat]

What they need is oil, boiling, in large quantities