March 17, 2006 - Pensito

Keith Olbermann had breaking news on Countdown tonight: US News & World Report is reporting that the White House may have authorized warrantless physical searches of homes of United States residents in the months after the 9/11 attacks.

The Fourth Amendment says:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Update: Crooks & Liars has video of the Countdown segment here.

Update 2: Here is the transcript:

[…]

I’ll reiterate my plea to the governor: Arnold, do everybody a favor and retire in January. You can be on the set of “Terminator 4” within hours after the inauguration of Gov. Angelides or Gov. Westly.

Boondoggle redux: Yesterday the big news out of Sacramento was that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger failed to get his massive public works initiative out of the state legislature, which means it will not appear on the June ballot. The “Rebuilding California” proposition may make it onto the November ballot but even if it does, it will be too late to help the governor’s re-election chances.

After Schwarzenegger’s disastrous performance last year, he came out with the proposal for Rebuilding California in December, intending to get it onto the June primary ballot so that he would have at least one accomplishment to run on.

Without it, all he has to show for his time in office is basically — nothing.

Today we learn that the initiative failed to make it out of the legislature because the Democrats and Republicans quickly learned that the governor was trying to play them off each other. He ticked off his fellow Republicans when they found out that he was privately claiming to Democrats that he had GOP support in the bag:

[…]

Day: March 17, 2006

BREAKING: Bush May Have Authorized Warrantless Home Searches

Failure of Initiative: Schwarzenegger’s Bush-Level Incompetence May Cost Him Re-election

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“The man is afraid of the voice of the people and that the people understand and know what he’s doing. He’s trying to stifle the ability of journalists to let the people of America know what’s really going on with their government.”

— “Kamala Harris called President Donald Trump’s ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House ‘absolutely abhorrent,’” The Wrap reports.

“Not one of them is trained in technical skills. Not one research PhD, as opposed to China, where half the cabinet is science and technology PhDs. We’re led by grifters and fools.”

— Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, on X, on President Trump’s 35-person cabinet.

“Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far… The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.”

— Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), breaking with President Trump in a direct-to-camera video.

Numerati

1,000

10%

“The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study,” the Associated Press reports.

71%

A new Fox News Poll finds 71% of voters think the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the Iran War, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 43% of Republicans. Sixty percent say U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, while just 37% say it was right.

$9.5 billion

“The Trump administration last year spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers as part of its plan to shrink the government and save taxpayers money, according to a new estimate by a congressional watchdog,” CNN reports.

470

Reuters has documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership – from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets. The list illuminates the sweeping effort by the president and his administration to punish dissent and reshape the government.