March 2, 2022 - Pensito

DeSantis Courts Disaster

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

For an ivy-leaguer Ron DeSantis can sure act dumb.
Refusing to send guardsmen to D.C. was dumb — and then some.
It was spiteful and trifling,
And left Floridians asking,
Hey Ron, who you gonna call when the hurricanes come?

Human Traffickers Cut Through Trump’s Wall Over 3,000 Times

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

3,272

“Mexican smuggling gangs have sawed through new segments of border wall 3,272 times over the past three years,” the Washington Post reports.

Doctor DeSantis Scolds Students for Wearing Masks

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

“You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this Covid theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”

— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) made his frustration with face masks known when he scolded a group of students who were wearing them, WFLA reports.

U.S. Left Behind 78,000 Afghan Allies

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

78,000

“The United States has evacuated only about 3 percent of Afghans who worked for the American government and applied for special visas, leaving behind an estimated 78,000,” NBC News reports.

A War Putin Can’t Win

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

“As the Russo-Ukrainian War takes a darker turn it is important to emphasize this essential point. This is a war that Vladimir Putin cannot win, however long it lasts and however cruel his methods.”

— Lawrence Freedman

Private-Sector Employment Surged in February

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

475,000

“U.S. private employers hired more workers than expected in February and data for the prior month was revised sharply higher to show strong job gains instead of losses, aligning with other reports that have painted an upbeat picture of the labor market,” Reuters reports.

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Biden’s Speech Laid Out Administration’s Plan

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

“In the end, the State of the Union is just a speech. The impact is often overstated and the politics over-analyzed. But the speech given by the President last night tells me he and his team understand the cause of their political problems and have a plan to address them.”

— Dan Pfeiffer

Three-Quarters Liked Biden’s State of the Union Speech

March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

78%

A new CBS News poll finds most Americans who watched President Biden’s first State of the Union address approved of what they heard, and many said it made them feel optimistic and proud.

DeSantis Refused to Send Florida National Guard to Protect SOTU

March 2, 2022March 2, 2022 Buck Banks

“Last week, the Biden Administration requested the assistance of State National Guards to deploy to Washington D.C. I have rejected this request — there will be no @FLGuardsent to D.C. for Biden’s State of the Union.”

3,272

“Mexican smuggling gangs have sawed through new segments of border wall 3,272 times over the past three years,” the Washington Post reports.

“You do not have to wear those masks. I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything and we’ve gotta stop with this Covid theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”

— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) made his frustration with face masks known when he scolded a group of students who were wearing them, WFLA reports.

78,000

“The United States has evacuated only about 3 percent of Afghans who worked for the American government and applied for special visas, leaving behind an estimated 78,000,” NBC News reports.

“As the Russo-Ukrainian War takes a darker turn it is important to emphasize this essential point. This is a war that Vladimir Putin cannot win, however long it lasts and however cruel his methods.”

— Lawrence Freedman

475,000

“U.S. private employers hired more workers than expected in February and data for the prior month was revised sharply higher to show strong job gains instead of losses, aligning with other reports that have painted an upbeat picture of the labor market,” Reuters reports. Tweet

“In the end, the State of the Union is just a speech. The impact is often overstated and the politics over-analyzed. But the speech given by the President last night tells me he and his team understand the cause of their political problems and have a plan to address them.”

— Dan Pfeiffer

78%

A new CBS News poll finds most Americans who watched President Biden’s first State of the Union address approved of what they heard, and many said it made them feel optimistic and proud.

“Last week, the Biden Administration requested the assistance of State National Guards to deploy to Washington D.C. I have rejected this request — there will be no @FLGuardsent to D.C. for Biden’s State of the Union.”

— A tweet from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Twitter account., reports MSN

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%

$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.

“U.S. private employers hired more workers than expected in February and data for the prior month was revised sharply higher to show strong job gains instead of losses, aligning with other reports that have painted an upbeat picture of the labor market,” Reuters reports.

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