The Tap: Thursday, September 22, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #35 of The Tap, which was published on September 24, 2015. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

• A group of 75 retired U.S. diplomats released a letter condemning Donald Trump. The letter, which includes signatures from former U.S. ambassadors and senior state department officials who have served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, said, “As career officers, we have served every President since Harry Truman … We have served Republican and Democratic Presidents with pride and enthusiasm. … None of us will vote for Donald J. Trump. Each of us endorses Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. Because the stakes in this election are so high, this is the first time many of us have publicly endorsed a candidate for President.” The letter called Trump, “entirely unqualified to serve as President and Commander-in-Chief.” Last month, 50 Republican national security officials released a letter with similar language, saying, “None of us will vote for Donald Trump.”

• In a speech in Pennsylvania, Trump outlined his energy policies. “I’m going to lift the restrictions on American energy and allow this wealth to pour into our communities including right here in the state of Pennsylvania. We will end the war on coal and on miners,” said Trump to attendees of the 2016 Shale Insight Conference, a gathering of natural gas producers. He said, “Billions of dollars in private infrastructure investment have been lost to the Obama-Clinton restriction agenda. … We will streamline the permitting process for all energy infrastructure projects, including the billions of dollars in projects held up by President Obama -– creating countless more jobs in the process.” Trump further outlined that he would roll back Obama's climate change plans, promote oil and gas drilling on federal lands, and promote the construction of oil and gas pipelines.
  • See also: Trump on energy and environmental policy

• Hillary Clinton expanded her tax policy to create three new tax brackets for large estates: a 50 percent rate for estates valued above $10 million per person, a 55 percent rate for estates above $50 million per person, and a 65 percent rate for those with estates above $500 million per person. “In 2014, just 223 estates with a gross value exceeding $50 million filed taxable estate-tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
  • Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller responded, “It is the height of hypocrisy for Hillary Clinton to offer an even more dramatic hike in the death tax at the same time she uses exotic tax loopholes reserved for the very wealthy to exempt her Chappaqua estate.”

• At a campaign event in Colorado, Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, discussed recent police shootings in Oklahoma and North Carolina. He said, “Donald Trump and I believe there's been far too much of this talk of institutional bias or racism within law enforcement. That police officers are human beings. In difficult and life threatening situations, mistakes are made and people have to be held to strict account. … we ought to set aside this talk about institutional racism and institutional bias.”

• A poll of North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race conducted by The New York Times and Siena College showed challenger Deborah Ross (D) leading incumbent Richard Burr (R) 46-42. The poll also showed the presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump tied at 41-41.

• Jill Stein wrote an op-ed in USA Today explaining why she believed she should be able to participate in the presidential debate on Monday, September 26. “The debates will ignore critical issues. I am the only candidate who does not take corporate donations or have a super PAC and therefore can represent the people. No other candidate has a plan to end the debt of Millennials, who are unable to participate in the economy because of unfair college tuition. No other candidate will bring the rule of law to Wall Street and break up big banks. High-quality health care through an improved Medicare for all is only supported by me. Only I discuss systemic racism — not only police violence and mass incarceration but also economic and environmental injustice,” she wrote.
  • See also Fact check: Are the presidential debates rigged in favor of major party candidates?

• The House passed HR 5931—the Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act—by a vote of 254-163. The legislation proposes declaring “that it shall be the policy of the U.S. government not to pay ransom or release prisoners for the purpose of securing the release of U.S. citizens taken hostage abroad.” The bill would also prohibit the U.S. government from making cash payments to Iran until the president certifies that Iran is not a state sponsor of terrorism. The legislation is a response to the Obama administration using a $400 million cash payment as leverage to ensure that Iran released four Americans who were being held there as prisoners.

• The House passed HR 5946—the United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act of 2016—by a vote of 415-1. The legislation proposes eliminating federal taxes on the value of any medal or prize money received on account of competition in the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games.

State

• The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that Governor Matt Bevin (R) did not have the authority to control the budgets of public colleges and universities without the legislature’s approval. Bevin had previously ordered a 2 percent cut in university funding, which amounted to $18 million, in the middle of the fiscal year to address the state’s pension crisis. Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) challenged this action in court, arguing Bevin did not have that authority. Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate ruled in favor of Bevin, finding that the state higher education system is part of the executive branch and therefore their funding falls under the governor’s executive powers. Wingate also ordered the $18 million be held in a separate account until the matter was settled. Beshear appealed the ruling directly to the state’s supreme court, bypassing the court of appeals.
  • This was the third time Beshear had sued Bevin over alleged breaches of power. Beshear previously filed two lawsuits against Bevin earlier this year, both times over a June 17 executive order issued by Bevin that abolished and recreated the boards of trustees for the Kentucky Retirement Systems and the University of Louisville. Both lawsuits are still in progress. Franklin County Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd has approved temporary injunctions in both cases, ruling that Bevin could reorganize the boards but could not remove any board members pending final court decisions.
  • Since assuming office in December 2015, Bevin has also repeatedly clashed with Beshear's father, former Governor Steve Beshear (D), whom Bevin succeeded. The two have frequently traded barbs in public addresses. Kentucky currently has a divided government: Republicans control the governorship and the state Senate while Democrats hold a six-seat majority in the state House, which Ballotpedia has identified as one of 20 battleground chambers in the 2016 elections.

Local

• In California, Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barry Goode ruled that school districts cannot mandate the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations. The case was Doe v. Antioch, a suit brought against the state by the Bay Area group Students Matter in July 2015. The lawsuit challenged the use of teacher contracts that exclude standardized test scores as factors in teacher evaluations. Students Matter argued that the contracts violate California's 1971 Stull Act, which requires school districts to evaluate teachers in a manner that relates to student performance. The suit aimed to force 13 California school districts to make standardized test scores part of teacher evaluations. Judge Goode concluded that all of the school districts in question were meeting their legal obligations. Teachers unions supported Goode’s ruling, arguing that standardized test scores do not factor in the effect of poverty on student learning and achievement. Students Matter supporters expressed disappointment at the ruling and stated that teacher evaluations should, in part, measure whether or not students have learned and are considering an appeal.
  • In 2012, Students Matter won a suit against the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Under the settlement, student test scores were required to become part of teacher evaluations. The LAUSD is the largest school district in California and the second-largest school district in the U.S. The district served 653,826 students during the 2013-2014 school year, which was approximately 10 percent of all California public school students.

Preview of the day

There were no items for this day in issue #34 of The Tap, which was published on September 17, 2016. See the "Review of the day" tab for more information.