January 1, Kamala Harris’ “Abusive” Office Plagued By Distrust

Hello Middle Americans,

All is not well in the office of Vice President Kamala Harris. Communication issues and distrust between aides and senior officials on Harris’s team, including her chief of staff Tina Flournoy, have contributed to a “tense and at times dour office atmosphere.” One person with knowledge of operations at Harris’s office spoke candidly about the situation. “People are thrown under the bus from the very top, there are short fuses and it’s an abusive environment,” they said. “It’s not a healthy environment and people often feel mistreated.”

The Supreme Court ruled against California, deciding that they cannot require charities to reveal the identities of donors who contribute $5,000 or more. Federal law requires the IRS to keep such information confidential, but the Golden State has not always followed suit. “We are left to conclude that the attorney general’s disclosure requirement imposes a widespread burden on donors’ associational rights,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. “And this burden cannot be justified on the ground that the regime is narrowly tailored to investigating charitable wrongdoing.”

An Exxon lobbyist was caught on video talking about undermining President Joe Biden’s climate plan. Keith McCoy, Exxon’s senior director for federal relations, was tricked by Greenpeace activists posing as job recruiters. He told them about working with “shadow groups,” supporting a carbon tax that he believes will never happen, and influencing senators to weaken climate elements of Biden’s infrastructure plan. “We condemn the statements and are deeply apologetic for them, including comments regarding interactions with elected officials,” said Exxon Mobil Chairman and CEO Darren Woods.

The Boy Scouts of America has reached an $850 million settlement with sexual abuse victims, which is among the largest settlements of sexual abuse claims in history. BSA filed for bankruptcy in February of last year as hundreds of lawsuits were filed across the country. Months later, the organization faced upwards of 92,000 sexual abuse claims by former scouts.

Controversial figure Meghan McCain is quitting ‘The View’ later this month, bringing her four-year tenure to an end. “I will be here another month, so if you still want to fight a little more, we have four more weeks,” McCain said. The daughter of late Arizona senator John McCain criticized media coverage of the show, saying that its coverage was rooted in misogyny and sexism. The 36-year-old said that if the show’s hosts five were men, they’d have Pulitzer Prizes.

Major League Baseball placed Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on a weeklong administrative leave amid a criminal investigation of claims that Bauer brutally sexually assaulted a woman. “MLB continues to collect information in our ongoing investigation concurrent with the Pasadena Police Department’s active criminal investigation. We will comment further at the appropriate time,” the organization said in a statement.

Stay safe,

Fraser Dixon

Sources

• Kamala Harris staff contending with low morale, internal tensions: reports
• Supreme Court rules against California in dark money case
• Exxon Lobbyist Caught On Video Talking About Undermining Biden’s Climate Push
• Boy Scouts of America reaches $850 million settlement with sexual abuse victims
• Meghan McCain says she’s quitting ‘The View’ in late July
• Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer placed on administrative leave following sexual assault allegations