The Buffalo Chronicle
November 2020
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Ricchiazzi wants Poloncarz to sell Erie County’s convention center
Good government activist Matt Ricchiazzi is calling on Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz to issue a Request for Proposals for the adaptive reuse of Erie County’s dated Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. Poloncarz…
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Michelle Rhee is at the top of Biden’s shortlist for Education Secretary
Michelle Rhee, who once led a series of sweeping reform efforts as the Chancellor of the District of Columbia’s public education system, is at the top of presumptive President-elect Joe Biden‘s shortlist…
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Beyond 230: Reframing the conservative debate over social media regulation
BY DANIEL LYONS Recent tech policy debates have been animated by the surprising push by both Democrats and Republicans to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the cornerstone of internet…
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We should close the revolving door between government service and our rivals’ companies
BY ELISABETH BRAW A group of British MPs wants to restrict the opportunities for former politicians and senior officials to work for foreign companies. The idea sounds terribly protectionist, but it is…
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The tradeoff between civil liberties and public health
BY SITA NATARAJ SLAVOV In April of this year, polls indicated widespread support for lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19. Stories emerged of people shaming and reporting their neighbors for even…
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Congress still needs to respond further to the COVID recession
BY STAN VEUGER AND JEFFREY CLEMENS Friday’s data on the October employment situation provides a sobering reminder of the ongoing need for sound economic policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Labor…
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Do Democrats have an s-word problem?
BY JAMES PETHOKOUKIS If President Trump wanted the Cuban community in Florida to worry that the Biden Democrats were soft on socialism, it seems to have worked. Cuban-Americans helped the president defy…
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Fewer workers, not more jobs, explains New York’s September unemployment rate drop
BY E.J. McMAHON New York State’s unemployment rate has fallen sharply since the economically devastating pandemic lockdown last spring. But as state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli points out in his latest economic report,…
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With hopes dashed for “Blue Wave” bailout, Cuomo needs to deal with budget shortfall
BY E.J. McMAHON With the national election results still unclear, Governor Cuomo can no longer put off tough decisions on how to balance New York’s pandemic-ravaged state budget. Believing most national polls,…
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DiNapoli predicts $3.8 billion more in State tax receipts
BY E.J. McMAHON New York State’s tax receipts in the current fiscal year will exceed Governor Cuomo’s latest projections by $3.8 billion—still down from last year, but a big improvement over the…
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Biden may use Defense Production Act in $6.3 trillion solar roof plan prescribed by Green New Deal
Progressive activists have been insisting that the presumptive President-elect Joe Biden commits to using the Defense Production Act to ramp up production of solar roofing systems and to publicly guarantee that every…
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Bloomberg, Warren jockey to be named Treasury Secretary
The presumptive President-elect Joe Biden has already fielded phone calls from both former Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Each politician made themselves available to serve as Treasury Secretary in the…
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Unemployment rate keeps falling faster than projected
BY MATT WEIDINGER According to today’s jobs report from the US Department of Labor, the US unemployment rate in October fell to 6.9 percent, down from 7.9 percent in September. As the…
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Smaller-scale nuclear could be a big part of the national energy mix
BY JAMES PETHOKOUKIS What would the world look like today if it were nuclear-powered? That is the intriguing “what if” scenario explored by The Economist last summer. From the piece: In 1985…
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Mitt Romney has been asked to lead Health and Human Services in Biden administration
Sources are telling The Chronicle that Senator Mitt Romney has been asked by the presumptive President-elect Joe Biden to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He is currently discussing the…
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Biden promises to appoint “at least one” Native American to the cabinet
In a pledge to construct the most diverse administration in American history, the presumptuous President-elect Joe Biden is promising to nominate at least one Native American to his cabinet and to include…
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Schumer to include Upstate New York and Puerto Rico in statehood legislation
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is enduring criticism inside his caucus for a string of election losses under his leadership, is unlikely to gain a majority in the chamber this year.…
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Higgins will ask Republicans to support him in bid for Speakership
Rep. Brian Higgins is planning to run for Speaker of the House of Representatives, challenging Nancy Pelosi‘s grasp of the party at a time when severe election losses leave her weak and…
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Biden taps Cuomo to serve as Secretary of State, as Hochul plans a gubernatorial transition
Sources close to former Vice President Joe Biden are telling The Chronicle that he has tapped Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve as Secretary of State in his administration. We are told Cuomo…
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Whistleblower suspects Philadelphia political operatives have been manufacturing ballots
A longtime election worker in Philadelphia is telling The Chronicle that three political operatives with close ties to Election Commissioner Omar Sabir have been given special access to sections of the Philadelphia…
