Thursday, March 25, 2021

And another day of blatant racism, arresting a state representative, the GOP attacking porn and sex work, the Texas AG refusing to release messages, paid leave following a miscarriage, and the Suez Canal may be blocked for weeks comes to a close:

“Republicans in the state [Georgia]--trying to make it so less people can vote, so just the people they want to vote can vote.” -- Chris Hayes

Deaths

US: 559,744 (+1322)

World: 2,767,283 (+10,621)

Cases

US: 30,774,033 (+69,741)

World: 126,057,757 (+633,621)

Georgia passes vast restrictive voting law limiting early voting and ballot drop boxes. It will dramatically limit early voting required for runoff elections, like the two in January that elected Democratic Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff and secured the party’s majority in the Senate. Instead of a required three weeks of early voting hours, runoff elections could see as little as one week of early voting. It will also require mail voters to include their driver’s license numbers or other documentation to verify their identify, instead of signature verification. Drop boxes can only be located inside election offices and early voting locations, curbing their usefulness. -- If this keeps up, we can kiss democracy goodbye.

The election overhaul in a state with a history of voting rights struggles came after the first victory in Georgia by a Democrat in a presidential election since 1992. Then in January, Democrats won two runoffs for the U.S. Senate, giving them control of the chamber. -- The GOP is racist as fuck. Make no mistake about it. These changes are designed to make it more difficult for black people to vote.

Georgia state Rep. Park Cannon arrested and removed from the state Capitol after protesting voting restriction bill outside Gov. Brian Kemp's office.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would likely seek reelection in 2024, but the 78-year-old Democrat left open the possibility of stepping aside after one term.

The Atlanta Spa Shootings Are Fueling Far-Right Attacks on Porn and Sex Work. Eight people were killed during a mass shooting in Georgia earlier this month. Now, some on the far right are trying to use the tragedy as an excuse to crack down on porn.

'Nothing subtle about a bullet': Supreme Court says police 'seizure' includes shots fired at fleeing suspect. A divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that police can find themselves on the wrong side of the Fourth Amendment when they shoot at a fleeing suspect.

Texas AG Ken Paxton refuses to release messages about attendance at pro-Trump rally before Jan. 6 insurrection. The Texas attorney general's office is attempting to withhold all messages Ken Paxton sent or received while in Washington for the pro-Donald Trump rally that devolved into a riot at the U.S. Capitol...The Texas Public Information Act guarantees the public's right to government records — even if those records are stored on personal devices or online accounts of public officials. After Paxton's office refused to release copies of his emails and text messages, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, The Austin American-Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, and The San Antonio Express-News are working together in an effort to obtain the documents and review Paxton's open-records practices.

A dozen anti-vaccine accounts are responsible for 65% of disinformation shared online, new report finds.

Cuomo got Covid tests for friends and family when access was scarce. New York governor secured tests for certain people when most people could not get them in the early days of the pandemic.

Mystery remains about Sputnik vaccines seized in Mexico. Mexican prosecutors said Wednesday they remain unsure about whether the supposed Russian coronavirus vaccines seized in Mexico last week are real or fake.

New Zealand has passed legislation giving mothers and their partners the right to paid leave following a miscarriage or still birth, becoming only the second country in the world to do so.

USC agrees to $1.1 billion settlement for hundreds of women alleging abuse by gynecologist. A Department of Education investigation found that USC mishandled the allegations against Dr. George Tyndall, which may have allowed the abuse to continue.

A hand-painted "self-portrait" by the world-famous humanoid robot, Sophia, has sold at auction for over $688,000.

Africa’s elephants now endangered by poaching, habitat loss. The African forest elephant is critically endangered, and the African savanna elephant is endangered. The two species had previously been grouped together as a single species and were classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Egypt's Suez Canal still blocked as huge ship leaves global trade in a jam. International efforts to dislodge the skyscraper-size cargo ship blocking Egypt's Suez Canal intensified but made little progress Thursday as the maritime traffic jam wreaked havoc on global trade.

Florida school district fires teacher for medical marijuana use.

New study finds birds give people as much happiness as money. In our pursuit of that elusive thing called happiness, scientists can offer few findings. One is that, contrary to popular belief, money can actually buy happiness. Another, more recent, is that so can birds.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.