Wednesday, March 24, 2021

And another day of new arguments, white supremacy, expanding voting rights, pausing Fauci, what really matters, new muppets, confirmations, banning the death penalty, hacked gun owner info, and texting your fast food orders comes to a close:

“The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.” -- Woodrow Wilson

Deaths

US: 558,422 (+1559)

World: 2,756,662 (+11,276)

Cases

US: 30,704,292 (+67,758)

World: 125,424,136 (+634,085)

Republican Senators’ New Argument Against Stronger Gun Control: It’s Racist. As the country processes two deadly mass shootings in back-to-back weeks and reckons with growing rates of violence against Asian Americans, Republicans are shifting to oppose gun control measures on the basis of protecting Black, Latino, and Asian communities.

The Filibuster Is White Supremacy. For me, these are not rhetorical questions. I truly want to know what people mean when they say they “love America.” How can one love their country and the Confederacy that betrayed it? Is it possible to love the land of the free and the home of the slaves? I cannot comprehend an unconditional love that includes Native American massacres and human bondage and Jim Crow and spitting on Black children and shitting on the walls of Congress. Unless, by “America,” they mean they love the institutions. When you are insulated from the harsh reality of colonialism, oppression and thievery, it’s not difficult to love the Constitution, the flag and the utopian ideas they represent. A true America lover would condemn this nation’s slow stroll toward a “more perfect union” unless they were originally included in the equality of “all men.” How can one hold affection for a democracy that strips its Black citizens of the right to participate in it? Loving America is a perplexing thing. Unless, by “America,” you mean “white supremacy.” Then, it all makes sense.

Democrats launch Senate battle for expanded voting rights. With the GOP unanimously opposed, the legislation is presenting a crucial test of how hard Biden and his party are willing to fight for their priorities, as well as those of their voters. Unless they united around changing Senate rules, which now require 60 votes for most bills to advance, their chance to enshrine expansive voting protections could quickly slip away.

Brighter outlook for US as vaccinations rise and deaths fall. Still, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said Wednesday he isn’t ready to declare victory. “I’m often asked, are we turning the corner?” Fauci said at a White House briefing. “My response is really more like we are at the corner. Whether or not we’re going to be turning that corner still remains to be seen.” What’s giving Fauci pause, he said, is that new cases remain at a stubbornly high level, at more than 50,000 per day.

All the Covid-19 vaccines prevent death and severe disease, and that's what matters, experts say.

Georgia allows all adults to receive vaccine starting Thursday.

Everyone 16 and older in Washington will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by May 1.

Brazil becomes second country to top 300,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Women in 40s, 50s who survive COVID more likely to suffer persistent problems:  UK studies.

See inside the two types of border facilities for unaccompanied migrant minors.

'Sesame Street' welcomes two Black Muppets to educate young viewers about race. "Sesame Street"'s newest characters, a Black dad Elijah and his son Wes, are making their debuts in the long-running show in an effort to celebrate unique identities.

Dr. Rachel Levine becomes first openly transgender person confirmed by Senate to federal post.

Virginia governor signs legislation banning death penalty.

Roughly half say CNN, FOX have partisan media bias.

Guns.com Gets Hacked, Spilling Gun Owner Information All Over the Dark Web. This week a large cache of files allegedly taken from the site appeared on the popular dark web site Raid Forums. In fact, an anonymous user offered Guns.com’s entire kit and caboodle—allegedly everything from troves of consumer and administrative data to the site’s stolen source code—free to all comers. The data dump shows substantial gun buyer information, including user IDs, full names, email addresses, phone numbers, hashed passwords, and, most alarmingly, physical addresses—including city, state, and zip code information.

No turning back: Facebook reckons with a post-2020 world. “They don’t want to be the arbiters of free speech,” said Cliff Lampe, a professor studying social media platforms, moderation and misinformation at the University of Michigan. “But they have to be.” For CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the past year has presented a series of humbling events that have picked away at his long-held assertion that Facebook is a worldwide force for good. In Facebook posts, public comments and discussions with employees, the CEO appears to be increasingly grappling with the dark side of the empire he created.

The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, is a dire warning sign. This water crisis was years in the making. For the past 50 years the Republican-led state government has been cutting taxes and neglecting to invest in infrastructure repairs. Jackson’s shrinking tax base has been exacerbated by white flight and the fact that, unlike other capital cities, Jackson doesn’t make money off property taxes for state-owned buildings. The city of Jackson has a $300 million budget. According to Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Jackson’s wastewater and drinking water systems require at least $2 billion of repairs.

Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and more to begin accepting orders via text message.

First black hole photo gets an upgrade, revealing extreme magnetic fields. New images, using polarized light, show the magnetic environment close to the black hole's event horizon. — OK, that’s pretty awesome. 

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

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