Saturday, May 29, 2021

And another day of a new variant, TX GOP changing their own rules to restrict voting and make it easier to overturn elections, massacres, an AR-15 religious sect, piranhas, and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” as the captain of “The Love Boat” sails off into the sunset all comes to a close:

“Texas legislators put forth a bill that joins Georgia & Florida in advancing a state law that attacks the sacred right to vote. It's part of an assault on democracy that we've seen far too often this year—and often disproportionately targeting Black and Brown Americans." — President Joe Biden

Deaths

US: 609,421 (+460)

World: 3,548,573 (+11,005)

Cases

US: 34,035,318 (+12,661)

World: 170,624,894 (+498,266)

7 signs that summer is about to be lit. We're going on vacation again, drinking heavily (still), dressing up and eating out. Oh, we're apparently having a lot of sex, too — so, good for us!

Vietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strains. Nguyen Thanh Long said scientists examined the genetic makeup of the virus that had infected some recent patients, and found the new version of the virus. He said lab tests suggested it might spread more easily than other versions of the virus.

A large cache of intelligence information that has yet to be fully analyzed could hold clues to the origin of COVID-19, officials say.

The update in mask guidelines has some parents worried about their kids who are too young to be vaccinated. But infectious disease experts say the risk of a child getting seriously ill from COVID is extremely small — comparable to their risk from the flu.

Texas GOP puts final touches on sweeping voting restrictions. Texas Republicans dug in Saturday for a final weekend vote on some of the most restrictive new voting laws in the U.S., putting the last touches on a sweeping bill that would eliminate drive-thru voting, empower partisan poll watchers and limit voting on Sundays, when many Black churchgoers head to the polls...Another new provision could also make it easier to overturn an election in Texas, allowing for a judge to void an outcome if the number of fraudulent votes cast could change the result, regardless of whether it was proved that fraud affected the outcome.

Defense for some Capitol rioters: election misinformation. Falsehoods about the election helped bring insurrectionists to the Capitol on Jan. 6, and now some who are facing criminal charges for their actions during the riot hope their gullibility might save them or at least engender some sympathy.

Nashville hat store causes uproar over "not vaccinated"  patches shaped like Star of David.

Tulsa Race Massacre, 100 years later: Why it happened and why it's still relevant today.

How Tulsa massacre spent most of last century unremembered. The nightmare cried out for attention, as something to be investigated and memorialized, with speeches and statues and anniversary commemorations. But the horror and violence visited upon Tulsa’s Black community didn’t become part of the American story. Instead, it was pushed down, unremembered and untaught until efforts decades later started bringing it into the light. And even this year, with the 100th anniversary of the massacre being recognized, it’s still an unfamiliar history to many — something historians say has broader repercussions.

State GOP lawmakers try to limit teaching about race, racism. Educators and education groups are concerned that the proposals will have a chilling effect in the classroom and that students could be given a whitewashed version of the nation’s history. Teachers are also worried about possible repercussions if a student or parent complains.

More than 200 bodies found at Indigenous school in Canada. The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3 years old, have been found buried on the site of what was once Canada’s largest Indigenous residential school — one of the institutions that held children taken from families across the nation.

A religious sect known for worshipping with AR-15s and its MAGA politics has purchased a sprawling, 40-acre compound in central Texas, which it hopes will offer a safe-haven for “patriots” from what they believe is an imminent war brought by the “deep state.” — Wow. Just wow.

The Defense Department is requesting $17.4 billion for the U.S. Space Force in 2022, up from the $15.2 billion it received in the current budget year, or roughly a 7 percent increase after inflation.

Southwest won't resume alcohol service after flight attendant attack: report.

Red piranha caught in a lake near LSU. Louisiana wildlife authorities are making sure there aren't more.

RIP B.J. Thomas. He was 78. 

RIP Gavin McCloud. He was 90.

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

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