Sunday, May 2, 2021

And another day of crusading against what is just and right, forging vaccine cards, opponents of anti-racism education win big in TX, banning ‘deplatforming’ by tech companies, and the worst chlorine shortage in history comes to a close: 

“The deficit is political tool used by Republicans to block laws that benefit the American people.” — Robert Reich

“Aren’t you embarrassed?” -- Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah)

Deaths

US: 591,062 (+1007) (2 days)

World: 3,216,214 (+22,561) (2 days)

Cases

US: 33,180,441 (76,467) (2 days)

World: 153,481,613 (+1,479,248) (2 days)

Republicans are crusading against 'woke'. Republicans, looking to dent President Joe Biden and win back Congress next year in part by rousing a voting base animated by culture war issues, have increasingly settled on a single word to describe what it is they stand against: "woke." -- It’s better to be ‘woke’ than continue to promote and support racism and inequality. By railing against ‘wokeness,’ the GOP are showing their true colors.

Sen. Mitt Romney booed at Utah GOP convention. -- When Romney gets booed, you know Republicans have embraced the extreme elements of their party.

Bid to censure Romney for Trump impeachment votes fails.

Vegas hitting jackpot as pandemic-weary visitors crowd back.

Pro-Trump web forums are abuzz with directions to forge Covid vaccine cards. Some states put templates online, spurring pro-Trump and anti-vaccination forums to start spreading tips for how to create fake cards. -- Because of course they are.

By turning care work into infrastructure, Biden is doing something unprecedented: He’s taking women’s economic plight seriously.

Police fired 24 shots at a handcuffed man. Why didn't they turn on their body cameras? The case of Ariane McCree illustrates the patchwork nature of police body camera policies around the country.

In bitterly divided election in Southlake, Texas, opponents of anti-racism education win big. Hernandez and other candidates running in support of new diversity and inclusion programs said they were not particularly surprised by the outcome in a historically conservative city where about two-thirds of voters backed President Donald Trump last year, but they were dismayed by the margin of their defeat.

In nod to Trump, Florida is set to ban 'deplatforming' by tech companies. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube could be fined for banning political candidates under a bill passed by Florida's Legislature. Critics say it's unconstitutional. — So Republicans are okay with some companies being prohibited from choosing who may use their service while other companies are permitted to choose who NOT to provide services to. 

Army report confirms Vanessa Guillén was sexually harassed before her death. A report on last year’s slaying of Spc. Vanessa Guillén confirmed that she was being sexually harassed before her death at Fort Hood, Texas, but not by the man suspected of killing her, according to Army documents released Friday. Army investigators found that Guillén was “sexually harassed by a superior noncommissioned officer in her unit,” though the person was not named in the report.

Grammys change award nomination process after The Weeknd called it "corrupt". — It sounds like he wasn’t wrong.

The worst chlorine shortage the country has ever seen is set to rock this summer’s pool season. The chlorine shortage is widespread and it will likely worsen — driving chlorine prices even higher — as homeowners start to prep swimming pools for the season. CNBC spoke to pool industry insiders in multiple states — including Florida, Michigan, Nevada and Texas — about the tight supplies, which are expected to blindside pool owners, who are largely unaware of the problem.

The new malaria vaccine is a total game changer. Vaccination has worked wonders to drive down deaths from infectious disease. A few hundred years ago, less than 60 percent of children saw their fifth birthday. Now, 95 percent do. Vaccines — against smallpox, measles, polio, diphtheria, and more — have driven that progress. But one of childhood’s biggest killers — malaria — has eluded effective vaccination. That, at long last, looks to be changing. — Science. It matters.

Apple’s app store goes on trial in threat to ‘walled garden’. On Monday, Apple faces one of its most serious legal threats in recent years: A trial that threatens to upend its iron control over its app store, which brings in billions of dollars each year while feeding more than 1.6 billion iPhones, iPads, and other devices.

Manchester United fans mount protest against US owners as Premier League match against Liverpool postponed.

South Africa announced it plans to end its multimillion-dollar captive lion industry and said it won’t oppose the international ban on the rhinoceros horn and elephant ivory trade.

For the first time, scientists have been able to precisely map the flight path of an asteroid that landed on Earth and trace it back to its point of origin. The boulder-size fragment's journey to our planet began 22 million years ago, research says.

RIP Olympia Dukakis. She was 89.

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

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