Tuesday, September 21, 2021

And another day of ‘soul-crushing,’ stopgap bills, knowing the claims were false,  gerrymandering in TX, restricting abortion-inducing drugs in TX, horrifying images in TX, the Afghan girls soccer team, and ghost forests comes to a close:

“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” -- Paul Tournier

Deaths

US: 696,867 (+2248)

World: 4,722,638 (+9348)

Cases

US: 43,242,302 (+134,674)

World: 230,305,571 (+489,181)

House passes stopgap bill to avert government shutdown, debt default. The party-line vote was 220-211, with no Republicans joining Democrats in supporting the bill.

‘Soul-crushing’: US COVID-19 deaths are topping 1,900 a day. COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have climbed to an average of more than 1,900 a day for the first time since early March, with experts saying the virus is preying largely on a distinct group: 71 million unvaccinated Americans.

Texas Republicans Just Passed a Slew of Extreme Laws. Now They’ll Gerrymander to Stay in Power. As Texas becomes more diverse, urban, and Democratic, lawmakers reconvened in Austin on Monday for another special legislative session to draw new redistricting maps for the next decade that will concentrate power in the hands of politicians who represent constituencies that are far whiter, more rural, and more Republican than the state as a whole.

Trump campaign knew soon after election that voting machine claims were false: report. Court documents released Monday show that by the time a campaign news conference on the issue took place, an internal memo had already been circulated confirming that the claims about Dominion Voting Systems and software company Smartmatic were false.

Texas governor signs bill tightening restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs. Senate Bill 4, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, prohibits a person "from providing an abortion‑inducing drug to a pregnant woman without satisfying the applicable informed consent requirements for abortions." The law requires physicians providing abortion drugs to comply with certain physician reporting requirements. Anyone who "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly violates" the bill faces a state jail felony offense. — Apparently everything’s worse in Texas, not bigger. 

Homeland Security Chief Mayorkas says he's "horrified" by images that appear to show US Border Patrol agents on horseback confronting Haitian refugees. — What happens when those with power view a group of people as being less than human.

Texas governor approves miles-long steel barrier of police vehicles to deter the more than 8,000 migrants in Del Rio. The surge of migrants -- many of whom are Haitian -- was the result of messages by word of mouth or social media that the border at Del Rio was open, US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said. Chaotic scenes at the bridge, including law enforcement officers on horseback using aggressive tactics against migrants, have sparked anger in both local and federal officials. Some have even called the makeshift camps under the bridge inhumane.

Afghanistan girls soccer team given asylum in Portugal. The girls on Afghanistan’s national soccer team were anxious. For weeks, they had been moving around the country, waiting for word that they could leave. One wants to be a doctor, another a movie producer, others engineers. All dream of growing up to be professional soccer players...In interviews with the AP this week, Muhtaj, members of the soccer team, some of their family members, and soccer federation staff, spoke about their final days in Afghanistan, the international effort to rescue them and the promise of their newfound freedom.

Ghost forests creep up U.S. East Coast. It’s a term that points to the visceral changes of the landscape — going from lush green to a pale white — and the destruction of the area’s crucial role as a biodome and coastal buffer. These once-thriving forests are a direct result of climate change as the trees are suffocated by saltwater intrusion sparked by sea level rise and an uptick of hurricanes and superstorms. 

Australia has lost almost a third of its koala population in three years, foundation says.

George Holliday, who shot the nearly 9-minute video of four white police officers beating Rodney King in 1991, has died of complications from COVID. He was 61. Holliday was not vaccinated and was on a ventilator in recent days after contracting pneumonia.

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

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