And another day of ‘fire,’ book investigations, the TX abortion law, dropping family/medical leave, taxing the wealthy, Repubs lambasting Garland, not using the word ‘victims,’ ‘X,’ vaccines, pay raises, Taiwan, a ‘unisex condom,’ and so, so much more comes to a close:
“Biden calls himself a transitional president, but what is he transitioning us to? Dictatorship? If you don't fight for justice, if you don't preserve voting rights, we are screwed for generations." — Andrea Chalupa
"If you treat voting rights like an optional element of democracy when it's in fact the foundation, you are surrendering to that crime cult. It's bizarrely self-destructive: the Dems are setting up a system where they can never win again." — Sarah Kendzior
“Elon Musk’s net worth increased $36 billion yesterday, more than twice the entire yearly spending for the climate crisis in this current budget bill.” — The Gravel Institute
Deaths
US: 761,842 (+1910)
World: 4,987,767 (+9042)
Cases
US: 46,587,441 (+89,722)
World: 245,768,802 (+493,318)
America ‘on fire’: Facebook watched as Trump ignited hate. But it wasn’t until after Trump posted about Floyd’s death that the reports of violence and hate speech increased “rapidly” on Facebook across the country, an internal company analysis of the ex-president’s social media post reveals...Leaked Facebook documents provide a first-hand look at how Trump’s social media posts ignited more anger in an already deeply divided country that was eventually lit “on fire” with reports of hate speech and violence across the platform. Facebook’s own internal, automated controls, meant to catch posts that violate rules, predicted with almost 90% certainty that Trump’s message broke the tech company’s rules against inciting violence. Yet, the tech giant didn’t take any action on Trump’s message. Offline, the next day, protests — some of which turned violent — engulfed nearly every U.S. city, big and small...Social media rival Twitter, meanwhile, responded quickly at the time by covering Trump’s tweet with a warning and prohibiting users from sharing it any further.
Texas House to launch investigation into school library books. The chairman of a Texas state House committee tasked with conducting investigations is launching a probe into books that school librarians keep on their shelves in the wake of a measure the legislature passed earlier this year to bar teaching of critical race theory in public school. In a letter to the Texas Education Agency and unnamed school superintendents, state Rep. Matt Krause (R) asked school leaders to identify the number of copies of hundreds of specific books they have sitting on library shelves, and how much money the districts paid to purchase those books…Krause asked the districts to provide information about books that deal with sexuality, sexually transmitted disease, AIDS and HIV and “material that might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.” — Check out the list of books. Authoritarianism is running rampant in Texas. The state is quickly becoming a fictional dystopian reality.
Texas lawmaker says 850 books ranging from race to sexuality could cause 'discomfort'. Teachers union fires back: “What will Rep. Krause propose next? Burning books he and a handful of parents find objectionable?"
“The white parents didn't attack Anne Frank, The Canterbury Tales, the Bible, or Shakespeare for sexual content. But they did attack Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' because it positioned white men, instead of enslaved Blacks, as sexual deviants.” - Charles Blow
How the Supreme Court could strike down Texas law — and still limit abortion. When Texas goes before the U.S. Supreme Court to defend its new abortion law on Nov. 1, the eventual ruling could change 50 years of legal precedent. “This now becomes just an enormous referendum on not just the future of abortion, but also on the procedural maneuvers.”…”So, whatever we think about the right to an abortion - whether it should even be a right to an abortion - I'm troubled by a precedent where any state legislature can frustrate the enforcement of any constitutional right, maybe one that we like more, or not, just by pulling the move Texas has pulled here.”…In other words, if the Texas law is upheld, what’s to stop other state legislatures from passing, say, a ban on guns by allowing citizens to enforce it, thereby making it more difficult to test the constitutionality of the law itself? — If the Texas law is upheld, then our constitutional rights will no longer exist. Fuck you, Texas.
A new Texas abortion law has no exception for rape. Supporters say the state can arrest more rapists. But Texas solves fewer cases than the U.S. average. An NBC News review of state and FBI data, however, indicates that the clearance rate for rapes in Texas has been dropping year to year and that Texas' clearance rate now lags behind the national average by almost a third. In 2019, the most recent year for which national and state data are available, the national rate was 32.9 percent, while the rate in Texas had dropped to 23.3 percent. Just four years previously, Texas had cleared 38 percent of rape cases.
Democrats drop paid family and medical leave from safety net bill. The move comes after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a key centrist, raised objections to including guaranteed paid leave in the social safety net spending bill. Its removal deals a blow to Democrats who viewed the proposal as a key component of Biden's legislative agenda. -- Fuck Joe Manchin. One person should never have so much power.
“Joe Manchin represents .5% of US population but just killed paid family leave supported by 80% of Americans. Shockingly undemocratic.” -- Ari Berman
“This is an absolute travesty. The richest country in the history of the world "can't afford" to take care of its own citizens...is this what they mean by American exceptionalism?” -- Robert Reich
Manchin skeptical of billionaire tax proposal as Democrats push for deal. "I don’t like the connotation that we’re targeting different people. There’s people that basically, they’ve contributed to society, they’ve created a lot of jobs, and invested a lot of money and give a lot to philanthropic pursuits," Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Wednesday when asked about the billionaire tax.
Joe Manchin has made millions from coal. His ties are now facing examination as Democrats scramble for a climate and economic agreement. -- In case you missed it earlier: Fuck Joe Manchin. One person should never have so much power.
Democrats are eyeing a new tax on the wealthy as a way to help pay for President Biden's sweeping social services and climate change bill. A 5% surcharge would be collected on incomes above $10 million, with an additional 3% on incomes over $25 million.
Republicans are losing their minds because the Justice Department is trying to help localities combat the rash of violent threats against school officials.
Garland defends school board memo amid Republican criticism. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended a memo aimed at combating threats against school officials nationwide while Republicans insisted he rescind the directive. He signaled he had no plans to do so despite their criticism.
Cruz, along with other Republicans, lambasted Attorney General Merrick Garland for directing the Justice Department this month to investigate the rise in violent threats against educators.
Cotton tells Garland: 'Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court'. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday clashed with Republican senators over the Justice Department's efforts to crack down on violent threats against school boards, with one GOP member telling the former judge, "Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court."..."This testimony, your directive, your performance is shameful," Cotton said. "Thank God, you're not on the Supreme Court. You should resign in disgrace, judge." -- Tom Cotton should fuck off.
“AG Garland is so concerned about protecting the institution, that he is not pursuing Trump and Barr - leaving the door open for aspiring authoritarians like Tom Cotton to use Trump's playbook to seize power and destroy our institutions. We need accountability!” -- Amy Siskind
“In 2008, Herschel Walker’s ex-wife said he pointed a gun at her and said: ‘I’m going to blow your f---ing brains out.’ In 2012, Walker’s ex-girlfriend told police he threatened to ‘blow her head off.’ In 2021, Mitch McConnell endorsed him for Senate.” -- Keith Boykin
Editorial: It’s the Republican way.
The men shot by Kyle Rittenhouse in August 2020 can potentially be referred to at his trial as "rioters" or "looters," a Wisconsin judge said Monday while reiterating his long-held view that attorneys should not use the word "victim."
The United States has issued its first passport with an “X” gender designation — a milestone in the recognition of the rights of people who don’t identify as male or female — and expects to be able to offer the option to nonbinary, intersex and gender-nonconforming people early next year, the State Department said Wednesday.
Australian soccer star Josh Cavallo comes out as gay. Australian soccer star Josh Cavallo came out Wednesday, becoming the only openly gay male top-level professional soccer player in the world.
Florida strips schools of federal aid as punishment for imposing mask mandates. The Florida Department of Education (DOE) this week withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding from two school districts because of their masking policies, defying warnings from the Biden administration.Alachua County officials in a statement said the state stripped more than $160,000 this week as punishment for the school district requiring masks. That figure equals the monthly salary of five school board members, as well as the entire amount of the federal grant meant to compensate school districts that have their money withheld by the state.
Why even some vaccinated parents aren't planning to rush to give kids Covid shot. More than 1.9 million children ages 5 to 11 have tested positive for the coronavirus, and more than 8,400 have been hospitalized, officials said. Nearly 100 have died. Polling suggests an uphill battle to convince parents about the vaccine for young children. Only a third of parents said they would immediately seek vaccinations for kids 5 to 11, according to Kaiser Family Foundation polling.
Cheap antidepressant shows promise treating early COVID-19. A cheap antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk adults with COVID-19 in a study hunting for existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat coronavirus.
Costco told employees last week that it would increase its minimum wage from $16 an hour to $17 starting on Monday.
Starbucks raising pay up to $23 per hour. The Seattle-based coffee giant said all of its U.S. workers will earn at least $15 — and up to $23 — per hour by next summer. In late January, employees with two or more years of service will get a 5% raise, while those with five or more years of service could receive up to a 10% raise. Workers can also get a $200 recruitment bonus to help attract new employees.
Taiwan's President says the threat from China is increasing 'every day' and confirms presence of US troops on the island.
The FDA announced changes including new labeling with a boxed warning and a patient checklist telling people that implants don't last a lifetime.
2nd onion recall issued after US salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds. The recall for red, white and yellow onions is a precaution because they could have salmonella. People who have these are urged to throw them out.
Cigarette sales increased in 2020 for first time in two decades. The FTC also noted that advertising and “promotional expenditures” for cigarettes between 2019 and 2020 increased. Last year, $7.84 billion was spent on advertising and promotional expenses compared to $7.62 billion in 2019.
Malaysian gynaecologist creates 'world's first unisex condom'. A Malaysian gynaecologist has created what he says is the world's first unisex condom that can be worn by females or males and is made from a medical grade material usually used as a dressing for injuries and wounds.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
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