And another day of incredibly low unemployment, halting KY’s abortion ban, Kushner questions, most people want mask mandates for travelers, the data on Abbott’s border initiative, DeSantis being more dangerous than Trump, and DeSantis gets his revenge on Disney comes to a close:
“It couldn’t be more simple. A vote for Republicans is a vote to destroy Democracy.” — Rob Reiner (Explain to me how this isn’t true.)
Deaths
US: 1,017,609
World: 6,236,397
Cases
US: 82,553,058
World: 507,804,429
Officials warn of mass grave near Mariupol with as many as 9,000 bodies, calling it the 'new Babi Yar'. In a statement, Maxar said the graves began to appear toward the end of March and continued to expand in April. The company said the apparent graves were dug in four rows, each about 280 feet long. The City Council said the bodies may have been buried in layers.
Fewest Americans collecting jobless aid since 1970. Applications for unemployment benefits inched down last week as the total number of Americans collecting aid fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years.
Federal judge halts Kentucky’s restrictive new abortion law. In a 21-page ruling, Louisville-based U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings, a Trump appointee, sided with Planned Parenthood’s request to block Kentucky officials from enforcing the sweeping new law, which providers say essentially eliminates all abortion services in the state.
Why the hell isn’t Jared Kushner’s $2 billion Saudi payment a big scandal? It’s damn hard to not see the $2 billion investment as either a payoff for past services rendered or a preemptive bribe should Trump manage to regain the White House. And it could be both. It’s a wonder that the disclosure of this deal hasn’t created more of a fuss and prompted congressional investigations. (Imagine what Republicans and Fox News would be doing if Hunter Biden received $2 billion from a Ukrainian government leader who was responsible for the gruesome murder of an American resident.) A 10-figure payment to a relative of a former president who is essentially the current (though undeclared) GOP frontrunner in the 2024 contest and possibly the next inhabitant of the White House is a major scandal. Or it should be.
Most people in US want masks for travelers: AP-NORC poll. The poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that despite opposition to that requirement that included verbal abuse and physical violence against flight attendants, 56% of those surveyed favor requiring people on planes, trains and public transportation to wear masks, compared with 24% opposed and 20% who say they are neither in favor nor opposed. -- This country is run by the minority.
What to know about Judge Kathryn Mizelle, who struck down the travel mask mandate. She was nominated by former President Donald Trump in September 2020 at age 33 and confirmed by a 49-to-41 Senate vote later that year…and served as a law clerk for several federal judges as well as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas…and belongs to the conservative Federalist Society, which advocates for an originalist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution…During her Senate confirmation process, the American Bar Association (ABA) said she was not qualified for the position because she had not been practicing law for long enough. — And here we are.
“Perhaps there’s something wrong with a system that allows a 35-year-old, unelected, Trump-nominated judge — whom the American Bar Association deemed unqualified — to strike down the travel mask mandate for the entire country?” — Robert Reich
Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it. The Board of Health voted Thursday to rescind the mandate, according to the Philadelphia health department, which released a statement that cited “decreasing hospitalizations and a leveling of case counts.”
Whole communities forced to move in Shanghai's war on Covid. An official notice issued to residents told them to pack their belongings and leave their wardrobe doors open. They were also told to leave open the front door of their home. Images on social media of people queuing with packed suitcases at night-time showed the scale of the operation.
After Democratic shutdown, Fla. Republicans pass new congressional map that kills Black district. The chamber passed the map at just before 1 p.m. as two Black Democratic members shouted a call-and-response chant in opposition to it. The new map was drawn at the insistence of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who demanded the elimination of a Black-heavy congressional seat; Democrats say the redrawn districts unravel Black political power in the state. The Senate voted Wednesday to pass the map.
Texas’ Governor Brags About His Border Initiative. The Data Doesn’t Back Him Up. Arrests of U.S. citizens hundreds of miles from the border. Claiming drug busts from across the state. Changing statistics. We dug into the data Texas leaders use to boast about Operation Lone Star, and it raises more questions than answers.
Disney self-government in peril after Florida House vote. The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final passage to a bill that would dissolve Walt Disney World’s private government, handing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis a victory in his feud with the entertainment giant over its opposition to a measure that critics have dubbed the “ Don’t Say Gay ” law. -- Whether you agree or not that Disney should be self-governing, the bottom line here is that DeSantis and FL Republicans are practicing revenge, payback, and cancel culture because they didn’t like what a private company said about a law they passed. That should bother you. Having Republicans in charge of anything is a danger to our democracy. Essentially, Disney was on DeSantis’ enemies list. You know that term. Nixon had one.
DeSantis vs. Disney: Homophobia and hate are beneath the surface of high-minded, right-wing talking points. The Walt Disney Company, a longtime engine of Florida’s economy, now finds itself in a disorienting position: Enemy of Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis. And let’s be clear about the root cause: Resistance to LGBTQ equality...It is a conservative backlash to growing acceptance of gay and transgender people, with entire networks and websites programming to a fear that conservative beliefs are being trampled on.
Ron DeSantis has taken Trump’s playbook — and made it much more dangerous. Certainly, what’s happening now in Florida looks a lot like the thought control that has happened in totalitarian societies. Whether in the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany or today’s China, the banning of books is a central strategy for strongmen. DeSantis has no qualms using that playbook if he thinks it will benefit him politically. And it very well may be benefitting him politically. -- Fuck DeSantis. And fuck you if you support him. You’re a fascist.
Seals stoned and chased in spate of attacks over Easter. Seals were pelted with stones, grabbed by their flippers and chased by dogs in a spate of attacks on English beaches over Easter, a charity has said…The charity also said some of its volunteer medics who were treating the injured animals had been abused…Dan Jarvis, director of welfare at BDMLR, said over the past three or four years harassment of seals had become "an almost daily occurrence somewhere in the country". — WTF? Some people are a scourge on this planet.
Jupiter's moon Europa may have a habitable ice shell. On Jupiter's moon Europa, a saltwater ocean exists deep beneath a thick ice shell. Now, a surprising connection between the ice shell and the Greenland ice sheet on Earth has provided new insight: Europa's ocean may be habitable, according to a new study.
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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