And another day of the ‘most wide ranging investigation in its history,’ Mastriano, keeping MTG on GA ballot, a bill to enact SCOTUS term limits, ACA again under attack, the ISS, vanishing glaciers, climate disinformation, and dogs can see with their noses comes to a close:
“For the Republican establishment, there are no real limits or red lines. Bigotry, conspiracy, anti-democracy--all are to be overlooked in the service of victory for the Party. First overlooked. Then rationalized. Then justified. Ultimately...embraced.” — Bill Kristol
Deaths
US: 1,052,935 (+468)
World: 6,407,209 (+2372)
Cases
US: 92,494,018 (+154,093)
World: 577,023,105 (+1,143,257)
Merrick Garland calls Justice Department’s Jan. 6 probe the ‘most wide ranging investigation in its history’. “The indictment of a former president, and perhaps a candidate for president, would arguably tear the country apart,” Holt said. “Is that your concern as you make your decision down the road here, do you have to think about things like that?” Garland replied: “We intend to hold everyone, anyone who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding Jan. 6, for any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable. That’s what we do. We don’t pay any attention to other issues with respect to that.” Holt followed up, asking whether, if Trump were to become a candidate for president again, “that would not change your schedule or how you move forward or don’t move forward?” Garland responded: “I’ll, say again, that we will hold accountable anyone who was criminally responsible for attempting to interfere with the transfer, legitimate, lawful transfer of power from one administration to the next.” -- You better not be blowing smoke, Garland.
GOP warms to far-right gubernatorial nominee in Pennsylvania. In one of America’s most politically divided states, the GOP’s embrace of a candidate who opposes abortion rights with no exceptions, spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and was outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection risks alienating moderate party members. But some Republicans say they’re duty bound to get behind their party’s nominee. — “Duty bound.” Famous last words. Fucking fascists. — No GOP contender for governor in the U.S. did more to subvert the 2020 presidential election than Mastriano — and no one may be better positioned to subvert the next one if he’s elected governor. He has rubbed elbows with QAnon conspiracy theorists, Trump’s most prominent election-denying allies and people arrested in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. His active account on Gab — a social media site popular with white supremacists and antisemites where he also spent $5,000 for advertising — prompted a condemnation by the national Republican Jewish Coalition. He has been one of Pennsylvania’s leading spreaders of Trump’s lies about fraud in the 2020 presidential election. His plan to overturn the election results — introduced as a resolution in the Legislature — drew a subpoena from the U.S. House committee investigating the insurrection…Then there’s Mastriano’s embrace of Christian nationalism, which scholars generally define as championing a fusion of American and Christian values, symbols and identity. Christian nationalism, they say, is often accompanied by a belief that God has destined America, like the biblical Israel, for a special role in history, and that it will receive divine blessing or judgment depending on its obedience…That — plus Mastriano’s talk of decertifying voting machines, opposing gay marriage and ridiculing climate change as “fake science” — hasn’t escaped Shapiro, whose campaign is running a TV ad calling Mastriano “extreme, and way too risky for Pennsylvania.” -- Mastriano is dangerous for PA, and dangerous for the American republic.
Georgia judge upholds decision to keep Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on ballot. A Georgia judge on Monday upheld Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s eligibility to run for reelection, handing another defeat to the activist groups that have tried to use the US Constitution’s ban against insurrectionists holding office to disqualify GOP candidates. -- Being an insurrectionist is not only a badge of honor for the Republican party, it’s also a prerequisite to being a member of the Republican party.
Democrats introduce bill to enact term limits for Supreme Court justices. The legislation, titled the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization Act, would authorize the president to nominate Supreme Court justices every two years — in the first and third years after a presidential election. The justices who have been on the court the longest will be moved to senior status first. If confirmed by the Senate, those individuals would serve a maximum 18 years on the bench. After their tenures are complete, the Supreme Court justices would retire from active service and assume senior status. Justices on the bench at the time of the bill’s enactment would switch to senior status one by one as justices are confirmed to the bench in the first and third years after a presidential election. Under senior status, justices will still hold their office on the Supreme Court, which includes official duties and pay. If the number of justices dips below nine at some point — because of a vacancy, disability or disqualification — the justice who most recently attained senior status would serve as the ninth associate justice.
House passes bill for research on cognitive effects of coronavirus, 69 Republicans vote "no". The House passed a bill on Tuesday to create a grant program for research into the cognitive effects of COVID-19. The legislation, titled the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act, passed in a 350-69 vote, with all opposition coming from Republicans. Eight Republicans and four Democrats did not vote.
Appeals court upholds Texas block on school mask mandates. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order that forbids school districts from imposing mask mandates on schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has been upheld by a divided federal appeals court panel.
Obamacare back in court as Texans challenge coverage for STDs and HIV care. A key piece of the Affordable Care Act is on trial Tuesday as a group of Texans challenge the law’s requirement that insurers cover preventive services — everything from STD screenings and HIV prevention drugs to depression checks and flu shots. The case before Judge Reed O’Connor — the author of several anti-Obamacare rulings — at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas is the latest conservative-led legal effort to undermine the 12-year-old law, and could determine whether insurance companies are allowed to deny coverage or charge sky-high copays for common preventive care going forward. This challenge, filed in March of 2020 by a group of Texas residents and employers and backed by former Trump officials, argues that the ACA’s preventive care mandates violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and that forcing people to pay for plans that cover STD screenings and HIV prevention drugs will “facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity, and intravenous drug use.” — Jesus fucking Christ. Republicans are relentless in their pursuit of fucking as many people over as they possible can, all in the name of religion. Healthcare is a right, assholes, not a privilege.
The International Space Station isn’t above global politics. Russia has announced that it will leave the International Space Station after 2024 and launch its own, new space station soon afterward. The move isn’t necessarily surprising, given how the ongoing war in Ukraine is shifting geopolitics. The Russian space program has been flirting with leaving the partnership for years. Still, the decision is a major blow to international collaboration in space.
Heat warnings issued as Pacific Northwest braces for soaring temperatures. Excessive heat warnings have been issued for parts of Oregon and Washington state, with temperatures potentially hitting the 90s in Seattle and as high as 110 degrees in eastern parts of Oregon and Washington. The expected high temperatures, which are uncommon for cities such as Portland and Seattle, have prompted local officials to urge residents to stay safe and take precautions.
Glaciers vanishing at record rate in Alps following heatwaves. Most of the world’s mountain glaciers — remnants of the last ice age — are retreating due to climate change. But those in the European Alps are especially vulnerable because they are smaller with relatively little ice cover. Meanwhile, temperatures in the Alps are warming at around 0.3C per decade — around twice as fast as the global average.
Climate disinformation leaves lasting mark as world heats. In 1998, as nations around the world agreed to cut carbon emissions through the Kyoto Protocol, America’s fossil fuel companies plotted their response, including an aggressive strategy to inject doubt into the public debate. “Victory,” according to the American Petroleum Institute’s memo, “will be achieved when average citizens ‘understand’ (recognize) uncertainties in climate science... Unless ‘climate change’ becomes a non-issue... there may be no moment when we can declare victory.” The memo, later leaked to The New York Times that year, went on to outline how fossil fuel companies could manipulate journalists and the broader public by muddying the evidence, by playing up “both sides” of the debate and by portraying those seeking to reduce emissions as “out of touch with reality.” Nearly 25 years later, the reality of a changing climate is now clear to most Americans, as heatwaves and wildfires, rising sea levels and extreme storms become more common. -- They fucked us all. And all for fucking money.
Police Are Using Newborn Genetic Screening to Search for Suspects, Threatening Privacy and Public Health. Nearly every baby born in the U.S. has blood drawn in the immediate hours after their birth, allowing the baby to be tested for a panel of potentially life-threatening inherited disorders. This is a vital public health program, enabling early treatment of newborns with genetic disorders; for them, it can be the difference between a healthy life and an early death. But recent news suggests that police are seeking access to these newborn blood samples in criminal investigations. Such use of this trove of genetic material — to hunt for evidence that could implicate a child’s relative in a crime — endangers public trust in this vital health program and threatens all Americans’ right to genetic privacy.
Japan minister says women ‘underestimated’. Japan’s minister for gender equality and children’s issues called the country’s record low births and plunging population a national crisis and blamed “indifference and ignorance” in the male-dominated Japanese parliament for the neglect.
‘Conclusive evidence’ repetitive head impacts can cause brain disease. New research claims to have found “conclusive evidence” that repetitive head impacts can cause degenerative brain disease, with leading sports organisations urged to acknowledge the analysis by world-leading experts.
Dogs can ‘see’ with their noses, study suggests. The discovery suggests smell and vision in dogs are integrated in some way, although it’s not known how dogs experience the two senses functioning together.
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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