And another day of even more Republican incompetence, fewer Americans disapprove of Capitol takeover, SC strikes down abortion ban, FL schools purge LGBTQ library books, 2/3 glaciers disappearing by 2100, stolen Twitter accounts, and banning ChatGPT comes to a close:
“Welcome to the Monkey House.” -- Kurt Vonnegut
Covid Deaths
US: 1,120,804 (+764)
World: 6,406,011 (+2213)
Covid Cases
US: 103,048,885 (+85,515)
World: 667,111,756 (+508,872)
McCarthy fails for 3rd long day in GOP House speaker fight. Pressure was building as McCarthy lost seventh, eighth and then historic ninth, 10th and 11th rounds of voting, surpassing the number 100 years ago, in a prolonged fight to choose a speaker in a disputed election. By nightfall, despite raucous protests from Democrats, Republicans voted to adjourn and return Friday to try again.
House adjourns for third day without picking a speaker in longest contest in 164 years. Even after proposing major concessions to his hardline conservative opponents late Wednesday, the California Republican has still not yet been able to lock in the 218 votes he needs to win the gavel. The longer the fight drags out, the more dire it becomes for McCarthy’s future, as it risks further defections and a loss of confidence in the GOP leader.
This may be the most important graph of the pandemic so far. Obviously individual risk will depend on your risk to start with. However, if that’s what it looks like after 3 infections, what will it look like after 10?
Most Americans — but fewer than in 2021 — disapprove of the January 6 Capitol takeover. Two years ago, just 9% of Americans said they strongly or somewhat approved of the takeover; now, 20% do. The share who approve of the takeover has increased 13 percentage points among Democrats (to 16%, from 3%) and 16 percentage points among Republicans (to 32%, from 16%), with no significant change observed among Independents. However, the share of Independents who say they're not sure has increased to 25% from 6%. — WTF?
Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow won’t seek reelection in 2024. Sen. Debbie Stabenow will not seek reelection in 2024, the longtime Michigan Democrat said Thursday, opening up a Senate seat in a key swing state. “Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate.”
South Carolina's top court strikes down six-week abortion ban. South Carolina's Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a state law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional because it violates a right to privacy, handing a major win to abortion rights supporters in the U.S. South.
"Don't Say Gay": Florida schools purge library books with LGBTQ characters. But despite these protestations, Florida schools are using the law to justify the erasure of LGBTQ people. Public records obtained by Popular Information through the Florida Freedom to Read Project reveal that several Florida schools have already removed books with LGBTQ characters from their libraries, citing the Parental Rights in Education Act. Further, training materials produced by the Florida Department of Education for librarians reveal that the DeSantis administration is encouraging this expansive interpretation of the law. — DeSantis, the fascist that he is, is trying to erase LGBTQ people in Florida. He wants to do the same to all LGBTQ people across America. Don’t fall for the ‘this is about saving the kids’ bullshit.
“Vouchers for religious schools are a scam to redirect public tax money into churches that pay no taxes. They are double-dipping on their tax exempt status.” — Jessica Piper
Study: Two-thirds of glaciers on track to disappear by 2100. The world’s glaciers are shrinking and disappearing faster than scientists thought, with two-thirds of them projected to melt out of existence by the end of the century at current climate change trends, according to a new study. But if the world can limit future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree and fulfill international goals — technically possible but unlikely according to many scientists — then slightly less than half the globe’s glaciers will disappear, said the same study. Mostly small but well-known glaciers are marching to extinction, study authors said. In an also unlikely worst-case scenario of several degrees of warming, 83% of the world’s glaciers would likely disappear by the year 2100, study authors said.
Alien Ant Farm Singer Charged After Touching His Own Crotch With Fan’s Hand. In footage from the concert — captured at the 2:50-mark of the video below — Mitchell is seen grabbing the hand of a concertgoer standing in the first row during the show-ending performance of “Smooth Criminal.” The handshake turned criminal, the accuser says, when Mitchell moved both his and the fan’s hand toward his “genital area,” which he appeared to briefly touch before the fan quickly recoiled his arm.
Hackers post email addresses linked to 200 million Twitter accounts, security researchers say. The apparent data leak could expose the real-life identities of anonymous Twitter users and make it easier for criminals to hijack Twitter accounts, the experts warned, or even victims’ accounts on other websites. The trove of leaked records also includes Twitter users’ names, account handles, follower numbers and the dates the accounts were created, according to forum listings reviewed by security researchers and shared with CNN.
ChatGPT banned from New York City public schools’ devices and networks. New York City's Department of Education announced a ban on the wildly popular chatbot ChatGPT — which some have warned could inspire more student cheating — from its schools’ devices and networks. -- Banning the technology is not the answer. The technology will just keep getting better, and be a fixture in student’s lives as they get older. Pretending it doesn’t exist does not make it go away.
A new test for autism hopes to help doctors diagnose before symptoms show. The test — which is still in the early stages of development by the startup LinusBio and a ways from federal approval — is a diagnostic aid, meant to assist clinicians in identifying autism but not to be relied on alone.
'Stranger Things' actor Noah Schnapp comes out as gay in TikTok video. "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know.'"
NFL will not resume Bills-Bengals game. The NFL will not resume the Bills-Bengals game that was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on the field, two people familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the league is still figuring out how to determine playoff seedings and scheduling. The NFL Players Association must approve changes.
A Comet Zooming Toward Us Could Soon Be Visible With the Naked Eye. The comet is expected to be closest to Earth on Feb. 1, according to NASA, at which point it could become a magnitude six object, just bright enough to see with the unaided eye, though binoculars and very dark skies always help.
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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