And another day of new evidence, FL laws targeting LGBTQ+, abortion pill pushback, TX GOP eroding blue cities’ power, hitting the 1.5ºC threshold, Uber and teens, zapping brains, MT bans TikTok, the shrinking importance of religion, and overlooking breast play comes to a close:
“It’s always the people who brag about their Christianity who hate vulnerable people the most.” — Elizabeth Spiers
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified. The National Archives has informed former president Donald Trump that it is set to hand over to special counsel Jack Smith 16 records which show Trump and his top advisers had knowledge of the correct declassification process while he was president, according to multiple sources. In a May 16 letter obtained by CNN, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall writes to Trump, “The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records.” -- Of course, he fucking knew. His plan was to use them to make money because that’s who he is. He has no loyalty to America, or Americans, or really any people in general.
Key Trump attorney says he’s departing legal team as Mar-a-Lago probe intensifies. A key lawyer for former President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was leaving the legal team, a move that comes as a special counsel investigation into the retention of classified documents shows signs of being in its final stages.
DeSantis signs bills targeting drag shows, pronouns, bathroom use and transgender children. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chose a Christian school as his setting for signing bills Wednesday that ban gender affirming care for minors, restricts pronoun use in schools and forces people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex in some cases. DeSantis has made anti-LGBTQ+ legislation a large part of his agenda as he builds towards a Republican presidential campaign. He signed the bills in front of a cheering crowd at the Cambridge Christian School in Tampa. The ceremony had a campaign-like feel, as opposed to when he signed measures on abortion and gun rights in private. -- Then make sure to read the following article.⬇
Florida's Trans Bathroom Ban Signed: Arrests To Follow Regardless Of Legal Gender Status. Today, Ron DeSantis posed with several children as he signed multiple laws targeting the transgender community. One law expands “Don’t Say Gay” to the 12th grade, bans books, and bans updating pronouns, making transition in a school environment much more difficult. Another uses obscenity laws to potentially target drag events, which has already led to pride parades being cancelled. Yet another bill bans gender affirming care for trans youth and bans nurse practitioners — the providers of nearly 80% of gender-affirming care — from treating trans adults. The most troubling bill, though, is a ban on transgender people in bathrooms that comes with criminal charges and jail sentences. The wording of the ban raises serious concerns that many transgender adults are in imminent danger of arrest once the law comes into effect. -- Read all of that again. That’s a lot of shit. Then go finish the article. There’s more. Florida is officially a fascist state, and those supporting DeSantis are goose stepping behind him.
Texas Senate approves bill restricting which college sports teams transgender athletes can join. Senate Bill 15 requires athletes to join the college sports teams that align with their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their gender identity. It provides whistleblower protections for people who report violations at a university athletics program and allows people to file civil lawsuits against a college or university if they believe the institution has violated the law. The legislation allows female athletes to participate on men’s sports teams if a school does not have a women’s team for the same sport. The legislation would also prevent transgender athletes outside of Texas from participating in competitions that are hosted in the state.
Supreme Court lets Illinois keep ban on sale of some semiautomatic guns for now. The high court denied an emergency request from people challenging the law, which bans so-called assault weapons. The law’s opponents had asked the court to put the law on hold while a court challenge continues. The court did not comment and no justice publicly dissented.
Gun-loving Texas, where most households own a firearm, has become an epicenter of mass shootings. There is a direct correlation between states with weaker gun laws and higher rates of gun deaths, according to a study first published by Everytown in 2021. That relation is evident in Texas, where the number of mass shootings has tripled in the past five years, while mass shootings nationwide have nearly doubled from 2018 through the end of last year, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA)...Despite the rise of high-profile mass shootings in Texas – including in Uvalde, where a shooter opened fire in Robb Elementary School last May, killing 19 children and two teachers – the state has repeatedly loosened restrictions on gun ownership in recent years...Gun rights advocates and conservatives, including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, have continued to advocate for weaker gun laws. They argue that more firearms and higher gun ownership increases public safety – a stance that continues to be at odds with gun violence experts and data.
Abortion pill case moves to appeals court, on track for Supreme Court. Lawyers seeking to preserve pregnant women’s access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion got pushback Wednesday from appellate judges with a history of supporting abortion restrictions. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over whether the Food and Drug Administration approval of mifepristone should be revoked more than two decades after it was granted. The case is likely to wind up at the Supreme Court, which already intervened to keep the drug available while the legal fight winds through the courts. The high court’s decision came after a Texas-based judge revoked the drug’s approval.
Here are all of the abortion debates happening this week in US courts and statehouses. This round of efforts centers on states that have considered bans before and a policy that’s been bouncing around federal courts. Here are key things to know about the latest developments in the saga of how abortion policy will settle after the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion. -- Republicans plan to implement a national ban on women’s healthcare. Stop voting for Republicans.
Abortion after 12 weeks banned in North Carolina after GOP lawmakers override governor’s veto. The vote came as abortion rights in the U.S. faced another tectonic shift with lawmakers in South Carolina and Nebraska also considering new abortion limits. North and South Carolina have been two of the few remaining Southern states with relatively easy access. Nationally, bans on abortion throughout pregnancy are in effect in 14 states. -- Republicans continue their assault on healthcare and their war against women.
DeSantis criticized for mandating Asian American history while banning courses on 'systemic racism'. A new law in Florida mandates the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in public schools. But many Asian Americans are not celebrating, pointing to how other marginalized communities are being impacted by the state heavily limiting the instruction of systemic racism and gender identity in the classroom. -- DeFascist is actively trying to erase certain groups of people--the groups of people he doesn’t like--while simultaneously promoting the groups of people he does like. Fascist may be too far left of word to describe him.
Jacksonville elects first female mayor, giving Florida Democrats a rare win in GOP-dominated state. Democrat Donna Deegan’s decisive win over a Republican in the open Jacksonville mayor’s race will make her the first woman to hold the job in the Florida city’s history, sparking a flicker of hope for a besieged Democratic Party that has few levers of power in a state dominated by the GOP...Democrats know they have a steep hill to climb to return to relevance. While Jacksonville was firmly Republican two decades ago, shifting demographics have made it more of a swing city. And the way Jacksonville votes isn’t necessarily a harbinger for next year’s election. Jacksonville makes up almost all of Duval County, which has supported the eventual loser in three of the last four presidential elections. -- Don’t get too excited.
Texas GOP’s broadest attempt yet to erode blue cities’ power gets one step closer to becoming law. Republican state leaders’ broadest effort to prevent Democratic-run cities and counties from enacting progressive policies — which could drastically limit local government’s ability to make rules on areas like labor rights, drought restrictions and even noise complaints — is one step closer to becoming law…The bill represents a considerable escalation — if not the climax — of Texas Republican leaders’ crusade over much of the past decade to erode the power of the state’s large urban areas, which are often controlled by Democrats. As early as 2017, Abbott had mused about an “across-the-board” ban on local regulations…Republicans and business groups have particularly chafed at local ordinances that aim to give greater benefits to workers than those allowed under state law, like mandatory paid sick leave — which has been approved by three major cities but has stalled out in the courts — and mandated water breaks for construction workers in Austin and Dallas.
The likelihood that Earth briefly hits key warming threshold grows bigger and closer, UN forecasts. The World Meteorological Organization forecasts a 66% likelihood that between now and 2027, the globe will have a year that averages 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the mid 19th century. That number is critical because the 2015 Paris climate agreement set 1.5 degrees Celsius as a global guardrail in atmospheric warming, with countries pledging to try to prevent that much long-term warming if possible. Scientists in a special 2018 United Nations report said going past that point would be drastically and dangerously different with more death, destruction and damage to global ecosystems...Those 66% odds of a single year hitting that threshold in five years have increased from 48% last year, 40% the year before, 20% in 2020 and 10% about a decade ago. The WMO report is based on calculations by 11 different climate science centers across the globe...“We don’t expect the longer-term average to pass 1.5 C until the early-to-mid 2030s,” Hausfather said in an email. But each year at or near 1.5 matters. -- That’s only a decade away. It’ll be here before we know it.
The world is about to experience its hottest year yet and may likely surpass 1.5C of warming, UN warns: "There's no return". At that threshold, most areas on land will experience hotter days, with roughly 14% of the planet's population "exposed to severe heatwaves "at least once every five years," according to NASA. The U.N. has also warned that at this amount of global warming, precipitation and droughts will both be more frequent and intense, and that there will be far greater risks related to energy, food and water.
When Do We Officially Declare that the GOP has Killed America? Next year we’ll have what may well be our last chance to reclaim the values of democracy, pluralism, and egalitarianism that have animated this country since her founding. And nobody can say they weren’t warned about the stakes.
Black victims of violent crime disproportionately denied aid in many states. Every state has a program to reimburse victims for lost wages, medical bills, funerals and other expenses, awarding hundreds of millions in aid each year. But an Associated Press examination found that Black victims and their families are disproportionately denied compensation in many states, often for subjective reasons that experts say are rooted in racial biases. -- Wear “wokeness” as a badge of honor.
There’s far more to this cell biologist than meets the eye. Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith is rewriting the women in STEM narrative, one stereotype at a time...Dismantling the idea of what a typical scientist looks like is a cause Atkin-Smith is steadfastly committed to, primarily because she sees first-hand the impact these stereotypes have on the prevalence of young women taking up STEM-related careers...As the adage goes, you can’t be what you can’t see, but how can we encourage young women and girls to consider careers in science and engineering when an antiquated portrayal of the realities of those careers persists? According to Atkin-Smith, it starts with visibility. “Young people are not given enough information about what a career in science looks like,” she muses. “I think of myself 15 years ago, and I had no idea what career opportunities were out there.” Long gone is the career in science that was all lab coats and Bunsen burners—today, the opportunities for careers in science span from developing makeup formulations to reef exploration to the study of cells—but encouraging young women to pursue a career in the field relies on those already in it to change the narrative.
The importance of religion in the lives of Americans is shrinking. Just 16% of Americans surveyed said religion is the most important thing in their lives, according to the PRRI study, down from 20% a decade ago. Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, says that this data reflects another trend in American religious life. "Americans," she says, "are becoming increasingly likely to become religiously unaffiliated." -- Religion is neither necessary nor sufficient for being a good person. Leave the pews.
New Washington law keeps drugs illegal, boosts resources for housing and treatment. Washington lawmakers approved and Gov. Jay Inslee quickly signed a major new drug policy Tuesday that keeps controlled substances illegal while boosting resources to help those struggling with addiction. A compromise reached a day earlier by Democratic and Republican leaders sought to bridge a gap between liberals who believe drugs should be decriminalized and conservatives who insist the threat of jail is necessary to force people into treatment.
Police to use live facial recognition in Cardiff during Beyoncé concert. Daragh Murray, a senior lecturer of law at Queen Mary University in London, said the normalisation of invasive surveillance capability at events such as a concert was concerning, and was taking place without any real public debate. “I find it very hard to believe that it could be useful at a concert, or at a rugby match,” said Murray, who has studied the Metropolitan police’s use of LFR. “But given the really significant interference with human rights, I think it’s up to the police to provide a really compelling argument as to why it’s necessary.” With live facial recognition technology, it is typically a standalone deployment where, using cameras, police scan passersby to match biometrics against those held on a watchlist.
Uber will now let teens ride in cars alone. At its annual product event on Wednesday, Uber unveiled a new teen accounts feature, which allows teens between the ages of 13-17 to hail rides and be in the car on their own. Their parents and guardians can also monitor them remotely through the app. The new option rolls out on May 22 in more than a dozen metro areas in the United States and Canada – including New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston – with plans to launch in more cities in the coming weeks and months.
People are zapping their brains at home to improve focus and clear brain fog. But is it safe? Most brain stimulating techniques involve placing electrodes — conductors through which electricity travels — on certain parts of a person’s head. These electrodes send tiny electrical impulses through the skull to the brain. Medical uses of brain stimulation typically take place in hospitals or doctors' offices. But the use of at-home brain stimulation devices is flourishing among a group of enthusiasts, who say it enhances their mental state and gives them an edge, like on an upcoming exam or a project at work. Others credit it as a way to achieve deeper meditative states or mental clarity.
Montana becomes 1st state to enact ban on TikTok; law likely to be challenged. Montana’s new law prohibits downloads of TikTok in the state and would fine any “entity” — an app store or TikTok — $10,000 per day for each time someone “is offered the ability” to access the social media platform or download the app. The penalties would not apply to users.
U.S. forms team to set strategy on flying air taxis. The U.S. Transportation Department said the team includes NASA, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Communications Commission.
Google will start purging inactive accounts later this year. If yours has been dormant for two years, you’ll receive an email reminding you to log in and keep it active.
Microwave device could be less invasive treatment for HPV-caused cancers. Seeking an alternative treatment, Prof Sheila Graham, of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, and colleagues turned to a machine called Swift that is already used in clinics to treat stubborn warts and verrucas. It uses a small probe to deliver microwave energy to underlying cells, heating them up from the inside to about 45-48C. Unlike existing cancer and pre-cancer treatments, which also remove healthy tissue, only those cells directly below the probe are affected...The treatment also triggered the production of a molecule called p53 that causes cancerous or precancerous cells to recognise they are damaged and self-destruct. -- I love when there’s some good news to report. This is fantastically cool. Hopefully the trials prove this treatment to be effective.
A growing number of sports bras, shirts and leggings brands found with high levels of toxic chemical, watchdog warns. An increasing number of sports bra and athletic wear brands have been found with high levels of BPA in them, a chemical compound that’s used to make certain types of plastic and can lead to harmful health effects such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and obesity, a US watchdog group said on Wednesday.
Why the USDA might ban chocolate milk from school cafeterias. The proposal states, "This approach would reduce exposure to added sugars and would promote the more nutrient-dense choice of unflavored milk for young children when their tastes are being formed." More specifically, the USDA suggests limiting the amount of strawberry and chocolate milk in high schools and banning it altogether in elementary and middle schools.
Migraines and cluster headaches are linked to the body's internal clock, research finds. Some types of headaches are more likely to occur at certain times of day, as well as certain times of year, the researchers found.
Breast play is often overlooked in partnered sex. Here's how to change that. Though it ends up getting prioritised in every which way inside the bedroom, penetrative sex doesn’t always do it for women. In fact, only 18.4 percent of women can reach orgasm from penetrative intercourse alone. They are actually much more likely to achieve orgasm through hand and oral play — all the types of sex that get shoved to the side as "foreplay." Since this type of sex works best for most women, it’s time to make them the main event, and bring breast play along for the ride too. There’s a shockingly low amount of breast-related research into sexual desire out there (let’s do better, scientists!) but some research suggests that during sex, women want you to touch their boobs about as much as you want to touch them. A 2006 study (we know, it’s mad that this is the most recent breast play study) found that a whopping 81.5 percent of women surveyed received enhanced sexual arousal from breast play and nipple stimulation and wanted their partners to use it more.
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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