And another day of a ‘global train wreck in slow motion,’ mass murder at Ugandan school, allowing trans people to self-ID on birth certificates, losing confidence in science, obesity, deepfake pornography, ‘guaranteed income,’ and night owls comes to a close:
“Let's stop pretending both parties are the same.” — John Pavlovitz
Why Gretchen Whitmer Has What It Takes for a White House Run. For Whitmer, that encounter in the state Senate was seminal. She would not quietly tolerate misogynistic behavior as women before her had to do. Her lewd male colleague learned a lesson other foes—including Trump—would come to know: Whitmer doesn’t go looking for trouble, but if you come for her, she will punch you in the mouth…Whitmer describes herself as a progressive Democrat, but observing her up close, I see her core ideology as getting shit done…As a former aide who remains close to Whitmer put it to me, no matter what the issue is, the process for moving forward is always the same: “Find the partners, build the coalition, get the thing done.”…Whitmer’s rise has also been part of a sea change in Michigan politics. In 2015 there were three women representing Michigan in the House of Representatives: Debbie Dingell, Brenda Lawrence, and Candice Miller. In the Senate, Debbie Stabenow. Today, six of Michigan’s 13 House seats are held by women. Both the secretary of state and attorney general are women. Michigan has its first woman Senate majority leader, and 40 percent of the state legislature is now female. Consider this: Gary Peters, first elected to the Senate in 2014, is the last male officeholder to have won a statewide race in Michigan…Another realization clicked in my brain. The experiences Whitmer says have shaped her as a leader—being a single working mom, caring for the sick parent, dealing with harassing men—are unique to women and common to women. That these experiences are commonplace makes her relatable. Each trial has compounded upon itself to make her stronger, more skilled, and turn her into the person before me—an enormous talent coming at a time when America has seen enough women in power that it is more likely to embrace her than be threatened by her. Women no longer have to model themselves after men to be recognized as leaders. I see her now: She is a strong female executive who could be elected president.
'Global train wreck in slow motion': Scientists say early June temperatures exceeded Paris Agreement limit. “As a climate scientist I feel like I am watching a global train wreck in slow motion. It’s quite frustrating.”
At least 6 killed, dozens injured in weekend shootings across US. The shootings in suburban Chicago, Washington state, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore follow a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that experts say accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.
At least 41 killed in rebel attack on Ugandan school near Congo border. Suspected rebels attacked a school in a remote area of Uganda near the Congo border, killing at least 41 people in a nighttime raid before fleeing across the porous frontier, authorities said. Thirty-eight students in their dormitories were among the victims. Some students were burned beyond recognition, and others were shot or hacked to death after militants armed with guns and machetes attacked the school in the frontier district of Kasese, a local mayor told The Associated Press.
Queensland passes new law allowing trans people to self-ID on birth certificates. The changes mean people aged 16 and over can legally self-identify on their birth certificate without sexual reassignment surgery, as long as a supporting statement is provided by an adult they’ve known for at least a year. People aged 12 to 15 can do so too if they get parental permission or apply to the courts, The Australian reported. Parents also have the option to not list any gender on the birth certificate of a newborn, with attorney-general Yvette D’Ath saying it would “give people the greatest agency over what information they want recorded”. “Providing these protections to trans and gender-diverse people does not pose a threat to others.”
Americans’ confidence in science dropped in 2022: survey. Thirty-nine percent of Americans said they have a “great deal” of confidence in science, down from 48 percent in 2018 and 2021…“Science must be bipartisan,” Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, told the AP. “The causes of Alzheimer’s are the same whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat. The fusion that goes on in the sun is the same whether you live in Topeka or you live in San Francisco.”
People are still being awful on flights, and no one really knows why. “I’m not sure if there is an overall increase in a feeling of self-entitlement,” said aviation security expert Jeffrey Price, the owner of the airport management consultancy Leading Edge Strategies, “or if people are, for some reason post-Covid, feeling more empowered to assert what authority or influence they believe they have.” Looking at more than 20,000 reports submitted by around 40 airlines worldwide, IATA found the most common types of unruly conduct last year were non-compliance with crew instructions, followed by verbal abuse and intoxication…“And the key here is that the numbers are only a part of the story. It’s the behavior behind the numbers that is causing us some concern.”
'I need lunch money,' Alabama school stamps on child's arm. She said that the school first sends emails when a child's account balance is low or negative. If parents do not respond, she said that lunchroom workers use the stickers, or stamps, like Bivens' son received. "It's a form of bullying and shaming the kids," Bivens said…Even if the child had a negative balance and did need money, Bivens thought the stamp was unacceptable.
Teens with severe obesity are turning to surgery and new weight loss drugs, despite controversy. But medical experts who treat kids with severe obesity say research is clear: Diet and exercise alone aren’t enough.
Sharing deepfake pornography could soon be illegal in America. A new piece of legislation being introduced this week would make sharing non-consensual AI-generated pornography illegal in the United States, and open up new legal avenues for those impacted…A few years back, a user needed to have a certain level of technical skills to create AI-generated content, but now it’s just a matter of downloading an app or clicking a few buttons. Now experts say there’s an entire commercial industry that thrives on creating and sharing digitally created content of sexual abuse, including websites that have hundreds of thousands of paying members. Dr. Mary Anne Franks, a law professor and president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to combatting online abuse, explained that it’s hard to undo the harm once this content, real or fabricated, is shared publicly…“This [bill] will signify to people who are posting this material, that it's not going to be a free ride anymore, they're not going to be able to be shielded from prosecution potentially. And they're not going to be shielded from facing lawsuits,” he added.
New documentary shines light on impact of "guaranteed income" programs. Just a few years ago, the idea of giving people money with no strings attached was seen as ludicrous in mainstream policy circles. This week, a documentary on so-called "guaranteed income" programs premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival that underscores just how much currency the idea has gained.
Gloria Estefan became the first Latina inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Throughout her career of more than four decades, Estefan was key in integrating Latin sounds into the fabric of the American mainstream and pop music scenes.
Biden spotlights Live Nation, Ticketmaster pledge for transparent pricing. As part of Thursday's announcement, Live Nation is pledging to roll out "upfront all-in" pricing starting in September.
Grammys: Only ‘human creators’ eligible to win, recording academy says response to AI. The Recording Academy are making several changes to the Grammy Awards, including a rule that stipulates “only human creators” can win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music.
Night owls may have unhealthy habits that lead to early death, study says. “The increased risk of mortality associated with being a clearly ‘evening’ person appears to be mainly accounted for by a larger consumption of tobacco and alcohol. This is compared to those who are clearly ‘morning’ persons.”…For the new study, researchers looked at death records of a subset (8,728 participants) of the original study. After adjusting the data to account for educational level, use of alcohol, smoking, the level of body mass, and sleep duration, the study found that being a night owl increased the risk of an early death by about 9% compared with morning types, who are often called early birds.
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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