And another day of attempting to block arrests, Trump’s attacks building on history, SC’s all-male Supreme Court, extreme weather, breaking out the masks, commercial jets’ ‘near collisions,’ and smashing eggs comes to a close:
"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." -- Isaac Asimov
Judge denies Meadows, Clark attempts to block arrest in Georgia. Though Jones has not yet decided whether the charges must proceed in federal court, his pair of decisions clears the way for Willis to arrest Clark and Meadows if they don’t surrender by Friday.
Why Trump allies are seeking to move their cases from Georgia to federal court. Legal experts note a federal trial would be heard by a different judge and a jury pool less filled with Democrats than one in Georgia’s Fulton County. It would also not be televised. The defendants seeking to move their cases are relying on a statute that Congress first established more than 200 years ago to prevent federal officials from being stymied in carrying out their duties. The mechanism was originally created to combat state court lawsuits filed against customs officers, who were enforcing a trade embargo against England during the War of 1812. Under the current version and Supreme Court precedent, federal officials can move their state criminal prosecutions if the allegations relate to an act taken “under color of such office” and the official shows a “colorable federal defense.” Meadows argues he is immune because the allegations against him — his trip to Georgia following the 2020 election and calls he organized between Trump and election officials — was part of his job in the White House.
How Trump’s attacks on prosecutors build on history of using racist language and stereotypes. Donald Trump’s aggressive response to his fourth criminal indictment in five months follows a strategy he has long used against legal and political opponents: relentless attacks, often infused with language that is either overtly racist or is coded in ways that appeal to racists...The rhetoric is a reminder of Trump’s tendency to use coded racial messaging as a signal to supporters, an approach he has deployed over several decades as he evolved from a New York City real estate tycoon to a reality television star and, eventually, the president. Even if he doesn’t explicitly employ racial slurs, his language recalls America’s history of portraying Black people as not fully human. -- If you support Donald Trump, you are indeed a racist. Own it.
Why Trump and His Supporters Keep Calling Democrats 'Fascists'. But traditionally the labels seemed more ideologically consistent. Democrats have long compared Republicans to fascists, because the term traditionally carried with it the idea of right-wing extremism. Just as Republicans often referred to their partisan rivals as “commies” and “socialists,” terms typically associated with extreme leftism. So to hear Republicans like Trump, Giuliani, and Marjorie Taylor Greene turn the “fascist” and “Nazi” labels on Democrats is a bit more curious...Yet most reputable historians and political scientists would nonetheless classify fascists and Nazis as exemplars of the extreme far-right who were often murderously opposed to groups like socialists and communists and other members of the ideological left. But the average American doesn’t necessarily share that view...How’s that possible? It’s possible because even though the vast majority of Democrats, and most Independents, place fascists and Nazis on the right, most Republicans don’t consider those groups far-right at all. Just the opposite, in fact. In our survey, 76% of Republicans place fascists on the left side of the spectrum, and 44% rate them at 1, as far left as possible. And we see similar numbers for Nazis. Over 68% of Republicans think Nazis are left-of-center and about 43% say Nazis are the pinnacle of leftism. And just in case you think Democrats are dispassionately calling balls and strikes when it comes to history’s “bad guys,” when we asked Americans about “Communists,” roughly half of Democrats said communists were right-of-center and 28% of them rated communists as far-right as possible. Like Republicans, in other words, Democrats are often themselves quite keen on associating politically stigmatized groups with their ideological opponents, even if those stigmatized groups are notoriously on the left—like communists. The major difference, of course, is that Democrats almost never refer to Republicans as “commies.” Certainly not as often as we hear about “fascist Democrats.”...Part of the answer is pure tribal psychology. It is practically first principles in the study of group identity that when we identify with a sports team, religious group, or political party, our self-esteem is bound up with that group. As psychologist Jonathan Haidt has famously shown, our group allegiances take on a deeply moral element. We naturally tend to associate our group and its values with moral goodness and our competition with moral depravity. For Republicans (and Democrats), admitting that fascists and Nazis are on their side of the ideological spectrum—that they have any overlapping worldviews, values, or tactics with “us”—is a tribal psychology no-no. Fascists and Nazis, the exemplars of political evil, must share space with our partisan opponents. It works like a syllogism. Leftists are the bad guys. Fascists and Nazis are also bad guys. So fascists and Nazis are leftists.
South Carolina’s new all-male highest court reverses course on abortion, upholding strict 6-week ban. The continued erosion of legal abortion access across the U.S. South comes after Republican state lawmakers replaced the lone woman on the court, Justice Kaye Hearn, who reached the state’s mandatory retirement age. The 4-1 ruling departs from the court’s own decision months earlier striking down a similar ban that the Republican-led Legislature passed in 2021. The latest ban takes effect immediately.
Wildfires, hurricanes and heat: The U.S. is getting hit by extreme weather from all sides. All told, the various extremes are making for a turbulent week in nearly every corner of the country. Climate scientists also say it’s an all-too-real look at how global warming increases the risks — and consequences — of the deadly events.
It may be time to break out the masks against Covid, some experts say. “Octogenarians comprise the highest-risk group for complications following Covid infection,” Reiner said. “At least until the numbers start to drop again, it would be appropriate for President Biden to take some precautions and wear a mask in crowds.” Other high-risk groups include people with diabetes, cancer, chronic liver, kidney or lung disease, organ or stem cell transplants, HIV or other immunocompromising conditions, a history of heart disease or stroke, dementia or mental health issues.
Early testing suggests variant BA.2.86 has been detected in US wastewater, CDC report says. Preliminary testing of wastewater in the United States has detected the new highly mutated coronavirus variant BA.2.86, according to a risk assessment posted Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC did not give details on where the positive wastewater sample had been collected but said it was part of routine monitoring through its National Wastewater Surveillance System.
Kentucky school district cancels classes less than two weeks into year due to Covid, flu and strep outbreaks. The district canceled classes Tuesday and Wednesday and will shift to remote learning on Thursday and Friday. Extracurricular activities, including sports practices and games, have been canceled through the week to allow for a deep clean of the school, Schuler said.
A third of adults believe COVID-19 vaccines caused thousands of sudden deaths: poll. The new polling data found that a third of adults believed the COVID-19 vaccines “caused thousands of sudden deaths in otherwise healthy people,” with 10 percent believing that claim to be “definitely true” and 23 percent saying it was “probably true.” Another 34 percent said it was “probably false,” and 31 percent said that claim was “definitely false.”...In the same poll, roughly a quarter of people said they believed vaccinations against measles, mumps and rubella caused autism in children, and that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility. No evidence has so far been found to indicate that immunization against the coronavirus affects male or female fertility...Regarding reproductive health, about a third of survey participants said they believed sex education would lead to teens being more sexually active, and also that birth control the pill or IUDs make it harder for women to get pregnant after they stop using those methods. Even larger shares of participants believed in misinformation having to do with gun violence, with 60 percent saying they believed “armed school police guards have been proven to prevent school shootings.”...Another 42 percent said they believed people who have firearms in their homes are less likely to be killed by a gun than people without guns at home. In fact, the opposite has been observed, with a 2022 analysis of California adults from 2004-16 finding that overall homicide rates were more than two times higher among people who lived with gun owners than those who didn’t...KFF found that certain groups were more susceptible to misinformation than others, including those with lower levels of educational attainment, those who identify as Republican as well as Black and Hispanic adults.
'Near Collisions' of Commercial Jets Happen All the Time, Horrifying FAA Records Show. The Times analysis shows that such “close calls” are happening multiple times a week—and that there were 46 such incidents reported last month alone. During the most recent 12-month period where data was available, reporters found that there were roughly 300 reported “near collision” incidents involving major airlines, some of which avoided disaster only via last second maneuvering. The concrete details of some of these incidents are laid bare in the Times reporting—and are probably enough to make some readers swear off air travel for the rest of their natural lives. A vast majority of the incidents are said to be the result of pilot or air traffic controller error, and many of them happen in and around airports during take off or landing, the Times reports.
Europe’s sweeping rules for tech giants are about to kick in — here’s how they work. The DSA, which the biggest platforms must start following Friday, is designed to keep users safe online and stop the spread of harmful content that’s either illegal or violates a platform’s terms of service, such as promotion of genocide or anorexia. It also looks to protect Europeans’ fundamental rights like privacy and free speech...Instead, the DSA is more about whether tech companies have the right processes in place to reduce the harm that their algorithm-based recommendation systems can inflict on users. Essentially, they’ll have to let the European Commission, the E.U.’s executive arm and top digital enforcer, look under the hood to see how their algorithms work.
Meta releases an AI model that can transcribe and translate close to 100 languages. Available in open source along with SeamlessAlign, a new translation data set, Meta claims that SeamlessM4T represents a “significant breakthrough” in the field of AI-powered speech-to-speech and speech-to-text.
Parents are smashing eggs on their kids heads in new TikTok prank. Doctors say they should stop. A viral prank in which parents film themselves cracking an egg on their toddlers’ heads is taking over TikTok. But some medical experts say the laughs may not be worth the potential harmful effects the stunt could have on kids...The parents most likely see it as lighthearted fun. But in the comments of the videos and in video stitches, dozens of TikTok users have expressed concern that the children shown are being hurt or humiliated. Several medical experts told NBC News that while they don’t think the parents in the videos seem malicious, the prank could have unintended short-term effects, including bruising a child’s head or spreading germs from the egg. -- Humanity, 2023.
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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