Wednesday, May 12, 2021

And another day of the GOP telling you that two plus two makes five and you have to believe it comes to a close. The Republican Party is insane. Holy cow what a day. Let’s get to it:

“The vote to remove Liz Cheney is a vote to embrace the Big Lie.” — Dan Rather

“Liz Cheney’s ouster today is the latest milestone in the GOP’s transformation from a party that used to champion democracy to one that threatens our democracy. That is Trump’s poisonous legacy.” — Max Boot

“It is official. The only member of Congress to receive sanction over the Republicans attempt to overthrow an election and ensuing siege of the capitol is the woman who wouldn’t go along with it.” — Tim Miller

“You know, if you didn't know the TV footage was a video from Jan. 6, you'd think it was a normal tourist visit." — Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) (It’s a short video. Check it out.)

Deaths

US: 597,785 (+839)

World: 3,345,018 (+13,891)

Cases

US: 33,586,136 (+36,021)

World: 161,080,616 (+757,776)

In an extraordinary bow to former President Trump, House Republicans voted Wednesday to purge GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney from her leadership post, punishing the conservative Wyoming Republican for daring to refute Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen. The decision was made by voice vote, meaning there will be no tally of the lawmakers who voted to dump Cheney, or of those who wanted her to stay on. Sources inside the closed-door vote said it was an overwhelming vote against Cheney.

"I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office. We have seen the danger that he continues to provoke with his language. We've seen his lack of commitment & dedication to the Constitution." — Rep. Liz Cheney

“The GOP expulsion of Cheney from leadership doesn't make me like her or her policies any better. But it concerns me deeply for the future of our country. Anyone who still thought Jan 6 was a one-off knows we face deep problems with a party that has thrown away truth for one man.” — Joyce Alene

Cheney is undergoing a GOP version of a Soviet show trial. She has not demonstrated full and complete obedience to the party leader, so she must be destroyed. This is Orwellian. As the author of 1984 wrote, “In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it.”...It is a good thing that a hardcore conservative like Liz Cheney has joined the opposition to the Trumpian authoritarianism that has fully infected one of the nation’s two major political parties. Most of the GOP base is beyond persuasion. A recent poll showed that 70 percent of Republicans believe Biden did not win the election legitimately. The denialists lost in the swamps of Foxlandia won’t be swayed by a Liz Cheney op-ed. But for conservative Americans who give a damn about Trump’s war on reality and the Constitution—unfortunately, a minority—Cheney’s current stance could boost their spirits and spine. And the fight to protect American democracy needs as many enlistees as can be mustered, on the left, in the middle, and on the right. Still, Liz Cheney deserves hardly a cheer, for it ought to be remembered that Trump is pushing his Big Lie in the wake of other big lies—and that Cheney, her father, and so many other Republicans not so long ago did much to blaze the path for the dangerous political villainy she now decries.

Before Elise Stefanik Became a Trump Cult Leader, She Said He Was Misogynistic and Soft on Putin. This marks the triumph of Trump-uber-alles fealty within GOP circles. A heretic is being excommunicated and replaced by a loyalist. It’s been noted that Stefanik entered the House as a moderate and now is being anointed as a top Trumper who has fully supported Trump’s Big Lie that the election was rigged against him. But Stefanik’s Trumpification stands out because only a few years ago—well into Trump’s presidency—she was speaking critically about him on key fronts. In fact, at times Stefanik sounded practically like a Never Trumper, as she called on Trump to recognize that Russia had attacked the 2016 election to help him, urged him to release his tax returns, and assailed him for his comments about women.

“Ousting of Liz Cheney, insane 'audit' in AZ, avalanche of GOP voter suppression bills all have same goal: to institutionalize Trump's Big Lie & rig future elections in their favor. GOP assault on democracy most important story in American politics today.” — Ari Berman

The Big Lie is the GOP’s one and only truth. Liz Cheney’s downfall shows the GOP threat to democracy is getting worse. This state of affairs — the culmination of years of Republican attacks on both the Democratic Party and the legitimacy of the electoral system itself — is dangerous. And it raises a disturbing question: Is the Republican Party even capable of treating a democratic president as legitimate? And if, not, are we heading for future electoral crises dwarfing even the disaster in 2020?

"Instead of seeking to examine the facts in a bipartisan fashion, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have politicized the January 6th attack." -- Rep. James Comer

Fact check: Republicans continue to push false narratives about January 6. During Wednesday's hearing about the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, House Republicans spent much of their time repeating a number of false claims about the insurrection as well as sugarcoating the actions of former-President Donald Trump and his supporters. In pushing their false narrative, GOP lawmakers attempted to downplay the events of January 6, suggesting Trump supporters may not have been involved in the attack and even questioning whether the attack should be called an insurrection.

67 killed in Gaza, 7 killed in Israel as UN warns conflict could turn into 'full-scale war'.

CDC advisory panel votes to recommend Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for use in kids ages 12 to 15, a key step for middle and high schools to reopen fully by this fall.

World's Most Vaccinated Nation Is Spooked by COVID Spike. Instead, the company, which has made two varieties of coronavirus vaccines, is facing mounting questions about the inoculations. First, there was the lack of transparency with its late-stage trial data. Now, Seychelles, the world’s most vaccinated nation, has had a surge in cases despite much of its population being inoculated with Sinopharm. For the 56 countries counting on the Sinopharm shot to help them halt the pandemic, the news is a setback.

The United States' track and field team has canceled its pre-Olympics training camp in Japan out of concerns for safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local authorities announced, raising more questions about the holding of the Games.

Inflation rises at fastest rate in more than a decade as coronavirus rebound spurs demand. Most of April’s price increases were driven by areas of the economy hit hard by the coronavirus recession adjusting to a surge of new demand.

A Salt Lake City police officer faces a second felony charge for ordering his dog to bite someone, who prosecutors say wasn’t a threat. In this latest aggravated assault charge, Officer Nickolas Pearce allegedly lifted up his K-9, Tuco, so the dog could bite a woman who was in a suspected stolen vehicle.

Annual screening for ovarian cancer does not save lives, study finds.

Community College Goes Viral on TikTok. Can the social media platform help community colleges make up for enrollment losses during the pandemic?

Ellen DeGeneres plans to end her talk show in 2022.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

And another day of threatening democracy, mass shootings, a ‘variant of concern,’ panic-buying, making it harder to vote, toxic chemicals, a danger with Apple AirTags, and hugging each other again gets closer all comes to a close:

“We must speak the truth. Our election was not stolen. And America has not failed.” -- Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY)

“Fucking off is always an option.” — Leslie Jones

Deaths

US: 596,946 (+767)

World: 3,331,127 (+13,635)

Cases

US: 33,550,115 (+34,807)

World: 160,322,840 (+726,262)

Facing ouster from GOP post, Liz Cheney says Trump and his backers threaten democracy. "I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy."

There Have Been, On Average, 10 Mass Shootings In The U.S. Each Week This Year. We're just 18 weeks into 2021, and already the U.S. has experienced 194 mass shootings. That averages out to about 10 a week. Here are the 11 attacks that took place just this weekend alone:

Vaccinated people who've missed physical touch are in luck: They can hug each other with abandon, both experts said. That goes for all vaccinated people, too. You can hug your vaccinated parents and grandparents for as long as you'd like, but you can also hug an acquaintance or a new romantic partner, as long as you know they're fully vaccinated -- which means it's been two weeks since their second shot (or only shot, if they got the Johnson & Johnson) -- she said.

WHO classifies Indian coronavirus mutation as a 'variant of concern'. The global body says the variant may be more contagious than the original form and perhaps resistant to vaccines. India has seen massive infection and death rates, though observers say actual numbers are far higher.

A conspiracy ripping through the anti-vax world may finally drive some anti-maskers to do the unthinkable: wear a mask and keep their distance. The conspiracy—which comes in several shapes and sizes—more or less says the vaccinated will “shed” certain proteins onto the unvaccinated who will then suffer adverse effects. The main worry is the “shedding” will cause irregular menstruation, infertility, and miscarriages. The entirely baseless idea is a key cog in a larger conspiracy that COVID-19 was a ploy to depopulate the world, and the vaccine is what will cull the masses. — I can’t make this shit up. Well, actually, someone made this shit up. It wasn’t me, though.

Gas stations report shortages as pipeline shutdown drags on. More than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast reported running out of fuel, primarily because of what analysts say is unwarranted panic-buying among drivers, as the shutdown of a major pipeline by a gang of hackers entered its fifth day Tuesday. -- Stop hoarding!

Republicans Have Made It Harder To Vote In 11 States So Far. Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.

Republicans take aim at Senate voting rights bill sought by Democrats that looks to blunt state-level GOP efforts to restrict access to the ballot. -- Because Republicans are striving for minority rule.

33 killed in Israeli airstrikes, Hamas rocket attacks as unrest spreads beyond Jerusalem. Israel would "increase both the intensity of the attacks and the rate of attacks," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

A gunman in the Russian city of Kazan opened fire at a school early Tuesday — killing at least seven 8th-grade students and a teacher and injuring 21 others, officials said.

Arizona Gov. Ducey signs legislation Tuesday to remove infrequent mail voters from the state's ballot list despite protests from Democrats and advocates who say the bill is discriminatory and will make voting harder.

NRA bankruptcy filing blocked by Texas judge, forcing group to face New York AG's lawsuit.

An Arkansas man was put to death in a flurry of executions. A DNA revelation came too late. But four years later, Lee's case and the circumstances that led to his execution face new scrutiny after lawyers working on behalf of his family said last week that DNA testing of the murder weapon showed another man's genetic material. The resurfacing of doubts about Lee's guilt should be a warning to officials who may try to hurry executions, particularly under controversial conditions, and it highlights the shifting public opinion toward capital punishment — even as states begin putting people to death after a lull, criminal justice experts, activists and death penalty researchers say.

UK to ban LGBT conversion therapy and provide more support.

Hundreds of schools are using this air purifier to fight COVID. A lawsuit says it releases toxic chemicals.

Doctors in London report fivefold increase in children swallowing magnets.

Apple AirTags "terrifyingly good" at tracking stuff — and potentially helping stalkers. "But the problem is someone could slip one of these into your bag, or into your car or some other belonging of yours, without you knowing it."...Fowler said a colleague slipped an AirTag into Fowler's bag with his permission and tracked him for one week. "It was terrifyingly good at it," Fowler told CBSN. "When I was riding my bike around town, it could update him on my whereabouts every couple of minutes." The device even revealed Fowler's home address to his colleague, sparking privacy concerns. "So it's a double-edged sword with this kind of technology, and I think we need to talk more about it.”

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Monday, May 10, 2021

And another day of vaccine approval, ousting Cheney, protecting LGBTQ, banning ‘critical race theory,’ the Golden Globes, driving a plant to extinction in pursuit of electric vehicles, and Amazon’s palm-reading tech in stores comes to a close:

“The problem with the Republican Party is Republican voters.” -- Chris Vance

Deaths

US: 596,179 (+367)

World: 3,317,492 (+11,179)

Cases

US: 33,515,308 (+38,527)

World: 159,596,578 (+640,396)

U.S. authorizes Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine for children 12 to 15.

78.8% of people in the United States live within 5 miles of locations that offer all three vaccines.

Fauci says wearing masks could become seasonal following the pandemic. “We've had practically a nonexistent flu season this year merely because people were doing the kinds of public health things that were directed predominantly against covid-19," Fauci said.

McCarthy schedules vote to oust Cheney for Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Monday came to the defense of soon-to-be-ousted House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney, arguing their party is poised to remove her from the influential post because she has consistently said former President Donald Trump is responsible for the US Capitol insurrection. "She is being run out for one thing: her consistency. She said the exact same thing that (House Minority Leader) Kevin McCarthy said on January 6, which is Donald Trump is responsible" for the riot, Kinzinger said at a virtual event hosted by the National Press Club.

Romney warns removing Cheney from House leadership will cost GOP election votes. -- I’d like to think so, but the GOP has the game pretty rigged at this point. And they’re trying to rig it more before 2022/2024.

The Biden administration has announced the government will protect LGBTQ people against discrimination in health care — effectively reversing a Trump-era rule that went into effect last year.

With no Republicans signed on, for now, Democrats are unlikely to win the 60 votes needed to pass the Equality Act, potentially putting it in limbo indefinitely.

Republican lawmakers across the country have proposed bills to ban "critical race theory" in K-12 schools. Here's what that really means. "Any anti-racist effort is being labeled as critical race theory,” Chism said. “Many that are condemning critical race theory haven’t read it or studied it intensely. This is largely predicated on fear: the fear of losing power and influence and privilege. The larger issue that this is all stemming from is a desire to deny the truth about America, about racism.”

Georgia governor signs bill barring large cuts in police budgets. The legislation bars cities and counties from reducing their law enforcement budgets by more than five percent in a span of five years. Kemp said during a signing ceremony at a gun range that “radical movements” were the reason why he signed the bill into law.

A county-by-county look at the broadband gap. If broadband access was a problem before 2020, the pandemic turned it into a crisis...After years of slowly widening, the broadband gap became impossible to ignore...Maps like this are important because, for much of the past decade, the scale of the problem has been maddeningly difficult to pin down.

Gay man brutally murdered and beheaded by family in Iran in 'honour killing'. He was just 20 years old. Women and LGBT+ people are often targeted in so-called “honour killings” under the belief that they have brought shame or dishonour on the family. A 2019 study in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence found that anti-gay “honour violence” is still used and encouraged around the world. A report compiled by 6rang in 2020 found that six in 10 queer people in Iran have been assaulted by family members, while almost half have been sexually assaulted in public. Same-sex sexual conduct is illegal in Iran and can be punishable by death or life imprisonment, and any display of LGBT+ identities is strongly condemned.

NBC says it won't broadcast the Golden Globes in 2022 after controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's lack of diversity and questions about the organization's policies.

America's electric cars need lithium so badly it may wipe out this species. Fewer than 40 years after humans discovered Tiehm's buckwheat, a Nevada plant with yellow flowers, they may drive it to extinction in pursuit of electric vehicles, a technology widely hailed as being environmentally friendly.

Low pay and 'toxic' workplaces are driving workers away from restaurants. "This is not a worker shortage, this is a wage shortage.”

California expands drought emergency to large swath of state.

Mattel wants you to send back your toys when you're done with them. The 76-year-old toy company is launching a pilot program called "Mattel PlayBack" that is designed to recover and reuse materials in old toys for future Mattel products.

Amazon's palm-reading payment tech is now available in New York City. You no longer have to shop in Washington state to use Amazon's palm-reading technology. MarketWatch reports that Amazon has introduced One to New York City, making the biometric authentication available in the Amazon Go store at 11 West 42nd Street. It functions just like it did before. Once you've signed up, you just need to hover your palm above a reader to enter the store and approve your purchases. You don't have to touch a thing besides the goods you're buying.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Sunday, May 9 2021

And another day of making the GOP’s new voting restrictions possible, securing civil rights protections for LGBTQ, a birthday party shooting, rising prices, ADA compliant websites, a failed drug test, and fossil remains in Italy comes to a close:

“Don’t watch the close; do what it does. Keep going.” -- Sam Levenson

Deaths

US: 595,812 (+224)

World: 3,306,313 (+9722)

Cases

US: 33,476,781 (+22,200)

World: 158,956,182 (+643,314)

The Supreme Court made the GOP’s new voting restrictions possible. All of this is possible because the Supreme Court has spent the past decade and a half dismantling safeguards against these kinds of laws. Not that long ago, these attacks on democracy would have run headlong into a skeptical judiciary. Now they are likely to be upheld...The conservative justices, meanwhile, are pushing a radical doctrine that would give state legislatures an unprecedented new power to enact new election laws — even if those laws are vetoed by the governor or struck down by the state’s courts. As Justice Neil Gorsuch described this doctrine, “the Constitution provides that state legislatures — not federal judges, not state judges, not state governors, not other state officials — bear primary responsibility for setting election rules.”...If taken to its logical extreme, Gorsuch’s proposed rule could skew elections even further toward the Republican Party. It could potentially allow gerrymandered state legislatures in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to draw congressional maps that will lock Democrats out of power — and then to enact these maps into law even if the states’ Democratic governors attempt to veto the maps. Gorsuch’s approach might also prohibit state supreme courts from enforcing state constitutional provisions that protect voting rights or prohibit gerrymandering.

Democrats were hopeful that this would be the year they finally secured civil rights protections for LGBTQ Americans. Then came a new debate over transgender participation in women’s and girls’ sports. “We are waiting for this avalanche of problems,” said the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, characterizing the Republicans’ argument. “They haven’t really surfaced.” But Republicans are unyielding in their opposition to the legislation, spurred on by conservative groups who are pushing anti-transgender laws nationwide. With no Republicans signed on, for now, Democrats are unlikely to win the 60 votes needed to pass the Equality Act, potentially putting the issue in limbo indefinitely.

Six people were killed in a shooting at a birthday party in Colorado Springs, Colorado, police say. The suspected shooter is also dead.

Prices are rising everywhere you look. This doesn't just matter for Americans guarding their pocketbooks. Price increases are also being closely scrutinized by investors and economists, who are desperate to know: Is this a passing phenomenon as the country emerges from a once-in-a-lifetime economic shock, or a more sustained trend that evokes the 1970s?

Blind people, advocates slam company claiming to make websites ADA compliant.

Poll shows 60% of Japanese want Games cancelled. -- Unfortunately, there’s too much money involved for the wellbeing of the population to matter.

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit has failed a drugs test.

The fossil remains of nine Neanderthal men have been found in a cave in Italy, the culture ministry announced Saturday, a major discovery in the study of our ancient cousins. Eight of them date to between 50,000 and 68,000 years ago, while the oldest could be 90,000 or 100,000 years old, the ministry said in a statement.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.

Saturday, May 8, 2021

And another day of tougher measures, America’s long history of voter suppression, shootings, trans reporters, Chinese policy, protests, explosions, a crippling cyberattack, and free menstrual hygiene products in WA school bathrooms comes to a close:

“One of the biggest political divides cuts across the political spectrum: how seriously a problem is the GOP's authoritarian turn. There are leftists, liberals and conservatives who think it's not a big deal. And there are leftists, liberals and conservatives who think it is.” -- Jeet Heer

Editorial: It is a big deal.

Deaths

US: 595,588 (+677)

World: 3,296,591 (+12,864)

Cases

US: 33,454,581 (+35,755)

World: 158,312,868 (+782,139)

Mask and distancing restrictions may be relaxing across much of the country, but it’s been another tough semester on many college campuses, where COVID-19 spikes have meant even tougher measures.

America's long history of Black voter suppression. A timeline of new and old efforts to limit the political power of Black Americans and other voters of color.

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is receiving protection from the Arizona Department of Public Safety after fielding multiple death threats amid the election audit in Maricopa County.

4-year-old girl, two women shot in New York's Times Square.

Multiple people injured in Florida mall shooting.

Amid Wave Of Anti-Trans Bills, Trans Reporters Say 'Telling Our Own Stories' Is Vital. At least 35 states are considering bills that target transgender youth, according to the bipartisan Freedom For All Americans campaign. The bills range from restricting what team trans athletes can compete on to making it nearly impossible for those under 18 to receive gender-affirming health care. A handful of states have signed some of these bills into law, the latest being Tennessee. News organizations report on these bills every day, and more often than not, the reporters telling these stories don't have firsthand experience living as a trans person. But for those who do, they say it adds to their reporting and helps build trust with their sources.

The Chinese policy that makes Uyghurs feel like hostages in their own homes. Her four "guests" are Chinese government cadres who lived in her home for 10 days every month for two years before her family fled, she said. "We must pretend that we are happy," Dawut explained from Washington DC, where she lives in exile.

Thousands of Colombians are protesting across the country against a government they feel has long ignored their needs, allowed corruption to run rampant and is so out of touch that it dared propose tax increases during the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 30 people have been killed and 52 others wounded in an explosion near a high school for girls in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Afghan officials said Saturday.

Schools in Washington will have to supply students with free menstrual hygiene products in bathrooms starting in 2022.

Major US pipeline forced to halt operations after crippling cyberattack. One of the largest pipelines in the U.S. was forced to halt some of its operations Friday after a crippling cyberattack on its energy infrastructure.

'Outcomes they've been wanting for their kids for years': How horses are helping children with disabilities learn.

After years of entertaining fans under the big top — and a few years in retirement — these former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus elephants are settling into their new home at a wildlife refuge in Florida.

RIP Tawny Kitaen. She was 59.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.