Thom Hartmann -Republicans know most Americans aren’t fans of tax cuts for billionaires, more pollution, deregulation of polluting industries, high-priced drugs, privatizing Medicare, ending Social Security, criminalizing abortion and birth control, student debt, hating on Black and queer people, and the GOP’s war on unions and working people. So, to win elections across the country this fall and secure the White House for Donald Trump, they’re removing millions of mostly Black and Brown voters from the rolls. This started in a big way with Georgia and Texas, but the practice has now metastasized to nearly 30 Republican-controlled states across the country. As Congressman Jamie Raskin points out, while at least 135 countries in the world have written an affirmative right to vote into their constitutions, “[by] my count, only Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Pakistan, Singapore, and, of course, the United Kingdom … still leave voting rights out of their constitutions and therefore to the whims of state officials.”This led Congressman Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin (and cosponsors), to propose a simple amendment to the Constitution. In 2013, they introduced into Congress amending legislation that said:“Every citizen of the United States, who is of legal voting age, shall have the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides.”
April 15, 2024
Meanwhile. . .
Gallup - For the first time in Gallup polling since 2001, a majority of U.S.
adults, 57%, say they would feel better if they got more sleep, while
42% say they get as much sleep as they need. This is nearly a reversal
of the figures last measured in 2013, when 56% of Americans got the
sleep they needed and 43% did not.
CNN - Passengers can be removed from a flight for what they wear, Sandals are fine but bare feet won't fly. Read about the turbulent issue of airline dress code policies.
Alternative sex and gender
The Appeal - A new report from the Vera Institute of Justice and Black & Pink
documents the disproportionate abuse faced by transgender incarcerated
people. Of the 280 respondents across 31 states, 90 percent stated they
had been placed in solitary confinement. Current housing policies
inadequately address the needs of transgender incarcerated people, and
reforms are difficult to implement due to the group’s unique needs.
While 66 percent of incarcerated trans women say they wish to be housed
in women’s facilities, so do 58 percent of trans men. According to
Jennifer Pierce, a senior researcher at Vera, addressing the needs of
trans people in prison “goes against the way that prisons operate, which
is having a single set of rigid rules that are applied unilaterally for
everybody.” Washington Post - Kansas’s governor vetoed a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The bill, passed last month and vetoed Friday, would ban hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery for those under 18. The state’s Republican-led legislature will probably try to override the Democratic governor’s veto. More than a dozen states have restricted transgender care. |
The rise of bed rotting
News Center Maine - Ever since the coronavirus pandemic, working from home has become normalized. But working from home can also lead to a very bad habit called bed rotting. This new trend encourages people to stay in bed for passive activities, but that can spill over into work. ... Elise Vader, a physician's assistant and sleep specialist with University Hospital, said people could also develop insomnia. "For general health. We know that being active and moving is important for the body, for your mood, for your muscle health, for your heart health," Vader said.
A Sleep Doctor survey found about six out of 10 remote and hybrid workers say they bed rot during work hours. Four out of every 10 men say they are more likely to bed rot compared to just two out of every 10 women. And four out of every 10 bed rotters say they were influenced to do it because they heard about it from others. "The No. 1 thing is when it comes to what we call sleep hygiene, which is like the best way to get the most healthy sleep, you know, keeping your room cool, dark and quiet, staying away from screens. This kind of goes against that," said Marten Carlson, a sleep science coach. About 40% of bed rotters say they spend one to two hours working from their bed, and about half of those bed rotters say they spend at least half of their day in bed.
Money
Mother Jones - America’s 806 billionaires are now richer than half the population combined... According to a recent report, they have 57% more wealth, all told, than 65 million US households.
Crime
Political Wire - Homicides in American cities are falling at the fastest pace in decades, bringing them close to levels they were at before a pandemic-era jump,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Nationwide, homicides dropped around 20% in 133 cities from the beginning of the year through the end of March compared with the same period in 2023.”
Postal Services proposes another price increase
Axios - The price of postage stamps could increase by 5 cents in July under a new United States Postal Service proposal. If approved, the increase would tie the record as the highest stamp hike ever. This would be the 19th stamp rate change since 2000 — and comes as Americans continue to reduce what they send via snail mail. USPS filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission Tuesday to raise prices by approximately 7.8% effective July 14, 2024. If approved, the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp would increase from 68 cents to 73 cents... The
number of pieces of mail handled by the post office has been on the
decline in recent years as more people pay bills online and fewer send physical thank you cards. In 2023, USPS handled 116.1 billion pieces of mail compared to the high of 213.1 billion in 2006, data shows.
Trump
Logan Act: Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both. This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply, himself or his agent, to any foreign government or the agents thereof for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.
NY Times - Even
as president, Donald J. Trump flaunted his animosity for intelligence
officials, portraying them as part of a politicized “deep state” out to get
him. And since he left office, that loathing has grown into outright hostility,
with potentially serious implications for national security should he be
elected again. Citing his belief that his 2016 campaign had been spied on by
the intelligence community, Mr. Trump on Wednesday urged his House allies to
“kill” a bill that would extend an expiring surveillance law that national
security officials say is crucial to their ability to gather foreign
intelligence and fight terrorism on behalf of the country. House
Republicans agreed to move the legislation
ahead on Friday only after revising it to ensure that Mr. Trump
would get another crack at shaping it to his liking if he wins the presidency
again. Indicted last year on charges of hoarding classified documents after
leaving office and obstructing efforts to retrieve them, Mr. Trump has also
translated his anger into legal arguments, telling a federal court that there
is no reason to believe the “meritless claims” of agencies like the C.I.A.
regarding the “alleged sensitivities” of the files.
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Trump currently faces 88 criminal charges across four cases. Here's where they all stand.