Good Day, Gnusies! And a very Happy Birthday to POTUS44, Barack Obama!
Lots of good news again today! But first, a word from our sponsor… OK, not really; it will be a little tonic from me.
Some people (often Gloom&Doomers) remind us to be very afraid — that the 1/6 insurrection may have failed but it was obviously a practice run! They’ll do it again! Even harder!
And you know, Gnusies, that may very well be true. Also, as cc always says, none of us is naive — we can figure out what the wrong side is so transparently doing! But here’s the part the Gloom&Doom brigade usually leave out: January 6 was also a practice run for the good guys! An involuntary practice, certainly, but it was practice nevertheless. Those on the side of Democracy learned a lot that day and we will not be as vulnerable to such shocking treasonous behavior again. Think how the Capitol beefed up its screening (including of members of the House and Senate) immediately after. Take note of the 50 billion dollar capitol security bill that just went to President Biden’s desk for signing, after bi-partisan passage in Congress.
Yes, these insurrectionists and MAGAts may try something again. They may still cause damage because they are that deluded, that hateful and that violent. But, our side is bigger and we are even better prepared now than we were prior to January 6.
January 6 dispelled any lingering rosy haze that anyone on our side may have harbored about the wrong side — dispense with any belief that not even those hateful, vicious traitors would really try to overthrow the duly elected government. Now we ALL know, without question, that they would and did try. We will not be fooled again. And that’s good news.
🎶 Music For Determined Dems 🎶
FYI: You can follow the House Committee 1/6 Hearings at this link: By Toro Blanco (thanks to Mokurai for pointing to this link in his July 29 GNR!): Quick PSA: How to Watch the 1/6 Committee Hearing Live, w/out Breaks or Commentary
💙 Dems in Array! 💙
Progressive Dems succeed in getting a new eviction moratorium
CDC issues new eviction ban for most of US through Oct. 3, AP, August 3, 2021.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new eviction moratorium that would last until October 3, as the Biden administration sought to quell intensifying criticism from progressives that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic.
The ban announced Tuesday could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus’ delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid. It would temporarily halt evictions in counties with “substantial and high levels” of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives. ✂️
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Biden said he pushed the CDC to again consider its options. But he still seemed hesitant as to whether the new moratorium could withstand lawsuits about its constitutionality, saying he has sought the opinions of experts as to whether the Supreme Court would approve the measure.
Yes, the President (who is a realist) seems to think this new moratorium is vulnerable to being struck down by the rightwing SCOTUS, but the important thing is that he acted anyway. It will take some time to get it back before the justices, and in the meantime (according to a guest I heard on PBS Newshour last night) even a few days of extra time can make all the difference for some people facing eviction.
Meanwhile, other Democrats have also been doing good work:
Top Democratic leaders joined Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who has been camped outside the U.S. Capitol for several days. The freshman congresswoman once lived in her car as a young mother and pointed to that experience to urge the White House to prevent widespread evictions.
“My God, I don’t believe we did this,” she said. “We just did the work, just by loving folks to keep millions in their homes.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it was a day of “extraordinary relief.”
“The imminent fear of eviction and being put out on the street has been lifted for countless families across America. Help is Here!” Pelosi said in a statement.
And, more practical help from Democratic Leadership:
State Dems Join Fed Dems in fight for voting rights
Talk about Democratic Unity! We’ve got a lot of great Democrats on our side:
‘Recess Can Wait’: State Lawmakers Urge U.S. Senate To Pass Voting Rights Bill, Paul Blumenthal, HuffPost, August 3, 2021.
Amid chants of “Recess can wait, democracy can’t,” nearly 150 state lawmakers from 30 states came to Washington on Tuesday to rally with Democratic U.S. senators and representatives and call on the Senate to suspend its August recess to pass voting rights and anti-gerrymandering legislation.
These lawmakers arrived as reinforcements for the 50 Texas Democratic state legislators who fled their state 23 days ago in order to deny state House Republicans a quorum. The GOP lawmakers were trying to pass an election law that would make it harder for predominantly Democratic voting constituencies to vote and easier for Republican officials to overturn the results of elections they don’t like.
These lawmakers are directly facing down the ongoing threat created by former President Donald Trump’s lies about voter fraud that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and inspired hundreds of GOP voter suppression and election subversion bills that Democrats are fighting in committees and on the floors of their statehouses.
Activism works:
🎶 Music for Unity 🎶
Democrats Are also working on economic justice
Dems will tame the crypto “wild west”
Crypto ‘Wild West’ Needs Stronger Investor Protection, SEC Chief Says, Paul Kiernan, WallStreetJournal, August 3, 2021.
WASHINGTON—The Securities and Exchange Commission will regulate cryptocurrency markets to the maximum extent possibleusing its existing authority, Chairman Gary Gensler said Tuesday, while also calling on Congress to grant the agency more scope and resources to oversee the sector. ✂️
“If this innovation has any chance of surviving into the, you know, late 2020s and 2030s, it can’t stay astride of the public policy,” said Mr. Gensler, a veteran Democratic regulator who taught a course on cryptocurrency at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mr. Gensler’s speech comes amid growing recognition from some lawmakers and Biden administration appointees that the crypto market has become large enough and important enough to require more oversight.
In May, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Mr. Gensler asking about the commission’s ability to protect investors. This week, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced a bill that would create laws around the entire digital-asset sector.
Democrats Say No to Sexism
Cuomo is defiant, but he will inevitably either resign or be impeached, convicted and removed from office. That’s not happy news for Cuomo, but the principled stance of leading Democrats is good news. President Biden, both NY senators and several Democratic governors in the region have called on Cuomo to resign.
And if you are worried about who will step in to lead NYS until a new governor is elected in 2022, I’d like to remind everyone that NY Lt Gov. Kathy Hochul is an EMILY list-endorsed progressive Democrat, who was the first Democrat in 40 years to represent NY-26 after winning the special election there in 2011.
Joe Biden Calls On New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo To Resign, Amanda Terkel, HuffPost, August 3, 2021.
President Joe Biden called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to resign Tuesday after an explosive report concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women. ✂️
Cuomo may face impeachment in the state Legislature, with lawmakers already drawing up articles and calling for proceedings to begin.
Multiple high-profile lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called on Cuomo to step down on Tuesday.
Sexism is a huge problem in society generally, and it has been particularly acute in tech industries. The infamous “Gamergate” horror story came out of the tech-gaming industry, making clear to all just how far we still have to go as a society to confront and eliminate sexism and sexual harassment. This next story shows a little progress:
Hit with #MeToo revolt, Blizzard Entertainment chief is out, Michelle Chapman, AP, August 3, 2021.
On Tuesday it was announced that J. Allen Brack was leaving the company in a letter from Activision Blizzard President and COO Daniel Alegre to employees. Brack joined Blizzard in January 2006 and held multiple leadership roles before being named president in October 2018, according to the company’s website.
The complaint alleges that as far back as 2019, Brack had been told that employees were leaving the Santa Monica, California, company because of rampant sexual harassment and sexism. It also alleged employees had approached the company’s human resources department with complaints of unfair pay and assignments. ✂️
Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra were named co-leaders of Blizzard, sharing responsibility for development and operational accountability for the company, it said Tuesday.
🎶 Music for #Me Too 🎶
😫 😖 Republicans in Disarray 😖😫
Laura Ingraham Pwned by an R senator
You hate to see it 😈: Laura Ingraham tried to bash bipartisan infrastructure framework — but GOP Senator was having none of it, Bob Brigham, Raw Story, August 3, 2021.
"So, a couple of things," Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) began, as the chyron on the lower third of the screen read, "Dems using infrastructure bill as a Trojan Horse."
"It is the person in my state stuck in traffic, who's fearful of their home flooding, who wants to have a better job, that actually would like to make more money, but doesn't make a lot of money now who really likes this bill," the Louisiana Republican said.
"I talk to Fox News watchers, they love this bill," he told Ingraham.
He also said not to worry about how the bill would impact the wealthy because, "they have chauffeurs, they have private jets, they can fly here or there if it floods. It's the people who live in their own home who are at risk of flooding that like it."
Nevada Rs in Disarray
Republican Party’s civil war in Nevada: Moderates vs. violent extremists, Editorial, LasVegasSun, August 3, 2021.
When your party meeting ends with at least eight police cars and a K-9 unit rolling in to disperse an angry crowd, you know things have gone seriously wrong with the organization.
And so it is with the Republican Party in Nevada, as shown a couple of weeks ago when the Clark County Republican Party (CCRP) met to select leaders. The scene that unfolded demonstrated the courage of the CCRP’s moderate, responsible leaders in their battle to keep the state party from devolving into Big Lie extremism and right-wing violence. ✂️
Fortunately, no one got hurt. But the meeting was disrupted, and the leadership selection had to be postponed. Afterward, the party issued an email to committee members saying the following: “In the lead-up to the May meeting, individuals who are known associates of the Proud Boys extremist group had reportedly threatened elected officials and planned to physically block entry into our meeting venue to deliberately cause chaos and disrupt the meeting. They attempted to do the same on Tuesday and succeeded.”
This is what moderate Republicans are facing, and it’s to their credit that they’re continuing to resist the forces that are trying to steer the party to the violent far-right.
Arizona Rs in Disarray
It's time for Sen. Fann and her ninja auditors to release the Kraken and show us the fraud, Laurie Roberts, ArizonaRepublic, August 3, 2021.
“The board has real work to do and little time to entertain this adventure in never-never land,” Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers wrote, in a letter to Arizona’s Republican senators. “Please finish whatever it is you are doing and release whatever it is you are going to release. I am confident that our staff and volunteers ran the election as prescribed by federal and state law.✂️
“Release your report and be prepared to defend any accusations of misdeeds in court.”
That’s something that should get Fann’s knees to knocking.
Her conspiracy-minded auditors have amassed quite a track record for making bogus accusations, arising from not knowing what the heck they are doing. (See: the supposedly deleted database that magically reappeared once the county told the auditors how to find it. See: the 74,000 supposedly suspicious early ballots that weren’t suspicious to anyone who knows how the county runs elections.) ✂️
Yet if Fann were to have to put her latest showdown to a Senate vote, she’d likely lose.
Sen. Paul Boyer, R-Peoria, has called the audit “embarrassing”. ✂️
Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, has said she no longer supports the audit.
Meanwhile, in Arizona, this guy has zero f*cks left to give
This letter! *chef’s kiss*:
Florida — Ron DeSantis Pwned by R strategist
Former GOP strategist gives scathing assessment of Ron DeSantis's political future: 'MAGA version of Tim Pawlenty', Brad Reed, Raw Story, August 3, 2021.
"Ron DeSantis is a 42-year-old punk who got elected to Congress and then Governor, gambled with his constituents lives and lost," Schmidt wrote. "His pugnaciousness and ambition were confused by many as a type of charisma. He is the MAGA version of Tim Pawlenty or Scott Walker, meager talents who were never going to play in the NFL. They were always Division 3 Quarterbacks, too slow for the big show."
Schmidt also dismissed DeSantis's political machine as "a mom and pop political operation controlled by his wife, a latter day Florida version of Mrs. Wilson," while also criticizing DeSantis for lacking the emotional intelligence to make consistent eye contact.
...and by NYT columnist/Nobel Laureate
‘Freedom,’ Florida and the Delta Variant Disaster, Paul Krugman, New York Times, August 3, 2021.
There’s no mystery about why this has happened. At every stage of the pandemic DeSantis has effectively acted as an ally of the coronavirus, for example by issuing orders blocking businesses from requiring that their patrons show proof of vaccination and schools from requiring masks. More generally, he has helped create a state of mind in which vaccine skepticism flourishes and refusal to take precautions is normalized. ✂️
Once you understand that the rhetoric of freedom is actually about privilege, things that look on the surface like gross inconsistency and hypocrisy start to make sense.
Why, for example, are conservatives so insistent on the right of businesses to make their own decisions, free from regulation — but quick to stop them from denying service to customers who refuse to wear masks or show proof of vaccination? Why is the autonomy of local school districts a fundamental principle — unless they want to require masks or teach America’s racial history? It’s all about whose privilege is being protected. ✂️
Anyway, as you watch DeSantis invoke “freedom” to escape responsibility for his Covid catastrophe, remember, when he says it, that word does not mean what you think it means.
NY — Elise Stefanik Pwned by Local Newspaper
The Glen Falls, NY Post⭐️Star’s editorial board makes it easy for their readers to get the TLDR with this separately blocked statement:
OUR VIEW: Schools this fall will have to follow state policies, which we hope will emphasize student safety. Demagogic statements from Elise Stefanik should be ignored.
EDITORIAL: Stefanik has adopted a pro-COVID agenda, Gretta Hochsprung, Post⭐️Star, August 3, 2021.
Children entering school in New York are required to have had seven vaccines, and middle and high school students must have a couple more. You can get an exemption if you have a medical condition that qualifies. No other sort of exemption, not for religious, cultural or “it’s a free country” reasons is granted.
We assume Stefanik is referring to the COVID-19 vaccines, although she doesn’t say that. But what makes the COVID-19 vaccine any different from the hepatitis B vaccine or the chickenpox vaccine? ✂️
Getting shots, for those who qualify (no shots are available yet for children under 12), and taking simple steps at prevention like wearing masks, is sensible. We should be doing everything possible to ensure our kids can go back to school in the fall and can stay there the whole year. ✂️
We don’t know why, as a federal representative, Stefanik is expending her energy on public school policy, which is the purview of the states.
Like everyone else, we are weary of dealing with COVID-19. Being weary or angry or rebellious doesn’t make the virus go away, however, while vaccinations and mask-wearing do.
👀 ! ⬇
👀 !! ⬇
🔥 And of course, since it’s a Day ending in “Y”...
...Jen Psaki pwns Peter Doocy again: 'We do something new here': Jen Psaki destroys Peter Doocy with her best 10-second smack down yet, David Edwards, Raw Story, August 3, 2021.
During a press briefing, Doocy asked multiple questions about the breaking news regarding sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY). ✂️
"Does the administration want the Justice Department to initiate a civil rights investigation into these harassment allegations revealed today?" Doocy pressed.
Psaki replied: "We do something new here that feels foreign from the last four years and allow the Justice Department to act independently on investigations." 🔥
That’s gotta burn! 🔥
🎶 Music for Bad Burns 🎶
💉 Health News 💉
Vaccination Proof Requirements Growing
NYC Becomes Largest U.S. City To Require Proof Of Vaccination For Indoor Activities, Joe Hernandez, NPR, August 3, 2021.
New York City will require workers and patrons at indoor businesses to show proof of vaccination starting on September 13, becoming the first major U.S. city to take such action amid a surge of new cases nationwide driven by the highly transmissible delta variant.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the new mandate on Tuesday, saying it will apply to indoor dining, gyms and entertainment venues. ✂️
"You want to enjoy everything great this summer in New York City? Go get vaccinated," de Blasio said.
Arkansas Guv Having Second Thoughts (r, of course)
Love that passive voice, “wish it had not become law” — as if he had nothing to do with that!
Corporations Could Help Lead the Way
Just the other day, I was reading that some of these big meat processing companies were NOT requiring vaccination, in spite of being some of the worst worksite-related outbreaks last year. So, this is very good news, with a bonus included:
Tyson Foods Requires Workers To Get COVID-19 Vaccine, Sara Boboltz, HuffPost, August 3, 2021.
Tyson Foods, one of America’s largest meatpacking companies, announced Tuesday that it would require all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, a policy change that is expected to affect more than half of its workforce.✂️
The meatpacking company is one of many large corporations and institutions across America that have begun implementing vaccine mandates for workers in recent weeks, amid the surge in COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious delta variant.
Tyson is requiring all of its office workers to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 and all front-line workers to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. All new hires will need to be vaccinated before their first day.
As a token of thanks, the company said, all front-line meatpacking employees will receive an additional $200 after providing verification of their vaccination status. Tyson has already been offering up to four hours of hourly workers’ pay for getting the shots outside their normal shifts in an effort to encourage more vaccinations.
And…!
Mental Health
I am glad to see the recent spotlight on mental health largely thanks to women athletes. It is time for human societies to recognize that good mental health is necessary for good health.
She's Still Dealing With The Twisties, But Simone Biles Wins Another Medal In Tokyo, Merrit Kennedy and Leila Fadel, NPR, August 3, 2021.
"I wasn't expecting to walk away with a medal. I was just going out there to do this for me and whatever happens, happens," Biles said after competition, adding that it "just meant the world to be back out there."
Biles returns to Olympic competition, wins bronze on beam, Will Graves, AP, August 3, 2021.
(AP) — Simone Biles isn’t going home with a fistful of gold medals. A mental block — one brought on by exhaustion or stress or something the American gymnastics star still can’t quite grasp — that forced her to pull out of four Olympic finals saw to that.
Yet standing on the podium Tuesday, a bronze medal hanging around her neck and tears in her eyes, the 24-year-old Biles may have claimed something far more valuable: a piece of herself back.
From the “twisties” that have haunted her for a week. From the endless speculation about her state of mind. From the hype machine — one, admittedly, she fed into at times — that set expectations so high coming to Tokyo nothing short of the impossible would have been enough.
🎶 Music Because I just Like This Song 🎶
🤸🏽♂️🏃🏽♂️ Olympic Good News 🏃🏿♀️🏊🏻♀️
Teenager Athing Mu is first American woman to win Olympic 800m gold since 1968, Shalise Manza Young, Yahoo Sports, August 3, 2021.
TOKYO — Wearing a red "CONFIDENT" barrette she bought at a California Nordstrom just before heading to Japan for the Olympics and specifically for the occasion, 19-year-old New Jersey native Athing Mu won gold in the women's 800 meters on Tuesday night.
Her time of 1 minute, 55.21 seconds is now the U.S. record and fifth-best in Olympic history. Great Britain's Keely Hodgkinson won silver with a British record of 1:55.88, while American Raevyn Rogers closed strong to earn bronze in 1:56.81.
Mu led wire-to-wire to become only the second American woman to win the event, following Madeline Manning in 1968.
Sydney McLaughlin sets world record, Dalilah Muhammad wins silver in 400 hurdles, USA Today, August 3, 2021.
The 21-year-old McLaughlin won the women's 400-meter hurdles in dominant fashion Wednesday, beating compatriot Dalilah Muhammad – the reigning world champion and defending Olympic gold medalist – to secure the title. The New Jersey native crossed the finish line in 51.46 seconds, a new world record.
Muhammad was second in 51.58. Femke Bol of the Netherlands won bronze.
The gold medal comes five years after McLaughlin made her Olympic debut in Rio, at the age of 16. It was a remarkable feat for a rising junior in high school, even though she didn't make the final. And when it was over, she went back for her senior year at Union Catholic High School, just trying to be a normal kid.
After a stint at the University of Kentucky, McLaughlin turned pro and found herself climbing the ranks, but often finishing second to Muhammad. They have long been not just the two fastest women in the 400-meter field, but also the two fastest in the history of the event.
A father's love and the embrace of an immigrant community: the improbable story of Sunisa Lee's gold medal, Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports, July 29, 2021.
“This,” Suni Lee said, a gold medal draped around her neck after coming through on floor and winning the women's all-around competition, “is our dream.” ✂️
You come so your children can have a better life. Why not the best life?
Why not you, (Suni’s father, John Lee, would) say? Why not us, he’d ask?
He and his wife, Yeev Thoj, would drive Suni to practice, drive her to meets, find ways to pay for new leotards and extra training. When Suni needed a balance beam at their home so she could put more hours in, John balked at the cost and simply built one himself. ✂️
No, this was never the plan, except somehow this was always the plan. A father and a daughter and an immigrant family's why-not spirit?
Tamyra Mensah-Stock brought her karaoke machine to the Olympics. She’s leaving with a gold medal. Les Carpenter, Washington Post, August 3, 2021.
There is an excitement about Mensah-Stock that is impossible to miss. She has approached everything about her first Olympics as if it is the greatest thing to ever happen. She grins, she giggles, she sings, she tells jokes. ✂️
Mensah-Stock was thrilled that it was Oborududu that she faced in the final because her father was from Ghana and she considers herself “90 percent African with Nigerian in me.” Her first thought, she said, when she walked to the ring with Oborududu was: “Oh my gosh, look at us representing!”
Then she said to herself, “If one of us wins, we’re making history,” and by earning silver, Oborududu became the first Nigerian wrestler to earn a medal. ✂️
And so she was talking about the young Black girls who will watch her win Tuesday and want to be wrestlers themselves, maybe even Olympians. She said they were going to “see themselves,” just as she saw herself in Randi Miller, an Olympic bronze medalist in 2008, and Iris Smith, a former American team member.
She said they are going to think, “I can do that.”
🎶 Music for American Women Olympic Champions 🎶
Good News Brought to You by Illinoisans
Gov. Pritzker Keeps Doing Good Work
Pritzker signs law banning local jails from detaining people facing deportation, Stefano Esposito, Chicago Sun✶Times, August 3, 2021.
“Throughout my governorship, I’ve directed my administration to adopt policies that make Illinois a welcoming state for immigrants,” said Pritzker, speaking in Aurora. “Every family, every child, every human being deserves to feel safe and secure in the place they call home. I am committed to making sure that value defines what it means to live in Illinois.”
Pritzker’s office said Illinois is the second state in the nation to require local officials to end partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The General Assembly passed the bill, known as the Illinois Way Forward Act, in May, and it calls for local officials to end existing contracts to detain those in immigration custody by Jan. 1, 2022. It would also prohibit law enforcement and state or local government from entering into any similar contracts in the future.
Sen. Durbin Also Keeps Doing Good Work
My senior Senator Dick Durbin shares this shoutout with a few other Democratic senators (notably Sherrod Brown D-OH), but the Illinois senator gets top billing because he has also been at the forefront of immigration reform (and trying to save DACA until bigger reform succeeds) for literally decades. And he’s my senator! 😄:
Bipartisan Deal Shouldn’t Stop Senate From Ditching Filibuster, Democrats Say, Igor Bobic, HuffPost, August 3, 2021.
But to vocal filibuster critics like Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), one moment of cooperation doesn’t signal a broader shift among GOP senators on more controversial issues such as gun control, voting, climate or immigration. When asked if the bipartisan infrastructure agreement undercuts the case for eliminating the 60-vote threshold for legislation, Durbin said, “In a way it does, in a way it doesn’t.”
“You’re giving stuff away. You’re building things and in every direction, members get to cut ribbons and wear hard hats. You know, it’s the easiest bill in the world, in that respect,” the Illinois Democrat said of passing infrastructure legislation.
“I will also tell you I live in a world of the 20th anniversary of the Dream Act, and I’ve lost that on the [Senate] floor five times to the filibuster,” he continued. “So I don’t believe that I could bring together a group and negotiate anything close to what we need on immigration at this point.” ✂️
“We’re able to do a few things bipartisan, but we can’t do voting rights, we can’t do worker rights. We can’t do the kinds of systemic things like democracy reforms and worker issues,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) told HuffPost.
Chicago Bank doing good
Sure, they were kind of forced to do this due to backlash, but they are doing this (and will find it is even better for business in the long run) which is good news for a lot of people:
Chicago-based Alliant Credit Union ends all overdraft fees as banking industry faces backlash for penalizing struggling customers, Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, August 3, 2021.
Under increasing pressure from consumer advocates and legislators, a number of banks are beginning to reduce overdraft fees, a long-standing profit center built around customers struggling to make ends meet.
Chicago-based Alliant Credit Union took it one step further Monday, eliminating overdraft fees on all of its accounts. ✂️
Nationally, there are 113 financial institutions that meet the Bank On standards, including 20 in Illinois. Chicago-based BMO Harris is among the most recent, with its Smart Money account achieving certification in June.
David Rothstein, a senior principal at the CFE Fund who heads up the Bank On program, said checking accounts without overdraft fees are crucial for both the unbanked and underbanked populations, but also help banks develop long-term relationships with younger customers.
Community Groups keep Doing Good
Muslim nonprofit donates halal meat and school supplies: ‘It’s number one most needed and the least available’, Mariah Rush, Chicago Tribune, August 3, 2021.
July 31 was the first of two days dedicated to the yearly food drive that brings Muslim families to donate and receive the meat from the Chicago chapter of the Islamic Circle of North America Relief, or ICNA Relief. The second food drive for families in need will be on Aug. 7 at the ICNA Relief Food Pantry in Glendale Heights. Both drives also include a school supplies giveaway for kids in need. ✂️
Asma Jarad, communications manager for ICNA Relief, said this is the 13th year for the national event. The group estimates it will distribute around 20,000 pounds of meat.
“Halal meat is the number one most needed item in food pantries and the one that’s least available,” Jarad said.
Update on Monty and Rose
We were all hoping so hard that all of Monty and Rose’s chicks would make it through their first summer, but sadly two did not make it. Even so, our persistent little plover pair have had above average success in piping plover reproduction. Of additional note, thanks to alert monitors, our wonderful (+ FREE to visit!) Lincoln Park Zoo and Rose’s excellent mothering, there are not one, but two chicks getting ready to migrate. Yes, the chick who was rescued as an abandoned egg, hatched in the zoo hatchery and quickly returned to Rose (who promptly began looking after it along with her other hatchlings) is one of the survivors, now named Siewka.
Chicago’s 2 Surviving Plover Chicks — Imani and Siewka — Prepare to Fly the Coop, Patti Wetli, WTTW (PBS), August 2, 2021.
The newest members of Chicago’s growing piping plover family have names. Meet Siewka (pronounced Shivka), which is the Polish word for “plover,” and Imani, the word for “faith” in Swahili. ✂️
The couple made not one but two nests, losing their first clutch of four eggs to a skunk. Rose promptly laid a second clutch of four, three of which hatched naturally in early July but the last — who we now know as Siewka — needed an assist from staff at Lincoln Park Zoo.
As recently as last week, all four chicks were healthy and accounted for and given ID bands to track them as they migrate. By the time of last Friday’s naming ceremony, two of the chicks had gone missing, presumably lost to predators, according to monitors. For context, the average piping plover nest success rate in the Great Lakes is 1.3 chicks per nest. ✂️
The monitors’ work is coming to a close, as the plovers prepare to fly the coop and head south, likely either to Florida or Texas. Female adults leave first, followed by the male, then the chicks. Monitors thought Rose was already long gone, but she was seen at Montrose beach over the weekend, joining Monty and the chicks.
🎶 Music for Migrating Plovers 🎶
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ Yer Wonkette (Evan is out of Fs to give): Whinyass Brat Ron DeSantis Whining Like Whinyass Brat Again, Evan Hurst, Wonkette, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ Credit where due: Adam Kinzinger: A profile in courage in a time of cowardice, Phil Kadner, Chicago Sun✶Times, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ Some essays are too good to excerpt. Just go read it! The anti-American right, Zach Beauchamp, Vox, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ Opinion: Republicans aren’t conservatives. They’re nihilists. Max Boot, Washington Post, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ In the Infrastructure Bill, a Recognition: Climate Change Is a Crisis, Christopher Flavelle, New York Times, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ Despite R’s best efforts to mong a panic: America isn’t panicking about inflation, Emily Stewart, Vox, August 3, 2021.
To your good health:
⚡️ Lots of people have trypanophobia; this article might be helpful: I Put Off Getting Vaccinated Because I’m Terrified Of Needles. Here’s How I Finally Did It. Laura Purkiss, HuffPost, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ Sports Science Is Changing How Female Olympians Train. It Could Help You, Too, Maggie Mertens, NPR, August 3, 2021.
⚡️ That’s a ‘yes’ from me: Unvaccinated People Need to Bear the Burden, Juliette Kayyam, The Atlantic, August 3, 2021.
💗 How Can You Help Build Our Democracy Back Better? 💗
Put your beautiful bleeding liberal heart into it! 🥰
Democratic litigation hero, Marc Elias was the legal eagle behind the 60 Big Lie losses after the election. Here’s his website, Democracy Docket. You can find information about current cases he is fighting to defend voting rights around the country, as well as actions you can take to help fight voter suppression at the link!
Write to voters around the country with Postcards to Voters. Progressive Muse usually posts an update on current campaigns in the comments and you can also check out the website. It’s easy, fun and it really works to GOTV!
🎩 Also, Goody posted a great list of links and I am going to borrow it because it’s great! 🎩
The only way they can win is by keeping people from voting. They are working like heck to make that happen and we need to do all we can to keep 2022 from being a year when they grab the Senate and House back from us.
How do we do that? Fight voter suppression!
What can you do?
HERE’S HOW TO CONTACT CONGRESS:
U.S. House of Representatives:* Telephone: 202-225-3121
* Website: http://www.house.gov/
U.S. Senate:* Telephone: 202-224-3121
* Website: http://www.senate.gov/
Find your member of Congress and contact him or her:
Contact your Representative
Contact your Senator
And remember, all politics is local and personal! Let’s work to flip state and local elected positions Democratic!
Sister District Project — organization that is working to help Dems win state legislature races.
Finally, whenever you feel your hope fading, read this again:
The 3.5% rule: How a small minority can change the world — and recall that we are a majority.
Also check this out:
The Albert Einstein Institution’s 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action
There’s a multitude of people all over this country — in both so-called “red” states and “blue” — who feel just as strongly as you do about this world and its future. We can do this!
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
Welp, I am out of gas and I didn’t even mention the Ohio primary! Looks like Shontel Brown won the Democratic nod over Nina Turner (yay — Turner was anti-Hillary and anti-Joe so I am anti-Nina).
The guy endorsed and bankrolled by tfg in OH-15 did win, but just with the MAGA vote (@36%). Even a majority of Rs in the district preferred other candidates. The problem was that the majority vote was split too much. Democrats chose state rep. Allison Russo.
Now it is time to rest — which is what I hope all of you are doing as much as possible of! Also eating nutritious food and getting outside if you can every day. Even for a short time, a break outside can really refresh you and help keep you feeling positive.
CG has, I think, already put herself to bed, so I think it’s time for me to follow her example!
Happy Wednesday, Gnusies!
🎂🎈🎉 Happy Birthday, President Obama! 🎉🎈🎂