Tuesday, February 28, 2023
PolitiFact | Governments regulate chlorine levels in water to keep it safe for consumers to drink
This low level of chlorine is unlikely to cause any harmful health effects, the EPA and CDC said.
We rate this claim False...
FFRF applauds historic congressional testimony on Christian nationalism - Freethought Today
"Christian nationalism is not patriotism," Tyler noted. "Patriotism is a healthy love of country; nationalism is an allegiance to country that demands supremacy over all other allegiances." She noted that "the Christian nation myth" necessarily downplays or ignores the role of indigenous communities, Black Americans, immigrant populations, religious minorities and secular Americans because they "undercut the false narrative that the U.S. is special because it was founded by and for white Christians."…
Opinion | Janet Yellen in Kyiv: Economic Aid to Ukraine Is Vital - The New York Times
"Of course, it's essential that we make sure that American taxpayer dollars are used for their intended purpose. Our partners at the World Bank have a long history of working in Ukraine, and they have instituted robust safeguards for accountability and transparency. Funds are released via the World Bank — on a reimbursement basis, with a multitiered accountability system, including independent third-party monitoring, reporting and audit requirements. President Zelensky has pledged to use these funds in the "most responsible way." We welcome this commitment, as well as his longstanding agenda to strengthen good governance in Ukraine."
Solar set to overtake other energy sources by 2027 | Financial Times
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Next year, solar photovoltaic capacity will leapfrog that of hydropower, according to the International Energy Agency. In three years, it will overtake gas-fired generation. And, in four years, it will push past coal — to boast the largest share of generation capacity of any power source...
U.K. shoppers face bare shelves and rationing in grocery stores amid produce shortages - CBS News
Some British farmers in regions of the country that usually grow produce during the winter months have said they've been priced out of doing so because of soaring energy costs, and by labor shortages caused by Britain's exit from the European Union bloc, or Brexit, which took effect several years ago...
Opinion | A Gold Mine of Clean Energy May Be Hiding Under Our Feet - The New York Times
The big break came in 2012, as the article in Science this month recounts. A businessman in Mali named Aliou Diallo hired Chapman Petroleum Engineering Ltd., a Canadian consulting firm, to analyze the mysterious gas coming from a borehole on his property. It turned out to be 98 percent hydrogen. The gas was used to fuel an engine that ran a generator. "That gave Bourakébougou" — the town nearest the well — "its first electrical benefits: freezers to make ice, lights for evening prayers at the mosque, and a flat-screen TV so the village chief could watch soccer games," the Science article said. What's most exciting is that the hydrogen has continued to flow ever since.
Geologists now believe that hydrogen is being constantly produced from a reaction between water and iron-rich rocks. It's essentially rusting: The rocks capture the oxygen and release hydrogen. Some hydrogen may also be bubbling up from deeper in Earth or be formed by radioactivity, which splits water molecules. Hydrogen has been found on all the continents except Antarctica, which hasn't been checked yet. In the United States, the two most promising places are along the East Coast (onshore and offshore) and along an ancient ridge system extending from Kansas to the Great Lakes, Zgonnik said...
Inside New York City’s Radical Approach to America’s Overdose Crisis - The New York Times - Opinion
"I'd love Popeyes," she said. "And some water."
By noon, he had returned with enough chicken to feed three people, plus drinks and sides. He took a chair out of the van for her to sit in, and they ate together and talked. She would not say much, except that she was physically uncomfortable. He spoke to her as gently as he did the first day they met, but he was adamant now. She needed a shower and clean clothes. She needed to get real rest and to see a doctor. She needed to get indoors, fast. OnPoint could help with all of that, he said. There was hot food there and medical professionals and some very nice case managers she could talk to.
She nodded and tried to make a joke, then stopped abruptly. "I know it's not really funny," she said. Before the conversation could continue, she caught sight of a man she said she needed to talk to and scurried off with a half-eaten chicken leg still in hand. Mr. Jones sighed heavily and put the chair back in the van. He was not sure she'd heard a word of what he had said.
But the next day, she arrived at OnPoint's headquarters, where all the resources that Mr. Jones had told her about were waiting. And with the promise of new life heavy in her womb, she finally went inside...
Revenge Attacks After Killing of Israeli Settlers Leave West Bank in Turmoil - The New York Times
Settlers burned and vandalized hundreds of cars and homes in four Palestinian villages, according to Israeli rights groups and Palestinian officials, and the area braced for more violence...
Biden Administration Plans Crackdown on Migrant Child Labor - The New York Times
The announcement came days after a Times investigation showed children were working in dangerous jobs throughout the United States...
Biden Administration to Impose Financial Restrictions for Chip Makers - The New York Times
Guidelines to be released Tuesday will include firm financial requirements to try to ensure that chip makers don't waste federal money...
To Tap Federal Funds, Chip Makers Will Need to Provide Child Care - The New York Times
The move seeks to help more women join the work force as industry leaders complain of labor shortages...
Sen. Elizabeth Warren didn’t say Republicans shouldn’t vote. A viral video was altered. - PolitiFact
Here's what she actually said: "For so long, Republicans have run on the notion that government's bad, government's terrible, at best government is inept, at worst, it's really actually doing harm. We're out there demonstrating exactly the opposite, we are showing that government can be on your side."…
Don’t believe those who claim science proves masks don’t work | Lucky Tran | The Guardian
The mischaracterization of the Cochrane review by its authors and like-minded supporters is deliberate. Those with vested interests are sowing doubt about the science of Covid-19 protections by using the same disinformation playbook that tobacco companies, the fossil fuel industry and the anti-vax movement have used in the past.
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin announces Senate run in Michigan - The Washington Post
She has positioned herself as a moderate, rejecting positions and rhetoric adopted by the far-left while championing Democratic principles like abortion rights and a ban on assault weapons...
House GOP turns heat up on federal workers - The Washington Post
Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), whose Northern Virginia district includes thousands of federal workers, counters that such symbolic efforts would damage the appeal of federal service at a time when large swaths of the workforce are eligible to retire and just 7 percent of federal employees are under 30.
Attracting new talent should be a bipartisan priority for Congress, he said.
"We don't have the same handicaps we did under Trump," Connolly said, referring to the Schedule F effort and another ill-fated plan to blow up the Office of Personnel Management.
But he said House Republicans "can still score points by making government less attractive, and damage is done when you disparage federal employees just as we're trying to make federal employment more attractive."…
Monday, February 27, 2023
‘You’re not forgotten‘: how the right racialized the Ohio train disaster
Three weeks into the disaster, a new set of headlines has started to billow up from right-wing outlets and commentators.
Now the tragedy of East Palestine has morphed into a racialized lament for the "forgotten" people abandoned by the uncaring "woke" Biden administration.
For "forgotten", read white.
Leading the charge, as is so often the case with such white-America nativist fearmongering, is the Fox News star Tucker Carlson.
Revealed: the US is averaging one chemical accident every two days
…chemical accidents in the US shows that accidental releases – be they through train derailments, truck crashes, pipeline ruptures or industrial plant leaks and spills – are happening consistently across the country…
Dilbert cartoon dropped by US newspapers over creator’s racist comments
Once-popular cartoon scrapped from hundreds of papers after Scott Adams calls Black people a 'hate group' on his YouTube show…
A Trump judge could shut down the federal government in Texas v. Garland - Vox
But the case is a window into Paxton's broader litigation strategy, where he frequently raises weak legal arguments undercutting federal policies before right-wing judges that he has personally chosen because of their ideology. And these judges often do sow chaos throughout the government, which can last months or longer, before a higher court steps in...:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72014822/1435732381.0.jpg)
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Rural Hospitals Are Shuttering Their Maternity Units - The New York Times
Women in rural areas face a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, according to a study by the Commonwealth Fund. Those living in so-called maternity care deserts are three times as likely to die during pregnancy and the critical year afterward as those who are closer to care, according to a study of mothers in Louisiana...
Sixty-four percent say abortion should be legal in all or most cases: poll | The Hill
Almost 7 in 10 independent voters said abortion should be at least mostly legal.
Pollsters also found that a majority of people from most religions believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Unitarian Universalist, Jewish and Buddhist respondents were most supportive, with 85 percent, 79 percent and 78 percent of those groups, respectively, supporting allowing abortion in most or all cases…
House Republicans launch probe of Buttigieg response to Ohio train derailment | The Hill
In response, Buttigieg noted in a tweet that the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident, is independent, not part of the Transportation Department.
"I am alarmed to learn that the Chair of the House Oversight Committee thinks that the NTSB is part of our Department," he wrote…
For years, Putin didn’t invade Ukraine. What made him finally snap in 2022?
In 2016, Russian hopes of a split between western Europe and the United States were revived by the election of Donald Trump – not because of any specific policy, rather because of the strong hostility that he provoked in Europe. But Biden's election brought the US administration and west European establishments back together again. These years also saw Ukraine refuse to guarantee autonomy for the Donbas, and western failure to put any pressure on Kyiv to do so...
All fish tested from Michigan rivers contain ‘forever chemicals’, study finds
They are known as "forever chemicals" because they do not naturally break down, and they have been linked to cancer, high cholesterol, liver and kidney disease, fetal complications and other serious health problems in humans...
Opinion | Wonking Out: Conservatives Face a Rude Fiscal Awokening - The New York Times
Many House Republicans are reportedly listening to Russell Vought, Donald Trump's former budget director, who has a new think tank and has been circulating a budget proposal titled "A Commitment to End Woke and Weaponized Government," which purports to show a way to balance the budget without touching Medicare and Social Security. The document uses the word "woke" 77 times, and — weirdly for a fiscal blueprint — also manages to mention critical race theory 16 times.
Anyway, the proposal relies in part on magical thinking — the assertion that conservative economic policies will cause a burst of economic growth that in turn increases tax receipts. Such claims have, of course, never — and I mean never — worked in practice. But it's difficult to get politicians to understand something when their careers depend on their not understanding it...
BUSD Crypto Shit Show; Required Minimum Distributions; Qualified Dividends (Phil Ferguson Show podcast #450)
RMD - Required Minimum distributions. Should you take them early in the year?
Qualified Dividends - Did you know that most stock dividends quality for special lower tax rates?
BUSD - Another crypto currency is struggling.
Interview:
Qualified Dividends - Did you know that most stock dividends quality for special lower tax rates?
BUSD - Another crypto currency is struggling.
Interview:
Saturday, February 25, 2023
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2023-02-24
Domestic
President Joe Biden was in Europe this week, prompting commentary from his critics. Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs is one of the loudest voices from the MAGA wing of the GOP. He says he wants future funding to Ukraine pulled and disagrees that it’s America’s job to defend the country’s sovereign borders.
On Wednesday, NPR announced it will lay off ten percent of its workforce. About At least 100 people will lose their jobs. In a memo, CEO John Lansing wrote, “This will be a major loss.” Lansing says advertising dollars for NPR’s podcasts have dried up. And the network is expecting to fall about $30 million short of its annual budget.
After a train transporting hazardous chemicals derailed in eastern Ohio earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency is demanding action from the train operator, Norfolk Southern. If the company doesn’t begin cleanup of the spill, the agency says it will conduct the cleanup itself—and charge the company triple the original cost.
On Wednesday, NPR announced it will lay off ten percent of its workforce. About At least 100 people will lose their jobs. In a memo, CEO John Lansing wrote, “This will be a major loss.” Lansing says advertising dollars for NPR’s podcasts have dried up. And the network is expecting to fall about $30 million short of its annual budget.
After a train transporting hazardous chemicals derailed in eastern Ohio earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency is demanding action from the train operator, Norfolk Southern. If the company doesn’t begin cleanup of the spill, the agency says it will conduct the cleanup itself—and charge the company triple the original cost.
Interview:
International
President Biden crossed into Kyiv by train on Monday, aboard what’s been dubbed “Rail Force One.” The surprise trip lasted less than a day. But it sent a big message. It’s the first time the president has visited Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country a year ago.At least 11 Palestinians were killed Wednesday in a raid by Israeli military forces in the occupied West Bank. More than 100 people were injured.
Nigerians head to the polls on Saturday. More than 90 million voters will have a say in who next leads Africa’s most populous country. President Muhammadu Buhari is term-limited. There are 18 people on the ballot to replace him.
Interview:
Russia's Medvedev floats idea of pushing back Poland's borders | Reuters
Any encroachment on Poland's borders would bring Russia for the first time into direct conflict with NATO. U.S. President Joe Biden pledged in a speech in Warsaw this week to defend "every inch" of NATO territory if it was attacked...
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Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson Resort To Ugly New Low On Ukraine | HuffPost Latest News
Above a "Ukrainian Pimp" caption, the extremist congresswoman marked the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion with a gaslighting take on Fox News...
Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams | SSA
This is brought to you by the Social Security Administration and its Office of the Inspector General…
Anchor Rancor (Pete Strzok and Allison Gill; Cleanup on Aisle 45 podcast, Episode #109)
Allison welcomes Pete Strzok to the podcast! This week: Eastman files a response in his disbarment proceeding; if Fox News could feel shame it would be absolutely mortified by what has come out of the Dominion lawsuit against it; what Jim Jordan’s sham committee “investigate” and, more importantly, what they decided to overlook.
Interview:
Rep. Jared Huffman: ‘Continue to make your voices heard’ - Freethought Today
"For me, being a humanist is not a political liability, it's somewhere between irrelevant and actually positive. I'm doing my part to bring Congress closer to the secular institution that founders like Paine, Jefferson and Madison envisioned, and that the Constitution is supposed to require."
GOP Ex-Sen. Inhofe Retired Due To Long COVID After Opposing COVID Aid | HuffPost Latest News
The longtime senator from Oklahoma said complications from the virus contributed to his stepping aside...
Christian nationalists are flocking from blue states to Idaho - The Washington Post
Walsh, munching on a sandwich at a diner in Coeur d'Alene, explained that clients seek him out to locate property that is "defensible," with clear "firing lanes" in the event of invasion. His customers, overwhelmingly preppers, also typically claim the Christian faith. "I don't remember the last time that I met somebody that wasn't a Christian," he said...
Friday, February 24, 2023
Gallup poll on LGBTQ Americans suggests GOP is shooting itself in the foot
That's double the percentage of LGBTQ-identifying adults surveyed in 2012. And those percentages are significantly higher among young Americans...
Trump-allied group to Congress: Cut off former J6 committee staffers - POLITICO
The letter underscores the desire for retribution within Trump world for those who participated in the investigation...
Former Clinton White House aide wasn't murdered - PolitiFact
A court petition filed by his widow and brother said Middleton died by suicide in Perry County, Arkansas, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in June 2022…
Texas Governor Says Most Gun Crimes Involve Illegally Owned Weapons. That’s Not True for Mass Shootings. — ProPublica
The majority of the state's 19 mass shootings over the past six decades were carried out by men who legally possessed firearms, an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found...
As Heat Pumps Go Mainstream, a Big Question: Can They Handle Real Cold? - The New York Times
While heat pumps do become less efficient in subzero temperatures, many models still operate close to normally in temperatures down to minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 24 Celsius. Some of the latest models are even more efficient, and many "cold" countries, like Norway, Sweden and Finland, are increasingly embracing heat pumps..
Bodycam shows Houston area cop threatening to kill driver
"They told me to put my hands up, I put my hands up. Then they hit me, put me in a full nelson. The officer ran around the car, put the gun to my head, said 'I'll kill you,'" Royal said during a press conference with activists recorded by KHOU on Wednesday...
Purported voicemail from President Joe Biden about government records isn’t authentic - PolitiFact
We did find evidence that it was fabricated. In January, the recording appeared in a TikTok post with a label "AI Voice." (AI stands for artificial intelligence.)
"Lately," Rolling Stone magazine reported recently, "virtual Biden has been spouting off — rather fluently — on a number of topics about which the president wouldn't and/or shouldn't have strong opinions. It's all thanks to the advent of powerful AI tools for voice cloning."
Pence to fight grand jury subpoena seeking key January 6 testimony
Constitutional provision could prevent special counsel from obtaining information about conversations with Trump…
Amanda Tyler testifies before Congress against Christian nationalism – Baptist News Global
"Christian nationalism is a political ideology and cultural framework that seeks to fuse American and Christian identities. It suggests that 'real' Americans are Christians and that 'true' Christians hold a particular set of political beliefs."...
But the Christianity presented by the movement is more of an "ethno-identity" than a religion, she said. "Opposition to Christian nationalism is not opposition to Christianity, and a growing number of Christians feel a religious imperative to stand against Christian nationalism. Christian nationalism uses the language, symbols and imagery of Christianity — in fact, it may look and sound like Christianity to the casual observer. However, closer examination reveals that it uses the veneer of Christianity to point not to Jesus the Christ but to a political figure, party or ideology."…
US lawmakers push to make the spread of election misinformation illegal
The Democratic secretaries of state for Michigan and Minnesota told the Guardian they're supporting legislation that would criminalize people who spread misinformation about an election. Michigan's secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, said the law would prevent people from tweeting that Election Day is on a Wednesday or saying that voting machines are insecure, when they know that information to be false…
‘Incredibly damning:’ Fox News documents stun some legal experts - The Washington Post
The messages, she said, are "incredibly damning."…
Scott Perry battles DoJ over work with Trump allies to overturn 2020 election
"A member of Congress has a legitimate privilege under the speech or debate clause, which prevents a member from being questioned about legislative matters," former US attorney for eastern Michigan Barbara McQuade told the Guardian.
"That extends to measures stored on their phones. But that does not mean that a member of Congress can never be questioned or investigated. Text messages on the cellphone could provide evidence of criminal intent in efforts to thwart the outcome of the election."
Thursday, February 23, 2023
U.S. judge orders Trump deposed in lawsuits by former FBI officials | Reuters
Strzok's lawsuit claims that he was fired for speech protected under the U.S. Constitution and is seeking reinstatement, back pay and unspecified monetary damages. Page is seeking at least $1,000 in damages...
Multiple people shot, 1 person in custody, in Orange County, Florida, police say - CNN
"Multiple people shot on Hialeah Street, same scene as a homicide earlier today," the tweet said...
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/us/shooting-florida-orange-county/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/22/us/shooting-florida-orange-county/index.html
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