The News Roundup — Domestic (The 1A) 2021-10-29

Reports indicate that the Biden administration has privately told interested lawmakers that the portion of the social spending bill devoted to climate will amount to $500 billion. If true, the climate portion of the bill will be its biggest slice.

The Virginia gubernatorial election, touted as one of the year’s most important, is heating up as it reaches its final stretch. President Joe Biden has made statements concerning what a Republican takeover of the state would mean for the GOP and potentially for Donald Trump. Polls indicate the race is in a dead heat.

State and local authorities continue to resist federal vaccine mandates. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued an executive order to state agencies to resist the mandate where possible. The police union in New York City is filing a lawsuit against the city over the municipal government’s mandate.
Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/climate-spending-virginia-governor/

The News Roundup — International (The 1A) 2021-10-29

It’s been a big week for the Vatican. President Joe Biden is meeting with Pope Francis as both are being targeted by conservative members of their respective structures. The pope has also agreed to visit Canada following revelations concerning the Church’s role in the deaths of thousands of native children.

Following rising tensions with China, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen confirms U.S. troops have been training the Taiwanese military.

Australian soccer player Josh Cavallo came out this week as gay, making him the only out player in a top-flight professional soccer league.
Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/taiwan-pope-francis-cavallo/

What It Means to Be an Evangelical Today (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Athiest podast #398)

— A school district will no longer ban “Satanic” clothing after a Satanist complained. (1:32)

— Liberty University’s “think tank” was just a cover to elect Republicans. (6:05)

— A GOP official said society’s problems are all a result of not following God’s laws. (12:44)

— Liberty U. still isn’t taking sexual assault seriously. (15:15)

— Being an evangelical basically means worshiping Trump now. (23:12)

— A U.S. Senate candidate (guess which party) says church/state separation doesn’t exist. (35:30)

— Christian pseudo-historian Tim Barton says dads only need a “couple days” off after mom gives birth. (38:53)

— Most Americans want church/state separation… but don’t know what it means. (49:44)

— What is going on with the Chicago Blackhawks? (53:11)

— These Sikh men took off their turbans to save two hikers, putting decency over dogma. (1:08:36)
Interview: 

https://friendlyatheistpodcast.com/2021/10/28/what-it-means-to-be-an-evangelical-today/

Hundreds of Scientists Weigh in on a High-Stakes U.S. Abortion Case - Scientific American

… Finally, the economists supply evidence to counter Fitch's argument that abortion is no longer necessary because support is available from the state. The United States is alone among wealthy nations in not mandating paid maternity leave, the brief points out. It also provides figures indicating that a single parent earning the minimum wage would need to spend more than two-thirds of their income on childcare, with care for the average infant costing about US$10,400 per year. These figures matter, the researchers argue, because two main reasons that women give for seeking abortions are concerns about money and caring for existing children. About 75% of women who choose to have abortions are in a low-income bracket, and 59% already have children, according to the economists' brief...

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02834-7

Add verifiable COVID-19 vaccination information to Apple Wallet and Health - Apple Support

Add verifiable COVID-19 vaccination information as a vaccination card in Wallet and download and store verifiable vaccination and test result records in the Health app...

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212752

The dangerous way Ted Cruz is undermining U.S. foreign policy

… "He is not the secretary of state. The people of this country did not elect him or his party to represent us abroad. And what he's asking for is to control American foreign policy."…

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/dangerous-way-ted-cruz-undermining-u-s-foreign-policy-n1282625

America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick. — ProPublica

…The next day, on Aug. 16, 2019, Arthur Sutton died. The cause was severe blood poisoning and acute organ dysfunction brought on by salmonella… 

… ProPublica found that many plants have repeatedly violated the agency's standards without being shut down or facing any recent public sanction. According to the most recent data, more than a third of the plants producing ground chicken are violating the USDA standard. And many large companies — including Tyson, Pilgrim's Pride, Perdue, Koch Foods and the processors that produce chicken for Costco and Whole Foods — currently have plants with high rates of the types of salmonella most likely to make people sick…

https://www.propublica.org/article/salmonella-chicken-usda-food-safety

Texas shocked by killing of Muslim motorist who pulled into man’s driveway

…Thompson added: "It's customary to drive into people's driveways without it being considered trespass … There are other reasonable steps a concerned homeowner could take, like calling the police."…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/29/texas-man-san-antonio-stand-your-ground-murder-charge

Tucker Carlson draws bipartisan backlash for ‘false flag’ claim about Jan. 6 in new documentary - The Washington Post

…in which one subject appears to float a baseless conspiracy theory that the Capitol riot was covertly orchestrated by the government…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2021/10/28/tucker-carlson-draws-bipartisan-backlash-false-flag-claim-about-jan-6-new-documentary/

White Supremacists Use Racist Slurs In Opening Statements For Charlottesville Trial

…Wearing a blue shirt without a tie or jacket, he proceeded to name-check Mein Kampf, drop the n-word, plug his far-right radio program, call himself "good-looking" and a "professional artist," and blast antifascist activists all in a matter of minutes. Surprising nobody in the courtroom, Cantwell, who prepared for this moment with help from two other neo-Nazis in prison and spending evenings watching Tucker Carlson, said "I'm not a lawyer … [but] I'm the best attorney I could afford."…

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/christopherm51/white-supremacists-slurs-charlottesville-trial

House Democrats reintroduce Social Security reform bill | TheHill

…"The Social Security 2100 Act will keep this vital lifeline solvent and ensure our nation's bedrock social insurance program provides current and future beneficiaries with a quality standard of living," he added…https://thehill.com/homenews/house/578696-house-democrats-reintroduce-social-security-reform-bill

The dirty dozen: meet America’s top climate villains | Georgia Wright, Liat Olenick and Amy Westervelt | The Guardian

Few are household names, yet these 12 enablers and profiteers have an unimaginable sway over the fate of humanity…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/27/climate-crisis-villains-americas-dirty-dozen

Opinion | The White House just announced a pretty good reconciliation deal, but we’re not there yet - The Washington Post

… there's a lot of good in the emerging framework…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/28/white-house-announces-reconciliation-framework-sort-of/

Apple device security checkup: 10 tips to use now - 9to5Mac

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month …

https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/28/apple-device-security-checkup-10-tips/

Opinion: Trump's ridiculous falsehood-filled letter to the Wall Street Journal - CNN

…When Philip Bump of the Washington Post checked the facts, he found the letter rife with deception. For example, Trump cites the election analysis from a group called Audit the Vote PA that actually has no record of auditing anything…

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/28/opinions/trumps-ridiculous-letter-to-wall-street-journal-dantonio/index.html

Biden Administration Tightens Rules Around The Tipped Minimum Wage | HuffPost Latest News

The Labor Department is reversing a Trump-era policy that made it easier to pay tipped workers less for their time...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-tipped-minimum-wage-rule_n_617ab8bce4b066de4f6d1798

Texas lawmaker Matt Krause targets 850 books he says could make students uneasy : NPR

The list includes an Amnesty International book…

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/28/1050013664/texas-lawmaker-matt-krause-launches-inquiry-into-850-books

Texas lawmaker says 850 books ranging from race to sexuality could cause 'discomfort'

…Isabel Wilkerson's book "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents," which, among other things, made the case that Nazi Germany modeled its anti-Semitic policies on the segregation of Black people in the United States, also made Krause's list…

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-lawmaker-says-850-books-ranging-race-sexuality-cause-discomfort-rcna3953

More than 12 million global deaths are associated with environmental risks every year - CNN

…Earlier this month, the World Health Organization called for governments and policymakers to "act with urgency" on the climate and health crises. The report described climate change as the "single biggest health threat facing humanity," and outlined 10 recommended climate and health actions…

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/world/global-deaths-climate-environmental-risks-paho-intl/index.html

2 officers are indicted in the death of man who was shot 76 times : NPR

… Robinson's family said their son, who suffered from mental illness, was at his girlfriend's house when 16 officers broke down the door. 

"Over 90 rounds were fired at my son, flash-bang grenades were thrown at him, landed on him burning him. Somebody walked up the stairs, stood over him, and shot down into his body two more times. After that he was handcuffed and drug down a flight of stairs," Monteria Robinson said at a news conference in June 2020...

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/27/1049591413/2-officers-are-indicted-in-the-death-of-man-who-was-shot-76-times