#Rep. Barbara Lee

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

President Joe Biden turns the Medical Marijuana Research Bill into law, changing how American scientists can do research on marijuana.

As anticipated by Marijuana Moment last week, the White House announced on Friday that President Biden signed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, "which establishes a new registration process for conducting research on marijuana and for manufacturing marijuana products for research purposes and drug development."

The bipartisan bill was introduced in July, quickly passed in the House in the same month, and unanimously approved by the Senate in November.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Democrat), who sponsored the bill, released a joint press statement along with Cannabis Caucus Co-Chairs Barbara Lee (Democrat), Dave Joyce (Republican), and Brian Mast (Republican) stressing the importance of such achievement.

"For decades, the federal government has stood in the way of science and progress—peddling a misguided and discriminatory approach to cannabis. Today marks a monumental step in remedying our federal cannabis laws. The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act will make it easier to study the impacts and potential of cannabis," the statement reads.

Furthermore, the Representatives highlighted how fundamental is medical research on marijuana to understand the full medicinal potential of the plant to treat a wide array of medical conditions and pledged to work on ending the war on drugs through a series of upcoming proposals that will reshape the status of marijuana at the federal level.

The law significantly eases the lives of scientists who wish to study marijuana for medical purposes, as they had to follow strict regulations that could delay their research.

The new legislation removes federal restrictions in order to ease research from studying the plant and speeds up the application process to approve marijuana-related scientific studies.

Under the new law, the federal government has to ensure an adequate, uninterrupted supply of marijuana available to scientists for studies on medical marijuana.

Therefore, researchers will be able to learn more about the plant's medical properties and request large amounts of marijuana to use for research.

In fact, the legislation now requires that within 60 days of receiving a researcher's application, the U.S. Attorney General has to approve it, request more information, or deny it specifying the reasons. If researchers submit more information upon request, the Attorney General has 30 days to decide.

Universities and research institutions will now be able to acquire U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license to grow, manufacture, distribute, dispense and possess marijuana for research purposes, with guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Food And Drug Administration.

Scientists who wish to do marijuana research may update their protocol without informing the DEA if the quantity and form of marijuana, the source, and the storage conditions of the material won't change.

The legislation also encourages the FDA to develop marijuana-derived medicines and addresses the HHS to determine the potential medical benefits of marijuana or cannabidiol (or CBD) as a drug.

The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act also intervenes in the doctor-patient relationship by allowing physicians to discuss the currently known potential harms and benefits of marijuana cannabinoids, such as CBD, as a treatment or the known possible damages and benefits of marijuana and its compounds.

Nevertheless, the legislation doesn't allow scientists to obtain marijuana from state-run dispensaries and won't reschedule marijuana at the federal level.

In fact, marijuana will remain illegal at the federal level under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

However, the legislation represents a significant step forward for medical research on marijuana in the U.S.

Before the new law, doing research on marijuana was very difficult in the U.S. as scientists needed approval from multiple agencies to conduct studies, which could sometimes take years.

Furthermore, scientists were only allowed to use marijuana grown by the University of Mississippi, although the DEA has recently awarded six other marijuana cultivation licenses for research to U.S. companies.

Biden's signature of The Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act follows the executive order in October pardoning about 6,500 individuals convicted for marijuana possession at the federal level.

On that occasion, he also asked the Secretary of the HHS and the Attorney General to "initiate the process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law."

Although the new law doesn't implement more reform at the federal level, it may pave the way for new federal legislation on marijuana, such as the SAFE Banking Act, that may ease the federal restrictions on the marijuana industry.

[gemzies]

I am unfortunately an Oakland A’s fan.

Like other fans, I’ve been watching all of the drama and bullshit as they try to move the team to Las Vegas despite having almost all of the essentials for a stadium deal in Oakland done.

And I am amazed and highly amused that A’s ownership and Major League Baseball have fucked things up so royally that Congress is getting involved.

[smartie-chan]

Long rambling incoming in 3,2,1...

I know that I'm not really any kind of big celebrity in the Stobotnik world. The only thing I've got going for myself is the fact that I've been there since the very beginning, with my one 'I'm so proud of this community' Meme getting a like or two every full moon or so. It's also been a hot second since I've written a Stobotnik Fic, and yet, I've never really left the fandom. Far from it.

So boooooy, when that trailer dropped, let's just say, I've been going wild! That being said, I have calmed down a tiny bit and woud like to share my two cents with you all.

Especially since, considering how gay the trailer was, I've noticed people kind of leaning into either of two camps.

Team 1: They might actually make it canon y'all. This is not a drill!!!!

or

Team 2: This is the most intense queerbaiting I've ever seen, but fuck it, take my money!

Now, I will tell you where I'm standing at the end of things, but let's talk facts before I do, shall we?

I know Jim & Lee were having fun on set during Movie 1, but I doubt either of them expected us all to get quite this feral over these two evil man. In fact, I'm not sure what their plans were for Agent Stone in general. I'd love to believe that they saw us freaking the fuck out and decided to make Stone a big part of the sequels because of that. But then I look at the Robotnik Mushroom Planet scene and think: They gave this man an actual stone to hold onto, going so far as to carve Stone's face into said stone, just so he could pretend he wasn't alone and Stone was still with him. Clearly, Robotinik was never willing to admit that he cared, admit that there could be someone who he had allowed to get close, given that there had never been anyone before who had cared enough about HIM, so why should HE make the mistake of caring about someone else either. Cause, you know, it's easier to pretend there's noone than admit that there could be, just to realise that you were wrong actually. And yet. Despite all that he held onto Stone the stone, like his life depended on it. I love that scene because it's hella gay, but I love it even more because it's amazing writing, giving us the payoff for the forshadwed "I won't miss you when you're gone" scene from way back when. They didn't have to do that. And yet they made that choice. Included that moment for a reason. So I'd love to think that even back then, they were very willing to play with the dynamic of them going forward.

Clearly things and plans changed After Movie 1 , after we saw these two and made Stobotnik as big as it is. I'll talk about movie 2 in a hot second, but let's return to the way they promoted 2 first. Cause THAT was CLEARLY queerbaiting ... or was it... ? For you see, they knew what they were doing, they knew how to get us all excited , posting this on Valentine, letting Sonic make a heart, drawing the whole thing in a romantic light, going so far as to include bi-lighting in the trailer. On top of the latte art that was designed to get us queers to show up. I saw that art, freaked out and showed it to all of my friends. One friend, let's call her Barbara, smiled at me, like you smile at somone who still believes in the Easter Bunny and told me she hoped I knew they were playing with me. In fact, she was kind of dissapointed I allowed them to get to me so much. And I KNEW. I knew they were trying to bait me. I'm not stupid. This isn't the first time I've been queerbaited after all. And it won't be the last time, that's for sure. And yet, I didn't care because I loved that they acknowledged us. Loved that they were willing to give us something, even if it wasn't actually real and they were clearly NEVER going to include actual ship latte art of Stone & Robotnik together. Cause that would be gay. Haha. And those two totally weren't gay. Ain't I right? :)) Queer rep has gotten more common and yet, so has queerbaiting. Cause nowadays the chance that something could be actually made canon is way more likely than it was, let's say, 15 years ago. So companies love to use that, love playing into that even more. Like, do I have to remind you all what they were doing for the Deadpool & Wolverine movie marketing ??? Just saying.

As much as I love Lee and as much as we're loosing our marbels every time he as much as winks in our direction, I'll not be using any of his posts as evidence for the points I'm about to make further down. Cause, you know, at the end of the day, he's just one of us as well. Another shipper. A hella supportive shipper who may or may not have had a hand in the way he portrayed Stone, but still. Love you Lee. Thank you for having our back!

So now. Movie 2. And the godforsaken Maid Dress Scene. I hope we are all proud of ourselves. Cause that scene was our doing. I promise you, promise you!!! they didn't have that planned before the fandom happend. They saw us and were like "You can have this. As a treat :3". Personally I didn't freak out as much as the rest of you all, but I'm glad you guys had fun. It was a gift to us after all, so I guess it's fine if we enjoyed it. Jokes aside though, let's get back to what movie 2 did, even though they may or may not have realised it at the time. As in: They made Stobotnik canon. What do you mean by canon, Smartie?????, you might ask. And I'll answer, cause it's simple: I mean canon, as in canon. Yes, that's right. Stobotnik has been canon for a while... or... at least 50% of it. Let's get back to the Latte, shall we? Back then I thought they were making fun of us. Queerbaiting at it's finest. And then the movie happend and Stone confessed his love right then and there for the world to see, basically drawing fanart into Robotnik's caffe for who knows how long and Robotnik? That stupid -3000 IQ genius knew. He fucking knew!! Has always known and was either unwilling to read between the lines or mistook the affection for simple loyalty. Not-Spoiler: It's the later by the way, because we have that deleted scene. That beautiful deleted scene. But let's get back to the art for a second. Because I was basically dying in my seat. And I didn't think people were talking about it enough, cause it was the proof, not that stupid maid outfit that was simply put in as a joke that audiences were supposed to laugh at. But this. This! The whole scene were Stone was lovesick and heartbroken, drawing art of his lost non-lover, the way the life returned to his eyes the second said man returned, on top of literally all of him for the rest of the movie prooved one thing to me: Agent Stone was in love with Dr. Robotnik. It's clear he's never said so out loud, and for a good reason, but he didn't have to. It was so obvious anyone with an IQ lower than 299 could have seen. Just a shame that that one 300 IQ guy couldn't. So now, deleted scene time. Woopwoop. :P Recall how they had planned to make Stone even more in love and heart-eyed - JESUS CHRIST MY GUY - but went for an alternative scene instead? In case you aren't familiar with the scene, it's basically Stone telling Robotnik how he's followed his guide-lines, making the Stone Comic Canon, how he's made sure noone touched his babies, how he's known he'd return, how he's waited for him all this time cause he knew KNEW he'd come back and for a second there Robotnik doesn't know what to say. He looks that man in the eyes and for a split second he wonders, questions, and then... then he's scared. Scared of what that could mean. Scared that he could actually mean something to someone and he panics and decides to use violence to laugh it off, to refelect, to pretend that in that moment, he didn't actually feel something. That Stone didn't make him feel ... vulnerable. Because at that point, he cares too. He's not ready to admit it, at least not without having to joke about it. But he does. He does!! And the thought of it being mutual scares him. Probably more than anything ever has. Because if he allows this, this feeling to settle and bloom, he's got to admit that this, whatever it is, has the power to destroy and hurt him. And he can't do that. Maybe not again. Maybe not ever. Not now. Not now that he's what... 40? and has found peace with the fact that he'll die alone.

I know they were leaning into Stobotnik a lot, but they also... kind of didn't, following the natural consequences of the stuff they had set up in the prior movie, allowing Robotnik to go through an actual character arc. It's subtle, and he's still and asshole - always wil be - but that doesn't change the fact that his arc still exists and is actually very well done. Stone doesn't really have that obvious of an arc. Because it's not really much of an arc, we're just learning more about him, fleshing out his character. The only thing we know for certain is, that he adores and loves Robotnik and that he's willing to betray everyone and everything for him. Even if Robotnik never loves him back. He's accepted that, as long as he's alowed a place at his side.

And now, my fellow shippers, movie 3. Or rather, pre-movie 3. And the much discussed question: Are we getting queerbaited? Well, that depends how you define queerbaiting, doesn't it? Is it queerbaiting if it's unrequited love? Cause that's our current standpoint. Stone has found his doctor, nursed him back to health, lived with him, been by his side for months (years) and the only thing that is standing in their way now is: Robotnik's feelings. They have great build-up, put this man on a path, shown us how he's grown and now all that's left is to see, how they'll decide to finish his story. If I look at all that's happend up to this point, from a writing/writer stand-point, I'd say, that it would make sense for Robotnik to admit, that he cares. Cause that has been his arc, his journey. To admit that yes: He doesn't care about humanity, but he does care about Stone. Has for a very long while in fact. Be that platonic, or romantic. Doing literally anything else would not make sense at that point and would actually be an insult to their own work. And their writing has been pretty solid, so I'm confident we will get something. Especially since... I HAVE seen the leaks. Now, storyboards are just that. Something from early development, something that could change. Which is why I'd normally ignore them.... iiiiiiiif it weren't for that one line from the trailer. That one. fucking. line. That made me realise: Holy shit, those mad lads are doing it. They are finishing Robotnik's arc. That's when I understood why Team 1 was loosing their marbels. Because,

SPOILER!!!!! he is going to admi it. He is going to admit it to himself, and he's gonna do something so wild and crazy it scares me more than you understand. The only question is. Will he surive to tell the tale? And if he does, will he be brave enough to share that admission with Stone?

END OF SPOILER

I don't have links to the storyboard. In retrospect, I should have saved them. But what's done is done. Not that I cod delete the knowledge of what I've seen even if I tried. People seem hesitant to tell people all they have seen, cause those of us who have, and know the Sonic 2 story seem to have a good understanding of what and when that spoiler is taking place. And especially what outcome it seems to be leading into. But, if anyone asks, I am willing to share what it was I saw. If you really wanna know. If you are truly sure.

That being said. How do I feel about Stobotnik? I don't think we're getting a kiss. But I think (and hope) we're gonna get a moment. A moment of Robotnik being open, of him sharing that Stone means somethig to him. They even have the potential to include a joke here, of Stone perhaps attempting to hug Robotnik, for him to allow it for 3 seconds or so, only for him to punch Stone and say something along the lines of: "Okay, that's enough." You know, something close to the High Five moment, just THIS TIME they actually do the high five (or hug). You can have the feels and the joke. It's still Robotnik after all. It's what I'm hoping for, actually, cause I don't think Robotnik is ready for THAT admission quite yet. A hug though? That I could see.

I know we still have to fight against being exploited and played with, but that being said, I don't think love confessions have to always be that huge thing, that clashing of tongues and body parts. They can also be soft and quite. A moment of vulnerability and trust. Of openness. In fact, if Robotnik were to allow Stone a hug, it would be even more impactful than a kiss could ever be. He's hugging Gerald in the trailer, so they have shown me that they are not afraid to make this man hug.

It gives me hope. And it - and the leaks - are the reason why I'm Team 1. I think we could actually get canon Stobotnik you all. And I'm so hyped you don't understand. Let's see what Stobotnik marketing they are going to feed us over the next few months. I, for one, am looking forward to it. ^-^

Live long and prosper 🥚🖤🪨

[zvaigzdelasas]

Federal Protective Service officers have been arresting protestors who filled the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland on Monday to demand a cease-fire in Gaza.[...]

Jewish Voice for Peace, or JVP, a main organizer of the protest, said on the social media platform X at 8:10 p.m. that "We are being arrested one by one, there are hundreds of us still at the Oakland federal building, we are not leaving."[...]

People in T-shirts reading "Jews Say Cease-fire Now" and carrying banners that read "Not in Our Name" and "Let Gaza Live" filled the area, the perimeter of which was closed off by Oakland Police. A sing-song "Cease-fire Now" could be heard echoing through the rotunda. According to Jewish Voice for Peace, an event organizer, the action is part of a national week of Jewish-led protests, with protestors demanding that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris follow the lead of U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

13 Nov 23

[girlactionfigure]

The 44 House members who voted to provide cover for Jew haters:

 Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT)

Don Beyer (D-VA)

Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)

Jamaal Bowman (D-NY)

Cori Bush (D-MO)

Andre Carson (D-IN)

Greg Casar (D-TX)

Judy Chu (D-CA)

Yvette Clarke (D-NY)

Danny Davis (D-IL)

Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)

Debbie Dingell (D-MI)

Veronica Escobar (D-TX)

Valerie Foushee (D-NC)

Maxwell Frost (D-FL)

Chuy Garcia (D-TX)

Robert Garcia (D-CA)

Al Green (D-TX)

Jared Huffman (D-CA)

Jonathan Jackson (D-IL)

Sara Jacobs (D-CA)

Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)

Hank Johnson (D-GA)

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA)

Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Summer Lee (D-PA)

Jim McGovern (D-MA)

Gwen Moore (D-WI)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)

Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

Mark Pocan (D-WI)

Katie Porter (D-CA)

Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)

Delia Ramirez (D-IL)

Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

Rahsida Tlaib (D-MI)

Jill Tokuda (D-HI)

Lauren Underwood (D-IL)

Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)

Maxine Waters (D-CA) 

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

[vaguelyaperson]

Bruh why does it feel like I'm the only one pointing out that primary elections are a thing?

We were all so gungho about primaries and nearly got Bernie to the general election, but then y'all seemed to abandon the concept when we got Joe instead. Don't you fuckin see??? Bernie's near victory in the primaries is WHY the Dems (under Biden) have been so progressive lately about student loans, unions, ect. It's because the Democrats are aware there's a large voting bloc that won't support them unless they have progressive policies.

Y'all can do that again in the 2024 primaries!!!

(I'm currently compiling a list) but there are a number of Democrat pro-Israel incumbent House and Senate reps up against better Democrat candidates in the 2024 spring primaries.

One example race is for California Senator; former House Rep Barbara Lee is running, and she has been among the few 18 House reps to cosponsor a bill for ceasefire. If you vote in the primaries, you could have 🍉 Barbara Lee as your Democrat Senator on the November ticket! 🍉

You can vote against the guys who let 10k+ people die without voting Republican or giving up your vote altogether.

Come the general election, we vote Democrat no matter what, because it is leagues better than the alternative.

But in the meantime: primaries, primaries, PRIMARIES

[covid-safer-hotties]

Coronavirus in California keeps rising: Wastewater levels worse than last summer - Published July 22, 2024

Click the link to read the full article unpaywalled! A taste below...

Coronavirus levels in California’s wastewater now exceed last summer’s peak, an indication of the rapid spread of the super-contagious new FLiRT strains.

California has “very high” coronavirus levels in its wastewater — one of 21 states in that category, up from seven the prior week, according to estimates published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That means about 155 million people — nearly half of America’s population — live in areas with “very high” coronavirus levels in sewage. Besides California, the other states with “very high” levels are Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Washington, D.C., is also in that category.

Coronavirus levels in wastewater are also surging in Los Angeles County — and the rate of increase has been accelerating. The county also has seen notable jumps this month in newly confirmed infections, coronavirus-positive hospitalizations and the share of emergency room visits attributable to COVID-19.

Nationally, overall viral levels in wastewater are considered “high” for the second straight week, the CDC said. The estimates are subject to change as more data come in.

Most Americans probably know a family member, friend, co-worker or acquaintance who has come down with COVID-19 recently, perhaps being infected while traveling or at a social gathering.

“If you call — I don’t know — 20 or 30 friends, you’re very, very likely to find a bunch of them actually have COVID, or have had COVID recently, or are starting to be symptomatic,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a COVID expert and chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri.

One notable recent case was President Biden, who tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday while traveling in Las Vegas. Biden returned to Delaware to recover. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tested positive a few weeks ago, and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) said Tuesday that she was celebrating her birthday while recovering from COVID.

“Our fight against COVID is not over!” Lee said on social media.

Across the nation, COVID-19’s shadow has become more pronounced lately, with the usual seasonal uptick in travel and socialization spawning a fresh spate of infections. Many cases are relatively mild, but nevertheless disruptive — forcing trips or plans to be canceled.

Some recently infected people have described painful COVID symptoms, such as a throat that feels like it’s studded with razor blades. Overall, however, there are no indications the FLiRT subvariants are associated with increased illness severity that would trigger a substantial increase in hospitalizations.

The CDC estimates that COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing in 41 states, including California. There are no states where the coronavirus is declining or likely declining.

The COVID resurgence comes as the sprawling FLiRT family is increasing its dominance nationally. For the two-week period that ended Saturday, the CDC estimates that about 80% of the nation’s coronavirus specimens are of the FLiRT subvariants, up from about 65% for the same period a month earlier.

Across California, the rate at which COVID tests are returning positive results is also on the rise. For the week that ended July 15, 12.8% of tests came back positive. That’s up from 5.9% a month earlier and close to last summer’s peak of 13.1%, which was recorded at the end of August and early September.

For the 10-day period that ended July 6, the most recent for which data are available, coronavirus levels in Los Angeles County wastewater were at 36% of last winter’s peak, up from 27% for the 10-day period that ended June 29.

Newly confirmed COVID cases are rising faster, too. For the week that ended July 14, there were an average of 359 new cases a day in L.A. County, up from 307 the prior week. A month earlier, there were 154 cases a day.

Official COVID-19 case tallies are certainly an undercount, as those figures include only tests done at medical facilities, not those taken at home, and also don’t account for the fact that fewer people are testing when they feel sick. But the overall trends are still helpful to determine the trajectory of the summer wave.

COVID hospitalizations are also ticking up, though they remain below last summer’s peak. For the week that ended July 13, there were an average of 287 COVID-positive people per day in L.A. County hospitals, up from 139 for the comparable period a month earlier. Last summer’s peak was the week that ended Sept. 9, when an average of 620 COVID-positive patients were in the region’s hospitals per day.

For the week that ended July 14, L.A. County reported that 2.8% of all emergency room visits were COVID-related — up from 1.8% for the comparable period a month earlier, but below last summer’s peak of 5.1%.

[selkiesstories]

Rep. Barbara Lee

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Several of her House colleagues are already running for her Senate seat. She isn’t raising real money. And it’s so widely assumed that Sen. Dianne Feinstein is on her way out that Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, felt free this week to publicly endorse a would-be successor — if Feinstein retires.

An extreme awkwardness has fallen over California political circles, where virtually everyone is acting as if Feinstein is done, but without her explicitly saying so. It’s the electoral equivalent of clearing the dessert from the dinner table as one guest sits there, nibbling at the main course chicken dish that had been served hours prior.

“God bless her,” said Garry South, a Democratic strategist who has worked on major statewide campaigns in California. “But the most pathetic part of politics is when somebody doesn’t know when it’s time to leave.”

Feinstein, the longest-serving Democrat in the Senate, is in the midst of one of the most uneasy codas to a political career. Her extended pre-departure has, for many of her fellow Democrats, turned into an abject lesson in the perils of hanging on.

“She’s still the state’s senior senator,” said one longtime Democratic strategist in California. “And they’re dancing on her [political] grave.”

The oldest member of Congress at 89, Feinstein has for decades been a fixture in Democratic politics here. But as the electorate in California shifted, her brand of centrism fell out of step with her party’s progressive base — so much so that the California Democratic Party in the 2018 primary declined to endorse her reelection bid. She ran and won handily anyway.

More problematic for Feinstein has been the persistent questions about her health. Even Democrats sympathetic to the Senator have been reading headlines about her cognitive fitness to serve. The stories about it pop up with such regularity now that they no longer elicit the shock value of the early versions, when publication of such matters seemed to be violating some unwritten code of D.C. conduct.

Feinstein’s office has long batted down such talk, saying she has her full faculties and remains utterly capable of executing the job of Senator to the nation’s most populous state. Still, it’s a long way from the days of Harvey Milk or the “year of the woman” when she and Barbara Boxer became the first women elected to the Senate from California in 1992. Heck, it’s a long way from 2019, when Annette Bening was portraying her as an anti-torture, Bush administration-fighting crusader in the political drama “The Report.”

In California, Democrats are left looking for signs that she, too, sees that the show is coming to a close. That includes even those supporting her.

After Feinstein this week reported raising less than $600 in the last fundraising period, one of her small-dollar donors, a Carlsbad, Calif., man named William Betts, said, “I have some automatic payments in there that are still ongoing.”

“I would much prefer a younger candidate, certainly anybody from Gen X,” he said. “My preference is that she retires.”

Much of California would appear to be ready for that. In a Berkeley IGS Poll taken about a year ago, Feinstein’s job approval rating in the state hit an all-time low of 30%. An October measure by the Public Policy Institute of California put her approval rating higher, at 41% among likely voters, but still underwater.

“There hasn’t been much that’s been said in terms of her recent leadership that’s been positive,” said Mark Baldassare, director of the poll. “It really has been a while since I’ve read or heard glowing remarks about her.”

Still, he said that if he was polling on the Senate race now, he would include her.

“Until further notice,” he said, “she’s the senator.”

But almost everyone else in California, it seems — some more gently than others — is preparing for her not to be. Pelosi, before issuing her conditional endorsement of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), said that if Feinstein does seek reelection, “she has my whole-hearted support.” But no politician puts out that kind of statement if they expect her to. Schiff and Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) are already running. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), has told her colleagues she plans to. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is giving consideration to the race.

The already declared candidacies, in turn, have ignited a scramble among eager Democrats downstream from them to announce campaigns for their soon-to-be-open House seats.

“It seems like all of them are handling it professionally, and honoring Dianne,” said Bob Mulholland, a veteran Democratic strategist and former Democratic National Committee member.

Even if the rush to fill a chair that Feinstein still occupies is, collectively, “pretty tasteless,” as one Democratic strategist described it, it may be hard to fault politically. The California primary will be in March of 2024 — just more than a year away — and candidates will need to raise tens of millions of dollars to compete in the state’s enormous media markets.

“What’s sad about this is that she’s always been somebody you didn’t dare mess around with,” the strategist said. “And it looks like that’s just gone.”

Already, Schiff is raising money and Porter, with her whiteboards out, is bringing in cash too. At her first campaign event, in Northern California last month, she told the crowd it’s time for “a fresh new voice” in the Senate.

For her part, Feinstein has hardly batted an eye at the spectacle surrounding her, even if the pre-announcement announcements run counter to what Boxer adviser Rose Kapolczynski called “a long tradition of deference.”

“The Senator has said on a few occasions the more the merrier,” a Feinstein spokesperson said. Of Feinstein’s own timeline, she told Bloomberg News that she’ll announce plans “in the spring sometime.”

“Not in the winter,” Feinstein said. “I don’t announce in the winter.”

If she does announce her retirement, it may dramatically shift the opinion her constituents have of her. Politicians are often more popular when they go.

“There will be all the usual retrospectives about her career and her groundbreaking moments, and gun control and abortion and Harvey Milk and all of that,” Kapolczynski said. “There’ll be an afterglow. Once you announce you’re not running again, you get an afterglow from the voters.”

That will likely come no matter when Feinstein makes her announcement. And after 30 years in the Senate, some Democrats say, she has clearly earned the right to make her plans on whatever timeline she likes.

“I think she’s been a great senator, but you know … the writing’s been on the wall all for a while,” said Steve Maviglio, a former New Hampshire state lawmaker and Democratic strategist in California. “I think she wants to bow out on her terms.”

[hellyeahscarleteen]

To kick of Black History Month, let'stake a moment to learn about some amazing, black sex educators past and present!

Sexuality in Color: An Interview with Bianca Laureano, extended

Youth Sexpert: An Interview with Tara Michaela

We Are Currently Living in an Active Trauma State: An Interview With Jimanekia Eborn

Sex and Love in Times of Peril: An interview with Dr. Lexx Brown-James

Mini-History: Conference of Black Women's Health Issues

Mini-History: BEBASHI

Mini-History: The Women's Political Association of Harlem

Mini-History: Jocelyn Elders

Mini-History: Rep. Barbara Lee

Mini-History: Reggie Williams

[logo-comics]

Miraculous: Marinette her class and Knight Owl

Title: Knight Owl why did you just break down the door of the class room?

In which Knight Owl comes to adopt Paris's Queen Bee because she's a teenage superhero and no one should be forced to claim Audrey Bourgeois as a parent.

Also because she's Knightowl.

...Right in the middle of class. Clearly the class rep was going to need to play diplomat with the woman in a more discreet location.

This whole thing obviously also had nothing to do with Barbara Keynes forcibly taking custody of one Zoe Lee, nor in the appearance of a new Sparrow, who showed up shortly after Eagle had joined the United Heroez.

[mightyflamethrower]

Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who is running for late Sen. Diane Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat, is calling for a $50 minimum wage, defending her position during a debate Monday night.

The moderator asked Lee to defend her call for a $50-an-hour minimum wage during the event, noting that it is “seven times the current national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.”

When asked how that would be economically sustainable for small businesses, Lee immediately said that she owned and ran a small business for over a decade, creating “hundreds of jobs, benefits, retirement benefits, [and] also health care benefits.”

“I know what worker productivity means, and that means that you have to make sure that your employees are taken care of and have a living wage in the Bay Area,” Lee said. “I believe it was the United Way [that] came out with a report that — very recently — [said] $127,000 for a family of four is just barely enough to get by,” she said, pointing to another survey that identified $104,000 as not being enough for one person, essentially classifying them as low income “because of the affordability crisis.”

She added:

And so, just do the math. Just do the math. Of course, we have national minimum wages that we need to raise to a living wage — you’re talking about $20, $25 — fine, but I have got to be focused on what California needs and what the affordability factor is when we calculate this wage.

Lee ultimately failed to answer the question.SUBSCRIBE

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Fox 40 notes that “a wage of $50 an hour would total $104,000 over the course of a year.”

WATCH:

Her call generated mockery from critics, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who asked, “Who not $500 per hour?”

“Okay, why not $100 then? $1,000? Why not just make the minimum wage a billion dollars an hour? Then we’d all be richer than Elon Musk!” Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk remarked.

“Economic illiteracy like Rep. Lee’s has been around for centuries. Every country that adopts it becomes a dystopian nightmare,” he added as others piled on:

Lee’s call comes as inflation comes roaring back with no immediate signs of relief, as detailed in Breitbart Business Digest.

RELATED — CNN’s Sidner: Hotter-Than-Expected Inflation Report “Another Sign” Economy “Getting Better”

[theivorybilledwoodpecker]

People who signed:

Jamaal Bowman

Cori Bush

Joaquin Castro

Pramila Jayapal

Barbara Lee

Summer Lee

Ilhan Omar

Ayanna Pressley

Rashida Tlaib

Raúl Grijalva

Mary Gay Scanlon

There are more, but those are the ones the article specifically mentions.

Our calls, faxes, and emails are working. Scanlon is my Congresswoman, and this is the first she's called for a ceasefire.

Keep calling, faxing, and emailing your reps. Lets keep the pressure up.

[cdyssey]

Abbott (3.05) Liveblog

Lmao, A++ cold open.

The line about Melissa staying out all night to run away from her problems. 😭

The accuracy with which Abbott has pinned down the outwardly polite but subtle cattiness of certain women in a ladies church group is fucking UNCANNY. Delisha Sloss could have stepped right out of my childhood church.

Holy fuck. I don’t want Jacob and Zach to break up. I love them. Nooooooo. 😭😭 love that we’re getting more gregory and Jacob moments, though

YES, BARBAVA!!!!!!!!! Oh, I love Ava hyping her up.

“What is a choir if not a sorority for the Lord?” AOqoqkwdjjsiaKkqowjsjsSJOWISSJAJQOSJSJJAAJ. ALREADY THE LINE OF THE EPISODE

ALL THOSE KIDS SCREAMING WAS SO MUCH MY GOD

I HAD MY VOLUME TOO LOUD

god, Janine’s fits this season have been so insanely good. That black and white dress!!!!

“We saw you dial.” AKWKDIWJSJ

Not the church ladies judging Barbara for having multiple piercings 😭😭😭😭😭😭

The fucking meanness of these ladies. my goddddjdndjdjdjjd.

It’s. So. Accurate.

AVA STANDING UP FOR HER!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Well, sometimes she does sound like she’s the one up there on that cross.” AOQOSODJJSSJQJQOSOWOKW. NEVER MIND. THAT’S THE LINE OF THE EPISODE

“Y’know, most people calm down over time, but I get angrier and less rational.” / “That’s concerning.” HSJSJSJSJ, I love Mel and Janine team-ups.

OMG, nonbinary rep with Mx. Geoffrey!!!

Man, I wish we had gotten to see some of the tension build up with Zach and Jacob before this; I think that way, I wouldn’t be feeling a little whiplash at the dissolution of their relationship.

Zach, I’m going to miss you 😭😭😭😭

“I came back for my pen.” Rieodjdjsj.

“I’m too modern for them. I’m not Christian enough for them.” SOBBING. OH, GOD.

SEA BARBARA MENTION!!!

“And not to mention, I’m friends with some of Abbott’s more colorful teachers.”

Oh, this insight into Barbara is so, so good, and I’m really glad that she shared it with Ava. It’s a fucking excellent nod to “Fundraisers,” where Ava also got to see just how vicious Barbara’s church group can be and the effect they produce on her.

Melissa coming this close to admitting that she misses Janine. 🥺

AVA ARRANGING A RECITAL FOR BARB. CRYING FOR REAL. AVABARB AVABARB AVABARB!!!!!!!

SHERYL LEE RALPH!!!!!!! AUGHWHEHSHSHSHA!! You just know this made her sooooo happy.

FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE SEASON SO FAR

(i am a simple woman. I just like to see barbara Howard happy 😭)

‘Cuz I’m going to need you to let my people go.” WKOQKDOWOWKSKA.

Oh, this episode did it for me

[elliehopaunt]

By Matt Grobar

EXCLUSIVE: Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Timothy V. Murphy (Appaloosa) and Bruce Greenwood (The Fall of the House of Usher) have boarded The Fabulous Four, a new comedy from Bleecker Street, which has entered production in Georgia under an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA.

The actors join an ensemble that also includes Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, and Megan Mullally, as previously announced. Ralph takes over the role of Sissy Spacek, who was attached as of last fall but was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Bleecker Street nabbed North American rights to the pic last October and will release the film in U.S. theaters in 2024. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA Media Finance arranged the financing and brokered the deal for U.S. rights, with Sierra/Affinity repping international sales.

Written and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, the Cannes prize-winner best known for her Kate Winslet pic The Dressmaker, the film follows three life-long friends (Sarandon, Mullally, and Ralph) who travel to Key West, Florida to be bridesmaids in a surprise wedding of their college girlfriend Marilyn (Midler). Once there, sisterhoods are rekindled, the past rises up again in all its glory, and there are enough sparks, drinks and romance to change all their lives in ways they never expected.

Richard Barton Lewis’ Southpaw Entertainment is producing alongside Lauren Hantz of Hantz Motion Pictures.

An icon of stage and screen, Ralph has won an Emmy and numerous other accolades for her portrayal of kindergarten teacher Barbara Howard on Abbott Elementary, the ABC mockumentary that has emerged as one the most popular scripted series on linear. The show, created by and starring Quinta Brunson, was renewed for a third season in January but only recently returned to the writers’ room, following the conclusion of the WGA strike. Otherwise perhaps best known for her Tony-nominated turn as Deena Jones in Broadway’s Dreamgirls, Ralph has also been seen in Mistress with Robert de Niro, To Sleep with Anger with Danny Glover, The Distinguished Gentlemen with Eddie Murphy, and Sister Act 2 with Whoopi Goldberg, along with such series as Moesha and Ray Donovan.

Most recently recurring on Law & Order: Organized Crime and ABC’s The Company You Keep, Murphy previously reprised his role in Uni’s comedy MacGruber on the same-name Peacock series. Other recent credits for the actor on the TV side include S.W.A.T., Snowpiercer, Westworld, and True Detective, to name just a few. Additional feature credits include In Full Bloom, The Lone Ranger, and National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Greenwood puts in a stellar turn as Fortunato Pharmaceuticals CEO Roderick Usher in Netflix’s Edgar Allen Poe-inspired miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher from Mike Flanagan, which bowed on the platform earlier this month. He also recently starred in the Fox medical drama The Resident, which ran for six seasons, and will soon appear in fantasy pic The Invisibles with Tim Blake Nelson and Gretchen Mol, among other projects.

At this year’s Toronto Film Festival, Bleecker Street nabbed U.S. rights to James Hawes’ One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins, and the starry British comedy Fackham Hall, which goes into production next year. The company also locked down UK rights, alongside Elysian Film Group and Anonymous Content, to Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. Upcoming releases include the Meg Ryan-helmed rom-com What Happens Later, coming to theaters November 3, which she leads with David Duchovny, and Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s Waitress: The Musical, out December 7 with Fathom Events.

[rotationalsymmetry]

For the first time since 1998, Rep. Barbara Lee will not be on the ballot to represent an Oakland-centered East Bay district in Congress. But the crush of candidates expected to vie for a rare open House seat never materialized. The reason: BART board Director Lateefah Simon largely cleared the field. ​​Assembly Members Buffy Wicks and Mia Bonta, state Sen. Nancy Skinner and former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf all took a pass and endorsed Simon.

from the San Francisco Chronicle

Well. Fair.

As far as I can tell Vice Mayor Tony Daysog is not running a serious campaign (hella ugly campaign website) and Jennifer Tran is clearly running as a moderate -- "We will modernize police departments in essential ways that dramatically improve public safety" and something about promoting commerce -- whereas Simon sounds excellent and has excellent endorsements, and actually sounds like she's going to win (she's got the Chronicle's endorsement, which in context I'm guessing is less about them actually liking her and more about them seeing the writing on the wall) damn I love living in the East Bay.