#critical care congress 2023

[populationpensive]

SCCM Congress 2023

Hey hey hey! So I shall be attending the Society of Critical Care Medicine Congress next week in San Francisco (providing San Fran hasn't simply fallen into the bay) and was wondering if there are any PAblrs, medblrs, pharmblrs, or nurblrs going? I realize it's a bit of a niche conference to an extent. But, if you're going, let's connect!

In all honesty, I am a little worried it will get cancelled or something. I only say that because of the horrible flooding AND my track record of signing up for conferences that then get cancelled.

Other than conferences, just chillin' like a villain in my ICU. Worked my last 12 of the week and will spend the weekend doing my volunteer gig.

[picturejasper20]

Wow... people having to identify themselves to a government because of they are part of a group that is seen as ¨other¨ or because they want to learn about a certain topic...where i have seen this before...

I don't know... maybe what it is considered one of the biggest red flags in steps of dehumanization of groups, mainly minorities?

Btw, this is what the people behind KOSA are trying to impose in all the United States of America.

[Image ID: News politcs article about USA politics that says ¨Kansas governor passes law requiring ID to view acts of 'homosexuality' online, vetoes anti-LGBTQ+ bill¨ /.End ID]

Link to the article: https://www.advocate.com/politics/kansas-veto-age-verification-gender-affirming-care-abortion

Edit: Since this gained more notes, for those who don't know KOSA is, it is a USA bill that was reintroduced on May 2023 (last year). It is called ¨Kids Online Safety Act¨ (KOSA for short). It has been introduced and reintroduced for a while now since 2022. It is meant with the intention to ¨protect kids¨ by restricting their use of internet by pushing age restrictions and people having to present their ID to use internet or access certain websites, quite similar to the Kansas state bill that got passed. Many groups and people have criticized this bill for the potential censorship it can come with it and do more harm to the kids than help them. Possible censorship that has been suggested this bill can bring is LGBT+ content, politics and news, mental health search, political and social opinions in general (adults included). What is more, it has been put into question the possible invasion of privacy for both minors and adults by having to share an identification to use certain websites. That people could get censored or doxxed by doing this.

As for the bill itself, there was a hearing earlier today in the Senate. ( April 17th-Wednesday). It could take a while before it gets voted and has to pass different stages. Then it would take months (18 months) to be implemented if it gets passed.

I'm not American myself, so i'm not sure how much i can do about this. What i do recommend is making calls to senators and people involved in pushing this bill to make clear your disapproval of it. Try sign petitions or just telling others about it.

Some sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_Online_Safety_Act https://www.stopkosa.com/ https://www.badinternetbills.com/ https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/02/dont-fall-latest-changes-dangerous-kids-online-safety-act

Website to keep track of the KOSA bill movements and cosponsors of the bill:

[mollyjimbly]

🚨🚨ATTENTION🚨🚨

Another Disgusting anti-LGBT bill, planning to censor queer content online.

Yet again another law that infringes on privacy. and anonymity.

The bill is KOSA

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1409

KOSA is a threat to LGBTQ+ youth.

It allows right-wing AGs to censor LGBTQ+ content in the name of "protecting kids".

This doesn't protect kids. This actually hurts kids even more.

It will snuff out LGBTQ+ spaces and makes the internet more of a dangerous place for them, more or less...

"Of course, like so many of these “bipartisan” anti-internet bills that have bipartisan support, the support on each side of the aisle is based on a very different view of how the bill will be used in practice. We went through this last year with the AICOA antitrust bill. Democrats supported it (falsely) believing that it would magically increase competition, while Republicans were gleefully talking about how they were going to use it to force websites to host their propaganda."

"Now, with KOSA, again you have Democrats naively (and incorrectly) believing that because it’s called the “Kids Online Safety Bill” it will magically protect children, even though tons of experts have made it clear it will actually put them at greater risk."

https://www.techdirt.com/2023/05/24/heritage-foundation-says-that-of-course-gop-will-use-kosa-to-censor-lgbtq-content/

KOSA will also undermine privacy in the name of "protecting children".

"This bill would effectively place many internet services behind an age verification wall, prevent anonymous surfing, and would require all users – adults or teens – to verify their age before they can access information or content.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association supports the enactment of comprehensive privacy legislation at the federal level, but has concerns about KOSA’s duty of care, vague requirements that would prevent teens from accessing critical information, and compliance provisions that conflict with current trends toward data minimization."

https://ccianet.org/news/2023/05/ccia-statement-on-unintended-consequences-of-kosa-legislation-would-place-most-internet-services-behind-age-verification-wall/

Age verification technology is just not secure enough for usage at the moment, leaks are likely to happen, it will be especially dangerous if the leaked Age verification information has a government ID linked to it. That would mean that malicious individuals may get a hold of personal addresses, bank details, basically you'll get doxxed by the government...

You may be asking, "well is there anything to do about it?"

Of course there is, but we really need your help spreading awareness around, because the bill is most likely to pass this July!

This website was put together by Fight for the Future. It has everything, from petitions to calls scripts. It's very easy to understand and use and one of the best links to spread. I urge you to use this when calling your members of congress. All you need to do is put in your phone number once and read off the script provided and it does the rest for you.

https://www.badinternetbills.com/

Signable petitions and open letters;

If you live in the states, call your state representatives;

Joinable Discord server;

More information;

I have to say again and I am not exaggerating, this is URGENT the bill could be passed THIS MONTH!

I am begging you, please OPPOSE KOSA!!

[mariacallous]

In November, voters in at least 10 states will vote on ballot initiatives seeking to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions. Voters nationwide and in battleground states consider abortion to be one of the most important issues in this election.   

For this and other reasons, it is critical that the public be informed about the issue. Here are five myths about abortion in America, compared to the reality.   

MYTH #1: Many women are having abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy, including in the ninth month or later.  

REALITY: The vast majority of abortions (93%) occur in the first trimester of pregnancy, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). So-called “late-term abortions” performed at or after 21 weeks of pregnancy are extremely uncommon and represent less than 1% of all abortions in the U.S. They generally occur because of the discovery of a fatal condition affecting the fetus or serious risks to the life or health of the mother. The claim that abortions happen “moments before birth” or even “after birth” is false. In no state is it legal to kill a baby after it has been born.   

MYTH #2: The overturning of Roe v. Wade has led to fewer abortions. 

REALITY: The number of abortions that occurred in the U.S. increased by 11% in 2023, the first full year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, compared with 2020 levels. This increase was driven primarily by the greater availability of medication abortion pills and privately financed funds that supported women seeking abortions.  

MYTH #3: Because abortion totals have not declined, women cannot have been harmed by abortion bans and restrictions. 

REALITY: Although many women living in states with abortion bans have been able to circumvent those bans by traveling to another state or by obtaining medication abortion pills using telehealth and the mail, others have not been so lucky. So even though abortion rates have increased, on balance, it’s still the case that many women who wanted abortions have been unable to get them. 

In addition, abortion restrictions are putting women’s lives and health at risk. The same procedures used for terminating unintended pregnancies are also essential for addressing a number of other situations, including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and severe fetal abnormalities.  

Federal authorities have documented dozens of cases where pregnant women have been refused emergency medical treatment because doctors in ban states fear criminal prosecution. This has resulted in women having miscarriages in public restrooms, bleeding out in their cars, or experiencing delays in receiving care that have led them to develop infections or sustain bodily harm.  

Already, a woman in Georgia named Amber Thurman has died from infection after doctors delayed performing a routine procedure out of fear of criminal liability under the state’s abortion ban. The state’s maternal mortality review committee called Thurman’s death “preventable” and said the delay in care had a “large” impact in causing her death. Other similarly tragic stories are sure to emerge once state review committees begin to publicize their findings, which operate with a lag.  

MYTH #4: Depending on who is elected, there will be a federal law either banning or legalizing abortion nationwide.

REALITY: It is highly unlikely the election will change the composition of Congress enough to give either party sufficient votes to pass a federal law either banning or legalizing abortion nationwide.

Vice President Harris has consistently supported abortion rights over the course of her political career. As the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris has said she supports legislation that would restore the protections established by Roe v. Wade. She has not answered the question about whether she opposes any restrictions on abortion. Under Roe v. Wade, states could only restrict abortion after the point of fetal viability, or about 22 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where abortions were necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person.

Former President Trump’s position on a national abortion ban has wavered significantly over time. As president, Trump supported a 2018 bill that would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy nationwide. Earlier this year, Trump signaled support for a 16-week and then a 15-week abortion ban. His current position is that the legality of abortion should be left to the states. During the presidential debate against Vice President Harris, Trump declined to say whether he would veto a national ban if he were reelected.

To enact legislation that would protect or ban abortion nationwide, the party that won the presidency would also need to secure majorities in both the House and Senate. All three are shaping up to be tight races. Because it is highly unlikely either party will secure sufficient support in this election, including the 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate filibuster, neither will be able to pass a federal law codifying abortion policy nationwide. This means those in favor of protecting reproductive rights need to do so through the kind of measures that will be on the ballot in many states. 

MYTH #5: Women living in states where abortion is legal will not be affected by the outcome of the 2024 election.

REALITY: Federal regulation, largely determined by executive agencies operating under the authority of the president, plays a major role in determining access to abortion.

In recent years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made multiple revisions to its policy toward mifepristone (one of the two drugs used in medication abortion) that have made medication abortion far more accessible. These pills are now widely used, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all abortions nationwide.

If Trump were reelected, he could limit the use of these abortion pills by appointing a new head of the FDA or Health and Human Services (HHS) who could reverse the FDA’s revised policies toward mifepristone or override the agency’s approval of the drug completely.

Trump could also direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce a 151-year-old federal law known as the Comstock Act that bans the shipment of abortion-related materials. In 2022, the DOJ under the Biden-Harris administration issued a legal opinion stating that the Comstock Act does not prohibit the mailing of abortion drugs even to recipients in states where abortion is banned. Trump could direct the DOJ to reverse this position to instead outlaw and prosecute the interstate shipment of abortion pills, or other materials related to abortion.

The Heritage Foundation, as part of its Project 2025 initiative, has called for a potential future Trump administration to end medication abortion and prosecute those who ship and transport abortion pills and supplies using these strategies. As Jonathan Mitchell, an anti-abortion advocate and key architect of Project 2025, said to the New York Times, “We don’t need a federal ban when we have Comstock on the books.” Trump has sought to distance himself from the Project 2025 plan whose authors include many former members of his administration.

When asked about these issues during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in August, Trump said he was receptive to using his authority as president to revoke access to abortion pills. A couple of weeks later, Trump said that he “generally speaking would not” use the Comstock Act to outlaw the shipment of abortion pills.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dean Obeidallah at The Dean's Report:

We must make our focus keeping the barbarians outside the gate, not figuring out how to lessen the damage once they are on the inside. That was my immediate thought Sunday when I read NY Times in-depth article, “The Resistance to a New Trump Administration Has Already Started.” The piece featured a wide network of Democratic officials, progressive activists and more who are engaged in “extraordinary steps to prepare for a potential second Trump presidency.”  Examples include Democratic Governor Washington State Jay Inslee’s efforts to make the state a safe haven for women seeking reproductive freedom to an organization hiring a new auditor in case a second term Trump directs the Internal Revenue Service to target them. On one hand, I truly applaud these officials and organizations for grasping that Donald Trump back in the White House poses a unique threat to our freedoms and democratic Republic. Far too many don’t understand this threat.

But on the other hand, the only certain way to prevent Trump from using the government to wage a campaign of retribution, ending civil service protections so that only Trump loyalists will be in key positions in the federal government--as well as ushering in a far right wing agenda being peddled by his allies--is to defeat him this November. Again, we must make our focus keeping the barbarians outside the gate, not figuring out how to lessen the damage once they are on the inside. Trump is telling all who will listen his dark goals for a second term—from mass deportations to building in essence concentration camps for migrants to expanding executive power. There’s also Trump’s deeply concerning vow to “liberate” America from those not loyal to him. We first heard this during his 2023 speech at the conservative gathering CPAC where he promised his supporters to be their “retribution.” He then alarmingly  vowed that if elected to target Democrats, “the fake news media,” Republicans in name only, the globalists and others who oppose him, bellowing, “we will liberate America from these villains and scoundrels once and for all.”

He has repeated this pledge to “liberate” our nation from those who oppose him, including at a rally last month in Wisconsin.  When have you ever heard an American political figure speak about “liberating” America from those who politically oppose him or her?! You can’t find it because we never had an aspiring fascist—who has pledged to be a dictator on “day one”— lead one of the two main political parties. To be blunt, the forms of resistance utilized to stymie some of Trump’s agenda in the first term are unlikely to work against this bitter, angry convicted felon who is hellbent on retribution and purging America from those who won’t bend a knee to him.

[...]

From a legislative point of view, If Trump were able to win and his MAGA GOP were able to also take control of the House and Senate, we can expect him deliver for them on a laundry list of right-wing policy dreams from national abortion and birth control bans to further weakening civil rights protections for LGBTQ and Black Americans and worse. This won’t be like Trump’s first term when some Republicans stood up to him to block his radical agenda—with the most famous example being the late Senator John McCain preventing Trump from repealing the Affordable Care Act with his vote.  The Republicans who have dared to stand up to Trump are almost all out of Congress or now capitulated to his undemocratic goals. Of the ten House Republicans who voted in  January 2021 to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, only two remain in the House. Senator Mitt Romney--a vocal critics of Trump--will be leaving office  this January. Even GOP Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell who slammed Trump on the Senate floor after the Jan. 6 attack with the words, “There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day,” last week met with Trump and dubbed  it “entirely positive.”

[...] If Trump wins, there are few things that can rein him in. That is why diverting efforts at this point to second term resistance strategies is dangerous given the threat Trump poses. Rather, the top and only priority must be utilizing all resources to defeat him. Nothing else matters.

Dean Obeidallah dropping truth nuggets in his latest Dean's Report post on why defeating fascist felon Donald Trump is imperative to save our nation.

See Also:

CNN: Opinion: Don’t focus on bracing for a Trump win

[ivygorgon]

AN OPEN LETTER to THE U.S. CONGRESS

Put the Good Jobs for Good Airports standards in the FAA reauthorization bill!

104 so far! Help us get to 250 signers!

I’m calling on you to stand with working people, passengers and our communities by supporting Good Jobs for Good Airports standards (GJGA) in the FAA reauthorization bill. Airports should and can be strong, vibrant drivers of good jobs in every part of our country. The Good Jobs for Good Airports standards are central to that mission and our nation’s future prosperity. Billions of our public dollars are invested in our nation’s aviation system every year, and we must ensure that our public resources serve the public good. That includes ensuring airports better serve the needs of our families, our passengers, our communities and the airport service workers who make it all possible.

It is evident that our air travel industry is in crisis. From record flight cancellations during summer travel peaks to mountains of lost luggage during the holiday travel season. Airports are critical publicly-funded infrastructure vital to the health of our local communities and global economy, but right now airports aren't working the way they should for travelers or airport service workers — a largely Black, brown, multiracial and immigrant service workforce. These working people, including cleaners, wheelchair agents, baggage handlers, concessionaires and ramp workers, keep airports safe and running smoothly even through a global pandemic, climate disasters and busy travel seasons. Yet many are underpaid and underprotected--even as some major airlines rake in record profit and billions of our tax dollars are invested in our national air travel system.

Domestic passenger numbers increased by 80% between 2020 and 2021, total industry employment fell by nearly 14%, leaving airport service workers to sometimes clean entire airplanes in as little as five minutes as many take on additional responsibilities outside of their typical job duties. Meanwhile, wages have barely budged for airport service workers in 20 years. The Good Jobs for Good Airports standards has the power to transform workers’ lives by ensuring airport service workers have the pay and benefits they need to care for their families.

The Good Jobs for Good Airports standards would help build a stronger, safer, more resilient air travel industry by making airport service jobs good jobs with living wages and benefits like affordable healthcare for all airport workers. Airport service workers at more than 130 covered airports would be supported through established wage and benefit standards, putting money back into hundreds of local economies and helping families thrive. If passed over 73% of wage increases will go to workers making $20 or less, estimates show.

I urge you to include the Good Jobs for Good Airports standards in the FAA reauthorization bill, and help ensure our public money serves the public good.

▶ Created on September 20, 2023 by Jess Craven

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[demgraphics]

Republicans complain about "cancel culture" while attempting to ban anything and everything they don't like.

A likely response to this graphic is disbelief, so here is some supporting documentation to help with any discussions:

Abortion:

https://truthout.org/articles/senator-republicans-will-100-percent-pass-abortion-ban-if-they-win-congress/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-privately-favors-16-week-national-abortion-ban-new-york-times-reports-2024-02-16/

Affordable Healthcare:

https://apnews.com/article/trump-obamacare-health-care-biden-c2b1f5776310870deed2fb997b07fc2c

https://ballotpedia.org/Republican_and_conservative_proposals_to_repeal_the_Affordable_Care_Act_(Obamacare)

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/02/28/fact-sheet-the-congressional-republican-agenda-repealing-the-affordable-care-act-and-slashing-medicaid/

Gay Marriage:

https://www.vox.com/23274491/senate-republicans-same-sex-marriage-bill-respect-for-marriage-act

https://time.com/6240497/same-sex-marriage-rights-us-obergefell/

Birth Control:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/04/birth-control-is-next-republicans-abortion.html

Books:

https://newrepublic.com/article/175372/banned-books-republican-right-wing-war

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-04-22/book-bans-soaring-schools-new-laws-republican-states

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/09/republican-book-bans-censorship-free-speech

Minorities Voting:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_efforts_to_restrict_voting_following_the_2020_presidential_election

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/23/659784277/republican-voter-suppression-efforts-are-targeting-minorities-journalist-says

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-01-19/republicans-block-voting-rights-bill-again-triggering-action-on-filibuster-reform

Muslims:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/donald-trump-muslim-ban-immigration-2024-1234730150/

Protests:

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/25/990710251/republicans-push-wave-of-anti-protest-bills-in-alternative-universe-backlash

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/04/gop-anti-protest-bills

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tennessee-republicans-trying-expel-democratic-lawmakers-supported-gun-rcna78103

Refugees:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-republicans-asylum-limits-funding-bill/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/house-republicans-pass-new-asylum-seeker-restrictions-as-title-42-ends-biden-promises-veto

Trans People:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-republican-transgender-laws-pile-up-setting-2024-battle-lines-2023-05-18/

https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-republican-legislatures-5d98832c0234de079263672c738e0631

Unions:

https://truthout.org/articles/republicans-say-theyll-go-after-labor-movement-if-they-take-control-of-house/

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/22/new-senate-bill-targets-national-labor-law-and-port-union-workers.html

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/collective-bargaining-ban-in-wisconsin-under-attack-by-unions-after-supreme-court-majority-flips/

Words:

https://apnews.com/article/desantis-florida-dont-say-gay-ban-684ed25a303f83208a89c556543183cb

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a37804650/wisconsin-legislature-police-speech-schools-critical-race-theory/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/11/republican-new-climate-change-strategy-ban-words-climate-change

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/heres-the-long-list-of-topics-republicans-want-banned-from-the-classroom/2022/02

https://apnews.com/article/sarah-huckabee-sanders-politics-united-states-government-arkansas-hispanics-4f23386e609acd8206d2396719c17cab

[bopinion]

2023 / 45

Aperçu of the Week:

"Conflicts come and go. Money stays."

(Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, ex-President of the Russian Federation)

Bad News of the Week:

It was feared for a long time, now it's happening: the Ukraine war may not be losing its horror, but it is losing its attention. As happened with Syria. And with Yemen. How is Iraq actually doing? Or Libya? New times bring new headlines. People's attention span is limited. And people's empathy too. It is not only in the US Congress that voices are getting louder questioning support for Ukraine. It would be a bottomless pit anyway. And you can't take care of everything.

In this country too, people are now taking to the streets for or against Palestine, for or against Israel. The aggression of Hamas or the Netanyahu government is obviously closer to us than the aggression of Putin. At least now. But perhaps also in Europe in general, to which Israel is often counted. France has a not only flattering history in the region and a large Arab population, Germany's special relationship with the Jewish people ("reason of state") need not even to be mentioned.

And now there is growing evidence that Ukraine does not always wear white shirts either. Research by the Washington Post, among others, into the background to the explosives attacks on the North Stream pipelines leads to Ukraine. Former intelligence officer and special forces commander Roman Chervynsky is described in security circles as the "coordinator" of these attacks, responsible for the logistics of the sabotage commando. If Ukraine is now behind the biggest act of sabotage of all time, no German, whose energy prices have tripled as a result, will be pleased. If, at the same time, direct military aid is doubled to 8 billion euros, the purse strings will be tight. In real terms, but above all in terms of feeling.

I very much hope that the solidarity that has united us Europeans up to now will only crumble and not collapse. Because it is still true that European values are being defended in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to win. But I am increasingly worried that his calculations could work out. Time is clearly working in his favor. Sidenote: the Russian economy is currently doing better than the German.

Good News of the Week:

Jeff Bezoz and Elon Musk are known as negative examples of capitalism. Attacking competitors, exploiting employees and paying as little tax as possible. Virtually all investors and almost every multinational corporation try to structure their balance sheets in such a way that as little as possible goes to the state(s). Even though those depend on tax revenues for their public welfare tasks. Tax evasion is how all our companies work.

The problem is, on the one hand, the well-known tax havens such as Cayman Island and, on the other hand, competition between nations as to where which company with which activity sets up shop. Because of jobs and because of taxes. I have remembered a creative example of tax avoidance in Europe from recent years: the sporting goods manufacturer Nike.

Its German business - the largest market on the continent for Nike despite its domestic competitors Adidas and Puma - generates enormous sales, but strangely enough no profit, which would be relatively highly taxed in this country. The trick: for every pair of sneakers etc., Nike Germany pays a license fee for patents, design, brand use etc. to Nike Ireland, where the tax rates are significantly lower. And strangely enough, always in the exact amount so that nothing is left over. Thank you very much.

My criticism is less directed at the company, whose nature it is to generate as much profit as possible. But rather to Ireland, which allows tax evasion at the expense of its European colleagues. But this will soon come to an end. Because the global minimum tax is just around the corner. The German tax office calls it "one of the biggest reforms in the international taxation of companies".

Until now, the taxation of multinational corporate groups has largely been organized on a national basis. A group only has to pay taxes on its profits in the countries in which it has a physical presence. This is becoming less and less important in the increasingly cross-border movement of goods and in the digital economy in general. And even within Europe, tax rates vary greatly: from 9% to 35% according to the OECD.

Now 138 countries around the world, including all G20 states, have committed to a global minimum tax of 15%. Experts call its introduction a "game changer" in the fight against decades of tax dumping by large corporations. Estimates are based on this. The global minimum tax will generate an additional 200 billion euros a year for the international community. This will finance their commonwealth, from which all citizens will benefit. And not just the investors on the stock markets and the shareholders of companies.

Personal happy moment of the week:

Senta Berger. One of our greatest actresses. As a young woman in the 60s and now, at 82, she still is. I have always admired her. For her artistic work and for her humanity. She fights for the protection of wildlife and against leukemia. And admitted to having an abortion in 1971 (!). She was and is a great woman. I bumped into her in the elevator today. And told her exactly that. She said I made her day. And she made mine.

I couldn't care less...

...for the carnival. On 11.11. at 11h11 on the dot, tens of thousands of "Jecken" celebrated the start of the Rhineland carnival and the foolish season in Cologne. As if the time before had been normal in any way.

As I write this...

...I'm fighting a nascent cold. And a stomach virus. And muscle tension. And tiredness. It's November. But maybe I'm just getting old.

Post Scriptum

Nikki Haley could become a serious challenger to Donald Trump in the Republican primaries. Last you heard from Ron DeSantis? Exactly.

[libertariantaoist]

News Roundup 11/15/2023 | The Libertarian Institute

Here is your daily roundup of today's news:

News Roundup 11/15/2023

by Kyle Anzalone

Russia

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained across Europe for the war with Russia. French trainers say they are careful not to get close to the Ukrainian cadets over fears they will be killed on the frozen front lines. The AP reported that Ukrainian soldiers preparing for deployment have resigned themselves to the “grimness of the future.” The Institute 

A facility to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets was officially opened in Romania on Monday as NATO countries are working to get the US-made warplanes to the battlefield in Ukraine. AWC

China

Biden Hopes Normal Coorspondace Between Washington and Beijing Can Be Reestablished During Meeting with Xi. X

Expectations are low for the meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping that will take place Wednesday in San Francisco during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. AWC

Israel

The UN says 100 of its staff have been killed in Gaza. X

A group of US-based aid, advocacy, and religious groups sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urging the Pentagon to scrap plans to provide Israel with 155mm artillery rounds due to the massive civilian casualty rate in Israel’s war on Gaza. AWC

A State Department dissent memo obtained by Axios slams President Biden’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, saying the US is backing Israeli “war crimes.” AWC

Dozens of State Department Employees Have Signed Dissent Cables Slamming Biden’s Support for Israel. X

More than 400 US officials from 40 government agencies have sent a letter to President Biden criticizing his unconditional support for Israel’s war in Gaza in the latest example of dissent from within the US government. AWC

Hamas’s armed wing said Monday that it discussed with Qatari mediators a deal to free up to 70 Israeli hostages in exchange for a five-day ceasefire and the release of some Palestinian prisoners. AWC

Doctors at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital are pleading for help as the medical facility has ceased functioning after its power failed over the weekend amid an Israeli siege. The medical staff has refused to evacuate the hospital due to fears that the approximately 700 hundred patients they would leave behind will die. AWC

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is expected this week to introduce a bill to block an arms transfer to Israel, which will mark the first piece of legislation aimed at reining in President Biden’s strong support of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza. AWC

Two members of the Israeli Knesset wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal arguing for Western countries to take in refugees from Gaza as Israeli officials continue to call for Palestinians to be pushed out of the enclave. AWC

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other members of Congress spoke at a pro-Israel rally at the National Mall in Washington DC on Tuesday, where demonstrators made clear their opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza. AWC

Dutch Defense official in Israel says violates “international treaties and laws of war” and increases the chance of regional escalation. X

Around 180 decomposing bodies at the al-Shifa hospital will be buried in a mass grave at the hospital. X

Middle East

US Forces in Iraq and Syria Targeted at least Four Times After US Airstrikes on Sunday. XAWC

A US official told Reuters on Tuesday that up to seven people were killed in the US airstrikes in eastern Syria on Sunday that targeted Shia militias. AWC

Read More

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Steve Brodner, Full Court Press

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

December 12, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

DEC 13, 2023

Last night, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to decide Trump’s claim that he is immune from any and all criminal prosecution for anything he did while in office. That claim is central to Trump’s defense; he has requested the charges against him be dismissed because of that immunity. 

When Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who is overseeing the case in which Trump is charged with trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election, dismissed this claim, Trump’s lawyers appealed and asked for the case to be frozen while the appeal worked its way up through the courts. By going straight to the Supreme Court, Smith appears to be trying to stop Trump from delaying the trial until after the 2024 election.  

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether it will hear the case. So far, Justice Clarence Thomas refuses to recuse himself, even though his wife Ginni was deeply involved in the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His refusal suggests that the Supreme Court’s new ethics rules are as toothless as their opponents charged.

In another filing last night, Smith revealed that the government expects to introduce the testimony of three experts who will speak to the use of cell phones by Trump and one other person after the 2020 election, including on January 6, a revelation that Los Angeles Times legal analyst Harry Litman suggested must “have the Trump camp totally freaked out.”

Inflation slowed again in November, dropping to 0.1% as gasoline prices fell, so that the annual inflation over the past year has dropped to 3.1%. 

Fallout continues from the Texas Supreme Court’s decision that a woman carrying a fetus with a fatal condition cannot abort that fetus even though it threatens her own health and future fertility. President Joe Biden promised today to continue to fight to protect access to reproductive health care, saying: “No woman should be forced to go to court or flee her home state just to receive the health care she needs. But that is exactly what happened in Texas thanks to Republican elected officials, and it is simply outrageous. This should never happen in America, period.”

But for all the importance of these major stories, the outstanding story of the day is that the Republican Party appears to have decided to undermine financial support for Ukraine’s war against Russia’s invasion. 

This is simply an astonishing decision. Majorities in both the House and the Senate want to pass supplemental aid to Ukraine, which both protects North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries and provides jobs in the United States, but an extremist minority in Congress is stopping passage of a measure that would provide more weapons to Ukraine.

There is no doubt previous funding has been effective. A newly declassified intelligence memo shows that Russia had an army of 360,000 before the war and that thanks to the Ukraine resistance it has lost 315,000 troops—87% of its army—forcing it to squeeze more recruits out of its civilian population. It has also lost 2,200 out of 3,500 tanks, forcing it to turn to Soviet-era equipment. 

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, who was in Washington, D.C., today to try to convince Republicans to pass such a measure, noted that Ukraine has regained half the land Russia seized in the February 2022 invasion, forced Russian warships out of Ukrainian territorial waters, and opened export corridors to get Ukrainian grain to countries that desperately need it. At the same time, he said, Ukraine’s economy is growing at a 5% rate, suggesting it will be less dependent on foreign aid going forward. 

In The Atlantic, David Frum, who has criticized Democrats on immigration policy, pointed out that Biden and the Democrats have made a real effort to negotiate with extremist Republicans but the Republicans are simply refusing to engage. Frum concluded that Republicans do not want to make a deal. Either they want to perform a ritual in which Republicans demand and Democrats comply, or they want to keep the border as a campaign issue, or they actually oppose aid to Ukraine. And yet, Frum reiterates, majorities in both the House and the Senate want the supplemental aid package to pass.  

Republicans appear to want to keep the issue of immigration front and center in 2024, hoping that people will focus on it rather than on abortion, especially in states like Texas.

Poland’s newly elected prime minister Donald Tusk today vowed that he would “loudly and decisively demand the full mobilization of the free world, the Western world, to help Ukraine in this war,” but Russia expert Fiona Hill told Politico’s Maura Reynolds that U.S. funding will be key to determining whether Ukraine wins back control of its territory. That decision, she says, is really about our own future.

Permitting Putin to win in Ukraine, she says, would create a world in which the standing of the U.S. in the world would be diminished, Iran and North Korea would be strengthened, China would dominate the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East would be more unstable, and nuclear weapons would proliferate. 

“Ukraine has become a battlefield now for America and America’s own future—whether we see it or not—for our own defensive posture and preparedness, for our reputation and our leadership,” Hill told Reynolds. “For Putin, Ukraine is a proxy war against the United States, to remove the United States from the world stage.”

“The problem is that many members of Congress don’t want to see President Biden win on any front,” Hill said. “People are incapable now of separating off ‘giving Biden a win’ from actually allowing Ukraine to win. They are thinking less about U.S. national security, European security, international security and foreign policy, and much more about how they can humiliate Biden. In that regard,” she said, “whether they like it or not, members of Congress are doing exactly the same thing as Vladimir Putin. They hate that. They want to refute that. But Vladimir Putin wants Biden to lose, and they want Biden to be seen to lose as well.”

Today, Biden noted that Russian media outlets have been cheering on the Republicans. "If you're being celebrated by Russian propagandists, it might be time to rethink what you're doing,” he said. “History will judge harshly those who turned their back on freedom's cause."

Congress is set to leave for the holiday break on Thursday, returning in the second week of January. Biden urged Congress “to pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess—before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[that-fema-corps-blog]

Day 329

June 27, 2023

Spent the morning cleaning data and doing laundry. We had a midsite meeting with the (new?) assistant unit leader to discuss our thoughts on the project and the overall program. The team leaders were told to leave partway through so Corps members could more comfortably criticize them, but we mostly ended up airing grievances about FEMA Corps in general (things in parentheses are things I have personally seen/experienced):

Lack of communication from FEMA Corps. Not knowing where we’d be sent. Having sudden team member swaps with little explanation, sometimes after being told nothing should change. Sharing constructive criticism only to never hear anything back. Not getting feedback on performance from team leaders’ end-of-round member evaluations (every round).

Not feeling as if AmeriCorps staff care about Corps members. Staff reaching out to team leaders but expecting Corps members to initiate almost any interaction. Team leaders having much longer feedback meetings with staff while Corps members’ feedback sessions are cut short. Chain of command and not knowing staff well enough to feel comfortable asking for help (round 2 especially). Very high turnover in AmeriCorps with little opportunity to get familiar with new staff. Notifying staff of dangerous driving behavior of members and nothing being done (a couple instances).

Team leaders not being properly vetted. Past team leaders getting multiple complaints but not being removed until months later. Completely unqualified team leaders being given a team; some past teams would have had a much easier time without a leader (end of round 2). So much tea.

Low stipends for Corps members. Team leaders making around three times our pay for not much extra work… We should get more than $11 or $12/day when our work is to a similar level as that of many FEMA reservists. Non-disaster food stipends of $6/day can be difficult in some higher cost-of-living areas. Congress sets the budget, so there’s not a ton we can do about that.

Lack of health care. Having to change virtual therapists/councilors every time a team moves to a different state. Going without mental health support because it is too much effort to find on one’s own. Not having mental health support back on campus. Not being able to access Teledoc in Puerto Rico (round 1/2).

Not having enough work. Being sent to a project only to find they have little plan for what FEMA Corps is going to do for them (this round is an exception). FEMA staff not seeing us as capable and leaving us with little to do, even when there is work that needs doing. Being given work that is inefficient or does not appear to accomplish much (round 1/2 PR).

Working without proper support. Lack of training upon arrival to new project (round 1 PR). Having to teach some paid FEMA reservists and tell contractors how to do their jobs. Having to advocate for oneself because staff are not regularly checking in.

Hurry up and wait. Being told to pack everything and get ready to move, only to be delayed for several days (round 1, DC->PR). Deploying to a new location, just to have no work or workstations to begin with (round 1 DC/round 3). Getting assigned a project and having to wait weeks to get access to certain files and permissions (round 1 DC).

Deploying the wrong teams. Sending people to Puerto Rico who do not speak Spanish and cannot do much useful work (round 1/2). Deploying a team that is occupied to a disaster project when there are teams with very little work who have to stay; disaster projects having priority even when little work is being accomplished at some of those project locations.

Nonsensical project transitions. Teams having to travel multiple days to spend a week on campus, only to drive straight back (transition 2). Having some of the same trainings as we recieved during onboarding, yet not receiving much information/preparation for life after AmeriCorps (transition 2). COVID restrictions shutting down campus gyms and socialization areas while multiple people from different teams are crammed in the same dorm rooms (transition 2/3). Virtual transitions worked well (transition 1).

Dealing with AmeriCorps operations on campus. Members being accused of stealing dishes on campus. Arriving for transition to find most washing machines are broken (transition 3). Vans not being automatically taken to the shop for checks and tune-ups (transition 2). Dorms missing blinds (onboarding/transition 2). Dorms having mold upon arrival. Being expected to clean to a higher standard than things were when we arrived (transition 2).

Isolation from both FEMA and AmeriCorps. Sometimes unclear who to reach out to when there is an issue or question; asking for help and being told to go to someone else, sometimes until arriving back where one started. Not being connected with / told about other AmeriCorps teams in the area; could be a good opportunity for independent service projects when work is slow.

The assistant unit leader does not have the power to do much at the moment, but it is nice to feel like we’re actually being listened to. That being said, I’ll believe it when I see it. We were told that most of the changes going forward will be for the upcoming class, since our class only has a month left (understandable). Both teams met for dinner along with the assistant unit leader.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Lula's government is criticized for creating an area for therapeutic communities after pressure from Brazilian religious entities

Responding to requests from religious entities, the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers' Party) government created a specific sector for therapeutic communities aimed at treating drug addicts, structures encouraged by the Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party) administration.

The creation of the Department of Support for Therapeutic Communities, published on January 20th 2022, raises criticism from human rights organizations contrary to the sheltering of drug addicts generally based on isolation, abstinence, and religiosity. To circumvent the pressures, the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family, and Fight against Hunger went on to say that the sector is under review.

One of the solutions evaluated by the government is to change the cabinet's name to reinforce the discourse that it does not serve only therapeutic communities, say members of the government who follow the discussion.

The department was not part of the initial structure of the new ministry. The area was created by decree published in an extra edition of the Official Gazette three days after the team of Minister Wellington Dias (Workers' Party) received representatives from the treatment centers. The group had been complaining about the extinction of Senapred (National Secretariat for Care and Prevention of Drugs), focused on dialogue with communities during the Bolsonaro government.

Confenact (National Confederation of Therapeutic Communities) participated in the meeting with the new government. During the elections, the confederation published an image of Bolsonaro on social networks, in addition to messages from members advocating voting for candidates against drugs, abortion, and "gender ideology".

The confederation told the report that it supports public policies and governments that adopt as a strategy "the non-liberation of drugs, the non-decriminalization of marijuana or any other illicit drug, the defense of Christian principles and values, abstinence as a prevention and treatment strategy, spirituality, [and] the work of third sector entities".

On Tuesday (24), the National Council for Human Rights (which brings together representatives of civil society and public power) cited the creation of the department and recommended that the Lula government audit all contracts signed with therapeutic communities in the past administration, in addition to the cancellation of partnerships with entities that receive teenagers.

The council also suggested to the Ministry of Health the creation of a program "aiming at the effective replacement of therapeutic communities by territorial mental health strategies and services".

Federal funding for these structures has exploded in recent years. It went from R$44 million in 2017 to around R$ 100 million [~US$ 19.41 million] in 2019, according to a survey by Conectas, an NGO dedicated to human rights.

The 2023 Budget has R$ 272 million [~US$ 52.79 million] reserved for "drug demand reduction". This budgetary action primarily serves these communities.

A 2020 survey by Folha de S.Paulo showed that 74% of therapeutic communities that received federal funding were religious in origin.

Treatment sites still have strong support from Congress. Of the amount reserved for this year, R$ 75 million [~US$ 14.56 million] are from individual amendments by parliamentarians, a number higher than the R$ 45 million [~US$ 8.73 million] indicated by deputies and senators in 2022.

The bet on therapeutic communities is resisted by members of the Lula government and the left.

The health transition group, of which Minister Nísia Trindade was a member, suggested in the final report the immediate repeal of government regulations linked to these entities. The human rights group also recommended reviewing the Bolsonaro government's policies on the topic.

The previous management even used BRL 24.5 million [~US$ 4.75 million] leftovers from Bolsa Família to cover expenses with these communities, as revealed by Folha de S. Paulo.

The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), stated in one of the first speeches after taking office that he intends to increase vacancies in therapeutic communities. For Gabriel Sampaio, director of Conectas, inspection of these treatment centers should be carried out by the Ministry of Health and follow SUS (Brazil's unified public healthcare system) standards, in addition to national and international regulations on human rights.

He also claims that there is a high volume of public resources destined to communities with little control over the works.

Confenact said that there are more than 2,000 therapeutic communities in Brazil and that this type of structure is one of the treatment alternatives for people with dependence on alcohol and other drugs. They also said that the effectiveness of reception is scientifically proven.

"Involuntary admissions are not among the characteristics of therapeutic communities, whether in the legal, technical, nor in the scope of current regulations.", stated the confederation.

Representative of Renila (National Inter-nuclei Network of the Anti-Asylum Fight), a group that criticizes the creation of the department, psychologist and psychiatrist Miriam Abou-Yd said that the therapeutic community is one of the impasses that surround the Lula government.

She claims that inspections carried out in these spaces find "restriction of the right to come and go, imposition of creed", in addition to the performance of unqualified professionals and the work of inmates, in situations "similar to slave labor".

"It is the most faithful photograph of the use of the suffering and the body of the other, always in the name of faith, but generating profit for ambitious, voracious and ruthless entrepreneurs", said Miriam.

Sought, the Ministry of Development said only that "the decree is being reviewed". The cabinet did not say how much should be passed on to therapeutic communities in 2023 and who will lead the new department.

Source, translated by the blogger.

[newstfionline]

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Jimmy Carter, 6 Months Into Hospice, Is Still ‘Very Much’ Himself, Grandson Says (NYT) Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, are still holding hands and making memories together in their Georgia home six months after he entered hospice care there, one of the couple’s grandsons said on Monday. The former president, 98, is “still very much Jimmy Carter,” his grandson Josh Carter said in a telephone interview. “He’s still opinionated, he’s still strong-willed, he’s still him. And that’s great to see.” The former president, an avid outdoorsman who now uses a wheelchair, and Mrs. Carter, who uses a walker, try to get outdoors every day around the ranch-style home they built in the 1960s, their grandson said. His family is making plans for his 99th birthday on Oct. 1, and are “surprised and thankful” that it appears they will have the chance to celebrate it, Josh Carter said.

On Ukraine, Republicans grapple with real political divisions (Washington Post) One potentially interesting point of contention during Wednesday’s night Republican presidential debate may be the war in Ukraine, the most significant foreign policy issue to be discussed during the debate. Trump’s skepticism of the Biden administration’s support for Kyiv, and desire to curtail military aid, is well-known. He has insisted that it’s more the responsibility of Europe than the United States to help the Ukrainians repel the Russian invasion. He’s touted his special rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a CNN town hall while urging Ukraine to sue for peace. The Biden administration has committed more than $60 billion in aid for Ukraine and coordinated an unprecedented NATO-led effort in bolstering Ukraine’s resistance to Russia. Trump’s apparent opposition to maintaining this flow of arms to Kyiv, while anathema to many lawmakers and diplomats in Washington, is hardly out of step with the American public. Among GOP voters, 71 percent think Congress should not authorize new funding, and 59 percent say the United States has done enough to help Ukraine, according to a recent CNN/SSRS poll. For that reason, some other presidential contenders have argued for a ramp down in support for Ukraine and the pursuit of an immediate cease-fire. Others, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have framed the conflict as a distraction from the United States’s real strategic concerns in Asia. And another camp, which includes former vice president Mike Pence, openly reject Trump’s position on Ukraine and argue the Biden administration should be doing much more for Kyiv.

At Risk of Invasion or Lovely to Visit: Two Views of a Polish Border Area (NYT) After a day of kayaking last month along Poland’s northeastern border with Belarus, the chief editor of a news portal covering events in a strip of farmland and forest known as the Suwalki Gap watched the news in dismay as the Polish prime minister warned about Russian mercenary fighters advancing on the region from Belarus. More than three weeks on, there is no sign of the mercenaries from the Wagner paramilitary group moving anywhere, except perhaps back to Russia. And the only real danger that the editor, Wojciech Drazba, sees comes from the “parallel world” of Polish leaders “spewing fear” about the Suwalki Gap as they pose as muscular defenders of Poland’s borders ahead of a critical national election. “The sun is shining, the scenery is beautiful and absolutely nothing is happening,” Mr. Drazba said last week in Suwalki, the sleepy town that serves as the administrative center of a border area that Polish state television, recycling overwrought foreign media reports, describes as the “most dangerous place on earth.”

A ‘Plague’ Of Beer-Drinking Raccoons in Germany (Telegraph) Invasive raccoons are proving to be quite a problem for the people of Germany, as they have developed a liking for German beer and now spend their time breaking into people’s homes. As The Telegraph reported, Germany’s raccoon population has gotten out of control. The country’s National Hunting Association (DJV) has said it killed a record 200,000 raccoons in 2022 in an attempt to control the population. The problem, scientists said, is that the raccoon is an “unbelievably adaptable animal”—and hunting efforts have only seemingly made things worse, as the raccoons are reproducing faster than ever before. The population has grown so out of control that local media called it a “plague.” Homeowners have reported raccoons entering their houses in the middle of the night and eating pet rabbits and fish—and reportedly drinking beer. Berthold Langenhorst of the nature organization NABU said the “raccoons are funny and clever… and they like beer.” Langenhorst himself had seen raccoons along a lakeside knocking over beer bottles to drink the liquid inside.

Wildfire near Athens rages (Reuters) Greek firefighters supported by aircraft battled a raging wildfire next to Athens for a second day on Wednesday, as the authorities said heat and strong winds could spark more blazes in a country where 20 people have already been killed. Hundreds of people have evacuated their homes across the country since fires erupted in northern Greece on Saturday, fanned by high winds in the summer’s second major outbreak.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin presumed dead after Russia plane crash (BBC) Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a jet which crashed killing all on board, Russia's civil aviation authority has said. Earlier, Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone reported that the private plane, which belonged to the 62-year-old, was shot down by air defences. Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against the Russian armed forces in June. The crash comes on the same day that senior Russian general Sergei Surovikin was reportedly sacked as air force chief. Gen Surovikin was known to have good relations with Prigozhin and had not been seen in public since the mutiny.

Booming Trade With China Helps Boost Russia’s War Effort (WSJ) China is playing an increasingly important role in propping up Russia’s economy and helping boost its war effort. China’s total trade with Russia in the first seven months of this year jumped 36% from the same period a year earlier to $134 billion. China has become the principal source of many of the goods and components Russia’s sanctions-hit economy needs—including goods with potential military applications such as microchips and trench-digging excavators—while also giving Moscow a buyer for its oil and gas.

In Latest Moon Race, India Lands First in Southern Polar Region (NYT) Two visitors from India—a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan—landed in the southern polar region of the moon on Wednesday. The two robots, from a mission named Chandrayaan-3, make India the first country to ever reach this part of the lunar surface in one piece—and only the fourth country ever to land on the moon. The Indian public already takes great pride in the accomplishments of the nation’s space program, which has orbited the moon and Mars and routinely launches satellites above the Earth with far fewer financial resources than other nations. But the achievement of Chandrayaan-3 may be even sweeter. “We have achieved soft landing on the moon,” S. Somanath, the director of the Indian Space Research Organization, said after a roar ripped across the ISRO compound just past 6 p.m. local time. “India is on the moon.”

Teenager rescued with 7 others from a broken cable car over a Pakistan gorge says it was a miracle (AP) The rescue of six school children and two adults who were plucked from a broken cable car that was dangling precariously hundreds of meters (yards) above a steep gorge was a miracle, a survivor said Wednesday. The teenager said he and the others felt repeatedly that death was imminent during the 16-hour ordeal. The eight passengers were pulled from the cable car in several rescue attempts Tuesday. One of the youngest children was grabbed by a commando attached to a helicopter by rope. Because helicopters could not fly after sunset, rescuers constructed a makeshift chairlift from a wooden bed frame and ropes and approached the cable car using the one cable that was still intact. In the final stage of the risky operation, just before midnight Tuesday, rescuers and volunteers pulled a rope to lower the chairlift to the ground. Joyful shouts of “God is great” erupted as the chairlift came into view, carrying two boys in traditional white robes. “I had heard stories about miracles, but I saw a miraculous rescue happening with my own eyes,” said 15-year-old Osama Sharif, one of the six boys who were in the cable car.

Man flees China by riding jet ski hundreds of miles to South Korea (NBC News) A jet ski rider who has been detained since washing up on South Korea’s coast is believed to be a Chinese dissident who feared for his safety and fled by crossing 200 miles of sea, trailing barrels of fuel behind him. The coast guard quoted the man as saying that he left China on his own jet ski, wearing a life vest and a helmet, and carrying a navigator and binoculars. The man also carried five fuel containers, weighing 25 liters (about 6.6 gallons) each, according to the statement, tying them to the jet ski to make sure he had enough fuel to reach South Korea. Lee Dae-seon, a pro-democracy activist based in South Korea, identified the man as a Chinese dissident called Kwon Pyong. He told NBC News that Kwon had been trying to leave China ever since the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019. Kwon served an 18-month prison term for “inciting subversion of state power” and was released in 2018.

Philippine supply boats breach a Chinese coast guard blockade in the hotly contested South China Sea (AP) As a United States Navy plane circled overhead, two small Philippine boats breached a Chinese coast guard blockade in a dangerous confrontation Tuesday in the disputed South China Sea to deliver food and other supplies to Filipino forces guarding a contested shoal. Two Philippine coast guard vessels escorting the supply boats, however, were blocked by at least four Chinese coast guard ships for about five hours in the tense standoff near Second Thomas Shoal. The dangerous encounter is the latest flare-up from the long-seething territorial disputes in the busy sea that involve China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. It’s regarded as an Asian flashpoint and has become a delicate fault line in the U.S.-China rivalry.

Four years into crisis, Lebanon’s leaders continue to stall (AP) Four years into its historic economic meltdown, Lebanon’s political elites, masters at survival, are pushing for a recovery that would sidestep tough reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund. Economic experts and former officials involved in designing Lebanon’s original IMF-approved recovery plan in 2020 say the political leadership and associates in the banking sector are deliberately implementing a “shadow plan” to torpedo the deal and place the burden of bailing out the financial system on ordinary Lebanese who are already impoverished by the crisis. Carrying out the IMF reforms, which include audits of Lebanon’s long secretive central bank and other banks, would not just force the elites to bear much of the cost of repairing the financial meltdown. It would also threaten the networks of corruption, patronage and waste that allowed them to milk the system for years, experts say.

More Screen Time Linked to Delayed Development in Babies, Study Finds (NYT) One-year-olds exposed to more than four hours of screen time a day experienced developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills at ages 2 and 4, according to a study published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics. The research also found that 1-year-olds who were exposed to more screen time than their peers showed delays at age 2 in the development of fine motor and personal and social skills. But these delays appeared to dissipate by age 4. David J. Lewkowicz, a developmental psychologist at the Yale Child Study Center, said that face-to-face interaction between parent and child is crucial in giving babies a rich set of information, including about how facial expressions, words, tone of voice and physical feedback all combine to convey language and meaning. “It doesn’t happen when you’re watching the screen,” he said.

[mariacallous]

The GOP-controlled House approved its rules package on Friday evening, including provisions targeting transgender and immigrant rights, but notably did not include the trans bathroom ban Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) had proposed.

The Republican introduced her controversial ban in November to restrict access to all “single-sex facilit[ies] on Federal property” based on “biological sex.” She admitted to HuffPost the ban specifically targeted incoming Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first transgender woman to be elected to Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who narrowly won reelection to the chamber’s top job earlier on Friday, had reportedly assured Mace that her bathroom ban would be included in the package.

Mace congratulated Johnson on his reelection and did not make any mention of the bathroom ban’s absence from the rules package.

“Speaker Mike Johnson has rightfully been reelected to lead the People’s House once again. His leadership offers a clear path forward to restore safety, security, and accountability in our nation,” she said in a statement.

“We have a mandate to secure our borders, rebuild the economy, and hold Washington accountable. Speaker Johnson understands this, and with President Trump’s leadership, we are ready to fulfill those promises and deliver on the America First agenda.”

Mace spent much of the last weeks of 2024 drumming up support for the ban while using anti-trans slurs and engaging in anti-trans theatrics. After protesters were arrested for staging a sit-in at a U.S. Capitol restroom, Mace loudly read their Miranda rights through a bullhorn at the jail where they were held.

Mace also introduced legislation in September to ban medical providers from offering gender-affirming care for minors. Twenty-five states have passed similar bans, with the Supreme Court set to decide this summer whether such bans are constitutional, determining the future of health care for trans youth.

Mace and McBride did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The rules package, passed at the beginning of each congressional session, sets the rules for the next two years in the House of Representatives. Most of its provisions are uncontroversial.

Notably, this Congress’ package raises the threshold for a “motion to vacate,” the tactic conservatives used to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. While previously just a single member could introduce such a motion, now nine members of the majority party need to agree.

While Friday’s rules package does not mention restricting access to sex-segregated government facilities, it does take several swings at the rights of transgender people, immigrants and people seeking abortions.

One item in the package would fast-track a bill to amend Title IX, a federal law that bars sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. The new bill would restrict school sports based on one’s sex assigned at birth, undoing Biden’s Title IX guidance that expanded protections for LGBTQ+ students.

The amendment, introduced by Rep. Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) and cosponsored by Mace, would recognize sex as defined “solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth.” The language mirrors that of dozens of state laws that currently bar transgender students from participating in sports that align with their gender identity and other policies that restrict trans people of all ages from updating their sex marker on government IDs.

The package also fast-tracks legislation that would target abortion providers, prevent sanctuary cities from being able to provide benefits to undocumented immigrants, and bar immigrants convicted of certain crimes from being admitted to the United States.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) criticized the rules package for fast-tracking a dozen bills that target vulnerable communities ahead of the vote on Friday evening.

“This package tries to fool the American people by scapegoating immigrants and trans people in the hopes that it will distract you from the fact that the first move from Republicans in the 119th Congress is to do absolutely nothing to help you and your family build a better life,” Jayapal said.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Samantha Riedel at Them:

The Trump campaign has been building out “Agenda47” into a 20-point platform — explained in a series of videos on the campaign site — since late 2022. Most of the component planks deal with perennial Trump scapegoats: Chief among Trump’s priorities, for example, is bringing an end to what he calls the “migrant invasion,” partly via a massive deportation campaign. Two “Agenda47” policies target LGBTQ+ people in particular, specifically transgender people, with Trump promising to wage war on “radical gender ideology” in schools and also “keep men out of women’s sports.”

Republicans have eagerly latched on to trans women athletes as a wedge issue in recent years, asserting that trans women have biological athletic advantages over cis women (despite a lack of evidence for such claims). In a February 2023 message decrying “left wing gender insanity,” Trump affirmed that if elected, he would interpret the federal anti-discrimination statute Title IX to entirely prohibit trans women from participating in women’s sports, and ask Congress to pass legislation to affirm that interpretation. Although President Joe Biden introduced new trans-inclusive rules for interpreting Title IX during his term, those changes applied to trans students in all areas except athletics (and are currently blocked pending litigation in federal court).

But Trump’s anti-trans plans aren’t limited to sports. His February 2023 proclamation stated that he would seek a federal definition of “gender” that is restricted to only “male and female” as assigned at birth. Trump also vowed to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, falsely labeling such medical care “mutilation” and “mutation” and promising to terminate trans-affirming doctors from Medicare and Medicaid. In his Agenda47 video, Trump falsely claimed that trans people and gender dysphoria did not exist “until the radical left invented it just a few years ago.” He also accused pharmaceutical companies of pushing hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries for profit, but provided no evidence of such a conspiracy. “Under my leadership, this madness will end,” Trump concluded in the video.

Much of Agenda47’s anti-trans language dovetails with Trump’s anti-teacher and anti-education positions, representing a series of attacks not just on queer and trans students, but on teachers and educators who do not adhere to the Republican party line. At various points, Agenda47 describes schools as “indoctrinating” students with “Marxism,” “critical race theory,” and “gender ideology.” Trump’s solutions to the imagined problem would include monetary rewards for schools who strip K-12 teachers of their tenure; a federal “Parents Bill of Rights,” likely with similar language to anti-LGBTQ+ state bills of the same name; a Red Scare-like hunt for “the radicals who have infiltrated the federal Department of Education”; and a new teacher certification board to ensure educators “embrace patriotic values.” Trump is also heavily courting conservatives who homeschool their children, a longtime Republican pet project that has rapidly gained ground in recent years. The Trump team has insisted that their candidate has nothing to do with the now-infamous Project 2025, despite its breathless ambition towards “institutionalizing Trumpism” (and Trump’s close ties with its architects). But Agenda47’s policy items are near-indistinguishable from Project 2025’s, making the difference largely a matter of branding. As Ms. magazine noted, Project 2025 also seeks an end to federal protections for trans people at any level, diametrically opposes Biden’s reinterpretation of Title IX, and would establish a “male/female” gender binary on the federal level, even prohibiting school officials and educators from using a trans student’s pronouns. Where the Heritage Foundation-organized document differs from Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ platform, it is in its discussion of marriage: While Trump avoids the topic of gay marriage, Project 2025 confidently states that “married men and women are the ideal, natural family structure.”

The policy agendas of both Agenda 47 and Project 2025 regarding LGBTQ+ (and especially trans rights) are major concern, should Donald Trump get back into office.

While there is significant overlap between Heritage’s Project 2025 and Trump’s Agenda 47, both have slightly different priorities regarding the LGBTQ+ issue, whereas A47 deemphasizes opposition to marriage equality and P2025 embraces it.

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the U.S. Congress

Pass an expanded Child Tax Credit in any end-of-year tax package!

806 so far! Help us get to 1,000 signers!

As Congress deliberates tax priorities, I am writing as your constituent to strongly urge you to prioritize reducing child poverty via an expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) in a potential end-of-year tax package. There are currently 19 million children excluded from the full credit because of the structure of the CTC. Some do not understand that the vast majority of children whose families are left out of the full CTC are working—but their families do not make enough to get the full CTC. In fact, under current law, families with 2 children do not receive the full $2,000 CTC if they earn less than $28,000 - $35,000, denying the full credit (or any credit) to families who need it most. Ensuring that the full Child Tax Credit reaches the lowest-income children who need it most will have immeasurable benefits to families and our society for generations to come. Will you make expanding the CTC, and ensuring it reaches the lowest income families currently left out of the full benefit your top priority—not more tax breaks for large, profitable corporations? Children are our future and investing in them now means continued prosperity for generations to come. The expanded Child Tax Credit cut child poverty in the U.S. by 46%. But when Congress let it expire, child poverty more than doubled, from 5.2% to 12.4%. Just before Thanksgiving, 16% of households with children reported sometimes or often not having enough to eat in the past week, up from 10.4% in the summer of 2021 while families were getting support from a temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Keeping children out of poverty means better school performance, better health outcomes, and more mentally and emotionally well-adjusted children. Research shows that most low-income families spent the expanded CTC on basic necessities like food, utilities, and rent or mortgage payments, as well as education expenses—and families need that help now. I strongly believe we should focus on tax policies to address child poverty. In contrast, if Congress makes the bonus depreciation rule permanent as some policymakers are proposing, the American public would lose out on $325 billion in revenue over the next decade. That’s money that can be used to fully fund critical programs like childcare, early childhood education, essential nutrition programs, and expand access to health care. Children and their families are our future; investing in them must be Congress’ top priority. Any tax package you consider must include the expanded Child Tax Credit, focused on directing its help to the lowest-income households. Will you voice support for expanding the Child Tax Credit to reduce child poverty with colleagues and your party’s leadership?

▶ Created on December 14, 2023 by Jess Craven

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