The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 46M total cases & 754K deaths (+507K & +8K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
It’s official official. Vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 are now approved & available. Even Sesame Street is in on the effort to get kids vaccinated against the virus.
Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses is temporarily halted after 27 states sue and score an early victory against the ruling.
NFL poster child Aaron Rodgers was caught in a lie about his vaccination status after he caught COVID-19. He even had the nerve to misquote Dr. King as part of his defense. We really wish these white folks would keep MLK out of their drama...especially when they misunderstand & misrepresent him 99% of the time.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
All the support from the highest Democrats in the land (Joe & Kamala) couldn’t save Virginia from going to a Republican governor. Is this loss (and others) on Election Day a sign of POTUS’ leadership?
Speaking of his leadership, Biden’s approval rate is 38%, according to a USA Today poll. Unless they can really turn things around, it ain’t looking good for Dems in 2022.
Needless to say, folks are also still disappointed with Kamala’s job performance (or lack thereof).
Congress, What’s Good?
After Democrats lost big (see above), the House passed the infrastructure bill over the weekend. Having been passed by the Senate a while ago, the bill is now headed to Biden’s desk. It all feels too little, too late at this point, but whatevs.
As for the spending bill, Manchin pulled a Manchin and held a press conference to declare he was not aligned with the contents of the legislation. He must get a kick out of exposing (and fueling) the chaos within his party time and time again. You already know, but we’ll go ahead and write it out: that bill is STILL on hold. Somebody check on The Squad and other progressives in Congress. This is not their season.
Coming up this week (it’s a short one) for committee meetings:
Finding solutions to the problem of veterans going hungry
Social Justice Round Up
Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor-to-be is a Black woman, but beware: she’s skin folk only.
The fuckery continues in Georgia as the trial of Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers will have a jury of 11 white people & 1 Black person. The judge agreed with prosecutors that there clearly appeared to be some form of discrimination going on, but defense lawyers were able to “prove” they had valid reasons for disqualifying other potential jurors who were Black.
In more news about trials for white people who felt they had to personally uphold white supremacy...a member on the jury for Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial made what was supposed to be a joke about the officer shooting Jacob Blake in the back. That juror has been dismissed.
Around the Diaspora
Fighting in Ethiopia continues. This time, anti-government forces are closing in on the capitol.
Protests against the military’s recent takeover are ongoing in Sudan. Teargas was used to disperse large crowds & over 100 demonstrators were arrested. The military official who initiated the coup claims he will not be a part of the new government once a new structure takes place, but it appears that mediation efforts with him have stalled thus far.
Just after they were recently downgraded to the “Do Not Travel” list by the US, Barbados will receive 70K Pfizer vaccines from its northern neighbor. (Also, the nerve of the US to indicate that any country is on a do not travel list when...nvm.)
Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah was crowned athlete of the year out of the North American, Central American, & Caribbean region. Seriously, is anyone else more deserving?
Getting to the Money
Calling all people who love Amazon (& who don’t think the mega retailer should be abolished): Suma, an organization that buys smaller retailers on Amazon to grow their brands, is looking for more diverse talent to join their team. Check out their careers page if you’re interested.
Buying Black
Spruce up your home decor with 54kibo, a marketplace full of unique products from the best designers from around the Diaspora. Blankets, ceramics, furniture, etc.—54kibo has something Black AF for everyone's unique taste.
Culture that Pops
Prayers up for the lives lost & injured at Astroworld, a music festival put on by Travis Scott. A crowd surge that began when the rapper was on stage resulted in 8 casualties & hundreds of injuries in his hometown of Houston.
Two sistas recently opened up the first Black-owned speakeasy-style retail shop for cannabis in Los Angeles.
‘Sister Act 3’ is one the way, thanks to Tyler Perry. The man known for doing it all solo actually says he will hire writers & directors for this project. Are we excited about this, y’all?