If it wasn't already clear, Joe Manchin likes to be the star of the show. In a recent flip-flopping ass move, the WV senator has positioned himself as a potential savior for his party's midterm chances. Will it work tho? And can he get his fellow anti-Democrat/Democrat (Kyrsten Sinema) on board?
What the Health
The latest in COVID numbers: 91M total cases & 1M total deaths (+869K & +3K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
New York City declared a state disaster emergency as over 1 in 4 monkeypox cases in the US can currently be found in the state.
While many of those currently infected with monkeypox are said to be gay or bisexual men, don’t be fooled into stigmatizing LGTBQ+ people and don’t be stupid enough to think that others can’t catch it.
Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 again, 3 days after he was cleared to leave isolation from last week’s infection. Maybe he shoulda just stayed inside for 10 days like they told everybody else to do.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
In a move that was predictable, but still came slower than many would’ve liked, the US offered Russia the “Merchant of Death” in exchange for Brittney Griner & another US citizen jailed in the eastern European country.
All signs are pointing to yet another student loan payment deferral. Wise move on behalf of Team Biden with the high inflation & upcoming midterms.
Conservatives got pissy after VP Harris introduced herself with she/her pronouns and described her clothing in a meeting about (and with) people with disabilities. Giving a visual description of oneself and one’s clothing is a standard courtesy to assist blind people.
In the latest episode of “Keeping up with the Putins,” Biden sends his Secretary of State to visit select African countries, weeks after Russian officials did the same.
Congress, What’s Good?
In a flip-flop we didn’t see coming, Joe Manchin pledged his support for a $370B bill Democrats say will address climate change, raise corporate taxes & lower drug prices. While Joe’s support is a big step for his party’s agenda, the bill still won’t pass if Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema isn’t on board. If she's not with it, Democrats can kiss their hopes & dreams goodbye…especially because some Republicans actually believe it’s “wrong” to show bipartisanship.
Confirming rumors and surely making it hot with China, Nancy Pelosi will visit Taiwan during Congress’ August recess.
Committee meetings on deck this week:
The housing market’s impact on renters
Fortifying our coastal communities against climate change
Supporting Taiwan’s right to self-determination (aka doing more to mind other people’s business and get into it with China)
Election Watch: 2022 Midterms
Primaries this week: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee (on Thursday), & Washington. Live in one of these states? Then, gear up to hit the polls.
Andrew Yang, likeminded Democrats & a group of right-center Republicans are collabing on a new political party called Forward.
Here’s a tracker showing what the race to win the House of Representatives is looking like. Right about now, the GOP appears to still have the lead.
Social Justice Round Up
The other 2 officers involved in George Floyd’s murder were sentenced to 3 and 3.5 years in prison respectively.
San Francisco’s new district attorney–a Black woman–is planning to roll back many of the criminal justice reform efforts initiated by her predecessor. The city’s Black community isn’t aligned.
Accused of discriminating against Black and Latino homebuyers, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway will have to set aside $20M for home loans in underserved neighborhoods. Y’all didn’t think he was about business more than he was about racism, did you?
Around the Diaspora
We can’t talk about monkeypox and leave the Motherland out of the conversation. While the vast majority of deaths from the virus occur on the Continent, vaccines remain nowhere to be found. Shocking.
Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley is pushing back against “climate colonialism” to help her country survive the times.
Nations in East Africa are leaning on sweet potatoes for increased food security and positioning themselves to avoid the impending wheat crisis in the process.
Getting to the Money
Get paid to help the environment or social justice causes with a job from the Green Jobs Board. They’ve got something for you whether your dream job is being a farm hand in California, an executive director that works remotely, or anything in between.
Google wants to bring diversity to the creative industry with a program called Rare. Rare consists of multiple offerings to give underrepresented creatives the tools to succeed: a night school led by design professionals, creative fellowships, and a leadership academy. Ps. They even have an offering based on allyship for y’all little non-melanated friends who want so bad to be “down” for the cause.
Buying Black
Step out in fresh kicks from any of these Black-owned shoe brands or special collections between Black creators and larger brands.
Culture that Pops
NBA icon & civil rights activist Bill Russell passed away yesterday at the age of 88.
Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek legend and recruiter to get underrepresented people into NASA’s space program, also passed away yesterday at the age of 89.
Have y’all met the little 13-year-old who headed to medical school?