Life has been lifing the hell out of us over here, so we took a week and a day to rest (plus enjoy Juneteenth). We hope y'all had a good and intentional celebration as well.
The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 86M total cases & 1M total deaths (+707K & +2K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
The man himself finally got got: Dr. Fauci tested positive for COVID last week.
The CDC & FDA have both approved COVID vaccines for children under the age of 5. Y’all ready for that?
The current COVID surge appears to have flattened around 100K new cases per day. Nothing like the Omicron wave, but that’s still a lot of cases. Whatever you do, keep your protective measures on high.
On the Way: National Suicide Prevention Line
Starting on July 16, dialing 988 nationwide will direct callers to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. It’s a great idea, but less than half of all states have enacted legislation to help pay for it. Will the federal government step in to ensure we have enough people to answer the phone nationwide?
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Biden took a tumble while out on a bike ride over the weekend.
Hopefully we’ll have more information on the student loan deferment and on a pause in the federal gas tax (18.3¢/gallon) by the end of the week.
Word on the street is that we’re headed for a recession, which Biden says is avoidable. Make sure you know the best and worst case scenarios for how things could play out.
This news anchor believes there’s a lot that we’re getting wrong about Kamala Harris.
Congress, What’s Good?
Do you think Congress has the power to get us out of this inflation problem? According to some, Congress can help fight the high costs if only they’d just act. In an election year where both chambers are on the line, though, it just feels like elected officials are more eager to blame the other party for this hot ass mess rather than working together to fix it.
Need help following along with the January 6 sessions? Check out this live tracker of everything that’s happened so far ahead of today’s hearing at 1pm ET.
Coming up in this week’s committee meetings:
More January 6 hearings
Disinformation’s damage to democracy
Protecting our climate by cutting methane (gas) pollution
Election Watch: 2022 Midterms
Alabama, DC, Georgia and Virginia, today’s your day. Learn more about your primary elections here and how to vote in your state.
Democrats are worried that Russia might be up to no good again come the midterm elections. On the other side of the world, Russia is hoping that a Republican victory might slow down support for Ukraine.
Black folk, Latinx folk & those under 40 are all who Democrats need most this election season. Unfortunately, we are all also the ones being hit hardest by inflation.
Social Justice Round Up
A Michigan police officer was charged with second-degree murder for the death of Patrick Lyoya.
Inflation turned those wage increases into an L. Due to the higher cost of living, the average worker took a 2.4% pay cut in 2021.
Black women, listen up: Uterine cancer is on the rise and the risk is higher for your demographic. Black women die at twice the rate of white women. Learn why here.
Did Houston, the nation’s 4th largest city, find an effective way to address homelessness?
Around the Diaspora
A COVID vaccine made in South Africa could soon be on its way.
This Black politician in the UK is not with the country’s decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda because she says it hurts her country's global standing.
Jamaica will increase the rate at which it collects plastic bottles for recycling.
Getting to the Money
Good Black Art, a platform that amplifies the work of Black artists, is looking for freelance Writers, a Social Media Manager, and a Sales & Artist Relations Assistant.
Buying Black
The Black Wall Street App is the largest Black-owned business directory app today. In honor of Juneteenth, they’ve launched a Buy Black Challenge asking folks to shop & promote Black-owned businesses between June 17 and July 17. Check out their Instagram profile to see which businesses they’ve highlighted so far and to follow the challenge along through the end.
Culture that Pops
Did you know that some of our ancestors remained enslaved even after Juneteenth? Not great news, but still important information to know.
We love the fact that an increasing number of Black students are choosing HBCUs over Ivy League schools. Check out how Former President Barack Obama and the movement against police brutality helped our brightest decide that a Black college is the only way to go.
Tabitha Brown wants code-switching to become a thing of the past. While we feel Auntie Tab, we might prefer to keep on keeping on to make sure white folks don’t think they have the green light to communicate to us in “Gen Z talk.” Do you agree that we should let go of the code-switching or nah?