Things not clicking for us: Ice Spice & Denzel in a movie...together, Arizona going back to to the Civil War to determine abortion rights, and the economy doing "good" while our wallets are saying otherwise. Who's going to explain this to us?
What the Health
Black Maternal Health Week isn’t over yet. If you are expecting, here’s what you might want to know before giving birth.
Arizona’s Supreme Court allowed a near-total abortion ban from 160 years ago to be reinstated. The 1864 law (yes, from the Civil-damn-War era) only allows an abortion if the mother’s life is in jeopardy, but not in case of incest or rape.
Health disparities impacting our community also extend to our children. Black children are more likely than their counterparts of other races to receive inadequate pediatric care and to be diagnosed with conditions like ADHD.
Feel something coming on? Here’s how to tell whether it’s a cold or just spring allergies.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
After Israel conducted an airstrike in Syria that killed an Iranian general, Iran clapped back over the weekend, firing over 200 drones and missiles. The US military helped intercept the strikes intended for Israel, but Biden claims we won’t be part of any counterattack.
Joe is still trying to fulfill the promise he made to cancel student loans back in 2020. The POTUS announced another $7.4B in cancellations for 277K people. The folks eligible under this new announcement are those enrolled in income-driven repayment plans, those whose loan servicers made qualifying for relief unnecessarily difficult, and of course, those working in public service. Read more details here to see if you might qualify.
How well do you think the economy is doing under Biden? The data says it might be better than you think and definitely better than it was under the other guy.
Congress, What’s Good
After some difficulties, House Speaker Mike Johnson scored a victory in reauthorizing FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This legislation is intended to allow the government to monitor the communication of foreign parties for the sake of national security, even without a warrant. It’s also been used improperly to access conversations of US citizens, because you know America knows no boundaries even when it comes to its own rules. The law passed on a 273-147 vote, with some Republicans disapproving because their daddy Trump said to and with some Dems disapproving because of the law’s tendency to violate the privacy of US citizens.
With things picking up in conflicts across the globe, calls for funding are getting louder. While everyone is aligned for more funding to Bishop Magic Don Israel (the USA’s pimp), funding for Ukraine is still up in the air thanks to threats from far-right members of the House. The Senate did pass a bill funding both countries + Taiwan in February, but Speaker Johnson is hesitant to move it forward and upset members of his party.
Meanwhile, we can think of a million other things in this country that could use this much consideration and energy over funding…
In this week’s committee meetings:
Addressing the shortage of long-term care workers
The legacy of harm & abuse in solitary confinement
Columbia’s response to antisemitism (aka support for Palestinians)
Looking to 2024
Alabama and Puerto Rico will be hitting the polls this week (PR, only for the Republican primary). Here’s how residents can be prepared at the ballot box.
If you still believe anything the polls say…Joe Biden is catching up to Trump in recent surveys.
Will the 2 frontrunners hold presidential debates this election cycle? Do we even want them to?
Social Justice Round Up
Isaac Bryan, a California state assemblyman, is working on making clean air and water a right for Californians. Considering the environmental harms lurking in our neighborhoods, Black and brown folks stand to benefit the most from this.
Duke is opening up a full-ride scholarship that was previously only for Black students to everyone else in response to the repeal of affirmative action.
A year after being shot, Ralph Yarl hopes his situation will change the conversation around gun violence.
Around the Diaspora
Sudan officially entered a year of war. Experts are trying to raise the alarm about the devastation that could follow (yes, in addition to the war) for civilians.
You might remember the Nigerian schoolgirls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014. 10 years later, nearly 100 of them are still missing.
The USVI is tracking chronic diseases in the country with a new registry. The goal is to make sure residents diagnosed with things like kidney disease, diabetes, etc. receive the healthcare & support that they need.
Getting to the Money
Do you owe additional taxes to Uncle Sam or to your state? Here’s what to do next.
Culture that Pops
OJ Simpson’s death has brought up an important question online: How do we acknowledge someone who was excellent at their craft, but who distanced themselves from the community…and who also may or may not have committed murder?
Did they give April Fool’s an extra 2 weeks this year? Ice Spice will be making her acting debut alongside Denzel Washington (theeeee Denzel) in Spike Lee’s new thriller. None of that even sounds right, but okay.
Have y’all met Morgan Price yet?? She’s a Fisk University student and also the first from an HBCU to win a national title in college gymnastics.