Messy Joe Manchin is always in some shit. This time, it may cost us a government shut down.
What the Health
The latest in COVID numbers: 96M total cases & 1M total deaths (+380K & +3K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
With testing on the decline, it might be harder to pick up on new COVID variants.
Temps are dropping. Should mask mandates return to stave off another surge?
Wanna know what the chances are of you or your loved ones catching monkeypox? Check this out.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
The POTUS has approved an emergency declaration for Florida as Hurricane Ian heads toward its shores.
The US is allegedly talking with Russia behind the scenes to calm down those nuclear threats.
Joe Biden claimed the pandemic was over. His team is calling BS.
As part of the Biden administration’s climate plan, a new environmental justice office was just launched to administer $3B to communities impacted by pollution.
Congress, What’s Good?
The deadline to fund the government is this Friday. The big hurdle to jump this time? The side deal Chuck Schumer made with Joe Manchin for his support on the Inflation Reduction Act. Schumer promised to include Manchin’s requirements for energy-related reforms in the bill to fund the government, but the response to that is a bipartisan “Hell nah.” The smart option would be to break the promise to Manchin (as he himself has done 5,011 times) and push the government funding through, but this is US politics after all. Who needs sense when chaos is more entertaining?
Also up for consideration in the House: a potential stock trading ban for current members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children. Tbh, it should be all kids, dependent or not, but we all know that’d be a little too intense for them.
A taste of the committee meetings this week:
Maintaining sanctions on Russia & its enablers
The threat of a national abortion ban
Election Watch: 2022 Midterms
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the underdog Dems coming out victorious this midterm season. For the Senate specifically, those predictions are still holding up.
Raphael Warnock now has a slight edge in GA's Senate race. Can Black voters make it do what it do for Stacey Abrams?
Which 10 races are most likely to have a hand in deciding the Senate majority?
Social Justice Round Up
Including Black women who work part-time in the calculations for Black Women’s Equal Pay Day shows that the pay gap is wider than originally thought.
A 158-year old law that bans all abortions except when saving a pregnant person’s life has gone back into effect in Arizona. They really took abortion advice from people who lived in the wild wild west. We want to laugh & cry at the same damn time.
Acknowledging it’s severely undercounting the number of people who die in the custody of law enforcement, the DOJ wants to make some changes.
A federal judge in Louisiana approved what she acknowledged was a “disturbing” plan: sending juveniles to the former death row quarters of Angola Prison. Angola is the largest maximum security penitentiary nationwide.
Around the Diaspora
Forces in the Tigray region of Ethiopia say Eritrea has launched a full-blown attack against them.
Hurricane Fiona did a number on Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Here’s how you can support relief efforts in PR and in DR.
Leaders from Antigua & Kenya are making plans to collaborate in the future.
Getting to the Money
fluent360 is a multicultural marketing agency with experience across the African American, Hispanic, Asian American & LGTBQ+ markets. If you’re a marketer living in NY or Chicago, one of their open roles might be a fit for you.
Are you an entrepreneur? If so, chances are you’re very familiar with burnout. Consider this entrepreneur’s tips to simplify your business and keep your energy flowing.
Buying Black
CPR Wrap is a disposable tool that provides step-by-step instructions for the everyday person to perform CPR in times of emergency. Inspired by one experience the founder had with her child, CPR Wrap helps make the life-saving procedure less intimidating. Kits are available at Walmart, Amazon and on CPR Wrap’s site for patients of all sizes.
Culture that Pops
Things we love: this doctor’s mission prevent suicides among Black youth.
A Different World premiered 35 years ago and we’ve never been the same since.
Last week was Banned Books Week. Check out this list of books by Black authors that typically catch the attention of fragile-ass conservatives.