Like many other social media platforms, TikTok leaves a lot to be desired. Is the US government at the point of officially banning the app for its suspected ties to the Chinese government?
What the Health
The latest COVID numbers: 104M total cases & 1M total deaths (+137K & +2K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
3 years in and long COVID still has experts stumped.
For older Black (& Latina) women, age acts as a protective barrier for mental health issues. Prayer was also found to help Black women ward off depressive symptoms.
Black people are 30% more likely to die of heart disease than whites in the US. Nearly half of us have also been diagnosed with heart disease.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Y’all president, after claiming he wanted no smoke, authorized an airstrike in Syria. The move was motivated by a drone, suspected to be linked with Iran, that killed an American contractor and wounded US soldiers at a Syrian housing facility. The governments of both Syria and Iran condemned the United States’ actions.
A state of emergency has been declared after a tornado destroyed entire towns and killed 26 in Mississippi and Alabama over the weekend.
Kamala Harris hopes to improve relations in Africa with a weeklong trip. She kicked off her travels in Ghana yesterday and will also visit Tanzania and Zambia.
Congress, What’s Good?
Bipartisanship ain’t dead. Congress confirmed that again in their questioning of TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew last week. While some House members knew what tf they were talking about and others showed that they never made it into the Internet Age, they were all united in ganging up on the social media app for its (alleged??) privacy issues. Check out a recap of the hearing here.
Ps. One moment that didn’t get a lot of attention was when Rep. Yvette Clark (D-NY) asked the executive about the silencing of Black creators on the app. She got a generic response, but we appreciated her stepping out of the box to ask a question important to the community.
No final answer yet on the app’s fate in the US, so we’ll keep an eye out for that kinda like we’ve been doing for the debt ceiling.
Issues to be covered in upcoming committee meetings include:
The consequences of school closures
Navigating US export controls to Ukraine
Protecting the deal making rights of college athletes
Ending illegal union busting at Starbucks (NOTE:this should apple to companies other than Starbucks and also to the POTUS stopping union strikes)
Social Justice Round Up
Philly residents are on watch after a chemical spill occurred in the nearby Delaware River. After officials initially told them to drink bottled water only, they are now claiming that the tap water is safe…for now.
A judge has granted the final approval of the $626M settlement for Flint residents. This procedural move gets residents one step closer to the settlement that was originally approved back in 2021. Attorneys say they can start receiving funds by the fall.
Black children were nearly 100 times more likely to be shot during the first 21 months of the pandemic than white children.
Around the Diaspora
Last week, Uganda passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation outlawing gay sex. The penalties include life in prison and the death penalty.
The Bahamas, Jamaica and other Caribbean nations are behind Mexico as it challenges US-based gun manufacturers.
Europe’s first majority Black orchestra made its way to the US for the first time.
Getting to the Money
Move quick if you can: Applications close on Saturday, April 1 for Square’s accelerator program for Black & Brown entrepreneurs. Selected participants will receive $20K and mentorship sessions from prominent creators/celebrities.
Buying Black
This spring, visit one of these 20 art exhibitions by Black artists. The showcases can be found in cities like DC, London, NOLA, Brooklyn, and more.
Culture that Pops
Two teenage girls have solved a math problem that stumped mathematicians for centuries.
“Abbot Elementary” is so good, Illinois State University will make a course out of it to help students view education with a more nuanced and critical eye.
Naomi Osaka is teaching the babies how to meditate with a new guided meditation series.