This week: The Biden Administration people confirmed without confirming that there is no red line in Gaza, Biden's pop-up pier that was supposed to provide aid to Gaza (but wasn't) has already broken down, and Trump is a felon, but he's still eligible to run and vote in November. Has anyone tried turning this country off and turning it back on? It ain't been right for the last 400 or so years.
What the Health
Thanks to warming temperatures around the globe (climate change is real, folks), it’s possible that Dengue fever can pose more of a risk to the US than it ever has in the past. Learn more about why it’s important to wear mosquito repellent to protect yourself from this virus.
Raise your hand if you think men should have their own form of birth control (other than condoms). A trial is underway for a gel that suppresses men’s sperm production and it’s said to be going well. If this is approved by the FDA, we can expect increased interest in other male birth control products.
A study is underway to determine whether a vegan diet will improve the health concerns often plaguing the Black community.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Biden’s pop-up pier in Gaza is officially pop dung. The temporary pier has literally broken apart after about a week, causing the already-slow aid deliveries to become even slower.
As suspected, Biden’s administration is still not willing to call a genocidal spade a genocidal spade. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby refused to say Israel crossed the red line that Biden defined himself, saying the US would wait for them to do their own investigation. Netanyahu has already said this was another “tragic mistake.” We guess Biden will do this song & dance once more, Palestinian lives be damned.
Last week, the Biden administration released a permanent ceasefire deal that would see all living hostages released and reconstruction in Gaza. Israel seems on the fence with some officials saying the Israeli government has agreed to its framework while Netanyahu refuses to accept anything that is not an absolute victory. Hamas received the deal favorably, but time will tell its true viability.
Congress, What’s Good
Tensions are high on the Hill (like always lol). Senate Republicans following the direction of their cult leader are pissed at his recent conviction (issa felon) and have decided that they will oppose all Democratic legislation and any nominees Biden tries to bring forward. In the House, GOP members invited the NYC prosecutors who went up against Trump to a hearing on the 13th to determine whether their actions were politically motivated. Their daddy must be so proud.
Some Democrats are pissed too because Benjamin Netanyahu has officially accepted the invitation to speak before a joint meeting of Congress. Bernie Sanders and other progressives have confirmed they will not be in attendance. Other Dems that are more middle-of-the-road expressed disappointment at Netanyahu’s invitation, but haven’t indicated whether they’d be present for his address.
Also, please send some prayers up for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. The Texas Democrat announced that she’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Committee meetings are back. Here’s a taste of what’s on this week’s agenda:
Bringing Dr. Fauci out of retirement to talk about the pandemic
How AI can improve the economy and the government
Looking to 2024
There are upcoming presidential primaries tomorrow (for DC MT, NJ, NM & SD) and Saturday (for the USVI). Don’t get caught slipping if you live in any of these places. Check out Rock the Vote for critical voting information before you hit the polls this week.
Donald Trump is officially the criminal that we’ve always known he was. He was convicted of 34 felony counts last week for falsifying records to cover up paying off a porn star before the 2016 election. As a felon, he is still eligible to run for president and still eligible to vote. 37 countries, however, would technically ban him from entering, including Canada and the UK. It’ll be interesting to see how that works if he wins in November. One verdict down, another 3 to go. We can track the rest of the his legal cases and appeals here.
As of July 1, medical debt will no longer be factored into our credit scores. Kamala Harris says this is enough to sway Black voters who are on the fence about voting blue in November. Is it?
Whether we like it or not, AI will have its place in the election. Take a look at some of the instances it’s been used this year. You can also check out how it’s been impacting races in other countries.
Social Justice Round Up
Homes in New Jersey and Virginia owned by Justice Samuel Alito have both displayed flags that indicate someone in the household is a January 6 sympathizer. Neither Congress nor Chief Justice Roberts have taken action on the issue, even as the SCOTUS’ decision on Trump’s immunity bid from January 6 prosecution comes this month. Alito has unsurprisingly refused to recuse himself from the case or anything else related to January 6. Somebody cue the “You don’t find that suspicious?” clip from Dr. Umar.
Dear white people, we don’t need y’all to go around in blackface to validate how bad racism in America is. Sam Forster, a white Canadian author, announced the release of a book titled Seven Shoulders that will chronicle the treatment he received while hitchhiking across the US as a Black man. The description on the book’s Amazon page claims it’s the “most important book on American race relations that has ever been written.” Shout out to @Fly_Sistah on Twitter for aptly naming this wigga Rayshawn Dolezal. The nerve of him.
Other other things white people ain’t have no business doing: A teacher in Massachusetts thought it was a good idea to hold a mock slave auction in class and use the N-word as part of the curriculum. Never mind the fact that it’s 2024 or that plenty of other teachers have been reprimanded for doing the same thing. This teacher still believed it was their duty to traumatize Black students in a district where Black kids only make up 3% of all students.
Around the Diaspora
Can we have all eyes on Congo too? A social media campaign is bringing awareness to the crisis in Congo for the entire month of June. Check them out here.
The political party of Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress (ANC), has lost its majority in South Africa for the first time in history. Because no party won the majority of votes from the recent election, a coalition government must be formed between the ANC, which still received the most votes, and at least one other party. The party that won the second most votes is led by a rich white man. Is the country ready to accept another white man as one of its leaders after apartheid?
Haiti has a new transitional prime minister named Garry Conille. He wants to implement a government that prioritizes security, economic stability and diversity in its staff. Let’s pray, for the sake of the Haitian people, that he can handle all that dip on his chip.
The birth rate in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is low, thanks to advancements in education and career opportunities for women. The island nation’s prime minister, however, is asking for a balance between “modernity and motherhood” to keep its population stable.
Getting to the Money
Black workers only make up 7-8% of all employees in the tech industry. That said, it’s always a good time to try to change this statistic. Check out POCIT Jobs for openings across job function, location, and salary range.
Culture that Pops
June is Black Music Month and, of course, Pride Month. Check out this article that celebrates both: the music that we created and the LGBTQ+ pioneers who made their marks.
There’s a new king of Major League Baseball. The MLB has finally added stats from the Negro Leagues to its historical database and the NL players are breaking records left and right. Josh Gibson, a player from the Negro Leagues, now holds several titles that were previously held by MLB players, the most important of those being the highest batting average.
Demi Johnson, a Gulfport, MS freshman, recently received a National Geographic award for her work to preserve Mississippi’s oyster reef population.