The overarching theme of the news this week is structural and physical violence–which, after the last few weeks, is the continued trend none of us needed. It’s likely we’ll have another media circus by this time next week, which hopefully will give us something lighter to review. In the meantime, take care of yourselves, y’all.
Standard standing reminders still apply: I guess after six years I’m conceding that I’m a journalist, but I summarize news within my areas of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a hearing!–but all offroad adventures are marked with an asterisk. And, of course, for the things that are within my lane, I’m offering context that shouldn’t be considered legal advice. Okay, I think that’s about it for the disclaimers. Onward to the news!
Cleanup in Aisle 45:
Though there are still primaries–and Dr. Oz is now the official GOP candidate in PA–mostly, we’re back to January 6 on the Election Rejection front. Here’s what I have for you:
- Insurrection Updates. Just today, a grand jury returned a slew of sedition charges against five top Proud Boys, who join about a dozen Oath Keepers in Charged with Obvious Treason Land. Speaking of charging, there was also a whole inexplicable House panel saga this week about not charging various truculent Trump staffers with contempt of Congress when they refused to do things. (In the end, the House panel charged and indicted former Trump advisor Peter Navarro, but not sketchy former chief of staff Mark Meadows or fellow social media scumbag Dan Scavino.) And, of course, the House Panel is gearing up for televised hearings that begin on Thursday, which they’re hoping will capture the nation’s attention as prime time viewing.
We also saw a few odds and ends of Biden Rebuilding, though not as many as I might have hoped. Here’s what has happened:
- Biden Student Loan Progress. Biden did show up on prime time and make an impassioned speech about responsible gun laws that none of his former Senate colleagues cared about, but most of the coverage this week was about his ongoing will-he-won’t-he with student loans. In fairness, this is in part because he did actually cancel debt for students defrauded by Corinthian Colleges, which caused everyone to pay renewed attention to the possibility of more cancellation. I’m a bit dubious that he’ll take any steps that apply to all debt holders, but I suppose we’ll see what happens.
Your New Normal:
- State of the COVID-19. COVID news is also pretty bleak this week, though thankfully cases are starting to go down as I type this. The biggest piece of concrete news is a published study showing that inaccurate oximeter readings result in delayed or incomplete COVID treatment for Americans with darker skin. This has apparently been a known problem with the equipment since the 1990s, but that didn’t stop us from relying on said equipment during the pandemic. Also, airlines want us to stop stop making them test people before they get on airplanes and fly to other countries, so that’s fun.
The Bad:
- Myriad Mass Shootings^. There are, of course, further updates on Uvalde, where police officials continue to change their story of events over and over. That said, it’s a bit overshadowed by the sheer number of additional shootings since I last sent this newsletter.The past week or so saw: 1) twelve mass shootings over Memorial Day weekend; 2) a mass shooting Wednesday at a medical building in Tulsa, OK which killed five people, including the assailant’s treating physician; 3) multiple mass shootings Saturday in an entertainment district in Philly, PA, which killed three people and wounded 12 more; and 4) multiple mass gun and vehicle attacks early Sunday outside a nightclub in Chattanooga, TN, which killed three people and injured 14 more. And though the House has advanced some new legislation that they’re calling the Protect Our Kids Act, it’s still dubious whether the Senate would consider any of said bills. As I mentioned above, the Senate has already rejected Biden’s laundry list of relatively targeted changes–many of which are also in the House legislation, such as renewing the assault weapon ban that expired in the early 2000s.
The Good:
- Recent Labor Resilience. I do have a modicum of positive labor news to report this week, which is nice to be able to say. More specifically, the Alphabet Workers Union won a 90-day extension for Google Maps contract workers who did not want to return to unsafe office conditions. It’s particularly heartening to read that a deal was reached within only a few hours of threatening to strike; organizing seems to have made a huge difference in this negotiation.
So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve these enterprising catfrens and a more functional government. I’ll be back next week with more restructured and improved news, and I hope you will be back as well–but in the meantime, feel free to ping the National News Roundup ask box, which is there for your constructive comments. Send me questions! Send me feedback! Send me the lyrics to your favorite song!
National News Roundup 