Political news continued to explode in a shower of schadenfreude for another week, with details coming in at a clip that’s tough to catch. I’m not naïve enough to think this week’s NNR snapshot puts a neat bow on everything, but we’ve got to come up for air sometime! I’ll be here next week to keep everyone posted.
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 text!–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:
This was an absolutely bananas week for Election Rejection news. Here’s what I have for you:
- Insurrection Update: Everything Else. We are for sure going to talk about the ongoing Mar-A-Lago circus, but since it’s awesome that we know so much about what’s going on, that’s being handled under The Good this week. In the meantime, there sure is a lot of other election rejection news to flag! Here’s a quick rundown: 1) A federal appeals court ruled that Congress can indeed gain access to Trump’s tax returns; 2) Trump plead the fifth instead of answering deposition questions on the New York AG’s civil business investigation; 3) the FBI delivered subpoenas to several PA GOP lawmakers about the fake elector plot, and seized Scott Perry’s phone; 4) the January 6 missing text saga is at a bit of an impasse; and 5) several members of the Trump rogue’s gallery, including Rudy Giuliani and, surprisingly, Lindsey Graham, have been subpoenaed for the Georgia criminal investigation into the local plot to overturn the 2020 election.
There are also some significant advancements on the Biden Rebuilding front. Here’s what has happened:
- Recent Biden Resilience. Joe Biden had the pleasure of signing into law two bills that we’ve discussed already at length this week. First across his desk was the PACT Act, which was the bill providing aid for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. Then just today, he signed the final version of the Inflation Reduction Act, which the House passed on Friday. Passing a version of his signature bill is a big milestone for November, and the policy changes in the final bill are a big milestone all on their own. And frankly, with a megaflood expected in California, the Arctic melting even faster than anticipated, and a new report suggesting a permanent “extreme heat belt” in the US, it’s a milestone that couldn’t come soon enough.
Your New Normal:
- Contagion Corner. The biggest contagion news this week is the CDC’s decision to basically cut us loose, COVID-wise. More specifically, the CDC issued a bunch of new guidance that pushes personal responsibility narrative instead of public health policy, particularly regarding known exposure events, and as I type this I’m still big mad about it. Among the changes: 1) schools no longer have to screen students who have been exposed; 2) unvaccinated people no longer need to quarantine after known exposure events; and 3) apparently social distancing is no longer a thing just kind of in general. Meanwhile, polio was found in New York City’s wastewater, and the US is moving to stretch out its supply of monkeypox vaccine because we don’t have enough. So A++ public health policy all around right now.
The Bad:
- Reproductive Justice Struggles. Another near-total abortion ban that had been in legal limbo was upheld this week, when the Idaho Supreme Court said that the ban could go into effect on August 25. Meanwhile, a Nebraska case gained a lot of attention after Facebook data was used to criminally charge a mother and daughter regarding medication abortion. This is an issue we can expect to see come up more and more in the wake of the Dobbs decision, and activists caution that social media data can be used extensively in these types of cases and in policing of social issues in general.
The Good:
- Recent Labor Resilience. A semi-local Trader Joe’s in Hadley, Massachusetts was in the news for being the first Trader Joe’s to unionize in the country. The news comes just before a few other stores across the country take on union voting, so here’s hoping this is the beginning of another Starbucks phenomenon. I’ll try to keep folks posted on this–we can all use some good news, and it’s always good to see labor protections emerging.
So that’s what I have for this week, and I think we can agree that it’s more than enough! Nonetheless, for making it through, you deserve this adorable polyglot 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 your favorite chillhop youtube videos!
National News Roundup 