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Year 6, Week 20 (May 29–June 4)

June 7, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

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!

Year 6, Week 19 (May 22-28)

May 31, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

There are quite a few odds and ends from the last week or so that didn’t quite make it into the draft on Wednesday, though thankfully we’ve seen a fairly quiet Memorial day weekend. You can think of today’s draft as the tail-end mop-up–the stories are still worth tracking, but they’re bits and bobs of larger pieces.

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 panel!–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:

Beyond primary elections, we did see a few more developments on the Election Rejection front. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife Ginni Thomas was in the news again for pressuring elected officials to ignore elections, this time in Arizona. Meanwhile, news also broke that a senior State Department official met with election deniers about overturning election results on January 6, and House Panel testimony suggests that Trump expressed support for hanging Pence, so that’s fun. Finally, the D.C. Circuit blocked the House panel from obtaining RNC records as part of its January 6 investigation.

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:

Administrative (In)action. Biden was in the news regarding a plan to order minor police reform and some collaborative initiatives on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. (Though it was overshadowed by Uvalde news for obvious reasons, this did indeed happen on Wednesday.) However, despite a Presidential trip to Uvalde on Sunday, we haven’t seen much follow-up on police misconduct during the shooting. That said, he did open a DOJ investigation, which we’ll talk more about below.

Your New Normal:

State of the COVID-19. We have already talked some about the fifth Covid wave, which doesn’t seem to be deterring Americans from traveling over Memorial Day weekend because Murrica. This past week also saw some more studies about the nature of long Covid, which hopefully heralds more research to come. More specifically, studies this week confirmed that Covid vaccines do not prevent long Covid, though they do provide a bit of protection. There is also research that suggests that long Covid might be more common from minor infection, because most diagnosed cases occur in people who weren’t hospitalized during their initial infection. Finally, and speaking of hospitalization, the White House is trying to figure out ways to get Paxlovid to more people to prevent death during the current wave.

The Bad:

Uvalde Updates^. The Uvalde story unquestionably saw the most movement, and the developments remain extremely upsetting. By Thursday, several outlets had picked up the thread about police inaction at the shooting site, noting the deleterious role that police play in shootings in general as well as the myriad ways the police messed up in Uvalde in particular. Eventually, after several narrative inconsistencies issued by police were clarified, we had a clearer timeline of events: The shooter was inside the school and unengaged by police for almost 90 minutes while students called 9-1-1 repeatedly and parents begged officers to go inside. As I mentioned above, the U.S. Department of Justice is opening an investigation into the police response. Depressingly, this is the only federal initiative moving forward right now, as the Senate adjourned on Friday without voting on either of the two background check bills that have already passed in the House. (Before leaving, the GOP also blocked voting on a domestic terrorism bill that was a response to the Buffalo shooting.) Nonetheless, Senate Democrats say that they’re working on bipartisan legislation. There were also a few stories about how many mass shootings have occurred in 2022, which in total average more than one per day–and the Washington Post reported that another fourteen have occurred in the past week. Finally, the NRA held its annual convention this weekend in Houston, which involved a lot of repeating disproven talking points while teachers protested outside.

The Good:

Recent Labor Resilience. We did see some positive labor news over the past week or so. The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team finalized a deal that closes their pay gap and creates equal pay with men’s soccer, which is really exciting. There were also several unionizing victories for Starbucks franchises. Finally, Vice reports that Raven software QA voted to form the first AAA video game union in the country.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this inquisitive octopus 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 opinions on word puzzle games!

Year 6, Week 18 (May 15-21)

May 26, 2022May 26, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The NNR this week comes with a content warning–we have several stories that show a shocking cultural disregard for children’s wellbeing. I have marked the stories that involve child endangerment with a caret (^) symbol, so that you have the ability to skip them if you need to. Please take care while reading, and take care of yourself.

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 campaign!–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:

The name of the game for Election Rejection is, ironically, primary elections, but they’re still unfortunately quite topical. Here’s what I have for you:

Primary Blues. Since we’re a bit off our normal schedule, I’m bringing you news from not one, but two primary election dates, and much of it is a hot and/or fraudulent mess. North Carolina chucked local orgy aficionado and sitting Congressperson Madison Cawthorne after an extensive smear campaign from his own party, and down in Georgia, former Senator and full-time racist David Perdue enjoyed a similar table-turning. In the PA Senate primary, Trump-backed gremlin Mehmet Oz heads to a recount with hedge fund flavored David McCormick, though election rejection guy Doug Mastriano definitely won the gubernatorial GOP bid. The setbacks of these Trump-backed candidates highlight the fight currently happening within the party, especially as sitting officials in Georgia who refused to overturn 2020 results such as Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary Brad Raffensperger remained in the race. Meanwhile, five GOP candidates in Michigan were punted from the gubernatorial race because they committed election fraud to get themselves on the ballot, forging the necessary signatures to qualify.

I also have a lot for you on the Biden Rebuilding front, because we’re doing a dive into the formula shortage. Here’s what has happened:

Infant Formula Shortage.^ A shortage of infant formula in this country has been coming to a head for several months, but we saw a particular amount of movement this week, which makes it a good time to unpack it all. Essentially, only four companies in the U.S. make modern infant formula, and we have major restrictions on importation as well. These facts started a cascading failure in February when the FDA shut down a plant that produced much of company Abbott’s formula supply. The shutdown absolutely needed to happen, because unsanitary conditions were basically poisoning the supply, which resulted in four documented cases of infection and two infant fatalities. But while Abbott jerked the FDA around, declining to acquiesce to governmental requests, there was no real backup plan in place for replacing the lack of production. This exacerbated an already-existing shortage. Eventually this week, Biden invoked the Defense Production Act and began ordering importation from Europe, but these are only very temporary stopgaps. Abbott’s plant in Sturgis has now reached an agreement with the FDA, but it will take two months for them to start producing formula again. It’s a very rough and harrowing time for families that is unlikely to be fixed in the next few weeks.

Your New Normal:

State of the COVID-19. We have more information about the next COVID wave, brought to you courtesy of yet another dominant subvariant, and it’s… not great. Federal officials say that in many places in the US, we should all be masking. However, their messaging makes it clear that they don’t think they can make us, likely because Murrika freedom lawsuits suggest that they in fact cannot. This, predictably, means more rising cases.

The Bad:

Elementary School Shooting^. For the second week in a row, I am forced to report horrific gun violence, this time involving a highly fatal elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Though details are still settling, it appears that an eighteen-year-old man bought two AR-15 rifles on his birthday and a few days later shot his grandmother, fleeing that location by car when she called police. He drove his car to Robb Elementary School, crashing it in a ditch nearby and reportedly engaging police officers present, who declined to follow him into the building. Then he entered the school and barricaded himself in a room, opening fire with said AR-15, ultimately killing nineteen elementary students as well as two teachers and injuring several more people. Needless to say, this nauseating story highlights the massive amounts of preventable gun violence that plague America, which as I noted last week has become even worse during the pandemic. We’re also already seeing the by-now-familiar pattern of no Congressional corrective action occurring, which is very difficult to watch.

The Good:

Recent Pediatric Resilience. In light of the above stories, I thought it might be helpful to talk a bit more about progress on pediatric vaccination–there was a lot of it this week. Early data from Pfizer suggests that they may have created an 80% effective vaccine for children under 5 by adding a third dose. Meanwhile, both the FDA and the CDC have cleared booster shots for kids aged 5-11 for Pfizer as well. It’s important progress that hopefully heralds more movement soon.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m so sorry for the contents. For making it through, you deserve these porcine nommers, these suggestions for how to help Uvalde, and a country that is less heartbreaking. 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 articles on self-care because we all need them!

Year 6, Week 17 (May 8-14)

May 17, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

I’m running out of new ways to say that the news was actual garbage for another week, but nonetheless: The news was actual garbage for another week. Maybe I could just swap it up by typing it in a different language every roundup? Let’s be real, at this point you’d still know what I wrote. (Les nouveaux sont de vraies ordures, et le singe est sur la branch.)

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not an email!–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:

We had a fair number of updates on the Election Rejection front, but they pretty much all suck. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. Yet another batch of bonkers emails was released this week, this time showing conservative lawyer John Eastman’s attempts to get legislators to toss absentee ballots through some kind of convoluted New Math scheme. Meanwhile, a final court decision means Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s officially allowed to stay on the ballot in Georgia, which I think we can agree is a loss for Georgia. And speaking of court decisions, Trump’s civil contempt will be dropped, but only if he pays the $110K total he owes–so let’s be real, he’s gonna stay in contempt of court. Finally, the Jan 6 House panel has graduated to subpoenaing 5 GOP legislators, including current House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, so that should be interesting.

In contrast, I don’t have a huge amount for you on the Biden Rebuilding front. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Economy Stuff.* For another week, the biggest Biden news is that inflation sucks. This time, there’s renewed focus on sky-high gas prices, and also Biden insisting that the inflation is all MAGA America’s fault (which, to be fair, is probably extremely true.) But he also expanded a discount Internet program, which is pretty cool. And also cryptocurrencies had a total meltdown, much like everybody else experiencing 2022.

Your New Normal:

Reproductive Justice News. As predicted by prophecy, the Senate voted on reproductive justice protections this week, but the vote went 49-51 with Joe Manchin literally voting to block voting on it. The Senate did, however, successfully pass a bill making it harder to protest outside of SCOTUS judge’s houses. Meanwhile, Senator Warren and Rep Jayapal proposed a bill creating accountability of any kind for Supreme Court justices, but my guess is that one probably went straight into the circular filing cabinet, because I’ve heard exactly nothing about it being advanced at all. Aren’t Congressional priorities fun?

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. COVID news this week was a bit quiet, beyond the official confirmation of one million deaths in the U.S. The Biden administration is also mailing another round of free COVID tests, this time 8 tests per household. Finally, a few outlets ran stories this week about misappropriated COVID relief funds, covering things like identity theft and, in Texas’s case, diversion to immigrant detention programs. (The Texas thing is particularly galling when you consider that Title 42 is restricting immigration because of COVID.)
White Supremacist Shootings (again). This was a truly awful week for gun violence. On Saturday, a white supremacist shot up a grocery store in Buffalo, NY, livestreaming the entire thing on Twitch as he did so, and resulting in 10 deaths and 3 injuries. We know the shooter is a white supremacist because he published a 180-page manifesto telling us he is, repeating the batshit “great replacement” theory that the alt-right propagates in campaign ads about white people being replaced by other cultures. Though the Buffalo shooting has gotten the most attention, there were two other racially-motivated mass shootings this week as well–on Wednesday, three women were shot in a hair salon in Dallas and on Sunday, five people were shot at a church in California. These shootings come on the same week as a report from the CDC documenting heightened gun violence during the pandemic; the report notes that gun homicides in 2020 were the highest in 25 years.

The Good:

Recent Medical Resilience. For a second week in a row, I’m excited to announce a long-awaited piece of good news: Scientists have identified a risk marker for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This is a huge breakthrough which opens up the long-term possibility of testing and treatment–and, of course, it’s also really valuable information for grieving parents. I’m gratified to be able to give you a bright spot in an otherwise dark news cycle.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this pouting Mastiff as well as a more consistently improved 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 review of Our Flag Means Death!

Year 6, Week 16 (May 1-7)

May 10, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news is actual nightmare fuel for another week, and the biggest stories are somehow getting worse, not better. I legit don’t know what to say here, except that it’s important to get the rest you need, because we’re going to be fighting these fights for a while yet. You have to keep putting the oxygen mask on the horse. Or something.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a state bill!–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:

It wasn’t anyone’s main focus, but I do have updates on the Election Rejection front. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. We’re getting a bit of a Carolina election ballot redux, as Rep Madison Cawthorn faces challenges to his campaign legitimacy because of his January insurrection a la Marjorie Taylor Greene. Meanwhile, Trump is already trying to shake last week’s civil contempt order, but the New York court is having none of it. And in other January 6 news, Trump Jr met with the House panel and another Oathkeeper pled guilty, giving more details about insurrection planning as he did so.

Unsurprisingly, I don’t have a lot for you on the Biden Rebuilding front. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Economy Stuff.* The big news in Biden land, other than the obvious, is that the Fed raised its rate by half a percentage point this week, hoping to combat unprecedented inflation. In likely related news, stocks took a huge dip on Thursday and Friday as well. And though jobs were added in April, unemployment rates remain unchanged.

Your New Normal:

Reproductive Justice News. We’ve had a week to unpack this toxic suitcase of a Dobbs draft, and let me confirm for you that very little of America actually wants the sludge coming out of it. Sadly, Chief Justice Roberts has confirmed the authenticity of the draft, along with a bunch of other leak-related pearl clutching, and it’s likely this court will not find popular opinion very persuasive. (That said, right now, Kavanaugh’s neighbors are in the process of finding out how persuasive he finds protests outside his house.) In response to SCOTUS response, Senate Dems are attempting to pass federal abortion protections–though as many outlets have gleefully noted, they don’t have the votes for that because they won’t tank the filibuster. Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell is already threatening a federal abortion ban if the GOP takes back Congress in the midterms. And at the state level, conservative states appear emboldened by the draft opinion, as the Mississippi governor is starting to talk about banning contraceptives and Louisiana is introducing a bill that would create criminal homicide charges for abortions. For more legal unpacking, I continue to highly recommend the Boom!Lawyered folks of Rewired News Group, who are full-time reproductive justice legal advocates.

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. COVID news is bleak for another week as well. We’re expected to crest one million COVID-related deaths in the U.S. in the near future, and we have the highest rate of any individual country in the world. We’re also nearing 15 million deaths worldwide. This is in part because new mutations of the omicron strain (again) are colliding with relaxed health restrictions to create another nation-wide bump in cases, likely heralding another new wave. Experts are also concerned about waning immunity as we head into the fall and winter. And speaking of immunity, the FDA is curtailing use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine moving forward because blood clot risks remain consistent. So that’s… a lot.

The Good:

Recent State Resilience. I’m excited to share a bit of resilience from my home state of Massachusetts this week. In both houses of state government, a bill enabling all qualified state residents to obtain a driver’s license, regardless of immigration status, has passed by a veto-proof majority. Governor Baker has not yet signed the bill as I type this, but since he can’t veto it, hopefully this bill has cleared all of its major hurdles already.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this clever horse as well as a more consistently improved 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 pictures of your pets!

Year 6, Week 15 (April 24-30)

May 3, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

Originally, I had written that reviewing the news this week feels slightly less like drinking bleach than average, if you staunchly ignore the Elon Musk twitter purchase discourse. (Which I plan to do yet again this week, on account of that deal is not yet closed and also he sucks.) But then Politico dropped a freaking leaked SCOTUS draft overturning Roe v. Wade at 8:37 at night, so apparently I spoke too soon on the bleach front.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a grand jury!–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:

There were a number of updates on the Election Rejection front. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. There were more updates about the roles that various sitting Congress critters had in the January 6 insurrection, and we got more details about discussion of martial law happening then as well. Meanwhile, the RNC tried to block release of records again, which didn’t go so well for them even with a Trump appointee hearing the case. And speaking of Trump, he was held in civil contempt of court after refusing to cough up business records to New York Attorney General Leticia James. Finally, the grand jury convened in New York to explore Trump’s tax crimes is expiring without charges this week, but another one is forming in Georgia to address his election-related crimes there, so I suppose that evens out.

This was also a bit of a weird week on the Biden Rebuilding front. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Resilience. There has been a lot of will-he–won’t-he again this week about Biden forgiving student loans, and the negotiation on reaching some kind of Build Back Better deal is no less hazy. But Biden did reinstate pre-Trump standards for high energy light bulbs, so I guess there’s that.

Your New Normal:

Miscellaneous Court Misery (again). I was originally planning to draft this paragraph about SCOTUS’s recent decision to exclude Puerto Ricans from disability-based social security benefits, which I think is monstrously wrong particularly in light of Puerto Rico’s history in the U.S. And I’m also still mad about that one doctor who is suing over the No Surprises Act and the recent federal court decision to reinstate blocking asylees at the border. But honestly, I think we have to talk about the draft opinion leaked today that will eventually overturn Roe v. Wade. It’s important to stress that laws legitimized by that opinion have not gone into effect yet. However, I also want to stress that the opinion as drafted lays groundwork to challenge over fifty years of precedent protecting not just reproductive rights but also same-sex marriage, access to contraceptives, and possibly even interracial marriage. Finally, we need to accept the fact that a draft leak itself is a big deal, as it highlights the rapidly-decaying infrastructure of a branch of government that notoriously insists that it can self-govern.

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. COVID news… where do I even start? A CDC report published this week estimates that 60% of Americans have had COVID by this point, and cases continue to rise thanks to increasingly contagious new subvariants. Reflecting this reality, the Biden administration is shifting its focus to access to treatment, though that is not without risks. Finally, we’re still waiting for clarity about what’s happening with pediatric vaccines for children under 6, but Moderna has officially requested authorization and we’ll hopefully see movement from the FDA soon.

The Good:

Recent Reproductive Resilience. In light of today’s news, I want to spend a few moments on recent state decisions to actively protect reproductive health. This past week, Connecticut passed a law which legally protects reproductive health patients and providers from lawsuits originating in other states. Now’s also a fine time to mention the sixteen states that have codified protections for reproductive health services. For more information about what’s going on in your state, check out NARAL and Guttenmacher‘s excellent summary pages. There are and will continue to be a lot of opportunities for advocacy and activism at the state and federal levels. We can–and will–continue to fight this fight.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this stealthy sea lion as well as a more consistently improved 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 links about places to donate and call!

Year 6, Week 14 (April 17-23)

April 26, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

The news is kind of a wild ride this week, which is better than being a trash fire I suppose. Still, traffic would be much smoother if everybody would stay in their lane. Just sayin’.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a Twitter!–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 Quite a Week on the Election Rejection front. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. There were quite a few updates from the Jan 6 House panel. On the testimony side of things, Trump Junior is expected to meet with the panel soon to interview, and former chief of staff Mark Meadows’s aide has offered some highly interesting information as well. Speaking of Meadows, we also learned that he was registered to vote in three different states at once in 2021, because of course he was. Meanwhile, Meadows’s cache of a zillion texts between November 2020 and February 2021 had some fascinating and disturbing stuff from a lot of different Republican players; particular focus is being given to Marjorie Taylor Greene. This is likely because, in addition to her scary bananas texts, she’s also being sued as an insurrectionist to be disqualified from running in the upcoming 2022 House election.

In contrast, it was much quieter week on the Biden Rebuilding front. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Resilience. Since I already covered the possibility of further student loan forgiveness last Tuesday, the biggest news out of the Biden administration this week involves some pretty significant new green initiatives timed to coincide with Earth Day. (There were also some more pieces on inflation, but honestly, that barely feels like news anymore.)

Your New Normal:

Miscellaneous State Law Misery (again). Florida was in the news for bigoted policy yet another week. This time they voted to dissolve Disney’s self-governing status on account of the company not disavowing gay people hard enough. The Florida legislature also just straight-up eliminated a Black district from its maps while erasing three Democrat seats and adding four Republican ones, so that’s fun. Meanwhile, the incredibly gross ‘groomer’ rhetoric used by GOP in Florida to push the Don’t Say Gay bill–literally by arguing that anyone who supports gay rights is a child molester–is now being used against Democrat opponents in other states. If reading that makes you feel ill, rest assured that you are not alone; drafting this paragraph made my lunch petition to see the world.

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. In the wake of the travel mask mandate reversal on Tuesday, several private transit companies are dropping their mask policies and the Biden administration is already appealing the decision. That said, we also got some positive news about pediatric vaccination and treatment. Moderna plans to file for a vaccine for very young children in the very near future; the FDA also recently approved remdesivir use for treating children under the age of 12.

The Good:

Recent French Resilience. This isn’t even American news, but it is good news, so here we are: President Emmanuel Macron beat alt right trash fire Marine Le Pen in the 2022 French Presidential election this week. Le Pen had been amassing an uncomfortable amount of support, so this victory was definitely not a given even though it was expected. At any rate, France will be spared their own Orange Cheeto reign for another election cycle, and good for them.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve otter barrel rolls as well as a more consistently improved 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 more hours in the day!

Year 6, Week 13 (April 10-16)

April 20, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

I was hoping the bad news would pass us over this week, but no dice–in fact, the news this week is uncommonly bad even by our modern standards. On the plus side, however, ice cream is still kosher l’pesach.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a voter roll!–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 a relatively quiet week on the Election Rejection front, though we did see a few odds and ends. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. The House panel questioned Stephen Miller this week, and news also broke about sitting Senator Mike Lee trying to help Trump overturn the 2020 elections. Meanwhile, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was removed from the North Carolina voter rolls due to evidence of voter fraud, and the RNC has announced that they are withdrawing from Presidential debates moving forward. So that should make for an interesting election season, I guess.

It was a quiet week on the Biden Rebuilding front as well, though we did see a few things move forward. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Resilience. Biden announced this week that his administration plans to resume leasing for oil and gas drilling on federal lands in a bid to lower gas prices, and he’s also permitting sale of E15 gas this summer. (They did announce an increased oil royalty rate, though, so I guess that’s something.) Speaking of increased rates, there were also a number of articles about the highest inflation rate in my lifetime, which is about as awesome as it sounds. On the plus side, though, that probably contributed to Biden’s announcement of another student loan forgiveness waiver, this time regarding income-driven repayment.

Your New Normal:

Miscellaneous State Law Misery. Both Kentucky and Florida were in the news again for abysmal new abortion laws, and Kentucky’s is particularly bad, as it effectively completely bans abortion in the state for every situation except medical necessity. Florida was also in the news for banning math textbooks because they allegedly included–and I cannot believe I am not making this up–critical race theory. I know I for one fondly remember my calculus textbook’s many insights into structural racism; don’t you?

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. There was a huge amount of COVID news this week, as things are picking up in a number of directions. The BA.2 subvariant of omicron appears to now have its own subvariants, which are already dominant in parts of New York state. Meanwhile, cases are rising in general especially in the Northeast. Between all of these facts, the federal public health emergency was officially extended until July as a result. Originally the mask mandates for transportation were extended as well, but a Florida federal judge on Monday ruled that unlawful for MAGA reasons. So now, none of us get to have a transportation mask mandate, we already know transportation workers will get sick, and I personally plan to die mad about it. But in more positive COVID news, Pfizer is seeking to authorize a booster for children 5-11 and a breathalyzer test for COVID has been approved by the FDA.

Mess of Mass Shootings. There were a truly stunning number of mass shootings over the past week, and over the weekend in particular. In Brooklyn during the work week, ten people were shot on a moving subway train, resulting in over 25 people total injured. Then over the weekend, there were mass shootings in a mall in South Carolina, an AirBnB in Pittsburgh, a club in South Carolina, and a city block in Portland, OR. These increases in gun violence are frightening, and they likely aren’t going away anytime soon.

The Good:

Recent Texas Resilience. After more than a week of disruption, Texas governor Greg Abbott agreed to stop enforcing an obnoxious vehicle inspection policy at the border that was resulting in considerable chaos and spoiled food. I am choosing to believe this is, at least in part, due to an annoyance campaign from Harris county Democrats, who referred to his policy as the Abbott Supply-chain Surcharge, or ASS Tax.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve learning about the cat gap as well as a more consistently improved 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 more ice cream because I already ate last week’s!

Year 6, Week 12 (April 3-9)

April 12, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

I thought we were going to get a bit of a respite after last week, but the sweet summer me of yesterweek was sadly mistaken. The NNR recommends medicinal comfort foods for a second week, and would like to remind you that ice cream is kosher l’pesach.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area 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 a week of testimony on the Election Rejection front, with several people sharing things that are maybe against their interests. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. Several Trumps had things to say this week. Ivanka Trump testified before the House January 6 panel for almost eight hours on Tuesday, though it’s unclear whether they got anything good from her. Her brother Junior’s texts to former chief of staff Mark Meadows outlining plans to overturn the election gained a lot of attention as well, for obvious reasons. Meanwhile, Trump the elder gave an interview to the Washington Post saying he wanted to march on the Capitol on January 6 but his Secret Service stopped him and he regrets listening to them. In court news, we saw the first January 6 acquittal this week, and we also saw a Proud Boy leader flip and agree to testify against his cohort in exchange for a plea deal. So that’s a bit of a mixed bag.

It was a quieter week on the Biden Rebuilding front, but the few stories we have are pretty exciting. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Resilience. The biggest Biden news this week is that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was indeed confirmed to the Supreme Court this week by 53-47 vote, with the same three Republicans voting for her in the final floor vote. (That would be Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitt Romney, for those of you playing the home game.) The other major news stories are that the Affordable Care Act is expanding by executive order and student loans are again paused through August. Progress!

Your New Normal:

Miscellaneous State Law Misery. The main pain points in domestic news this week concern reproductive state law, although the return of “groomer” homophobic rhetoric gets runner-up rude gestures from yours truly. In Oklahoma, a bill passed in both houses that makes nearly all abortion illegal–the sole exception involves medical emergencies that require abortion to save the childbearing parent’s life. This is particularly concerning because Oklahoma is where many Texans go to seek medical care now that abortions cannot be accessed in the state. The other bad news also involves Texas, where a woman named Lizette Herrera was arrested for murder this week and held at a $500,000 bond for several days because a hospital reported that she had induced her miscarriage. These charges are absolutely not legal in Texas, which explicitly excludes pregnant people from murder charges for their own conduct. (The recent expansion of Texan law does not involve criminal charges of pregnant persons at all, to be clear; it applies civil liability to third parties.) This is a major escalation of hostility, and I seriously cannot overstate how concerning it is. This woman was jailed with made-up charges because she sought medical care, and that is a really big deal.

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. COVID news this week mostly feels paused, although we do have some concerning developments. There was an outbreak on Capitol Hill, with several officials testing positive–including current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. We almost had a COVID funding deal in Congress, but then the GOP blocked it because they’re big mad about Biden ending Title 42 and letting asylees in. There was also some attention on long COVID, though it’s unclear whether that will result in meaningful funding to study or treat it.

Land War Atrocities. The United Nations voted to remove Russia from its human rights council this week as more disturbing Bucha details came out. Ukrainian officials continued to investigate war crimes, so we may learn more on that front in the near future. On Friday, news also broke about a rocket attack on a train station in Kramatorsk which killed over fifty civilians trying to flee the region. (Even the Washington Post put out a content warning on that Bucha link, by the way, so I would be remiss if I did not do the same–the Kramatorsk story has several graphic photos as well.)

The Good:

Recent Union Resilience (cont). This week, I’m focusing on organizing efforts within Starbucks coffee shops, which have seen a lot of positive action this week. Here in MA, two stores voted to unionize only today, and workers in Birmingham announced intent to organize yesterday as well. These efforts come against a significant backdrop of retaliatory firings from the company, with the most recent instance occurring in Raleigh on Saturday. It’s clear that this movement is not going anywhere, and has the potential to improve working conditions for a lot of people across the country.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve this cat dino cosplay as well as a more consistently improved 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 more ice cream because I already ate last week’s!

Year 6, Week 11 (March 27–April 2)

April 5, 2022 Kara HurvitzLeave a comment

There’s a surprising surplus of domestic news this week, between executive actions and Congressional progress, but the biggest story is the news out of Ukraine. I’ll do my best to do it justice below, but please be aware that the stories out of Bucha and accompanying photographs are nauseating–I need to give this particular roundup a content warning for literal war crimes.

Standard standing reminders still apply: I am no journalist, though I play one in your inbox or browser, so I’m mostly summarizing the news within my area of expertise. NNR summaries often contain some detailed analysis that’s outside my expertise–I’m a lawyer, not a union!–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:

It’s a quieter week on the Election Rejection front, with only a few odds and ends–though they are indeed pretty odd. Here’s what I have for you:

Insurrection Updates. The Justice Department is expanding the scope of its January 6 investigation, likely at least in part due to the Ginni Thomas news from last week. There were also a few stories, unsurprisingly, fleshing out details regarding the 7-hour gap in Trump’s official call logs from that date. And speaking of Trump, he was in the news for publicly asking Putin to release information about Hunter Biden, which is just gross and probably illegal on a whole lot of levels.

As I mentioned above, there’s a lot to report on the Biden Rebuilding front, and I’m honestly pretty excited about most of it. Here’s what has happened:

Recent Biden Resilience. This week, the Biden administration finally moved to end a “public health” immigration policy from the Trump era that caused mass expulsion of asylum seekers–in part due to COVID changes, but likely also because of the growing number of displaced Ukranians at the Mexican border. They also expanded some legal protections for gender diverse people, notably regarding travel documentation practices and education-based civil rights. Finally, the administration signed the Emmett Till Bill into law this week as well, formally making lynching a federal hate crime.

Your New Normal:

Recent Congressional Progress. All things considered, this was a surprisingly productive week for Congress, even with the bizarre GOP cocaine orgy story taking up like two days of news cycle. In the House, a bill that caps insulin costs at either $35 or 25% of insurance pricing, whichever is lower, passed by 232-192 vote. Meanwhile, and speaking of passing, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination has passed out of committee at the time that I type this–there was 53-47 vote in the main Senate after the committee itself voted 11-11. (As foretold by social media, the three GOP members who voted for her were Collins, Murkowski, and Romney, who likely were reading the constituent room in doing so.) The Senate also finally has a COVID funding deal after weeks of negotiation, though this version omits global aid.

The Bad:

State of the COVID-19. The biggest COVID developments of the week got picked up in last Tuesday’s NNR, but BA.2 did indeed become the dominant strain in the U.S. over the past week. There were also a few stories about ongoing efforts to study long COVID, which hopefully will result in a more robust understanding at some point. There will also likely be more developments when the package in Congress passes, which hopefully will happen soon.

Land War Atrocities. Russian forces began withdrawing from Kviv and surrounding areas this weekend, which allowed Ukrainians to return to the area and begin documenting the many atrocities that occurred. Facts are still coming out as I type this, but it’s clear that at minimum, hundreds of civilians were killed. The U.S. has begun calling for a war crime investigation and Ukrainian officials are calling the Russian acts genocide. The EU is currently considering an embargo on Russian oil, and the U.S. will likely act as well.

The Good:

Recent Union Resilience. Workers in a Staten Island Amazon warehouse made both news and history this week for being the first Amazon warehouse to unionize. Despite news that Amazon will be blocking organizing language on their new chat app, this union victory has many implications for future organizing within the company.

So that’s what I have for this week, and I’m sorry, there are no news refunds. For making it through, you deserve the two doggo genders as well as a more consistently improved 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 more ice cream because we’ll probably need it!