BREAKING: 1 dead, 3 injured in El Paso mall shooting
Daily Dose of Democracy:
George Santos barricaded in district office, refuses to meet with constituents
Decorated Space Force veteran and man who discovered the Titanic George Santos has not been having a good congressional recess. He chose to call the cops on his own constituents as they tried to present him with a petition to resign. Santos referred to the group of angry PTA moms who gathered outside his district office as a "mob." “He’s trying to paint us as some wild-eyed protesters. You could not find a less threatening group of people if you tried,” said protester Emily Raphael.
Take Action: Tell the College Board to fight DeSantis' ban on Black History!
VIDEO OF THE DAY: Gloves off: Fed-up Biden finally calls out Marjorie Taylor Greene by name
President Biden continued to hammer Republicans on their efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare — and singled out his haters for public skewering.
Take Action: Denounce Exxon for hiding the evidence of climate change from the public!
Pete Buttigieg takes down Marjorie Taylor Greene
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Brilliant.
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders hammer Kroger over wage theft allegations
Kroger employees have recently filed a spate of lawsuits alleging that the company’s new payroll system has left their paychecks short, and one union said it had received hundreds of employee complaints regarding incomplete pay or unauthorized deductions. Enter Sens. Warren and Sanders, who issued a scathing letter demanding action from the grocery giant to fully compensate its workers and prevent any future wage theft.
Take Action: Demand an end to noncompete clauses that steal wages from workers!
Lawsuit alleges Alabama police locked a mentally ill man in a freezer until he died
In yet another horrifying allegation of dehumanizing violence perpetrated by police, a lawsuit claims that Anthony “Tony” Mitchell, who the cops say fired a shot at them during a "wellness check," was put in a PRISON FREEZER for several hours and eventually froze to death. The lawsuit also alleges that the Walker County Sheriff's office kept Mitchell in a cell with no bed or other furnishing, with only a drain in the floor for a toilet. “This is one of the most appalling cases of jail abuse the country has seen,” reads the first line of the lawsuit.
Take Action: Tell Congress to ban assault weapons!
Charlottesville tiki torcher kills himself before fentanyl trial
Teddy Joseph von Nukem, the white supremacist immortalized in the horrifying pictures of the tiki torch march in Charlottesville the day before Heather Heyer was murdered in 2017, has killed himself right before he was set to go on trial for attempting to smuggle 15 kilos of fentanyl into the United States.
Rail workers say they knew the train that derailed in East Palestine, dubbed "32 Nasty," was dangerous
The more information that comes out about the disastrous, highly toxic train derailment in Ohio, the more it becomes clear that corporate malfeasance and greed are the culprits. Workers had a nickname for the train that derailed — the "32 Nasty" — because of management decisions that made it particularly difficult to run. The workers also said that "multiple red flags, including two mechanical problems, about 32N went undetected or were ignored in the hours leading up to the crash." There need to be SERIOUS consequences for Norfolk Southern and other railroad companies that deliberately neglect worker and public safety in favor of higher profit margins.
Court orders lesbian mother to hand custody of son to sperm donor
In a shocking decision that could have huge ramifications for the future of same-sex marriage, an Oklahoma judge has ruled that a lesbian mother must relinquish custody of her son — to the sperm donor — following the mother's divorce from her partner, who gave birth to the child. District Judge Lynne McGuire ruled on Monday that Kris Williams was unable to prove a mother-child relationship because she didn’t give birth to the child and she didn’t adopt the boy.
DOJ officially decides not to charge Matt Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe
Regretfully, the case against Gaetz has fallen apart as one witness — who was underage at the time — no longer wishes to testify against the congressman and the other witness, convicted sex-trafficker and one-time wingman Joel Greenberg, has a history of concocting false accusations and has been deemed not credible. The DOJ can't prove that Gaetz's infamous Venmo payments to Greenberg were for underage sex, so once again, a rich and powerful white man walks free after heinous allegations of sexual misconduct.
MISSOURI REPUBLICAN ABUSE & CORRUPTION FOR WHICH THEY SHOULD BE PROSECUTED!
Judge vacates conviction of man imprisoned nearly 3 decades
The tragic tale of Lamar Johnson provides a grim insight into how police and prosecutors work with each other to put Black men behind bars, no matter if they've committed a crime or not. The state accused Johnson of a 1994 murder he clearly did not commit, sold by a prosecutor armed with written police reports containing invented statements from unreliable witnesses. One witness received thousands of dollars in secret payments after detectives coerced him into testifying again Johnson. Yet another man actually copped to the murder in a sworn affidavit. Even with all the evidence of innocence presented, the state's Republican district attorney steadfastly fought to keep Johnson behind bars, an appalling miscarriage of justice that should result in the firing and prosecution of all responsible parties.
Biden admin withdraws human rights nomination over his concern for Palestinian human rights
James Cavallaro was nominated last Friday to sit on the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a watchdog group within the Organization for American States which he previously served on. Cavallaro was then informed by the White House on Tuesday that his nomination had been rescinded due to his (correct) characterization of Israel/Palestine as an apartheid regime. It's a deeply disturbing sign that, when it comes to Israel, criticism of the appalling treatment of Palestinians carries heavy political consequences in the US government and represents a threat to free speech.
Monstrous missives from MAGA 'Merica
And in the rest of the world...
Hope...
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Today’s Action: Pass the George Floyd Policing Act
George Floyd was taken from us on May 25, 2020. His death — at the hands of officers sworn to protect and serve people like him — triggered nationwide, collective outrage and amplified calls to transform America’s historically racist and brutal policing system. The man who knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, former officer Derek Chauvin, was found guilty of murder and manslaughter — verdicts he predictably appealed just a few weeks ago. Since Floyd’s death, Americans — all too often our Black and Brown brothers and sisters — have been subjected to more unconscionable brutality and misconduct by police and further inaction by local, state, and federal officials. Where is the justice?
Last month in Memphis, 29-year-old Tyre Nichols died, three days after being brutally beaten by five police officers — members of a now-defunct, militarized anti-crime unit call SCORPION. Seriously? SCORPION?
Nichols’ mother attended last week’s State of the Union as a mourning guest of the First Lady, and President Biden made sure America heard her plea — that something good must come from Tyre’s death. We cannot wait for another Black or Brown person to be killed by poorly trained, racially charged, overly aggressive police. As Biden said last week — we need our elected officials to finish the job. And let’s be clear, this a huge job that’s barely just begun.
For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For Tyre Nichols. For so many others lost to us forever. Call (202.224.3121) or email your members of Congress and demand they pass the George Floyd Policing Act.
Numerous bills — many named after victims of police violence — have been introduced in Congress since Floyd’s death nearly three years ago, only to be killed by obstinate Republicans disinterested in changing the status quo. Time and time again we have seen that America’s policing problem will not go away on its own. Why have so many of our elected officials refused to heed calls for meaningful reform? Newly empowered Republicans would rather waste time passing performative bills “denouncing the horrors of socialism” than confront the glaring injustices occurring daily throughout the country. Enough is enough.
Congress must step up and help our hurting communities. They can start by passing the George Floyd Policing Act. If they don’t, well, we’ll make sure to remember when election time comes.
Tyre Nichols’ mother said something good must come from his death, his murder — in truth, that something should have come decades ago. Tyre’s blood — and the blood of so many others — is on Congress’ hands.
Email or call (202.224.3121) your members of Congress and ask them if they care about Black lives. Then, ask them to prove it by passing the George Floyd Policing Act.
PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to investigate the killing of trans teen Brianna Ghey as a hate crime, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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