Wonders never cease! Economist Larry Summers says we need to raise taxes on the rich and on corporations “right now” to tamp down inflation, all but calling Joe Manchin’s incessant “concerns” about doing anything that benefits good Americans while inflation’s this high “basically ludicrous.” Of course, he also says we should just raise taxes on the rich and on corporations and then not spend that money on any new programs, and he doesn’t like student loan debt forgiveness either, but hey, baby steps. After all, the man thinks he created the economic boom of the ‘90s, so it may take him a little while longer to come back down to Earth.
Nine folks file class-action lawsuit against the Prince George County, MD prison system, alleging that they were detained for weeks or months even after judges ordered their release. The plaintiffs allege specific injuries – lost employment, being unable to care for family, and, of course, getting COVID – from their unlawful detention. But we do this to far too many good Americans, and we waste taxpayer money to do that, too, all so politicians can pretend to be “tough on crime.” I wish the plaintiffs the best in their efforts to get justice, and not just for themselves.
Dr. Jacob Lentz at Emergency Medicine News says “It’s Time to Ask (depression and anxiety) Patients to Quit Social Media.” You know one of the reasons for that already: social media algorithms prize “engagement” above all else even though we all know assholes get the most engagement. But Dr. Lentz also points out that folks suffering from depression and anxiety can’t watch all their friends put on a show about how great their lives are, no matter how troubled their lives actually are. You’ve heard that you watch everyone else’s performances but only you've witnessed your own failed rehearsals? Now imagine how already depressed folks even get to that understanding with social media addling them.
With a victory in a Cleveland, OH store late last week, Starbucks workers have now won union elections in 200 stores, which, as More Perfect Union noted, is 200 more than workers had eight months ago. Now they have to win actual contracts, a matter upon which Starbucks management has already dragged their feet, but the law doesn’t let them drag their feet forever. I wish them the best in their efforts to secure a better future for themselves. After all, we really missed them in 2020, didn’t we?
Jury finds Steve Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress, meaning he will serve up to two years in prison, and could it have happened to a nicer guy? Well, I guess now he can have his hands on his weapons full-time! Even in a country-club prison, I suspect he’ll need to.
Finally, thanks in part to your activism, Verizon will drop the notorious One America News (or OAN) network from its FIOS offerings as of July 31. Folks can still stream OAN from several platforms (including Pluto TV, which, quite frankly, has more right-wing news options than a civilized nation should tolerate), but even with evil social media algorithms killing jobs and fomenting rage, it’s a lot easier to find bad TV on your TV than to find it on the internet. Now all we have to worry about is Newsmax, Fox News, Sinclair, The Blaze, The First, and America’s Voice, which last network is almost as overconfidently-titled as One America News.
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