We held off on sending an email on Monday in honor of the King, but belated Happy Martin Luther King Day! Wishing you MLK-in-Jamaica vibes all 2023.
What the Health
The latest COVID numbers: 101M total cases & 1M total deaths (+426K & +4K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
Variant XBB 1.5—also referred to as “Kraken”— is here. Here’s what you should know.
Black people are more likely to die from prostate, uterine & breast cancer. These findings come amid news that cancer deaths nationwide have dropped 33% since 1991.
200 rural hospitals are at immediate risk of closure.
Obamacare enrollment hit a record high this year. If you need health insurance and live in California, New York, Jersey, or DC enrollment is open until the end of the month.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Like his predecessor, Biden is having his own classified document crisis. After multiple classified docs were found in his Delaware home, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to investigate.
The Biden Administration has a new immigration plan that would allow a monthly total of 30K migrants to legally enter the country from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua & Venezuela. Under the plan, those wishing to enter must apply for the program before arriving, have a financial sponsor, and come through a legitimate port of entry.
VP Harris is gathering support for the government’s climate ambitions.
Last week, right wingers (and Joe Manchin lol) flew off the hinges about the POTUS potentially banning gas stoves. Here’s the truth.
Congress, What’s Good?
If you haven’t been paying attention over the last couple weeks, the transition of power to House Republicans has been a bit of a mess with Kevin McCarthy failing 14 votes before he became Speaker and the fallout from freshman Representative George Santos being exposed for fibbing his way to victory last fall.
Now McCarthy must figure out what to do with lying-ass Santos, honor the concessions he made to gain the votes of extreme right wingers (we’ll suffer for those), and learn to work with Mitch McConnell.
Oh, and we’re expected to hit the debt ceiling on Thursday, January 19. To get past it, the House GOP must iron out a deal with Senate Dems. Pray for us all, y’all. We gone need it even more now.
As for committee meetings, there are none. The circus is off all week thanks to MLK Day.
Social Justice Round Up
Considering yesterday was the 40th anniversary of MLK Day, here are 3 facts about Dr. King that cannot be whitewashed.
Arkansas’ new governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (y’all remember her) banned CRT and the term “Latinx” on her first day in office. Sure she had better things to do on day #1. Right??
By January 3, LAPD officers had killed 3 men they’d either encountered or taken into custody. Keenan Anderson, a Black teacher whose death has received the most attention, has been painted as dying from a cocaine overdose. A separate autopsy will determine if that’s indeed the case or if LAPD is just trying to spray perfume on bullshit.
Around the Diaspora
25M Nigerians will be at risk of food insecurity at some point this year. This unfortunate news came as it was also announced that the 3 wealthiest Nigerians were richer than 83M of their fellow citizens. We know this inequity isn’t unique to Nigeria, but this does drive home the point that the gaps between the haves and have nots is way too big.
Jamaica’s PM says it’s time to become a republic. If successful, the process would remove King Charles as its head of state.
Right wing supporters of Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsnaro attacked government buildings in the country’s capital on January 8. While the move drew comparisons to the US’ January 6 coup attempt, there are important differences that distinguish Brazil’s incident.
Getting to the Money
Stanford is offering free online courses to help you boost your knowledge or skill set on nearly 100 topics.
Looking to get TF out of your current job? Strengthen your resume with these free templates from Harvard.
Buying Black
We’re in the thick of winter, y’all, so we’re more likely to experience dull and ashy skin. 54 Thrones aims to promote the clean beauty rituals of the African continent with exfoliants, body butters & oils, ensuring that our skin is always at its brightest and richest. If you’re only tryna step outside with glowing & moisturized skin (just how the elders taught us), give their products a shot.
Culture that Pops
Meek Mill & Kevin Hart team up to donate $7M to create scholarship programs in Philadelphia schools.
A historic Black church that’s been serving the Chicago community since 1928 inches closer to landmark status.
Black women came through with the inspirational acceptance speeches at this year’s Critics Choice Awards.
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