Tennessee Republicans are gave us a live anti-CRT lesson last week when they expelled 2 Black lawmakers for protesting gun laws following the recent mass shooting in Nashville.
What the Health
The latest COVID numbers: 104M total cases & 1M total deaths (+138K & +2K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
When it comes to cholesterol and the Black community, we should aim to reduce our risk of heart attacks by lowering bad cholesterol levels rather than raising good cholesterol levels.
Word on the street is cancer and heart disease vaccines will be available by the end of this decade. How we feeling about this?
A recent poll found that 69% of respondents believe their daily lives are mostly back to what they were prior to March 2020. Would you agree?
A Quick Rundown on the Tennessee Two
Last week’s gun control protests in Tennessee led to the expulsion of 2 Black Democratic state legislators–Justin Jones and Justin Pearson–who joined youth demonstrators and called out Republicans for their stance on guns. While 3 lawmakers were involved in the protests (sparking the term “Tennessee Three”), the privilege of being a white woman saved the 3rd lawmaker when the GOP held proceedings to expel the trio for their participation in the disruption.
140K Tennesseans (mostly Black) are currently without representation in the state House, so what now? The respective counties that contain Nashville and Memphis must appoint interim representatives until special elections are held. While no decisions have been made yet, both Justins could find their way back to their old positions in the meantime. They may also be eligible to run in the special elections. That said, there is some hope that this pair can continue their work.
BTW, we had to chuckle about so many prominent Democrats (including Obama) supporting these two while also asserting that peaceful protest is what made the US what it is today. The truth is, America was built on squashing dissent (which is exactly what’s happening here), but that’s another conversation for another day.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Is this a conflict of interest? The judge presiding over Donnie’s tax fraud case in New York donated $15 to Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign.
In a recent attempt to explain that disastrous-ass withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration placed most of the blame on 45. We can all agree Biden should take some of that heat too, right?
The Department of Homeland Security aims to pick up the pace on asylum interviews and expand access to legal resources for those arriving at the southern border.
Congress, What’s Good?
We shoulda known a GOP-controlled House was going to come for Biden after Democrats did the same for Tr*mp. Taking a “Don't talk about it, be about it approach,” they issued subpoenas on the low for the Biden family’s financial records. Their ultimate aim is to connect Joe Biden to some shady business dealings and build a case for his impeachment.
Wait, what? The House’s most progressive Democrats teamed up with the most conservative Republicans in an effort to reverse war authorizations that gave the presidents too much control.
It’s confirmed: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas can be bought. Congressional Democrats have asked Chief Justice Roberts to look into the luxury trips Thomas took that were paid by a billionaire Republican donor. (Clarence, if you like to get flewed out, just say that. We do too.)
Continuously poking the bear to the east, Kevin McCarthy met with the President of Taiwan last week. China responded by doing more military drills.
Reminder: No committee meetings this week. Those will be back on the Hill next Monday, April 17.
Social Justice Round Up
We got a lot going on here:
A white boy popped up at NC A&T with weapons and over 1000 rounds of ammunition last week. While he was caught and arrested, he was released as his bond was only set at $100K.
Chicago’s got a new mayor named Brandon Johnson. The progressive former teacher won despite having a moderate opponent who ran a “tough on crime” campaign.
Some Florida shit: concealed carry without a permit will begin on July 1 and a 6-week abortion ban is likely on the way.
Even more Florida shit: TikTok is banned on campus wifi networks state-wide.
Jackson, Mississippi residents had to deal with the water crisis and now it’s their garbage. A dispute between the city’s mayor and city council over a garbage vendor could have residents waiting as many as 50 days without trash pickup.
Around the Diaspora
A makeup artist in Uganda is building out a network of fellow artists for future opportunities on locally-made and Hollywood films alike.
Namibia has appointed the first 3 female justices to its supreme court.
Nigeria is losing its doctors to the US, UK, and Canada. The country’s House of Representatives is working on a bill to restrict migration for new medical and dental professionals until after 5 years.
Getting to the Money
Something that might make shopping for a loan better, but also might negatively impact your savings accounts: The Federal Reserve may be ending its current cycle of interest rate hikes. We can thank the dollar’s poor performance for that.
Sony Music is building out a new People Experience team that they hope will cultivate strategies and practices to enhance the employee experience. Check out the available roles in NYC and Miami by selecting “People Experience” in the department drop down menu.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the US introducing a digital currency. Here’s where we currently stand with that. (HINT: there are no plans in the works to roll this out, and def not without Congress’ consent.)
Buying Black
Only 1% of brewery owners nationwide are Black. If you’re a beer drinker, here are 7 Black-owned beer brands to try out, especially as our days get warmer and longer.
Culture that Pops
Trina broke the internet over the weekend with her NPR Tiny Desk performance. Catch a glimpse of the Baddest B**** in her element.
Contrary to what social media might portray, Black women love them some Black men. Essence hit the streets to ask the ladies to give the brothas their flowers. Check it out if you want some heartwarming content to start off your week.
Easter has passed, but we all know Easter fashion is a huge part of Black culture. If you (or your momma/aunties/grannies) wanna get a head start on next year’s hat, check these out.
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