The Skinny on COVID
The latest in numbers: 79M total cases & 966K total deaths (+240K & +9K from last week) in the US.
The headlines:
Is there a new variant combining Delta & Omicron? Yes, but there are so few cases that there isn’t any evidence of another spike. Not yet anyway.
Did y’all realize we entered the 3rd year of the pandemic last week? Here’s how experts say the next 365 days might go.
Former President Barack Obama tested positive for COVID.
Keeping Up with Biden & Harris
Russia is reportedly using its TikTok influencers to push its version of what’s happening in Ukraine. What did Biden do in response? He held his own press briefing for popular US-based TikTokers who speak on politics.
Joe & crew is working to bring Brittney Griner home. The WNBA star, who also plays for a Russian basketball team during the off season, was detained by Russian officials in February (before the invasion) for having vape cartridges in her luggage.
The Biden administration can no longer expel unaccompanied migrant children under Title 42.
Adult migrants or those traveling with families, however, are still eligible to be turned away.
Everybody knows that the cost of gas is too damn high. Here’s what 46 can do to help lower prices.
Congress, What’s Good?
The people on the Capital actually worked together to pass a $1.5T spending bill. Here’s what’s inside:
$25B for federal student aid, including $363M to HBCUs (BTW, no loans were canceled in the passing of this bill)
$14B for Ukraine
$3B for climate change
$3B for Israel to do to Palestine that we’re accusing Russia of doing in Ukraine
$1.5B to manage the southern border
$0 for pandemic relief
Meanwhile, we are still waiting for universal healthcare, student loan forgiveness, etc. America always has money. Just not for the things that most of us really need.
Coming up in committee meetings:
Removing barriers to legal migration
Examining prescription drug price inflation
Stock trading reforms for sitting members of Congress
Discussing the bomb threats that are increasingly made against Black colleges & churches
Social Justice Round Up
These conservatives are out to get everybody who isn’t straight AND white. A judge recently halted the Lone Star State’s ability to investigate the parents of transgender children.
Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law on its way to being passed. The bill bans the teachings of sexual orientation & gender identity for schoolchildren younger than the 4th grade and potentially for all others if deemed inappropriate. Bills like this are especially harmful to Black LGBTQ+ students, more than half of whom already feel unsafe for living at the intersection of being Black & queer.
Delaware is shrinking racial disparities in cancer deaths with the use of state-provided patient navigators who make sure patients have the necessary screenings, transportation to their appointments and their insurance affairs in order.
Lawmakers in Missouri want to pass a pair of abortion laws that would allow residents to sue others for leaving the state to have abortions and make it a felony to terminate a pregnancy after 10 weeks, even if it’s life threatening.
Here are other states that can potentially be battlegrounds for abortion rights ahead of the 2022 elections.
Around the Diaspora
“Bookstagrammers” across the Motherland are leveraging social media to highlight the Continent’s literature & authors.
When it comes to how countries across Africa feel about Russia, there’s no unified response.
Economists warn Barbados could soon face financial woes if the country continues to borrow money at its current rate.
The increasing costs of food in Trinidad is causing protests.
Getting to the Money
Hoping that your next role allows you to lend your creative talents to an innovative company? Check out Working Not Working’s job list for opportunities across advertisement, fashion, tech & more.
Buying Black
For moms, Junobie’s silicone breastmilk storage bags offer an alternative to the plastic & glass options. The bags are eco-friendly, reusable & can replace up to 1000 single-use plastic containers. Junobie also offers a 24-hour breast milk cooling cup. If you’re a new parent & want to try that new new, give Junobie a shot.
Culture that Pops
Despite the Justice Department closing the case in December 2021, Emmett Till’s relatives still got smoke for the woman whose lies led to his 1955 murder.
Check out Eventnoire, an app created to make it easier to find social events that are for Us & by Us.
The NAACP has found that the lack of Black executives in Hollywood leads to the production of shows that misinforms opinions about us and that are harmful to our community. Raise your hand if you’re surprised.
Are you ignoring your mental health for the sake of being on the grind at work? Don’t do that.
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