Wednesday, April 19, 2023
BY JULIA CLAIRE & CROOKED MEDIA

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy employing the very sophisticated rhetorical device of “I know you are, but what am I?”

Ron DeSantis continues his reign of terror in Florida while also expanding the reach of his shadow presidential campaign. 
 

 
  • Speaking of DeSantis and the mere presence of gay people, the Florida Board of Education has voted to expand restrictions on classroom discussion related to sexual orientation and gender identity, which detractors have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. As many analysts and activists predicted, the amendment expands the blanket prohibition on “instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity” from grades K-3, the original scope of the rule, all the way up to grade 12. You read that right: No discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation will be allowed as part of school instruction even for 17 and 18 year olds. Because literally everyone has a sexual orientation and a gender identity, this would necessarily omit most instruction involving, you know, people, but it’s clearly only intended to apply to those of “non-traditional” orientations and identities. The legislation makes no distinction between “instruction” and “discussion,” so students and faculty are presumably forbidden from even talking about these subjects interpersonally in school settings. 
     

  • The DeSantis administration has been at the forefront of the GOP’s culture wars, waging a much-touted war on “wokeness,” which it defines as the belief that “there are systemic injustices in American society and the need to address them,” according to an official statement from DeSantis’ general counsel. This “America: where everything is definitely fine!” point of view has been used as a guiding principle in revisions to the state’s history and civics curricula, as well as in numerous recent book bans.

So, how are DeSantis’s presidential prospects shaping up?
 

 
  • It also doesn’t appear to be particularly advantageous that DeSantis has dragged his heels for so long on officially announcing his candidacy. Longtime DeSantis ally Brian Mast recently announced that he planned to endorse Trump and would chair a veterans committee in support of his re-election bid, adding to the list of high-profile Florida lawmakers and officials Trump is adding to his trough of supporters. Trump already secured endorsements from seven members of Florida’s GOP congressional delegation, too, so it seems fair to say that he’s running up the scorecard on DeSantis’s home turf. Even the guy who introduced DeSantis at his 2022 election night victory party endorsed Trump over him. That’s gotta hurt.


Republican supermajorities in the Florida legislature have allowed DeSantis to emerge as a kind of highly-successful, ultraconservative, shamelessly authoritarian governor that has been extinct in America for some time. His legislative victories have inspired copycats all over the country, and he’s made no secret that he wants to make over the United States in Florida’s image. Even if he flames out in this presidential election, as it seems he will, this isn’t Florida’s Ron DeSantis problem, it’s America’s.

If you haven’t already, pre-order your copy of Crooked Media Reads’ first book Mobility by Lydia Kiesling so you can be the first to read when it’s released on August 1!

Moving between Houston, Athens, and Baku, Mobility explores themes of class, power, politics, and desire through the life of one unforgettable character, Bunny Glenn. Both an entertaining coming-of-age story and an indictment of capitalism, Mobility uses fiction’s power to illuminate the way a life is shaped by its context.

Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks called it “a masterpiece of misdirection and a cautionary tale for our times,” and they don’t give you Pulitzer Prizes for having bad taste!

Pre Order Mobility Now!

As we hurtle towards economic disaster because Congressional Republicans are too craven to lift the debt ceiling under a Democratic president, things are heating up between GOP leadership and the White House. Pencil-necked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had failed to unify his caucus around a budget proposal, but has now unveiled a plan to lift the debt limit by $1.5 trillion only on the condition of major spending cuts. It’s not even clear if McCarthy has 218 Republican votes for this package, which has zero chance of passing the Senate. Another job well done, Kevin. His doomed plan suggests repealing parts of the Inflation Reduction Act related to green energy incentives, boosting domestic oil and gas production, and completely eliminating Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative. It would also cancel the IRS’s recent budget increase, which allowed the agency to provide vital taxpayer support to millions more Americans than in previous years, and would give Congress even greater authority to block regulations made by the Biden administration as well. In short, it’s a lot of the same old GOP bullshit. Republicans have no problem running up the deficit through tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy, and they’re always happy to wave through debt ceiling increases when a Republican heads the Executive Branch, so their calls for “fiscal responsibility” are even more transparent than usual. As expected, President Biden rejected this plan and criticized Republican lawmakers for their “wacko” notions, so you know he’s mad.

The Supreme Court extended its stay on two lower-court rulings banning abortifacient drug mifepristone until this Friday, April 21, making the drug accessible and legal for a few additional days until the final ruling is handed down. 

 

In the third such incident to attract national attention this week , two teenage cheerleaders in Texas were shot after getting into the wrong car by mistake in a supermarket parking lot. Authorities arrested the man suspected of the shooting and took him into custody on Tuesday morning. 

 

The United States announced it will be sending an additional $325 million in military aid to Ukraine, as the war-torn country continues its spring counteroffensive against the Russian invasion. 

 

Fallout from the leaked Pentagon documents continues: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau privately told NATO officials that Canada will never meet the alliance’s defense spending target, according to documents from the leak. 

 

The family of Tyre Nichols filed a lawsuit against the city of Memphis, its police department, the police chief, and five officers who brutally beat Nichols during a traffic stop in January. Nichols, 29, died from his injuries three days later. 

 

Twitter quietly removed its policy against deadnaming and intentionally misgendering transgender people as the platform under CEO Elon Musk continues doubling down on allowing harassment of marginalized groups and individuals. 

 

Twitter also permanently suspended reporter Dell Cameron from the site after Cameron published a story on Wednesday based on an interview with the hacker who took over far-right blogger Matt Walsh’s account on Tuesday evening. The company cited its policy prohibiting the spread of material obtained through hacking, also the justification for its suppression of the Hunter Biden story, which CEO Elon Musk characterized, in his goofy “Twitter Files” exposés fed to Matt Taibbi and Bari Weiss, as a major breach of the principle of free speech.



McCurtain County, OK Commissioner Mark Jennings has resigned after an audio recording captured him talking about killing reporters and lynching Black people.

The United Kingdom currently finds itself as the only major, advanced economy to have double-digit inflation, according to new reports. Analysts say that Britain has suffered higher inflation for longer periods of time than nations of similar size due to its economic reliance on natural gas for heating and electricity and the structure of state subsidies. As a consequence of those factors, Britons have seen the highest increase in energy prices in Western Europe. The country’s continued cost-of-living crisis continues to be felt far and wide, as already-insufficient wages have led to major strikes across the country, including unions of teachers, rail workers, healthcare workers, and others. Trade and job market problems caused by Brexit combined with a reduction in the labor force from Covid (i.e. a lot of people died!) have proven devastating for the U.K. economy, to say nothing of the impact the war in Ukraine has had on energy prices. Last week, the International Monetary Fund forecasted an annual average inflation of 6.8 percent in 2023, which would be the highest rate of any of its European peers. 

Today's newsletter is brought to you by CARIUMA

Spring has officially sprung, and we're trading out the boots and cold weather kicks for something a little lighter and brighter. Crafted with organic cotton canvas and spring shades like rose, off white, and green, our best seller OCA Low is sure to become your staple shoe of the season, and lucky for you, they just cleared a 77k person waitlist. With 10+ colorways, bold prints, and collaborations with brands like Avatar, Pantone, and The Peanuts, there’s a pair for every personality.
 

Celebrate Earth Month in style this season with the IBI, one of the lowest carbon footprint sneakers ever made. This feather light design is made with a bamboo knit for ultimate comfort and fit so good, you’ll barely know they’re there. Made with all vegan and sustainably sourced materials, these sneakers come in a variety of shades sure to become your new staple shoe of the season.

 

CARIUMA is a B-Corp certified sustainable sneaker company. They are known for their reforestation efforts in the Brazilian Rainforest. Their co-founders, David and Fernando, both grew up in Brazil, so this project is especially close to home. For every pair of sneakers sold, CARIUMA plants two trees, and they’ve already planted over two million to date!

 

CARIUMA ships all their sneakers free & fast in the USA and offers worldwide shipping & 60 day FREE returns. They deliver right to your front door, using single-box, recycled packaging.


AND - for a limited time, WAD readers can get an exclusive 15% off your pair of Cariuma sneakers with code WAD.

President Biden will host the “Tennessee Three” at the White House

 

A toddler became one of the youngest-ever White House intruders after he squeezed through the metal fencing before being scooped up by the Secret Service. 


A proposed change to Montana’s Senate primary that would have hurt Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in his reelection bid is likely dead on arrival after a state legislative committee shelved it indefinitely on Wednesday.

. . . . . .


© Crooked Media 2023. All Rights Reserved. 
If you want to manage which emails you receive from Crooked Media, update your preferences here. If you prefer to opt out of all Crooked Media communications, you may unsubscribe.
Share this newsletter
7162 Beverly Blvd #212, Los Angeles, CA, 90036
Powered by Mailchimp
Twitter
Facebook
Link