All the better for up-and-coming butter sculptors.

Friday, September 10, 2021
BY SARAH LAZARUS & CROOKED MEDIA


** -Eleanor Holmes Norton ([link removed]) denying releasing six zebras into the DC suburbs
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President Biden’s sweeping new vaccine mandates are terrific news from a public health perspective, and you can tell because the folks committed to prolonging the pandemic have absolutely lost their shit.

* Several Republican governors have threatened to sue the Biden administration ([link removed]) over its latest effort to keep their constituents alive, on no particular legal basis—a century of Supreme Court precedent makes it clear ([link removed]) that OSHA can indeed require vaccinations to keep workers safe. GOP Chair [DEL: ‘Rona :DEL] Ronna McDaniel has also pledged to sue ([link removed]) “to protect Americans and their liberties,” and the Fox News personalities who are subject to their own workplace mandates are pretending to be shocked and horrified
([link removed]) to their vaccinated cores.

* It’s worth noting the levels of dishonesty here: The vast majority of workers affected by the new mandates will still have a choice, as far as the federal government is concerned. The Labor Department’s rule says that businesses with more than 100 employees must require that workers get vaccinated or get tested weekly. The rule will also require businesses to provide paid time off ([link removed]) for employees to get vaccinated, eliminating a key barrier to access. The Biden administration has made it easier to get the shot and more of a burden not to, and that’s about it.

* Asked about Republicans’ threats to challenge the mandates in court on Friday, Biden invited them to knock themselves out ([link removed]) : “Have at it.” Biden refused to play into the conservative effort to frame his COVID plan as a partisan declaration of civil war—an effort helped along by some all-time garbaggio headlines ([link removed]) —instead pointing out the deadliness of the larger polarizing narrative: “I am so disappointed that particularly some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids, so cavalier with the health of their communities. This isn’t a game.”

You might not need any more evidence that those GOP governors have blood on their hands, but we got you some anyhow.

* Unvaccinated people are 11 times more likely to die from coronavirus ([link removed]) than vaccinated people, according to a new study released by the CDC on Friday. And while Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) trollishly squawks ([link removed]) about “protecting Texans’ right to choose” days after his extreme abortion ban went into effect, health officials are sounding the alarm ([link removed]) about a rise in stillbirths among unvaccinated pregnant women. The numbers are low, but troubling: Mississippi’s health department has identified 72 stillbirths among infected women since the start of the pandemic, more than double what the state would normally expect in the same span of time. Eight pregnant women have died in Mississippi
([link removed]) in the last four weeks.

* The big thing to know about the right-wing leaders throwing tantrums about the Biden administration’s new approach is that theyrepresent an obnoxiously loud minority ([link removed]) . Over 73 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccine dose ([link removed]) . Half of working Americans said they favored workplace vaccine mandates in a recent AP-NORC poll ([link removed]) , and that number went up when respondents were asked about specific sectors like health-care workers, teachers, and employees who interact with the public. In August surveys of five swing states ([link removed]) , vaccine mandates were as popular as any idea in a swing state can get.



The Biden administration’s turn to vaccine mandates was a necessary, inevitable response to thousands of Americans dying unnecessarily every week, and the people now trying to frame it as a political decision are the same ones who created the conditions for those deaths in the first place. If Republicans want to hurt themselves politically by loudly opposing a popular, life-saving strategy, well, “have at it.”

Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Fruman has pleaded guilty to soliciting campaign contributions from a foreign national ([link removed]) , in a fun throwback to the colorful cast of 2019. A quick refresher: Fruman and another of Giuliani’s associates, Lev “Fraud Guarantee” Parnas, had helped Rudy out when he was looking for fake dirt on Hunter Biden to hurt Joe Biden in the 2020 election. The two of them were indicted in October 2019 and charged with funneling foreign money into U.S. elections; both pleaded not guilty. Fruman, who was charged with 10 crimes, has now changed his plea on a single count: He has admitted to (buckle up) soliciting donations from a Russian national to politicians in states that were legalizing marijuana, as part of an effort to get cannabis licenses in those states. The same prosecutors are investigating whether Giuliani conducted illegal lobbying for
Ukrainian officials, but Fruman’s plea deal doesn’t require him to cooperate with prosecutors in any ongoing investigation.
* Senate Democrats are reportedly nearing a compromise on a voting rights bill ([link removed]) that pleases His Majesty Joe Manchin (D-WV), who reportedly still believes ([link removed]) he can rustle up 10 Reasonable Republicans to help Democrats pass it.

* Today in Florida: Good News Edition: A federal judge ruled that Florida can’t enforce its new anti-protest law ([link removed]) , finding it unconstitutional.

* Today in Florida: Normal “What The Fuck” Edition: A Florida appellate court ruled that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) can enforce his ban on school mask mandates ([link removed]) while an appeal is pending, reversing a decision by Second Circuit Judge John Cooper.

* The U.S. military’s August 29 drone strike in Kabul appears to have targeted a car that contained no explosives ([link removed]) , driven by a worker for a U.S. aid group who had no connection to ISIS, according to a wrenching New York Times analysis.

* Two more 9/11 victims have been identified through DNA testing ([link removed]) , 20 years later. There’s no shortage of 20th anniversary reading out there, but if you missed this Atlantic story ([link removed]) last month, it’s worth your time.

* A federal judge has ordered Apple to change its App Store policy ([link removed]) that blocks developers from steering customers away to other payment options, but said that “the court cannot ultimately conclude that Apple is a monopolist under either federal or state antitrust laws.”

* Andrew Yang reportedly plans to launch a third party next month ([link removed]) , in conjunction with his book release. Everyone should go back to promoting books the old-fashioned way: Publicly hemming and hawing ([link removed]) about when to retire from the Supreme Court.

* The Rutherford County School Board in Tennessee has approved a mask mandate ([link removed]) , after adults at a Tuesday night school board meeting heckled a teenager whose grandmother had died from COVID.

* Minnesota’s premier butter sculptor has retired from sculpting butter ([link removed]) . All the better for up-and-coming butter sculptors.

AT&T is one of the top donors to the sponsors of Texas’s abortion ban and voter-suppression law, but it’s spending a whole bunch of money to make sure you don’t hear about that ([link removed]) . The company contributed $575,000 to the sponsors of Texas’s anti-voting law, even as it publicly embraces voting rights. Last week, Greenpeace purchased a digital billboard above Washington, DC’s flagship AT&T store reading, "DON'T LET AT&T WRECK OUR DEMOCRACY. TELL AT&T TO STOP FUNDING RACIST VOTER SUPPRESSION.” It was supposed to run for 10 days, but AT&T complained to the billboard operator and had it replaced with an ad of its own after just two days. Similarly, AT&T has responded to reports that it’s one of the top funders of Texas’s new abortion law by paying to promote tweets making it out to be A Corporate Champion of Women & Girlbosses Everywhere. Incredibly gross! Anyway, here are the other companies
([link removed]) that have made major contributions to sponsors of the Texas abortion ban while performing #feminism on social media.
[link removed]

Bev ([link removed]) is a female-first canned wine brand that was founded to change not only the way a product is consumed, but the way an industry and culture have operated for generations. In an industry that's almost exclusively masculine, Bev is breaking norms and creating wines that are approachable, fun, and consumer-centric.

They have four varietals - rosé, sauv blanc, pinot gris and pinot noir. Their wines are dry, crisp, and super refreshing, with ZERO sugar and just 100 calories per serving.

The cans may look cute and tiny. but each can is a glass and half of wine, perfect for when you don’t want to open a bottle of wine just for yourself. A 24 pack is equal to 8 bottles of wine, and their 4 packs are perfect for gifting, hosting and social distance hangs.

Bev ships straight to your door and shipping is always free! Receive 20% off your first purchase. PLUS FREE SHIPPING on all orders ([link removed]) .

Pfizer and BioNTech ([link removed]) are nearly ready to apply for clearance for the use of their vaccine in kids ages five and older.

The California Legislature ([link removed]) has approved a bill to return Bruce’s Beach to the Black family it belonged to a century ago, before the local government seized it.

Louisiana artists ([link removed]) have mobilized a grassroots relief response to help people affected by Hurricane Ida.

A new poll from UC Berkeley ([link removed]) suggests Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is likely to comfortably defeat the recall effort. That doesn’t mean we can get comfortable! Help get out the vote in the final weekend → votesaveamerica.com/california ([link removed]) .
[link removed]

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