#YesWeHank

Tuesday, February 22, 2022
BY SARAH LAZARUS & CROOKED MEDIA


** -Senate candidate Josh Mandel ([link removed]) , on Israel (est. 1948)
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Russia has begun a military invasion of eastern Ukraine, eliciting harsh sanctions and forceful condemnations from Western leaders and an admiring chef’s kiss from the exact oaf you immediately thought of.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “peacekeeping” troops ([link removed]) (heavy on the “”) into two separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine on Monday, shortly after recognizing their independence in an alarming speech that questioned Ukraine’s right to self-determination. On Tuesday, Putin sought and received formal permission ([link removed]) from Russian lawmakers to use military force outside the country, raising fears that the troop deployment in the Donbas region may be just the beginning of a much larger attack.

* The White House began describing the Russian troop movements as an invasion on Tuesday, after initially hesitating to use that word, and President Biden said that “Russia has now undeniably moved against Ukraine” in a “flagrant violation of international law.” Biden announced a “first tranche” of sanctions ([link removed]) on two Russian banks and on Russian sovereign debt, effectively cutting off the Russian government from Western finance, and warned that there would be more sanctions to come if Putin continues his aggression.

* Members of the E.U. also voted unanimously ([link removed]) to impose a first round of sanctions against Russian officials, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government had halted the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline ([link removed]) , which would facilitate the flow of more Russian natural gas into Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will consider severing diplomatic ties ([link removed]) with Russia.

While Ukraine and Western leaders held out hope that severe sanctions might deter a broader invasion, it was not what you would call a ton of hope.

* Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday canceled a meeting ([link removed]) with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that was scheduled for later in the week, saying that Moscow had demonstrated it wasn’t serious about diplomacy. The Pentagon has deployed a few thousand more U.S. troops to Eastern Europe to defend nearby NATO states, and Ukraine has called up some military reservists ([link removed]) to improve the army’s readiness.

* The guy who got impeached for holding up military assistance to Ukraine, meanwhile, has a whole different take. Disgraced former president Donald Trump called Putin’s invasion of Ukraine “genius” during a right-wing radio appearance on Tuesday, gushing at length ([link removed]) about his “savvy” tactics: “I said, ‘How smart is that?’ He's going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That's the strongest peace force…We could use that on our southern border.” Republicans in Congress, without a shred of irony, have blamed Biden ([link removed]) for inviting the invasion by not being tough enough ([link removed]) on Russia.



Putin hasn’t yet launched the full-scale attack that Biden and NATO have been warning about, but experts agree that he seems to be laying the groundwork for the worst-case scenario, a war that could cost tens of thousands of lives. That shouldn’t be difficult for every U.S. leader—current, former, and (ugh) prospective—to unequivocally condemn.
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Tell the Biden Administration to Cancel Student Debt

The cost of higher education has grown exponentially in our country, placing it out of reach for most students and families unless they agree to take on huge amounts of debt. Over 44 million Americans carry more than $1.7 trillion of student debt. This crushing burden is preventing millions from buying homes, starting businesses, saving for retirement, or even starting families: And that reality falls heaviest on communities of color – particularly Black people and especially Black women – as a direct result of systemic racism.

That's why we’re urging the Biden Administration to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower – and we need as many people with us as possible. Add your name to our petition to join us in action today. ([link removed])

Centuries of structural inequities and racism have created large barriers in access to education for Black communities. For instance, Black families have far less generational wealth to draw on to pay for college than white families – and as a result, are more likely to take on student loans and struggle with repayment, which is exacerbated by job discrimination and pay disparities. Two decades after taking out student loans, the median Black borrower still owes 95 percent of debt, whereas the median white borrower has paid off 94 percent of debt.

But canceling student debt can help close the racial wealth gap by over 20 percent – securing financial stability and economic mobility for Black, Latinx, and other people of color who are disproportionately burdened by loans, while addressing the debt crisis for millions.

It’s a common-sense solution and there is no reason to wait: Sign our petition telling the Biden administration to cancel $50,000 of student loan debt per eligible borrower now. ([link removed])

Thanks for taking action,
The ACLU Team

Weeks after Senate Majority Mitch McConnell said Republicans would conceal their policy agenda ahead of the midterms, lest voters find out that the GOP platform is evangelical fascism, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), chair of the NRSC, has stepped up to do the honors ([link removed]) . The 11-point plan that Scott released on Tuesday is a culture-war haunted house, with pledges ranging from finishing the border wall and naming it after Donald Trump to a general, combined attack on trans people and bodily autonomy: “Men are men, women are women, and unborn babies are babies. We believe in science.” Scott’s agenda also proposes tax hikes on millions of working-class Americans—most particularly senior citizens—and extreme cuts to the federal workforce, meaninglessly promises to ban critical race theory and free the country from socialism, and includes a straight-faced pledge to “protect the integrity of American Democracy [sic] and stop left-wing
efforts to rig elections.” It’d be a real shame if every voter saw the GOP’s own plans for creating a dictatorship while doing nothing to improve Americans’ lives.
* A federal jury found the three men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery guilty of hate crimes ([link removed]) , after a judge rejected a proposed plea deal for Greg and Travis McMichael.

* Queen Elizabeth II tested positive for COVID over the weekend ([link removed]) , as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans to end all COVID restrictions in the U.K.

* A shooting at a Portland, OR, protest against police killings on Saturday night ([link removed]) left one woman dead and five other people injured. Police said on Tuesday ([link removed]) that the suspect was hospitalized in serious condition.

* The Biden administration has halted new oil and gas leases ([link removed]) , after GOP-led states found a Trump-appointed judge to block the government from calculating the cost of climate change in those approval decisions.

* The Supreme Court officially rejected Donald Trump’s request ([link removed]) to block the release of White House records to the January 6 committee, a month after rejecting his emergency request to shield the documents while his appeal was pending.

* Ottawa police ended the Freedom Convoy blockade over the weekend ([link removed]) , in spite of protesters’ infallible Canadian gambit, Piling Up A Bunch Of Snow ([link removed]) .

* Former GOP congressional candidate H. Russell Taub sought help from Russian intelligence ([link removed]) during his failed 2016 bid to unseat Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), according to the Federal Election Commission.

* Forensic linguists have identified South African tech journalist Paul Furber as the first author of QAnon posts ([link removed]) , before Ron Watkins took over the Q role in 2018.

* A Democratic House candidate in Oklahoma has apologized for getting wasted at a sleepover for 12- and 13-year-old girls ([link removed]) , berating several of the children, and throwing up in a hamper.

* Hank the Tank, an enormous bear, has eluded authorities for seven months ([link removed]) as he raids Lake Tahoe homes for snacks, but has never once insulted a middle-schooler while barfing up wine. #HankForCongress #YesWeHank

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case about whether at least some businesses can discriminate against same-sex couples ([link removed]) , in very bad news for the future of civil-rights law. The case, 303 Creative v. Elenis, concerns a Colorado web designer who does not currently make wedding websites, but who wants to exclude same-sex couples whenever she gets around to it, and so has sued Colorado proactively. The Court punted on the core question of Religious Beliefs v. Non-discrimination Laws in 2018, but the new far-right supermajority is likely to now give people in creative professions a sweeping right to discriminate against LGBTQ people. If the Court goes scorched-earth, it could use this case to dismantle non-discrimination protections entirely ([link removed]) , allowing businesses to
discriminate against anyone at all if they argue that their work involves expression.
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If you have investments, odds are high that your money has been winding up in places you would never put it on purpose. Places like Mitch McConnell’s campaign coffers. Here’s the problem: A lot of Americans own S&P 500 index funds—these are funds made up of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies available, and they collectively contain over $1.5 trillion dollars ([link removed]) of Americans’ retirement money.

Unfortunately, when you buy an S&P 500 index fund, you’re buying stock in the following companies:
* First Energy, which just paid a $230M penalty related to a bribery scandal involving Ohio Republicans.

* Wynn Resorts, one of the top contributors to Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, and the GOP.
* AT&T, which is already back supporting the election objectors in Congress, as well as the GOP sponsors of Texas’s abortion ban and voter-suppression law. It’s also a top donor to Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham.
* Halliburton, one of the nation’s biggest defense contractors, which has funneled millions to the GOP.
* Lockheed Martin, which is one the largest weapons manufacturers in the world and one of Lindsey Graham’s top contributors.

The list goes on. But before you stuff all of your savings in your mattress and call it a day, you should know about DEMZ.

DEMZ ([link removed]) is the first investment product that allows you to get similar performance and exposure you would expect from the S&P 500, without all the Mitch McConnell. It only includes companies who have made over 75% of their political contributions to Democratic causes and candidates. DEMZ has outperformed the S&P 500 since its launch in November of 2020.

You can finally put your money where your vote is, even on Wall Street. Look for the DEMZ ticker wherever you invest, or
visit DEMZ.fund to learn more ([link removed]) .

Colombia ([link removed]) has become the latest Latin American country to decriminalize abortion.

The U.S. women’s soccer team ([link removed]) has won its fight for equal pay after a six-year legal battle.

California lawmakers ([link removed]) have introduced a bill aimed at closing racial and gender wage gaps by requiring employers to publicly report how much they pay their workers.

Three (or even two) COVID-vax doses ([link removed]) appear to protect people from serious illness for many months or potentially years, according to several new studies.
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