Glass half full (of invisible plastic particles)!

Thursday, March 24, 2022
BY SARAH LAZARUS & CROOKED MEDIA


** -Tulsi Gabbard ([link removed]) on her low Instagram views, days after Russia blocked the app
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President Biden has unveiled new assistance for Ukrainian refugees and a raft of new sanctions on Russia, following a day of emergency meetings with European allies in Brussels on Thursday.

* Biden announced that the U.S. will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees ([link removed]) , though the details and timetable of that policy are still under construction. The U.S. will also commit an additional $1 billion in assistance to European countries and NGOs caring for displaced Ukrainians. More than 3.5 million people have now fled Ukraine, and more than half of the country’s children have been forced to leave their homes ([link removed]) over the past month.

* Biden also said on Thursday that Russia should be kicked out of the G20 group of nations ([link removed]) over the invasion of Ukraine, but that if member nations didn’t support expelling Russia—China is likely to veto—Ukraine should be invited to attend the next summit. Biden joined European leaders in announcing new sanctions that will target more than 400 Russian individuals and entities ([link removed]) , including lawmakers and defense companies.

* A main objective of Thursday’s summits was to ensure that Western leaders were united around keeping sanctions in place until Russian President Vladimir Putin changed course, Biden told reporters ([link removed]) . “We will sustain what we're doing, not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year. That's what will stop him.” To that end, Biden and European leaders are expected to announce a plan to ship liquefied natural gas to Europe ([link removed]) in order to help Europe reduce its dependence on Russian energy.

Western leaders also discussed what they’d do in the event that a stalemate prompts Putin to use a weapon of mass destruction.

* Biden on Thursday warned that NATO would respond “in kind” ([link removed]) if Russia deployed chemical weapons against Ukraine, without specifying what that might look like: “The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use.” NATO has also activated a special defense task force ([link removed]) that will provide Ukraine with training and equipment to deal with the fallout of a possible chemical, biological, or nuclear attack.

* Meanwhile, Ukraine is no longer just defending against Russian advances, but launching a counteroffensive. The Ukrainian navy on Thursday claimed to have destroyed a large Russian landing ship ([link removed]) in the Sea of Azov, and Western officials said that Ukrainian forces seemed to be gaining ground around Kyiv. In an English address on Wednesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for worldwide demonstrations ([link removed]) against the war. Zelensky requested more security assistance from NATO ([link removed]) at Thursday’s summit, but notably didn’t reiterate his call for a no-fly zone. (Not to worry, the Philadelphia City Council is on it
([link removed]) , for some reason.)


As Putin’s war drags into its second month, maintaining economic pressure against him will require total unity and coordination among Western powers. It’s another good moment to note, with enormous relief, that this is possible because Americans elected a president who’s not only willing to participate in an allied effort, but able to facilitate it.
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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

Ginni Thomas, the far-right wife of (hospitalized?) Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, repeatedly hounded then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to help overturn the 2020 election ([link removed]) , in text messages that Meadows turned over to the January 6 committee before deciding to stonewall the investigation. “The Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History,” Thomas texted Meadows on November 10, after news outlets had projected Joe Biden the winner. On November 24, Meadows described the effort to steal the election as “a fight of good versus evil” in a text to Thomas. The committee received 29 total messages between the two, but members said they believe that may not represent the full exchange. (In the gentle tone appropriate to a sick man’s bedside): Clarence Thomas, resign bitch! ([link removed]) Meanwhile, the panel said it will vote to hold
former Trump aides Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino in contempt of Congress ([link removed]) when it meets on Monday, potentially adding to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s criminal-contempt referral backlog ([link removed]) .
* Manhattan prosecutor Mark Pomerantz said in his resignation letter that Donald Trump was “guilty of numerous felony violations,” ([link removed]) and that District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision not to pursue charges was “a grave failure of justice” and “contrary to the public interest.”

* Thankfully, Trump is using his freedom to [DEL: better himself and pursue new interests :DEL] sue Hillary Clinton ([link removed]) , the DNC, and everyone else he’s ever falsely accused of conspiratorially tying his 2016 campaign to Russia.

* Ten airline CEOS have asked Biden to lift the federal mask mandate on public transportation ([link removed]) , as well as international pre-departure testing requirements. Meanwhile, the CDC said this week that the more contagious BA.2 variant now makes up more than 34 percent of U.S. COVID cases ([link removed]) , and is already the dominant variant in the northeast.

* New York Mayor Eric Adams has lifted vaccine requirements for professional athletes and performers ([link removed]) , managing to undermine vaccination efforts and bestow special treatment on millionaires in one fell swoop.

* The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Ketanji Brown’s nomination to the Supreme Court on April 4 ([link removed]) , setting her up for confirmation by the full Senate by April 8.

* Justice Stephen Breyer told TMZ that he thinks Justice Clarence Thomas is “fine,” ([link removed]) which is somehow the closest thing we have to an update about a Supreme Court justice who may or may not still be hospitalized with a mysterious infection.

* The Biden administration has finalized a plan to overhaul the asylum system ([link removed]) by having asylum officers hear some claims instead of immigration courts. The aim is to substantially speed up the process, but immigration advocates have warned that it may leave asylum seekers without enough time to secure representation and prepare their cases.

* A Texas superintendent in January told librarians to pull books with LGBTQ themes off the shelves ([link removed]) in recorded comments, which sure seems like a big honking violation of civil rights.

* In other honking violations, Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) told the Austin Independent School District in a letter that its Pride Week was a violation of Texas state law ([link removed]) . District spokesman Jason Stanford politely told Paxton to go pound sand: “We’re going to react to this by doubling down on making sure our kids feel safe and celebrating Pride.”

* Roger Stone made a visit to NYPD headquarters to support a cop on departmental trial ([link removed]) for acting as Stone’s armed bodyguard while off-duty, along with members of the Oath Keepers.

* A new study found microplastics in human blood samples for the first time ([link removed]) . The health implications are still unclear, so far all we know, plastic blood is a huge asset! Glass half full (of invisible plastic particles)!

Among the takeaways from Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings—Jackson is an unimpeachable nominee; Democrats largely weren’t prepared to defend her against a GOP smear campaign; Josh Hawley should be locked in a van full of bees—is an ominous one. Senate Republicans used the hearings to signal that once the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade ([link removed]) , same-sex marriage will be their next target. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and John Kennedy (R-LA) railed against the Obergefell v. Hodges decision on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Cornyn drew a straight line from the current GOP crusade to the next: “The Constitution doesn’t mention the word abortion,” he said, “just like it doesn’t mention the word marriage.” Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) revealed where else that effort could lead when he “““mistakenly””” ([link removed]
ould-not-have-struck-down-state-laws-banning-interracial-marriage-then-backtracks-unconvincingly.html) told reporters that the Supreme Court should roll back the right to interracial marriage. All of those ambitions remain toxically unpopular ([link removed]) , if any Democrats feel like winning a culture war!
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Relationships take work. A lot of us will drop anything to go help someone we care about. We’ll go out of our way to treat other people well, but how often do we give ourselves the same treatment?

This month, BetterHelp ([link removed]) online therapy wants to remind you to take care of your most important relationship– the one you have with yourself. Whether it’s hitting the gym, making time for your haircut, or even trying therapy, you are your greatest asset, so invest the time and effort into yourself like you do for other people.

BetterHelp is customized online therapy that offers video, phone and even live chat sessions with your therapist, so you don’t have to see anyone on camera if you don’t want to. It’s much more affordable than in-person therapy and you can start communicating with your therapist in under 48 hours.

Give it a try and see why over 2 million people have used BetterHelp online therapy. This newsletter is sponsored by BetterHelp, and What A Day readers get 10% off their first month BetterHelp.com/crooked ([link removed]) .

New unemployment claims have fallen to their lowest level since 1969 ([link removed]) .

Boston ([link removed]) announced that it will launch a new office dedicated to protecting and empowering the city’s LGBTQ+ community.

Connecticut ([link removed]) has become the latest state to push for adding Asian American history to the public school curriculum.

A brain implant ([link removed]) allowed a fully paralyzed man to request a beer and to listen to the band Tool (“loud”).
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