"After a century of wielding extraordinary economic and political power, America’s petroleum giants face a reckoning for driving the greatest existential threat of our lifetimes… An unprecedented wave of lawsuits, filed by cities and states across the US, aim to hold the oil and gas industry to account for the environmental devastation caused by fossil fuels – and covering up what they knew along the way." This mirrors the fall of Big Tobacco, except that in the end, we all get cancer. And I'll note, there is still a large and diverse industry based around nicotine addiction.
"As Western states weather a record-shattering heat wave, President Joe Biden will convene a meeting Wednesday of governors, private sector partners and Cabinet officials to prepare for the upcoming wildfire season." Prepare? Why that's madness after four-years of reactionary actions.
"A Rhode Island resident has been diagnosed with a rare tick-borne disease that can cause muscular weakness or even paralysis, state public health officials said Tuesday… The case of Powassan virus disease was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Department of Health said in an emailed statement."
"For the first time, Wisconsin health officials are releasing new data on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine… State officials reported that 95% of recent COVID-19 deaths involved people who were not fully-vaccinated… Health officials said they predicted the numbers from the start."
"SpaceX was seconds away from launching its 20th mission of this year Tuesday when the countdown was halted due to an aircraft entering the launch range, delaying the mission by at least a day… Elon Musk took to Twitter to voice his frustration about the delay, reiterating prior criticisms he has made about regulations around the business of launching rockets." Just like with his forcing employees to work at Tesla, Elon doesn't think regulations should really limit his choices, just everyone else's.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that an incident involving a British destroyer in the Black Sea couldn’t have triggered a global conflict even if Russia had sunk the warship because the West knows it can’t win such a war." That's a pretty dangerous mindset for as supposed world-leader. Say, how's that ruble doing, my Russian friends?
"San Francisco’s homelessness department is pushing to continue an expensive tent encampment program that it says is crucial for keeping people off the sidewalks, despite its high price tag of more than $60,000 per tent, per year."
"Maricopa County should 'never have approved' the election machines that were subpoenaed in the audit of the county's 2020 election if such an audit review found the machines couldn’t be reused, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann said Tuesday." Notice how she ignores "chain of custody" issues.
"Supporters of former President Donald Trump — fueled by Trump’s false claim that he did not lose the 2020 election — are behind a new push to review the results in states including Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The new drive is worrying state election administrators, who say the efforts will further inflame conspiracy theories and erode faith in the American democratic system."
"Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is hosting former President Donald Trump on Wednesday at the Texas-Mexico border, where Abbott is using an unprecedented May 31 border 'disaster' declaration to spend state funds on a border wall he has pledged to build. Abbott amended his order on Monday, giving the 34 border counties a chance to opt out of his emergency declaration and other counties a chance to join — 11 counties dropped out, and five new counties joined, some of them 300 miles or more away from the border." There is so much wrong in this story it's impossible to pick just one thing.
Meanwhile, on Bullshit Mountain… "Wednesday’s encounter with Trump along the border, which will likely grab plenty of coverage from coast to coast, comes after Abbott in recent weeks has also signed bills restricting the teaching of critical race theory in his state and allowing Texas to carry weapons without a license… It also comes two weeks before the state legislature – under orders from the governor – will return for a special session to pass legislation tightening voting access rules, another GOP priority." Notice that having plenty of coverage coast to coast is an important part of this story. Also note the other two important themes in the story, "Abbott was arguably outshined earlier this year by fellow conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida as the leader of the Republican resistance in the GOP-controlled states against President Biden and his Democratic administration… But in the past few weeks Abbott has become a major thorn in the side of the new president — all while he gears up for a 2022 bid for a third term steering Texas, with a potential 2024 GOP presidential run looming in the distance." Along with challenges from Abbott's right in the coming election. It's all performative.
"ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing… Taken together, it demolishes the cornerstone myth of the American tax system: that everyone pays their fair share and the richest Americans pay the most. The IRS records show that the wealthiest can — perfectly legally — pay income taxes that are only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions, if not billions, their fortunes grow each year."
"Ronald Fischetti, a lawyer representing former President Trump in his stand-off with New York prosecutors, expects the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to bring criminal charges against Mr. Trump's company, the Trump Organization, in the coming days, but told CBS News he does not foresee charges against the former president himself."
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