"Residents in the town of Millinocket, Maine, say they are outraged and disappointed after a local insurance agency displayed a racist sign remarking on the Juneteenth holiday. Progressive and Allstate are terminating their relationships with the agency, according to representatives of the insurance companies."
"A sunspot nearly triple the size of Earth is within firing range of our planet, and may send out medium-class flares in the near future." Duck.
"Five planets are moving into a rare alignment, which will be visible from Earth this week. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are lining up — in that order — for the first time since December 2004. On Friday, June 24, the phenomenon will be the most visible to stargazers."
"At a time when public school libraries have increasingly become targets in the culture wars, some red states are going further, proposing legislation aimed at libraries serving the community as a whole. A few of the bills would open librarians up to legal liability over decisions they make… While some of these bills have quietly died in committee, others have been signed into law, and librarians worry that the increasingly partisan climate is making them vulnerable to political pressure."
"Organised rescue efforts are struggling to reach the site of an earthquake in Afghanistan that has killed more than 1,000 people, as survivors dig through the rubble by hand to find those still missing."
"The new (South Carolina) law lets health care providers refuse nonemergency care that conflicts with their religious, moral or ethical beliefs. Supporters say it protects doctors, nurses and medical students from being forced to violate their conscience. However, critics call the law a license to discriminate, especially against LGBTQ people."
"The owner of seven Louisiana nursing homes whose residents suffered in squalid conditions after being evacuated to a warehouse as Hurricane Ida approached last year was arrested on Wednesday, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced."
"The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered Juul to stop selling e-cigarettes on the U.S. market, a profoundly damaging blow to a once-popular company whose brand was blamed for the teenage vaping crisis." Finally. Now open the gates for the wailing of the mourners. Because quiting nicotine is hard, especially when you've fooled yourself into believing your not addicted. And unleash the lawyers.
"In Rochester, N.Y., Diane Coleman has relied on a machine to help her stay alive, but she worries that it might be slowly undermining her health… Her ventilator was among millions of breathing devices that Philips Respironics recalled last summer over safety concerns about numerous models of its ventilators, BiPAP and CPAP machines." Note, I use one of the machine recalled. After filing my claim last Summer, and updating to expedite my claim in April, I still have not heard a peep directly from Philips. Seriously, Philips, your reputation is already being shredded by your response to COVID and the quality of your medical devices already used in hospitals. I don't know just what the fuck is going on inside, but you don't have much time to try and reverse course.
"After two years of pandemic restrictions, travel demand has roared back, but airlines and airports that slashed jobs during the depths of the COVID-19 crisis are struggling to keep up. With the busy summer tourism season underway in Europe, passengers are encountering chaotic scenes at airports, including lengthy delays, canceled flights and headaches over lost luggage."
"Amazon is devising a way for users to speak to their family members through its Alexa voice assistant, even after they’ve died… At Amazon’s Re:Mars conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for the Alexa team, detailed a feature that allows the voice assistant to replicate a specific human voice." No. Look, not to get all Monkey's Paw here, this is just a bad idea. And while this may be marketed as a "hear your deceased loved one", my guess is many people will use the voice of celebrities (and it depends on if this is just a "read in the voice of" or a "switch all interaction to…" function). Although I'm guessing Yoda's tortured grammar will cost extra.
"The retail industry is up against a potential wave of bankruptcies following a monthslong slowdown in restructuring activity… There could be an increase in distressed retailers beginning later this year, experts say, as ballooning prices dent demand for certain goods, stores contend with bloated inventory levels and a potential recession looms."
"The big picture: The Biden administration has asked the oil industry to boost production and refinery output in the near term, while the White House remains committed to shifting away from fossil fuels over the long term to reduce the severity of climate change." The oil industry won't do anything, because 1) they're raking in record profits on all aspects of the business, 2) while they already have plenty of leases to begin drilling in earnest, they've tied their stock price to having even more leases (which they won't drill on) and the administration isn't going to give it to them, and 3) they think politically this is the right choice.
"Mortgage rates continue to climb as the Federal Reserve seeks to tame unwieldy inflation… The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.81% in the week ending June 23, edging up from 5.78% the week before, according to Freddie Mac."
"Mortgage applications to purchase a home rose 8% last week compared with the previous week, bolstered in part by demand for adjustable-rate mortgages, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. Applications were, however, 10% lower than they were in the same week one year ago." Wrong way to move.
"Ohio State University has won its fight to trademark the word 'The.'… The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the university's request Tuesday. The school says it allows Ohio State to control use of 'The' on branded products associated with and sold through athletics and collegiate channels, such as T-shirts, baseball caps and hats." Rolls eyes.
"Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder launched a 'shadow investigation' to ultimately detract from another internal investigation into the team's reported toxic workplace, according to findings by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform… In a memo shared by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the committee said that Synder built a "dossier" meant to discredit those who had come forward with allegations of harassment in the Commanders organization."
"Jurors at a civil trial found Tuesday that Bill Cosby sexually abused a 16-year-old girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975… The Los Angeles County jury delivered the verdict in favor of Judy Huth, who is now 64, and awarded her $500,000. She said the fact that jurors believed her story meant more than the sum of money or the fact that she didn't win punitive damages."
"Ukrainian forces claimed late Tuesday that airstrike attacks on Snake Island in the Black Sea resulted in 'significant losses' to Russian forces… The Ukrainian military’s southern operational command said in a post on Facebook it had dealt “significant losses” to Russian forces 'with the use of various forces,' the Washington Post reported. The New York Times reported the military said it destroyed a Russian air defense system as well as vehicles on the island."
"Ukraine said on Thursday it had received U.S. supplies of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a powerful long-range weapon system that Kyiv hopes can help turn the tide on Russia's invasion."
"European leaders are poised to grant Ukraine candidate status, in a historic decision that opens the door to EU membership for the war-torn country and deals a blow to Vladimir Putin… EU leaders meeting in Brussels are expected to approve Ukraine’s candidate status later on Thursday, nearly four months after the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, launched his country’s bid to join the bloc in the early days of the Russian invasion."
"'We will step up macroeconomic policy adjustment, and adopt more forceful measures to deliver the economic and social development goals for the whole year and minimize the impact of COVID-19,' Xi said Wednesday, according to an English-language state media readout." The beatings will continue…
"Turkey and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday declared their determination to start a 'new era of cooperation' during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as they set aside years of acrimony following the brutal slaying of a Saudi columnist." You mean getting away with murder wasn't enough?
"A bipartisan group of four lawmakers on Tuesday announced a bill that would extend the school meal waivers that have been a lifeline for schools and families during the pandemic." Oh great, we can actually agree in a bipartisan manner that children should have food.
"Republicans accuse the Biden administration of organizing secret flights, carrying migrants from the border to communities across the country, that critics have branded 'ghost flights.'… 'It's not secret, and it's not new,' said Jennifer Nagda, policy director with the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights, a non-profit that works closely with unaccompanied children."
"Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief, was placed on administrative leave Wednesday, the school's superintendent said. The action is effective immediately."
"The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Constitution provides a right to carry a gun outside the home, issuing a major decision on the meaning of the Second Amendment… The 6-3 ruling was the court’s second important decision on the right to “keep and bear arms.” In a landmark 2008 decision, the court had said for the first time that the amendment safeguards a person’s right to possess firearms, although the decision was limited to keeping guns at home for self-defense."
"Senate negotiators have reached a final agreement on a narrow bipartisan gun safety bill that could become the first gun control measure to pass Congress in decades… The legislation resulted from negotiations among 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats, and it is expected to have more than enough votes to overcome the 60-vote threshold to clear a filibuster in the Senate, which is divided 50-50 between the parties. House leaders are expected to quickly begin consideration of the bill and President Biden has encouraged Congress to pass the bill without delay." Still no universal background checks for all purchases.
"House Republican leaders formally opposed the bipartisan gun legislation Wednesday and pushed lawmakers to vote against the measure." Because of course they will. It's like a Kabuki opera.
"Katie Britt has secured the GOP nomination for an Alabama U.S. Senate seat, ousting U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in a runoff, according to a race call by The Associated Press… Former President Donald Trump endorsed Britt in the runoff. That came after he rescinded his endorsement of Brooks in March. Brooks at the time had been struggling in polls and Trump said it was because the congressman made comments about moving past the 2020 election."
"The life of Wandrea 'Shaye' Moss, a former Georgia election worker who was the target of a conspiracy theory spread by former President Donald Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, changed after the 2020 election, with violent threats toward her and her family, forcing Moss to hide her identity and leave her job."
"A new Quinnipiac University Poll found that nearly 6 in 10 Americans are following news about the work of the committee at least somewhat closely, although only about one-quarter say they are following it very closely. So far, the poll found, the hearings do not seem to be changing minds about whether Trump committed a crime, with 46% of adults saying he did and 47% saying he did not."
"Former President Donald Trump's team not only pressured GOP state officials to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost, but they knew there was no authority to do so, a key Republican witness said in testimony Tuesday… 'We've got lots of theories, but we just don't have the evidence,' Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, according to Bowers, who testified to that Tuesday under oath before the Jan. 6 committee."
"The fifth hearing of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol will focus on former President Donald Trump's pressure on the Department of Justice to help him overturn the 2020 election… Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the committee, will lead Thursday's hearing, set for 3 p.m. It is expected to last roughly two hours like previous hearings."
"FBI agents on Wednesday seized the cellphone of Nevada’s top Republican official as part of an investigation into a fake elector scheme after the 2020 election, according to reports. Agents are said to have taken the phone of state Republican Chairman Michael McDonald in connection with an alleged plot to give Nevada’s six Electoral College votes to Donald Trump for the 2020 presidential election, despite Joe Biden winning the state by more than 2 percent of the votes cast."
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