"The summer solstice is happening in the Northern Hemisphere Tuesday, marking the longest day of the year and the first day of the new season… The event officially begins at 5:13 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast, according to the National Weather Service."
"A great majority of Americans have been affected by extreme weather in recent years, and many suffer long-term financial problems as a result, according to a new nationwide survey conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health… More than three-quarters of adults in the United States say they have experienced extreme weather in the last five years, including hurricanes, wildfires, floods and heat waves, the survey found. And most people who suffer major weather damage or financial problems do not receive money from the federal government." Remember when conservatives were making the argument that preparing for climate change would cost too much?
"Cambodian villagers on the Mekong River have caught what researchers say is the world's biggest freshwater fish ever recorded, a stingray that weighed in at 661 pounds (about 300 kilograms), and took around a dozen men to haul to shore."
"About 100 million people in the U.S. — 41% of adults — have some form of health care debt, according to a KFF poll conducted for a new KHN-NPR investigation. The problem is driving millions of people into bankruptcy, depleting savings and retirement accounts, and leaving black marks on credit scores that make finding housing or employment difficult, the investigation found… But federal protections remain weak. And the widespread burden has spurred efforts by at least a dozen state legislatures in recent years to better protect patients. California, Maine, and Maryland have enacted measures that compel hospitals to expand financial aid, crack down on debt collectors, and curb extreme practices such as placing liens on patients' homes."
"Many states are making it difficult for people to have virtual visits with doctors in other states, partly reversing the explosion in telehealth that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic and calling into question the durability of one of the major technological shifts from the past two years… The rollback in telehealth access has been happening gradually and quietly over the past few months as pandemic-era emergency health orders have lapsed in one state after another, reimposing some of the old rules about when doctors can practice in multiple states." And it's mostly because of the abortion debate.
"Simply put, as ballooning costs hit the wallets of American families, the global ocean shipping industry is enjoying its most profitable period in recent history. In the first quarter of 2022, the biggest carriers’ operating margins hit 57%, according to one industry research firm, after hovering in the single digits before the pandemic… The hauler that wanted $12,000 per container to move the bananas told the One Banana logistics specialist that it needed the money to cover a slew of fees the ocean carriers were tacking onto freight bills. Hapag-Lloyd, the German shipping giant that owned the containers the bananas were sitting in, had become particularly notorious in the freight industry, leading to multiple complaints to the Federal Maritime Commission."
So how's that "lets all take off our masks on airplanes" thing working out? "Flight cancelations across the country spiked for a fourth straight day Sunday, causing more headaches for travelers."
"President Joe Biden said Monday he hopes to decide soon whether to support a temporary pause in the federal gasoline tax and is nearing a decision on student loan relief as he looks to ease the burden of high prices on Americans."
"A new feature in the upcoming versions of iOS and macOS, Apple’s operating systems for iPhones and computers, promises to give the boot to 'captchas' once and for all. Called 'automatic verification', the technology will allow sites to verify you are not a robot without you having to do anything at all."
"Passengers in England, Scotland and Wales face severe disruption after last-ditch talks failed to stop the biggest rail strikes in 30 years… Thousands of staff at Network Rail and 13 rail operators are due to walk out on Tuesday, affecting most major lines."
"Hong Kong's iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant has capsized in the South China Sea less than a week after it was towed away from the city, its parent company said Monday… The restaurant encountered 'adverse conditions' on Saturday as it was passing the Xisha Islands, also known as the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and water entered the vessel and it began to tip, according to Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises Ltd." Oopsie.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman wouldn’t guarantee that two U.S. military veterans captured in Ukraine won’t face the death penalty in an exclusive interview Monday." Well it's good to know that the US isn't the only ones who are bad at this Cold War revival.
And about that "soldiers of fortune" charge… "During the interrogation of a Russian pilot captured by Ukrainian forces on 18 June, the pilot revealed that he was a mercenary working for the Wagner private military company and that he was being paid a wage of 200,000 roubles [approximately $3,500 - ed.] a month."
"Israel's most diverse government in history, formed for the first time with an Arab political party, is disbanding over a disagreement about the future of Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank… Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says he will step down after lawmakers hold a vote to dissolve parliament next week, and centrist Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will take over as prime minister. Elections are likely to take place in October." Here we go again.
"Multiple police officers armed with rifles and at least one ballistic shield stood and waited in a school hallway for nearly an hour while a gunman carried out a massacre of 19 elementary students and two teachers, according to a Monday news report that marks the latest embarrassing revelation about the failure of law enforcement to thwart the attack."
"Talkshow host Stephen Colbert on Monday called the recent arrests of seven staffers near the US Capitol 'unpleasant' but said both his employees and the police officers who detained them 'were just doing their job'." Who compared the Colbert staffers to the insurrectionist? You get one guess, and it was Bullshit Mountain.
"In its clearest statement to date, the court said that if a state uses taxpayer money to pay for students attending nonreligious private schools, it must also use taxpayer funds to pay for attendance at religious schools. For all practical purposes, the decision thus invalidates provisions in 37 state constitutions that ban the direct or indirect use of taxpayer money in religious schools." Waiting for the first Satanistic Magnet School to open.
"President Biden is the "acting" president because he didn't win legally; Texans should vote on seceding; the Voting Rights Act of 1965 should be repealed; any gun control is a rights violation: this is the world as seen by the Republican Party of Texas, according to its newly adopted party platform… 'We can't compromise with Democrats who have a different and incompatible vision for our future,' Matt Rinaldi, the state GOP chairman, said, according to The Texas Newsroom. 'We need to be a bold and unapologetic conservative party, ready to go on offense and win the fight for our country.'" So much for finding "middle ground."
"It’s difficult to reconcile (Gini) Thomas then and now, four people who worked with her at the height of her anti-cult activism through the late 1980s said in interviews. After she spent years trying to expose cults, these people found Thomas’ efforts to promote outlandish plans to overturn the 2020 results, particularly the text messages and emails in which she referenced false election conspiracies that originated in QAnon circles on the internet, surprising. Democrats and Republicans alike have said QAnon supporters exhibit cult-like behavior." When you want to believe, it's easy.
"In this week's January 6th committee hearings, a documentary selling election conspiracies was laughed off by the likes of Bill Barr. But myths about a stolen election are no joke. On this week’s On the Media, hear about a pundit's efforts to revitalize and repackage The Big Lie. Plus, one man’s escape from the conspiracy theory machine."
"The House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack is expected to show at its fourth hearing on Tuesday that Donald Trump and top advisers coordinated the scheme to send fake slates of electors as part of an effort to return him to the White House."
"A new campaign ad from Eric Greitens, the controversial former governor of Missouri now running for U.S. Senate, prompted accusations of glorifying political violence before being flagged by Twitter and removed by Facebook for violating policies around violence and abuse… 'Today, we're going RINO hunting,' Greitens, a Republican, said with a smile as he slid the action on his shotgun in the 38-second ad. RINO stands for 'Republican in name only.'" Dear GOP, this is your mess to clean up. Get to fucking work on it. Because the response is not something you should want. You need to bury this asshole, clearly state this is not the person you want in your party, and that the behavior is unacceptable. No funds. No endorsement. Not even a wink.
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