Hello

[carmenjonze]

Senate passes same-sex marriage protections

The Senate passed legislation Tuesday to enshrine same-sex marriage protections in federal law, bringing the bill a critical step closer to President Joe Biden’s desk.

Senators spent months negotiating adding language to the bill related to religious liberty, a bid to attract the necessary 10 GOP votes to break a filibuster. The legislation still needs to clear the House, a likely easy lift since a previous version was approved by nearly 50 House Republicans and all Democrats.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/2 ... s-00071141

Good!

[Libertas]

Good!

Good good.

[ap215]

Finally.

Brittney Griner released by Russia in 1-for-1 prisoner swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout, U.S. official says

Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was held for months in Russian prisons on drug charges, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to a U.S. official. The one-for-one exchange agreement negotiated with Moscow in recent weeks was given final approval by President Biden within just the last week, according to sources familiar with the deal. The swap, first reported by CBS News, took place on Thursday in the United Arab Emirates.

Five former U.S. officials told CBS News the agreement had been reached as of last Thursday.

https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/br ... ktor-bout/

[ap215]

Senate confirms first Black woman to 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

WASHINGTON — U.S. Magistrate Judge Dana Douglas, of New Orleans, was confirmed Tuesday as the first Black female judge to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The U.S. Senate voted 65-31 to confirm Douglas, who is the niece of Warren Woodfork Sr., the first Black superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department.

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge ... b2f6e.html

[ap215]

Marking history, Pelosi’s Speaker portrait unveiled at the Capitol

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) official portrait was unveiled on Wednesday, marking an historic moment as Pelosi will become the first woman to have her portrait hung in the Speaker’s Lobby of the Capitol.

The portrait was shown for the first time during a ceremony in Statuary Hall attended by lawmakers of both parties and chambers, Pelosi’s family and former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The painting shows Pelosi holding the Speaker’s gavel in the House chamber the first time she was elected to the position.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3775 ... e-capitol/

[ap215]

More than 8 million workers will get a raise on New Year’s Day

On January 1, 23 states and Washington, D.C. will increase their minimum wages, raising pay for an estimated 8.4 million workers across the country.1 In total, workers’ wages will increase by more than $5 billion, with average annual raises for affected full-time workers ranging from $150 in Michigan to $937 in Delaware. In addition, 27 cities and counties will increase their minimum wages on January 1, adding to the number of workers likely to see increased earnings.

The state with the stingiest increase is Michigan with a 23-cent raise bringing the total to $10.10 an hour, while the biggest hike of $1.50 an hour is in Nebraska, raising the rate to $10.50 an hour.2 Washington, D.C. will not increase its regular minimum wage, but will increase its tipped minimum wage by 65 cents to $6.00 an hour as a result of a ballot measure to eliminate the tipped minimum wage by 2027. When the New Year’s celebrations die down, Washington will be the state with the highest minimum wage of $15.74 an hour.

https://www.epi.org/blog/more-than-8-mi ... 0-an-hour/

[Motor City]

Rev. William Barber to lead new center at Yale Divinity School

Rev. William Barber, former head of the N.C. NAACP, will lead a new center at the Yale Divinity School.

Barber announced the creation of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy in a Twitter post Monday, saying it will “prepare a new generation of moral leaders to be active participants in creating a just society.”

Barber plans to step down from his leadership of Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, which he has led for 30 years, and begin teaching classes at Yale’s campus in New Haven, Connecticut, beginning with the new semester in January.

“I’ve been a pastor & moral activist for 35 yrs,” Barber wrote in a thread of posts. “I want to share what I’ve learned & lead research on the deep connection between theology & just policies.”

“Our work will engage people in critical reflection on our society,” Barber wrote. “Not limited to a partisan analysis, but based on the possibility of a moral grounding of public policy in America. The future of our nation, the well-being of its people, is not about left vs. right or Democrat vs. Republican; it is about right vs. wrong. We need leaders who are rooted in our deepest moral values.”......

https://twitter.com/thereidout/status/1 ... 1033629697

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@RevDrBarber on becoming the director of the new Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School: "This center is meant to institutionalize my work from the field and prepare a new generation of leaders..." #TheReidOut

[ap215]

New York Passes Historic Right to Repair Bill

The world’s first comprehensive right to repair bill has finally been signed into law by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, over six months after it passed the legislature nearly unanimously. Huzzah!

This groundbreaking legislation will give consumers and independent shops equal access to the parts and information they need to fix electronic products. Manufacturers will no longer be able to limit part sales and documentation availability to their own repair services. Consumers will have more choice over how they repair their products.

https://www.ifixit.com/News/70515/new-y ... epair-bill

[Motor City]

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sworn in for second term in Lansing

[ap215]

FDNY Appoints First Black Chief of Emergency Services

The FDNY has appointed their first Black chief to lead New York City’s emergency medical services, reports The Daily News. On Friday, FDNY officials confirmed that Deputy Assistant Chief of EMS Operations Michael Fields is now set to replace retiring Chief Lillian Bonsignore, the first woman and openly gay EMS leader, on Jan. 1. I feel great about the opportunity to serve New York City in this way,” Fields said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/ec1566d8-b ... black.html

[ap215]

Harris swears in Murray as first woman Senate president pro tempore

Vice President Harris swore in Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) president pro tempore of the Senate on Tuesday, marking the first time in U.S. history that a woman will hold the position.

Harris, the first female vice president in U.S. history, is also presiding over the Senate on the first day of 118th Congress. The president pro tempore is the third in line for the presidency and presides over the Senate when the vice president is not in the chamber.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administra ... o-tempore/

[ap215]

First on CNN: US Navy veteran released from Russian custody

(CNN) - An American Navy veteran who has been detained in Russia for nearly a year was released from Russian custody on Thursday, his family’s spokesperson told CNN, after months of negotiations spearheaded by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Dudley’s detention – which the US government had not deemed as “wrongful,” or based on arbitrary and discriminatory motivations – had not been widely publicized before Thursday because his family wanted the negotiations for his release to remain private.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/12/politics ... sed-russia

[ap215]

US renames 5 places that used racist slur for a Native woman

The U.S. Department of the Interior announced Thursday that it has given new names to five places that previously included a racist term for a Native American woman.

The renamed sites are in California, North Dakota, Tennessee and Texas, completing a yearlong process to remove the historically offensive word “squaw” from geographic names across the country.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-wis ... 9082212fda

[ap215]

VA Announces Plan to Give Free Care to Any Vet in Suicide Crisis

MONDAY, Jan. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- While U.S. veterans are already eligible for emergency suicidal crisis care, starting Tuesday they can get it for free.

Care available at any VA facility or any private facility will include up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care, the Department of Veteran's Affairs announced Friday. It will also include up to 90 days of follow-up outpatient care and ambulance rides to hospitals. The veterans will not need to be enrolled in the VA system.

https://www.wfmz.com/lifestyles/health- ... da871.html

[ap215]

Naval Station Norfolk welcomes first Black female commanding officer

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The world’s largest naval base will soon have its first Black woman as commanding officer.

Capt. Janet Days, 54, will take command as Naval Station Norfolk’s 51st commanding officer in a change of command ceremony Friday.

https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/no ... g-officer/

[ap215]

NASA names first person of Hispanic heritage as chief astronaut

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Veteran astronaut Joe Acaba made history on Thursday when he was named chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Acaba is the first person of Hispanic heritage to be named chief astronaut, NASA said.

https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2023/0 ... 675369997/

[ap215]

Eagles assistant set to make Super Bowl history

No matter the outcome, Super Bowl LVII is making history. When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs clash on Feb. 12, Eagles assistant performance coach Autumn Lockwood will stand on the sidelines as the first Black woman to coach in the event’s history.

Lockwood joined the Eagles in August of 2022 after earning a master’s degree in sports management from East Tennessee State University, where she worked primarily with the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Before that, she was a soccer player at University of Arizona, where she honed her skills directing the strength and conditioning program along with warmups for the university’s cheerleading team.

https://www.aol.com/sports/super-bowl-2 ... 14337.html

[ap215]

Schumer welcomes third grandchild

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer is getting to be a grandfathering pro — the New York Democrat just welcomed his third grandchild.

The senator announced the birth of his newest grandson, Henry, on Monday.

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/3 ... randchild/

[ap215]

White Sox minor leaguer Anderson Comas comes out publicly as gay in Instagram post

Chicago White Sox minor league pitcher Anderson Comas came out publicly as gay on Sunday.

The 23-year-old, who started his career as an outfielder, spent last season as a pitcher with the ACL White Sox, the team’s rookie-level affiliate in Phoenix.

https://sports.yahoo.com/white-sox-mino ... 54986.html

[Motor City]

Three ebooks free for all to download:

Defend Black History: A Reading List

By Haymarket Books

The racist governor of Florida continues to escalate his attacks on the freedom to learn and teach history. We at Haymarket stand in solidarity with all those in Florida and across the country who are organizing to resist. We know that the books we publish are dangerous to those in power, especially when they are in the hands of those who are organizing to fight for liberation. That’s why we publish them. That's why they’re trying to ban them.

In light of this recent round of attacks on the freedom to read, we’ve made three ebooks free to download, and are raising funds to help us send hundreds of free books to young people in Florida.

In addition, we've put together this reading list of indispensable books on Black history and politics, all 40% Off as part of our Black history month sale.

[ZoWie]

Here's a cause we can all support. The capture of history by any small vocal cabal leads invariably to mass delusion and resulting violence. Fighting it is not as difficult as one would think. Mostly, it involves carefully and rigorously structuring a voice that can be heard through the noise put up by the other side. It requires no provocation or mass marches in the street, though some kind of school solidarity would be a good thing.

In this culture, the way it is currently structured, online solidarity with regularly occurring media events would be very helpful in evening out the visibility situation, which is currently biased heavily toward what is really the view of a tiny but highly vocal minority. For example, right now 90% of what we hear and read about the House of Representatives concerns the behavior of about ten members in a legislative body numbering over 400.

[Glennfs]

Here's a cause we can all support. The capture of history by any small vocal cabal leads invariably to mass delusion and resulting violence. Fighting it is not as difficult as one would think. Mostly, it involves carefully and rigorously structuring a voice that can be heard through the noise put up by the other side. It requires no provocation or mass marches in the street, though some kind of school solidarity would be a good thing.

In this culture, the way it is currently structured, online solidarity with regularly occurring media events would be very helpful in evening out the visibility situation, which is currently biased heavily toward what is really the view of a tiny but highly vocal minority. For example, right now 90% of what we hear and read about the House of Representatives concerns the behavior of about ten members in a legislative body numbering over 400.

Howard Stern used to claim some of those parent councils going after him through his advertisers was really 8 people with a fax machine.

[ZoWie]

Nowadays, it would be 20 people and a web site.

I'm more worried about major media organizations which maintain an audience by rallying it against some highly visible scapegoat such as a president or wealthy liberal. This is simply yellow journalism, using whatever mass medium is prominent at a given time. Their only real causes are themselves, their stockholders, and their advertisers, but they create scapegoats and sometimes even endanger people's lives. The political consequences are seldom beneficial.

[ap215]

Let's do this.

Ex-Obama campaigner voted head of Italy’s Democratic Party

MILAN (AP) — Elly Schlein, a 37-year-old U.S.-Italian national and longtime left-wing political operative who worked on two presidential campaigns for former U.S. President Barack Obama, defied polls to become the first woman to head Italy’s opposition Democratic Party.

Schlein’s surprise victory Sunday over the popular governor of Emilia-Romagna, a traditional left-wing stronghold, is attributed to support from women and youth in the rank-and-file, while the party apparatus largely supported Stefano Bonaccini.

https://apnews.com/article/politics-uni ... 7f242baf79

[ap215]

McClinton voted Pa. speaker; first Black woman to win post

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Philadelphia state Rep. Joanna McClinton on Tuesday became the first woman to serve as speaker of the Pennsylvania House, ascending to the chamber’s top position on the strength of a fresh one-vote Democratic majority.

The leadership reshuffling came nearly two months after Rep. Mark Rozzi, a Berks County Democrat, became the surprise choice for speaker. Democrats flipped a net of 12 seats in November to retake majority control after more than a decade, but their margin did not become effective until their candidates won three special elections earlier this month.

https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania ... fb765f71da