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Senate Republicans block domestic terrorism bill
Axios | Erin Doherty | 05/26/22

Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a bill that would have created new federal offices focused on domestic terrorism, stopping debate on a measure that the House passed after a shooting in Buffalo, New York, killed 1o Black people.

Why it matters: The Domestic Terrorism prevention act would have opened debate on gun measures in the wake of the deadly Texas school shooting and its failure highlights the challenges of advancing gun control legislation in the sharply divided Congress.

Driving the news: The bill failed in a 47-47 vote, which falls short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. ... Read more

'You are doing nothing': O'Rourke accosts Abbott at press conference on shooting
Politico | Kelly Hooper | 05/25/22

Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke confronted Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference on Wednesday, accusing the governor of inaction on gun violence in the wake of a mass shooting at an elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Abbott, flanked by law enforcement officers and fellow Republican lawmakers, had just wrapped up giving an update on the Uvalde, Texas, shooting Wednesday afternoon - in which he said mental health was the root cause of the deadly event - when O'Rourke approached the stage. ... Read more

Trump Seriously Wanted To HANG Mike Pence On January 6th, Insiders Claim | 05/26/22 | 8:40

Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine
Axios | staff | 05/24/22

Russia-Ukraine war
The Guardian | staff | 05/20/22

Russia-Ukraine war: gas firm says Russia to cut supply to Finland on Saturday; G7 pledges 15.9bn in aid to Ukraine - live

'Deadly serious': U.S. quietly urging Taiwan to follow Ukraine playbook for countering China
Politico | Lara Seligman | 05/19/22

U.S. officials are pushing their Taiwanese counterparts with new urgency to look to Ukraine's success in fending off Russian forces as a blueprint for countering a Chinese attack, former and current U.S. officials tell POLITICO.

But there is little doubt that China is also learning from Russia's botched invasion as it looks to reunify Taiwan with the mainland - with or without force. Experts say Beijing is likely adjusting its plans for the island to reflect and improve on Russia's failures. ... Read more

Pedestrian deaths hit 40-year high | 7,400 people in 2021
Axios | Erin Doherty | 05/20/22

Pedestrian deaths reached a 40-year high last year, according to preliminary data from the Governors Highway Safety Association.

By the numbers: Drivers struck and killed more than 7,400 people in 2021, and the percentage of children killed by speeding drivers more than doubled since 2018.

The big picture: Data out this week from the Department of Transportation also revealed that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2021, the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2005. ... Read more

Climate change benchmarks all set records last year, report finds
Axios | Andrew Freedman | 05/18/22

Key data released Wednesday underscores how swiftly human activities are reshaping the climate.

Why it matters: The "State of the Climate" report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a stark reminder for policymakers and business leaders that if the world continues on its current course, climate impacts will escalate in severity and scope.

The big picture: The WMO report confirms the past seven years were the warmest such period on record.

2021 was comparatively cool, at 1.11C above the pre-industrial level, due to a La Nina event in the tropical Pacific Ocean. ... Read more

Grand jury indicts Buffalo mass shooting suspect on first-degree murder charge
Axios | staff | 05/19/22

A grand jury indicted the 18-year-old white man accused of killing 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket shooting last weekend on a first-degree murder charge, the Associated Press reported following a short court hearing Thursday morning.

Why it matters: The FBI is investigating the shooting as a hate crime and a case of racially motivated violent extremism, as 11 of the 13 total victims in the mass shooting were Black and the semiautomatic rifle used in the attack had been inscribed with a racial epithet and the number 14, a white supremacist numeric symbol.

What they're saying: "The defendant continues to remain held without bail," Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said in a statement released after the hearing. "There will be no further comment from our office until there is a report following an investigation by the Grand Jury." ... Read more

Retail sales jump as prices soar at fastest pace in 40 years
Axios | Courtenay Brown | 05/17/22

Consumers continued to spend in April, with retail sales jumping 0.9% from the prior month, according to government data released on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Shoppers aren't pulling back on spending even as prices soar at the fastest pace in 40 years. This is a good sign for the American economy amid fears of a coming recession as inflation rages.

Retail sales rose 8.2% from a year ago, a period when inflation jumped by 8.3%. ... Read more

Tucker Carlson Tries, and Fails, to Distance Himself From Buffalo Shooter’s Manifesto
Rolling Stone | Ryan Bort | 05/17/22

The Fox News host and the mentally ill teenager who slaughtered 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket both pushed the white supremacist "great replacement" theory

Tucker Carlson has long promoted the idea of the "great replacement," a racist conspiracy theory holding that white people are being systematically replaced by immigrants. The theory was present throughout the 180-page manifesto of the teenager who killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket on Saturday, leading to renewed scrutiny of the mega-popular Fox News host. Carlson addressed that scrutiny on Monday night, essentially arguing that anyone espousing white supremacist views should be able to do so without fear of criticism. ... Read more

Utilities: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 05/16/22 | 24:27

Elon Musk says Twitter deal "temporarily on hold"
Axios | Sara Fischer | 05/13/22

Elon Musk tweeted Friday morning that his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter is "temporarily on hold" as he seeks more details on the platform's new estimate that spam and fake accounts make up less than 5% of users.

Why it matters: Musk provided few details, but the tweet from his official account will ignite havoc in the tech and financial worlds. Twitter shares extended their fall in pre-market trading.

The company's shares plunged more than 17% in pre-market trading in response to the news. Tesla's shares rose about 5%. ... Read more

The market collapse was easy to see coming
Axios | Javier E. David | 05/13/22

The roots of the great market crack-up of 2022 - in which a dramatic fire sale is engulfing stocks, bonds, cryptocurrencies and nearly everything in between - have been evident for a while.

The big picture: Workers who watched with awe as their 401Ks soared are now facing the harsh reality that stimulus from Uncle Sam couldn't last forever, and that it came at a cost -namely, soaring inflation.

Details: Fiscal stimulus and loose monetary policy from the Fed helped grease the wheels of the markets breathtaking recovery in 2021. As the central bank moves to tighten that up, the party has come crashing to a halt. ... Read more

Opioid abuse treatments don't reach those most at risk
Axios | Adriel Bettelheim | 05/12/22

Drugs for treating opioid abuse aren’t reaching most high-risk patients, potentially widening gaps in care as overdose deaths hit record highs.

The big picture: New provisional data show a 15% surge in overdose deaths during the pandemic, rekindling a debate over whether enough Americans in the throes of the addiction crisis have access to potentially life-saving treatments.

Driving the news: Nearly 53% of patients with opioid use disorder were not prescribed buprenorphine, which reduces the risk of future overdoses, according to a new analysis of insurance claims from about 180,000 people.

More than 70% of opioid users who also misuse other substances, such as alcohol or methamphetamine, weren’t prescribed the drug, per the analysis in JAMA Network Open, which was based on data that predated the pandemic. ... Read more

White House Rejects the Characteration of the "PROXY WAR" With Russia
TheIntercept | Ryan Grim | 05/10/22

THE WHITE HOUSE told The Intercept that it rejects the characterization of the war in Ukraine as a proxy war between the United States and Russia, an assertion recently advanced by Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., during a Fox News appearance. "We're not just at war to support the Ukrainians. We're fundamentally at war, although somewhat through a proxy, with Russia, and it's important that we win," Moulton said.

Asked if the White House shared Moulton’s view of the nature of the conflict, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates was blunt: "No," said Bates in a statement to The Intercept. “President Biden has been clear that U.S. forces are not and will not engage in a conflict with Russia. We are supporting the Ukrainian people as they defend their country, which is exactly what President Biden told Putin we would do if he invaded."

The question of whether the U.S. is fundamentally at war against Russia through a proxy in Ukraine was raised as well by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was asked during a press conference what the U.S. considered a success in the war. He said that the goal was for "Ukraine [to] remain a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory." But, he added, "we want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine." Press secretary Jen Psaki later walked back the comments, saying Austin was talking about the U.S. objective to prevent Russia from taking over Ukraine and countries beyond it. ... Read more

Abortion Ruling: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 05/09/22 | 18:25

A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times by Mark T. Esper

Former Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper reveals the shocking details of his tumultuous tenure while serving in the Trump administration.

From June of 2019 until his firing by President Trump after the November 2020 election, Secretary Mark T. Esper led the Department of Defense through an unprecedented time in history—a period marked by growing threats and conflict abroad, a global pandemic unseen in a century, the greatest domestic unrest in two generations, and a White House seemingly bent on breaking accepted norms and conventions for political advantage. A Sacred Oath is Secretary Esper’s unvarnished and candid memoir of those extraordinary and dangerous times, and includes events and moments never before told.

Survey: Over 60% of adults say most abortions should be legal in U.S.
Axion | Oriana Gonzalez | 05/06/22

Approximately six in 10 U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in "all or most cases," according to a newly released Pew Research Center survey.

Driving the news: The poll was conducted before the leak of the draft opinion showing the Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade shows how a wide swath of the public is supportive of abortion rights.

By the numbers: 61% of those surveyed say abortion should be legal "in all or most cases." Of those, 36% say it should be legal "in most cases" and 19% say it should be legal without any exceptions. ... Read more

RUSSIA - 1.7 BILLION People Face HUNGER, POVERTY & DESTITUTION due to FOOD SHORTAGES & PRICE RISES| Joe Blogs | 05/05/22 | 22:20

Wall Street's Nose Dive | T**** Thinks He's A Religious Hero With A High IQ | Stephen Colbert | 05/05/22 | 12:15

COVID cases jump in Northeast, Pacific Northwest
Axios | Tina Reed Kavya Beheraj | 05/05/22

COVID cases are rising in all but four states and Washington, D.C., as Omicron and new, potentially more transmissible versions of the Omicron variant, sweep across the U.S.

The big picture: COVID rates in the Northeast are reaching some of their highest levels in three months. But the South may be in for a new wave come summer.

A South African study found two of the new Omicron subvariants are able to evade antibodies from previous infections and vaccinations.

By the numbers: There were roughly 62,500 new daily cases over the last week, up 46% from 43,000 two weeks ago. ... Read more

Environmental Racism: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | 05/02/22 | 21:50

The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History | Veritasium | 04/22/22 | 24:56

Nomi Prins: Financial Crisis 2.0 - Wall Street & The Fed Running Us Off The Rails Again | 03/29/22 | 32:58

The Matrix Awakens: Generating a World | Tech Talk | State of Unreal 2022 | 04/05/22 | 59:59

Self-driving cars will need smarter roadways
Axios | Joann Muller | 05/04/22

One way to speed the adoption of self-driving vehicles is to give them automated express lanes, where they can zip past regular traffic without having to tangle with human-driven cars.

Why it matters: For all the billions companies are spending to develop automated vehicles, very little has been done to prepare U.S. roadways for these advanced cars, trucks and buses. That's starting to change, as business and government leaders turn their attention to new digital infrastructure projects.

Driving the news: A startup company, Cavnue, just raised $130 million in Series A financing to build the nation's first network of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) corridors, starting in Michigan.

CAV corridors would have roadside sensors to communicate with modem-equipped vehicles, advising them of road conditions up ahead, such as deteriorating weather, road construction or even potholes that pop up during rush hour.

The company's investors all have an interest in the future of roadways. They include a high-tech infrastructure company (Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners), a global carmaker (Ford), a freight logistics provider (Landstar) and a global toll road operator (Globalvia's Openvia).

The big picture: There's more attention on smart roadways since Congress passed the bipartisan infrastructure deal last November, opening the door for more federal funding, Laura Chace, CEO of ITS America, tells Axios. ... Read more

Dictator's Dilemma | North Korea: Inside the Mind of a Dictator | National Geographic | 04/30/22 | 44:23

Supreme Court opens investigation into Politico leak
Axios | Ivana Saric | 05/03/22

Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the Supreme Court leaked draft document, but said it did not represent the court's final decision.

Driving the news: Roberts said the court will open an investigation into the leak.

Late Monday, Politico posted a story reporting that the court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade - and published a leaked draft of that majority opinion, written by Samuel Alito.

What they're saying: Roberts said the document's leak would not affect the work of the court "in any way."

"This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here." ... Read more

Harvest of War: The war in Ukraine's effect on the world's food supply | 60Minutes | 05/01/22 | 14:25

Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood by Michele Goodwin

Policing The Womb brings to life the chilling ways in which women have become the targets of secretive state surveillance of their pregnancies. Michele Goodwin expands the reproductive health and rights debate beyond abortion to include how legislators increasingly turn to criminalizing women for miscarriages, stillbirths, and threatening the health of their pregnancies. The horrific results include women giving birth while shackled in leg irons, in solitary confinement, and even delivering in prison toilets. In some states, pregnancy has become a bargaining chip with prosecutors offering reduced sentences in exchange for women agreeing to be sterilized. The author shows how prosecutors may abuse laws and infringe women's rights in the process, sometimes with the complicity of medical providers who disclose private patient information to law enforcement. Often the women most affected are poor and of color. Goodwin warns, however, poor women are simply the canaries in the coalmine as some legislators now claim that women's constitutional rights equal that of embryos and fetuses. In this timely book, Michele Goodwin brings to light how the unrestrained efforts to punish and police women's reproduction has led to the United States being the deadliest country in the developed world for pregnant women.

Sci-Fi Short Film: "Oceanus" | DUST | 04/18/22 | 31:23

Ugliest month for stocks since COVID first hit
Axios | Matt Phillips | 05/02/22

The stock market fell off the ugly tree in April, hitting every branch on the way down.

Driving the news: The closing bell on Friday marked the end of a nasty day, a dismal week and a miserable month in what's turning into a horrible year for the S&P 500.

The benchmark U.S. index lost 3.6% on the day, pushing it down 8.8% for the month. That's the worst monthly decline since the COVID crisis hit in early 2020.

The index is down 13.3% this year. A full-year performance like that would be the market's worst showing since 2008.

The selloff in the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was even worse in April, as it collapsed by 13.3%. Large-cap technology stocks, which hold large sway in the market-cap-weighted S&P 500, were also key drivers of the S&P's plunge.

What's going on: It's the Fed. Expectations of an aggressive campaign of rate hikes — the central bank is expected to raise interest rates by half a percentage point on Wednesday — collided with growing worries about the health of the economy and corporate profits. ... Read more

Deep Learning Explained by Barack Obama | | 1:20

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