Yom tov, Gnusies on this Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.
Here’s some good news to fortify you for this special Wednesday:
Democrat’s CHIPs accomplishment has spurred exactly the kind of investment and anchoring of good-paying jobs that Joe Biden promised:
Micron Pledges Up to $100 Billion for Semiconductor Factory in New York, Steve Lohr, New York Times, October 4, 2022.
Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, has championed the chip legislation and his state as a site for semiconductor investment. Gov. Kathy Hochul worked on the state’s behalf to persuade Micron.
The Micron decision, Mr. Schumer said, is a byproduct of the chips legislation he worked on for three years. “Had America not done that, I think our economy would have slipped,” he said. “We’ve led in semiconductor research, but over the years we let the manufacturing slip away. But we’re reversing that now.” ✂️
The giant factory will be built in Clay, N.Y., about 15 miles north of Syracuse. Micron said site preparation would begin next year, construction in 2024 and production in volume after 2025.
Over the next 20 years, Micron says, the project will generate nearly 50,000 jobs — about 9,000 Micron employees and more than 40,000 jobs for suppliers, contractors and others. The plan also calls for Micron and the state to spend $500 million on community and work force training.
Get in, folks. We're building a better America: https://t.co/V9Mzpw8kB0 pic.twitter.com/cMKiF0Lqwz
After the former Republican governor (and Moscow Mitch) predictably failed to deliver...
Gov. Andy Beshear just announced his administration has "secured the return" $15 million given to Braidy Industries by the administration of former Gov. Matt Bevin for an aluminum mill that never materialized, and is also working to get the property back, too.
Sometimes there’s an unspoken expectation that a “new kid on the block” (in this case, the block being SCOTUS) will keep a low profile for their first few outings among the old hands. But we are in serious times and we need a master of the law and a champion of human rights who will speak up right now. Our newest Supreme Court Justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson is everything we hoped she’d be and more:
Alabama Wants to Pervert the 14th Amendment to Gut Voting Rights. So Justice Jackson Took Them Back to History Class. Pema Levy, Mother Jones, October 4, 2022.
The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority often rely on “originalism,” professing to apply the Constitution as they believe the founders intended—and did so last term to issue rulings eroding Americans’ rights to abortion and gun control. On Tuesday, during her second day of arguments as a Supreme Court justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson applied this same originalist approach in an area where her conservative colleagues avoid it. In a case out of Alabama that threatens to gut critical protections for voters of color, she delivered a history lesson on the original purpose of the 14th Amendment—laying out the background behind the clause to explain why it actually supports robust enforcement of voting rights. ✂️
Alabama’s contention is that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment is in tension with this element of the Voting Rights Act: The 14th Amendment mandates race blindness while the VRA requires taking race into account. As Justice Amy Coney Barrett said in summarizing Alabama’s arguments, the 14th Amendment is a rock, the VRA is a hard place, and Alabama is caught in between. This contention is a key one that Alabama is relying on to bring a case that could force the country to essentially abandon the VRA, one of its best tools to fight discrimination and facilitate political equality.
Enter Justice Jackson. She countered Alabama’s arguments by explaining why the 14th Amendment and the VRA are not in conflict—thanks to originalism. “I don’t think that the historical record establishes that the Founders believed that race neutrality or race blindness was required,” she said. The 1866 Civil Rights Act said that Black citizens would have the same rights as white citizens. The 14th Amendment helped to make that a more permanent reality—but enshrining equality among races is not the same thing as mandating blindness to race. The amendment “was drafted to give a constitutional foundation for a piece of legislation that was designed to make people who had less rights and less opportunity equal to white citizens.” The Voting Rights Act, she continued, is doing exactly that.
Justice Jackson's forceful refutation of the notion that the 14th amendment commands color-blindness in this morning's Voting Rights Act hearing. Three uninterrupted trancript pages. pic.twitter.com/62A7C831F7
So important that Justices Kagan & Jackson are pulling the mask off of Alabama's case. AL is in essence, relitigating Mobile v. Bolden, which resulted in Congress amending the Voting Rights Act in 1982 to ensure that a "results" rather "intent" is required for section 2 cases.
Meanwhile, all of TFG’s troubles continue
Troubles for his assorted lackeys and hangers-on are increasing, too:
Trump's chief of staff implicated in Mar-a-Lago docs scheme by new bombshell reporting, Travis Gettys, Raw Story, October 4, 2022.
The New York Times reported that Trump attorney Patrick Philbin falsely told the lawyer for the National Archives last September that the former president had taken only non-classified material such as newspaper clippings home with him from the White House, two sources told the New York Times.
Philbin told National Archives lawyer Gary Stern that he learned that information from Meadows, the former White House chief of staff, and one of the sources said Stern preserved his own description of that exchange in an email.
That claim turned out to be false after FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago in August and found thousands of pages of presidential records, including hundreds that contained classified information, stashed in Trump's office and other areas at the private club.
This is the issue that people need to know they can influence by their vote:
NEW from @NavigatorSurvey: Nearly 7 in 10 Americans OPPOSE extreme attempts by MAGA Republicans to ban abortion nationally. Even a plurality of REPUBLICAN VOTERS don't want this.https://t.co/ER2cw6wutP pic.twitter.com/RBQ0qAuD9t
Lauren Boebert's re-election in jeopardy, new poll shows, John Frank, Axios, October 4, 2022.
By the numbers: Boebert received support from 47% of likely voters, while Democrat Adam Frisch landed at 45% — making the race a statistical tie within the ±4.4 percentage point margin of error.
The survey, taken Sept. 2–Oct. 2 by Keating Research, a Democratic firm and one of the most accurate pollsters in Colorado, represents a 5-point swing toward Frisch. In July, Boebert held a 49%-42% advantage.
Lauren Boebert 'dangerously close to being upset by a little-known Democratic rival': poll https://t.co/qTFMkv9FeT
Ohio Republican group urges GOP and swing voters to reject J.D. Vance, Nick Evans, Ohio Capitol Journal via RawStory, October 4, 2022.
With November’s election looming, a group of Republicans are hitting the campaign trail this week. But instead of stumping for the GOP, they’ll be encouraging voters to back the Democrat, Tim Ryan, in Ohio’s race for U.S. Senate.
They’re working with an organization called Welcome PAC which emphasizes Democratic Party outreach to independents and “future former Republicans.” LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is the group’s primary donor. The PAC contends there’s a large pool of swing voters who reject former President Donald Trump. They’ve made it their mission to encourage those voters to reject Trump allied candidates as well. ✂️
“We’re taking a stand against the wing of the Republican Party that engages in crazy conspiracies like Q-Anon, and, most importantly, we are choosing to put country over party,” Heimlich said. “J.D. Vance is lined up with the crazies, with the traitors. He has lined up with the people who tried to overthrow this government, the people who tried to overturn a legitimate election.”
“We are supporting Tim Ryan because we’re putting country first,” he continued. “Tim Ryan is not only a moderate Democrat, but he is a pro-democracy Democrat and he’s running against an anti-democracy Republican.”
...and if you can, help others understand their rights, too.
Many states changed their election laws in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and following the 2020 election. Do you know the laws in your state? Explore the data and then comment below if you're voting in 2022.
City solicits proposals for La Salle Street renewal, David Roeder, Chicago Sun Times, September 26, 2022.
Maurice Cox, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, said the key to reviving La Salle is ending its “monoculture” of offices that mostly empty out after 5 p.m. The pandemic and its change in work habits dealt a hard blow to the street, while some of its largest employers have relocated to state-of-the-art high-rises downtown.
“If we were to do nothing, we would probably see the future of La Salle as a high-end residential street. We see a real opportunity as a mixed-income, mixed-use residential street,” Cox said.
His department said the stretch along and near La Salle, running from Wacker Drive south to Jackson Boulevard, could accommodate 1,000 units, 300 of them priced for people with low or moderate incomes, as defined by city rules.
“There is nearly 5 million square feet of vacant commercial space on the La Salle Street corridor but not a single unit of affordable housing,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement accompanying the document, called “La Salle Street Reimagined.”
“Diversifying this corridor is an essential component in our strategy to restore La Salle’s vitality, create more neighborhood-serving retail, and foster a more inviting pedestrian environment in the heart of the Loop that will benefit all Chicagoans,” the mayor says in the statement.
CHA is leading large public housing agencies across the country in leasing Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs). This means that hundreds of Chicagoans who were experiencing #homelessness now have a place of their own. Grab a Kleenex & watch the story of Joe Ann Wilson - @cbschicago https://t.co/qvMOdh6ifg
Cook County is eyeing a property tax incentive which could lure and retain supermarkets in the county's food deserts. “It would incentivize (stores) to go into neighborhoods where the big box stores, the big chains, have neglected.” https://t.co/DwRH26sC2d
War is horrific, and Putin’s illegal war on Ukraine is as ugly as it gets. Like TFG, Putin has no bottom. That’s sobering reality and makes for a tense global situation. Thankfully, we have competent leadership in Joe Biden and his cabinet. They cannot prevent Putin from doing whatever he will do, but they will know how to respond (and in the meantime, they will do everything possible to support a Ukrainian victory and to mitigate the scope of the damage that Russia seeks to cause).
It’s Time to Brace for Putin’s Greatest Meltdown Yet, Dennis Murphy, Daily Beast, October 4, 2022.
Because we do not know where the line is, or if it even exists, the conclusion of Russia’s war in Ukraine, whenever that may be, will be conducted under the shadow of possible nuclear war.
Even so, there is a silver lining: Putin is showing weakness. The mobilization order is not a sign of strength. The annexation of the Donbas and elsewhere is the desperate act of an insecure regime.
Putin wants all of us to believe that the territory his armies seized will be under his nuclear umbrella. Not everyone is going to believe him.
Putin says he is not bluffing. Perhaps that is true and his statements are just as deadly as he intends, but even so Putin’s words and actions give off the impression of a cornered animal.
In short, Ukraine is winning and Putin is getting desperate.
"Shoigu says 200,000 have been conscripted since Sept. 21 order," but data shows close to 400,000 fled. These 200k will not save Putin's illegal war. They are untrained, unmotivated cannon fodder being applied to a broken army in disadvantaged positions.https://t.co/nttKdcjcSQ
Daily Kos is providing some of the best coverage of the war in Ukraine that’s out there. Kos and Mark Sumner are posting pretty much daily and the way they explain what is going on and staying abreast of events is outstanding. You can find them on the front page or by searching “The Ukraine Updates” .
Navalny allies see weakened Kremlin, say they’ll regroup, AP, October 4, 2022.
Top allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny announced Tuesday that they would reestablish a network of groups across Russia, saying the time was right because the government has been weakened by questions about the war in Ukraine.
“The sleeping majority woke up, Putin himself woke him up,” said Ivan Zhdanov, former director of Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, in a YouTube video posted by Navalny’s closest ally and top strategist, Leonid Volkov.
“It’s time for us to restore our network to fight mobilization and war,” Zhdanov said. Russia ordered a partial mobilization on Sept. 21 to beef up its troops in Ukraine.
Zhdanov and Volkov said the new network would operate as a “partisan underground,” and participants would remain anonymous for their safety.
Hello Everybody, it’s me, Curlygirl! I am back to work at last!
Where Mama grew up, they have loads of puffins, but because there aren’t a lot of city lights near where the puffins burrow in Newfoundland, she hadn’t ever heard of people doing this! So here is a very nice story and it is a surprise for Mama, too! (DO NOT WORRY! The puffins are not harmed no matter what the story title seems to say!!)
Why it's perfectly normal to see baby puffins thrown off cliffs in Iceland each year, Halisia Hubbard, NPR, September 26, 2022.
Watching thousands of baby puffins being tossed off a cliff is perfectly normal for the people of Iceland's Westman Islands.
This yearly tradition is what's known as "puffling season" and the practice is a crucial, life-saving endeavor.
The chicks of Atlantic puffins, or pufflings, hatch in burrows on high sea cliffs. When they're ready to fledge, they fly from their colony and spend several years at sea until they return to land to breed, according to Audubon Project Puffin.
Pufflings have historically found the ocean by following the light of the moon, digital creator Kyana Sue Powers told NPR over a video call from Iceland. Now, city lights lead the birds astray.
Powers found out about puffling season while visiting Vestmannaeyjar, or the Westman Islands, off the south coast of Iceland last summer. She was leaving a restaurant after dinner and noticed some strange behavior from children and adults carrying flashlights and boxes.
"People were just running around the streets, like into corners and sidewalks and stuff, frantically chasing things," she said.
Eventually, someone offered an explanation: They were on puffling patrol.
Many residents of Vestmannaeyjar spend a few weeks in August and September collecting wayward pufflings that have crashed into town after mistaking human lights for the moon. Releasing the fledglings at the cliffs the following day sets them on the correct path.
This looks like fun! I sometimes wish I was a sea dog! 🦭
Footage of sea lions riding on massive waves near Santa Barbara Island, California. Video by Ryan Lawler.pic.twitter.com/YpEGnJTdWn
Some GNR readers may recall that I am a little tiny teensy weensy bit afraid of bears. I do not understand humans! They think this is fun! I do not want to join in this guessing game and I do NOT want to see the bears or meet any of them! See for yourself what madness this is!
In Alaska's Fat Bear Week election, there's no party like a salmon party, Bill Chappell, NPR, October 4, 2022.
The contest highlights the amazing transformation bears must make after they emerge from hibernation, emaciated and hungry. From the middle of summer to the fall, an average male adult can go from weighing 600-900 pounds to well over 1,000 pounds, according to the Katmai website.
Contestants are tracked by their numbers, but veteran animals are known by names like the large male Chunk, or the blond-eared female Holly. Then there's 747 — who doesn't need a nickname because his number and size both echo the famous jumbo jet. ✂️
While the competition favors girth, bears often become sentimental favorites, thanks to personal stories experts have gleaned from years of observation.
Take Holly, aka 435, who has guided several cubs on difficult paths to becoming successful adults — including 503, whom she adopted after he was left alone as a yearling cub.
“I’m run ragged, get off that fence” #janeygodleyvoiceover pic.twitter.com/RwkAIoL0QC
Here’s the last story. This human seems to really like dogs! And I can tell the dogs like him, too! Hooray for them all! 💙
The perfect job doesn't exi— https://t.co/HBABjIaqCT
That’s all the stories I have for today. See you next week! Luv, CG 💙🐾
You truly cannot make up better examples of FAFO: this right winger whines that the census overseen (and perverted) by TFG’s administration succeeded in not counting all the people they had tried to frighten into not being counted! With surprising results! The Republicans did not expect it to go this way, but now they are finding out:
The Outrageous, Republic-Distorting Census Error You've Heard Nothing About | Opinion, Ben Weingarten, Newsweek, October 3, 2022.
The failure lies in the census count itself, which according to the Census Bureau's own research was grossly inaccurate, and therefore grossly unfair to the American people.
While the Bureau, in conducting its Post-Enumeration Survey, only found a relatively small net undercount in the total U.S. population of 0.24%—or approximately 780,000 people—it also found major overcount/undercount errors when it comes to the 50 states.
And strikingly, it appears one party seems to have overwhelmingly benefited from the errors. You can probably guess which.
As The Heritage Foundation's Hans von Spakovsky, a former Federal Election Commissioner, has highlighted, per its post-2020 census survey, the Census Bureau significantly undercounted the populations of, in descending order by percentage: Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Illinois, and Texas. So of states with errant population counts to the downside, all but one—Illinois—was a red state. Conversely, eight states were overcounted, all but one of which—Utah—were blue.
Well, the die is cast, dumbasses. We tried to warn you. This is the apportionment for the next 10 years. Enjoy.
full video pic.twitter.com/JXbJHLScTm
⚡️ A GOP insider on the Republicans who knew Trump was dangerous — and went MAGA anyway, Sean willing, Vox, October 4, 2022.
⚡️ We know this, but here’s something to show your MAGA neighbors: Immigrants Provide Huge Benefits To U.S. Taxpayers, Stuart Anderson, Forbes, October 3, 2022.
⚡️ Opinion We’re getting this election entirely backward, Paul Waldman, Washington Post. October 4, 2022.
⚡️ A good effort to provide an overview of the history since Roe: Abortion Doctors Under the Microscope, Ramenda Cyrus, The American Prospect, October 3, 2022.
⚡️ Fun and informative (welcome spoiler: coffee and tea are good for you!): Coffee vs. tea smackdown, Anahad O’Connor, Aaron Steckelberg and Garland Potts, Washington Post, October 4, 2022.
⚡️ You’ve got almost a month to put these together! 22 Unique Couples Halloween Costumes You Haven't Seen A Million Times, Kelsey Borresen, HuffPost, October 3, 2022.
Put your beautiful bleeding liberal heart into it! 🥰
Democratic litigation hero, Marc Elias was the legal eagle behind the 60 Big Lie losses after the election. Here’s his website, Democracy Docket. You can find information about current cases he is fighting to defend voting rights around the country, as well as actions you can take to help fight voter suppression at the link!
Write to voters around the country with Postcards to Voters. Progressive Muse usually posts an update on current campaigns in the comments and you can also check out the website. It’s easy, fun and it really works to GOTV!
🎩 Also, Goody posted a great list of links and I am going to borrow it because it’s great! 🎩
The only way they can win is by keeping people from voting. They are working like heck to make that happen and we need to do all we can to keep 2022 from being a year when they grab the Senate and House back from us.
How do we do that? Fight voter suppression!
Most important: DON'T LOSE HOPE. This is a giant and important fight for us but, win or lose, we keep fighting and voting and organizing and spreading truth and light. We never give up.
U.S. House of Representatives:* Telephone: 202-225-3121 * Website: http://www.house.gov/
U.S. Senate:* Telephone: 202-224-3121 * Website: http://www.senate.gov/
Find your member of Congress and contact him or her:
Let them know what matters to you! Contact your Representative Contact your Senator
And remember, all politics is local and personal! Let’s work to flip state and local elected positions Democratic!
Sister District Project — organization that is working to help Dems win state legislature races.
NEW!! Goody set up this place to donate to elect Democrats in tossup House and Senate races:
On Saturday, Goodie introduced a new fundraising action for Gnusies with a goal of $38,000, and by the end of the day it had raised $31,000!!! As of yesterday evening, it had reached $37,210.50!
Did you donate yet? C’mon… it’ll make you feel great! 😁
ALSO NEW!! The States Project
Finally, whenever you feel your hope fading, read this again:
The 3.5% rule: How a small minority can change the world — and recall that we are a majority.
The Albert Einstein Institution’s 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action
There’s a multitude of people all over this country — in both so-called “red” states and “blue” — who feel just as strongly as you do about this world and its future. We can do this!
Here's the plan to win the House: https://t.co/Vo1TA2IwSj
Here’s a visual to help us keep our eyes on the prize:
That’s it from me and CG for another Wednesday. Now that we are less than 5 weeks from election day, it’s time to really focus on getting out the vote. Whatever you can do to encourage the people around you to vote, please do it.
Take good care of yourselves, my friends. we all need our strength and energy to power through these next critical weeks. Eat nutritious food, get some rest and try to get outdoors every day for a little breather if you can.
I am so grateful to be a part of this group of caring people!