Offering asides, recommended links, blogworthy quotations, and more, In Brief is the Northwest Progressive Institute's microblog of world, national, and local politics.
Ars Technica’s Timothy B. Lee has put together an incredibly good article that reiterates what security researchers and election integrity advocates have known for a long time: online voting is a terrible idea and should not be used for any elections for public office.
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A wildfire has destroyed all the historic structures in California’s first state park, leaving conservation advocates like Sam Hodder in mourning.
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Urquiza made one of the first night’s most memorable appearances, ripping Donald Trump for his refusal to step up and take on COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.
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“No one, even McConnell can herd these cats. The party – from top electeds to think tankers to party officials to voters — has become one big swarming mass of hack pundits competing to go viral.”
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Donald Trump’s recent comments “could serve to nudge more passive supporters of discriminatory housing policy toward a ‘come to density’ moment,” Eric Levitz argues.
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When it was her turn to spar with Trump’s enforcer, Pramila Jayapal made the most of it. Watch her take Bill Barr apart in this three minute video.
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“More owners are permanently shutting their doors after new lockdown orders, realizing that there may be no end in sight to the crisis,” reports The New York Times’ Emily Flitter.
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Feeling conflicted about celebrating Independence Day and honoring America’s founders this year? Take a few minutes to read this excerpt from Whose Freedom.
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“We must stop talking about the flag and shift our attention to the real issues of systemic racial injustice, economic oppression, police brutality, and judicial & prison reform. We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s history! If not now, then when?”
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Erin S. Bromage, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, has published an informative primer on which environments the novel coronavirus is most easily transmitted in, which also discusses how people can minimize getting sick.
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Former President Barack Obama strongly condemned Donald Trump’s coronavirus pandemic response without mentioning him by name in a conference call with alumni of his administration.
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During a COVID-19 update press conference, Governor Jay Inslee offered a scathing response to Republican legal attacks: “Anyone can file a lawsuit, and anyone has.”
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Brazil, 1904: “Senator Rui Barbosa, pigeon-chested and smooth-tongued orator, attacks vaccination using judicial weapons flowery with adjectives. In the name of liberty Rui Barbosa defends the right of every individual to be contaminated if he so desires. Torrential applause, thunderous ovations interrupt him from phrase to phrase.”
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In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden hosted a discussion to address one of the most pressing issues facing our country and the world with special guest Vice President Al Gore.
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Planet of the Humans is “a documentary that dares to say what no one else will — that we are losing the battle to stop climate change on planet earth because we are following leaders who have taken us down the wrong road.”
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Via The Los Angeles Times: “California’s stay-at-home order reduced vehicle collisions on roadways by a little more than half, saving taxpayers an estimated $1 billion since the order went into effect, according to a UC Davis survey that estimated the impact of the order on traffic.”
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“More than 1,500 people on the company’s cruise ships have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and dozens have died,” a report from Bloomberg says. How did this happen? Austin Carr and Chris Palmeri explain.
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“Many lawmakers and advocates for the poor say filing a tax return shouldn’t be necessary for people on Social Security since the government already knows how to send this population monthly checks. The $2.2 trillion aid package said that if someone has not filed a 2019 or 2018 tax return, the U.S. Treasury should get their information from Social Security, if applicable,” The Washington Post reports.
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If people haven’t tried our digital resources, now is the time… We have access to many newspapers across the country, you just need a library
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“A global pandemic of this scale was inevitable. In recent years, hundreds of health experts have written books, white papers, and op-eds warning of the possibility.”
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“The need for a Green New Deal can rendezvous with the imperative of anti-depression public investment. Much of this sweeping proposal is on the drawing boards and has not been done for lack of funding. Some of it will take some advance planning. The time to start is now.”
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