“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?”
LaunchCOVID-19 risks: Know them, avoid them
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.
LaunchIn leaked call, Barack Obama describes Trump’s handling of virus as “chaotic disaster”
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.
LaunchGovernor Jay Inslee offers scathing response to Republican legal attacks: “Anyone can file a lawsuit, and anyone has.”
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.”
LaunchThe consequences of denying reality
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.”
LaunchAl Gore joins Joe Biden to talk about climate justice on Earth Day
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.
LaunchMichael Moore’s partner Jeff Gibbs debuts new film Planet of the Humans — and it’s free to watch on YouTube
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.”
LaunchCoronavirus order saves $1 billion from fewer car crashes
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.”
LaunchCarnival executives knew they had a virus problem, but kept the party going
“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.
LaunchTrump regime: Americans on Social Security will have to file a simple tax return to receive a $1,200 check
“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.
LaunchKCLS pivots to digital during coronavirus pandemic
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
LaunchEd Yong: How the coronavirus pandemic will end
“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.”
LaunchRobert Kuttner: We need a WWII-size mobilization to stop COVID-19 from destroying the economy
“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.”
LaunchTokyo Olympics seem sure to happen — but in 2021, not 2020
“What better platform is there going to be than the Olympic Games when the world has pulled through the virus… You’ve got a dynamic that will be even more powerful for Japan and the rest of the world. But you are going to have a tough road getting there.”
LaunchThe world’s fastest supercomputer identified chemicals that could stop coronavirus from spreading, a crucial step toward a treatment
“The novel coronavirus presents an unprecedented challenge for scientists: The speed at which the virus spreads means they must accelerate their research. But this is what the world’s fastest supercomputer was built for.” CNN explains.
LaunchRethinking and reframing: Let’s aim for physical rather than social distancing
“Isolation can be toxic. Let’s increase physical distance, but stay connected,: writes Dr. Kenneth E. Miller.
LaunchTrump’s incompetence results in federal agencies waiting for orders as pandemic rapidly worsens
Unlike several years ago, when President Barack Obama ordered the Department of Defense to mobilize to respond to the ebola outbreak, Donald Trump has failed to involve the military in the United States’ response to the rapidly worsening coronavirus pandemic.
LaunchRepublican America isn’t prepared for the coronavirus crisis
“[T]he Pavlovian urge to win the short-term news cycle, own the libs and defend the economic interests of corporate America and Trump’s re-election are combining with the predilection for conspiracy-minded thinking on the right.”
Launch“It will go away”: A timeline of Trump playing down the coronavirus threat
“Trump gambled very early and very often on the idea that the coronavirus wouldn’t turn out to be nearly as severe as some health officials have warned it could get,” Aaron Blake writes.
LaunchArchdiocese of Seattle suspends liturgies, tells region’s Catholics: Don’t come to church
“I am going to ask that all of our parishes in western Washington, in the Archdiocese of Seattle, effective today, suspend the celebration publicly of the Eucharist,” Archbishop Etienne said.
LaunchFor Trump, coronavirus proves to be an enemy he can’t tweet away
“A president who is at his strongest politically when he has a human target to attack has found it harder to confront a growing outbreak that has rattled the country,” The New York Times assesses.
Launch