Via Ars Technica: “Amid the pandemic, Republican voters in Ohio and Florida had a significantly higher rate of excess deaths after the nationwide rollout of COVID-19 vaccines compared with those who voted Democratic, according to a study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.”
Launch“This is a really big deal”: How college towns are helping power Democrats to victory in key states
“Growing population in America’s highly educated enclaves has led to huge gains for the Democratic Party. And Republicans are scrambling for answers,” Politico’s Charlie Mahtesian and Madi Alexander write.
LaunchHouse Republicans seek billions in cuts to rail, water infrastructure spending
Ultra MAGA lackeys of Donald Trump who currently control the United States House of Representatives want to force the Senate and the Biden administration to reverse the investments made to Amtrak and clean drinking water infrastructure as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is unacceptable to Democrats.
LaunchReport: Studio bosses plan to stay away from bargaining table in gambit to starve writers into submission
Via Deadline: “’The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,’ a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it ‘a cruel but necessary evil.'”
LaunchWatch the 2023 Washington State Space Summit panel discussion
On July 5th, 2023, Blue Origin hosted the 2023 Washington State Space Summit, organized by Senator Maria Cantwell’s office. NPI recorded the panel discussion in high definition and it’s available to watch on demand. Simply click play above to check out the event.
LaunchPutin gets caught in his own trap, with Russians not caring enough to save him
“After spending years cultivating public apathy, the Russian president found his people indifferent to his fate,” Anne Applebaum writes.
LaunchTrump has long known how to manipulate the media
“The media have been covering Trump and his legal woes for 50 years, and he knows we have yet to get it right,” writes LZ Granderson, an opinion columnist for The Los Angeles Times.
LaunchTesla’s ‘self-driving’ system should never have been allowed on the road
“Elon Musk’s automatic driving technology seems to be roughly an order of magnitude more deadly than human drivers,” writes Ryan Cooper.
LaunchAs Canadian smoke darkens the New York sky, the future is clear
“Since 2000, growing wildfire pollution has reversed significant gains from the Clean Air Act, and over the coming decades, it is poised to become the country’s main source of particulate pollution,” David Wallace-Wells writes.
LaunchEarth is ‘really quite sick now’ and in danger zone in nearly all ecological ways, study says
Reporting by The Associated Press: “Earth has pushed past seven out of eight scientifically established safety limits and into the danger zone, not just for an overheating planet that’s losing its natural areas, but for the well-being of people living on it, according to a new study.”
LaunchHigh-speed rail can curb America’s summer travel woes
“America’s holiday travel quagmire is a reminder that we are a global laggard when it comes to high-speed rail,” writes Ray LaHood.
LaunchFor COVID long-haulers, the pandemic is far from over
“I have heard of long COVID clinics closing and dropping patients. At some point, the doctors that are researching it may just give up. Where does that leave all of us?” long COVID patient Frank Ziegler asked.
LaunchDonald Trump is likely to be indicted soon related to classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Here’s what he may be charged with.
From Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: “The FBI and Department of Justice routinely prosecute individuals, including high-level officers like former CIA Director David Petraeus, for misusing classified documents. There are several criminal provisions that may be implicated, depending on the exact contents of the documents.”
LaunchMassive Tesla data leak reportedly details Autopilot complaints
Via The Los Angeles Times, summarizing reporting from the German newspaper Handelsblatt: “How bad is Tesla Autopilot’s safety problem? According to thousands of complaints allegedly from Tesla customers in the U.S. and around the world, pretty bad.”
LaunchThe early heat wave gripping the Northwest is rare — and worrying
“Large parts of the Pacific Northwest from Oregon and Washington to British Columbia are bracing for unusually high temperatures this weekend. Some areas could see daily averages up to 30 degrees above normal, which could pose health problems to people who have not had a chance to build tolerance to heat so early into the warm season,” The Washington Post reports.
LaunchDemocratic strategists: Why the party can win a trifecta in 2024
“If we do the basic blocking and tackling of great field and GOTV work, and focus on executing an effective strategy for working-class voters, all the elements are in place for a big Democratic victory in 2024,” Mike Lux and Celinda Lake write.
LaunchThe speed of this Greenland glacier’s melt could signal even worse sea level rise
“Scientists studying one of Greenland’s largest glaciers say it is melting far faster than expected in its most vulnerable region, a worrying sign that glaciers perched in the ocean could contribute to sea level rise more quickly than currently forecast,” The Washington Post’s Chris Mooney reports.
LaunchA disaster the size of multiple Katrinas is building off Washington’s coast
“The Coast Guard is the first line of defense against a massive tsunami. Will it also be an early victim?” Freelance writer Eric Scigliano attempted to answer that question for Politico.
LaunchThe conservative campaign to rewrite child labor laws
Via The Washington Post: “The [right wing] Foundation for Government Accountability, a Florida-based think tank and lobbying group, drafted state legislation to strip child workplace protections, emails show.”
LaunchBook bans soar in U.S. schools, largely in Republican-led states
“Book bans, gassed up by state legislation pushed by conservative officials and groups, are stacking up at an alarming rate,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
LaunchAs Netflix ends DVD rentals, too many movies risk being forgotten
Film critic and movie recommendation newsletter author Ty Burr reacts to Netflix’s decision to kill off its DVD and Blu-ray disc rental by mail business.
Launch