Bernie Sanders officially drops out of the presidential race, leaving Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee. It’s worth noting how much the Bernie Sanders campaign has fundamentally shifted the Democratic party’s base to the left, even while power in the party still remains firmly entrenched with the neoliberal baby boomers. Writing in In These Times, Megan Day and Michael Uetricht captured the moment perfectly, “Bernie Sanders Started the Revolution, the Rest is Up to Us.”
In what appears to be a...
Bernie Sanders officially drops out of the presidential race, leaving Joe Biden as the presumptive nominee. It’s worth noting how much the Bernie Sanders campaign has fundamentally shifted the Democratic party’s base to the left, even while power in the party still remains firmly entrenched with the neoliberal baby boomers. Writing in In These Times, Megan Day and Michael Uetricht captured the moment perfectly, “Bernie Sanders Started the Revolution, the Rest is Up to Us.”
In what appears to be an attempt to woo Sanders supporters to consider voting for him, Joe Biden released plans to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60 and to forgive some student debt. I don’t know how many times we have to say it, but half-measures and tinkering around the edges just isn’t going to cut it. That was the message sent this week in a letter written to Biden by 8 progressive groups - Alliance for Youth Action, Justice Democrats, IfNotNow Movement, March for Our Lives Action Fund, NextGen America, Student Action, Sunrise Movement, and United We Dream Action: “Messaging around a ‘return to normalcy’ does not and has not earned the support and trust of voters from our generation.”
The numbers of COVID-19 cases continue to be devastating, even as some hot spots around the world have begun to see a flattening of their curves. Global confirmed cases: 1,596,496; total deaths: 95,455; total recovered: 354,006; U.S. confirmed cases: 462,135; total deaths: 16,513; total recovered: 25,410; and, nearly 17 million Americans file for unemployment over the past three weeks.
Black Americans are getting COVID-19 and dying from the disease at alarmingly disproportionate rates. To anyone paying attention to deep structural racism in the U.S. it’s no mystery as to why. As the New York Times reports, this trend shines a spotlight on what “public health researchers say are entrenched inequalities in resources, health, and access to care.”
This week, COVID-19 became the #1 cause of death each day, outpacing heart disease and cancer. Meanwhile, the Radical Christian Right is going off the rails, turning to embrace the coronavirus as some kind of godly messenger. For example, Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge spoke to TMZ about his decision to defy the Governor’s ban of meetings larger than 50 people. Spell said, “like any revolutionary, or like any zealot, or like any pure religious person, death looks to them like a welcomed friend.”
Necessary listening: Rumble with Michael Moore discussion with Jane McEleavy.
Be warned, there is a high pollen warning across most of PA.
State Senator Robert Mensch, a Republican from Montgomery County, seems to be loving the shift of online meetings. He was caught on a hot mic saying that he liked the online sessions because he could “stare daggers at Muth,” referring to outspoken, progressive Democratic State Senator Kaie Muth, also from Montgomery County. Muth took to Twitter writing, “How was your day teleworking? Welp, mine was full of #Daggers - misogyny beaming strong in virtual workplaces... too bad we couldn’t pass bills to actually help ppl, instead of mean-mugging on Zoom.”
On Thursday, the Wolf administration announced that all Pennsylvania K-12 public and private schools will remain closed for the remainder of the school year. The PA hospital association is seeking a second round of financial assistance from the PA government just two weeks after Gov. Wolf signed a $50 million aid package.
Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office reports that the PA government may lose as much as $4 billion in tax revenues this year as a direct result of the pandemic. That could leave PA’s budget about $1.8 billion short. We’re flagging this for our shock doctrine report.
Despite Gov. Wolf’s stay-at-home orders, Pennsylvanians are getting worse at social distancing according to a new report. Data from a cell phone data company shows that after some initial successes, since March 26th, Pennsylvania’s are traveling more often and further.
On May 29, Netflix will finally release its new intergalactic comedy, “Space Force,” starring Steve Carell!
Sean got a new toy - actually TWO new toys.
Free Will now has its two cider releases ready for your online order and pick up:
- Kurant Bees - Hard Cider with Honey 5.5% ABV
- Kurant Earth - Hard Cider w/ Mosaic Hops 5.5% ABV
- Another plug this week for DDH Love Letter from the 90s. Hazy IPA brewed with oats, Bloody Butcer cornmeal from Castle Valley Mill (Doylestown, PA), and milk sugar, then double dry hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic, and Citra. 7.2% ABV
