Extra, Extra
Ploys Will be Ploys: “Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Tuesday explicitly prohibiting the use of nonbinary gender markers on state birth certificates, a ban experts say is the first of its kind in the nation.” This is part of a trend I call Ghost Governing. GOP states across the country are spending time making laws that affect almost no one (and those they do affect are all harmed) to rile up the voting base. Sad it happens. Sadder it works. Sometimes, it backfires, like it will if DeSantis goes through with his plan to remove Disney’s special status in Florida. The real calculations will overwhelm the political ones.
+ Dose-y Doe: “New guidance from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says people over the age of 60 should not start taking daily, low-dose aspirin to prevent cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes.” (Given how often this kind of advice is reversed, I might start taking aspirin now.)
+ Phase Out: “Nearly 60% of the population — and almost 75% of children 11 and younger — now have antibodies to it in their blood.” That’s one of the reasons we’ve exited the pandemic phase and entered the this just sucks phase.
+ 42 Be or Not to Be? “Title 42 is a previously little-known section of US health law that allows the US government to temporarily block noncitizens from entering the US.” Title 42, the Trump-era border policy dividing Democrats, explained.
+ When Being a Partisan Was Good: It’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. I suggest you mark the day by buying my dad’s book. Trust me. It’s amazing. Taking Risks: A Jewish Youth in the Soviet Partisans and His Unlikely Life in California.
+ Kebab Pics: A photo of a kebab seller surrounded by smoke won the international food photo contest. There are several great shots.