IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT NEWS, TRUSTED INFO AND MY WORK
Meta says they will stop recommending political content on instagram and threads. When you look more closely that language seems to apply to anyone who shares news – including about social justice, world events, elections, war and more.
So to ensure you can still find me and my work:
1. Please sign up for my newsletter. Link in bio.
2. Please follow my new account @Resetrecenter
3. Please share this video
4. Please get informed about the platforms and algorithms
Note that they’re doing this in an election year- ensuring fewer people get informed about the election. It’s a cheap and irresponsible way to try and limit disinformation on the platform – less info overall might mean less disinformation. Or it means bad actors with deep pockets will game the system, while responsible creators get muted.
To be specific, IG says they won’t recommend accounts that share politics content. Meaning we won’t be on the discover page or reels discovery or in search. (But that seems to be the case already and for a while.) They also say people who already follow politics accounts will still get our content. But lived experience on the platform has taught me that any time they roll back discovery or search – you all start saying you also aren’t getting this content or are having a hard time finding me on the platform. IG also says they’ll soon let people opt in to getting politics- which means less informed folks remain targets for bad actors but can’t be reached by responsible creators.
What are your thoughts? And do you have suggestions for building an informed community off of this platform?
VP HARRIS IS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE The head of the Democratic National Committee says VP Harris officially secured enough delegates to become the party’s nominee for president. The delegates’ online voting process doesn’t officially end until Monday, but Harris has now secured more than the 2,350 votes needed to become the nominee. She was running unopposed, so this is not a surprise, but it is notable she clinched the votes just one day after voting began.
Senate Considers Measure to Support Parents Today Sen JD Vance went to the border to campaign. While he was there his colleagues in the US Senate voted on the precisely the kind of pro-family legislation he says he supports. The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act contained a Child Tax Credit that would have made it easier for low income families to qualify for child tax credits. It also would have increased the single child tax credit from $1,600 per child to $1,900 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2025. It also would have made it inflation adjusted in future years. The non partisan Congressional Budget office said the measure would have cost roughly $33 billion, and would be paid for with other offsets so it would have had very little impact on the deficit. Watch the video to find out the fate of this bill.
THE SEARCH FOR SNL’S JD VANCE With Maya Rudolph ( @princesstagram ) set to return to her role as VP Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live, one question remains: Who will play JD Vance? Lots of you let us know who you think should play the Republican VP Nominee, and we wanted to see how some of the lookalikes stacked up next to Vance himself. Vote below who you think should take on the role. Have another idea but don’t see them listed? Let us know in the comments who you want to see step into Vance’s shoes.
SCHOOL SHOOTER’S PARENT GUILTY OF INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER
A Michigan jury finds Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of a school shooter, guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter. It took just 10 hours for the jury to reach this verdict. It is the first time in US history a parent has been convicted for the shooting crimes of a child. Crumbley could be sentenced to as many as 15 years in prison.
Her son shot and killed 4 and wounded 6 others at Oxford HIgh School in 2021. He had exhibited worrying signs of violent inclinations, but his parents still bought him a gun and failed to tell the school about it while discussing his behavior (He’d drawn a graphic picture of a shooting.)
The prosecution said that his parents could have prevented the shooting by taking “just the smallest steps.” Defense attorneys blamed the shooter’s father, the school, and the shooter for the crime and warned that finding the mother guilty would make parents liable for all manner of actions by their kids.
The shooter’s father, is also charged with involuntary manslaughter and will stand trial separately.
Do you think parents of school shooters should face criminal charges? If so do you think this will help prevent other shootings or do you see it, instead, as purely about punishing the parents?
TRUMP CONVICTED
Donald Trump today became the first former US president to become a convicted felon. A New York jury found him guilty on all 34 felony charges for falsifying business records to covered up hush money payments before the 2020 election.
Sentencing will occur July 11, four days before he becomes the GOP nominee at the Republican National Convention. Trump could face a maximum of four years in prison and/or pay a steep fine.
After the trial, Trump called the trial “rigged” and a “disgrace” and said the “real verdict” will come on Election Day. He also alleged without evidence that the trial is a form of election interference.
Trump is expected to appeal the verdict.
This is a developing story check stories for more.
(This video is historic footage and was not taken today.)
#verdict
The Kansas City was the 48th mass shooting of 2024. (And it’s been only 6 weeks.)
Every time there’s another shooting you all ask why nothing changes and what can be done. Well here’s something you can do to drive change.
And get smart about P.L.A.C.C.A.
The switchboard on Capitol Hill is 202.224.3121
The account I mention with more info is @jasonkander .
NOTE: In general, as a journalist, I don’t push specific actions or positions on laws. This is one of my exceptions – because it would lead to changes that have HUGE bipartisan support. It is not a partisan issue.
What are your thoughts?
Do you know more about this topic- if you have expertise here please share in comments
MEXICO SET TO ELECT FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT
Both leading candidates in Mexico’s presidential race are women, meaning the country is poised to elect its first woman president this Sunday, June 2.
The current frontrunner is Claudia Sheinbaum, a former governor of Mexico City and a protégée of current President López Obrador. She is a scientist by training with a PhD in energy engineering and has written extensively on sustainable development and climate change. If elected, she would also be Mexico’s first Jewish president.
The other top contender, Xóchitl Gálvez, is a fierce critic of López Obrador. Gálvez is a senator and computer engineer who also previously directed the National Institute for Indigenous Peoples.
A third (male) candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, is also vying for the presidency but polling behind Sheinbaum and Gálvez.
Update: @nbcnews reports that one person has died, 3 people are in critical condition, 5 in serious condition and 1 has non-life-threatening injury. And, per @nbcnews , law enforcement currently believes the shooting was criminal and not linked to terrorism.
KANSAS CITY PARADE SHOOTING
The Kansas City Star reports that two armed people are in police custody after a shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade. Shots were fired near Union Station in downtown Kansas City, Missouri and CNN reports more than 10 people were struck. We don’t have the identity of the people shot. We will update here as more information is made public.
Law enforcement is asking people to clear the area.
According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Missouri has “appallingly weak gun laws and one of the country’s highest gun death rates.“
#chiefs #kelce #kansascity #missouri #kcchiefs
OUCH
New York judge Arthur F. Engoron Friday ordered Fmr President Donald Trump to pay $355 million for conspiring to manipulate his net worth. the case was brought by NY’s Attorney General.
The judge also banned Trump from any senior role at a NY company — including his own — for three years; Don Jr and Eric face a 2 year ban and $4 million fines each.
Trump is attacking the ruling and will appeal.
This follows an $83 million finding against Trump for the E Jean Carroll defamation case. And it calls into question whether any member of the Trump family can run the business.
Your thoughts – will he ever have to pay?
See our newsletter tonight for more.
DOJ SUES TO BREAK UP LIVE NATION
The Justice Department is filing an antitrust suit against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, for its alleged illegal monopoly practices. These practices came under national scrutiny in 2022 after the botched rollout of ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
The DOJ says Live Nation’s exclusive contracts with artists and venues are anticompetitive, stifling or acquiring potential competitor businesses and forcing clients to continue relationships with Live Nation and use Ticketmaster exclusively. The DOJ says this not only limits artists and venues, but also drives up prices for consumers and hurts the live entertainment industry as a whole. Live Nation denies its practices are illegal.
What do you think about this lawsuit? Have you used Ticketmaster? Do you think ticket prices are too damn high? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
GOP IMMIGRATION DRAMA
The Senate failed to pass its border deal today, 49-50. The bill needed 60 votes to pass, but GOP lawmakers killed the bill after former President Trump told them to.
A Texas Republican is calling out former President Trump’s hypocrisy on immigration.
Republicans insisted on negotiating a tough border deal in exchange for funding Ukraine and Israel. After months of tough negotiations, today the Senate GOP killed the bill at Trump’s behest. Trump, who is campaigning on his promise to stop the immigration crisis, says the border deal is unnecessary to solving the crisis because a president can “shut down” the border at will.
In this clip, Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy points out Trump’s hypocrisy on immigration — millions of immigrants entered the US during Trump’s term too. Though he spent his 2016 campaign promising to “build the wall” and keep out immigrants, he wasn’t able to magically “shut down” the border just by saying so.
Trump wants to keep the border a problem so he can campaign on it in the election year — but Biden is vowing to make GOP opposition to a bipartisan solution an issue, too.
TRUMP ATLANTA RALLY Today Trump held a rally in the same arena in Atlanta Georgia where @vp Kamala Harris appeared earlier in the week. The turnout for Trump was smaller – there were empty seats. He spent tons of time attacking the state’s Republican Governor Brian Kemo and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger who certified the 2020 election over Trump’s objections.
HEALTHY HABITS WITH @bellsantco
Are there habits you want to change? Finding it hard to get them to stick?
Me too.
This year I’m trying to develop healthier habits around the news.
Willpower alone hasn’t been working. I got some support from Dr. Wendy Wood. She’s President of the Association for Psychological Science and academic advisor to @bellsantco, a personal health advisory service. Watch the video for her three science-backed steps to change your habits and get them to stick.
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YOU CAN GET $100 OFF WHEN YOU DOWNLOAD THE BELLSANT APP AND USE PROMO CODE NNN100.
There’s a link in bio and in stories.
GOOGLE IS ILLEGAL MONOPOLY, FEDERAL COURT SAYS In a major antitrust ruling, a federal judge found Google acted illegally as a monopoly in online search and text advertising. The judge found Google’s practice of paying billions of dollars to Apple, Samsung, and other companies to make Google Search the default search engine in their web browsers and devices violates federal antitrust law. The judge has not yet issued guidance for what Google must do to remedy its monopolistic practices, and Google is expected to appeal. This ruling comes amid a string of high-profile antitrust cases the Biden administration has pursued against big tech companies. We will continue updating this story as it develops.
STATE GOV’TS FIGHT INFLATION PAINS
Feeling the pinch from inflation? Don’t just look to DC for answers. State and local governments can make policies that help.
Though the stock market has been smashing records lately, most Americans are still feeling the strain of inflation on their wallets. Though inflation is cooling, grocery prices are up nearly 21% since January 2021. Parents are especially struggling as child care costs balloon — a recent Fed survey found that families who pay for child care services pay a median of $800/month on these expenses.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spearheaded policies in his state to ease finances for parents — and seniors. Pennsylvania now 100% matches the federal child care tax credit, helping parents offset the cost of child care, which also makes it easier for parents to work and bring in more income.
And to combat the effects of rising rent prices on seniors – many of whom struggle to afford payments – PA also expanded a tax rebate for senior renters. This policy could help more seniors keep their homes instead of being priced out.
What do you think of these policies? Does your state have similar tax credits? Would you like to see programs like these implemented? Tell us what you think in the comments.
PUTIN CRITIC NAVALNY DEAD IN PRISON
Russian state media reports that Alexei Navalny, Putin’s most prominent political opponent, died in prison. But Putin critics around the globe are calling this an assassination.
Russian prison services said Navalny “felt unwell” after a walk on Friday “almost immediately losing consciousness” before a medical team failed to resuscitate. But video footage from Thursday shows him joking and smiling in a prison court, and his mother says she saw him earlier this week and described him as “alive, healthy, and cheerful.”
Navalny’s wife, Yulia Navalnaya, held a press conference and called on the world to fight the Putin regime: “This regime, and Vladimir Putin, should be personally held responsible for all the atrocities they have committed in our country.”
The UN Human Rights Office is calling for an independent investigation of Navalnh’s death.
Reacting to the news, VP Kamala Harris said, “Whatever story they tell, let us be clear: Russia is responsible.” And Sec. Blinken said Navalny’s death “underscores the weakness and rot at the heart of the system that Putin has built. Russia is responsible for this.”
🎥 via @cnn @camanpour
BIDEN ADDRESSES PRISONER SWAP The White House published a photo of freed American prisoners returning home. President Biden met with families of these Americans freed from imprisonment in Russia in a prisoner swap today. The released Americans are Evan Gershkovich, 32, a WSJ reporter detained for 16 months; Paul Whelan, 54, a former US Marine detained since 2018; Alsu Kurmasheva, 47, a Russian American editor for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty detained in 2023; and permanent resident Vladimir Kara-Murza, 42, a journalist and dissident arrested in 2022. The WSJ reports that after Biden made the decision to withdraw from the presidential race, he took steps to finalize this deal in the hours before his announcement. It was a choice to ensure their return before declaring his political fate. Biden said that “their brutal ordeal is over, and they’re free.” He also noted 70 Americans who have been unjustly detained were released during his presidency. He said he spoke with the newly released Americans and wished them a “happy almost-home.” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called the operation “one of the largest and certainly one of the most complex exchanges in history” and said he didn’t think it would have happened “if you had not had Joe Biden sitting in the Oval Office.”
CHIEFS QB ON KC SHOOTING
@chiefs quarterback @patrickmahomes was at the Super Bowl victory parade when the Kansas City shooting took place nearby. He shared this message on X.
What are your thoughts after hearing about the shooting at the Chiefs’ parade?
#chiefs #kcchiefs #mahomes #kansascity #missouri
UPDATE: The DOJ special counsel has now delivered his report to Congress and details have started to leak. Among them: the Special Counsel found that Biden “willfully” retained documents, including some that were in his own handwriting, and shared them with his ghostwriter. The special counsel is not charging Biden or his aides and says this decision would have been the same even if the DOJ did not bar criminal charges against sitting presidents. The special counsel said that if charges were brought, Biden “would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
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NO CHARGES IN BIDEN DOCS PROBE
The special counsel investigating President Biden’s handling of classified documents while VP has finished his report, according to AG Garland, and the conclusions will be released in the coming days. Reportedly it contains no criminal charges for the President or his aides.
Why isn’t Biden being charged for mishandling classified docs while Trump is charged for this? We don’t know all the details, but Biden allegedly mishandled about 20 documents and has cooperated with the investigation. Trump, on the other hand, allegedly mishandled around 300 documents and prosecutors say he and his lawyers deliberately misled investigators to conceal the documents.
In tonight’s newsletter –
First @meta destroyed the business model for newspapers, magazines and other news outlets. Now, @instagram is breaking up with the news. So where does that leave users who’ve come to rely on social platforms for their news information in an election year?
Also, Biden weighs in on Israel’s plans for Rafah.
Trump asks the Supreme Court to weigh in on immunity.
And how much Taylor-Travis is too much?
See tonight’s newsletter! Link in bio and in stories.
In tonight’s newsletter –
First @meta destroyed the business model for newspapers, magazines and other news outlets. Now, @instagram is breaking up with the news. So where does that leave users who’ve come to rely on social platforms for their news information in an election year?
Also, Biden weighs in on Israel’s plans for Rafah.
Trump asks the Supreme Court to weigh in on immunity.
And how much Taylor-Travis is too much?
See tonight’s newsletter! Link in bio and in stories.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PUPPY BOWL
The Puppy Bowl, America’s cutest alternative TV programming on Super Bowl Sunday, celebrated its twentieth anniversary in style. For those who don’t know, the Puppy Bowl is a simple, yet endlessly entertaining, game to follow: dozens of rescue puppies from around the country play on a mini-football field (carpet), winning points any time a puppy carries a chew toy into either end zone. This year organizers promised the “most puppiest Puppy Bowl ever” and they delivered.
After a nail-biting competition, Team Ruff beat out Team Fluff 72-69 in a last minute victory. MVP Moosh scored Team Ruff numerous goals, while official underdog Harvey napped the game away. And the all-kitten halftime show featured star Purr-sher. (See what they did there?) Here are some of the highlights from Puppy Bowl XX.
NCAA SETTLES; HUGE WIN FOR STUDENT ATHLETE COMPENSATION
The NCAA and 5 large athletic conferences reached a landmark $2.8 Billion dollar settlement of a class-action lawsuit, creating a seismic shift in the world of college sports.
Under the settlement terms, schools will be allowed to pay some student athletes directly for the first time. Division I schools will be able to distribute roughly $20 million/year among their athletes. This money is about 22% of the annual athletics department revenue of schools in major athletic conferences.
The NCAA, ACC, Big Ten, PAC-12, Big 12, and SEC all agreed to the settlement that will also compensate former student athletes for billions in damages over a 10-year period.
The deal still has more steps to go through and isn’t expected to take effect until the 2025-26 academic year at the earliest.
What do you think of this settlement? How should schools determine which athletes to pay and how much to pay them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
