WaPo: “Despite long advocating small government and local control, Republican governors and legislators across a significant swath of the country are increasingly overriding the actions of Democratic cities — removing elected district attorneys or threatening to strip them of power, taking over election offices and otherwise limiting local independence. State lawmakers proposed nearly 700 bills…
“Rosalynn Carter’s final journey highlights the touchstones of her life”
WaPo: “Carter, who was 96 when she died Nov. 19, is being remembered with three days of tributes for the work she did alongside her husband. She was seen as an equal partner, first for the one term of Jimmy Carter’s presidency and then for decades after as an advocate for mental health, caregiving and other issues…
Taking Stock of MS’s Disappointing Election
The Liberal Patriot: “Tuesday, November 7 was a bad day for Mississippi. Incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves rolled Democrat Brandon Presley 50.9 to 47.7 percent. This result smarts. Presley is a genuine policy entrepreneur with a down-home demeanor. Reeves, per Republican sources, is droll and unpleasant. Mississippi’s gubernatorial race pitted one of the nation’s most unpopular…
“Federal appeals court ruling threatens enforcement of the Voting Rights Act”
Politico: “A federal appeals court issued a ruling Monday that could gut the Voting Rights Act, saying only the federal government — not private citizens or civil rights groups — is allowed to sue under a key section of the landmark civil rights law. The decision out of the 8th Circuit will almost certainly be…
“Oil Spill Pours Into the Gulf of Mexico”
Futurism: “A major oil spill off the coast of Louisiana has poured more than a million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, alarming local authorities and wildlife conservationists. As the Washington Post reports, officials traced the spill back to near a pipeline operated by oil company Main Pass Oil Gathering, but it’s still unclear if…
“Tennessee Town Banned Homosexuality”
Political Wire: “For five months this year, homosexuality was prohibited in a Tennessee college town,” The Guardian reports. “In June, the city council of Murfreesboro enacted an ordinance outlawing “indecent exposure, public indecency, lewd behavior, nudity or sexual conduct”. The rule did not explicitly mention homosexuality, but LGBTQ+ people in the town quickly realized that the ordinance…
“NC computerized prison mail system is both cruel and a rip-off”
NC Newsline: “I’ve been doing life in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) for almost 22 years. In 2021, the NCDAC made my life worse by contracting TextBehind to remotely scan and print our mail, supposedly to thwart synthetic drug smuggling, although it is widely accepted that prison employees are the main source…
“‘The Cost of Cheapness’ filmmakers capture Walmart’s imprint on Arkansas and beyond”
AR Times: “Northwest Arkansas is my home as well, and we compared our distinct critiques and discomforts about the world’s largest retailer and the role it played in shaping the worlds we live in. Bart’s writing on Walmart shows a company whose founder, Sam Walton, played up and played in the natural environment of the…
“Rosalynn Carter, first lady who championed mental health, dies at 96”
WaPo: “Rosalynn Carter, a close political and policy adviser to her husband, President Jimmy Carter, who created the modern Office of the First Lady and advocated for better treatment of the mentally ill during her years in the White House and for four decades afterward, died Nov. 19 at her home in Plains, Ga. She was…
“Georgia man faces federal charges for allegedly threatening GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her staff”
Fox News: “A Dekalb County, Georgia man faces federal charges after allegedly threatening to murder Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and her staff last week. The Department of Justice said 34-year-old Sean Patrick Cirillo made his initial appearance in federal court on Monday, on charges related to transmitting interstate threats against Greene and her staff. “Cirillo’s alleged threats to…