Feminist Weekly August 06
News clippings and #FeministWins curated by Contributing News Editor Annie Wu Henry, The Recount, and Good Good Good Co. From feel good news to headliners keeping you on the pulse. Here is the round up for the week!
Dozens were killed after heavy rains hit India.
Death toll from Turkey wildfires rises to 8 — The death toll from wildfires on Turkey's southern coast rose to eight on Sunday as firefighters battled for a fifth day to contain blazes still raging in coastal resort towns. Two more people died on Sunday due to wildfires in the southern town of Manavgat, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, adding that 10 others were receiving treatment in hospital in the area. Most of more than 100 blazes that erupted in Turkey in the last five days have been contained, authorities said. However, fires were still blazing in Manavgat and in Marmaris and the inland town of Milas, Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said, prompting the evacuation of some residential areas and hotels. (Via Reuters)
Biden announces formal end of U.S. combat mission in Iraq — President Biden on Monday announced the formal end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq "by the end of the year." Biden met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in the Oval Office, and said that American troops would shift their focus to training and assisting Iraq forces fighting the Islamic State. "Our shared fight against ISIS is critical for the stability of our region and our counterterrorism cooperation will continue, even as we shift to this new phase we're going to be talking about," Biden said. Iraq's U.S. ambassador, Fareed Yasseen, told ABC News last week that Iraq's military would continue to request U.S. assistance as needed for intelligence, surveillance, and other purposes. Several U.S. officials said that the 2,500 U.S. troops still in Iraq already were largely concentrating on assisting their Iraqi counterparts. (Via ABC News)
Mississippi asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade — On Thursday, July 23, Mississippi filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to sweep aside the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and uphold the state's new restrictions on abortion access. The Roe decision ruled that the Constitution protects a woman's right to obtain an abortion however Mississippi's Republican attorney general, Lynn Fitch, said in the filing that Roe and the subsequent 1992 endorsement of abortion rights in Planned Parenthood v. Casey were "unprincipled decisions that have damaged the democratic process" and "poisoned our national discourse." Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said Mississippi was employing an "extreme and regressive strategy" to outlaw abortion nationwide. The court, with a newly strengthened 6-3 conservative majority, will hear arguments this fall. (Via The Washington Post)
Cori Bush Capitol Protest Wins Eviction Moratorium Extension—In the U.S. the pandemic-related federal ban on evictions expired July 31. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) slept outside the Capitol for five days to convince Congress to return, while protesters gathered outside Pelosi's San Francisco home and taped a fake eviction notice to her door. Bush was also joined by Representatives lhan Omar (D-MN) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) for the campout and Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) were also present at the DC Protest. Per Reuters, more than 15 million people in 6.5 million U.S. households are behind on rental payments. By the fifth day, the Biden administration had reversed course and issued a new moratorium covering most of the country until Oct. 3. (Via Reuters)
ICYMI
2021 set to become deadliest year on record for trans Americans — At this time last year, there were 13 known killings of trans people according to the Human Rights Campaign. 2020 was the most violent year on record since HRC began tracking these crimes in 2013 with a total of 44 fatalities. However, so far in 2021, at least 31 transgender or gender non-conforming people have been fatally shot or killed by other violent means. If this current pace continues, 2021 will be on track to significantly beat last year's all-time record . More trans people have been killed so far this year than in all of 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. LGBTQ+ advocates say the record number of bills targeting trans children this year has encouraged more widespread transphobia and violence across the country. (Via Axios)
Heavy rain in India triggers floods, landslides; at least 125 dead—Heavy rains unexpectedly hit the western Indian state of Maharashtra earlier this week, causing landslides, flooding, and a building collapse. Search and rescue teams have been looking through mud and debris and the state government said Saturday that at least 76 people have been killed since Thursday. The rescue operation, was slowed by high water levels and landslides blocking roads and the water levels in some areas is nearly 20 feet high. The rescue operations are being carried out by the Indian army, navy, and air force. (Via Al Jazeera)
President Biden and U.S. Senators came to a bipartisan infrastructure deal — President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators announced their agreement on the details of a once-in-a-generation investment in our infrastructure. The Senate needs to vote on amendments to the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, and a senator’s objections to its swift approval could hold it up for days. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hopes to pass both the infrastructure plan and start the process of passing a separate Democratic spending plan before the chamber leaves for its recess next week. Both massive bills could then take a while to get to Biden’s desk. The House is not scheduled to return to Washington until Sept. 20. (Via CNBC)
1/6 Officers Speak Their Truth — And Get Mocked For It Four officers relived their trauma from January 6th so the country could understand what they experienced that day — the beating, the tasing, the racist slurs. Tucker Carlson scoffed. Laura Ingraham gave out mock “best performance” awards. And Trump supporters left vulgar voicemails. In his closing testimony, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn had a question for Republicans: Why is telling the truth hard? (Via The Recount)
Universal Basic Income Goes Mainstream — In 1219 the city of Stockton, CA, spearheaded one of the nation’s largest basic income programs: 125 residents were given $500 a month for two years — no strings attached. Now, California just approved the first state-funded UBI program. It will allocate $35 million to local governments to distribute among their constituents, with a focus on expecting mothers and young adults who left the foster system. (Via The Recount)
Delta, Disinformation, and the GOP Dance — As the Delta variant rips through Trump country, some Republicans and Fox News hosts have gotten praise for their newfound urging of vaccinations. Take Alabama’s Republican governor, Kay Ivey, for example. Her state has the lowest full vaccination rate in the country. She signed a ban on vaccine passports back in May. And now, as COVID surges in Alabama, Ivey is at a loss for what to do, deciding instead to shift blame onto the unvaccinated. It begs the question: Do she and other Republican leaders have anyone to blame but themselves? (Via The Recount)
Myanmar junta chief promises elections by 2023 — Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military junta, gave a televised address Sunday in which he promised multi-party elections by August 2023. After the military staged a coup and deposed Myanmar's elected government in February, the junta said the state of emergency would last for one year. Now, that's up to two and a half years. Even if Min Aung Hlaing sticks to the plan, there are serious doubts that a 2023 election would be seen as free or fair, Al Jazeera reports. Since the power grab, protesters have continuously taken to the streets, though the demonstrations have recently taken on a more limited form following the junta's crackdown. More than 900 people have been killed opposing the takeover. (Via The Guardian)
ON THE PANDEMIC FRONT…
The Delta Variant is on the rise — get vaccinated. — The Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is surging in the United States. New data show Delta is different than past versions of the virus; it is much more contagious. While rare, some vaccinated people can get Delta in a breakthrough infection and may be contagious. Estimates show the #DeltaVariant caused over 80% of recent #COVID19 cases in the United States. If you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, your risk of infection is lower, but some people can still spread the Delta variant. When “breakthrough cases” of #COVID19 do occur in vaccinated people, nearly all are avoiding serious illness, hospitalization, or death. Unvaccinated people: get vaccinated and wear a mask until you do. Everyone in areas of substantial or high transmission should wear a mask, even if they are vaccinated. Protect yourself against Delta & other variants by getting vaccinated. (Via Centers for Disease Control)
69% of U.S. adults have now recieved at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. — Good news for vaccinations! According to the latest data from the CDC, 69% of adults in the U.S. have now received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine — and 60% are fully vaccinated. And the percent is even higher among older adults, with 89.5% of those 65 and older receiving at least one dose, and 79.8% fully vaccinated. In total, for those 12 years and older, 163 million have officially received at least one vaccine dose — or 56.8% of the population. We're so close to reaching that 70% milestone for vaccinated adults, and with cases rising due to the Delta variant in parts of the country — continuing to advocate for and help our neighbors (close by and around the world!) get vaccinated is so important. And of course, the higher the percentage, the better to protect younger children and those who cannot be vaccinated. (Via Good Good Good)
Biden administration recognizes long COVID as a disability. — The Biden administration announced Monday that it was issuing a guidance that would recognize long COVID-19 as a disability under civil rights law. Long COVID-19 leaves people with coronavirus symptoms for extended periods after the virus has been cleared from their systems and some "long-haul" COVID-19 patients suffer from fatigue, chronic pain, and other symptoms. The recognition of the condition as a disability would ensure these patients accommodations in workplace, school, and health-care settings. On the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Biden spoke at the White House Rose Garden and said, "We're bringing agencies together to make sure Americans with long COVID who have a disability have access to the rights and resources that are due under the disability law." (Via Politico)
Pfizer, Moderna to test vaccine effects on more children. — At the request of federal regulators, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will be expanding clinical trials on their coronavirus vaccines to include several thousand children ages 5 to 11. This change is intended to help determine whether a rare heart inflammation seen in a small number of vaccinated young adults also affects kids. The Food and Drug Administration asked the drugmakers to expand their studies to provide more information before they submit applications for emergency approval for the vaccines to be administered to children in the age group. The FDA reportedly told the companies that the scope of their trials was not broad enough to detect such rare side effects. The addition of 3,000 children to each trial reportedly will roughly double their size. (Via New York Times)
This week in Culture
The GDP is back at pre-pandemic levels.
The U.S. economy has now officially made up the losses of the last 18 months and surpassed its pre-pandemic peak. This is the fastest economic growth in the first half of a year in nearly 40 years. The U.S. economy grew rapidly in the spring and repaired most of the damage caused by the pandemic thanks to widespread coronavirus vaccinations and a nearly full reopening of the economy. Gross domestic product, the official scorecard for the economy, expanded at a 6.5% annual pace in the second quarter. The size of the economy now exceeds pre-pandemic levels after a short but deep recession last year. (Via Market Watch)
Teacher Pedro Castillo sworn in as Peru's president.
Pedro Castillo became Peru's new president on Wednesday, promising to govern the South American nation "with the people and for the people." Castillo is a former rural schoolteacher and during the ceremony, the leftist leader vowed broad changes to fight corruption and monopolies, and to increase spending on education and health. He also said that Spain's colonization of the country created a "caste system" that divided Peruvians and he wouldn't govern from the presidential palace, known as the "House of Pizarro" after the leader of the Spanish conquest of Peru, Francisco Pizarro. "This country is founded on the sweat of my ancestors. The story of this silenced Peru is also my story," he said. (Via The Guardian)
The House passed a bill that would increase visas for Afghan interpreters.
The House overwhelmingly approved a bill seeking to expand a visa program to assist Afghans who worked with American troops and could possibly face retribution from the Taliban for it as the U.S. withdraws. In a 407-16 vote, The House voted to increase the number of special immigrant visas for Afghans from 11,000 to 19,000. If fully passed, the legislation would make a wider group of people eligible for the visas and increase the protections of eligibility for surviving spouses and children if an applicant dies. "Many of us have expressed grave concerns about the challenges our allies face in navigating the application process," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chair of the Administration Committee. "Afghans stepped forward to serve aside our brave military" and deserve U.S. support now. (Via New York Times)
#FeministWins
Coral coverage in Australia's Great Barrier Reef increased by as much as 39% in 2021.
According to the latest report from the Australian Government's Great Barrier Marine Park Authority, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), and CSIRO, coral coverage in the country's Great Barrier Reef increased by as much as 39% in the summer of 2020-2021. In the northern part of the reef coverage increased by 27%, in the central part of the reef coverage increased by 26%, and in the southern part coverage increased by 39%. Summer in Australia falls between the months of December to February, and is a critical time for reefs to recover from winter and weather events. According to the report, "Summer 2020-21 was a relatively good year for the Reef’s corals. No major cyclone or prolonged high sea temperature disturbance events occurred. Many reefs will have been able to continue their recovery from past impacts." (Via Good Good Good)
Greenland has officially stopped all new oil and gas exploration to fight climate change.
Greenland announced it would suspend all new oil and gas exploration to fight climate change and focus on sustainable energy development. Greenland's government, Naalakkersuisut, said it will no longer issue new licenses for oil and gas exploration. This is hugely significant because Greenland is thought to have a large amount of undiscovered oil deposits. Estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey say it could hold more than 17 billion barrels of oil. Despite this, the government said that the country has stopped future exploration because the “price of oil extraction is too high.” “Naalakkersuisut takes climate change seriously. We can see the consequences in our country every day, and we are ready to contribute to global solutions to counter climate change,” said Kalistat Lund, Minister for Agriculture, Self-sufficiency, Energy, and Environment, in the announcement. “The decision to stop new exploration for oil will contribute to place Greenland as the country where sustainable investments are taken seriously,” Lund added. (Via Good Good Good)
Thousands of new clean energy projects are expected to create 10 million jobs globally.
From offshore wind farms in Britain to floating solar power plants in Vietnam, about 13,000 proposed renewable energy projects in nearly 50 countries are waiting for finance — and they could create up to 10 million green jobs, according to researchers from consultancy EY-Parthenon. In a recent report, EY said the projects offered $2 trillion in investment opportunities that would generate jobs locally and in supply chains, and would help slash climate-heating emissions and secure a green recovery from the pandemic. Serge Colle, EY's global energy advisor, said the research showed there was "huge potential to accelerate private-sector renewables investment" with the right government policies and regulation around the world. The biggest potential benefits for workers are in China and the United States, where the projects could create about 2 million and 1.8 million jobs respectively. And the projects will contribute significantly to emissions reductions targets countries around the world have promised in this decade. (Via Good Good Good)
New technology will soon make wind turbine blades fully recyclable.
A coalition of industry and academic leaders has developed a new technology to ensure the material used to make wind turbine blades is fully recyclable. The new technology overcomes the final hurdle on the journey towards a fully recyclable wind turbine. Within three years, the initiative, called Circular Economy for Thermosets Epoxy Composites, aims to present a fully scoped solution ready for industrial adoption, based on commercialization of the new technology. The new technology consists of a two-step process: Firstly, composites are disassembled into fiber and epoxy. Secondly, through a novel chem-cycling process, the epoxy is further broken up into base components similar to virgin materials. These materials can then be reintroduced into the manufacturing of new turbine blades — offering a new circular pathway for epoxy resin. Currently, wind turbines are 85-90% recyclable, with the turbine blade material constituting the remaining percentage that cannot be recycled because of the nature of thermoset composites. But this initiative aims to close this recycling gap and enable a significant step forward in the elimination of waste across the wind energy industry. When fully developed, the solution may also have an impact for other industries that rely on thermoset composite in production, such as automotive and aviation. (Via Good Good Good)
Annie Wu Henry is a journalist, social media expert and politics + pop culture junkie. On the cusp of being a gen-z and millennial she understands the power and privilege that social media holds and chooses to use her platform to utilize these tools for good. Through sharing news in digestible, entertaining and easy to understand content, Annie seeks to promote the message that anyone can be an activist and make an impact. She believes people are important and thrives on building meaningful connections with others through sharing our stories and perspectives. As a proud adopted Asian-American, her work focuses on equality, mental health, intersectionality and education.
