NEWS you may have missed! (and Award Winning Maine Photos)

There's good news and not-so-good news, and well, there are idiots. It's a regular day! Here's some news you may have missed...and Thanks to Downeast Magazine, I've included some of their award-winning Maine photos !

GOOD NEWS! - US weekly jobless claims drop to 187,000; figure from last week is the lowest since September 2022

PANAMA CANAL SERIOUS DROUGHT Panama Canal officials announced Wednesday they would reduce the daily number of vessels allowed to transit the shipping passage to 24, down from the average of 36 this time last year, amid severe drought conditions. Estimated losses from the cutbacks are expected to cost Panama nearly $700M this year and have domino effects on global shipping.

Finally!! - TRUMP CONCEDES FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT HIS ACTIONS MAY HAVE BEEN ILLEGAL In an all-caps, 2 a.m. social media rant about the Jan. 6 case, Donald Trump said he deserved total immunity even for things that "CROSS THE LINE." Lawyers say it's not exactly an admission of guilt, although: “Hard to understand the rantings of a lunatic, but maybe,” said one prominent defense lawyer. [HuffPost]

MORE GOOD NEWS! US average 30-year fixed mortgage rate drops to 6.6% per Freddie Mac’s weekly reading, lowest level since May 2023

PHOTO:  DOWNEAST MAGAZINE: Reader's Choice photos from Downeast Magazine, Maine: Wildlife #2: Moose near Moosehead Lake

**Idiot of the week - Why would pardoning this criminal HEAL anyone? It would send a message that vindicitive, hateful, selfish criminals are okay to do what they do. * -   NIKKI HALEY: PARDONING A CONVICTED TRUMP WOULD BE 'HEALING' FOR COUNTRY  -  Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said at a CNN town hall that she wouldn't preemptively pardon Trump should she become president. She said, "Everything needs to play out," with the multitude of legal cases against him before she would.

PHOTO:  DOWNEAST MAGAZINE PHOTO Readers’ Choice Landscape, Kody Theriault | Liberty, Maine Taken in Bristol, Maine. Lupine season is always a treat on the midcoast. While my husband and I were waiting for the sun to set over Bristol, we made a quick detour to Round Pond. The town has a small nature preserve aptly named Lupine Field. The field is gorgeous and filled with not only lupines, but also other wildflowers that fill the shore with color.)

REPUBLICANS DIVIDED ON WHETHER TRUMP CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR CRIMES Senate Republicans appeared to be divided on whether a president should have full immunity from prosecution, as Trump has argued. “What if the ex-president commits murder — then he can’t be charged?” asked Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). “That seems weird, right? That seems problematic.”

**Way to live in peace with others, NOT. Another idiot. *** NETANYAHU: NO PALESTINIAN STATE IN ANY SCENARIO Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of any postwar scenario. The U.S. has said it should be part of "the day after.

PHOTO:   (DOWNEAST MAGAZINE: Readers’ Choice Wildlife Chris L’Abbé | Topsham, Maine. Photo Taken in Brunswick, ME It’s much easier to spot owls when the leaves are off the trees, and this past winter, I often found barred owls hunting. One evening, I spied this fluffy little owl walking up a roof, and I watched for at least half an hour as it sort of marched along, flew around, and hunted. In fact, I found its movement pretty comical, and I laughed out loud. Looking back at this photo, I’m excited to hopefully see the owls again this winter.)

News you may have Missed today!

Here's some news you may have Missed today!

BREAKING NEWS: (Why aren't they recommending Jail time?): Trump attorney Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case  

(  10:11 AM EDT, Thu October 19, 2023)    Former Donald Trump attorney Sidney Powell has pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case, one day before her trial was set to start.Fulton County prosecutors are recommending a sentence of six years probation. Powell will also be required to testify at future trials and write an apology letter to the citizens of Georgia.As part of her guilty plea, Powell is admitting her role in the January 2021 breach of election systems in rural Coffee County, Georgia. With the help of local GOP officials, a group of Trump supporters accessed and copied information from the county’s election systems in hopes of somehow proving that the election was rigged against Trump. STORY: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/19/politics/sidney-powell-fulton-county-georgia-2020-election-subversion/index.html

TRUMP SHARES LINK REVEALING LETITIA JAMES' ADDRESS WHILE RAGING AGAINST HER

Former President Donald Trump on Monday shared a link listing the home address of New York Attorney General Letitia James while accusing her of committing a “miscarriage of justice.” This might pose a problem for someone under a gag order.

A surge in wealth has boosted most US households since 2020 

Assoc. Press: The net worth of the typical U.S. household grew at the fastest pace in more than three decades from 2020 through 2022, while relatively low interest rates at that time made it easier for households to pay their debts, according to a government report Wednesday. Why this matters:The jump in wealth - 37% for median households - occurred even as the brief but brutal pandemic cost 20 million Americans their jobs in 2020. While about $5 trillion worth of government relief aid helped spur a rapid recovery that regained lost jobs, the additional spending is believed to have helped fuel the worst bout of inflation in four decades.

3 GOOD NEWS STORIES IN  ELECTION FIGHTS

1)   1)  Racial Gerrymander Challenge Cleared For Georgia Trial

Georgia officials lost their bid to claim victory in a pair of suits alleging recent Peach State voting maps are racially gerrymandered, and a panel of federal judges have told opposing sides in the challenge to prepare for a trial.

2) Chesebro, Powell Lose Bid To Cut Charges Days Before Trial

The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen others on Tuesday said he would not dismiss charges against two defendants whose speedy trials are set to begin Friday.

3) 3)    Right-Wing Influencer Gets 7 Mos. For Vote-By-Text Scam

A onetime social media influencer who worked to convince Democrats in November 2016 they could cast votes by text message was sentenced Wednesday to seven months behind bars for what a Brooklyn federal judge called "nothing short of an assault on our democracy."

 ************************* 

NETFLIX IS HIKING ITS PRICES AGAIN.

The streaming giant said in its third-quarter earnings report that its premium ad-free plan in the United States will increase by $3 per month, to $22.99, starting Wednesday. Its one-stream basic plan will rise to $11.99 in the United States. All other plans, including its entry-level, $6.99-a-month ad-supported tier, will remain at the same monthly cost.

THREATS, INTIMIDATION BACKFIRE ON JIM JORDAN SPEAKER BID

An outside pressure campaign by conservative media and supporters of Rep. Jim Jordan's speaker bid appeared to backfire this week as the Ohio Republican has now failed twice to get the votes needed for speaker. An authoritarianism expert issued a bleak warning over the chilling death threats some House Republicans have received for not backing Jordan. Yet another vote is scheduled for today.  

DERIDED AS FEEBLE, BIDEN HAS NOW VISITED 2 ACTIVE WAR ZONES Mocked as old and bumbling by Republicans, Biden has now visited two active war zones in eight months — two more than all the previous presidents combined. Analysts weigh in on how people might perceive this.  

CITY AI CONNECT, FOR CITY LEADERS TO TEST AND DEVELOP AI TOOLS.

How it works: AI tools could track traffic patterns and help find solutions for congestion, for example.

• Chatbots can expand language access.
• One of the biggest benefits could come through faster paperwork processing, which the private sector is beginning to use. Cities could benefit from AI helping speed up applications for driver's licenses or qualifying for housing vouchers.

 

THEY PAY THESE RIGHT WING BROADCASTERS WAY TOO MUCH –Fox News' Bret Baier is asking $31.9 million for his recently built Foxhall home, a price tag that would be a city record if it sells. It took three years to build the five-bedroom house on a 1.5-acre lot. The Baiers moved in around last April, but bought a Palm Beach home to where they're relocating. (Wall Street Journal)

News You May Have Missed: 5 Good Things, 3 Idiots

In case you missed these news stories today, there are 5 BIG pieces of Good news today... and 3 idiots... Focus on the good!  

THE GOOD NEWS

1. GOP GEORGIA GOV REBUFFS CALLS TO PUNISH OR REMOVE FULTON COUNTY D.A. - Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) shot down demands that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis be censured or removed her from her position, saying the process some members of his party are calling for could be unconstitutional. "We are going to follow the law and the Constitution regardless of who it helps or harms politically," he said.   
2. BIDEN ADMIN. PROPOSES MAJOR EXPANSION OF GUN SALE BACKGROUND CHECKS - A proposed regulation announced by the Biden administration would require thousands of gun sellers to register with the federal government and conduct background checks of their customers
3.  TRUMP'S GEORGIA TRIAL WILL BE LIVESTREAMED, JUDGE SAYS  
   All court proceedings related to Trump’s election interference case in Georgia will be livestreamed and available for broadcast, a judge ruled. These could be the only proceedings out of his four indictments this year to be seen by the public in real time. Trump on Thursday pleaded not guilty to the Georgia charges and waived his formal arraignment.  
4. PROUD BOYS JOE BIGGS, ZACHARY REHL SENTENCED FOR JAN. 6 PLOT    Two leaders of the Proud Boys street gang, Joe Biggs and Zachary Rehl, were each sentenced Thursday to more than a decade in prison for their role in the planning and execution of the violent plot to overturn the 2020 election in favor of Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.  
5. JUDGE TEMPORARILY HALTS TEXAS BILL THAT WOULD RESTRICT DRAG PERFORMANCES A federal judge in Texas issued a temporary injunction blocking a bill that could effectively ban drag performances in the state just a day before it was scheduled to take effect. Senate Bill 12 signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in June restricts “sexually oriented performances” on public property or in the presence of minors.  
   

 and then there are the idiots. Alabama Legislators  are hateful idiots who are 100% against women. Any woman who lives there and votes for a Republican should be ashamed 

 ALABAMA TARGETS OUT-OF-STATE ABORTIONS   - Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) argued he has the right to prosecute people who provide and facilitate travel for out-of-state abortion access on "criminal conspiracy charges" in a new court filing. “An elective abortion performed in Alabama would be a criminal offense; thus, a conspiracy formed in the State to have that same act performed outside the State is illegal,” he said.  

Gosh, he is just incredibly stupid... 

Trump has said he never felt his financial statements “would be taken very seriously,” and that people who did business with him were given ample warning not to trust them. Trump described the statements as “a fairly good compilation of properties” rather than a true representation of their value, insisting it didn’t matter legally if they were accurate or not, because they came with a disclaimer.

This idiot needs to RESIGN from the Supreme Court now -  

LUXURY JET JUSTICE: CLARENCE THOMAS DISCLOSES PRIVATE TRIPS PAID BY BILLIONAIRE FRIEND 

Embattled Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas revealed in an annual financial disclosure form that he took three trips in 2022 on Republican megadonor Harlan Crow’s private plane. Thomas argued that he had to fly private out of concern for his personal security amid the decimation of Roe v. Wade. 

News You May Have Missed

 It's time again for News you May Have Missed. In today's round up you'll read about water issues,  Ancient Amazon settlements, The My Pillow Guy slammed,  Gun Control refusals by the GOP,  390-million-year-old fish-like fossil with limbs, Ellen Degeneres, Scotland and Gay Marriage, and Mr. T admitting his support to "Hang Mike Pence." It's all here and more today. 

CALIFORNIANS COULD SEE MANDATORY WATER CUTS DUE TO EXTREME DROUGHT 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to impose mandatory water restrictions if residents don’t use less on their own as a drought drags on and the hotter summer months approach

ANOTHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MASSACRE NOT ENOUGH FOR GOP TO RECONSIDER GUN CONTROL 

The second-deadliest mass shooting at an elementary school wasn’t enough to shock GOP lawmakers into dropping their objections to gun control. “We’ve had guns forever and we’re gonna continue to have guns,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told reporters. The Senate likely won’t immediately take up gun legislation, said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and the scheduled two-week recess will go ahead. Meanwhile, gun-friendly Republicans, including Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz, are sticking with plans to speak at an NRA convention in Houston Friday. 

Finally!  Church of Scotland to allow same-sex marriages!  - The Church of Scotland has voted to allow clergy to conduct same-sex marriages for the first time. 

HAHAHHAHAHAHAA-MyPillow CEO Sanctioned For Claims In Voting Machines Case

A D.C. federal judge has sanctioned MyPillow founder Mike Lindell and dismissed his claims against Dominion and Smartmatic, the voting technology companies who are suing Lindell for defamation after he said on television that they had contributed to election fraud.

> Josh Duggar, star of TLC's reality show "19 Kids and Counting," sentenced to 12.5 years in prison on child pornography charges (More)

 

> "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" final episode aired yesterdayafter 19 seasons and more than 3,200 episodes  

> Aerial laser mapping reveals the remains of pre-Hispanic settlements in the Amazon basin; evidence resolves debate over whether the region could support ancient large-scale communities (More)

 

> High-resolution X-ray scans suggest a 390-million-year-old fish-like fossil was one of the earliest ancestors of four-limbed animals; specimen was discovered in 1890 but could not be placed in the evolutionary tree

 

> Study links type 2 diabetes with accelerated brain aging; patients with progressive forms of the disease saw a 26% quicker decline on average 

TRUMP EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR JAN. 6 'HANG MIKE PENCE' CHANT Trump expressed approval of rioters chanting “hang Mike Pence,” witnesses told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Trump has said that his vice president, as president of the Senate, should have refused to certify the electoral votes. 

 

Texas Judges, Not Agency, Can Decide Surface Water Fights

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that disagreements over who owns surface water rights fall under the purview of the state's judicial branch, reversing two lower court rulings that held that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality should handle such disputes.

Idiots-  THE MOST EXTREME ABORTION BAN IN THE COUNTRY WAS JUST SIGNED INTO LAW Oklahoma is now the state with the most restrictive abortion legislation in the country, after Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed a total abortion ban, effectively outlawing the procedure at fertilization

Southern Baptist Convention vilified sex abuse survivors - report - Leaders of the world's largest Baptist denomination covered up sex abuse by clergy for years and vilified survivors, an internal report says. The seven-month investigation found that survivors had come forward over two decades about abusers within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).  But their pleas for intervention were met with "resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility" by officials.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Trump Pays $110K To NY AG For Not Complying In Biz Probe

Former President Donald Trump has paid a $110,000 fine for his failure to comply with the New York attorney general's probe into his business practices and filed affidavits ahead of a Friday deadline to keep a court's contempt order lifted.

Doesn't he have enough money? - RAPPER LIL MEECH STOLE LUXURIOUS RICHARD MILLE WATCHES, COPS SAY. HE’S NOW CHARGED IN MIAMI -  Lil Meech, an actor and rapper who gained fame under the tutelage of Hip Hop megastar 50 Cent, was arrested last weekend for his part in a convoluted scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of watches, police said.

News You May Have Missed: Scotland Photos, Anti-Lynch Bill now Law/Air Force Helps LGBTQ kids; and more

Every day we're barraged with news. Today's blog is some News You May Have Missed: Scotland Photos, Anti-Lynch Bill now Law/Air Force Helps LGBTQ kids; and more FOR NEWS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

(Scotland Image:  Alan McLean's photo of Eilean Donan Castle lit up in the colours of the Ukraine flag. Credit: BBC News) 

**Good news** > President Joe Biden signs Emmett Till anti-lynching bill into law, designating such killings as a federal hate crime

EZRA MILLER, Actor of the Flash in MOVIES- Got in trouble in Hawaii over a Lady Gaga Song https://www.boston.com/news/entertainment/2022/03/29/the-flash-actor-ezra-miller-arrested-at-hawaii-karaoke-bar/?s_campaign=Email:BComTonight&SUBID=d7882715bb&AUDID=30656330

(Scotland Image: Andy Murray said of his shot: "I took this photo of my partner Wendy walking towards Carraig Fhada Lighthouse on a stormy day on a trip to Islay from our home in Edinburgh." Credit: BBC News)

**Good news** AIR FORCE OFFERS MEDICAL, LEGAL HELP AS STATES CLAMP DOWN ON TRANS AND LGBTQ+ CHILDREN The Air Force suggests reaching out to military health clinics and on-base legal advisors.

**Interesting***  CHRIS WALLACE SPEAKS OUT AGAINST FOX NEWS' ELECTION CONSPIRACIES -   Former Fox News host Chris Wallace opened up about his surprising decision last year to jump ship for rival network CNN. He said the network's post-2020 coverage became "increasingly unsustainable" for him and he disagreed with its airing of political conspiracy theories 

 **Good news** FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CAN NOW TAKE PAID LEAVE TO VOTE AND WORK AT THE POLLS In today's Federal Newscast: Federal agency CIOs are finalizing plans to create and fund a zero-trust architecture. A former head of the TSA has died. And you can now sport ombre nails while in a Marine Corps uniform.

**Uh-OH!** WIFE OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, GINNI THOMAS COLLABORATED ON THE JAN 6TH INSURRECTION Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, sent nearly two dozen text messages urging former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to aggressively move to overturn the 2020 presidential election. “The majority knows Biden and the Left is attempting the greatest Heist of our History," she wrote. Meadows has turned in a total of 2,230 messages to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

(Image: UFO-like clouds turned out to be a wee theme this week. This picture was taken by Murdo O'Connor as he travelled south towards Ardhasaig, Isle of Harris.)

 GREAT PHOTOS FROM SCOTLAND!!! https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-60793679 

DISGRACED GOP REP. JEFF FORTENBERRY RESIGNS Nebraska Republican Rep. Jeff Fortenberry resigned, effective March 31, after he was convicted of three felonies related to an illegal $30,000 donation he received from a foreign national in 2016. Each of the three felony charges carry a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.

IT'S OFFICIAL: TRUMP'S 'IMPENETRABLE' BORDER WALL WAS AN EXPENSIVE FAILURE Trump's $15 billion wall was breached thousands of times in the areas where it was completed, with smugglers using cheap power tools available in retail stores, according to The Washington Post. One report last year found some smugglers were building effective ladders with about $5 worth of material. In another famous case, a stiff wind knocked over a wall segment.

VIDEO: Plane ditches in ocean during Florida airshow  

 A World War Two-era aircraft taking part in an airshow in Cocoa Beach, Fl https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-56792530

News You May Have Missed Baby Album cover Lawsuit, KFC Mistake/Retirement/Anti-Vaxxer,/Passport Renewals

In this post of  News You May Have Missed, you'll read about the Nirvana Baby Lawsuit, a gross KFC Chicken head, Retirement ages by Generation, another Anti-Vaxxer who died of COVID, and coming Passport On-Line Renewals! 

NIRVANA'S NAKED BABY LAWSUIT GETS DISMISSED.  Spencer Elden had claimed that the cover constituted child sexual exploitation. For years, Elden had participated in paid campaigns recreating the cover image, in addition to getting the album’s titled tattooed on his chest. If Elden’s claim were true, they said, everybody who owned the album cover would be “guilty of felony possession of child pornography.”

UK DINER LEFT ‘DISGUSTED’ AFTER FINDING ENTIRE CHICKEN HEAD IN BOX OF KFC HOT WINGS -   The picture, also shared on the Instagram and Twitter handle of Takeaway Trauma, showed the head of the fried chicken, with beaks and shut eyes.

RETIREMENT AGES – PER GENERATION - MSNBC recently reported on a study, by Natixis Investment Managers of what private sector workers think is the best age for them to retiree. Even here there is a generation gap. For Generation Y (ages 25 to 40) most planned to retire at 59. That jumped up to an age 60 for Gen X (ages 41 to 55) folks and then jumped to a more conservative age 68 pull date for Baby Boomers ages 57-75. 

STATE DEPT EXPECTS LONG-AWAITED ONLINE PASSPORT RENEWAL SYSTEM TO LAUNCH BY FALL 2022 - The new online feature will allow travelers to avoid a trip to a nearby post office or passport agency, and ensure greater continuity of operations.

GOP ANTI-VAXXER DIES:   Deputy district attorney who opposed vaccine mandates dies from COVID at 46. - Kelly Ernby, a Republican who ran for California State Assembly in 2020, said "there’s nothing that matters more than our freedoms right now" at a rally last month. **NO SYMPATHY.  Her rhetoric has also likely led to the deaths of others. **

WHY ARE SO MANY VACCINATED PEOPLE GETTING COVID-19 LATELY? -  ASSOCIATED PRESS - a couple of factors are at play, starting with the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant. Omicron is more likely to infect people, even if it doesn’t make them very sick, and its surge coincided with the holiday travel season in many places. People might mistakenly think the COVID-19 vaccines will completely block infection, but the shots are mainly designed to prevent severe illness, says Louis Mansky, a virus researcher at the University of Minnesota. And the vaccines are still doing their job on that front, particularly for people who’ve gotten boosters.  

News You May Have Missed: USPS Improvements, Good news in Wages, Consumer Confidence, A Quake, India COVID, Non-taxpayers

 Here is some news you may have missed this week, from VAST improvements in the Post Office (now that we have a New Administration), to an Earthquake, a NY Newspaper (right-leaning) wanting a false news story, Good News in Wages, Consumer confidence Index, and a plan to get the IRS to go After Non-taxpayers! ** Florida becomes a hateful State to Voters and LGBT people, and This ends with a Really Funny Quote from Trevor Noah!   (Sources: AP,  The Hill, Huffpost, YahooFinance):  Now,  Here's the news you may have missed: 

> U.S. POST OFFICE SPEEDS UP PLANS TO GET 138 PACKAGE-SORTING MACHINES RUNNING AHEAD OF HOLIDAY SEASON – Under the Biden Administration, the  USPS has “accelerated” its investment and procurement of 138 package-sorting machines, and expects to have them running ahead of its 2021 peak holiday season, the agency announced Tuesday. The agency previewed its investment of this equipment in its 10-year plan unveiled last month. The purchase of package-sorting equipment is only part of $40 billion in capital investments USPS plans to make over the next decade.

> LARGE INDIA EARTHQUAKE - A 6.4-magnitude earthquake has struck the Indian state of Assam, causing significant damage to some buildings in a country currently hard-hit by the coronavirus. Tremors were reportedly felt across the entire northeast region, including the neighboring state of Meghalaya. The aftershock was also felt in the state of West Bengal.

> REPORTER RESIGNS AFTER NY POST WANTS FAKE  HARRIS STORY - Veteran New York Post reporter Laura Italiano said she resigned after being ordered to write a false story that claimed migrant children were being given copies of a book written by Vice President Kamala Harris in "welcome kits." The story set off a dayslong misinformation cycle in right-wing circles.

> INDIA'S COVID-19 DEATH TOLL TOPS 200,000

> Biden administration raises the minimum wage for federal contractors from $10.95 to $15 per hour; workforce is estimated at around 700,000 people across the US (More) > | 

> **ABOUT TIME WE GO AFTER NON-TAXPAYERS!! - Biden Proposes $80B for the IRS over 10 years to recoup an estimated $700B in unpaid taxes (More)

>  US consumer confidence index increases to highest level in 14 months, its fourth consecutive monthly increase (More)

**What Country does this moron live in?** 

LINDSEY GRAHAM: 'NO' SYSTEMIC RACISM HERE Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on "Fox News Sunday" systemic racism doesn’t exist in the U.S

> Ford to build a $185M battery research, development, and manufacturing facility in Detroit, in an effort to consolidate its electric vehicle supply chain 

> (Idiot) OKLAHOMA GOV. SIGNS LAW MAKING ABORTION ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 

> U.S. marks slowest population growth since the Depression

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. population growth has slowed to the lowest rate since the Great Depression, the Census Bureau said

FLORIDA IS UNKIND TO LGBT PEOPLE & VOTERS:  

**Now Florida is Limiting Ability to Vote**

FLORIDA LAWMAKERS PASS DRACONIAN VOTING RESTRICTIONS Florida's GOP leadership looks set to follow Georgia's lead in clamping down on voting, even though former President Donald Trump won the state in November. Legislation restricting voting by mail and banning giving food and water to voters waiting in line now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis. [AP]

 

**Add Florida and West Virginia to LGBT Haters**

ANTI-TRANS YOUTH BILLS ADVANCE AS BIDEN SPEAKS As Biden called for the passage of the Equality Act during his speech to Congress, lawmakers in Florida and West Virginia advanced anti-transgender legislation. 2021 is shaping up to be the most dangerous year on the books for the LGBTQ community

 FUNNY QUOTE FROM TREVOR NOAH ABOUT CRUZ DURING BIDEN’S SPEECH

“Ted Cruz was so bored at that speech, he fell asleep,” Noah said. “And I know what you’re thinking right now, you think I’m going to say something like ‘Oh that’s weird, I thought lizards slept with their eyes open,’ but I’m not going to say that. Because honestly, that was the most relatable thing that Ted Cruz has ever done. Because that speech was boring.”