03/15/23

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, March 15th.

International Day Against Police Brutality. This was a day started in 1997 and calls for the end of police violence.

It was originally the initiative of the Montreal-based Collective Opposed to Police Brutality and the Black Flag group in Switzerland.  A yearly march is held in Montreal.

“Hey Kim, why would such a day be needed?”

In 2022, in the US alone, police killed, on average, more than three people a day. Nearly 100 people a month. That’s 1,176 people. 31 more than the year before.

And now, the news.

Silicon Valley Bank Update

-via Washington Post

The Department of Justice and SEC have opened investigations into the fall of Silicon Valley Bank, aka SVB, which you already know all about because you listened to yesterday’s episode. They’re not only looking into the “hey what happened” of it all, but also the “hey what did the bosses do about it” of it all? So they’re also looking into the actions of the bank’s executives.

Now, what WOULD be interesting is if they were to look into the 2018 de-regulation that the Republican Congress did.

They will, of course, um… not.

That move, however, was celebrated by Fed Chair Jerome Powell who Senator Elizabeth Warren says should probably sit back and not have anything to do with the investigation since, in a statement on Tuesday, the Senator said his actions “directly contributed to these bank failures.”

The Department of Justice and SEC have yet to comment.

However, Bailey the Dog did have this to say: more regulations, more burritos.

Ohio Sues Norfolk Southern

-via NBC News

The Ohio Attorney General announced on Tuesday that they are suing railroad company Norfolk Southern for… well it says here, for being bad at train stuff.

No no, they’re specifically alleging that the company violated hazardous waste and water quality laws and also was bad at train stuff and that their negligence caused last month’s crash.

This suit will run parallel to the suits that have been filed by the private citizens.

Biden Makes Moves for Gun Control

-via AP News

At an event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, President Biden told the crowd that he is determined to do something about the epidemic of gun violence in this country. He spoke from Monterey Park, where 11 people were killed at a dance hall in January days before seven people were killed in Half Moon Bay, also in California.

He told the crowd that he would sign an executive order to strengthen background checks, promote more secure storage, and ensuring that law enforcement can get more out of last summer’s bipartisan gun control law. That law, the most sweeping gun bill in decades, strengthens background checks for the young gun buyers, keep guns from more domestic violence offenders, and help states place red flag laws in place.

However, all of the simply directs federal agencies to ensure compliance. It doesn’t create new laws.

And speaking of new laws, Biden did not mince words about what needs to happen: “None of this absolves Congress from the responsibility of acting to pass universal background checks, to eliminate gun manufacturers immunity to liability.”

Russian Jet Forces US Drone Down

-via CNN

A Russian fighter jet forced a US drone down over the Black Sea on Tuesday.

The Black Sea is international water, but the move is being called “unsafe, unprofessional, and reckless” by the United States.

While this is likely to increase tensions between and America and Russia, because of how this is already tense and so any thing will immediately lead to more tension… physics… Russia maintains that they do not want confrontation with America.

A great way to prove that would be to exit Ukraine and also give back the pieces of the country that they stole but… you know…

And that’s it. That’s the news.

Kind of a slow news day today – no one tell! I don’t want people to hear and start, you know… making news.

I’m proud of… people who understand that defunding the police is good, actually. Because we should be safe.

And protests! I’m proud of protests! I know some people skip right to the 2nd Amendment, but I’ve always preferred the 1st. Get out there and let em know.

And hey, because this is my show and I get to say whatever I want, 1st Amendment baybee, this is your reminder that Ted Lasso is BACK. That’s exciting. We love to see it.

But more than… more than the character growth of Jamie Tartt, because you’ll always make the extra pass (metaphore)… I’m proud of you.