06/19/24

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, June 19th.

Juneteenth.

On January 1st, 1863, in the third year of the Civil War, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which meant that all enslaved people in Confederate states were free.

And on that, Union soldiers, many of whom were Black, spread the news, reading the Proclamation, in Confederate states.

But in the Confederate states, there was (I presume) a lot of, like, “oh no”-ing going on.

So that was January 1st, 1863.

The Civil War ended April 8th, 1865. It wouldn’t be until June 19th, 1865, when 2000(ish) union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and VERY surprised to see over 250,000 enslaved Black people there.

They read the now 2-and-a-half-year-old Emancipation Proclamation. And thus a quarter million Black people, who were free but their enslavers never told them (or allowed them access to the information, or education to read the information), were informed of their freedom.

Reconstruction followed from 1865 to 1877, during which 1,500 Black Americans were voted into different political offices in the country.

In 1877, we saw the beginning of Jim Crow laws and poll taxes and literacy tests, specifically designed to keep Black Americans (mostly, although really anyone except for non-poor white people was treated to these laws) from casting a ballot.

Then, after protests and marches, a church bombing that killed four young girls, people being beaten within an inch of their lives on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and inches further in restaurants and shops and back alleys all around the country… the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which prohibited race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups from being something that prevented folks from being able to cast their ballot.

And that was great.

That was 1965.

In 2004 we elected our first Black president, and in 2013 the Supreme Court cut a key piece of the Voting Rights Act, making it so much easier to create race-neutral discrimination laws. Which means like – “hey. We’re not trying to prevent non-white Americans from voting! We can’t do that! All we’re doing is… closing the only voter registration and DMVs in areas where we don’t see enough white people to feel like we won’t lose the election.”

Hours later, Texas implemented a voter ID law that the Justice Department previously said was illegal.

Twenty years later, we’ve got voter IDs, some convict trying to convince you the last few elections, and the one coming up in less than five months were all stolen because he thinks it’ll win him the presidency again, as cases at the not-so-Supreme Court trying to turn that gap in the Voting Rights Act into a hole so big they can drive a dictatorship right on in there and park it.

And that’s Juneteenth! I apologize for nothing, if you’re still listening. Check your voter registration. If that history made you upset… yeah pal. Me too. Check your voter registration.

Because it might have gotten its feathers a little ruffled, but people fought and died for that Voting Rights Act. It remains a vital piece of democracy.

It is harder than it should be, for a lot of people, but we still have the right, and therefore the duty, to cast a ballot.

And now, the news.

We Are Voters

-via

Listen, tough to transition from that to, like… a singer got a DUI so to help transition into the news, and maybe help you in case all of that cause a little election stress… this is a great time to remind you that I have a (nonpartisan!) nonprofit that is out to help make Election Day a little easier for you.

It’s not easy for everyone.

But we want to make it a little easier for you.

Head to raisingvoters.org/beavoter and take the pledge to be a voter.

We still have a democracy.  Disenfranchised

It is the fight of this moment, to keep it.

Justin Timberlake

-via NBC News

If I’m being honest, that did not help ease us into the news. Nevertheless, here we go!

As I alluded to a minute ago, Justin Timberlake was arrested on a DWI charge in the Hamptons just after midnight on Tuesday morning.

I don’t really want to do a ton about this, but just a reminder… calling a taxi, a friend, or a rideshare saves lives and licenses.

Senate GOP Blocks Bump Stock Ban

-via CNN

I hate to say I told you so, just kidding I kind of love it. It’s not like it fixes me, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

As predicted, Senate Republicans blocked the Democrats effort to ban bump stocks, after the Supreme Court put them back into the world on Friday.

This was kind of always going to happen, first and foremost – I say it all the time but, when you are trying to do the right thing, when you are trying to save lives and be of service – get caught trying. Call the vote, even if it’s not going to pass.

Secondary to that, there are some Republicans who are open to a narrow ban that would only apply to bump stocks. Senator Chris Murphy, who was elected to the Senate a month before the Sandy Hook shooting, said he will continue working with Republicans to see if there is any possibility of moving this federal ban forward.

Election 2024

-via AP News (Biden), AP News (Trump), Washington Post (RFK Jr.)

And finally, let’s take a look at three presidential candidates and how they made news on Tuesday:

President Biden announced a plan to give about half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens but are currently without citizenship themselves, a way to get exactly that.

So currently, if an American marries someone who is not a citizen but is living in the United States, the process for green card application can be fairly cut and dry. However, if that person has been living in the States for a while, but not legally, they may have to return to their country of origin for as long as ten years before applying to come back. A waiver is possible but that’s about a three-and-a-half-year wait.

It's timely. It’s expensive. And it’s like – okay well, I guess we’ll just hope it works and there aren’t any typos in the paperwork!

Under this new policy, many spouses without legal status can apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the country, putting them on the path to citizenship. To be eligible, that person will have had to be living in the States for at least a decade, not be a security threat, and married by… this past Monday. This does not apply to new marriages. The cut-off was literally the day before he announced it. Applications will be on a case-by-case basis, vetting applicant’s previous immigration history, criminal history, and potential for fraud, among other things.

This is one of the President’s most sweeping policies on immigration since he’s been in office.

Meanwhile, former President Trump learned on Tuesday that the New York Court of Appeals has declined to hear his 2016 election interference crime gag order appeal case.

Because they don’t trust that he won’t say something that will put people’s lives, or his case, in danger. Mostly it’s the lives thing.

However, Judge Merchan is expected to rule soon on the defense’s request to lift the gag order.

As a reminder, the gag order is the thing he violated ten times, earning him a $10,000 fine and the, yet to be seen, threat of jail.

Instead of lifting the gag order, have you considered… expanding it?

And then over to RFK Jr., who, despite claiming he can for sure be president because he will for sure be on the ballot, will indeed not be on the ballot in enough states to make it on the stage for next week’s presidential candidate debate, hosted by CNN.

Assuming he wins every state he’s on the ballot in, the best he can do is take home 42 electoral college votes. This are in various states of progress in other states.

No political party wants to claim him. He’s not even for sure going to be on the ballot in enough states to win 270 electoral college votes.

Bad news for the guy who was so desperate to get into the debates that he tweeted, “I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate.” Before adding, “I feel confident of the result even with a six-worm handicap.”

He tweeted it on my mom’s birthday (May 8th in case you want to save up for next year) but that’s really a gift for me. I will never not think those are two of the funniest tweets ever.

And that’s a little picture of modern American politics in this moment.

We live in the dumbest timeline.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

I’m proud of voters!

Duh!

www.raisingvoters.org/beavoter - take the pledge. It takes two minutes and it’s free.

Also watches! It’s also National Watch Day for some reason.

But more than watches, because you’re right on time and don’t cause a weird tan line… I’m proud of you.