06/26/24
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, June 26th.
Barcode Day.
Finally! Finally, barcodes get their day!
And now, the news.
Kenyan Protests
Starting with Kenya, where Tuesday saw parts of parliament burning as thousands of protestors fought back against a finance bill that was meant to either raise or introduce taxes or fees on a range of daily items and services including internet, fuel, and diapers. The bill is part of the government’s attempt to raise an extra $2.7 billion in domestic revenue.
However, once the bill was made public on June 18th, the protests began, fueled by a growing anger over the rising cost of living.
On Tuesday, lawmakers in Kenya voted on the bill and then rushed to leave parliament as protesters entered.
One person was shot and killed, before being wrapped in a Kenyan flag and carried away.
Police fired live ammo and tear gas at protestors. A local hospital said they received 45 victims, but it’s unknown if any of those patients are dead.
Among the tear-gassed protestors was former President Obama’s half-sister. In an interview with CNN, she said this - “I can’t believe that these young people are just trying to demonstrate for their rights, and to tell them that we understand that they need to use their voices and we are being tear-gassed. We’re being tear-gassed! We have flags and banners, nothing else.”
The president, who is expected to sign the bill into law this week, also previously said he was proud of the young Kenyans who were leading the protest and added that he would engage in conversation with them.
However, there has been no comment from the government after Tuesday’s protest.
The office of the Nairobi governor was also briefly on fire, though water cannons put it out quickly.
Protestors near the fire could be heard shouting, "We're coming for every politician."
So this is a developing story.
Trump Crime Update Time
And how about a little Trump Crime Update Time
(so early in the episode? Edition)
Yes so early in the episode because he is not the sun (I’m rewatching Grey’s Anatomy right now) and there are more important things going on than him, but we do have a couple of updates.
First, Judge Merchan has eased up on Trump’s gag order in the 2016 election interference crimes case, allowing him to run his mouth about witnesses like Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels
However, he cannot run how mouth about any prosecutor, court staffer, or their family members until at least his July 11th sentencing.
Most surprising, to me at least, is that it also lifts the bar on public statements about jurors but he still can’t disclose any identifying information. In most people, it would make sense. But I just don’t trust this guy to not come up with a dumb, but very specific, nickname for various jurors.
Naturally, Team Trump is very sad because it leaves portions of the gag order in place so they’re going to appeal.
And moving to a whole other state, because he has many many crimes in many many states – more photos were made public from the FBI search for classified documents in Trump’s classified documents thievery crimes case.
They don’t really tell us anything new, though it is a great reminder that that dude is just… so tacky! Also, some of the boxes were literally just spilling some of the nation’s most secret secrets onto the ground.
This whole thing is so distressing because, of course, we count on the idea that our secrets will be protected.
But it’s also a little distressing for me personally because prosecutors noted that the boxes "had no apparent organization whatsoever" and contained things like clothes, picture frames, magazines, shoes, newspapers and clippings, greeting cards, binders, Christmas ornaments and correspondence.
All mixed together.
Christmas ornaments mixed with newspapers and picture frames? That is where chaos lives.
I will not be voting for him for a variety of reasons, and the chaos of the boxes may be low on the list but… believe that it’s on there!
Chilling.
Tennessee Voters
-via ABC News
And hey, let’s finish with a story called “What is Kim Mad About Today?”
In Tennessee, a June 13th letter sent to more than 14,000 voters asked them to prove their citizenship, while reminding them that it’s illegal for noncitizens to vote.
Hello, my name is Kim. I have a Master’s in Political Science, and have spent the last ten years being absolutely obsessed with voting, voting laws, voting history, and everything else associated with voting.
So when I say that this is voter intimidation in the echoes of the early 1960s, know that I know what I’m talking about, I know how serious of a claim I’m making… and I absolutely mean it.
This is not currently a big enough story.
It’ll be the Substack today but hear me when I tell you this: fraud by voters happens at a rate of .000006%. It has never changed the results of an election.
These letters are not meant to prevent fraud by voters, but to commit fraud against voters. To scare them. To scare legal and eligible voters into not casting a ballot.
Be talking about this today.
Be talking about this every day.
Fraud by voters happens at a rate of .000006%. Fraud against voters is attempted constantly.
Take the pledge to vote at raisingvoters.org so we can work together, in a nonpartisan way, to make sure you can cast that ballot.
And I know I say it all the time but seriously… before you vote, before your voter registration deadline, you absolutely must double-check your voter registration.
You can do it at wearevoters.turbovote.org
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m proud of the voter advocacy groups that are going to sue whoever sent those letters in Tennessee.
Voters deserve better.
Also barcodes, I guess.
But more than barcodes, because you are unique and priceless… I’m proud of you.