Manchin privately raised concerns that parents would use child tax credit checks on drugs

Source: NBC

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., had privately raised concerns in recent months that parents would use their Child Tax Credit payments — a key piece of the Build Back Better legislation — to buy drugs, three sources familiar with the comments said.

Manchin relayed these concerns in private conversations to his fellow Democratic senators, the sources said.

Manchin also raised private concerns to Congressional colleagues that Americans, specifically West Virginians, would abuse paid leave time and use it to go hunting during deer season, two sources familiar with his comments tell NBC News.



Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/manchin-privately-raised-concerns-parents-would-use-child-tax-credit-n1286321

Ron DeSantis wants to spend $5.2 million on new election crimes office based on 'Big Lie'

Source: Raw Story

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wants the state to invest in a massive new effort to investigate Donald Trump's debunked claims of massive election fraud.

"The new Office of Election Crime and Security, likely the first of its kind in any state, would give DeSantis and future governors unprecedented authority over election-related investigations," the Miami Herald reports. "It would employ 45 investigators, a $5.7 million budget and a broad mandate to look into violations of state election law and election 'irregularities.'"

The newspaper explains the new proposal came after DeSantis faced "accusations from the GOP base that he still isn't doing enough to support former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud."

DeSantis asked legislators to address his proposal at the 2022 legislative session when it begins in January.

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/ron-desantis-election/

I'm old enough to remember when sarah palin was the dumbest fucking person in politics. *nostalgic*

Warning: COVID-Fueled Mental Health Crisis Will Be a Costly Second Pandemic

Devastating conditions like major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are among the leading causes of disability in established market economies, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. In the U.S., more than one in four adults was suffering from a diagnosable mental disorder even before the pandemic.

For too long, cost and access barriers to mental health care have caused incalculable suffering.

Covid has now blown the lid off a crisis building for decades. So why isn’t there a plan to deal with it?


The Lancet reports that cases of mental disorders have skyrocketed during the pandemic, including 53 million new cases of major depressive disorder and 76 million new cases of anxiety disorders. In the U.S., since spring of 2020, the National Center for Health Statistics has partnered with the Census Bureau on a new, rapid-turnaround data system to monitor depression and anxiety, finding that just over half of adults between the ages of 18 and 44 surveyed have reported symptoms, as have 38% of adults living with children.

https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/warning-covid-fueled-mental-health-crisis-will-be-a-costly-second-pandemic

Czechs report highest daily coronavirus cases since pandemic start

Source: Reuters

PRAGUE, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic reported 22,936 new coronavirus cases for Friday, its biggest daily tally since the pandemic began, health ministry data showed on Saturday.

Earlier in the week the country tightened restrictions on people who have not had COVID-19 shots to encourage more vaccinations and to ease the burden on hospitals.

The Czech government has approved plans to allow only those who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months to enter restaurants, attend certain events and use some other services from Monday.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/czechs-report-highest-daily-coronavirus-cases-since-pandemic-start-2021-11-20/

How right wing radio took over American democracy by Justin Ling CBC Radio

Great 6 part podcast from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

The Flamethrowers, a new six-part podcast hosted by Justin Ling, captures the punch-you-in-the-mouth energy and sound of right-wing talk radio.

Ling takes us from the fringe preachers and conspiracy peddlers of the 1920s to the political firestorm still raging today. With humour and candour, he examines the appeal of broadcasters like Rush Limbaugh, and how he found a sleeping audience, radicalized it, and became an accidental kingmaker — culminating in the election of Donald Trump.

Our story begins with Canadian priest Charles Coughlin — a populist crusader who winds up espousing conspiracy and hate. Right-wing radio flexes its muscle with a boycott of Polish Ham. And the Kennedy government almost wipes right-wing talk off the map.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/listen-to-the-flamethrowers-1.6167507?__vfz=medium%3Dsharebar

Personally I'm only interested in the pre-bush history of nutjob radio, especially the very beginning, probably won't bother with the limpball years and later rehashing.

Trump says something to Justice Kennedy that shocks him. Something's up. (No sound)

today marks the 150th anniversary of Peshtigo: America's Deadliest Fire

I've been to Peshtigo, visited the museum, the mass grave where hundreds of fire victims are buried. Read several books on the subject. There were piles of dried tree trimmings stacked everywhere, small fires constantly burning so the perfect storm rolled through this dry area creating the calamity.

Listening to a treat tonight on CFZM 740 am, rebroadcasting The War Of The Worlds

Its fun to hear it the way listeners experienced it in 1938 via AM radio. I had an lp record of it and as a kid loved to listen to it. We all have heard the stories about how people believed it was really happening causing panic all over the broadcast area.

Rachel Maddow: Senator Bernie Sanders joins me live tonight at 9pm ET on MSNBC...