Reading archive 2021-04-27

How Barack Obama's eight years shaped Joe Biden's first 100 days: The story of Biden's early days in office mirrors the story of a Democratic Party changing course based on the lessons of the Obama era. - "'The biggest lesson learned is that Mitch McConnell doesn't act in good faith,' said David Litt, a former speechwriter for Obama. 'You see Mitch McConnell's Republicans running the same playbook. But Joe Biden and his administration and the Democrats — this time they know what's coming.' 

"He said GOP votes not to count Biden electors after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 drove that home. 

"'The Biden administration came in saying: Maybe not all of these GOP lawmakers are totally committed to the whole democracy thing. And we should act accordingly,' Litt said. 

"McConnell has accused Biden of pursuing a left-wing agenda in contradiction to his campaign promises to seek unity. He offered similar criticisms of Obama early on. At the time, Democrats moderated their policies in search of GOP support — sometimes fruitlessly, as in the case of the Affordable Care Act."

Few Facts, Millions Of Clicks: Fearmongering Vaccine Stories Go Viral Online - "'The [social media] platforms look at an individual tweet from RT saying 23 people died in a nursing home after taking the Pfizer vaccine, and they can't do anything about it because it is technically true, while being wildly misleading,' Schafer said. 'That seems to be the new strategy.'"

Caitlyn Jenner, Ted Lieu Trade 'Condescending' Barbs Over California Crime

Brazil rejects Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, citing safety concerns

Israel is committing the crime of apartheid, new report says

Fresh off election falsehoods, Republicans serve up a whopper about Biden

Swift action to cut methane emissions could slow the Earth’s warming by 30 percent, study finds: “People talk about net zero in 2050 but what the temperature will be in 2050 will be determined by what we do now,” says one author.

When communities try to hold police accountable, law enforcement fights back: Civilian oversight is undermined by politicians and police, who contend citizens are ill-equipped to judge officers - "Jim Pasco, executive director of the national Fraternal Order of Police, described civilian monitors as well-meaning but ill-equipped to judge police officers. He said citizens lack the expertise and experience of trained law enforcement professionals. 

"'It would be akin to putting a plumber in charge of the investigation of airplane crashes,' he said. 'It doesn’t matter how good a plumber that he or she is. It gives no level of expertise in terms of evaluating the cause of a plane crash.'"

Escaping the anti-vax conspiracy rabbit hole - "Escaping the anti-vax conspiracy rabbit hole Close Catherine grew up in a family that lived an alternative lifestyle. When social media became a big part of her life, she became a huge believer in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. 

"She told the BBC’s specialist disinformation reporter Marianna Spring what made her question her beliefs, and her ideas on how others can be helped out of the online rabbit hole."

Get ready! We predict cicadas will begin emerging next week.: Our first-ever cicada forecast calls for the bugs to really explode in about two weeks.