You Know The Drill
April 19, 2022
Some Good News
- Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively’s Company Partners With Netflix (Variety)
- Book banning efforts are inspiring readers to form banned book clubs (CNN)
“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson
You Know The Drill
President Biden is stuck between a rock and a gas pump. He’s facing massive pressure to boost oil production in the U.S. amid soaring domestic gas prices exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Now, his administration is taking a step made all the more ironic because it’s being done on the first day of Earth Week and National Park Week — he’s putting 144,000 acres of public lands in nine states up for drilling lease starting Monday.
The Interior Department announced the move on Friday afternoon heading into the holiday weekend. Secretary Deb Haaland offered the best spin possible on what is clearly a failure of a Biden 2020 campaign promise not to drill on federal lands. She called it a “reset” of management policies in order to ensure “the highest and best use of Americans’ resources for the benefit of all current and future generations.” Haaland said the new changes to the sale process reflect “the balanced approach to energy development and management of our nation’s public lands,” and noted the land offered for auction is 80% less than the 733,000 acres nominated. Furthermore, lease sales will be subject to Tribal consultation and community input.
The decision still caused backlash from environmentalists and climate activists. But the administration argues it’s being forced to expand fossil fuel production after a federal judge in Louisiana blocked Biden’s 2021 moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal land. Besides, the argument goes, existing leases continued to operate. To help deflect criticism, the administration is increasing royalties that companies must pay for this drilling from 12.5% to 18.75% – the first such increase in over a century. And while some environmental groups acknowledge that increasing royalties and limiting leases to areas with existing infrastructure are positive steps, other climate groups argue that any decision contributing to America’s reliance on fossil fuels is a step in the wrong direction. The public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity in Arizona called Friday’s announcement a “reckless failure of climate leadership,” and accused the administration of “ignoring the horror of firestorms, floods, and megadroughts” to accept “climate catastrophes as business as usual.” (ABC News, doi.gov)
Cooking Danger In The Eyes
- When celebrity chef José Andrés accepted a $100 million award from Jeff Bezos last summer, he said he would use the money to advance the work of his nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which sweeps into areas around the globe affected by natural disasters to set up community kitchens that feed victims. He spoke of expanding his organization’s mission by thinking “beyond the next hurricane to the bigger challenges we face.”
- That bigger challenge came when Russia invaded Ukraine, and Andrés, volunteers, and communities came together to feed Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border. Andrés said his WCK would enter Ukraine when it was safe to do so; meanwhile, they were partnering with restaurants inside the war-torn country.
- On Saturday, Russian missiles rained down on a WCK restaurant in Kharkiv, wounding four workers and destroying the restaurant. Andrés tweeted an update Sunday, saying the injured were fine and “everyone is ready and willing to start cooking in another location.” He ended with, “Many ways to fight, we do it with food!” (WaPo, NBC News, CNN)
By The Grace Of Fraud
- The E.U.’s anti-fraud body has accused Marine Le Pen, her father, and several other individuals in her far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) party of embezzling about €620,000 while serving as members of the European parliament. On Saturday, France’s investigative website Mediapart published a section of the new 116-page report alleging the MEPs misused E.U. funds for national party purposes.
- None of those mentioned in the report are accused of personally profiting, but of claiming E.U. funds to pay national party events and staff. Le Pen’s lawyer insisted some of the report was related to “old facts” that his client disputes. Le Pen has been under investigation since 2018 on allegations of “breach of trust” and “misuse of public funds.”
- A party spokesperson questioned the timing of the newly published accusations which are coming a week before the second round of the presidential election on April 24, when Le Pen will go head-to-head in a runoff with Emmanuel Macron. (Guardian, Mediapart)
Additional World News
- Film and photos show Russian cruiser Moskva probably hit by missiles (Guardian)
- More than 20 injured in Israeli-Palestinian clashes around al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem (Guardian)
- Britons captured in Ukraine appear on Russian TV, ask for swap with Putin ally (Reuters)
- Pope makes Easter plea for Ukraine peace, cites nuclear risk (AP)
- Zelenskiy: Ukraine could become EU candidate within weeks (Reuters)
A Jones To Pick
- Three companies owned by far-right conspiracy theorist and radio host Alex Jones have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The filings put a hold on several pending defamation lawsuits while allowing Infowars, IWHealth (A.K.A. Infowars Health), and Prison Planet TV to continue operating as they prepare turnaround plans. Austin-based Infowars said in filings it has assets of $0 to $50,000 and liabilities of $1,000,001 to $10 million.
- Jones claimed for years the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six educators in Newtown, Connecticut was a hoax. Relatives sued Jones for defamation, saying they’ve been subjected to harassment and death threats from Jones’ followers. A Connecticut judge found Jones liable for damages; a trial on how much he’ll have to pay the families is set for August. Jones was also found liable for damages in similar defamation lawsuits by victims’ relatives in Texas, where a trial is set to start later this month. Jones has since said he believes the shooting did occur. (CBS News)
A Mask Decision
- It took Florida federal judge Kathryn Mizell less than a week to strike down a CDC requirement extending a mask mandate on airplanes, trains, and buses through May 3. The 59-page ruling by the Trump-appointed judge left the decision about masking up to individual airlines and local transit agencies.
- By late Monday, the nation’s largest airlines had dropped their mask requirements for domestic flights. Amtrak also said passengers and employees would no longer need to wear masks. An official with the Biden administration said it was still reviewing the decision and assessing whether to appeal it.
- Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration said it would not be enforcing mask requirements. However, the CDC still recommends that people wear masks in enclosed public transportation settings. (NYT, $)
Additional USA News
- Congress seeks compromise to boost computer chip industry (AP)
- Pelosi backs Crist for Florida governor (Politico)
- Fear, uncertainty and apathy: Covid infections rise, but hospitalizations remain low (NBC)
- Biden to require US-made steel, iron for infrastructure (AP)
- Crime upstages progressive priorities in Los Angeles mayor’s race (Politico)
It’s My Party And I’ll Cry If I Want To
- Gravity Diagnostics is a medical laboratory in Covington, Kentucky with a friendly tradition of having a little office party to celebrate an employee’s birthday. Kevin Berling went to work there in 2019, but because he suffers from anxiety disorders and panic attacks, he told his manager that a birthday celebration would cause him immense stress. He remembers specifically asking that the company not throw him a party at work. However, by the time Berling had been there about 10 months, the office manager had apparently forgotten his request, and surprised him with a birthday celebration anyway. Berling had a panic attack, forcing him to leave and spend his lunch hour in his car.
- The next day, Berling’s bosses held a meeting about the incident. Instead of being sympathetic about his disorder, Berling’s supervisor chastised him for “stealing his co-workers’” joy and for “being a little girl.” The dressing down set off another panic attack, after which the company fired him due to concern he could become angry and possibly violent. This narrative was among the allegations in Berling’s lawsuit when he sued Gravity Diagnostics claiming the company discriminated against him based on a disability, and retaliated against him for demanding a reasonable accommodation to it. After a two-day trial ending in late March, the jury returned a verdict awarding Berling $300,000 for emotional distress and $150,000 in lost wages.
- Julie Brazil, the company’s founder and COO, said in an email statement to the newspaper that “with ever-increasing incidents of workplace violence, this verdict sets a very dangerous precedent for employers and most importantly employees that unless physical violence actually occurs, workplace violence is acceptable.” Brazil said her employees were the real victims in the case. But Berling’s attorney said once the jury got to meet his client, they realized the company’s claim that he posed a threat was far-fetched. The attorney said his client had explained to the manager that a birthday celebration would bring back bad childhood memories surrounding his parents’ divorce. And who knows? Maybe that was something some jury members could relate to. (CBS News)
Additional Reads
- Antonov AN-225: Can the world’s largest commercial plane ever fly again? (CNN)
- Archeologists discover historical artifacts during Notre Dame Cathedral restoration (NPR)
- At Venice Biennale, a ‘Different Notion of Nation’ (NYT, $)
- Jack Dorsey Tweet NFT Once Sold for $2.9 Million, Now Might Fetch Under $14,000 (WSJ, $)
- Viola Davis on Hollywood: ‘You either have to be a Black version of a white ideal, or you have to be white’ (Guardian)