Everyone’s A Critic – Even The Vice President

September 12, 2022

Boiling Over Down South

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has confirmed that it is launching an investigation into the water of Jackson, Mississippi. The EPA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) stated that it planned to launch a “multidisciplinary review” of the majority-Black city’s water crisis. Last week, floods overwhelmed Jackson’s main water treatment plant, affecting the entire city’s water supply and interrupting access to safe drinking water for its over 160,000 residents. The flooding led to a drop in water pressure across the city, and many residents reported dark-brown water coming out of their taps. 

This isn’t the first time Jackson has had issues with its water infrastructure – some of the city’s pipes are over a century old, and it has faced lawsuits from residents claiming that outdated lead pipes harmed them and stunted the development of their children. It’s also not the only majority-Black city that has faced water crises in recent years. Currently, Baltimore residents are being encouraged to boil tap water following the discovery of E. coli bacteria in the city, and Flint, Michigan, another majority-Black city, is home to arguably the most memorable water crisis.

While the city’s water pressure issues are supposedly fixed, Jackson residents are still being told to boil their water. The city is no stranger to boil water notices, with several recent notices lasting weeks or even months. Fixing the city’s chronically failing water infrastructure will prove a tall task for the city’s government, and “privatization is on the table,” according to Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves. As for the EPA investigation, the OIG is currently on the ground collecting data and conducting interviews, with plans to ask more questions of state and local government employees. For reference, the agency’s investigation into the Flint water crisis yielded nine indictments. (CBS, Guardian)

“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” – George Bernard Shaw

Populists At The Pole

• Sweden became the latest testing ground for far-right populism on Sunday as the country voted to elect 349 new members of its parliamentary body, the Riksdag. The turn to the right comes as the country’s main conservative bloc joined with the far-right Sweden Democrats in order to gain back power from the incumbent center-left Social Democrats.
• The country faces rising gang violence and shootings, rising inflation, and an energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Social Democrats have controlled the Swedish government through a coalition since the 2014 election. “My clear message is: during the pandemic we supported Swedish companies and households. I will act in the exact same way again if I get your renewed confidence,” said Social Democratic prime minister Magdalena Andersson. 
• For the 2022 election, the Moderate Party built ties with the Sweden Democrats, essentially welcoming them into the mainstream Swedish right. The choice looks to be divisive, with center and center-left parties showing their distaste for working with the far right: “I have pretty few red lines,” said the leader of the Centre party. “One red line I do have is that I will never let through a government that gives the Sweden Democrats influence.” Results are not fully out at the time of writing, but a right-wing victory would shake up Sweden for the first time in eight years. (Guardian)

Strike, Counterstrike

• In retaliation for a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has reclaimed thousands of square kilometers since it began in early September, Russian forces struck back. Using missile strikes, the global superpower targeted a power plant on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, taking the city off the grid and killing at least one person.
• The missile strikes come after Ukraine’s counteroffensive reclaimed roughly 3,000 square kilometers, according to Ukrainian military chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyy. On Saturday, he noted that Ukrainian troops are only 50 kilometers from the Russian border. 
• Following the strikes, power was quickly restored to most of the affected areas, but Russia’s targeting of key infrastructure has Ukraine and its allies worried. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, was shut down to avoid a nuclear disaster caused by Russian missile attacks. It was hit earlier this month by Russian shelling, leaving it vulnerable to disaster. (AP)

Additional World News

• ‘Never seen climate carnage’ like Pakistan floods, says UN chief (Al Jazeera)
• Queen’s death intensifies criticism of British empire’s violent atrocities (Guardian)
• North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state (NPR)
• At least four dead after 7.6-magnitude earthquake shakes Papua New Guinea (NBC)
• China legislator criticizes sanctions on visit to Russia (ABC)
• Albania blames Iran for second cyberattack since July (CNN)
• The last reactor at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, has stopped (NPR)

Some Good News

• World’s Largest Container Line Reroutes Around Endangered Blue Whales (Business Insider)
• Museum employee tracks down missing photograph of 9/11 victim (CBS)
• New law helps U.S. firm launch Wyoming direct air carbon capture project (NBC)

Everyone’s A Critic – Even The Vice President

• Vice President Kamala Harris told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that internal threats to democracy are “very dangerous and I think it is very harmful. And it makes us weaker.” Between the January 6 chaos and ongoing threats against members of Congress, domestic extremism has taken center stage. 
• Harris didn’t take the path of defending her fellow lawmakers, however, and instead noted that “we’re starting to allow people to call into question our commitment to those principles” like “the integrity of democracies” and “protecting a rule of law.” Harris also noted that the Supreme Court’s recent decisions have brought “great concern about the integrity of the court overall.” (Axios)

A Kick In The Plants

• Back in May, Michael Jennings – a Black pastor – was watering his neighbor’s plants per their request. He was arrested after a white neighbor called the police to report that a Black man was on the homeowners’ property unattended. Jennings refused to provide proof of identification, leading to his arrest for “obstructing government operations.”
• Jennings has filed a lawsuit against the officers that arrested him, alleging that the arrest resulted in a loss of constitutional rights, emotional distress, and PTSD for the pastor. In a press conference, Jennings expressed why he decided to file a lawsuit, saying, “I felt dehumanized. I felt little. I felt helpless. And it hurt me.” (CBS) 

Additional USA News 

• Rep. Karen Bass says her Los Angeles home was burglarized, two firearms stolen (CNN)
• Federal judge blocks Arizona law limiting filming of police (NBC)
• Who will control the House? Look to New York. (Politico)
• 3 injured in explosion at Aurora, Colorado apartment building, forcing hundreds of residents from their homes (CNN)
• 9/11 attacks still reverberate as US marks 21st anniversary (AP)
• South Carolina Senate fails to pass near-total abortion ban after GOP lawmaker filibuster (CNN)
• Kansas AG candidate Kris Kobach resigns from border wall nonprofit accused of fraud (Axios)

A Fight Against Pig-otry

• A far-right Italian politician demanded that an Italian state broadcaster stop broadcasting a certain episode of the popular children’s cartoon Peppa Pig. The reason? The episode featured two lesbian polar bears as side characters. In the episode, their daughter Penny highlights her parents’ relationship, saying, “I live with my mummy and my other mummy. One mummy is a doctor and one mummy cooks spaghetti.” 
• In a statement, Federico Mollicone of the Brothers of Italy said, “We cannot accept gender indoctrination. Once again the politically correct has struck, at the expense of our children. Can’t children just be children?” The contentious children’s cartoon episode aired for the first time last Tuesday in the U.K., marking the first time a same-sex couple was portrayed in the show’s 18-year history. 
• The Brothers of Italy is led by a politician opposed to same-sex marriage and parenting, who is poised to become prime minister following general elections this month. The most egregious part of the episode, though, is the spaghetti the polar bears are eating – it looks to be totally unseasoned, with no sauce or even cheese. (Guardian)

Additional Reads

• US surpasses 1m organ transplant milestone since first surgery in 1954 (Guardian)
• A Slain Reporter, a City of Sin and a Politician Charged With Murder (NYT, $)
• How movies, television helped define Queen Elizabeth II in public consciousness (NBC)
• Cloud labs and remote research aren’t the future of science – they’re here (Guardian)
• Queen’s corgis to live with the Duke and Duchess of York (CNN)
• Student finds 1.8 million-year-old tooth, one of oldest signs of hominins outside of Africa (USA Today)
• Harrison Ford makes emotional return to ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise (CNN)

Editor’s Note: There was an error in Friday’s edition, which read, “The royal family suffered many controversies over her life, including the breakdowns of three royal marriages and the death of Princess Diana, which all occurred in 1992.” It should have read: “The royal family suffered many controversies over her life, including the breakdowns of three royal marriages, which all occurred in 1992, and the death of Princess Diana.” We apologize for the mix-up!

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