Millions of Kids Were Thrust Back Into Poverty After the Child Tax Credit Expired. What’s Next? (Maria)
The author writes, “For millions of children, January has been the cruelest month, thrusting them back into poverty and leaving their families uncertain about how they will keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. The temporary expansion of the child tax credit expired Dec. 15 and is expected to increase childhood poverty from 12 percent to 17 percent in January, the highest since December 2020, according to research by the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University. Black and Latino children will be hit harder, with poverty rising to 1 in 4 kids.”
Judge Won’t Budge as Voting Machine Report Fuels Conspiracies (Jonathan)
The authors write, “U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg has boxed herself into a dilemma. She has kept a report on a theoretical voting machine flaw — authored by a respected computer researcher — secret since last summer, citing concerns that releasing the report would fuel conspiracy theories about voting machines and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. But her attempts at doing the responsible thing has fueled conspiracy theories anyway. And now, she has Georgia’s top elections official, Brad Raffensberger, urging her to make the report public.”
We Uncovered How Many Georgians Were Disenfranchised by GOP Voting Restrictions. It’s Staggering. (DonkeyHotey)
From Mother Jones: “‘States are not engaging in trying to suppress voters whatsoever,’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declared last year. Facts on the ground in Georgia tell a different story. A new data analysis by Mother Jones shows that the number of voters disenfranchised by rejected mail ballot applications skyrocketed after the GOP-controlled legislature passed sweeping new restrictions on mail voting last year. The law enacted in March 2021 shortened the time people have to request and return mail ballots, prohibited election officials from sending such applications to all voters, added new ID requirements, and dramatically curtailed the use of ballot drop boxes, among other changes.”
Documents Reveal Trump Administration’s ‘Unprecedented’ Attempts to Influence 2020 Census (Gerry)
From the Brennan Center for Justice: “Records obtained by the Brennan Center in a lawsuit filed under the federal Freedom of Information Act reveal that the Trump administration made multiple attempts to interfere with the 2020 Census, pushing further than previously known but meeting stiff resistance from career Census Bureau officials on many fronts. At stake was the accuracy and legitimacy of the population counts used to divvy up seats in the House of Representatives, draw electoral districts, and distribute $1.5 trillion annually in federal funding. The 2020 Census ultimately escaped disaster, but these documents emphasize just how vulnerable the count is in the wrong hands.”
The Secret Service Is Watching Former Ambassador John Bolton’s House (Reader Steve)
From Forbes: “Secret Service Police vehicles have been monitoring the home of John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. … On Wednesday and Thursday, two white SUVs, marked as belonging to the Secret Service Police, were parked across the street from Bolton’s home in a Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C. The vehicles were backed into the lot, with an officer in each one looking out at Bolton’s home. Thursday afternoon there was an uptick in activity, with three marked vehicles and several unmarked ones standing by as people carrying black bags left the residence. Public records confirm that the house belongs to Bolton.”
VIDEO: Japan’s Ancient Philosophy That Helps Us Accept Our Flaws (Mili)
From the BBC: “Japan’s ancient art of celebrating broken pottery is rooted in an eastern philosophy of life that finds beauty in imperfection. Many believe it can help us accept our flaws and foster a sense of peace and fulfillment.”
Snowman Traveled Hundreds of Miles to Visit Students Who Never Saw Snow (Dana)
The author writes, “A snowman successfully journeyed 800 miles from Kentucky to Florida to visit students who had never seen snow before. Robin Hughes, a Tampa, Florida, resident, and teacher at Southshore Charter Academy, told Newsweek this was a plan in the making since she visited family in Kentucky for Thanksgiving. She explained that she realized many of her students did not have relevant knowledge about snow when she was teaching a lesson about weather.”
