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Staffers at the Nation’s Largest Labor Union Just Voted to Authorize a Strike (Maria)
The author writes, “Labor unrest is so intense this year that even labor unions are facing internal staff rebellions. The field staff of the National Education Association (NEA), the teachers’ union, voted unanimously on Monday to authorize a strike. The NEA is the largest union in the country, representing about 3 million education professionals from pre-school to graduate school — and its tiny staff of 48 employees has been without a contract since May 2023. The vote by the Association of Field Service Employees is the latest sign of the strong labor resurgence.”
A Potentially Decisive Turn in the 2024 Campaign (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Donald Trump has held a substantial lead among Republican grassroots leaders for months, but there was still room for other candidates to break through. Now the door appears to be closing. That’s according to my latest survey of GOP county chairs from across the country. Among this group of Republicans, the 2024 presidential campaign has looked somewhat more competitive than it has in other polls. Notably, a large contingent of respondents had remained undecided, giving Trump opponents some hope that they could win over a key constituency in the party. Those hopes may be fading, however, as more uncommitted chairs are coming off the fence and backing Trump.”
Former Fox News Reporter Says in Lawsuit He Was Fired After Challenging Jan. 6 Coverage (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “A former Fox News reporter says in a lawsuit he was targeted and fired for pushing back against false claims about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In the suit moved to federal court Monday, producer Jason Donner said he was part of a ‘purge’ of employees who refused to only report information that would ‘appease’ former President Donald Trump and his supporters.”
What It’s Like to Give Birth in Gaza (Laura)
From +972 Magazine and The Intercept: “Since the start of the war, miscarriages, premature births, and fetal deaths have increased threefold at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, according to Dr. Abed Abu Hasira, a doctor in the department. Over 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza are living in constant fear of losing their babies as the war rages on.”
Billionaire FBI Informant Peter Thiel Dished About Two Kremlin Invites to Private Putin Meetings (DonkeyHotey)
From Insider: “It was the perfect hunting ground for a Kremlin operative looking to get his hooks into Peter Thiel, one of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley: an extravagant birthday party with hundreds of guests, held at Schloss Neuwaldegg, a 17th-century palace in the suburbs of Vienna. … As the US government was coming to depend on private companies for critical top-secret technologies, Thiel was one of the biggest beneficiaries. That fact was likely on the mind of [one of the] guests, a tall, well-coiffed diplomat named Daniil Bisslinger, who worked in Moscow at the Kremlin’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Who Will Care for Older Adults? We’ve Plenty of Know-How but Too Few Specialists (Dana)
The author writes, “Despite the surging older population, there are fewer geriatricians now (just over 7,400) than in 2000 (10,270), he noted in a recent piece in JAMA. (In those two decades, the population 65 and older expanded by more than 60%.) Research suggests each geriatrician should care for no more than 700 patients; the current ratio of providers to older patients is 1 to 10,000. What’s more, medical schools aren’t required to teach students about geriatrics, and fewer than half mandate any geriatrics-specific skills training or clinical experience.”
‘Pepto Bismol Pink’ Waters on Maui Cause a Stir… and Draw a Crowd (Sean)
From Hawaii News Now: “When driving past Kealia Pond in south central Maui, you can’t help but do a double take. For the last week and a half, the pond looks straight out of a sci-fi film. The water has taken on a glowing pink and purple hue.”
