THE HILL: For the People Act is the Bold Legislative Action we Need to Fight Election Disinformation
If we are going to have a real democracy that is truly of, by, and for the people, then we need solutions and accountability to combat the growing cancer of disinformation. We can start with a bill moving through Congress right now: the For the People Act…..
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CNN: Biden White House Removes Trump-Era Scientist from Overseeing Climate Report
White House officials have transferred Trump-appointed scientist Betsy Weatherhead from her position overseeing the US government’s report on the effects of climate change, a senior administration official told….
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/white-house-removes-trump-era-scientist/
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AXIOS: Former Vice President Walter Mondale Dies at 93
Walter Mondale, who transformed the role of U.S. vice president while serving under Jimmy Carter and was the Democratic nominee for president in 1984, died Monday at 93, according to a family spokesperson….
https://www.axios.com/walter-mondale-dies-vice-president-f8b5bfaf-bec1-44c5-8120-811c6f1a664b.html
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CNN: Officer Sicknick Suffered Strokes and Died of Natural Causes
US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick suffered strokes and died of natural causes one day after responding to the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, Washington DC’s chief medical examiner has determined….
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/brian-sicknick-death-us-capitol-riot/
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POLITICAL WIRE: Biden May Cut Nicotine In Cigarettes
“The Biden administration is considering requiring tobacco companies to reduce the nicotine levels in all cigarettes sold in the U.S. to levels at which they are no longer addictive,” the Wall Street Journal reports….
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CNN: Megadrought: Colorado River Reservoir Could Sink to a Record Low
Wracked by drought, climate change and overuse, a key reservoir on the Colorado River could sink to historically low levels later this year, new US government projections show, potentially triggering significant water cutbacks in some states as early as next year.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/weather/western-drought-colorado-river-cutbacks-study/index.html
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USA TODAY: Supreme Court Passes on Second Amendment Cases
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up three challenges to a federal ban on gun ownership for people convicted of nonviolent crimes, surprising Second Amendment advocates who hoped the court would chip away at the restriction….
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GOTHAMIST: The NYPD Deploys ‘Creepy’ New Robot Dog
The NYPD’s robot dog is once again stirring privacy concerns and cyberpunk prophesies of some New Yorkers, after the four-legged machine was spotted inside of a Manhattan public housing complex on Monday….
https://gothamist.com/news/nypd-deploys-alarming-robot-dog-manhattan-public-housing-complex
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MSN NEWS: Florida Governor Signs Anti-Riot Bill Into Law
“This is not an anti riot proposal, it is actually an anti-protest proposal. This is just a republican effort designed to stop the rising tide of protest prompted by the police murder of George Floyd. The Governor wants to criminalize peaceful protestors who are merely exercising their constitutional rights. This is dog whistle, red meat legislation prepared for consumption by the Governor’s radical and far right political base,” Ben Frazier of the Northside Coalition said in a statement last week.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gov-desantis-signs-anti-riot-bill-into-law/ar-BB1fOLO6
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INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY: ‘Greater Immediate Domestic Threat’ from Wide Range of Lone Actors Than ISIS
ISIS and al-Qaeda “remain the greatest Sunni terrorist threats to U.S. interests overseas” and still want to conduct attacks on our home soil, but “U.S.-based lone actors and small cells with a broad range of ideological motivations pose a greater immediate domestic threat,” according to the intelligence community’s 2021 Annual Threat Assessment….
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DAILY BEAST: Top Oath Keeper: Cops Train Oath Keepers for Civil War
The far-right paramilitary the Oath Keepers is home to active-duty law-enforcement officers who are training up other members to prepare for civil war, according to one of the group’s top figures…
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Trump Appointees Blocked EPA from Investigating Ethylene Oxide Polluters
EPA REPORT: The EPA delayed communicating health risks to community residents in Illinois, which is part of EPA Region 5, who lived near ethylene oxide-emitting facilities.
Specifically Office of Air and Radiation leadership delayed informing the Willowbrook, Illinois, community about the results of the EPA’s May 2018 short-term monitoring around the Sterigenics facility and did not conduct public meetings with residents either near the Medline facility in Waukegan, Illinois, or the Vantage facility in Gurnee, Illinois.
Outside of the residual risk review process, the Office of Inspector General did not identify any statutory, regulatory, or specific policy requirements or protocols to disclose public health information about ethylene oxide emissions.
The EPA’s mission statement and risk communication guidance state, however, that communities should have accurate information to participate in decision-making processes….
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NYT: 2 Killed in Driverless Tesla Car Crash
Two men were killed in Texas after a Tesla they were in crashed on Saturday and caught fire with neither of the men behind the wheel, the authorities said…
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NYT: How Democracy Faces a Rising Threat Splitting Republicans and Democrats
NATE COHN: The country is increasingly split into camps that don’t just disagree on policy and politics — they see the other as alien, immoral, a threat. Such political sectarianism is now on the march…
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ARS TECNICA: At 38.5% Vaccinated, US May Be Running Low on People Eager for a Shot
The latest survey results and vaccination distribution data are pointing in the opposite direction. Together, they suggest that the US may be close to running out of people eager for their shot and that the robust pace of vaccination in the country may soon wane…
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Brian Harrod is the publisher and editor of the RoundupNewswires.com news website, as well as, the hyper local YonkersNewswire.com news and social media pages. You can learn more about Mr. Harrod at BrianHarrod.com..