RIP RBG
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đ THE NEWSSTAND
(Hint: go Incognito to fight dem paywalls).
Today we mourn the loss of an incredible woman, mother, and patriot, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her story is one of grit, selflessness, and perseverance. She was the second woman nominated to the Supreme Court Justice of the United States, and her legacy will be forever honored.
Though, in the fashion of modern-day American politics it was less than an hour before Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky weighed in on the matter to advocate for a quick nomination of a conservative judge to replace her seat. This statement reminds us of his contradictory approach when he blocked President Barack Obama from appointing a justice to replace Justice Scalia nine months before the 2016 election. His rationale: âit was unprecedentedâ in an election year and necessary to let the âpeople choose.â
Now just four years later McConnell aims to quickly appoint a justice from quite possibly the most divided government and controversial president in history, with less than two months until the election. Not to mention the âunprecedentedâ global pandemic.Â
With the election less than 50 days away we are coming to the final lap for 45 and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden. Both have been campaigning in key battleground states that narrowly gave the election to 45 in 2016, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Another key state that both candidates are eyeing is Minnesota, which would almost complete the takeover of the once Democratic âblue wall.â
As economic and pandemic anxiety continue to burden Americans living all across the country, the choice for a candidate has all but been decided by the people. The lens that Americans have chosen to determine the best septuagenarian white male for the job is through a partisan one to be sure. This makes for all things within the political realmâsocial media apps, non-partisan Supreme Court justices, and science.
Though one cannot help to be reminded of or at least confused at how a platform for sharing dance videos has become politicized⊠what happened again in Tulsa?
And all of this while hundreds of thousands of Americans are left without power in a record-breaking hurricane season and experiencing the worst forest fires in modern history,Â
The ENTIRE SCIENCE COMMUNITY raises the alarm on the impacts that climate change has on the increase of stronger hurricanes and wildfires. Yet when the president visited California this past week and was confronted about the crisis by Cabinet secretary Wade Crowfoot, he simply responded âItâll just start getting cooler, you just watch.âÂ
Great.
đAround the Globe
Following six weeks of protests in Belarus by citizens demanding the resignation of the nationâs shadily elected president, the government announced the closure of borders and placed military troops on high alert.
You heard it one way now have it the other way. Sign up for The Flipside for a bipartisan view of daily events as they unfold.
đ§ WEEKLY MIXTAPE
Throwback of the week: Andy Levy aka Dolphin Boy released his album Gateaux Youth in 2003 well ahead of its time with electro-chill, jazz-tronic, and elements of hip-hop.
Alicia Keys finally releases her long-awaited album on sophisticated yet moving ALICIA featuring the single âMe x 7â.
Fans of jazz will be delighted to know that legendary American musician often credited with the creation of modern jazz, Thelonius Monk, is remembered on the release of a live recording from 1968 at Palo Alto High School.
The 21-year-old musician and producer, Sam Eagle of Essex, London, releases his new single Like This with elements of jazz, alt-pop, and experimental soundscapes.
Passionate, powerful, and confident. Those would be the words to describe the latest release from rapper Big Sean on his Detroit 2.
đ„ THE CABINET
Sangria
With warm summer nights on their way out and the inevitable cooling down of the seasons, we reach to hold on to those things that keep us in the moment. Sangria is the perfect cocktail to cool our way into the autumn and winter months.
Ingredients
 1 bottle red table wine
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
2 cups of sparkling water
1/4 cup simple syrup
orange slices
apple slices
blackberries
pomegranate seeds
Directions
Stir all of the ingredients together in a pitcher.Â
Put the pitcher in the refrigerator and let stand overnight.Â
Pour sangria into glasses. Garnish with an orange wedge.
đFIRESIDE CHAT
Notorious RBG. Kiki. Whatever nickname you knew her by, the character behind the words was that which stood out most when we talked about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Â
She was born into a low-income family in Brooklyn in 1933. She embodied working-class principles taught to her by her mother at an early ageâwork hard and get an education.Â
And that she did.
After finishing first in her class and earning her Bachelorâs degree from Cornell University in 1954, she enrolled in Harvard Law where she met her husband Martin D. Ginsburg, and had their first child together. But it was not long after that when Marty was drafted into the military and RGB took on the role of both mother and scholar.
Hardship followed her as Marty finally returned two years later from service but was shockingly diagnosed with testicular cancer. RGB again took on the role of mother, caretaker, and scholar.
Selfless. Grit. Patriot.
Facing gender discrimination in a male-dominated legal world she always fought for not only her rights but womenâs rights. When she began practicing law she was one of only a couple hundred women in a judicial system of over 10,000. After transferring to Columbia Law and graduating top of her class, she was unable to get a job practicing law in New York.Â
Discrimination would not deter RGB from working hard. She persevered and followed the other principle her late mother impressed upon herâeducation. She served as a law professor at Rutgers and Columbia where she became the first female tenured professor.
She continued her fight for equality as the head of the Women's Rights Project for the ACLU. It was during this time she argued for six landmark cases on gender equality.
The real turning point in her profound career came in 1993 when she was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Clinton and confirmed by a 96-3 vote on the Senate floor.
She served with moderation, considered to be a part of the moderate-liberal bloc of the Court, favoring gender equality, workersâ rights, and the separation of church and state.
In 1996 she wrote the landmark decision in the United States v. Virginia, which held that the state-supported Virginia Military Institute could not refuse to admit women.
She was considered instrumental in the 5-4 ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges that ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the Constitution.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg will forever be remembered as one of the strongest women and persons of character in modern American history.
Today we celebrate her life and the influence that she has had on creating equality for all lives throughout her career in public service.Â
âThe only confining thing for me is time,âÂ
âRuth Bader Ginsburg
We're in this together
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