The Fast Lane for COVID Testing Has Opened Up ; Police and Public Officials Donated to Kyle Rittenhouse ; and More Picks 4/19
The Fast Lane for COVID Testing Has Opened Up in the US (Bethany)
From Scientific American: “Why, more than a year into a pandemic, does the U.S. lag behind other developed nations in the deployment of rapid antigen testing? Recently, for the first time, we received a hint that our nation’s top health officials have been wondering the same thing. On March 31 the Food and Drug Administration effectively made a game-changing announcement: two rapid at-home antigen tests, Abbott’s BinaxNOW and Quidel’s QuickVue, will soon be sold over the counter (OTC) on drugstore shelves, without the need for a prescription.”
US Police and Public Officials Donated to Kyle Rittenhouse, Data Breach Reveals (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “A data breach at a Christian crowdfunding website has revealed that serving police officers and public officials have donated money to fundraisers for accused vigilante murderers, far-right activists, and fellow officers accused of shooting black Americans. In many of these cases, the donations were attached to their official email addresses, raising questions about the use of public resources in supporting such campaigns. … The beneficiaries of donations from public officials include Kyle Rittenhouse, who stands accused of murdering two leftwing protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August.”
Why the Adam Toledo Video Is Causing Some News Organizations to Draw a Line (Dana)
The author writes, “Footage of a police officer shooting and killing 13-year-old Adam Toledo ‘is not something you want children to see,’ Chicago’s mayor said on Thursday. It is also something that several journalists decided to not show their audiences — even though the video’s release Thursday was major news and contradicted prosecutors’ earlier claim that Adam had been holding a gun when he was shot. Instead, these news outlets — mostly based in Chicago — provided thorough descriptions of the footage, carefully chosen still images and links to the graphic video in case their readers did want to watch.”
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee Signs Bill Banning For-Profit Jails (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “One of the country’s largest for-profit, privately run immigration jails would be shut down by 2025 under a bill signed Wednesday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. The measure approved by the Washington Legislature bans for-profit detention centers in the state. The only facility that meets that definition is the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, a 1,575-bed immigration jail operated by the GEO Group under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
The Last Two Giraffes Have Been Rescued From a Vanishing Kenyan Island (Dana)
From Gizmodo: “A mother and calf are the last of nine endangered giraffes to be transported to Kenya’s mainland as rising waters threaten their home island in Lake Baringo. Using a custom-built barge, eight females and one male have been successfully rescued from the island, according to an emailed statement from Save Giraffes Now. The daring rescue — which took 15 months of planning and work — involved the Ruko Community Conservancy, the Northern Rangelands Trust, and Kenya Wildlife Service, in addition to the Dallas-based Save Giraffes Now.”
