Crash Course: Biden's pyrrhic infrastructure win

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Brett Bachman](. Is Biden's infrastructure deal a pyrrhic victory? A bipartisan group of Senators agreed, finally, to an infrastructure deal estimated at $1 trillion — and D.C. is abuzz with the news that Serious People in both parties can come together and Get Things Done. But let's not forget that this is all happening against a backdrop of "impending doom for not just the Democratic party's future, but for democracy itself," [Salon's Amanda Marcotte writes](. This infrastructure deal on its own may be considered an achievement (America's roads and bridges are falling apart), but none of this is happening in a vacuum. With agreement on this bill — and all of the fawning Beltway press headlines to come — any chance at filibuster reform, or, really, any chance Democrats will get Sens. Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema to work with them in the future at all just went up in smoke. Expect state-level Republicans to continue their assault on voting rights, and expect Congressional Democrats to continue well, not being able to do anything about it. "By letting this one bill get through, and propping up the illusion that "bipartisanship" is real, Republicans just bought themselves assurance that more important bills, such as the For the People Act, will never pass. "Let's be real: The person who really showed his experience and chops here is Mitch McConnell, who once again outmaneuvered Democrats and got his party closer to their long-term goal of permanent power without having to win free and fair elections." Mike Lindell to Fox: No more ads for you! The MyPillow CEO and fervent supporter of Donald Trump told Salon he's [pulling all of his ads from Fox News]( after they refused to run a spot for his "cyber symposium" event — which Lindell claims will provide enough proof of industrial scale election fraud to propel the former president back into office. It's the latest shot in a running beef between Lindell and the conservative network, and it's not exactly unexpected. The pillow maven [told Salon exclusively last week]( that he planned to get back at the conservative network for their failure to promote — or cover, or even mention, for that matter — the "cyber symposium," which is set to overtake Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Aug. 10-12. Supporters need not worry, though, he assured us — both Newsmax and OAN have both agreed to run the symposium ads. - A group of GOP representatives were "locked out" from a Washington, D.C.-area jail [while attempting to visit the Jan. 6 insurrectionists](. - Thanks to a gravitational trick, astronomers were able to [observe light from behind a black hole]( — confirming part of Einstein's theory of general relativity. - Republican Rep. Mo Brooks reveals he wore body armor to Trump’s Jan. 6 rally after [receiving a tip about potential violence](. - HBO Max's cheeky and addictive "FBoy Island" is [calling out reality dating shows]( — and succeeding. - [Nadiya Hussain's bread pudding]( will have you baking with ice cream. - Gawker's return [has conservatives wondering]( Could Peter Thiel have aided right-wing media more? - [Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney]( for releasing "Black Widow," on its streaming service rather than exclusively in theaters. - What [should you expect]( if you get a breakthrough case of COVID-19? - Facing disbarment, Texas AG Ken Paxton [is backing away from Trump's fraud claims](. - [Listen to Johnny Cash sing "Cocaine Blues"]( at his legendary, intimate Carousel Ballroom concert. - Trump tried to [handpick the winner of a Texas House race](. He failed miserably. - And, finally, [learn to make a Jungle Bird]( — the tiki cocktail known for its balance of sour and spice. Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. In the war on Black and brown people's civil and human rights, "Birth of a Nation" is now functioning as a handbook, prologue and justification for the Republican party's actions, [Salon's Chauncy DeVega writes](. Instead of depicting the truth about Reconstruction: that Black people created "a nation under their feet" by fighting for their freedom, "Birth of a Nation" shows multiracial democracy and equality across the color line as something grotesque. "Fears of widespread election fraud in urban, largely minority communities echo the paranoia felt by many white Americans in the 19th and early 20th centuries about non-existent 'negro domination.'" — and it's best to understand these fears through that lens. Indeed, new research shows that hostility to non-whites is a key determinant of support for Donald Trump, and that Republicans are also more likely to hold racist sentiments than Democrats. "Black and brown folks are now desperately trying to warn President Joe Biden and the Democrats that American democracy is imperiled by these 'Jim Crow Republicans' to such an extreme that 2022 may be the last time that the United States will have "free and fair elections. "The country's future depends on listening to these Black folks, and their wisdom and experience with American neofascism. Unfortunately, too few Americans want to do so." - "[The MyPillow Guy Really Could Destroy Democracy]( The Atlantic - "[Amanda Knox: Who Owns My Name?]( Medium - "[Australian Olympian fixed kayak with a condom, threw up and won gold]( The New York Post - "[Why Millennials Have a Weird Relationship with Water]( VICE News - "[At doggie daycare, a pandemic puppy spends his first day without mom and dad]( The Washington Post - "[This Man Does Not Make Poppers]( BuzzFeed News - "[Matt Damon’s Disappearing Acts]( The New York Times Magazine The director for St. Louis County's Department of Public Health [says he was assaulted by an "angry" anti-mask mob outside a city council meeting Tuesday night](. The meeting was held, of course, to discuss a mask mandate recently implemented in the county. "I have worked to improve public health around the world, working in Australia, Vietnam, Pakistan, South Africa, the People's Republic of China, Zimbabwe, Botswana and the United States (West Virginia, Massachusetts and Missouri)," Dr. Faisal Khan wrote in a Wednesday letter to the council's chairwoman. "In all that time and in all those places," he continued, "I have never been subjected to the racist, xenophobic, and threatening behavior that greeted me in the County Council meeting last night." He wrote that he was subjected to racial slurs and pushed repeatedly by a crowd that chanted "Trump 2024" — all of this following a council meeting during which a Republican councilman "said he wanted to emphasize for the assembled crowd that [Khan] was not from this country." The council ultimately voted 5-2 against the mask requirement, though the county executive who first implemented the policy subsequently held a press conference announcing that the mandate would remain in place regardless. The fate of the rule will ultimately be decided in court. Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon Media Group, Inc., All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon Media Group, Inc. Market StreetSan Francisco, CALIFORNIA 94102 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](