New census data should be a boost to Democrats but . . .

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. New census data should be a boost to Democrats — but GOP is likely to win anyway The U.S. saw unprecedented growth in diversity over the past decade as the white population declined for the first time in history, new census data shows. But despite population growth among nonwhite and urban voters, which have been key Democratic voting blocs, Republicans are still expected to hold a decisive edge in the congressional redistricting process. It would be reasonable to conclude that a more diverse population that is increasingly concentrated in urban centers would give Democrats an edge over Republicans, whose base of voters has grown increasingly white and rural in recent election cycles. In theory, that would still be the case even as red states like Texas and Florida are set to gain congressional seats, while blue states like New York and California will lose seats, given that the population increases in Texas and Florida are largely in those states' large metropolitan areas. But that's not likely to be how it plays out in reality, [Salon's Igor Derysh writes](. Republicans have aggressively (and sometimes illegally) gerrymandered congressional districts in previous cycles, and hold total control over the redistricting process in 20 states, representing 187 congressional districts. Democrats have control of the process in 11 states, including just 84districts. Other states have split governments or independent redistricting commissions, which offer some protection against partisan gerrymanders. Though the 2010 census showed similar trends to those seen in the new data, Republican gerrymanders allowed the party to hold decade-long majorities in many congressional delegations and state legislatures, even as Democrats began to consistently win larger shares of the vote. That has resulted in massive partisan gains for the GOP, according to a recent Associated Press analysis. Ohio Republicans have won 75% of the state's congressional seats, for instance despite never winning more than 58% of the vote. Why is the Biden administration still keeping migrant kids locked up? "A lot of girls cry. They have thoughts of cutting themselves," a 14-year old Guatemalan girl told a Reuters reporter in June. "I feel asphyxiated having so many people around me. There's no one here I can talk to about my case, or when I'm feeling sad. I just talk to God and cry," said another teenage girl from Honduras who was held in the Dallas convention center with 2,600 other kids. It gets worse as you read more press reports written over the course of the summer. Kids in custody reported spoiled food, no clean clothes, sleeping on cots under glaring lights, drinking spoiled milk when there isn't water. According to a New York Times report, detained youth at a military base in El Paso said they'd gone days without showering, while at another facility in Erie, Pennsylvania, lice were rampant. In June roughly 4,000 unaccompanied children were being held by the Department of Health and Human Services. That's definitely a step up from the ICE detention of the Trump years, but still amounts to kids locked in facilities where press is not permitted. No one denies that growing numbers of immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. present a difficult political, social and humanitarian problem. The Biden administration realizes that, and has worked to alleviate the suffering. Still, there is no excuse for the incarceration of children. As Leecia Welch, a lawyer at the National Center for Youth Law, told the New York Times in June, "Thousands of traumatized children are lingering in massive detention sites on military bases or convention centers, many relegated to unsafe, unsanitary conditions." There is growing outrage about the continuing use of the federal regulation known as Title 42 as a deportation mechanism, [Elayne Clift writes for Salon](. It was extensively used to keep migrants and refugees from entering the country under the Trump administration. President Biden promised to end it, but is now apparently allowing it to remain in effect indefinitely. - As delta variant surges, [vaccine-makers rethink their strategy]( - ["Vindication for Britney"]( Dad Jamie Spears begrudgingly steps down from conservatorship - [Matt Gaetz's week just got way worse]( Wingman reportedly hands over “thousands” of files to the feds - Lindell-apalooza melts down: [MyPillow guy claims antifa sabotaged his "cyber symposium"]( - [Secret IRS files revealed]( Trump’s “big, beautiful tax cut" boosted the ultrawealthy's gains - ["Brooklyn Nine-Nine" returns with an appropriate awkward hello]( to its farewell season - Golden milk, Hindu pilgrimages and a state mental hospital: [A personal history told through turmeric]( - FBI says [father blames conspiracy theories]( for death of two young children - [CNN hosts mock Giuliani]( for charging less than Harry Potter character on Cameo - Sohla's cheesy mochi cake is [the world's most perfect snack]( Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. It's OK to blame the unvaccinated — they're robbing the rest of us of our freedoms President Joe Biden must immediately mandate vaccinations for anyone getting on an airplane or a train, [Salon's Amanda Marcotte writes](. And while Republican leaders will resist, Democrats who control state and local governments must follow in the footsteps of New York City and make vaccine requirements for public places widespread. Businesses and schools should immediately require vaccines for employees and students over the age of 12. Ordinary people can draw the line with friends and family, rejecting them from all social occasions until they get the jab. Yes, anti-vaxxers will whine and complain about "freedom." But freedom is what vaccine mandates are about. Vaccine mandates can return freedom to those of us who are sick of canceling plans, sick of losing work, and sick of having to wear masks everywhere we go, even though we're vaccinated. It's conservatives who are always rolling out that treacly slogan that "freedom isn't free." Well, time to prove that adage. We need our freedom back. Luckily, the cost this time is low: a small prick in the arm that will save a life, probably your own. Not exactly storming the beaches at Normandy, sacrifice-wise. It's time to stop giving up our freedom to coddle people who don't even know what that word really means and start mandating the shots in every way we can. - "[Rachel Maddow seriously considers leaving MSNBC]( The Daily Beast - "[Supreme Court rejects challenge to Indiana University's vaccination requirement]( NBC News - "[The Democratic Senate majority could hinge on California’s governor recall]( HuffPost - "[Los Angeles judge dismisses sexual battery charge against Harvey Weinstein]( CNN - "[Elizabeth Warren: How to fix our rigged tax system]( The Washington Post - "[FDA approves GHB, a ‘date rape’ drug, for rare sleeping disorder]( The New York Times - "[Robin Williams’ son pays tribute to his dad on the 7th anniversary of his death]( People Marjorie Taylor Greene shrugs off surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations During an appearance on the pro-Trump Real America's Voice network, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she thinks "more research is needed" before the FDA approves the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently being distributed to Americans. [Greene added that she's talked to hospital officials]( and while "waiting rooms" may be full of COVID-19 patients, "the waiting rooms are full of all kinds of things — not just COVID." "So while the news tries to tell us the hospitals are slam-packed with COVID, that's just not the case," she said. "Everybody needs to get back down to common sense and remember that, you know, we're human. We can't live forever." 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.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. 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