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Celerity
Celerity's Journal
Celerity's Journal
October 22, 2021
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rahm-emanuel-says-police-murder-hes-accused-of-covering-up-still-haunts-him
Seven years to the day after the murder of a Black teenager by a white Chicago police officer, the man accused of helping cover up critical evidence of the crime told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that his past actions shouldn’t disqualify him from being the next U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman, White House chief of staff, and two-term mayor of Chicago, told senators on Wednesday that “there’s not a day or a week that has gone by in the past seven years and not thought about this and thought about the what-ifs” of the murder of Laquan McDonald and its aftermath—but said that while he “clearly missed the level of distrust and skepticism that existed” from Black Chicagoans, he has since earned the support of civil rights organizations and a relative of McDonald’s, all of whom can speak “to my person and my character.” “It doesn’t take away from the fact that a grave tragedy occurred,” Emanuel said gravely, “and that tragedy sits with me.”
Emanuel’s inclusion in President Joe Biden’s slate of political nominees to key U.S. ambassadorships abroad has rankled civil rights leaders, progressive Democrats, and Chicago activists, who say that the former mayor’s actions in the aftermath of McDonald’s murder are incompatible with a prestigious diplomatic posting.
“For 400 days, Rahm Emanuel tried to cover up the truth of what happened to Laquan McDonald,” Kina Collins, a progressive Chicago congressional candidate, said in a statement ahead of the hearing that was signed by more than 20 civil rights leaders and relatives of victims of police brutality. “For 400 days we marched, organized, and protested for the release of the police dashcam footage, because we know that too often, police lie when their own careers are at stake. And for 400 days, that officer escaped justice, because Emanuel was more concerned with his own re-election than he was with justice for a child murdered on his watch. This is a complete slap in the face to Black America.”
snip
Rahm Emanuel Says Police Murder He's Accused of Covering Up Still Haunts Him
Supporters of Emanuel’s nomination had been increasingly anxious about how he would hold up under intense questions about his troubled tenure as Chicago's mayor.https://www.thedailybeast.com/rahm-emanuel-says-police-murder-hes-accused-of-covering-up-still-haunts-him
Seven years to the day after the murder of a Black teenager by a white Chicago police officer, the man accused of helping cover up critical evidence of the crime told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that his past actions shouldn’t disqualify him from being the next U.S. ambassador to Japan.
Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman, White House chief of staff, and two-term mayor of Chicago, told senators on Wednesday that “there’s not a day or a week that has gone by in the past seven years and not thought about this and thought about the what-ifs” of the murder of Laquan McDonald and its aftermath—but said that while he “clearly missed the level of distrust and skepticism that existed” from Black Chicagoans, he has since earned the support of civil rights organizations and a relative of McDonald’s, all of whom can speak “to my person and my character.” “It doesn’t take away from the fact that a grave tragedy occurred,” Emanuel said gravely, “and that tragedy sits with me.”
Emanuel’s inclusion in President Joe Biden’s slate of political nominees to key U.S. ambassadorships abroad has rankled civil rights leaders, progressive Democrats, and Chicago activists, who say that the former mayor’s actions in the aftermath of McDonald’s murder are incompatible with a prestigious diplomatic posting.
“For 400 days, Rahm Emanuel tried to cover up the truth of what happened to Laquan McDonald,” Kina Collins, a progressive Chicago congressional candidate, said in a statement ahead of the hearing that was signed by more than 20 civil rights leaders and relatives of victims of police brutality. “For 400 days we marched, organized, and protested for the release of the police dashcam footage, because we know that too often, police lie when their own careers are at stake. And for 400 days, that officer escaped justice, because Emanuel was more concerned with his own re-election than he was with justice for a child murdered on his watch. This is a complete slap in the face to Black America.”
snip
October 22, 2021
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wisconsin-preschooler-missing-mother-was-slain-found-dead-n1282123
Major Harris, the 3-year-old boy missing after his mother was killed in Milwaukee last week, has been found dead, police said Thursday. "My heart and my condolences are out to the family," Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told reporters, adding that the investigation was "ongoing and very fluid."
Major's body was found at North 35th Street and West Rohr Avenue, Norman said. More details were not released at a news conference.
His mother, Mallery Muenzenberger, 25, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on Oct. 14 in the backyard of a home, police said.
On Sunday, the suspect in her slaying, Jaheem Clark, 20, killed himself as police arrived outside a home, police have said. Officers heard two gunshots from within the home and entered to find him dead, police said.
snip
Wisconsin preschooler missing since mother was slain is found dead
Major Harris' mother was found killed last week, and the suspect in her death apparently died by suicide days later, police said.https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wisconsin-preschooler-missing-mother-was-slain-found-dead-n1282123
Major Harris, the 3-year-old boy missing after his mother was killed in Milwaukee last week, has been found dead, police said Thursday. "My heart and my condolences are out to the family," Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman told reporters, adding that the investigation was "ongoing and very fluid."
Major's body was found at North 35th Street and West Rohr Avenue, Norman said. More details were not released at a news conference.
His mother, Mallery Muenzenberger, 25, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on Oct. 14 in the backyard of a home, police said.
On Sunday, the suspect in her slaying, Jaheem Clark, 20, killed himself as police arrived outside a home, police have said. Officers heard two gunshots from within the home and entered to find him dead, police said.
snip
October 22, 2021
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/mustard-cocktails-wine-drinks
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Mustard Cocktails... You Heard That Right
https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/mustard-cocktails-wine-drinks
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October 22, 2021
A Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker in Murmansk - the Arctic is a possible flashpoint
The first ever National Intelligence Estimate on Climate Change looks at the impact of climate on national security through to 2040. Countries will argue over how to respond and the effects will be felt most in poorer countries, which are least able to adapt.
The report also warns of the risks if futuristic geo-engineering technologies are deployed by some countries acting alone. The 27-page assessment is the collective view of all 18 US intelligence agencies. It is their first such look-ahead on what climate means for national security.
It warns countries will try to defend their economies and seek advantage in developing new technology. Some nations may also resist the desire to act, with more than 20 countries relying on fossil fuels for greater than 50% of total export revenues.
"A decline in fossil fuel revenue would further strain Middle Eastern countries that are projected to face more intense climate effects," the report says. Soon, it warns, the impact of climate change will be felt around the globe.
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Climate change will bring global tension, US intelligence report says
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-59004088A Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker in Murmansk - the Arctic is a possible flashpoint
The first ever National Intelligence Estimate on Climate Change looks at the impact of climate on national security through to 2040. Countries will argue over how to respond and the effects will be felt most in poorer countries, which are least able to adapt.
The report also warns of the risks if futuristic geo-engineering technologies are deployed by some countries acting alone. The 27-page assessment is the collective view of all 18 US intelligence agencies. It is their first such look-ahead on what climate means for national security.
It warns countries will try to defend their economies and seek advantage in developing new technology. Some nations may also resist the desire to act, with more than 20 countries relying on fossil fuels for greater than 50% of total export revenues.
"A decline in fossil fuel revenue would further strain Middle Eastern countries that are projected to face more intense climate effects," the report says. Soon, it warns, the impact of climate change will be felt around the globe.
snip
October 22, 2021
https://www.thedailybeast.com/virginia-guv-hopeful-glenn-youngkin-plays-footsie-with-the-far-right
An event listing for the Virginia Tea Party’s “Backlash to Socialism” summit makes no mention of Glenn Youngkin. The aspiring governor is absent from a photo gallery of the event, and there’s not a peep about it on his Facebook page, where he posted pictures from a different event that same day.
But Youngkin recorded an address that played at the event, which was sponsored by the far-right John Birch Society and featured a keynote speaker who went on a conspiratorial diatribe about supposed communist infiltration, according to videos reviewed by The Daily Beast.
Youngkin, Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, is running a tight race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe. In a bid to flip the democratically held office, Youngkin has pitched himself to the state’s moderates and independents, and maintained a careful distance from the GOP’s more extreme voices. But Youngkin’s path to victory also requires support from Donald Trump’s base—and video from the June 26 Tea Party event suggests that Youngkin is privately comfortable courting more fringe votes.
Reached for comment, Youngkin spokesperson Matt Wolking told The Daily Beast, “Glenn Youngkin did not attend this event and was not aware of other speakers or sponsors.”
snip
Virginia Guv Hopeful Glenn Youngkin Plays Footsie With the Far Right
Youngkin recorded an address for a Virginia Tea Party summit sponsored by the far-right John Birch Society and headlined by a conspiracy theorist obsessed with communists.https://www.thedailybeast.com/virginia-guv-hopeful-glenn-youngkin-plays-footsie-with-the-far-right
An event listing for the Virginia Tea Party’s “Backlash to Socialism” summit makes no mention of Glenn Youngkin. The aspiring governor is absent from a photo gallery of the event, and there’s not a peep about it on his Facebook page, where he posted pictures from a different event that same day.
But Youngkin recorded an address that played at the event, which was sponsored by the far-right John Birch Society and featured a keynote speaker who went on a conspiratorial diatribe about supposed communist infiltration, according to videos reviewed by The Daily Beast.
Youngkin, Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, is running a tight race against Democrat Terry McAuliffe. In a bid to flip the democratically held office, Youngkin has pitched himself to the state’s moderates and independents, and maintained a careful distance from the GOP’s more extreme voices. But Youngkin’s path to victory also requires support from Donald Trump’s base—and video from the June 26 Tea Party event suggests that Youngkin is privately comfortable courting more fringe votes.
Reached for comment, Youngkin spokesperson Matt Wolking told The Daily Beast, “Glenn Youngkin did not attend this event and was not aware of other speakers or sponsors.”
snip
October 22, 2021
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/21/bulls-how-a-manchin-bernie-blowup-helped-unstick-dems-agenda-516561
Democratic Sens. Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin patched things up after a cathartic exchange during a Democratic meeting. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders tangled in a private Democratic meeting this week that helped set the stage for growing progress on President Joe Biden’s agenda.
As Democratic leadership gathered Monday ahead of a pivotal week of negotiations on the party’s social spending bill, Manchin (D-W.Va.) laid out what he could accept to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s team. Universal pre-K was in, he said, but no tuition-free community college.
Sanders (I-Vt.) was not pleased. “Bullshit,” Sanders said, according to a readout of the meeting provided to POLITICO. Sanders said Manchin was telling the rest of the Democratic caucus to go “F themselves” and bend to one senator's agenda. Manchin disputed that, recounting that he’d told Biden the president did not win West Virginia and his very presence in the Senate is remarkable.
Shortly after that tussle, Manchin and Sanders met privately, posed for a photo together and publicly reconciled. They’ve met four times so far this week, each softening their rhetoric toward one another and speaking more hopefully of a deal even as they continue to spar behind the scenes. Yet the cathartic blowup helped spark a significant breakthrough after a dayslong feud between the two that began when Sanders leaned publicly on Manchin to support Biden’s agenda.
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'Bulls---': How a Manchin-Bernie blowup helped unstick Dems' agenda
A cathartic breakthrough between the West Virginia centrist and Vermont progressive paved the way for growing momentum towards a deal after months of infighting.https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/21/bulls-how-a-manchin-bernie-blowup-helped-unstick-dems-agenda-516561
Democratic Sens. Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin patched things up after a cathartic exchange during a Democratic meeting. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Joe Manchin and Bernie Sanders tangled in a private Democratic meeting this week that helped set the stage for growing progress on President Joe Biden’s agenda.
As Democratic leadership gathered Monday ahead of a pivotal week of negotiations on the party’s social spending bill, Manchin (D-W.Va.) laid out what he could accept to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s team. Universal pre-K was in, he said, but no tuition-free community college.
Sanders (I-Vt.) was not pleased. “Bullshit,” Sanders said, according to a readout of the meeting provided to POLITICO. Sanders said Manchin was telling the rest of the Democratic caucus to go “F themselves” and bend to one senator's agenda. Manchin disputed that, recounting that he’d told Biden the president did not win West Virginia and his very presence in the Senate is remarkable.
Shortly after that tussle, Manchin and Sanders met privately, posed for a photo together and publicly reconciled. They’ve met four times so far this week, each softening their rhetoric toward one another and speaking more hopefully of a deal even as they continue to spar behind the scenes. Yet the cathartic blowup helped spark a significant breakthrough after a dayslong feud between the two that began when Sanders leaned publicly on Manchin to support Biden’s agenda.
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October 21, 2021
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-democrats-shred-spending-tax-plans-get-deal-done-2021-10-21/
child tax credit extension was slashed to one year
Biden, Democrats shred spending, tax plans to get a deal done
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-democrats-shred-spending-tax-plans-get-deal-done-2021-10-21/
Oct 21 (Reuters) - For months, U.S. President Joe Biden and Democrats touted a $3.5 trillion Build Back Better plan as a transformational piece of legislation that would reshape the world’s largest economy for decades to come. They have spent recent days painfully deciding how to pare down parts of the plan, and which parts to scrap entirely as they seek to satisfy demands from within their own ranks to cut the size of the package.
Congressional and White House sources say that among the ideas now on the chopping block are: a $109 billion plan to provide free community college to all Americans and a $150 billion program to push utilities to switch to renewable energy. The highly touted child tax credit extension was slashed to one year, and paid family leave could be gutted as well, they say.
Most significantly, a fundamental mechanism for paying it all, raising the corporate tax rate, is on ice, because Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a key swing-vote Democrat, is unlikely to support it.
snip
Paid family leave, a cornerstone of Biden’s economic agenda, and a topic some members of his women-heavy economic team have spent years advocating for, also faces severe cutes. Biden’s initial plan called for providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents and caretakers for seriously ill family members, and compensating workers for at least two-thirds of their earnings. Now the benefit could shrink to just a few weeks, alarming supporters who view this as the best chance to secure a crucial safety net for workers, particularly women.
Congressional and White House sources say that among the ideas now on the chopping block are: a $109 billion plan to provide free community college to all Americans and a $150 billion program to push utilities to switch to renewable energy. The highly touted child tax credit extension was slashed to one year, and paid family leave could be gutted as well, they say.
Most significantly, a fundamental mechanism for paying it all, raising the corporate tax rate, is on ice, because Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a key swing-vote Democrat, is unlikely to support it.
snip
Paid family leave, a cornerstone of Biden’s economic agenda, and a topic some members of his women-heavy economic team have spent years advocating for, also faces severe cutes. Biden’s initial plan called for providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents and caretakers for seriously ill family members, and compensating workers for at least two-thirds of their earnings. Now the benefit could shrink to just a few weeks, alarming supporters who view this as the best chance to secure a crucial safety net for workers, particularly women.
child tax credit extension was slashed to one year
October 21, 2021
When it comes to the controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer,” Netflix seems to have hit a nerve affecting both employees and boldfacers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/10/20/netflix-chappelle-controversy/
Netflix made a mess of the Dave Chappelle controversy. It's a crisis of Netflix's own making
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/21/media/netflix-dave-chappelle-analysis/index.html
Dave Chappelle insulted another audience no one mentions
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/20/entertainment/dave-chappelle-controversy-netflix-black-comic-tradition/index.html
the transphobic Dave 'I'm on Team TERF' Chappelle and Netflix get raked over the coals
Dave Chappelle’s controversial comedy special is a catalyst for change as Netflix walkout leads to calls for reformWhen it comes to the controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer,” Netflix seems to have hit a nerve affecting both employees and boldfacers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/10/20/netflix-chappelle-controversy/
Netflix employees at the streaming giant’s campuses around the world walked off the job Wednesday in protest of Dave Chappelle’s latest special, the company’s defense of the comedian and its dismissal of concerns that the content was dangerously transphobic.
A crowd of dozens gathered outside the streamer’s West Hollywood offices to denounce both Chappelle and the company’s chief executive, Ted Sarandos, who has stood by “The Closer” after employees, LGBTQ organizations and the platform’s own talent likened the special to hate speech. Some supporters of Chappelle also attended the rally, clashing with protesters as they urged Netflix not to limit speech and held up signs with messages such as “Jokes are funny.”
“We’re here today not because we can’t take a joke," Ashlee Marie Preston, a media personality and the walkout’s organizer, told rallygoers. “We’re here today because the jokes are taking lives.”
The one-day walkout followed weeks of simmering complaints and punctuates the collision of the comedian’s popularity with the growing movement to protect the rights of transgender people.
A crowd of dozens gathered outside the streamer’s West Hollywood offices to denounce both Chappelle and the company’s chief executive, Ted Sarandos, who has stood by “The Closer” after employees, LGBTQ organizations and the platform’s own talent likened the special to hate speech. Some supporters of Chappelle also attended the rally, clashing with protesters as they urged Netflix not to limit speech and held up signs with messages such as “Jokes are funny.”
“We’re here today not because we can’t take a joke," Ashlee Marie Preston, a media personality and the walkout’s organizer, told rallygoers. “We’re here today because the jokes are taking lives.”
The one-day walkout followed weeks of simmering complaints and punctuates the collision of the comedian’s popularity with the growing movement to protect the rights of transgender people.
Netflix made a mess of the Dave Chappelle controversy. It's a crisis of Netflix's own making
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/21/media/netflix-dave-chappelle-analysis/index.html
New York (CNN Business)The Dave Chappelle comedy special, "The Closer," has thrust Netflix into its biggest crisis ever. It's a mess of the company's own making.
Chappelle's special, which debuted on Netflix earlier this month, caused a firestorm inside and outside the company. It includes several jokes about trans people that some found deeply offensive. Netflix has stood by the special, even after it was criticized as transphobic by some LGBTQ+ advocates, artists and even Netflix's own employees.
"Promoting [trans-exclusionary radical feminist] ideology (which is what we did by giving it a platform yesterday) directly harms trans people," Terra Field, a senior software engineer at Netflix, tweeted earlier this month. "It is not some neutral act."
https://twitter.com/RainofTerra/status/1445914242335473669
But Netflix's strategy — offering a trove of diverse content without much editorial supervision — has made the company a huge success. Intervening in Chappelle's special isn't so simple.
Chappelle's special, which debuted on Netflix earlier this month, caused a firestorm inside and outside the company. It includes several jokes about trans people that some found deeply offensive. Netflix has stood by the special, even after it was criticized as transphobic by some LGBTQ+ advocates, artists and even Netflix's own employees.
"Promoting [trans-exclusionary radical feminist] ideology (which is what we did by giving it a platform yesterday) directly harms trans people," Terra Field, a senior software engineer at Netflix, tweeted earlier this month. "It is not some neutral act."
https://twitter.com/RainofTerra/status/1445914242335473669
But Netflix's strategy — offering a trove of diverse content without much editorial supervision — has made the company a huge success. Intervening in Chappelle's special isn't so simple.
Dave Chappelle insulted another audience no one mentions
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/20/entertainment/dave-chappelle-controversy-netflix-black-comic-tradition/index.html
(CNN)Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix special may have attracted a barrage of criticism from the LGBTQ community, but there is another group that he has offended that no one mentions: The long list of iconic Black comics who affirmed gender nonconforming people or were members of the LGBTQ community themselves.
Richard Pryor was bisexual and raised money for a gay rights organization. "Moms Mabley,' who was the first Black female standup comic to go mainstream, was a lesbian.
Cross-dressing Black men have created some of the enduring comic characters in Black comic history, from comedian's Flip Wilson's sassy "The Devil Made Me Do it" character of "Geraldine" to Tyler Perry's "Madea."
Black comics have indeed peddled their fair share of harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ people. Eddie Murphy, for example, unleashed a blistering series of homophobic slurs in his early standup routines -- performances for which he's since apologized.
Richard Pryor was bisexual and raised money for a gay rights organization. "Moms Mabley,' who was the first Black female standup comic to go mainstream, was a lesbian.
Cross-dressing Black men have created some of the enduring comic characters in Black comic history, from comedian's Flip Wilson's sassy "The Devil Made Me Do it" character of "Geraldine" to Tyler Perry's "Madea."
Black comics have indeed peddled their fair share of harmful stereotypes about LGBTQ people. Eddie Murphy, for example, unleashed a blistering series of homophobic slurs in his early standup routines -- performances for which he's since apologized.
October 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1451007939494490113
AOC: Follow along for a day in the life as we welcome First Lady @DrBiden to the Bronx (PS83!)
to engage teachers and staff, prep for hearings, do laundry, & stream w/ Bernie.https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1451007939494490113
October 21, 2021
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-10-20/southwest-and-american-s-vaccine-mandates-won-t-work-unless-enforced
Covid-19 vaccine mandates are only as good as the people enforcing them. And it seems the executives running Southwest Airlines Co. and American Airlines Inc. could use more backbone. For inspiration, they can look to United Airlines Inc.’s managers, or to mayors, governors and college presidents around the country.
Last week, Southwest and American gamely pushed back against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s effort to forbid companies headquartered in his state to impose mandates. Both airlines issued statements saying their first responsibility was to follow the Biden administration’s planned federal mandates. In the days since, however, the two Texas-based airlines have shown less gumption.
https://twitter.com/davidshepardson/status/1444076808421400577
American originally told employees they would have to be vaccinated or lose their jobs, and eventually imposed a Nov. 24 deadline. It invited employees with religious, medical or disability claims to apply for an exemption. But American’s flight attendants’ union said management recently indicated that employees who have applied for exemptions can keep working — a concession that weakens the mandate. Southwest first told its employees they had to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 to keep their jobs unless they received an exemption. Employees who applied for exemptions would be placed on unpaid leave while applications were reviewed. But more recently, Southwest told employees that anyone seeking an exemption would not be placed on leave — and encouraged them to apply. I imagine that might persuade many Southwest employees who are opposed to vaccination to take that advice and dodge the mandate.
Maybe this shouldn’t be surprising. Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chief executive officer, told CNBC last week he wasn’t fully behind this public health stuff. “I’ve never been in favor of corporations imposing that kind of a mandate,” he said. “I’m not in favor of that, never have been.” But he had federal guidelines to follow, he allowed. “My goal obviously is that no one loses their job. The objective here obviously is to improve health and safety, not for people to lose their jobs.”
snip
The airlines are spinelessly softening their original demands that all employees be vaccinated
Southwest and American Are Making a Dangerous Mandate Mistakehttps://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-10-20/southwest-and-american-s-vaccine-mandates-won-t-work-unless-enforced
Covid-19 vaccine mandates are only as good as the people enforcing them. And it seems the executives running Southwest Airlines Co. and American Airlines Inc. could use more backbone. For inspiration, they can look to United Airlines Inc.’s managers, or to mayors, governors and college presidents around the country.
Last week, Southwest and American gamely pushed back against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s effort to forbid companies headquartered in his state to impose mandates. Both airlines issued statements saying their first responsibility was to follow the Biden administration’s planned federal mandates. In the days since, however, the two Texas-based airlines have shown less gumption.
https://twitter.com/davidshepardson/status/1444076808421400577
American originally told employees they would have to be vaccinated or lose their jobs, and eventually imposed a Nov. 24 deadline. It invited employees with religious, medical or disability claims to apply for an exemption. But American’s flight attendants’ union said management recently indicated that employees who have applied for exemptions can keep working — a concession that weakens the mandate. Southwest first told its employees they had to be vaccinated by Dec. 8 to keep their jobs unless they received an exemption. Employees who applied for exemptions would be placed on unpaid leave while applications were reviewed. But more recently, Southwest told employees that anyone seeking an exemption would not be placed on leave — and encouraged them to apply. I imagine that might persuade many Southwest employees who are opposed to vaccination to take that advice and dodge the mandate.
Maybe this shouldn’t be surprising. Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chief executive officer, told CNBC last week he wasn’t fully behind this public health stuff. “I’ve never been in favor of corporations imposing that kind of a mandate,” he said. “I’m not in favor of that, never have been.” But he had federal guidelines to follow, he allowed. “My goal obviously is that no one loses their job. The objective here obviously is to improve health and safety, not for people to lose their jobs.”
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