Out d’Coup | High Stakes Reconciliation Bill; Climate Crisis; Super Snail Mail; Sidewalk Socialists; Kavanaugh Gets COVID; PA House GOP Circus; Women’s March; Happy Birthday NASA

Progressives hold the line, forcing Nancy Pelosi to postpone a vote on the $1 trillion Kyrsten Sinima promoted the “bi-partisan” (aka the fossil fuel) infrastructure bill. 

Meanwhile, Joe Manchin says he won’t support a reconciliation bill larger than  $1.5 trillion - $2 trillion less than the compromise package and $4.5trillion less than the original package. 

Some West Virginia kayactivists paddle up to Joe Manchin’s yacht, ask him better questions than most of the beltway media, and get more from him that any cable news show. 

Writing in his newsletter The Daily Poster, David Sirota reported Thursday that: Joe Manchin backed a huge bank bailout for Wall Street execs almost 13 years ago to the day. That’s just rich as he deridedan "entitlement mentality" as a reason to kill the reconciliation bill that would help millions of people struggling to survive. The Wall St execs then bankrolled him.

Greta Thunberg chastises world leaders about their climate change “blah, blah, blah,” over the past several decades; she calls for immediate, decisive action. 

FEMA is removing subsidies for flood insurance as claims are expected to rise significantly due to the effects of climate change. Insurance premiums are expected to rise 18% per year for at least the next 20 years, particularly in areas already prone to flood. 

Twenty-three species have been removed from the endangered species list. But this is not good news. They are being removed because they have been declared extinct. In the 50 years since the passages of the Endangered Species Act. Until Wednesday’s announcement, only 11 species have been removed from the list - until today, that is. 

Are you ready for some serious snail mail? “Beginning Friday, the U.S. Postal Service will start to "implement new service standards" for first class mail and periodicals — slowing its target delivery time by about 30%,” USPS spokesperson Kim Frum told NPR.

Back in the day there were the “sewer socialists;” today, “sidewalk socialists” are making the theoretical question about what it would mean to govern as a socialist into a very practical one. Rebecca Burns of In These Times has a great article on the victories of India Walton in the Buffalo Democratic Mayoral primary and over 60 DSA-backed candidates who have been elected to local office from Denver to Chicago to Knoxville, TN. 

Supreme Court Justice and all-around horrible human being, Brett Kavanaugh, tests positive for COVID-19 just a few days before the new term begins. Before you have to google it, yes, he’s been vaccinated. Just didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. 

Pennsylvania House Republicans shoot down their own school voucher bill.  They were planning on giving vouchers to parents of students who didn’t want to wear masks and let them go to school districts or private schools that do not have masking requirements.

House Republicans advanced their voter suppression agenda once again.  They voted House Bill 1800 out of committee and a series of constitutional amendments that would politicize the Secretary of State’s office, mandate voter ID, establish election audits and more.

About 3,000 people showed up in Harrisburg for a maskless, superspreader Pro-Life rally. Sean didn’t want to get close to that thing even with his zoom lens. 

Tomorrow, Women’s Marches are happening around the country tomorrow including right here in the Commonwealth. Rallies will take place in Harrisburg @ 11 am. You can look for a rally times and locations near you by going to https://map.womensmarch.com/.

Cyril Mychalejko - Central York High School students light a path for student uprisings in Bucks County and across the Commonwealth. 

Happy Birthday to NASA. Yes, on this day in 1958 the legendary space agency was born! On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA was born! 

The FAA is investigating Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin about safety measures after an explosive letter published by a group of 21 employees blue the whistle on the company’s move to cut safety corners, pressuring employees to works long hours, in a rush to try and gain government contracts and compete with SpaceX.  The letter also alleges that there is a toxic working environment at the company, especially for women.