Out d’Coup | Rush’s Hour; Texas Disaster; Cancún Cruz; Impeachment; J6 Commission; Defund LA Update; Kenyatta 4 Senate; PA Gerrymandering; HACC Union; Perseverance Rover; Camera Talk; Free Will Recs

Rush Limbaugh died. That is all.

Devastation in Texas as a climate change, supercharged winter storm causes loss of power and water for millions. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott doesn’t waste any time to blame green energy and frozen windmills for the crash of their power grid. That’s one way of trying to avoid accountability. Scratch the surface to expose the awful truth of the GOP death cult’s market fundamentalism and climate change denialism. 

Senator Ted Cruz from Texas stepped up to show how you take charge of a disaster and solve problems. He packed up his family and flew to Cancun, while leaving the family's poodle, named “Snowflake,” inside their freezing home. 

In more WTF Texas news, the Mayor of Colorado City, Texas Tim Boyd topped even Ted Cruz. When residents started posting to a community Facebook group in search of help and answers about power and water, the Mayor chimed in and said: “No one owes you or your family anything...I’m sick and tired of people looking for a damn handout.” 

Meanwhile, Texas-based reporters from the Texas Tribune and the Houston Chronicle, are exposing decades of deregulation, free market fundamentalism, and climate change denialism led directly to the current deadly crisis. 

Impeachment is over. And the Republicans voted to support insurrection and their Dear Leader. 

Nancy’s not letting go. After the Republicans gave Trump a free pass on sedition and inciting an insurrection in the nation’s Capitol, Nancy Pelosi announces plans for a 9/11-style commission to study the January 6 attack. 

In the latest move in the Divest from Police and Invest in Communities movement, the Los Angeles School Board cuts a third of its police force and reinvests in educating black students. According to the LA Times, “The unanimous decision comes after a yearlong campaign by students activists and community members to reimagine the school police force, which they maintain disproportionately targets Black and Latino children.”

Let the campaign for the PA Senate begin! Last night, Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announced that he will be running for the Democratic Party nomination for the U.S. Senate. Right out of the gate he’s got endorsements from the Philadelphia Federation for Teachers, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Working Families Party. Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced his campaign for the same office. It will be a battle for the soul of progressivism in the Democratic Primary. 

Yesterday was the deadline for Judicial Gerrymandering to make it onto the May Primary ballot, which it did not.  Progressives in Pennsylvania are celebrating this victory and continuing the fight to make sure it stays off the November ballot. 

Harrisburg Area Community Colleges are organizing a union. This past Saturday, faculty members held rallies on the Lancaster and Harrisburg campuses. Full-time and adjunct faculty have been working with PSEA for over a year on their campaign. HACC is the only community college in the Commonwealth without faculty union representation. 

Budget hearings are underway and progressives are ramping up the pressure for a People’s Budget. 

Pennsylvania Budget Summit Registration.

Tango Delta Nominal for NASA’s Perseverance rover. Perseverance safely landed on Mars yesterday at 3:55 pm. And, yes, I watched it live and celebrated with a can of Free Will’s Under Dawn’s Red Sun. 

Looks like NASA’s acting chief, Steve Jurczyk, used yesterday’s focus on the Mars landing to bury the news that he broke on Wednesday that 2024 is no longer a realistic deadline to safely return to the Moon. 

China is assembling its new Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket in preparation of sending the first module to what will be China’s first space station. China plans to construct the space station through 11 launches in 2021 and 2022. 

Sean is basking in his recent camera gear haul.

Free Will Brewing: closed today because of the weather, but they’ll be open back up in no time. I’ll have some recommendations from their online store: https://freewillbrewing.store/