Plus, senators blast data brokers for sharing location info of abortion-seekers
If you've been waiting for results in the Pennsylvania GOP Senate primary — i.e., the one with Dr. Oz — then you're going to have to wait a while longer. It's too close to call, with ballots still to be tabulated and a full recount likely. But you can start thinking about the other results from Tuesday, because they offer some hints about the kinds of Democrats who win and lose elections these days – and the kind of Republican that might be in office in 2024, when control of not just Congress but also the White House is on the line. If you think of yourself as a progressive or a liberal, or if you simply care about small-d democratic values, three races in particular deserve your attention. One could give you hope, another offers intrigue. And the third? Well, it could scare the bejeezus out of you. The takeaways from these races are complex, to be clear. Among other things, all three were primary races, in which the point is to win over party faithful. That's a lot different than winning statewide, especially in divided states like Pennsylvania. To help you navigate those complexities, here's a rundown on those three results, with the help of HuffPost reporters who covered them. |
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The nation has reached a heartbreaking milestone of 1 million confirmed deaths from COVID-19 since the coronavirus pandemic began over two years ago. An average of over 300 people are still dying each day from COVID-19 — most of whom are unvaccinated — even as safe and effective vaccines have been available to prevent severe illness or death from the virus. "We mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to COVID-19," President Joe Biden said in a statement on Thursday, ordering flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other federal grounds. "Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community, and a nation forever changed because of this pandemic." The president asked Americans to "remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible." |
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Democratic lawmakers see a bigger problem at hand amid the worrying shortage of baby formula across the country: the increasing consolidation of corporate power through mergers and acquisitions that has led to rising income inequality. "The shortage was caused in large part by corporate greed and consolidation. There are only four manufacturers of infant formula in the United States," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) noted on Tuesday. Abbott, Reckitt Benckiser, Nestle, and Perrigo account for nearly all infant formula sales in the U.S. Abbott halted production and recalled several brands of formula earlier this year, leading to widespread shortages and panic among distraught parents across the country. The crisis has been felt most acutely by low-income parents who rely on programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC. |
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led 13 other Democratic senators on Wednesday in blasting data brokers for collecting and selling the cellphone-based location data of people who visit abortion clinics, saying the companies are risking those people's safety. In a letter to companies SafeGraph and Placer.ai, the senators demanded answers about the data brokers' collection practices and called on them to create a complete and permanent ban on those and similar practices. "Anti-abortion activists have already used location data to send targeted anti-choice ads to women's phones while they are sitting in abortion clinics," the senators wrote in the letter. "Anti-abortion politicians in Republican-led states have placed bounties on women who receive abortions and doctors that provide them and even proposed laws that would punish pregnant people for traveling to seek abortions out of state. Anti-abortion prosecutors have used search and message data to criminally charge abortion-seekers." |
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