npr:
After high turnout in last year’s midterm elections propelled Democrats to a new House majority and big gains in the states, several Republican-controlled state legislatures are attempting to change voting-related rules in ways that might reduce future voter turnout.
In Texas, state lawmakers are considering adding criminal penalties for people who improperly fill out voter registration forms. Arizona Republicans are proposing new voting rules that could make it more complicated to cast an early ballot. In Tennessee, GOP lawmakers are considering a bill that would fine groups involved in voter registration drives that submit incomplete forms.
Republican lawmakers in those states say new laws are needed to maintain the integrity of voter rolls and prevent fraud. Voting rights advocates and Democrats dismiss those claims and argue that the policies are designed to dampen turnout among younger, nonwhite and poorer voters, who are less likely to back Republicans.
If enacted, these proposals could have an impact on future elections, especially in Arizona and Texas, where demographic and political trends are making both states more competitive on the national level for the first time in decades.
Last fall, Arizona Republicans saw their total control of all statewide offices shattered by surging Democratic turnout, losing four of nine statewide races — including a U.S. Senate seat. Democrats view the state’s other Senate seat as one of their best pickup opportunities in 2020. In Texas, record turnout helped Democrats flip two congressional and 12 state legislative seats — not to mention come closer than they have in decades in the Senate race. While Tennessee wasn’t ultimately competitive in 2018, there was a surge of newly registered voters in the Democratic strongholds of Memphis and Nashville.
The bills in Republican-controlled states that could curb voting come as many Democratic-run states are heading further in the opposite direction by expanding access to early and absentee voting and adopting automatic voter registration (several traditionally Republican states have also adopted automatic voter registration).
“We are seeing both the good and bad side of the fallout of the 2018 election,” said Danielle Lang, co-director of the voting rights and redistricting program at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
After Democrats Surged In 2018, Republican-Run States Eye New Curbs On Voting
Photo: Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images
(Source: NPR)
The climate crisis is getting worse, and it’s imperative that media air comprehensive climate coverage on earth day and year round. This includes accurate reporting on the Green New Deal and related climate discussions.
Fox News continues to dominate Green New Deal coverage, but its reporting is riddled with lies about what the plan calls for and how much it could cost. Less than half of Fox’s 22 Green New Deal segments from March 25-31 mentioned climate change, and when Fox figures did bring up climate change, they often peddled misinformation or downplayed the severity of the issue.
Relief of Sobek
Relief depicting the crocodile god Sobek wearing Atef crown, detail of a wall carving from the Double Temple of Sobek and Haroeris, Kom Ombo.
(via nervousbreadchaos-deactivated20)
Grey Matter Art has released an offocially licensed screen printed poster for Evil Dead II by “Ghoulish” Gary Pullin. There’s a regular edition (/150) for $50 and a glow-in-the-dark variant (/100) for $65. Both measure 24x36.
(via horror-bmovie-punk-deactivated2)
Art by Ales-fera
(via zillajr)
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Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles -
Scientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling for the first time the full recycling of bottles.
The new research was spurred by the discovery in 2016 of the first bacterium that had naturally evolved to eat plastic, at a waste dump in Japan. Scientists have now revealed the detailed structure of the crucial enzyme produced by the bug.
The international team then tweaked the enzyme to see how it had evolved, but tests showed they had inadvertently made the molecule even better at breaking down the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic used for soft drink bottles. “What actually turned out was we improved the enzyme, which was a bit of a shock,” said Prof John McGeehan, at the University of Portsmouth, UK, who led the research. “It’s great and a real finding.”
The mutant enzyme takes a few days to start breaking down the plastic – far faster than the centuries it takes in the oceans. But the researchers are optimistic this can be speeded up even further and become a viable large-scale process.
(via Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles | The Guardian)
(Source: theguardian.com, via )
