There’s been a lot of talk, on Daily Kos and elsewhere, about content warnings. Also referred to as “trigger warnings,” they send a quick signal to prepare your readers for what’s to come. Trigger warnings are not performative activism games intended to coddle fragility, or a means of short-circuiting discussion of uncomfortable topics. Instead, think of them as a way to avoid provoking serious trouble, like labels identifying food allergens at a potluck dinner.

by Sydney Pereira

This story was originally published at Prism.

At first, COVID-19 put people out of work. Beginning in March 2020, millions lost jobs practically overnight as government leaders locked down nonessential businesses, and Congress expanded jobless payments to help people weather coronavirus outbreaks.

But nearly two years in, the entire labor market has turned upside down.

Last week, the Biden administration announced it was making a big but temporary fix to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, offering a new chance for people who had been turned down for loan forgiveness on a series of technicalities despite making 10 years of payments. But now a settlement in a lawsuit is making an even bigger fix.

Connect! Unite! Act! is a weekly series that seeks to create face-to-face networks in each congressional district. Groups meet regularly to socialize, get out the vote, support candidates, and engage in other local political actions that help our progressive movement grow and exert influence on the powers that be. Visit us every week to see how you can get involved!

I have been told many times that the best way to get better at a skill is simple: practice, practice, practice.

Women over 40 have been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 economy—and, in this as in just about every other piece of bad economic news, Black and Hispanic women have had it the worst. According to a recent AARP report, 14% of women aged 40 to 65 lost their jobs, 13% had their work hours cut, 9% were furloughed, and 4% had their salary or wages cut. Overall, 41% of women in this age group lost job-based income.

The Biden administration took a step forward in combatting climate change while taking two steps back in humanizing our immigration policies. Tucker Carlson remains a homophobic hack, with jokes that would have embarrassed a stand-up comedian in the 1980s. Texas continues attacking children, this time focusing on trans youth. John Deere workers are going on strike—10,000 strong. And Andrew McCabe gets his retirement back now that Trump is gone.

If you’ve been anywhere near social media—and especially Twitter—recently, you’ve probably come across the discourse surrounding comedian Dave Chappelle’s recent comedy special, The Closer. The special streamed on Netflix as of Oct. 5 and almost immediately met criticism from folks regarding Chappelle’s transphobic and homophobic jokes.

Retired Kansas City, Kansas, cop Roger Golubski is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation after multiple reports of his exploitation and terrorizing of Black residents of Kansas City have finally received attention. According to CNN, while Golubski has been accused of multiple things, he has not faced charges in any incidents.

In another addition to the surreal era of the last five years, Ron Watkins, the man many believe to be the Q mastermind behind the voodoo conspiracy theory of QAnon, is throwing his hat into the ring as a Congressman representing the 1st District in Arizona.