Welcoming neighbors to the north: Since President Trump took a hardline stance on immigration, the number of asylum seekers entering Canada has skyrocketed with more than 3,300 people taking refuge in Quebec. Officials in Montreal turned their Olympic Stadium, normally used for music performances and sporting events, into a temporary welcome center for the new immigrants. Most of the groups settling in the city are from Haiti. In May, the White House floated the idea of ending a longstanding humanitarian program that would impact 58,000 Haitians with immediate deportation. The mayor of Montreal, however, has welcomed the immigrants with open arms.Reclaiming the narrative: Amazon is working with Will Packer, the man who produced Straight Outta Compton and Girls Trip, and Aaron McGruder, creator of The Boondocks, on a show called Black America. According to Deadline, the proposed series will be an alternative history show where freed black people have control of the South after the Civil War. The news about the project comes just days after HBO announced a similarly themed alternative history drama, Confederate, in which the South won the Civil War and slavery still exists. HBO received severe backlash from Twitter users who decried the network and the show's creators with the hashtag #NoConfederate. The response to the news of Amazon's Black America was yet another chance for Black Twitter to clap back at HBO.Wasted economy: The opioid crisis continues to peak and it's causing the labor pool to plummet as workers are too wasted to work. Jobs that don't require advanced skills or high school diplomas, and have pay rates of $15-$25 an hour, are going unfilled because too many applicants are flunking their drug tests. The problem is hitting America's rust belt where manufacturing is already taking a toll because of impact automation has had on the industry. According to Axios, the relationship between drug abuse and the joblessness is due in part to advancements in technology that left wages stagnant and communities without jobs. In response, people have turned to drugs and it has created a vicious cycle that continues to get worse.Sound off on affordable care: In Texas, lawmakers have launched an attack on Planned Parenthood in an attempt to block women from accessing health care. They're demanding federal funding for a piece of legislation called "Healthy Texas Women" that would put the health of Texas' most vulnerable residents who receive low-cost medical services at Planned Parenthood in jeopardy. There's still time to make a difference. Planned Parenthood is asking all who believe in affordable coverage to tell the Trump Administration to reject this breach of patient rights.There's just one more day for the public to comment on the program, let the government know why you feel it's important that women have access to care before it's too late. Take action to support Planned Parenthood today.
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