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STAR W E E K L Y
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Desert Hot Springs, CA
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PERMIT NO 00005
Friday, June 12, 2020 Vol. 24 No. 46
‘Matter of Facts’ Some advocates contend LGBTQ equality cannot be achieved without fully embracing anti-racism. (MathiasWasik/Flickr)
LGBTQ Pride Month: Racial Justice Integral to Equality for All By Desert Star Staff JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- As they reflect on their own fight for equal rights, members of Missouri’s LGBTQ community are standing with those fighting for racial justice.
June is Pride Month, and Stephen Eisele executive director of the advocacy group PROMO, says that equality for LGBTQ people cannot be achieved without fully embracing anti-racism.
By Desert Star Staff The latest data from the Treasury Department shows that the US gross national debt has exceeded $26 trillion for the first time, as the nation grapples with economic relief from the Covid-19 pandemic. National debt is up from $23.5 trillion in March, with an increase of $1 trillion since May 5. According to CBS News, citing data from the Treasury, public debt has grown by $6 trillion since President Donald Trump took office in 2017. “The Treasury Department notes that the growth in public debt was caused by the allocation of funds for the COVID-19 pandemic counteraction program and
the pandemic-related tax deferral,” CBS reported. The US government has allocated trillions of dollars in coronavirus relief since the start of the pandemic. The socalled CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) was adopted in March and earmarked $2 trillion, while the $3 trillion HEROES Act (Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions) was passed by the House of Representatives in May. According to the Treasury’s monthly report, the federal government budget deficit for the first eight months of has reached $1.88 trillion – the current fiscal year (which already higher than any full started on 1 October 2019) fiscal year deficit in US history.
He notes Pride Month in June was born out of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York, protests against the police harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ individuals. “It’s really incumbent upon
all of us within the LGBTQ community to stand up for any community that has been marginalized,” Eisele stresses. “And certainly we know what that looks like for our community and we need
to be standing in solidarity and making it clear that we are all in this together.” Eisele says the movement is working toward becoming more diverse, equitable and inclusive, with the understanding Continues on Page 2
US national debt hits $26 TRILLION, soaring by $1 trillion just in one month
The 2020 eight-month deficit more than doubled the $738.6 billion deficit
for the same period in the 2019 fiscal year.