Out d’Coup | Democracy Summit; New German Chancellor; Starbucks Union; UAW Members Win Union Democracy; Gerrymandering and New Legislative Maps; Street’s Fumble; Yass; COVID Spikes; Huge New Planet

<p>President Biden presided over the <a href='https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/09/joe-biden-summit-for-democracy'>launch of his virtual “Summit for Democracy”</a> on Thursday. Biden warned the more than 80 leaders of democratic nations that the threat to democratic forms of government is pressing and all “the date we’re seeing is largely pointing in the wrong direction.” The statements may have fallen a little hollow as the U.S. is one of the nations that has been newly placed on the list of nations considered democratic backsliding nations. While the White House put out a list of actions it says its taken to protect the vote, one lawyer from the Texas Civil RIghts Project told The Guardian, “you have to be kidding me,” the actions are nothing but “minor tweaks on the edge of the problem.” </p> <p><a href='https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59575773'>Angela Merkel’s 16 year reign as German chancellor came to an end</a> this week as the new chancellor from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Olaf Scholz, took the oath of office. He will lead a coalition between the SPD, the Greens, and the libertarian inclined Free Democrats. Scholz will be the first chancellor to lead a cabinet to include as many women as men. The coalition also has ambitious plans to fight climate change by phasing out coal and prioritizing renewable energy. </p> <p>And this little ditty from The Independent: “<a href='https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/patagonia'>Patagonia</a> CEO Ryan Gellert has called out big businesses for their alleged duplicity on the <a href='https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/climate-crisis'>climate crisis</a> as well as their opposition to the Biden administration’s ambitious <a href='https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/build-back-better'>Build Back Better</a> Act. 'The [corporate] sector has historically been full of s***, and the sector is still full of s***,' Mr Gellert told Fast Company on Monday."</p> <p>Workers in Buffalo, NY become the <a href='https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/