Saturday, July 4, 2020

And another day of trying to prove that, yes, “all men are created equal” (and women) regardless of race, skin color, sexuality, religion, income level, education, birth nation, or physical or mental ability comes to a close. Welcome to the not-so-United States of America.

“But no one wants to see, the way society, keeps spreading the disease.” -- Queensryche

Deaths

US: 132,318 (+217)

World: 533,449 (+4322)

Countdown: 122 days.

What No Patriot Would Ever Do. No patriot would mock an American prisoner of war or a Gold Star family. No patriot would invite foreign interference in an American presidential election. No patriot would uphold a hostile dictator's claims over the documented findings of our congressional committees, intelligence agencies and military services. No patriot would insult the allies fighting alongside our troops. No patriot would denigrate the service of American diplomats and decorated military veterans. No patriot would beg the Chinese dictator to assist his reelection. No patriot would insist that we honor the traitors who sought to perpetuate slavery. And no patriotic president would ever demean the Constitution by claiming to have the absolute power "to do whatever I want."

Trump doubles down on divisive messaging in speech to honor Independence Day. It was the kind of dark message the President has turned to often in recent weeks to incite his most loyal supporters as he attempts to ignore a pandemic in the face of skyrocketing coronavirus cases. — He needs an enemy for his supporters, so he’s turned people like me into that roll. 

Our country is in chaos. But it's a great time to be an American.

On the Fourth of July, ask when patriotism became synonymous with selfishness. Real American patriotism should be about supporting each other and showing up to vote for (and be) leaders who take care of all of our communities.

A global study has found strong evidence that a new form of the coronavirus has spread from Europe to the US. The new mutation makes the virus more likely to infect people but does not seem to make them any sicker than earlier variations, researchers say. — Learn to live with it. 

At Mount Rushmore, Trump digs deeper into nation's divisions. — Trump sucks at most things, but he is excellent at dividing people. 

National Park Service staff working Mount Rushmore event weren't required to get tested, agency says. — Guess they’ll learn to live with it. 

Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.'s girlfriend, tests positive for coronavirus while in South Dakota. — She’ll learn to live with it. 

The 28 most outrageous lines from Donald Trump's Mount Rushmore speech. — We should not have learn to live with this garbage. 

Trump steps back, done with being 'daily voice' of coronavirus response. — What response?

Florida coronavirus cases rise by record 11,458 on Saturday. — Learn to live with it. 

These are true patriots. Trump sees them as enemies.

There are still BLM protests going on in major cities, even though they are no longer making the news. 

Epstein's alleged accomplice pictured posing on British throne with Kevin Spacey.

Australia's Victoria reports 108 new coronavirus cases, biggest jump since March.

Fact check: Biden lambasts the President on coronavirus response. We took a look at the facts around some of the accusations he leveled against the President and his administration.

Who Died For Your Dinner? After months of stress, Americans have been looking forward to the pre–COVID-19 pleasures of a (socially distanced) 4th of July. How about a cookout? It's a traditional, low-key summer celebration — but amid the nation's growing outbreak, even a simple home-cooked meal comes at an exorbitant price. We traced 1 meal to 3 workplaces where 1,100 people in total tested positive & 4 died.

105 University of Washington students in frat houses test positive for coronavirus. — They’re going to learn to live with it. 

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh denies a request from Illinois Republicans to block a rule barring gatherings of more than 50 people.

Kanye West Announces 2020 Presidential Run. -- We’ll see. Probably just attention grabbing bullshit.

Baltimore protesters have pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and thrown it into the city's Inner Harbor.

Amid furor over monuments, Trump seeks `garden’ of US heroes.

Black students experience trauma from racist incidents at school, experts say.

The Amazon CEO is now worth nearly $172 billion, a new record for the world's richest person, according to Bloomberg Billionaire Index. — At $1 per second ($3600 per hour), it takes about 32 years to obtain $1 billion. Bezos has nearly $172 billion.

Tacoma mayor signs on to coalition exploring guaranteed income proposal. It’s part of an idea known as guaranteed income, or universal basic income, which was given a boost this year from presidential candidate Andrew Yang. A pilot program is already underway in Stockton, Calif.

The nation's largest movie theater chain AMC is delaying its U.S. reopening until the end of July to coincide with the updated release dates of Warner Brothers' "Tenet" and Disney's "Mulan." — Yeah, that’s not going to happen either. 

Google collects a frightening amount of data about you. You can find and delete it now.

Washington State celebrated National CROWN Day on July 3 with a new law banning discrimination based on natural hairstyles.

A rare case of brain-destroying amoeba has been confirmed in Florida. -- Well, it is 2020.

Soccer fans down under had plenty to celebrate as Australia and New Zealand were named joint hosts for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.

Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.