Thursday, July 23, 2020

And another day to grab a beer, or a glass of wine, or maybe get your bong out and pack a bowl before proceeding through the day’s tumultuous events thankfully comes to a close:

“I read the news today, oh boy.” -- John Lennon and Paul McCartney (The Beatles)

Deaths

US: 147,333 (+1150)

World: 636,470 (+6277)

Cases

US: 4,169,991 (+69,116)

World: 15,651,911 (+278,295)

Countdown: 103 days.

The Republican silence on what's happening in Portland is jarring.

Portland mayor tear gassed after speaking with protesters on presence of federal agents. It's unknown at this time who is responsible for deploying the tear gas and there is nothing to indicate the mayor was targeted. Portland Police said they did not deploy any CS gas, a commonly used type of tear gas.

Barr calls reaction to George Floyd's death 'extreme'. Attorney General William Barr on Wednesday criticized what he called "extreme reactions that have demonized police" in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, which he blamed for "a significant increase in violent crime in many cities." — Setting the stage to justify Trump’s crackdown on protesters.

Trump says he would consider pardons for those implicated in Mueller investigation. The president did not offer specific names, but multiple Trump associates pleaded guilty or were convicted as part of Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Judge rules to unseal documents in 2015 case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's alleged accomplice.

Judge finds Michael Cohen's return to prison 'retaliatory,' orders his release. -- Trump doesn’t want him exercising his First Amendment rights. This is scary shit.

“Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” -- And this is scary shit, too.

More than 4 million cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the U.S. Here's a state-by-state breakdown of where cases are surging.

About 40 percent of U.S. adults are at risk for severe COVID complications. About 40 percent of adults in the U.S. have at least one underlying health condition that would put them at risk for severe complications of COVID-19, according to a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trump cancels in-person Republican convention in Jacksonville, Florida. -- But...but...he’s demanding the children get back in school in a few weeks.

Convention official describes chaos after Trump pulls the plug. The official described the situation as “a multimillion dollar debacle and think of where that money could have gone,” noting the funds could have been better spent on fighting the virus.

U.S. Disaster Response Scrambles To Protect People From Both Hurricanes And COVID-19.

A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired: 'This is everything I was trying to warn people about'. — DeSantis had other ideas. He is literally trying to kill the people of Florida.

Covid-19 and breastfeeding: Moms unlikely to pass virus to newborns with proper safety techniques.

Gov. Inslee [WA] puts new limits on gatherings, businesses after COVID-19 cases rise.

The Kansas State Board of Education rejected Gov. Laura Kelly's executive order delaying the start of the school year despite rising cases of COVID-19 in the state. In a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the 10-person board effectively blocked the order, which would have barred any public and private school K-12 instruction from Aug. 10 to Sept. 8, in a split vote. School districts can now decide when they want to start the school year for more than half a million students. — “In a virtual meeting”? They are literally trying to kill you.

The Coronavirus Seems to Spare Most Kids From Illness, but Its Effect on Their Mental Health Is Deepening.

Nine-year-old girl is the youngest to die from coronavirus in Florida, state health officials say.

A key miscalculation by officers contributed to the tragic death of Breonna Taylor.

Watch Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say what needed to be said today. This is not the shortened version that went around on social media today. It’s her full speech. It’s all good, and it’s all important. Watch it.

On House floor, Dem women call out abusive treatment by men. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s outrage over a Republican lawmaker’s verbal assault broadened into an extraordinary moment on the House floor Thursday as she and other Democrats assailed a sexist culture of “accepting violence and violent language against women” whose adherents include President Donald Trump.

Justice Department watchdog to investigate federal use of force in Portland and Washington.

Republicans fear Trump might be too successful with attacks on mail-in voting. GOP strategists around the country are concerned that President Trump’s vocal opposition to mail-in voting is resonating with Republicans, imperiling years-long efforts by the party to sign people up to vote by mail.

Job Picture Worsens: Millions More File For Unemployment, In Reversal. New claims for unemployment benefits rose to 1.4 million last week — the first increase since March.

HUD revokes Obama-era rule designed to diversify the suburbs. -- Of course they did.

The White House has dropped a bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes as Republicans unveil a $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue package, ceding to opposition to the idea among top Senate allies.

German court convicts 93-year-old former SS private of accessory to murder at Stutthof concentration camp, where as a teen, he served as a guard in the final months of WW II. Bruno Dey was convicted of 5,232 counts of accessory to murder by the Hamburg state court. — The current US stormtroopers should keep this in mind before they just follow orders. 

The brief life of Cornelius Frederick: Warning signs missed before teen's fatal restraint. An NBC News investigation found an extensive trail of warnings about staff misconduct at Lakeside long before Cornelius' death, raising questions about why the state didn't take more drastic action until it revoked Lakeside's license last month. Over 2,000 pages of documents obtained by NBC News — including police reports, 911 call logs, financial audits and tax forms, search warrants, state inspections and court filings — detail years of abuse allegations at Lakeside, in addition to a string of violations substantiated by government agencies in Michigan, as well as two other states that sent children to Lakeside.

President Trump in 2018 asked the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Woody Johnson, to help get the British Open golf tournament to be held at one of Trump's golf resorts in Scotland, an ex-diplomat says.

Tennessee college revokes student’s admission after learning he’s gay. That’s allowed. -- Discrimination in the name of religion is still discrimination.

School-aged children (6-17) need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Unfortunately, too few get the recommended amount of daily physical activity. Learn what activities count.

A security breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database. On July 19, genealogy enthusiasts who use the website GEDmatch to upload their DNA information and find relatives to fill in their family trees got an unpleasant surprise. Suddenly, more than a million DNA profiles that had been hidden from cops using the site to find partial matches to crime scene DNA were available for police to search.

San Diego State considers a policy on revoking emeritus status when retired professors hurt the university's reputation. — Well, that will never be abused.

Trump argues with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile over his campaign's spammy text messages.

Twitter is actively exploring additional ways to make money from its users, including by considering a subscription model, CEO Jack Dorsey says. The move comes as Twitter suffers a sharp decline in its core advertising business.

Washington Football Team to Go Without Nickname, Update Jerseys for 2020. The Washington Football Team will become the temporary name for the NFL franchise as it explores a rebrand.

Disney delays blockbuster films due to pandemic. The new Avatar and Star Wars films have been delayed a year, while Mulan has been removed from schedules completely.

Scientists are flocking to Florida’s Gulf Coast for a glimpse of a mysterious 425-feet-deep "blue hole" on the ocean floor.

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

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