Thursday, July 9, 2020

And another day of rulings, chances, deaths, risks, hesitations, brain damage, judges violating the law, gun violence, racism, no water, boycotts, broken heart syndrome, and living on the Far Side comes to a close:

“If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” -- Winston Churchill

Deaths

US: 135,822 (+960)

World: 557,395 (+5372)

Countdown: 117 days.

Supreme Court says Trump will have to fight to keep secret his taxes and records. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday gave President Donald Trump a chance to beat back House Democrats’ efforts to obtain his financial records but ruled he is not immune from Manhattan district attorney’s attempt to get his taxes...The rulings represent a mixed bag for the president; both matters will go back to lower courts, meaning it is unlikely anything would be decided before Election Day in November.

Trump has 91% chance of winning second term, professor’s model predicts. President Donald Trump has a 91 per cent chance of winning the November 2020 election, according to a political science professor who has correctly predicted five out of six elections since 1996.

Trump's handling of the coronavirus is the only election issue that matters. — And on that he has failed spectacularly.

California, Florida and Texas report highest daily coronavirus death tolls.

Ever in lockstep with the White House, Fox News has also demanded schools reopen, rationalizing the move with the poetic claim that “life is full of risks.” “Kids should learn that early that life’s full of hurdles—you’ve got to find a way to overcome." — These people are sick. Fox News, Republicans, and Donald Trump are literally trying to kill you.

CDC director says no revised school guidelines despite Trump's push.

Washington schools hesitant to open in the fall despite pressure from White House.

Coronavirus pandemic could cause wave of brain damage, scientists warn. Experts at the University College London (UCL) were the latest to describe that Covid-19 could cause neurological complications including stroke, nerve damage, and potentially fatal brain inflammation -- even if the patients didn't show severe respiratory symptoms associated with the disease. —This virus is nasty. 

Brain damage and hallucinations associated with even mild Covid-19 coronavirus infection. — Like I said, this virus is nasty. 

For years, U.S. judges have been violating the law. Nine out of 10 kept their jobs and returned to the bench. In the past dozen years, state and local judges have repeatedly escaped public accountability for misdeeds that have victimized thousands. Nine of 10 kept their jobs, a Reuters investigation found – including an Alabama judge who unlawfully jailed hundreds of poor people, many of them Black, over traffic fines. Part 1. With ‘Judges Judging Judges,’ rogues on the bench have little to fear. Part 2. — Some animals are more equal than others.

Search for judges in your state who faced discipline. Click on their name to see what they did.

Why 'all lives matter' communicates to Black people that their lives don't. Sonya Renee Taylor, author and founder of "The Body Is Not an Apology," likens it to your wife asking you if she's pretty and you responding "all people are pretty." "It's probably not going to go over very well in your family, right?" said Taylor. "Your wife is probably going to have a problem with that. Because what she wants in that moment is specificity. You know, what's desired in that moment is to be seen in her unique experience with you. And that's what Black people are asking for right now: to be seen in our unique experience in the world. To actually be seen and valued."

Gun violence is surging in cities, and hitting communities of color hardest. Communities of color have endured the weight of COVID-19, the recession and social unrest. They’re also bearing the brunt of a surge in gun violence.

We Can’t End AIDS Without Fighting Racism. As America continues its long-overdue reckoning with racism and systemic injustice, we must address the devastating impact of the disease on the Black community.

Some WNBA players are calling for the ouster of Sen. Loeffler, who co-owns the Atlanta Dream, after she objected to the league's plans to honor the Black Lives Matter movement. — Kelly Loeffler is a horrible person. She also needs to be investigated for insider trading.

Puerto Rico residents go without water every 24 hours in drought during pandemic. For nearly a week now, more than 140,000 residents, including some in the island’s capital of San Juan, have been experiencing an intermittent water supply. On Monday, Puerto Rico’s Governor Wanda Vázquez declared a state of emergency in the wake of the drought.

Confederate Statues Were Never Really About Preserving History. An overwhelming majority of Confederate memorials weren’t erected in the years directly following the Civil War. Instead, most were put up decades later. Nor were they built just to commemorate fallen generals and soldiers; they were installed as symbols of white supremacy during periods of U.S. history when Black Americans’ civil rights were aggressively under attack.

US Army investigating how 'MAGA' was described as a form of 'covert white supremacy' in handout.

Kanakuk Kamps, a prominent network of Christian camps in Missouri, battles outbreak of coronavirus.

'STOP GETTING Tested!' Ohio Politician Tells Constituents. — Yes, he is literally trying to kill you. 

U.S. Supreme Court deems half of Oklahoma a Native American reservation. The justices ruled 5-4 in favor of a man named Jimcy McGirt and agreed that the site of the rape should have been recognized as part of a reservation based on the historical claim of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation - beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities.

“The Most Magical Place on Earth” will look different to visitors at Walt Disney World. When parks open this weekend, there will be no firework shows or parades, and visitors will get temperature checks when they enter. Everyone must wear a mask.

Scrabble to ban slurs, other offensive words from official tournaments.

Borderlands Books owner publicly accused of sexual assault by daughter, domestic violence by ex-girlfriend.

YouTube not obliged to inform on film pirates, Europe's top court says.

‘It’s a problem in the entire industry’: Sex workers on the calls to boycott PornHub. Compensation aside, all porn sites need to answer to the calls for better verification processes to avoid underage and unconsensual content being uploaded. The general feeling from sex workers is that boycotting or shutting down these sites is not the answer, but increasing their safety and regulation is. As Gwenna said: “We are in a pandemic. So many sex workers are doing this just to survive.”

Cases of broken heart syndrome have ticked upwards since pandemic began, study finds. “This is a new health hazard which the pandemic has caused because of other stressors that the pandemic has caused.”

'Far Side' cartoonist Gary Larson publishes first new work in 25 years.

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

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