Friday, August 7, 2020

And another day of warnings, classes, extra credit, a rare syndrome, rejected ballots, lawsuits, a leave of absence, spreading lies, a troll farm, portraits, fires, and an ice shelf comes to a close:

“If we cannot now end our difference, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” -- John F. Kennedy

Deaths

US: 164,094 (+1290)

World: 724,075 (+6418)

Cases

US: 5,095,524 (+63,345)

World: 19,543,533 (+287,538)

Countdown: 88 days.  

Top intelligence official warns of foreign influence ahead of 2020, says Russia trying to "denigrate" Biden. The top U.S. counterintelligence official announced Friday a series of foreign threats facing the 2020 presidential election, warning in particular that Russia is using a range of measures to "primarily denigrate" former Vice President Joe Biden while China prefers that President Trump not win reelection.

New York governor says schools can reopen for in-person classes. Cuomo’s announcement ended weeks of speculation about whether New York would follow others in delaying in-person education -- and as the number of new coronavirus cases continued to tick down in a state that was once the nation''s pandemic hot spot.

Extra credit for masks? With no mandates at their schools, teachers urge students to wear them. "I need as much protection as I can get," said a 72-year-old cancer survivor in Oklahoma whose students will return to school five days a week but won't be required to wear masks.

Georgia student suspended after posting a photo of a crowded school hallway says it was 'good and necessary trouble'.

But then later in the day...

Suspension reversed for student who shared photo of crowded school hallway.

11 cases of rare COVID-19 related syndrome in kids confirmed in Washington.

More than 1 in 5 mail-in ballots were rejected in New York City during the state primary June 23, the city’s certified election results revealed this week.

Lawmakers from both parties want Postal Service to undo changes that are slowing mail.

US Postmaster DeJoy says election mail will not be slowed down.

President Trump’s re-election campaign lost its bid to add a fourth debate with Democratic challenger Joe Biden in early September.

He reported being assaulted by cops to Minneapolis PD. Why did nobody investigate? An NBC News review of Minneapolis police misconduct reports suggests the filing process is difficult and unclear and a large number are going uninvestigated.

Trump compares AOC to 'young child' in attack on Green New Deal. — He’s so terrified of strong women.

Judge rules woman who accused Trump of rape can proceed with defamation lawsuit. Carroll filed the defamation lawsuit in November after the president denied the allegations, saying he’s never met her despite there being photos of them together. Trump’s attorneys argued that Carroll’s lawsuit should be paused until a decision is made in a similar suit brought by former “Apprentice” contestant Summer Zervos, who also alleges Trump sexually assaulted her.

Jerry Falwell, Jr. takes indefinite leave of absence from Liberty University. -- In case you forgot: Jerry Falwell, Jr. is a horrible person.

Sensitive to claims of bias, Facebook relaxed misinformation rules for conservative pages. According to internal discussions, Facebook removed "strikes" so that conservative pages were not penalized for violations of misinformation policies. Facebook has allowed conservative news outlets and personalities to repeatedly spread false information without facing any of the company's stated penalties, according to leaked materials reviewed by NBC News. According to internal discussions from the last six months, Facebook has relaxed its rules so that conservative pages, including those run by Breitbart, former Fox News personalities Diamond and Silk, the nonprofit media outlet PragerU and the pundit Charlie Kirk, were not penalized for violations of the company’s misinformation policies.

Authorities in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have sealed off a village after a resident there died from bubonic plague.

Facebook removes troll farm posing as African-American support for Donald Trump.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now worth $100 billion. — At $1 per second ($3600 an hour) it would take around 3200 years to get to $100 billion. Yes, that’s *years*. Enjoy your $1200 stimulus check. 

Former President George W. Bush will release a new book featuring 43 portraits of immigrants. “While I recognize that immigration can be an emotional issue, I reject the premise that it is a partisan issue. It is perhaps the most American of issues, and it should be one that unites us," he wrote, adding that "my hope is that this book will help focus our collective attention on the positive impacts that immigrants are making on our country." -- Wasn’t ICE created under Bush? Yes, yes it was.

Alzheimer's drug from Biogen to get speedy U.S. review.

Fires are raging in the Amazon, despite a Brazil government ban. The destruction could be worse than last summer. The Amazon is considered vital in slowing global warming, and it is home to uncountable species of fauna and flora. Roughly half the size of the United States, it is the largest rainforest on the planet.

The last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has collapsed, losing more than 40% of its area in just two days at the end of July, researchers said.

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

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