Monday, August 17, 2020

And another day where it is painfully obvious that we are not all in this together comes to a close:

"Being president doesn't change who you are. It reveals who you are," former First Lady Michelle Obama said. "Well, a presidential election can reveal who we are, too."

“There is no cavalry. We are the cavalry.” -- Beto O’Rourke

“His [her dad’s] only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.” -- Kristin Urquiza

Deaths

US: 173,716 (+588)

World: 777,438 (+4406)

Cases

US: 5,612,027 (+45,395)

World: 22,049,426 (+224,619)

Countdown: 78 days.

Democrats' hunger to break the old political system grows ahead of 2020 election. The filibuster, the Electoral College, the current Supreme Court structure: They're all in the crosshairs or newly up for debate as the party's convention kicks off this week.

Miles Taylor, a former senior Trump administration official, has endorsed Joe Biden's presidential campaign, becoming one of the highest-ranking former Trump administration officials to do so. “What we saw week in and week out, for me, after two and a half years in that administration, was terrifying.”

“We are going to win four more years. And then after that we'll go for another four years, because they spied on my campaign. We should get a redo of four years." — Donald Trump — He doesn’t plan on ever leaving. A vote for Trump may be the last vote you ever cast. 

An ethics lawsuit against President Trump can proceed, a federal appeals court says. The suit argues his business interests are conflicts of interest and violate the US Constitution.

Trump retweets Russian propaganda about Biden that US intel agencies say is intended to influence 2020 election. — He doesn’t even try to hide it. 

NBA helps bring faster and easier coronavirus test to market.

Coronavirus cases are already surfacing in K-12 schools that have reopened, but the federal government is not tracking these outbreaks, and some states are not publicly reporting them, making it more difficult to determine how the virus is spreading, experts say. — The country has no leadership. 

COVID-19 will hit colleges when students arrive for fall semester. So why open at all? Money is a factor. “If a bunch of students get sick, and a bunch of your staff dies, I don’t know how that helps you fight a fight another day.”

Fall semester classes at Oklahoma State University began Monday with the entire Pi Beta Phi sorority under quarantine after 23 members tested positive for the coronavirus.

UNC-Chapel Hill converts to remote learning after reporting 135 new coronavirus cases within a week of starting classes for the fall semester, university announces. — Math. It doesn’t care what *you* want to do.

Report: Nursing home cases up nearly 80% in COVID-19 rebound.

Chad Wolf’s Desperate Attempt to Rewrite History. The “acting secretary” of DHS is currently on a media tour attempting to gaslight Americans about what happened in Portland. The tweets, op-eds, and interviews can’t change the facts.

'Europe's last dictator' rejects election calls as opposition movement threatens his grip. "The whole world is watching us with admiration and hope," opposition politician Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya said in a video on Monday.

After days of mass protests, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said a new presidential election will be held following a constitutional referendum.

St. Louis couple who waved guns at Black Lives Matters demonstrators to take part in GOP convention. -- Fear. It’s the only thing Republicans have to sell.

Washington Football Team names NFL's first Black team president.

US approves oil, gas leasing plan for Alaska wildlife refuge. The Trump administration gave final approval Monday for a contentious oil and gas leasing plan on the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where critics worry about the industry’s impact on polar bears, caribou and other wildlife.

Death Valley just recorded the hottest temperature on Earth.

California rolling blackouts to hit more than 3 million.

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

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