Saturday, August, 15, 2020

And another day of the postal service, Pro-Trump conspiracy theorists, mental struggles, cardiac threats, gruesome stories out of Belarus, voting “no,” insulin prices, fast food, movies, concerts, and toys all comes to a close:

Deaths

US: 172,606 (+1071)

World: 768,739 (+5605)

Cases

US: 5,529,789 (+49,523)

World: 21,604,192 (+258,439)

Countdown: 80 days.

“We have this romantic notion that American democracy was designed for American participation. It is not. At its inception, our democracy was that Blacks were not human, Native Americans did not exist, women were to be silent." — Stacey Abrams, founder of the voting rights advocacy group Fair Fight.

An all-out war over mail voting has erupted in courts across the U.S. Here's what's at stake. 

Democrats Warn Of 'Assault' On The Postal Service As Election Nears.

Amid political controversy, postmaster general's stock holdings come under renewed scrutiny. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's significant financial ties to the industry in which his agency operates have worried ethics experts and some lawmakers since their initial disclosure three months ago. But the issue resurfaced, along with some calls for an investigation, this week after CNN reported that DeJoy still holds at least $30 million in stock in XPO Logistics, a contractor company that processes mail for USPS. ABC News separately reviewed a federal disclosure report that said DeJoy retained the stocks as of mid-June. — DeJoy was given this job to destroy the USPS.

Absentee ballots don't need to be returned through the mail. Here are other options.

USPS workers union endorses Biden, citing threat to postal service "survival". 

‘Ballot harvesting’ targeted amid fight over voting rules. Although widely practiced and rarely found to be abused, the rule permitting a third party to collect and return multiple ballots remains a source of partisan dispute. 

White House Plants Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorists Among Reporters in Briefing Room. At every briefing this week, the president took a question from a website dedicated to smearing his political rivals. In an apparent effort to make his daily news conferences even more like campaign events than they already are, the White House press office has been packing the briefing room with supporters of President Donald Trump from far-right media outlets who can be relied on to toss him softball questions and initiate attacks on his political rivals...The point of these exchanges is to shield Trump from actual questions about his failure to lead a coordinated federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic and to give him an opportunity to repeat lines he has already rehearsed, delivered as if they were answers to questions of vital importance.  — This should piss you off. He’s manipulating what gets broadcast to the American people. And what is getting broadcast is propaganda and lies.

“Fortunately we have people working on science in case hope doesn’t work.” -- Andy Slavitt

People Are Struggling To Cope With The Physical Manifestations Of Their COVID Stress. Five months into the pandemic, medical professionals are concerned about how related stress, anxiety, and worry are affecting people's physical health. Many are getting less sleep, some are experiencing "shock hair loss," and upset stomachs are commonplace. "I'm seeing more physical complaints that are closely linked to psychiatric complaints.”

Texas testing drops as schools reopen, prepare for football. Anyone can get a coronavirus test at the CentroMed clinic in San Antonio, but on a recent day, the drive-thru was empty. Finally two masked people in a maroon SUV pulled straight on through with no wait. With hundreds of deaths reported each day, students returning to class and football teams charging ahead with plans to play, Texas leaders who grappled with testing shortages for much of the pandemic are now facing the opposite problem: not enough takers.

The cardiac threat coronavirus poses to athletes. Cardiologists are increasingly concerned that coronavirus infections could cause heart complications that lead to sudden cardiac death in athletes.

FEMA announces first states to receive grant replacing lost wages.

Belarus Is Detaining Thousands Of Peaceful Protesters. Many Are Telling Gruesome Stories Of Physical And Psychological Abuse By Police. People detained across Belarus this week say they were tortured physically and psychologically by the police forces loyal to the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko while in custody...”The police said if they were given an order to kill us, they would kill us all without any hesitation,” Vitushka told BuzzFeed News. “They were shouting, ‘Oh yeah, do you need your democracy now?’”

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard has vowed that there will be dangerous consequences for the United Arab Emirates after it announced a historic deal with Israel to open up full diplomatic relations.

Tlaib votes 'no' on Democratic party platform. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said that she voted “no” on the Democratic Party’s 2020 platform Saturday because it does include a plan for a single-payer health care system.

At Stone Mountain, Georgia, police in riot gear have dispersed right-wing demonstrators and groups supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, after fights erupted between the opposing protesters, some of whom were armed.

States are trying to cap the price of insulin. Pharmaceutical companies are pushing back. The drug industry has fought some state efforts to make insulin more affordable to people who are on Medicare or lack health insurance.

Despite warnings about obesity and unhealthy diets, American kids and adolescents are eating even more fast food.

Last decade was Earth's hottest on record, exposing grim reality of climate change.

Greenland's ice sheet has melted to a point of no return, and efforts to slow global warming will not stop it from disintegrating, according to a new study. — The world will go on without us in it.

The unraveling of America's cinematic summer reveals COVID-19's impact on Hollywood.

Metallica will screen its first concert of 2020 at drive-ins across the U.S. and Canada.

Fisher-Price launches work-from-home themed toys. 

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

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