Tuesday, August 11, 2020

And finally a day that wasn’t a complete emotional drain but instead offered a tinge of hope in these dark and trying times comes to a close:

“Congratulations to Kamala Harris, who will make history as our next Vice President. She understands what it takes to stand up for working people, fight for health care for all, and take down the most corrupt administration in history. Let’s get to work and win.” -- Bernie Sanders

Deaths

US: 167,749 (+1557)

World: 745,918 (+7203)

Cases

US: 5,305,957 (+54,511)

World: 20,521,644 (+273,274)

Countdown: 84 days.

If elected, Sen. Harris would be the nation’s first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president. — And while that is fantastic, it’s also a sad commentary on our nation. And whether one wants to accept it or not, it’s definitely progressive.

Kamala Harris is a living, breathing rebuke to the Trump presidency. Biden's pick, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, is the perfect antidote to Trump’s anti-immigrant, anti-Black, xenophobic attitudes.

With Harris VP pick, Black women say Biden has 'decided to write us into history'. And yet the choice of Harris, like that of any vice presidential pick, is fundamentally about one thing: winning. Biden didn't choose her to thank Black women for bailing him out with their votes in the pivotal South Carolina Democratic primary this year, though Black women did that. More important, he will need their votes — and their activism — in swing states in the fall. Rather than rocket science, that part of his decision is about simple math...Plaskett, a native of New York, said Biden also gave reassurance to many Americans in selecting not only a Black woman but a daughter of immigrants.

President Trump, Ivanka made donations to Harris’s campaign in 2014. Three donations were made under their names for thousands of dollars: Sept. 26, 2011: Donald J. Trump donated $5,000; Feb. 20, 2013: Donald J. Trump donated $1,000; June 3, 2014: Ivanka Trump donated $2,000.

Then later in the day:

However, as the Bee now reports, Harris' spokesperson Ian Sams says Harris didn't use Trump's donation. Rather, in 2015 — a year after she had already been reelected and was working toward a Senate run — she gave the $6,000 to a nonprofit that works to secure civil rights for Central Americans.

Historic percentage of US voters can vote by mail in 2020. Almost 75 percent of U.S. voters will be able to vote by mail in the 2020 presidential election. The highest percentage of Americans in U.S. history will automatically be eligible for mail-in voting without an excuse, as several states have adjusted their election systems amid the coronavirus pandemic. — Vote early. If you don’t have to mail in your ballot, then drop it off at a secure election dropbox. Trump is trying to slow down the postal service, so if possible, by-pass using it. And remember, vote before November 3.

Judge rules postage requirement for mail ballots isn't a poll tax.

Kasich on decision to speak at Democratic convention: America needs to go in a different direction. — Yes. Yes it does.

Fox's Cavuto fact-checks Trump camp claim that Harris called Biden racist: 'She never did'.

Coronavirus may spread much farther than 6 feet in indoor spaces with poor ventilation. Analyzing air samples in a hospital room, Lednicky's team found infectious virus can spread through the air — up to 16 feet away from an infected patient — through tiny droplets called aerosols. "Oh, this is the smoking gun everyone has been asking for!"..."We're talking about a virus that is present in very small droplets, tiny ones that we call aerosols that can travel much farther through the air and remain in the air for minutes to hours at a time," Marr explained. That's important because, until recently, attention has mainly focused on respiratory spread of the virus within 6 feet.

Coronavirus cases lead to over 800 to quarantine in Georgia school district where masks not required.

Arizona State University is facing backlash from students and staff for insisting on opening in-person amid the coronavirus pandemic.

As schools across the country start to reopen, recent data shows that COVID-19 infection is on the rise in children.

The 7-year-old Georgia boy with Covid-19 who died drowned in a bathtub after a seizure, coroner says. The preliminary report says the child died from drowning, secondary to seizure due to fever from Covid-19.

New Zealand confirmed four new cases of coronavirus after going for 102 days without any domestic transmission.

Scientists uneasy as Russia approves 1st coronavirus vaccine. It’s not Russia’s first controversial vaccine. Putin has bragged that Russian scientists delivered an Ebola vaccine that “proved to be the most effective in the world” and “made a real contribution to fighting the Ebola fever in Africa.” However, there is little evidence either of the two Ebola vaccines approved in Russia was widely used in Africa. As of 2019, both of those vaccines were listed by the WHO as “candidate vaccines.”

The main opposition candidate in Sunday's disputed presidential election in Belarus has fled the country after security forces mounted a sweeping crackdown on protests over the result. — She fled to Lithuania. 

Lithuania says Russia is using Belarus crisis to try to draw it closer into its orbit.

Why The Future of Belarus Matters to the United States. The protests and violent crackdown in Minsk will reshape Russian and Western decision-making for years. The main opposition candidate, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has fled to Lithuania — but not before recording a video in which she nervously and solemnly reads a statement urging Belarusians to accept the official — though internationally disputed — election results in favor of Lukashenko.

GOP candidate who embraced QAnon conspiracy theory wins Georgia runoff. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a GOP candidate with a track record of incendiary rhetoric and ties to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, prevailed in a Georgia primary runoff, CNN projected Tuesday, a victory that puts her in a strong position to win a congressional seat in the fall representing a solidly Republican district. -- Ugh.

Big Ten and Pac-12 postpone 2020 football, pushing the college sport closer to total fall shutdown.

President Donald Trump calls NBA players 'very nasty' and 'very dumb' for kneeling during anthem.

Ghislaine Maxwell complains about 'uniquely onerous' conditions behind bars. A new court filing argues that Maxwell is being treated worse than other inmates as a result of Jeffrey Epstein’s death by suicide in jail.

Former Victoria's Secret mogul agreed to written deposition in Epstein accuser suit. Les Wexner, the former head of the parent company that owns Victoria's Secret, has agreed to answer written deposition questions in a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre and attorney Alan Dershowitz, but Dershowitz wants him to testify in person or on camera, according to newly unsealed documents.

Postal Workers Decry Changes And Cost-Cutting Measures. "Mail is beginning to pile up in our offices, and we're seeing equipment being removed.”

'Alarming' Trend: TSA Intercepting Many More Guns Despite Far Fewer Air Travelers.

A priest "kicked out" a 7-year-old boy who has autism for being a "distraction," according to the child's mother and a video capturing the incident, which she posted to her Facebook page. -- So accepting, this man of God.

The iconic summer job for high school and college students has been on the wane for nearly 20 years. But the pandemic is squeezing even more young people out of the workforce.

Ceres is a dwarf planet and the largest known object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. And now we know it may be an ocean world with intriguing geologic activity taking place on and just below its surface, according to new research.

The earth was once home to 'terror crocodiles' nearly the size of city buses. -- They had banana sized teeth. Holy cow!

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

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