Monday, September 21, 2020

And another day rural skews, confusing posts, an “apocalyptic” fall, rising inequality, canceling spring break, Florida bullshit, climate migration, a “surreal goddamn nightmare,” and yes, they “could have done more,” all comes to a close:

“When you have the Senate, when you have the votes, you can sort of do what you want as long as you have it.” — Donald Trump, defending moving ahead with SCOTUS nomination.

Editorial: And this is why Democrats must take over the Senate. If the Trump Republicans keep the Senate but Biden becomes President, then McConnell will stonewall just about everything like he did with Obama. And if Trump remains President while his lackeys retain control of the Senate, then we can kiss democracy goodbye. Make the right choice.

Deaths

US: 204,506 (+388)

World: 969,296 (4255

Cases

US: 7,046,216 (+41,448)

World: 31,482,263 (+252,160)

Countdown: 43 days,

How do I vote in my state in the 2020 election? Here's what we know about how to vote in your state. -- Vote Trump and everyone in the Trump Party out of office.

McConnell Reiterates Pledge To Vote On Trump's Supreme Court Nominee This Year.

Ginsburg’s death exposes fragility of health law protection. -- Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

Ginsburg will be the first woman to lie in state in the Capitol.

The Senate’s Rural Skew Makes It Very Hard For Democrats To Win The Supreme Court. “That’s a pretty serious skew. It means that the Senate, de facto, has two or three times as much rural representation as urban core representation … even though there are actually about an equal number of voters in each bucket nationwide.” — When it comes to the Senate, the system favors the minority over the majority. That’s detrimental to our country. It should change. 

Former Mueller prosecutor says in book, 'We could have done more.” Weissmann reportedly writes about his frustration that the special counsel did not subpoena the president and says that the group should have stated explicitly that they believed the president obstructed justice. Mueller ultimately drew no conduction on whether Trump obstructed justice.

CDC changes, then retracts, its take on coronavirus spread. The top U.S. public health agency stirred confusion by posting — and then taking down — an apparent change in its position on how easily the coronavirus can spread from person to person on small droplets in the air...On Monday, federal health officials said the post was a mistake and that it had been released before full editing and clearance was completed. They said the CDC plans to clarify the agency’s thinking, but the agency did not immediately release a statement or revision. -- Mmm hmmm.

Top US health official says coronavirus vaccine not likely until mid-2021: "that's just a fact". — The Trump Party has their own “facts.” They are not based in reality.

America could be headed for an "apocalyptic" COVID-19 fall, leading epidemiologists warn. “It's happening because we're forcing schools to reopen in areas of high transmission. We're forcing colleges to reopen, and we don't have the leadership nationally, telling people to wear masks and to social distance and do all the things we need to do. We still have that disinformation campaign coming out of the White House and it’s literally killing Americans.” -- We all lose when you vote Republican.

Six months into the pandemic, the US economic outlook is getting gloomier.

Soaring wealth during pandemic highlights rising inequality.

An increasing number of colleges and universities are canceling spring break six months ahead of time amid concerns about travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

DOJ identifies Seattle as city 'permitting violence and destruction of property'. President Trump ordered federal agencies to look for ways to stop federal money from going to various cities, singling out Seattle, Portland and New York City -- each led by Democratic mayors. The DOJ accuses each city's leaders of impeding police efforts and stopping agencies from doing their jobs, which the memo says endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for legislation aimed at cracking down on disorderly protests. DeSantis said the proposal, which was introduced at a Monday press conference -- called the Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act -- would impose stiff criminal penalties for actions such as blocking roadways, disrupting restaurants or toppling monuments...Among the proposals is a measure allowing motorists to be waived of liability should they happen to kill or injure a protester with their vehicles while "fleeing for safety from a mob." -- Hmm. This won’t be abused at all, now will it? Kind of like those “stand your ground” laws allow people to kill others by claiming they were fearing for their life. This is some fascist bullshit coming out of the state of Florida.

Friends And Family Members Of QAnon Believers Are Going Through A “Surreal Goddamn Nightmare”. “We literally watched as she became radicalized.” “The level of heartbreak I felt was unfathomable.” “It feels like we are losing her to an addiction.” This is how friends and family of QAnon supporters describe what they’re going through. Most don’t understand how their loved ones could fall for something so unbelievable.

Wildfire-weary Californians, 'tired of this being normal,' consider uprooting their lives. "It's very important to be thinking about the fact that people will start making decisions about moving because of climate driven pressures.”

Hundreds of elephants dying in Botswana due to bacteria in water holes scientists say will get worse with climate change.

World Alzheimer’s Day: The cost of caring for someone with dementia.

Internet trolls have again taken to posting pornographic photos into ISIS Telegram channels, apparently causing frustration among members of the terrorist organization.

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

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