Monday, September 7, 2020

And another day of keeping your ballot safe, lies, worried health officials, student’s privacy rights regarding Covid-19, Trump attacking the military, forest fires, a winter storm watch, a suspension, and a couple of mysteries comes to a close:

“What’s so funny about peace, love, and understanding.” — Elvis Costello (but check out Nick Lowe doing an acoustic version)

Deaths

US: 193,534 (+284)

World: 896,842 (+9292)

Cases

US: 6,485,575 (+25,325)

World: 27,485,488 (+195,763)

Countdown: 57 days.

5 things to do to keep your ballot from rejection. Vote early by mail or in person. Know your state's deadlines. Don't mess with your signature. Check your registration status — and polling place. And definitely don't vote twice.

Trump says he's open to investigation into Postmaster General DeJoy amid reports he allegedly violated campaign finance laws.

Fact Check: Trump used a Labor Day press briefing at the White House to give a campaign-style address, attacking his political opponents, touting the alleged success the US has had against Covid-19 and repeating many false and misleading claims along the way.

Fox News segment prompts Trump to target diversity training. Vought said President Donald Trump wanted to ensure that agencies "cease and desist" from conducting racial sensitivity training sessions. So how did this come to "the President's attention," as he put it? Tucker Carlson's talk show on Fox News.

The Summer of COVID-19 ends with health officials worried.

Some universities say notifying students of COVID-19 cases on campus violates privacy rights. Experts say transparency is key. “Faculty should not notify others about the positive test as it may violate student privacy, even when a name is not specified in these messages,” reads an email sent on behalf of University of Georgia provost Jack Hu and vice president for instruction Rahul Shrivastav...Faculty were also told not to alter the location or format of their class if there is a positive case in their class, the Red & Black reports...The University of Georgia isn’t the only school taking this policy approach to COVID-19 cases on campus.

New York coronavirus infection rate stays below 1 percent for 30 straight days.

India overtook Brazil in coronavirus infection numbers on Monday, making it second only to the United States after a record jump, but the government resumed underground train services and announced plans to re-open the Taj Mahal this month.

Trump launches unprecedented attack on military leadership he appointed. "I'm not saying the military's in love with me -- the soldiers are, the top people in the Pentagon probably aren't because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy," Trump told reporters at a White House news conference.

Belarus opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova disappears. Activist reportedly seized by masked men and bundled into a van in Minsk.

The woman best known for popularizing gender reveal parties has a message for the world: Please stop.

California sets record with 2M acres burned so far this year. Wildfires have burned more than 2 million acres in California this year, setting a state record even as crews battled dozens of growing blazes in sweltering temperatures Monday that strained the electrical grid and threatened power outages for millions.

Denver is under a winter storm watch two days after the city hit 101 degrees.

Colorado school suspends 12-year-old, calls police for welfare check after he was seen holding toy gun in online class.

There Is a Seed Mystery on Amazon. Some people are apparently using Amazon to send thousands of seeds to recipients that didn’t order them in the U.S. This is more concerning than it sounds, and has prompted a stern response from Amazon: No more seeds from foreign sellers...Now, you may ask, what is the harm in letting a few random seeds into the country? Although it sounds trivial, it is no small matter. USDA officials are worried that the seeds could introduce invasive species, pests or diseases into the U.S. that could harm the agriculture industry.

A mysterious radio burst from space is back, right on schedule.

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

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