Saturday, September 12, 2020

And another day of Stone calling for Trump to seize total power, subpoenas, the ACA, allowing 16-year-olds to vote, resisting the shift, Big Oil misleading the public about plastics for decades, wildfires, and Netflix investigations comes to a close:

“There must be some kind of way out of here. Said the joker to the thief.” — Bob Dylan

Deaths

US: 198,128 (+707)

World: 924,569 (+4866)

Cases

US: 6,676,601 (+40,354)

World: 28,940197 (+284,075)

Countdown: 52 days.

Roger Stone calls for Trump to seize total power if he loses the election. Roger Stone is making baseless accusations of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election and is urging Donald Trump to consider several draconian measures to stay in power, including having federal authorities seize ballots in Nevada, having FBI agents and Republican state officials “physically” block voting under the pretext of preventing voter fraud, using martial law or the Insurrection Act to carry out widespread arrests, and nationalizing state police forces.

Poll shows widespread support for vote by mail despite President Trump's attacks.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf subpoenaed for a hearing next week as he faces whistleblower allegations that he urged department officials to alter intelligence.

After years of campaigning against Obamacare, Republicans trying to retain control of the Senate appear to be conceding that attacking the ACA is no longer politically advantageous.

A major American city may soon allow 16-year-olds to vote — and others could follow suit. If the proposition passes, San Francisco would become the first large city to give 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in local elections.

Canada reports zero COVID-19 deaths for first time since March.

As infections at Arizona universities rise, so do questions about transparency.

Dakotas lead US in virus growth as both reject mask rules. Coronavirus infections in the Dakotas are growing faster than anywhere else in the nation, fueling impassioned debates over masks and personal freedom after months in which the two states avoided the worst of the pandemic. -- You don’t have the “personal freedom” to endanger the lives of others.

The masks of Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open. They each carry the name of a Black American and aim to highlight racial injustice in the United States to a wider audience: -- Learn them.

Trump supporters resist shift to widespread US acknowledgement of systemic racism, poll finds. — Because they’re  racists.

How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled. “You're lying. This is gold. We take the time to clean it, take the labels off, separate it and put it here. It's gold. This is valuable." But it's not valuable, and it never has been. And what's more, the makers of plastic — the nation's largest oil and gas companies — have known this all along, even as they spent millions of dollars telling the American public the opposite...Industry companies spent tens of millions of dollars on these ads and ran them for years, promoting the benefits of a product that, for the most part, was buried, was burned or, in some cases, wound up in the ocean. Documents show industry officials knew this reality about recycling plastic as far back as the 1970s.”

Australia Burned Under a Haze of Misinformation Earlier This Year. The U.S. Is Next. At the time of writing, it’s only hours since San Francisco’s skies turned Blade-Runner orange. But there are early signs of conspiracy theories that “antifa” are intentionally lighting fires. A Republican senate candidate seemed to be one of the first, and the claim has now spread virally on Facebook. A couple that travelled to an Oregon town to take photos of fires (tip: never do this in any circumstance), but locals thought they were antifa arsonists, and there were calls to “send people out with guns.” This style of misinformation combined with America’s gun problem could have horrific consequences. In the town of Mollalla, Oregon, unidentified men armed with AR-15 machine guns forced three journalists to leave town, amid rumors of “antifa raids.”

Fires raging in West kill nearly 30, with dozens missing.

Weather eases on US West Coast, allowing firefighters to make gains against wildfires.

Pence drops plan to go to fundraiser hosted by QAnon backers.

Republicans call on Justice Dept to investigate Netflix over "Cuties" film. A spokesperson from Netflix told The Hill, "'Cuties' is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It's an award winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up - and we'd encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie." -- It doesn’t seem like Republicans understand what child pornography really is.

Harshmallow: Virus prompts pause for Peeps holiday treats. -- “Peeps are a bullshit candy.” -- My wife.

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

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