Thursday, September 3, 2020

And another day of Trump calling fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers,” the Democrats warning of a “red mirage,” rewriting history, policies that protect cops, more shutdowns, and US opting out of WHO-linked vaccine effort comes to a close:

 “It’s almost too stupid to fact check.” — Daniel Dale

Deaths

US: 191,058 (+1094)

World: 873,213 (+5866)

Cases

US: 6,335,244 (+44,507)

World: 26,467,490 (+289,955)

Countdown: 61 days.

Trump doubles down on encouraging supporters to vote twice, which is illegal. Trump doubled down on the notion that his supporters should vote twice in the November election, promoting voter fraud while stoking unfounded fear about the validity of the presidential election results at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Thursday night. -- He is such a danger to democracy.

Vote by mail? Democratic group warns Trump may use it to prematurely declare victory even if he's losing. In a report released Tuesday, Hawkfish, a Democratic-aligned data and technology firm founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, warned of a "red mirage" on election night in which Trump will appear ahead even if he's not. Only as more mail-in ballots are reflected in the count, the group said, "will this red mirage dissipate, and Biden’s lead materialize."...“We can anticipate that the president and at least Fox News likely, but many others, are going to declare victory at that point,” said Ellen Konar, the group's vice president of voter research. “They're not going to say, ‘Oh, let's hold off. We don't have all the ballots in.’ ”

States across the American South have closed nearly 1,200 polling places since the Supreme Court weakened a landmark voting-discrimination law in 2013, according to a report released by a civil-rights group on Tuesday. The report comes as Republican-led states impose a range of other restrictions, from shorter voting hours to photo-ID requirements. As turnout has surged in recent elections, voters in cities like Phoenix, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia, have endured hours-long waits to cast their ballots. Seven counties in Georgia now have only one polling place, the report found.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Offers to Pay to Reopen Closed Polling Places Across the South.

Trump campaign sues Montana governor over mail-in ballot directive. Trump’s campaign and three Republican groups are suing Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) over his directive last month allowing counties to conduct mail-in voting.

Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’. The president has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members, and asked that wounded veterans be kept out of military parades.

“I can’t respect people who respect him.” -- John Pavlovitz

Donald Trump and His Allies are Trying to Rewrite the History of Charlottesville. In effect, Trump and his supporters have turned one of his presidency’s lowest moments into a loyalty test, by redefining what happened in the context of three of the pillars of his fall campaign—an attempt to delegitimize “the media,” defend his most militant supporters, and cast the president’s opponents as violent radicals.

QAnon looms behind nationwide rallies and viral #SavetheChildren hashtags. Rallies planned on Facebook by QAnon supporters or sympathizers that have brought the conspiracy theory offline and into the town squares of dozens of cities in recent weeks. QAnon is a sprawling and baseless conspiracy theory alleging that President Donald Trump is engaged in a secret war against a cabal of Satanist child abusers in government, entertainment and the media. The conspiracy — which has spread to millions of users in Facebook groups during the pandemic — has been linked to several violent crimes and was last year labeled a potential domestic terror threat by the F.B.I.

QAnon support has begun to show up in state politics, including a recent argument over a new California bill that would change who is considered a sex offender. Conspiracy theorists have latched onto the phrase "Save Our Children" and others like it in recent weeks to promote the belief that a government cabal is protecting Satanist pedophiles hidden among society’s elite, with President Donald Trump cast in the role of the possible savior...In state legislative races around the country, there are 14 known candidates who have endorsed or given credence to the QAnon theory or promoted QAnon content, according to a tally by the liberal watchdog group Media Matters.

7 officers have been suspended with pay in death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died after being forcibly restrained by police in New York.

Meet the Company That Writes the Policies That Protect Cops. Lexipol says its policies keep police departments out of trouble. Critics say they let violent cops off the hook. — This is all fucked up.

U.S. opts out of WHO-linked global COVID-19 vaccine effort. A senior HHS official says that the Trump administration will take an America First approach to vaccine distribution.

Universities search for a blueprint to continue in-person instruction as COVID-19 pandemic rages.

Indiana University is calling for the closure of all fraternity and sorority houses on its flagship campus in Bloomington due to a growing spread of the coronavirus that has already put 30 of the 40 houses under quarantine, university officials said Thursday.

'The Batman' halts filming just days after resuming due to crew member getting coronavirus.

Washington student athletes start petition to allow sports this fall. The students say they understand that COVID-19 is real and dangerous, but they also feel they should at least be given the chance to play.

Hundreds of migrant children have been held in hotels and guarded by US government contractors in recent months as part of a secretive new system that advocates warn puts kids in danger.

Facebook video of sexual assault found by teenage victim's mother leads to 7 arrests. A Facebook video of a 16-year-old girl being sexually assaulted while unconscious at a house party in Providence, Rhode Island, has led to charges against eight men, police said. The girl's mother found the video, recorded it on her cellphone and took the recording to authorities.

Active shooter drills are meant to prepare students. But research finds 'severe' side effects. A new report examining nearly 28 million social media posts tied to 114 schools finds higher rates of depression and stress following active shooter drills.

This is the worst economic crisis of our lifetimes. Yet 30% of Americans think the economy is fine.

Democrats request Hatch Act probe of Republican convention.

One of Europe's biggest brothels has filed for bankruptcy amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

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

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