Monday, October 12, 2020

Monday, October 12, 2020

And another day of hearings, ‘hypocrisy,’ vows, big turnouts, unofficial ballot boxes, LGBTQ candidates, worrisome numbers, growing rates, confirmations, unexpected illness, and Facebook bans comes to a close:

“Home of the brave and the free, the red white and blue. But I wish it was true.” -- The White Buffalo


Deaths

US: 220,011 (+316)

World: 1,085,372 (+3953)


Cases

US: 8,037,789 (+45,791)

World: 38,040,063 (+299,339)


Countdown: 22 days.


Here's a list of states that have chosen to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day, recognizing the native populations that were displaced and decimated after Christopher Columbus and other European explorers reached the continent. — Did your state make the list?


5 takeaways from Monday's Senate hearing on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.


Originalism, Amy Coney Barrett’s approach to the Constitution, explained. Originalism sells itself as a way of constraining judges. But it’s more often a way of unleashing them. Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings begin on Monday, and it’s a safe bet that we’ll hear one word over and over again over the next few days: “originalism.” Barrett is a self-proclaimed originalist, embracing a theory of the Constitution that is also shared by at least two other sitting justices: Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch. Originalism, in Barrett’s words, is the belief that “constitutional text means what it did at the time it was ratified and that this original public meaning is authoritative.”...If James Madison could reach a conclusion that is so wildly out of step with the generally accepted understanding of the Constitution, how can we trust someone like Gorsuch or Barrett to discover the document’s one true meaning? Why would we even think that such a meaning exists?...And yet, while a Supreme Court with Barrett on it will not have an originalist majority, it will have a very conservative majority. And that means originalism could play a major role in justifying decisions that shift the law dramatically to the right. Originalism provides an alternative source of legitimacy for justices who believe that past decisions were wrongly decided, and who need to offer a compelling justification for overruling those decisions. Ultimately, the choice of whether to use originalist arguments to wreak havoc over centuries of existing law rests entirely with the justices themselves. And, with a 6-3 Republican Supreme Court, the majority is unlikely to show much restraint.


With eye on election, Democrats hammer health care on first day of Barrett hearing.


Republicans Blast 'Hypocrisy' Of Democrats Calling Barrett Hearings Political. 


Barrett vows fair approach as justice, Democrats skeptical.


Big turnout as early in-person voting starts in Georgia. The chance to cast ballots on Georgia’s first day of in-person early voting Monday had thousands of people waiting for hours to make their voices heard.


California authorities send cease and desist to state Republicans over unofficial ballot drop boxes. The California Secretary of State and Department of Justice have sent a cease and desist order to the California Republican Party to remove unofficial ballot drop boxes placed in at least three counties, officials announced in a news conference on Monday. -- Republicans. They can only win by cheating because their message is shit.


Over 500 LGBTQ candidates to appear on November ballots, shattering records.


"I think her entire campaign is, 'She's a marine, she's a mom and I've been there too long.'" -- Mitch McConnell on Amy McGrath’s Senate campaign. Sounds like a good one, Mitch. You need to go.


In 2000, when the GOP liked mail-in ballots, Amy Coney Barrett defended them. Now she could strike them down.


The Covid-19 pandemic has claimed far more lives than reported, study says. On top of that, the U.S. has fared much worse than most high-income countries, a separate study found.


Dr. Anthony Fauci hopes worrisome numbers jolt Americans to take steps to stem spread of Covid-19. "I hope these numbers ... jolt the American public into the realization that we really cannot let this happen -- because it's on a trajectory of getting worse and worse. And that's the worst possible thing that can happen as we get into the cooler months," said Fauci. -- It won’t. Too many selfish Americans.


31 states have growing rates of new Covid-19 cases, and 'we know what's coming next'.


Scientists confirm Nevada 25-year-old got coronavirus twice, second case was more severe.


Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine study paused due to unexplained illness in participant. A document sent to outside researchers running the 60,000-patient clinical trial states that a “pausing rule” has been met, that the online system used to enroll patients in the study has been closed, and that the data and safety monitoring board — an independent committee that watches over the safety of patients in the clinical trial — would be convened. — It’s foolish to do what Trump has done and rest all your hopes on a vaccine. What if there isn’t one?


Top general did not give his consent to be used in Trump political ad.


Facebook is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust and will start directing people to authoritative sources if they search for information about the Nazi genocide.


Banks make billions on overdraft fees. Biden could end that. Wall Street analysts are warning that Biden-appointed regulators could crack down on overdraft fees, which critics say unfairly punish society's most vulnerable.


Belarus ramps up crackdown on protests, detains over 700. Authorities in Belarus said Monday they detained 713 people during mass protests a day earlier against the reelection of the country’s authoritarian leader in a disputed election — the harshest crackdown in weeks on demonstrators.


Russia is unlikely to participate in the Moon-orbiting station planned by the United States, a Russian official said Monday, marking the probable end of the type of close cooperation seen for two decades on the International Space Station (ISS).


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


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


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