Monday, October 5, 2020

And another crazy day comes to a close:

“It’s just another manic Monday.” — Prince, but you all know The Bangles version. 

“No. Be afraid. Be very afraid.” — Veronica Quaife, The Fly

Deaths

US: 215,032 (+421)

World: 1,045,922 (+5122)

Cases

US: 7,679,644 (+42,732)

World: 35,695,760 (+299,281)

Countdown: 29 days.

Trump says don't be afraid of Covid. Please ignore him.

Trump, still infectious, back at White House -- without mask.

Trump lets the tweets fly from inside Walter Reed hospital. Trump hasn't been this active on the social media platform in days as he's undergone treatment for Covid-19. The president posted a string of tweets in all-caps about once a minute around 7 a.m. ET Monday, urging people to vote for a variety of reasons.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany tests positive for Covid-19.

Roughly one in 10 people may have been infected with COVID-19, leaving the vast majority of the world's population vulnerable to the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

White House rebuffed CDC offer to lead contact tracing investigation of Trump outbreak. The White House rejected on Monday an offer from the nation’s public health experts to lead the effort to track down and notify Americans who were exposed to a growing coronavirus outbreak linked to President Donald Trump and several top aides.

In big states, tiny counties, Trump attacking voting rules. When Donald Trump’s campaign took issue with a new rule on processing some votes in North Carolina, it didn’t just complain to the Board of Elections and file a lawsuit. It wrote to some of the state’s 100 local election offices with extraordinary guidance: Ignore that rule...The email urging defiance was a small glimpse at the unusually aggressive, hyperlocal legal strategy the Trump campaign is activating as voting begins. Through threatening letters, lawsuits, viral videos and presidential misinformation, the campaign and its GOP allies are going to new lengths to contest election procedures county-by-county across battleground states.

Supreme Court reinstates South Carolina's ballot witness requirement. Democrats wanted the requirement put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Republicans defended it as deterring fraud.

Republicans claim, without proof, that right-wing views are being throttled on Facebook — despite publicly available data showing the exact opposite is true. But that claim would be easier to debunk if Facebook was more transparent, former employees say.

Michigan attorney says 'burn your masks' and forget COVID emergency orders after state Supreme Court decision. — The stupid is strong with this one. 

The University of Oklahoma confirmed the death of a student Sunday morning.

Chad Dorrill, a 19-year-old student at Appalachian State University, died due to neurological complications of the coronavirus.

Ireland faces resistance to 'nuclear' COVID-19 lockdown recommendation.

University of Iowa will halt diversity, equity, and inclusion training after White House Executive Order.

Investigators probe 'possible ecological catastrophe' in Russia's Kamchatka region. Russian investigators said Saturday they were looking into “a possible ecological catastrophe” in the eastern Kamchatka region, after scores of dead sea creatures washed up in one of it bays and surfers reported burns to their eyes and throats.

A Common Plant Virus Is an Unlikely Ally in the War on Cancer. Researchers have seen promising results by injecting dog and mouse tumors with the cowpea mosaic virus. Now they’re aiming for a human trial.

New Zealand prime minister's party promises to ban conversion therapy.

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

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