Sunday, October 25, 2020

And another day of backfiring, rejections, giving up, rationing care, fear and anxiety, discrediting social media companies, hacked nuclear plants and power grids, child exploitation, and crush-resistant shells comes to a close:

"The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it." — George Orwell

Deaths

US: 230,510 (+442)

World: 1,159,009 (+4239)

Cases

US: 8,889,179 (+61,247)

World: 43,328,174 (+402,657)

Countdown: 9 days.

Voter Suppression Efforts Could Be Backfiring on Republicans. “When it’s thrown in your face like it has been this election season, voters are responding by saying, ‘I’ll show you,’ and coming out in record numbers to have their voices heard.”

Massachusetts officials called a fire inside a Boston ballot box an apparent "deliberate attack," and have asked the FBI to investigate. Of the more than 120 ballots inside the box early Sunday, 35 were too damaged to process.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will run for Speaker again if Democrats keep control of the House. — Um, no. It’s time for someone new.

Putin rejects Donald Trump's criticism of Biden family business. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in Hunter Biden's past business ties with Ukraine or Russia, marking out his disagreement with one of Donald Trump's attack lines in the U.S. presidential election.

Fact check: Trump makes at least 16 false or misleading claims to '60 Minutes'.

White House chief of staff: 'We are not going to control the pandemic'. — It’s easier to give up than to rise to the challenge.

One year ago today:

“We are not prepared for a pandemic. Trump has rolled back progress President Obama and I made to strengthen global health security. We need leadership that builds public trust, focuses on real threats, and mobilizes the world to stop outbreaks before they reach our shores.” — Joe Biden

“We just don’t know what’s happening in our bodies”: Covid-19 long-haulers are still suffering. — Death isn’t the only thing to worry about with the virus.

The majority of Trump voters don’t see Covid-19 as an important election issue. The poll asked registered voters about six issues — abortion, health care, foreign policy, the economy, the coronavirus pandemic, and Supreme Court appointments — and found that Biden and Trump supporters viewed most issues with relatively equal importance. Two interrelated issues were clear exceptions: health care, an issue Biden supporters were 38 percentage points more likely to view as “very important,” and the pandemic, which boasted an even larger 58 percentage point gap. — It’s like Republicans believe they are invincible—that they’ll never have health issues.

Utah’s hospitals prepare to ration care as a record number of coronavirus patients flood their ICUs. Under the criteria, which would require Herbert’s approval, patients who are getting worse despite receiving intensive care would be moved out first. In the event that two patients' conditions are equal, the young get priority over the old, since older patients are more likely to die.

El Paso sees 200 percent rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations; people urged to stay home 2 weeks.

Pence to keep up travel despite contact with infected aides. -- Republicans are literally trying to kill you.

Staffers for Kelly Loeffler test positive for COVID-19.

Fear and anxiety spike in virus hot spots across US. Kern said Twin Falls had been lulled into complacency after months of relatively low numbers, adding “going back to school was the signal to our communities that we can get back to normal.”

Italy closes gyms, shuts eateries early to fight COVID-19.

Spain orders nationwide curfew to stem worsening outbreak. -- Americans are too selfish to do something like this to help communities.

The Senate votes 51-48 to break the Democratic filibuster of Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination, paving the way for a confirmation vote.

As Coloradans vote this fall, they're deciding on more than just the president and other elected officials -- they're also being asked to vote on a ballot measure, Proposition 115, which seeks to ban abortion in the state after 22 weeks of pregnancy.

How Donald Trump Talks About Black People. However, Trump has never been terribly concerned with what black people need or want.

An all-Black group is arming itself and demanding change. They are the NFAC.

U.S. weighs labeling leading human rights groups ‘anti-Semitic’. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pushing for the declaration, according to a congressional aide with contacts inside the State Department. The Trump administration is considering declaring that several prominent international NGOs — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam — are anti-Semitic and that governments should not support them, two people familiar with the issue said. — The Trump administration puts it all out there in the open. You have to choose not to see it. 

A right-wing offensive is underway to discredit social media companies just days before the election. What began as complaints about anti-conservative censorship by social media companies has now evolved into outright allegations of election interference, as high-ranking Republicans have accused online platforms of helping Democrats by way of their content moderation decisions...Outside experts have found little evidence to support claims of widespread, systematic political bias in Silicon Valley's technology. But the conservative allegations are an explosive charge and a dramatic escalation ahead of Election Day. They reflect not only the stakes of the race, but also the fact that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become key parts of America's democracy, for better or for worse — and now, fair game for a party with a habit of working the refs.

Russians who pose election threat have hacked nuclear plants and power grid. The group, known to researchers as “Dragonfly” or “Energetic Bear” for its hackings of the energy sector, was not involved in 2016 election hacking. But it has in the past five years breached the power grid, water treatment facilities and even nuclear power plants, including one in Kansas.

The NYPD is investigating after videos shared on social media Saturday appeared to show an officer using his patrol vehicle's speaker to say “Trump 2020.”

‘People don’t want to talk about it,' but reports of children being exploited online have spiked substantially. Many millions of images and videos of children and even newborn babies being raped and abused — or of children coerced into performing sex acts on camera — constantly ricochet across the internet. What may begin as seemingly innocent chatting between strangers online can lead to "sextortion," abduction and human trafficking, according to advocates and law enforcement.

There are enough homeless students in California to fill Dodger Stadium 5 times, study says.

Foreign students show less zeal for US since Trump took over.

The traditional definition of what it means to be a man — stoic, self-assured, strong — is in the midst of a significant transformation.

It's a beetle that can withstand bird pecks, animal stomps and even being rolled over by a Toyota Camry. Now scientists are studying what the bug's crush-resistant shell could teach them about designing stronger planes and buildings.

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

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