Thursday, October 1, 2020

And another day of internal documents, refugee caps, city-wide lockdowns, food boxes with letters, forfeiting a playoff spot, miscarriages, and Texas shows the world that all Republicans have left is voter suppression, comes to a close:

“Can’t tell what’s Hell or reality.” -- Weird Al Yankovic

Deaths

US: 212,660 (+920)

World: 1,027,631 (+8892)

Cases

US: 7,494,671 (+47,389)

World: 34,476,258 (+322,424)

Countdown: 33 days.

Internal document shows Trump officials were told to make comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse. In preparing Homeland Security officials for questions about Rittenhouse from the media, the document suggests that they note that he "took his rifle to the scene of the rioting to help defend small business owners."

There’s No Way In Hell Trump Doesn’t Know Who the Proud Boys Are.

Today's America reminds me of 1990s Bosnia and Herzegovina. And as a genocide survivor, I am terrified.

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett signed a 2006 newspaper ad sponsored by an anti-abortion group in which she said she opposed “abortion on demand” and defended “the right to life from fertilization to the end of natural life.” -- Apparently she failed to disclose this to the Judiciary Committee. Failed? Mmm hmm.

White House called out for false claim that Amy Coney Barrett was a 'Rhodes scholar'. -- Barrett did not attend Oxford University. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College in Memphis. Kayleigh shrugged off her mistake because, you know, they don’t care about actual facts.

Trump administration sets US refugee cap at 15,000, a new historic low. The proposal for fiscal year 2021 allows 3,000 fewer refugees than in the last fiscal year. The US had been already on course during the 2020 fiscal year to admit the lowest level of refugees since 1980 when the coronavirus pandemic hit and led to a pause in arrivals until late July. Only a little more than 9,000 refugees had been admitted to the US as of August 31, according to the Refugee Processing Center.

Cities, states and businesses are bracing for unrest in the US around the upcoming presidential election.

Texas Gov. Abbott restricts absentee ballot drop-off locations to one per county. Some Texas counties include millions of people stretched over hundreds of square miles and will require lengthy drives to deliver ballots. -- Republicans cheat. They don’t want you to vote. That’s how you know your vote matters. Vote them all out of public office.

Hope Hicks, top Trump adviser who flew with him to debate, tests positive for Covid. Hicks recently traveled on Air Force One with the president to Cleveland for Tuesday’s debate, along with roughly 20 to 30 aides and family members.

In Reversal, Biden Team Will Begin In-Person Canvassing In Crucial States.

“This hasn’t gotten enough attention, but you need to know. Everybody needs to know...What's happening is clear. American intel agencies, that are supposed to be totally apolitical, have been folded into Trump's campaign.They are keeping info about Russian interference hidden, and overhyping info about China and Iran helping Biden.”

“Who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I have to do it.” -- First Lady Melania Trump

Madrid is going back under city-wide lockdown measures after a surge in coronavirus cases in the Spanish capital, in a dramatic move that illustrates the growing intensity of Europe's battle against a snowballing surge of infection.

Trump requires food aid boxes to come with a letter from him. The new mandate has sent food banks and other nonprofits scrambling as they worry distributing the boxes with the letters could be misconstrued as election activity. “In my 30 years of doing this work, I've never seen something this egregious.”

Trooper’s mic records talk of beating, choking Black man. In graphic, matter-of-fact chatter picked up on his body-camera mic, a Louisiana State trooper implicated in the death of a Black man can be heard talking of beating and choking him before “all of a sudden he just went limp.” “I beat the ever-living f--- out of him,” the trooper said in a 27-second audio clip obtained by The Associated Press.

The San Diego Loyal walked off the field at halftime of Wednesday night's USL match with Phoenix Rising in protest after accusing a Rising player of aiming a homophobic slur at openly-gay Loyal midfielder Collin Martin. Just a week after one of their players was the target of a racial slur, the San Diego Loyal saw their season end with a forfeit in protest of what they allege was another slur.

Chrissy Teigen's openness about miscarriage gives strength to women in similar situations.

HPV vaccine helps prevent invasive cervical cancer, landmark study shows.

New research suggests one-third of Americans in monogamous relationships fantasize about being in a sexually open relationship. Of that one-third, most want to act out their desire. Someday, at least.

Ireland’s Supreme Court has ruled that bread sold by the fast food chain Subway contains so much sugar that it cannot be legally defined as bread.

Former President Jimmy Carter celebrates 96th birthday. It's the latest milestone for the longest lived of the 44 men to hold the highest American office.

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

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