“I’m old enough to remember Colin Kaepernick explaining exactly why he was protesting, only to see his message sabotaged by performative patriotism. Bad slogans/messaging isn’t the problem. There will never be a nice way to sell progress to people who actually don’t want it.” — Jemele Hill
Deaths
US: 282,829 (+2964)
World: 1,511,915 (+12,697)
Cases
US: 14,535,196 (+221,255)
World: 65,536,026 (+695,351)
Countdown 1: 33 days.
Countdown 2: 48 days.
US reports 3,100 COVID-19 deaths in one day, surpassing previous record by 20 percent.
Americans in more than 1,900 counties saw increased levels of clustering during Thanksgiving travel, compared to the previous week, according to cellphone location data. Data from 15 million cellphones shows which counties saw increased gathering during the holiday.
President-elect Biden says he's asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, to become his chief medical adviser, and said he plans to call on Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days of his administration.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are volunteering to get their Covid-19 vaccines on camera to promote public confidence in the vaccine's safety once the FDA authorizes one.
Mayors pessimistic about coronavirus recovery: survey. “This virus has laid bare long-standing inequities, and as the survey shows, mayors are leading from the frontlines to protect their communities,” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement. “But cities and states can’t do it alone; we need a strong and cohesive federal response that addresses the health crisis, the economic crisis, and the disparities this pandemic has exacerbated.”
California Gov. Newsom introduces new regional stay-at-home order on Thursday. The order will require bars, wineries, hair salons and other nonessential businesses across 5 areas to close for 3 weeks once the region’s ICU capacity falls below 15%.
France, world’s most vaccine-sceptic country, warily eyes Covid-19 shots. France was once home to the father of immunisation, Louis Pasteur, but it is now among the most vaccine-sceptic nations on Earth – a pressing concern as it prepares one of the biggest vaccination campaigns in its history.
Trump’s grievances feed menacing undertow after the election. The last throes of Donald Trump’s presidency have turned ugly — even dangerous. Death threats are on the rise. Local and state election officials are being hounded into hiding. A Trump campaign lawyer is declaring publicly that a federal official who defended the integrity of the election should be “drawn and quartered” or simply shot...But in the final weeks of Trump’s presidency, the tenor has taken on an even more toxic edge as state after state has affirmed Biden’s victory, judge after judge has dismissed Trump’s legal challenges and his cadre of loyalists has played to his frustrations. As Biden builds the foundation of his new administration, Trump is commanding attention for the agitations he is likely to carry forward when he is gone from office. “I do not think this goes away on January 20,” Eric Coomer, security director for Dominion Voting Systems, said from the secret location where he is hiding out from death threats. “I think it will continue for a long time.”
Republicans introduce bill to protect government workers from being targeted at home as Georgia election officials receive threats. The bill was introduced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and GOP Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Tom Cotton (Ark.), Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.), David Perdue (R-Ga.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
Mo Brooks (R-AL) planning to challenge Electoral College votes, claims "Donald Trump won the Electoral College by a significant margin, and Congress’s certification should reflect that." The Alabama Republican said he believes the issue extends beyond the court cases filed by the Trump campaign, arguing that Congress is better suited to look into the matter.
Trump aide banned from Justice after trying to get case info. The official serving as President Donald Trump’s eyes and ears at the Justice Department has been banned from the building after trying to pressure staffers to give up sensitive information about election fraud and other matters she could relay to the White House.
Trump campaign, RNC announce $200 million post-election fundraising haul. President Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have raised more than $200 million since Election Day, a sum gained through solicitations to fight against what the president falsely claimed was widespread voter fraud that influenced the 2020 election results. — And yet there are many people going hungry in this country.
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, who will fight to retain her seat during the Georgia runoff election, donated large portions of her Senate salary to anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ rights organizations. Loeffler is the wealthiest member of Congress. She and her husband hold a roughly $500 million stake in the New York Stock Exchange’s parent company, Intercontinental Exchange, Forbes reported, estimating that the couple’s net worth is at least $800 million. Because of this, Loeffler pledged to donate her $174,000 congressional salary to Georgia charities each quarter. Over the last two financial quarters, she donated $26,600 to seven anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and $3,800 to Covenant Care Adoptions, an anti-LGBTQ agency.
Trump praised QAnon during meeting about keeping the Senate. Trump told those present that QAnon consists of people who "basically believe in good government," which led to silence in the room. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows then said he had not heard the group described as such...QAnon's prevailing conspiracy theories -- none based in fact -- claim that dozens of Satan-worshipping politicians and A-list celebrities work in tandem with governments around the globe to engage in child sex abuse. The group also peddles conspiracies about coronavirus and mass shootings -- none grounded in reality. Followers also believe there is a "deep state" effort to annihilate Trump. The group has been labeled a domestic terror threat by the FBI. In public, Trump has claimed he doesn't "know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate," while repeatedly declining opportunities to condemn the organization's extremism.
China has done human testing to create biologically enhanced super soldiers, says top U.S. official. U.S. intelligence shows that China has conducted "human testing" on members of the People's Liberation Army in hope of developing soldiers with "biologically enhanced capabilities," the top U.S. intelligence official said Friday.
Lawyers say Trump administration has handed over new data that will help reunite separated migrant families. The ACLU's Lee Gelernt said he's often asked whether the Trump administration has helped reunite families. He said that rather than help, it has withheld data.
Five inmates are scheduled to be executed before President-elect Joe Biden, who opposes capital punishment, takes office. Current and former law enforcement officials are calling on federal authorities to stop them. This year, the Trump administration has dramatically revived its use of the death penalty after a 17-year hiatus, executing more prisoners — eight — than any system in the country. Attorney General William Barr, who was instrumental in pushing for the re-opening of the federal death chamber, has been largely unmoved by criticism of its aggressive application even in the midst of a pandemic.
In a last-minute push, the Trump administration announced Thursday that it will auction off drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in just over a month, setting up a final showdown with opponents before President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
The world is running out of sand, and you need to care. Sand is the world's second-most-consumed natural resource, and our rapidly growing cities are draining the supply. You're probably thinking the same thing I was when I first heard of a global sand shortage: "I've seen massive deserts. How are we possibly running out of sand?" It's not a stretch to say that sand is the foundation of our cities. It's a key ingredient in the concrete we use to construct highways and buildings. We use it to make glass. It's even in the chips that power our phones and computers. We use 50 billion tons of sand every year. And it turns out that not all sand is created equal.
Bread shortages are now widespread in Syria. One man who spoke with NPR says he leaves his home at dawn to stand in line for up to 6 hours to get two bags of bread. After that, he often waits at the gas station for another 6 hours to buy fuel for work. Syrians across the country are facing shortages of subsidized bread at a time when, for many, it is one of the only foods they can still afford. The United Nations' World Food Program says that in this once middle-income country, some 9.3 million people, approximately the population, are food insecure.
The Trump administration sued Facebook, accusing it of discriminating against American workers by favoring immigrant applicants for thousands of high-paying jobs.
San Francisco bans indoor tobacco smoking, marijuana permitted. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to approve the move on Tuesday. The legislation bans smoking inside of buildings with three or more units and in all common areas, although it does not apply to “adult-use” or medical marijuana, CNN reported. The measure is targeted at protecting apartment residents from secondhand smoke...San Francisco now joins 63 other California cities that have passed similar bans.
15-year-old inventor and scientist named TIME's first-ever 'Kid of the Year'. While TIME has selected a Person of the Year for the past 92 years, this is the first time the outlet has named a Kid of the Year. Meet Gitanjali Rao. Some of Rao's impressive accomplishments include using technology to tackle a wide-range of issues from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying. She also has run innovation workshops around the world and has mentored 30,000 students.
AMC Is Pissed. Today, Warner Bros. Pictures Group made an unexpected announcement about its roster of films slated for next year. Rather than releasing the films with exclusive theatrical windows or sending them straight to digital, the company has instead landed on what it calls a “hybrid distribution model.” It’s the same release model being used for its anticipated Wonder Woman 1984 film: The film will debut on Christmas Day not only in theaters but also as an exclusive on WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max. The hybrid model will apply to 17 major titles scheduled for next year, including Dune, Matrix 4, and The Suicide Squad, among others.
Astronomers unveil most detailed 3D map yet of Milky Way. Astronomers have unveiled the most precise 3D map yet of the Milky Way, an achievement that promises to shed fresh light on the workings of the galaxy and the mysteries of the broader universe...The map contains enough detail for astronomers to measure the acceleration of the solar system and calculate the mass of the galaxy. These in turn will provide clues as to how the solar system formed and the rate at which the universe has expanded since the dawn of time.
A third monolith has now appeared in California. However, unlike its predecessors, the Californian monolith was not cut into the ground. It could even potentially tip over if someone pushed it, though we stress that this is not a challenge.
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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