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Friday, July 31, 2020

Weekend!

  Have an excellent weekend. See you bright and early Monday morning. Stay safe and be well.

Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' - Diving Duck Blues

Removed


Distance Time

CNN: McConnell signal to Republican Senate candidates: Distance from Trump if necessary By Michael Warren and Jamie Gangel
...what Republicans increasingly fear could be a devastating election for their party.

Revealed


Air

Vanity Fair: How Jared Kushner’s Secret Testing Plan “Went Poof Into Thin Air” - This spring, a team working under the president's son-in-law produced a plan for an aggressive, coordinated national COVID-19 response that could have brought the pandemic under control. So why did the White House spike it in favor of a shambolic 50-state response? By Katherine Eban
Most troubling of all, perhaps, was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner’s team expressed: that because the virus had hit blue states hardest, a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically. “The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy,” said the expert.

Fauci - Coronavirus Is So Contagious, It Likely Won't Ever Go Away

Trump Voter Apologizes, Will Vote Biden

Florida

Axios: Florida breaks daily coronavirus deaths record for 4th straight day by Marisa Fernandez Marisa Fernandez

Republican Voters Against Trump

Magical

Salon: The year of dark magical thinking: Trump's petty revenge fantasies have killed thousands - Trump believed the virus would only hit blue states, which would work out great. So he let tens of thousands die by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Barack Obama Storms Out Of Michelle Obama Podcast Interview After Questions About Administration’s Drone Use

The Onion: Barack Obama Storms Out Of Michelle Obama Podcast Interview After Questions About Administration’s Drone Use

'We Will Vote'

The Lincoln Project

Indeed


Have An Excellent Friday

A Short Buddha Story To Calm Your Mind

Immunity

CNN: Why some people who haven't had Covid-19 might already have some immunity By Jacqueline Howard

Chris Hayes - Steve Schmidt On Trump Attack On Democracy - ‘This Is An Autocratic Moment’

Brian Williams - Republicans Won't Back Up Trump On Delaying 2020 Election

Seth Meyers - Trump Suggests Delaying the Election, Which He Can't Do


Mooch

The Palmer Report: Anthony Scaramucci reveals Donald Trump is “destabilizing” by Bill Palmer

Compare

Guardian UK: Obama compares segregationist Jim Crow America to Trump's America – as it happened

Ghislaine

Guardian UK: Ghislaine Maxwell trained underage girls as sex slaves, documents allege - Unsealed testimony from 2015 case reveals series of claims about British socialite’s role in Epstein sex-trafficking ring by Victoria Bekiempis

Our Crumbling Economy

Washington Post: Live updates: Millions to lose $600-a-week jobless benefit as Senate fails to reach coronavirus aid deal By Antonia Noori Farzan, Katie Shepherd, Jennifer Hassan, Rick Noack, Kim Bellware and John Wagner

Three Men And A Baby

Washington Post: Three presidents embrace the struggle for rights. Trump suggests postponing the election. By Marc Fisher

Nothing Will Change

  We have to remember that the essential beliefs of GOPers in our present time are not based in scientific information, and they are most certainly not based in factual information. I would suspect that one day after Cain's death, the majority of Republicans now believe some type of conspiracy theory pertaining to Cain's death with key elements that include the deep state, a hoax, a 'Democrat' conspiracy, media cover-up, and fake news.

NY Times: Will Herman Cain’s Death Change Republican Views on the Virus and Masks? His publicly dismissive attitude about the pandemic reflected the hands-off inconsistency of many party leaders. By Jeremy W. Peters

Quit

  The basic premise of this article is incorrect. Trump does not care about the lives of anyone, Trump does not care. He is a sociopath. He will not walk away in order to save lives, he would however walk away if it somehow or other benefited himself.

NY Times: Trump, Please Quit Before You’re Fired - By walking away, he can save the lives of supporters who have listened to his lethal quackery. By Timothy Egan

Updates

NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: Congress to Examine Trump’s Pandemic Response - Dr. Anthony Fauci and other health officials will testify before a House panel on testing, vaccines and school reopening. There are strong signs that Native Americans have been hit hard by the virus.

The Market On Friday

  At 6:35 a.m. ET DOW futures are +24. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

CNN: Dow and S&P 500 sink after economic data deluge By Anneken Tappe

Thursday, July 30, 2020

A Few Unsealed Ghislaine Documents




'Wake Up'

The Lincoln Project

Baby


Knee

CNN: NBA players took a knee before kicking off the league's reopened season By Leah Asmelash and Jill Martin

'Soon'


Toddler In Chief

NY Times: Trump Attacks an Election He Is at Risk of Losing - Mr. Trump has become a heckler in his own government, failing to marshal leaders in Washington to form a robust response to the health and economic crises. Instead, he is raising doubts about holding the election on time.

Grim

NY Times: A Collapse That Wiped Out 5 Years of Growth, With No Bounce in Sight The second-quarter contraction set a grim record, and it would have been worse without government aid that is expiring.

Indeed


Fiery

MSN: Barack Obama just gave a fiery eulogy for John Lewis. Here’s what he said by Jaclyn Reiss

Not Going To Happen

The Atlantic: Trump Can’t Postpone the Election—But He’s Trying to Destroy Its Legitimacy - The president today suggested postponing the November balloting, a move he lacks the legal authority to carry out. by David A. Graham

Once


Threat

  When I read about this threat, let's just say my thoughts about Trump moved into some unkind areas.

Salon: Trump's call to "delay" the election is a distraction — but it's also a serious threat Remember, Bill Barr and Mitch McConnell are delighted to stomp on the rule of law to keep Republicans in power by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Brian Kemp Pushes Against Coronavirus Restrictions By Moving All Government Business To Packed Indoor Pool

The Onion: Brian Kemp Pushes Against Coronavirus Restrictions By Moving All Government Business To Packed Indoor Pool

Recessions

Get Pocket: 10 Facts You Must Know About Recessions - What you need to know when it comes to recessions, including what constitutes an official recession, how long they typically last and what to do with your money

On Record

CNN: America's economy just had its worst quarter on record By Anneken Tappe
The US economy contracted by 32.9% between April and June, its worst drop on record, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Thursday.

Everything


Have An Excellent Thursday

Morning Joe - Masks Causing Covid Is ‘Complete Lunacy’

MSNBC - Trump Use Of Federal Forces A 'Failed Experiment' - Oregon Governor

MSNBC - The Withdrawal Of U.S. Troops From Germany Is Being Called A Gift For Putin - Here’s Why

Seth Meyers - Trump Praises 'Demon Sperm' Doctor Who Pushed Hydroxychloroquine


Promotes


Trials

The Palmer Report: Start the Nuremberg trials by Bill Palmer

Vice President

Guardian UK: Joe Biden's running mate - none will satisfy all sections of the party - Kamala Harris? Val Demings? Democrats speculate but no single candidate will be able to satisfy all the interest groups and sectors of the party by Daniel Strauss

Crisis

Guardian UK: How Trump is emboldening other countries' 'bad behavior' on the climate crisis by Fiona Harvey

Portland


As part of the agreement, officials said, most Department of Homeland Security agents will leave the front lines around the courthouse and withdraw from Portland entirely if what they have deemed nightly rioting ­ceases.

Trailing

Washington Post: Trailing badly in polls, Trump points to ‘hidden’ voters and the ‘silent majority’ as path to victory By Toluse Olorunnipa

Aerosols


Covid-19 patients were found to release SARS-CoV-2 simply by exhaling — without coughing or even talking. The authors of that study said the finding implied that airborne transmission “plays a major role” in spreading the virus.

Decline

  Hold onto your hats.

The Market On Thursday

Good morning. At 6:40 a.m. ET DOW futures are -218. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Uncensored

Flashbak: The Klu Klux Klan In The 21st Century: Uncensored Photos Of An American Secret

'Holding A Black Lives Matter Sign In America's Most Racist Town'

Please watch this to the end.

Portland

NY Times: Help Me Find Trump’s ‘Anarchists’ in Portland - The president has his politically driven narrative. And then there’s reality. By Nicholas Kristof
That’s what this is about: politics. The big threat in Portland and across America is not anarchists but Covid-19, so Trump welcomes street clashes to change the subject. If he actually cared about the defacement of the federal courthouse in Portland, he would remove the graffiti; instead, he leaves it there for photo ops. It’s the protesters, not the federal authorities, who deploy teams each night in Portland to clean up the area around the courthouse.

Florida

Axios: Florida reports record 216 COVID-19 deaths by Rashaan Ayesh

Deadly

  Chicago is number 16. Number 1 is from the great red state of Missouri, St. Louis.

CBS News: Murder map: Deadliest U.S. cities

Odious

Salon: Bill Barr on Capitol Hill: Lies, evasions and a promise to "follow the law." Be very afraid - Barr defends the shock troops, lies about mail-in voting and won't quite say whether he'll leave if Trump loses by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - L.A. Designates Open-Air Dining Areas Along 101 Freeway Median

The Onion: L.A. Designates Open-Air Dining Areas Along 101 Freeway Median

Barr

CNBC: Attorney General William Barr to get coronavirus test after Rep. Gohmert tests positive

Quacks

HuffPo: How Quack Doctors And Powerful GOP Operatives Spread Misinformation To Millions - A group calling itself “America’s Frontline Doctors” spread false information about COVID-19 with the help of Facebook, right-wing media and President Trump. By Nick Robins-Early, Hayley Miller, and Jesselyn Cook

Putin Wins


Gohmert

Politico: Louie Gohmert, who refused to wear a mask, tests positive for coronavirus - The Texas Republican received the diagnosis during a pre-screening procedure at the White House on Wednesday morning.

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Vasily Shukhaev 1887-1973





Brian Williams - Trump Defends Sharing Bogus COVID-19 'Cure' At Odds With His Own FDA

MSNBC - Dissembling, Defensiveness And Partisanship - AG Barr’s House Hearing

Seth Meyers - Trump Rolling Back Environmental Regulations

Rock Bottom

The Bulwark: The GOP Needs to Hit Rock Bottom - Congressional Republicans pretended they were powerless to limit Trump’s excesses. What difference would it make if voters made the make-believe real? by Mona Charen

Trouble

The Palmer Report: This spells big trouble for Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

Nobody Likes Me

Guardian UK: Trump says 'nobody likes me' when asked about Fauci's absence – as it happened - Biden says president has failed in his duty to care for entire country

Agenda Man

Guardian UK: 'Shame on you': Democrats attack Barr for carrying out Trump's agenda - Democrats clashed with attorney general over deployment of federal agents to US cities ahead of presidential election by David Smith

God Help Us

Washington Post: Americans are suffering. Trump offers them a doctor who warns of sex with demons. Opinion by David Von Drehle
(Trump promoted) Stella Immanuel, a Houston pediatrician and spiritual leader of Fire Power Ministries, a pronouncedly non-orthodox church...(said that)...Endometriosis and other potentially dangerous gynecological conditions are the residue of sexual intercourse with demons, Immanuel teaches.

Dangerous

Washington Post: Politics at the point of a gun - Conservative armed groups move into politics as backlash builds against protests, stay-at-home orders By Joshua Partlow

Not Obvious

NY Times: Trump Is Trying to Bend Reality to His Will - Can his aggressive version of ethnonationalist populism prevail in 2020? The answer is not obvious. By Thomas B. Edsall
“Modern democracies are currently experiencing destabilizing events....including the emergence of demagogic leaders, the onset of street riots, circulation of misinformation and extremely hostile political engagements on social media.”

Pieces

NY Times: A Viral Epidemic Splintering Into Many Pieces

The Market On Wednesday

  At 6:11 a.m. ET DOW futures are +5. The market is poised to open flat.

CNN: Why this betting site isn't worried about live sports By Paul R. La Monica

Disaster

BBC News: Unhealthy diets are ‘slow-motion disaster’ By Sean Coughlan

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Why?


Boo Hoo

CNN: Nobody likes me': Trump ponders pandemic popularity of Fauci and Birx By Kevin Liptak
"And he's (Fauci) got this high approval rating. So why don't I have a high approval rating with respect -- and the administration -- with respect to the virus? We should have it very high."

"It can only be my personality, that's all," he (Trump) said.

Real

Salon: American fascism has arrived, and the danger is real — but it's not too late to defeat it - Trump's form of fascism may not look like earlier models — but it's the real thing and it's happening right now by Bob Cesca

Russian Disinformation

NY Times: Russian Intelligence Agencies Push Disinformation on Pandemic - Declassified U.S. intelligence accuses Moscow of pushing propaganda through alternative websites as Russia refines techniques used in 2016. By Julian E. Barnes
OneWorld published articles about how the pandemic was an experiment in manipulating the world. InfoRos published an article, also published by Tass news agency, that said the United States was using the pandemic to impose its view of the world, according to American officials. InfoBrics.org published reports about Beijing’s contention that the coronavirus was originally an American biological weapon.

One

Guardian UK: How one hour of slow breathing changed my life

Nadler Gets All Over Barr

Axios: Nadler accuses Barr of undermining democratic norms in opening statement by Fadel Allassan

Back

  I'm back. I was attending an online meditation retreat and I must say it was wonderful. With the virus closing down large gatherings, the Buddhists have moved it all online with absolutely no resistance to doing things in this way at all. Yeah, we were all tuned into Zoom and getting amazing instructions from a master teacher who was based in Nepal. The virus is changing how we do things obviously but some things are advancing in positive unforeseen ways.

Have An Excellent Tuesday

How to fix damaged paint brush Artist Hack

MSNBC - Nadler Accuses Barr Of Aiding The 'Worst Failings' Of President Trump

Seth Meyers - Nancy Pelosi Gives Trump a New Nickname

  correction - Trump was never asked to throw out the first pitch for the Yankees home opener.

'Memories'

The Lincoln Project

Removed And Suspended

The Palmer Report: Twitter removes multiple Donald Trump tweets by Bill Palmer

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump Jr suspended from Twitter by Bill Palmer

Microbiomes

Guardian UK: Soap dodger: meet the doctor who says we have been showering wrong
...our microbiomes...there is a growing awareness that scrubbing them off, along with the natural oils on which they feed, or dousing them with antibacterial products may not be the best idea after all.

Why

Guardian UK: Scientists successfully revive 100m-year-old microbes from the sea - Microbes had lain dormant at the bottom of the sea since the age of the dinosaurs

Europe

Washington Post: Europe scrambles to avoid a second coronavirus wave, as infections rise By Loveday Morris, Michael Birnbaum and Fiona Weber Steinhaus
A spike in infections is leading Belgium to ramp up restrictions on social contact...

Nursing Homes

Washington Post: Nursing home workers now have the most dangerous jobs in America. They deserve better. by Brian E. McGarry, Lori Porter and David C. Grabowski
...760 covid-19-related deaths among their staff.

Irresponsible

NY Times: The Cult of Selfishness Is Killing America - The right has made irresponsible behavior a key principle. By Paul Krugman
Premature reopening led to a surge in infections: Adjusted for population, Americans are currently dying from Covid-19 at around 15 times the rate in the European Union or Canada. Yet the “rocket ship” recovery Donald Trump promised has crashed and burned...

Ugly

NY Times: Barr Defends Protest Response and Stone Case Intervention in Combative Hearing - The attorney general is testifying to Congress for the first time in more than a year. He forcefully asserted that federal agents were sent to cities to fight violence at protests and elsewhere. By Nicholas Fandos, Charlie Savage and Sharon LaFraniere

The Onion - ‘We Are Upholding The Rule Of Law,’ Bill Barr Tells Congress While Federal Agents Drag Jerry Nadler Into Unmarked Van

The Onion: ‘We Are Upholding The Rule Of Law,’ Bill Barr Tells Congress While Federal Agents Drag Jerry Nadler Into Unmarked Van

Friday, July 24, 2020

Weekend!

  I will be taking a few extra days off. See you on Tuesday afternoon and have an excellent weekend.

work by Chuck Close

Win

538: Confidence Interval: Democrats Could Win 60 Seats In The Senate By Nathaniel Rakich and Tony Chow

Tragic

Reuters: U.S. records over 1,000 coronavirus deaths for fourth straight day

If

Get Pocket: If Something’s out of Your Control, Should You Still Worry About It? There’s a freedom that comes with realising you have more influence over your life than you thought.

MSNBC - Road To 270 - A Look At The 2020 General Election Poll Average

MSNBC - Donald Trump Finds Himself Increasingly Out Of Step With The American People

Tragedy

WESH2: 9-year-old Florida girl becomes youngest to die of COVID-19 in the state

Laughing Out Loud At Louie!

Salon: GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert introduces bill to ban the Democratic Party for “supporting” Confederacy - Gohmert, who has defended Confederate statues, says Democrats' history is “filled with racism and hatred” by Igor Derysh

The Onion - Victoria’s Secret Introduces New Sexy Push-Up Jack For Maximum Lift

The Onion: Victoria’s Secret Introduces New Sexy Push-Up Jack For Maximum Lift

Absurd

  This is how journalists need to describe Trump - absurd.

CNN: Trump's briefings were meant to show him in charge -- now they are becoming absurd Analysis by Stephen Collinson

Shadows

NY Times: No Longer in Shadows, Pentagon’s U.F.O. Unit Will Make Some Findings Public - For over a decade, the program, now tucked inside the Office of Naval Intelligence, has discussed mysterious events in classified briefings. By Ralph Blumenthal and Leslie Kean

Urge

CNN: Medical experts urge US to shut down and start over as coronavirus cases surpass 4 million By Madeline Holcombe
"Right now we are on a path to lose more than 200,000 American lives by November 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do myriad other normal, pleasant, but non-essential activities," the letter said.

'Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV'

NY Times: ‘Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.’ Didn’t Mean What Trump Hoped It Did - The president said on Fox News that he had to remember those words as part of a test that he said demonstrated his mental acuity. But the test, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, is meant to detect signs of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions. by Peter Baker
A Duke University study in 2006 found that nearly half of presidents suffered from mental illness at some point in their lives. Nearly 25 percent of presidents met the criteria for depression, according to the study, including James Madison, Abraham Lincoln and Calvin Coolidge. Ronald Reagan’s aides were concerned enough that he was slipping late in his presidency that they secretly considered whether to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him for incapacity before deciding he was still fit enough to finish his tenure.

The Lincoln Project - Maxwell

Catch


Have An Excellnt Friday

  How to paint like Pablo Picasso (Cubism)

Rachel Maddow - Texas Rio Grande Valley Suffering COVID-19 'Worst Case Scenario'

'How To Person Woman Man Camera TV'

Seth Meyers - Trump Obsesses Over His Cognitive Test, Deploys More Secret Police

Back

The Palmer Report: Oregon strikes back at Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

AOC

Guardian UK: Ocasio-Cortez delivers powerful speech after Republican's sexist remarks - Congresswoman condemned ‘violent language against women’ after Ted Yoho berated her on the House steps on Monday

Goons

Guardian UK: Trump is using federal agents as his 'goon squad', says Ice's ex-acting head by Daniel Strauss - John Sandweg says the deployment of homeland security officials is a ‘manufactured crisis’ stemming from ‘a failure of leadership’

Despicable

Washington Post: Mr. President, stay out of our cities Opinion by Marilyn J. Mosby and Larry Krasner
We will not wait for a lawsuit to be filed. Should Trump send federal agents who engage in the same illegal vigilante activities, unlawfully assaulting and kidnapping people, they will face criminal charges from our offices. The authority of city officials to prosecute federal law enforcement officials is clear.

Baseball

Washington Post: On Opening Day, baseball’s return is nothing short of a miracle By Dave Sheinin

GOP - Pure Garbage

NY Times: Republicans, Facing Political Headwinds, Begin Diverging From Trump - A promised pandemic recovery proposal remains up in the air as Republicans, their majority at stake, struggle to reach consensus. By Carl Hulse
Their uncertain fortunes appear to have stiffened Republicans’ resolve to do something they rarely try: distance themselves, however gingerly, from Mr. Trump. They have jettisoned the president’s call for a payroll tax cut, drawing a resentful response from him on Twitter.

Updates

NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: Virus Rebounds in Places Thought to Have Tamed It - Hong Kong, Spain, and Melbourne, Australia, are seeing resurgences. The U.S. recorded nearly 70,000 new cases, and President Trump canceled part of the Republican National Convention. Masks are now required in shops and supermarkets in England.
And cases have surged in Tokyo, which has avoided a full lockdown and relied on aggressive contact tracing to contain flare-ups.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 6:30 a.m. ET DOW futures are -45. The market is poised to open moderately lower.

CNN: Global stocks tumble as China tensions escalate and the US economy struggles By Laura He

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Test

New Yorker: “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV”: Trump’s Mental Health Is a Test for America By Susan B. Glasser

Baseball's FU To Trump





Change

USA Today: Teacher: I was a reluctant Trump voter. Coronavirus is the end of my Republican identity. Teachers don't need Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos to lecture us about how children should be in school. We know it. But we also have to keep them safe. by Nancy Shively

Fascism

Salon: Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Trump and the bitter American truth: "We do not have a real democracy" - NYU fascism expert explains the next moves in Trump's "authoritarian playbook" — and says it's almost too late by Chauncey DeVega

The Onion - Creatively Recharged Tucker Carlson Comes Up With Week Of Show Ideas After Hispanic Cashier Gives Him Wrong Change

The Onion: Creatively Recharged Tucker Carlson Comes Up With Week Of Show Ideas After Hispanic Cashier Gives Him Wrong Change

Living

Get Pocket: Living a Lie: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others - Researchers provide the first evidence for a theory first put forward in the 1970s.

Have An Excellent Thursday

How to paint like Basquiat

MSNBC - Trump To Send Feds To More Cities, Stoking Fears That He’s Taking Portland Policy Nationwide

Stephen Colbert - Mary Trump On How Her Book Title 'Too Much And Never Enough' Describes Donald Trump's Upbringing

Seth Meyers - Trump Holds Coronavirus Briefing, Threatens To Send More Secret Police

Portland

CNN: Portland mayor tear gassed after speaking with protesters on presence of federal agents By Alta Spells

Clark

The Palmer Report: General Wesley Clark slam dunks Trump regime by Bill Palmer
Now America has secret police? Deployed against the wishes of local government! No names, no badges, look like military! One of the worst offenses against our democracy in American history. Please, America, turn this back. — Wes Clark (@GeneralClark) July 21, 2020

Portland

Guardian UK: Portland protests: federal agents' actions draws city into a national debate - Civil rights leaders in Oregon say the Trump administration’s involvement have upped the stakes on what was a localized conflict

What It Is

Guardian UK: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump America's 'first' racist president - Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee says Trump’s behaviour is ‘sickening’, prompting president to compare himself with Abraham Lincoln

Which Trump Administration Official Is The Craziest

Washington Post: DeVos’s claim that children are ‘stoppers’ of covid-19 By Glenn Kessler

Dunce

Washington Post: Amid rising coronavirus deaths, Trump paints a rosy picture of America’s present and future By William Wan and Jacqueline Dupree

COVID Evictions Begin

NY Times: Landlords Jump the Gun as Eviction Moratorium Wanes - The CARES Act temporarily protects millions of renters from being kicked out of their homes for nonpayment. Filings aren’t supposed to resume until after Friday. By Matthew Goldstein
...landlords commencing eviction proceedings even though the CARES Act relief law currently protects about 12 million tenants living in qualifying properties.

Updates

NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Nears 4 Million Cases as Multiple States Set Records - Alabama, California, Idaho and Texas recorded daily death records. Other states reported their highest daily case totals. As pandemic protections reach an end, landlords are moving to evict people. Weekly unemployment numbers in the U.S. could shed light on whether the measures taken to slow the spread of the virus have cost jobs.

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 6:34 a.m. ET DOW futures are +135. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: This recovery will be a bumpy ride, says Goldman Sachs CEO By Anneken Tappe

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Association

The Independent: Ex-Trump aide Scaramucci says president’s ‘well wishes’ to Ghislaine Maxwell are coded message: ‘Please don’t talk’ - President's past association with Jeffrey Epstein has been downplayed in recent years by Andrew Naughtie

Since


Trump Supporter Explains Why She Must Vote For Biden

Read This!

  Unbelievable screw-ups from the Trump regime. Hilarious stuff.

The Bulwark: Trump’s New Ad Is Amazing - The Trump campaign just ran the most ironic ad in the history of American politics. by Jonathan V. Last

Range

Axios: Range of global warming scenarios is more severe than thought, study shows

Well Indeed

Salon: Trump on alleged abuser Ghislaine Maxwell: “I’ve met her numerous times,” and I "wish her well” - "I wish her well, whatever it is," Trump said weeks after Maxwell was charged with child sex trafficking and abuse by Igor Derysh

The Onion - Encouraging Report Finds Polar Bears Evolving Aerospace Engineering Skills Necessary To Escape Overheating Planet

The Onion: Encouraging Report Finds Polar Bears Evolving Aerospace Engineering Skills Necessary To Escape Overheating Planet

Inedible

Get Pocket: How Pre-Prohibition Drinking Laws Led New Yorkers to Create the World’s Worst Sandwich - It was everywhere at the turn of the 20th century. It was also inedible.

Have An Excellent Wednesday

  The Lincoln Project

Morning Joe - ‘We Allow The Shock To Wear Off’

Morning Joe - You Don’t Get Credit For Being Wrong Than Any President In History Of The U.S

Seth Meyers - Late Night White House Press Briefing - What Were the Results of Trump’s Last Physical?

Lightfoot

The Palmer Report: Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot drops the hammer on Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

Insanity

Guardian UK: The US politicians volunteering other people’s lives to fight Covid-19 - The pandemic has been marked by political figures inviting Americans to sacrifice themselves to save the economy

Mary

Guardian UK: Mary Trump on her Uncle Donald: ‘I used to feel compassion for him. That became impossible’ - David Smith in Washington - She is a psychologist who used to deny being related to Donald – now she has written an explosive bestseller about him. She discusses his racism, incompetence, cruelty and why he never laughs

Athena

Washington Post: Naked Athena put on a show in Portland. Just like Trump. Opinion by Molly Roberts
Perhaps at a loss for how to contend with an unclothed female body, they shot rubber balls at her feet — and then, dumbstruck or defeated, retreated. No one seems to know her name yet; the Los Angeles Times described her as an “apparition” emerging out of a hazy night.

Three

Washington Post: As the pandemic surges, there are three scenarios of what happens next Opinion by Leana S. Wen
3. “We can take a more targeted approach than we did in March; we don’t need to shut down the places that are doing well.”

Masks

NY Times: Gretchen Whitmer: Mask Up, America - Trump says it is “patriotic” to wear a face covering. He can back that up by issuing a nationwide mandate. By Gretchen Whitmer - Ms. Whitmer is the governor of Michigan.

Updates

NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Daily Deaths Exceed 1,000 as Trump Warns Outbreak Will Worsen - The president also reversed himself and implored Americans to wear masks, saying “they have an impact.” Republicans are arguing over what to include in the next round of pandemic relief. Hong Kong will require travelers from the U.S. to show proof that they have tested negative for the virus within 72 hours of boarding an inbound flight.

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 6:50 a.m. ET DOW futures are -104. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Credit card CEO warns of dark times when the $600 unemployment benefit expires By Matt Egan

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

In England Trump Is Slang For Fart

Nothing

The Atlantic: Nothing Can Justify the Attack on Portland - The question of whether these arrests are appropriate has a clear answer—at least in a nation that purports to live under the rule of law. by Quinta Jurecic and Benjamin Wittes
Sending out officers untrained for demonstrations risks violence if the agents end up in situations they don’t know how to handle.

Not Trumpy Enough

Politico: House conservatives pile on Cheney at GOP conference meeting - Jim Jordan, a Freedom Caucus co-founder and one of Trump’s top allies, called out Liz Cheney for all the times she has opposed the president.

MSNBC - 'Tense Moments' As Republicans Attack Liz Cheney During GOP Meeting

Nothing

Washington Post: White House, GOP in disarray over coronavirus spending plan as deadline nears on expiring emergency aid - ‘What in the hell are we doing?’ Sen. Cruz asked White House officials and GOP colleagues at a planning lunch

Updates

NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: C.D.C. Says Cases Could Be 2 to 13 Times Higher Than Reported in Parts of U.S. - U.S. officials accuse Chinese hackers of targeting vaccine development on behalf of the country’s intelligence service. Covid-19 patients may be significantly prone to blood clotting problems. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said on CNN that he was not invited to the White House for President Trump’s news conference this afternoon.

Chaos

Salon: We all know Donald Trump is preparing to rig or steal the election — but exactly how? There's zero possibility that Trump will accept defeat with dignity. We need to prepare for weeks of dreadful chaos by Bob Cesca

The Onion - Toddler Feels Somewhat Torn About Pretending To Be Policeman In Current Climate

The Onion: Toddler Feels Somewhat Torn About Pretending To Be Policeman In Current Climate

U.K.

Axios: U.K. government ignored Russian interference for years, report finds

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Arturo Martini 1889 - 1947



MSNBC - Oregon AG On Federal Officers Actions In Portland - ‘This Is A Violation Of The Constitution’

Morning Joe - Where Do Donald Trump’s Loyalties Lie?

Seth Meyers - Trump’s Insane Chris Wallace Interview; Secret Police In Portland

Graham

The Palmer Report: The Lincoln Project just destroyed Lindsey Graham by Bill Palmer

Criminals

Guardian UK: White couple who pointed guns at St Louis protesters face criminal charges – as it happened

Disgusting

Guardian UK: First Thing: Trump plans to send federal troops into Democratic cities - Critics say Trump is threatening civil liberties while presenting himself as a ‘law and order’ president. Plus, even the ‘perfect Uighur’ isn’t safe from Beijing’s crackdown

Flunk

Washington Post: America is flunking its cognitive assessment Opinion by Dana Milbank
Roughly 900 people are dying from the virus every day, and week-long testing delays make it near impossible to quarantine those infected and to trace their contacts.

Daily Delusions

Washington Post: Trump to bring back coronavirus briefings in attempt to revive reelection campaign

Fascism In America

NY Times: The Border War in Portland - How can this be a job for Homeland Security? By Jamelle Bouie
“Trump is looking for a confrontation in Oregon in the hopes of winning political points in Ohio or Iowa.”

Trump's Occupation

NY Times: Trump’s Occupation of American Cities Has Begun - Protesters are being snatched from the streets without warrants. Can we call it fascism yet? By Michelle Goldberg

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 5:50 a.m. ET DOW futures are +163. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Synairgen shares soar 450% on Covid-19 treatment hopes By Eoin McSweeney

Fascism In Portland

Newsweek: Thousands of Portland Protesters Surround Police Bureau After Trump Crackdown By Khaleda Rahman

Monday, July 20, 2020

Mr. Self Pity

National Review: A Study in Self-Pity By Yuval Levin
...a veritable catalog of unfitness, incompetence, and willful ignorance...

Carlson And Hannity - Sexual Harassment

Guardian UK: Fox News hit by new claims of sexual misconduct by stars in lawsuit - Ex-correspondent Ed Henry accused of rape and sexual assault - Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity face sexual harassment claim

Kasich

MSN: John Kasich expected to speak at Democratic National Convention for Joe Biden: report by Joey Garrison

Barr

Just Security: Portland’s Pretext: Barr’s Long History Manipulating Law to Put Federal Forces on U.S. Streets by Ryan Goodman and Danielle Schulkin

Flailing

The Bulwark: Trump Can’t Take the Punches - He’s flailing about for a new strategy after recent events gave his campaign plans a beating. by Tim Miller

Name Change


Third

Get Pocket: Why Speaking to Yourself in the Third Person Makes You Wiser - Give it a try, you might be surprised by David Robson

Broken


Birx

Salon: Donald Trump's virus-whisperer: The tragic downfall of Dr. Deborah Birx - Dr. Deborah Birx seemed like a reasonable voice close to the throne. Now she's destroyed herself — and for what? by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Man Throws Caution To The Wind By Touching Elevator Button With Bare Finger

The Onion: Man Throws Caution To The Wind By Touching Elevator Button With Bare Finger

How To

MIT Technology Review: How to talk to conspiracy theorists—and still be kind - Experts and r/ChangeMyView subreddit moderators offer 10 tips to debunk conspiracy theories convincingly. by Tanya Basu

What Counts

  Teddy Roosevelt - "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better."

  "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Have An Excellent Monday

  How to paint like Jackson Pollock.

CNN - Mary Trump Shrugs Off Donald's Criticism - I'm In Good Company

Morning Joe - ‘The American People Have Overwhelmingly Turned Against’ Trump

Morning Joe - Trump ‘Will Do Whatever He Can Get Away With’

Total Failure

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump has reached the point of total failure by Bill Palmer

Trump Identifies Elephant!

Guardian UK: Donald Trump v Fox News Sunday: extraordinary moments from a wild interview - Facing a feared interviewer, the president ended up insisting that identifying an elephant proved his mental capacity

Arizona

Guardian UK: Once a Republican bastion, Arizona is now a battleground that could decide the election

Pressure

Washington Post: Endangered GOP senators under pressure as Senate considers new coronavirus measures By Seung Min Kim, Rachael Bade and Erica Werner

Dysfunctional

Washington Post: The crisis that shocked the world: America’s response to the coronavirus - Dysfunctional politics, a lack of funding for public health and a rush to reopen the economy ignited the resurgence of the virus By Joel Achenbach, William Wan, Karin Brulliard and Chelsea Janes

Break

NY Times: As Trump Ignores Virus Crisis, Republicans Start to Break Ranks - President Trump continues to press for a quick return to life as usual, but Republicans who fear a rampaging disease and angry voters are increasingly going their own way. By Alexander Burns, Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman

Where

NY Times: Where Is the Outrage? Americans are getting sick and dying while Trump plays a political game. By Charles M. Blow

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 8:04 a.m. ET DOW futures are -39. The market is poised to open moderately lower.

CNN: This billionaire says the US stock market is overlooking the rapidly growing national debt By Clare Duffy

Friday, July 17, 2020

Weekend!

Have an excellent weekend. See you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Brett Fletcher Lauer

Records

Axios: Which states have set single-day coronavirus records this week

Nightmare

Washington Post: How Trump and McConnell are prolonging our economic nightmare Opinion by Paul Waldman

Trump's War On Portland

NY Times: Feds Vowed to Quell Unrest in Portland. Local Leaders Are Telling Them to Leave. Federal authorities said they would bring order to Portland, Ore., after weeks of protests there. Local leaders believe the federal presence is making things worse. By Sergio Olmos and Mike Baker

Biden

Axios: Biden calls on Trump and Congress to pass emergency school funding by Alexi McCammond

Newest Trump War - Cities

Salon: Desperate, Trump and the Republicans will try to win by declaring war on the cities - Trump sends in the troops and Republicans encourage the spread of coronavirus — war on the cities is now for real by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - Melania Trump Figures It’s Time To Sit Barron Down And Tell Him He Was Bred For His Organs

The Onion: Melania Trump Figures It’s Time To Sit Barron Down And Tell Him He Was Bred For His Organs

Trump's USA

Washington Post: ‘It was like being preyed upon’: Portland protesters say federal officers in unmarked vans are detaining them By Katie Shepherd

Criminal Negligence

CNN: Trump's outrageous refusal to lead is making the pandemic worse Analysis by Stephen Collinson

Have An Excellent Friday

Monet's Palette and Technique

MSNBC - Trump's Niece To Maddow - Trump Used Anti-Semitic Slurs And The N-word

Rachel Maddow - Mary Trump - 'Of Course I Did' Hear Donald Trump Use Racial Slurs

Seth Meyers - Trump Promotes Goya Products On Twitter

Indeed

The Palmer Report: Anthony Scaramucci just hit Donald Trump where it hurts by Bill Palmer

Updates

Guardian UK: Trump's approval rating drops as US breaks daily Covid-19 case record – live

Exodus

  Reckless, callous, cruel' - all the hallmarks of Trump.

Guardian UK: 'Reckless, callous, cruel': teachers' chief denounces Trump plan to reopen schools - ‘Angry’ AFT president Randi Weingarten tells Guardian proposal from Trump and Betsy DeVos could result in teaching exodus

Disappears

Washington Post: Disappearance of covid-19 data from CDC website spurs outcry - Governors join calls for delay of administration plan to shift control from the CDC as Trump administration pledges to make data available to the public By Lena H. Sun and Amy Goldstein

Disapproval

Washington Post: Trump faces rising disapproval and widespread distrust on coronavirus, Post-ABC poll finds By Scott Clement and Dan Balz

Hate

NY Times: White Supremacy Was Her World. And Then She Left. To stop hate, we have to understand it. By Seyward Darby
There are nearly 1,000 hate groups in America, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the distribution of white-supremacist propaganda is ever widening.

Updates

NY Times: Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Reports a Record 75,600 New Daily Cases - The number of deaths in the country is increasing, and more than half the states have enacted mask orders. Brazil surpasses 2 million total cases, and India has hit a million. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain could reach a “significant return to normality” by Christmas.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 8:24 a.m. ET DOW futures are +106. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: America and Europe need trillions more in stimulus By Julia Horowitz

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Seth Meyers - Trump Shakes Up Campaign As Biden’s Lead Grows

Away

Washington Post: The entire foundation of Trump’s appeal in 2016 has been swept away Opinion by Michael Gerson
Trump’s failures of empathy and decency are the product of poor presidential character.

Racist

The Hill: Mary Trump claims she's heard Trump use racist, anti-Semitic slurs: He's 'virulently racist' By Marina Pitofsky

Who Else

Washington Post: Who would kick millions off health insurance in the middle of a pandemic? Yes, Trump. Opinion by Catherine Rampell

Utter Fool

Washington Post: For the next six months, we’re trapped on a leaking ship captained by a fool Opinion by Eugene Robinson

Sales

  I bought a copy of her book from Amazon today. It's going to be interesting. Also Mary Trump is on Maddow tonight at 9PM ET and I will be watching.

CNN: Mary Trump's book breaks record with mammoth sales By Oliver Darcy

Tracker

NY Times: Coronavirus Drug and Treatment Tracker By Jonathan Corum, Katherine J. Wu and Carl Zimmer

On Track

The Daily Beast: America Is on Track for a Million Coronavirus Cases a Day, and at Least 800,000 Deaths, by the End of 2020 - Until we have effective and safe medications, a proven vaccine and better testing, our best shot at getting control would be to again close many businesses and activities. by Irwin Redlener

Beans


Criminal

Salon: Fearing jail and facing defeat, Trump will not leave office quietly - In the Age of Trump, no depravities are beyond the realm of possibility by Bill Blum

The Onion - Nutritionists Admit You Can Just Eat Hot Dogs And Live Like That For Basically Decades

The Onion: Nutritionists Admit You Can Just Eat Hot Dogs And Live Like That For Basically Decades

Distancing

Quanta Magazine: The Math of Social Distancing Is a Lesson in Geometry - How to safely reopen offices, schools and other public spaces while keeping people six feet apart comes down to a question mathematicians have been studying for centuries.

Have An Excellent Thursday

Lucien Levy-Dhurmer 1865-1953


Morning Joe - Trump Trails Biden By 11 Points Nationally In New Polling

MSNBC - More Troubling Poll Results For President Trump