"Firefighters are battling more than a dozen wildfires across California as a scorching heat wave continues to bear down on the state. And in the midst of record-breaking temperatures, rare lightning storms have also sparked a handful of new fires that continue to rage on." That photo, wow.
"Forecasters are watching two weather disturbances in the Atlantic Basin for possible development within the next few days… With peak hurricane season here, the National Hurricane Center has increased the odds that the two disturbances will become tropical depressions or storms."
"The University of Notre Dame suspended in-person classes on Tuesday, eight days after the school’s fall semester began and after 146 students and a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said."
"The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill made it one week into the fall semester before scrapping plans for in-person instruction… It's an experience that other large campuses should learn from, Mimi Chapman, chair of the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty, told NPR's All Things Considered on Tuesday." Narrator voice, but they didn't.
"Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, some schools are reopening. Dentists and family doctors are seeing patients again. More businesses are getting back to work… And they're all confronting a familiar problem: Masks and other personal protective equipment can still be hard to come by." Jazz hands. I've shaved off my beard so I can safely use another type of N95 mask as the one I was fitted for is in very low supply.
"Even people who were never sick enough to go to a hospital, much less lie in an ICU bed with a ventilator, report feeling something as ill-defined as 'Covid fog' or as frightening as numbed limbs. They’re unable to carry on with their lives, exhausted by crossing the street, fumbling for words, or laid low by depression, anxiety, or PTSD." The emerging chronic effects of SARS-CoV2 infections.
"More than two dozen Maine residents have tested positive for the coronavirus after a wedding reception in Millinocket — the state's first outbreak linked to a social gathering, officials said Monday. Millinocket Regional Hospital has confirmed that there are now 28 positive cases linked to the event and that number is expected to go up as testing continues, CBS affiliate WABI-TV reports." This is a stand in for the multiple reports of hot spots because of some social event.
"A former Georgia state trooper is facing felony murder and aggravated assault charges after he allegedly shot and killed a 60-year-old Black man during a traffic stop this month."
"Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping firm, beat second-quarter profit expectations on Wednesday and said it expects demand to pick up in the third quarter, but warned of a 'significant decline' across the year."
"President Trump's plan to boost unemployment benefits temporarily by $300 a week is getting a fairly cool reception around the country… Since Trump made the offer earlier this month, fewer than half the states have taken him up on it."
"FHA mortgages require only a small down payment and are a path to homeownership for many lower-income, minority, and first-time homebuyers. But many are clearly in financial trouble… The Mortgage Bankers Association says nearly 16% of Federal Housing Administration-insured loans are delinquent — the highest level in records going back to 1979." We've seen this movie before.
"Target CEO Brian Cornell said Wednesday he would like to see Congress strike a stimulus deal, but he credited closed movie theaters and canceled summer vacations for fueling the retailer’s blowout quarter." That money has got to go somewheres.
How go the Trade Wars? "China and the United States will each allow air carriers to double current flights to eight per week between the world’s two largest economies, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday."
"Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has resigned, after being detained by soldiers on Tuesday… In a televised address he said he was also dissolving the government and parliament, adding: 'I want no blood to be spilled to keep me in power.'… He and PM Boubou Cissé were taken to a military camp near the capital Bamako, drawing international condemnation."
Sure Lukashenko was going to debate his rules after the protestors stopped. "Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered his police on Wednesday to put down protests in the capital Minsk, signalling an escalation after a week and a half of mass demonstrations against his rule."
"Gavin Williamson says he is 'incredibly sorry for the distress' caused to pupils after having to make a U-turn in how A-levels and GCSEs are graded… The education secretary refused to say if he will resign amid a fresh scramble to secure university places… 'My focus is making sure youngsters get the grades that they deserve,' he said." How about giving them the grades they earned. But it's really too late anyway (see the emerging pattern in politics, the reversal comes too late to really change anything).
"Students at Liberty University are returning to school in Lynchburg, Va., in the coming days in the midst of a pandemic, a contentious presidential election and tumult on their campus… The conservative Christian college is now under new leadership after President Jerry Falwell Jr. agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence this month following a series of scandals that culminated with a controversial vacation photo posted online." It's time to actually tax Liberty University. Don't worry about Fallwell, Jr. There's a script for what has to happen now. After his "unscheduled leave" he will have a change of heart, and returning to God, and a tearful confession. And it actually is a script. There are proposed time schedules between the steps.
"The head of the National Organization for Women will step down following allegations of racist behavior and a toxic work environment at the country's largest feminist organization… Toni Van Pelt, who has been NOW's president for three years, cited health concerns in an email to staff late Sunday for why she will leave the post on Aug. 28."
"Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced he will suspend the controversial changes he instituted to the U.S. Postal Service until after the November election… 'To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded,' DeJoy said in a statement… He said that between now and Election Day, retail hours at post offices will not change, no mail processing facilities will be closed, mail processing equipment and collection boxes will remain in place, and overtime for workers will be approved when needed." He's already damaged it enough, and the reason there is no overtime approved is because management feels it's not needed. This is a nothing promise. He also realized he's in big trouble if even slightly probed about why he took these actions.
"'I've worked with some excellent, excellent, professional political ambassadors over the course of my career,' says Lewis Lukens, a longtime U.S. diplomat who served as Johnson's second-in-command and left the State Department last year. 'But I will say that Donald Trump not only has a higher percentage of political ambassadors, but has a higher percentage of ambassadors who don't seem to be temperamentally or intellectually suited for the work.'"
The company you keep… "The white St. Louis couple who attracted national attention for brandishing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters in June will be back in the spotlight next week, this time as speakers at the Republican National Convention… The McCloskeys face felony charges for waving firearms 'in a threatening manner' at demonstrators as they marched through the couple's neighborhood en route to the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, who lives nearby." It's called "aggravated menacing", and yes, it's a felony. I'm sure they'll be cheered as "standing up to AntiFa and just law abiding home owners protecting what is theirs." We'll ignore their other legal issues. Also I expect the president will pardon them (I'm wagering he'll either do it on stage, or just after their speech).
"In an extraordinary move, the Trump administration has added a third deputy director to the U.S. Census Bureau amid mounting concerns of political interference with the 2020 census, the bureau announced Monday… Neither the Census Bureau nor the Commerce Department, which oversees the bureau, have responded to NPR's questions about who created the top-level position and why. It is also unclear what Overholt's exact responsibilities are." Highjacking the count in plain view.
"The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee made criminal referrals of Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Erik Prince and Sam Clovis to federal prosecutors in 2019, passing along their suspicions that the men may have misled the committee during their testimony, an official familiar with the matter told NBC News." But it was all a nothing burger, according to the same conservatives.
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