"So Much Easier"

Just when I was getting discouraged about the state of the world, young Greta Thunberg came to my rescue. The teenaged climate activist reacted perfectly this past week to the disturbing moment when Supreme Court nominee Barrett called climate change "controversial." 

Barrett made matters worse when she said she didn't have any "views on climate change."

 “To be fair, I don’t have any ‘views on climate change’ either,” Thunberg wrote on Twitter wryly. “Just like I don’t have any ‘views’ on gravity, the fact that the earth is round, photosynthesis nor evolution ... But understanding and knowing their existence really makes life in the 21st century so much easier.”

That exchange sums up what is a central problem of our time and of this election -- the persistence of anti-science crusaders in positions of power.

After all, anyone paying attention has known since at least 1974 that global warming is THE existential threat to the future of human life on earth.

As a reminder, it was in 1974 that Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland, two chemists at the University of California, Irvine, published an article in Nature detailing the threats to the ozone layer from chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases.

But their research was attacked by the fossil fuel energy industry and the politicians they funded, to such an extent that climate change can still be considered "controversial" by some to this day.

It is no surprise, therefore, that millions of people in the U.S., have ignored science even at the risk of damaging their own health. Case in point: unmasked supporters pressed together at Trump rallies.

It is also no surprise that demagogues like Donald Trump are able manipulate these uninformed people into thinking that critical scientific truths are "fake news."

Let me ask the climate deniers a question: If you were told a man with a machine gun was outside of your children's or grandchildren's house, would you care to look outside to see if it were true?

Or would you dismiss that warning as "fake news?"

If there is any cause to maintain hope in this age of ignorance, it is the calm, rational voice of young GretaThunberg. And that is so much easier than giving up.

***

On to the non-fake news:

* By Calling Climate Change ‘Controversial,’ Barrett Created Controversy -- Judge Amy Coney Barrett refused to answer numerous questions, but it was her avoidance of acknowledging climate change that particularly resonated. (NYT)

* More people watched Biden's town hall on ABC than Trump's town hall on three NBC channels (including MSNBC and CNBC) by over half a million viewers. (Nielsen)

* White House was warned Giuliani was target of Russian intelligence operation to misinform Trump (WashPo) * In a fiery personal essay, Caroline Giuliani, the daughter of Rudy Giuliani, endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. With less than a month until the election, Giuliani urged her fellow Americans to do the same in order to put an end to what she calls Mr. Trump's "reign of terror."  (Vanity Fair) * The Trump administration has rejected California’s request for disaster relief aid for six recent fires that have scorched more than 1.8 million acres in land, destroyed thousands of structures and caused at least three deaths, a state official said. (NYT) * Justin Trudeau: Canada-US border will stay closed until America gets COVID-19 under control (USA Today) * France is reeling after its biggest ever covid spike with 30,621 new cases as a second wave smashes Europe. (U.S. Sun)

* As Trump’s Language Grows More Heated, Fears Rise of Political Violence (NYT)

* Trump bragged to a rally crowd, suggesting members of the U.S. Marshals Service executed an antifa supporter, Michael Forest Reinoehl, who was charged in the death of a right-wing protester in Portland, Oregon. (HuffPost)

* Earlier this week the government of Switzerland announced that it will no longer allow exports of five pesticides that have long been banned in their own country due to known health and environmental harms. Given that pesticide industry giant Syngenta is based in Switzerland, this is incredibly significant. (Pesticide Action Network)

* U.S.-born children of immigrants or immigrant students raised in the United States accounted for nearly 60 percent of the growth in university enrollment since 2000. (NYT)

* Trump" is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life." -- former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly. (CNN)

* Trump, Biden evoke different brands of masculinity. (WashPo) I've written about this. (DW)

* California governor says Trump, in reversal, approves wildfire aid -- Newsom said on Friday that Trump approved his request for additional wildfire recovery relief, reversing the administration's denial of the state request a day earlier. (Reuters)

* The latest polls in key states: Biden leads Trump 51%-43% in Michigan and Wisconsin and 51-44% in Pennsylvania. (CNN)

***

Probably even more important than who occupies the White House over the next four years is which party controls the Senate. One good way to monitor the latest data about that question is at Electoral-Vote.com. That site currently predicts that the Democrats will have 51 seats, the Republicans 48, with one race too close to call.

It is the Senate that confirms or reject the President's nominees to the federal courts, and the Senate that votes whether to impeach a President once charges are brought by the House.

It's so much easier to forget you when you're here with me
But I will always see your face
When I'm gone, gone, gone
And I don't need you now, I don't need anyone
It's so much easier but it's easier said than done

-- Kleenex Girl Wonder

-30-

The Rhythms of History

The competing town halls last night featuring Biden and Trump occurred simultaneously, meaning viewers had to choose which one to watch live. That says more about the lack of civic integrity of the media companies than the candidates themselves.

In any event, no one missed anything of significance.

Both events were boring, although the NBC moderator grilled Trump in useful ways, finally getting him to say he denounces white supremacists and supports a peaceful transition of power.

But rather than focus on those items, I want to turn to a different aspect of our public life -- the influence of culture on politics.

One characteristic those of us who were political writers at Rolling Stone in the 1970s tend to share is an appreciation of the sheer power that popular culture figures exert over their followers in political matters.

But the relationship between culture and politics also reflects history, including aspects of our history that remain little known among the general population.

This came up recently when my 11-year-old grandson was practicing his dance moves to a video from BTS, the popular South Korean boy band with a huge global following via social media, including in China.

"Why is China mad at BTS, Grandpa?" my grandson asked.

"Because its lead singer said something that made the Chinese government mad," I replied. (Details in the news summaries below.)

I've been following the BTS controversy since it erupted, mainly via the Japanese news service NHK.  For me, it brought up I.F. Stone's classic book, "The Hidden History of the Korean War," which I read over half a century ago.

Most Americans probably know very little about that war, or America's part in starting it, or how it presaged in many ways the Vietnam War that in turn transformed American culture and politics into the society we've inherited today.

But Izzy's book would be a good way for people to go back and learn.

***

Hey, the jetpack mystery man is back! And in other news:

* Judge Amy Coney Barrett, refused to say whether climate change was real on the third day of her confirmation hearings. (HuffPost) 

* As Virus Spread, Reports of Trump Administration’s Private Briefings Fueled Sell-Off  -- A hedge fund consultant’s summary of private presentations by White House economic advisers fanned investor worries. (NYT)

* As election nears, Pentagon leaders’ goal of staying out of elections is tested (WashPo)

* During Barrett's hearing, GOP lawmakers insisted that any mention of the religious views of Barrett, a Roman Catholic, veered into bigotry. Few Republicans have delivered such forceful speeches against religious bigotry when it was used to target Muslims, especially two women in Congress repeatedly slurred by President Donald Trump. [HuffPost]

* The number of new applications for unemployment benefits rose 898,000 in the latest week, the highest level since late August, as persistent layoffs restrain the recovery. (WSJ)

* The United States is seeing a record surge in firearms sales amid increasingly disturbing news about the pandemic, social unrest over police brutality, and a potentially contested election. (Reuters)

* Trump criticizes Mnuchin, says he hasn’t ‘come home with the bacon’ (WashPo)

* Japan's Coast Guard tests unmanned aircraft (NHK)

* Europe, Which Thought It Had the Virus Tamed, Faces a Resurgence -- France imposed a curfew on Paris and other major cities, and other countries are taking similar steps as record caseloads fill hospitals and governments try to respond without lockdowns. (NYT)

* Video shows conservative activists behind closed doors: ‘Our organization is going to be harvesting ballots’ (WashPo)

* Half of all voters who plan to vote in person in the upcoming presidential election are doing so at least in part because they don’t trust voting by mail, a HuffPost/YouGov poll finds. (HuffPost)

* BTS’s Loyal Army of Fans Is the Secret Weapon Behind a $4 Billion I.P.O. -- What investors are really paying for is not necessarily the K-pop group or its management company, but its huge, highly connected ecosystem of followers. (NYT)

* BTS Frenzy Drives Hit K-Pop IPO -- Shares in Big Hit Entertainment, the management company behind the South Korean pop sensation, roughly doubled from their initial public offering price by early afternoon in Seoul. (WSJ)

* Chinese nationalists erupted in anger at South Korean boy band BTS after its leader thanked Korean War veterans for their sacrifices.The singer, who goes by RM, made the remark in a recorded acceptance speech for an award from the Korea Society for promoting U.S.-Korean relations.“We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women,” RM said in the speech, which included no mention of China. Last year, Chinese state TV suspended broadcasts of National Basketball Association games after the general manager of the Houston Rockets expressed support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. Broadcasts resumed this week. Since the Korean War, Beijing has helped prop up isolated North Korea with gifts of oil and other aid to maintain a buffer between China and U.S.-allied South Korea. Online Chinese fan groups demanded an apology from BTS and called for boycotts of an upcoming album and promotional events. (Billboard)

* Protesters in Bangkok defy emergency decree (NHK)

* An FAA spokesman told The Sun: "A China Airlines crew reported seeing what appeared to be someone in a jet pack at an approximate altitude of 6,000 feet, about seven miles northwest of Los Angeles International Airport around 1:45 pm [on] Wednesday. (U.S. Sun)

* Across the country, Democratic enthusiasm is propelling an enormous wave of early voting (WashPo)

***

P.S. As happened with so many of the amazing intellectuals who inspired me when I was young,  I met I.F. Stone on a couple of occasions in the 1980s. First, when he gave the keynote speech at a fundraiser for the Center for Investigative Reporting. Second, when he sat in the front row of an auditorium where I gave a speech about "Circle of Poison" at a European journalism conference sponsored by The Nation.

Afterward, he came up and told me he loved the book and the way I talked about it.

I'll treasure that memory as long as I live.

-30-

One, Two, Three

 

T-19. 

From here on out, carefully watching the movement in the polls is the only way we can gauge whether Trump will be re-elected or Biden will replace him. All of the leading polls were burned in 2016 and have made adjustments as a result. I frequently quote 538 because they employ the "poll of polls" methodology that -- at least theoretically -- evens out the anomalies of any individual poll.

Polls aside, the news must go on. And for the most part, it is all bad.

The Senate judiciary committee hearing on Trump's Supreme Court nominee this week was a charade. While Senators from both parties postured as if they held the moral higher ground, the actual legal stakes were barely discussed. 

That's a shame because at least three major human rights rulings hang in the balance.

Before considering those, it seems remarkable to me that Barrett  has only three years experience as a judge. In my profession, that might qualify her for a junior position somewhere, not the highest level one can attain.

No journalist with three years experience would be named editor-in-chief of a major publication or president of a media network. But I guess the barrier to joining the Court is much lower. 

Meanwhile, of all of the Republicans and Democrats on the panel, I thought Sen. Amy Klobuchar did the best job of summarizing the three key legal issues wending their way through the lower courts on their inevitable journey to the Supremes:

1. Health Care, specifically whether people with preexisting conditions can get affordable coverage.

2. Abortion, the right of a woman to control her own body.

3. Same-Sex Marriage.

Collectively, these represent some of the most important advances in human rights in our time. But while she dodged expressing her positions, Barrett appears to be opposed to all three.

There are other issues, including voter suppression, that Barrett dodged. Basically the hearing was a sham because the GOP is going to jam her appointment through before the election.

***

Here are the news headlines that caught my eye:

* More Companies Delay Return to the Office -- From Ford to Microsoft, white-collar companies are increasingly extending working from home through next summer. (NYT)

* Eighty-eight faculty members at the University of Notre Dame, where Barrett is a law school professor, said she should call for a halt to her Supreme Court nomination until after the election. (HuffPost)

* Macron announces Paris curfew as coronavirus infections rise in France (WashPo)

* The Paris-based International Energy Agency said renewables would make up 80% of new power generation by 2030, overtaking the fossil fuels that presently dominate electricity production. Installing solar photovoltaics is “consistently cheaper” than building coal or natural gas plants in most countries, and solar projects “now offer some of the lowest cost electricity ever seen,” the IEA’s researchers said in their decade-long outlook for the 2020s. The organization expects solar energy to eclipse coal as the top source of electricity in the next five years, with wind energy following close behind. [HuffPost]

* Bank of America Profit Falls 16%. Wells Fargo Earnings Drop 56%. (WSJ)

* Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Thai capital Bangkok, as the city is gripped by yet another large-scale anti-government protest. (NHK)

* Japanese researchers use supercomputer data to develop new face shield (NHK)

* Democrats dominate early voting in Florida -- But lest they get too excited, campaign veterans warn that a wave of Republican votes is coming on Election Day. (Politico)

* Trump Promotes Baseless, QAnon-Endorsed Conspiracy Theory Alleging Obama Staged Bin Laden’s Killing (Forbes)

* Trump is still falsely claiming that Mexico is paying for his border wall (CNN)

* Dry, windy weather posed an extreme wildfire risk Wednesday in Northern California, where massive blazes already have destroyed hundreds of homes and killed or injured dozens of people.The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for extreme fire danger from 5 a.m. through Friday morning. (AP)

* Barron Trump tested positive for Covid-19 but showed no symptoms. (CNN)

* Video shows conservative activists behind closed doors: ‘Our organization is going to be harvesting ballots’ (WashPo)

* If you have blood type O you *may* have some protection against Covid-19, according to two recent studies. (CNN)

* Mnuchin says new economic relief deal unlikely before election (WashPo)

* Sen. Kamala Harris questioned Barrett in the judiciary committee proceedings; Barrett refused to say whether she believes voting discrimination exists. (CNN)

* Survey reveals that Californians working from home spend an average of 1.7 hours a week trying to resolve tech issues (Cherry Digital)

***

I cannot know who reads these posts, except for those who react (i.e., "like") or add a comment, and I am especially grateful to those who do. My main motivation at this point in this strange year is the hope that by writing I may somehow be having an impact. It is deeply frustrating to witness what is happening to the country I love.

What day is it
And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up, and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time

'Cause it's you and me
And all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me
And all the other people
And I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you

Why are the things that I want to say
Just aren't coming out right?
I'm tripping on words
You got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here

-- Lifehouse

-30-

Three Shades of Truth

After we founded the Center for Investigative Reporting in 1977, many people came to visit us at our headquarters in Oakland, particularly reporters from other media organizations.

During the early years, two of those visitors were reporters from NPR in Washington, D.C., who told me about a novel idea to broadcast the news 24 hours-a-day. 

One of the two, JoAnne Wallace, eventually implemented that vision at KQED, the NPR affiliate in Northern California.

From time to time, CIR worked with NPR and/or KQED reporters on stories; we also appeared on the air, usually as guests discussing a recent story or its impacts.

Later, in the mid-1990s, I worked for two years at KQED, and saw first-hand the high quality journalism practiced there. It was my first time as a radio news executive, and I also served for a time as Executive Vice President for the company.

Many years later, in 2013, I returned to KQED to help the company build an online news service to complement its large and successful radio and television news services. I also helped produce the station's weekly TV news show as well as various radio reports.

I was thinking back about all of this today as I was considering the question of how to advise people about which news services they can trust in this time of political divisiveness.

One answer is you can trust NPR and on KQED. The journalists who work both places hold to the highest journalistic standards and provide the most accurate reports possible.

Certain partisans charge that there is a liberal bias at NPR; others say there is a conservative bias. I've seen evidence of neither.

Both NPR and KQED are non-profits that depend on donations from the public to carry on their work. This is important because it avoids the dependence on advertising revenue that is the case at most private sector media companies.

With diverse revenue streams, centered around small donations from people like you and me, public media institutions are among our best options for sorting out the signal from the noise out there.

***

Here are a few of today's signals:

* Trump Funnels Record Subsidies to Farmers Ahead of Election Day (NYT)

* LeBron James’s legacy off the court may ultimately mean more than what he did on it (WashPo)

* In Former Taliban Stronghold, Defiant Women Hit the Gym -- A women’s health club in Kandahar challenges conservative Afghan traditions that vilify exercise for women.  (NYT)

* Roughly three-quarters of voters want to see Congress pass new coronavirus relief, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds. (HuffPost)

* California Republican Party Admits It Placed Misleading Ballot Boxes Around State (NYT)

* Melania Trump is having a hard time distancing herself from the president (WashPo)

* Facebook will ban ads discouraging people from getting vaccines (Reuters)

* Democrats in Trump Country Are Not Shy Anymore About Liking Biden (NYT)

* IMF envisions a sharp 4.4% drop in global growth for 2020 (AP)

* Florida Sees Signals of a Climate-Driven Housing Crisis (NYT)

* Is This Still Soccer? -- In Massachusetts, rules changes brought on by the pandemic — no contact, no tackles, no headers, no throw-ins — are forcing soccer players and coaches to adapt to a very different game. (NYT)

* Great Barrier Reef has lost half of its corals since 1995 (BBC)

* Sheriff spoke in defense of accused domestic terrorists (CNN). More insanity in Michigan... (DW)

* Biden is favored to win the election -- We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often. The sample of 100 outcomes below gives you a good idea of the range of scenarios our model thinks is possible. Biden 87%, Trump 13%. (538)

***

"There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently."

-- Robert Evans. (2002). 'The Kid Stays in the Picture' [Documentary]. Highway Films. 

-30-

The Unmasked Man

 

Some men don't like to to wear masks. Rather than politicizing that issue, maybe it's worth considering why. 

Traditionally, how have boys been raised in this society? From an early age, we learned it was manly to be strong, to never cry, to stand our ground, to compete and win.

Essentially, we learned how to be macho and at all costs, to not seem weak.

I remember my father explaining to me what to do when I encountered bullies at school. He predicted that they would pick fights with me. 

"Go ahead and take a punch to the nose," he told me. "We Weirs get nosebleeds easily. I'll show you how to flip a guy over, get on top of him and bleed all over him.

"No one will want to fight you again after that."

My father was a good man and he was looking out for my welfare, giving me his best advice. Also, it worked.

These days, except in the toughest of places, bullying and fighting are said to be in decline.

But boys still want to grow into men, to earn respect, and to be winners. These drives can take various forms, including rebelliousness and yearning to remain independent of authority.

Not wearing a mask may be one way a man can make a statement. Not necessarily a political statement, but more like: "I'm my own man."

Of course there are many ways to be a man...My grandsons are being raised in a much different -- and more nuanced -- manner than I was.

There are nuances in the news as well...

* Coronavirus Safety Runs Into a Stubborn Barrier: Masculinity -- When political leaders suggest basic precautions appear unmanly, men are less likely to follow health and safety advice, experts say. (NYT)

* From "The Luckiest Man: Life With John McCain" by long-time aide Mark Salter, a 1993 scene in which Donald Trump, then a failing casino owner, unsuccessfully lobbies McCain outside the Senate: "Trump waited to buttonhole him. McCain walked briskly past the casino owner, pretending not to notice as Trump tried to get his attention. Frustrated, Trump shouted after him, 'I gave money to your campaign.' Looking over his shoulder, McCain yelled back, 'Oh yeah? See what that will get you.'" (Axios)

* ‘I Feel Like I Have Dementia’: Brain Fog Plagues Covid Survivors -- The condition is affecting thousands of patients, impeding their ability to work and function in daily life. (NYT)

* Courts aren’t meant to ‘right every wrong,’ Barrett says in opening (WashPo)

* Barrett Supreme Court hearing expected to focus on health care, with the pandemic looming over the proceeding (WashPo)

* Europe’s second wave of coronavirus infections has struck well before flu season started, with intensive care wards filling up again and bars shutting down. Making matters worse, authorities say, is a widespread case of “COVID-fatigue.” [AP]

* Trump signed two bills into law that will finally do something about a terrifying and largely invisible crisis: Hundreds of Indigenous women are disappearing or being murdered. [HuffPost]

* Mars is getting big and bright the coming week, as the sun, Earth and Mars line up close to a new moon on the night of Oct. 13. The event that happens about every two years is called "opposition" in astronomy terms: the sun and Mars on opposite sides of Earth. From the earthling's perspective, according to NASA, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west, and would stay up in the sky the whole night, setting in the west just as the sun rises. (NPR)

***

A theme song from Trump rallies:

Macho, macho man (macho man)
I gotta be a macho man
Macho, macho man
I gotta be a macho

Macho, macho man
I gotta be a macho man
Macho, macho man (yeah, yeah)
I gotta be a macho

-- Village People

-30-

T-Minus 21

 

When I look around, I see people who are different in almost every way conceivable. Some are young, some are old; some are tall, some are short; there are people with yellow hair, black hair, brown hair, red hair, gray hair, white hair or no hair; some people have white skin, some black, some brown, some yellow, some red, and many a beautiful mixture of racial backgrounds; some have dogs, some cats, some prefer no pets; some are vegetarian, some carnivores; people can be straight, or gay, or bi- or trans, or asexual; some drink whiskey, some prefer beer, some drink no alcohol at all; some like bacon, some have trouble telling the truth; some like road trips (I do), some are homebodies; some are Republicans, some are Democrats, many are independents; some people like their coffee black, some white, some don't drink coffee at all; I have blue eyes, my six children have brown, green, and blue; some folks speak English, some speak French, algunos hablan español  some speak Chinese, some speak Japanese, some speak Hindi, برخی فارسی صحبت می کنند,  some speak Russian, some are multi-lingual;  there are home-owners, and there are renters, some people have no home at all; some people like romcoms, some like vampire flicks; we have Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Parsi, Shiites, Sunnis, Catholics, Protestants, atheists, agnostics or polytheists; and then there is perhaps the biggest divide of all -- some people root for one sports team, while others root for its arch-rival.

Think Michigan-Ohio State. It doesn't get meaner than that.

So how do we possibly deal with all of these opposing tendencies, proclivities, and preferences?

I don't know. But I do know that demonizing each other is not going to help.

It's time for all of us, including our leaders, to cut the hate rhetoric and think a little more deeply about what unites us. If nothing else, we face a common enemy in Covid-19. It sickens and kills us regardless of political affiliation, religion, or sports loyalties.

Plus the one thing we can all do is vote. And the election is only three weeks away from Tuesday.

That's T minus 21. Think about it.

***

* Are Astronaut-Style Face Shields the Future of P.P.E.? -- They may look high-tech, but so far there’s no evidence these devices are more effective than face masks. (NYT)

* Customers Still Like to Shop in Person, Even if They Get Only to the Curb -- Online orders have surged for retailers in the pandemic, as curbside pickup helps Americans satisfy their desire to hop in a car and drive to the store. (NYT)

* "I’m a pro-life evangelical. In supporting Trump, my movement sold its soul." By Stephanie Ranade Krider (WashPo)

* How Amy Coney Barrett played a role in Bush v. Gore — and helped the Republican Party defend mail ballots (WashPo)

* In the ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Sunday Biden led Trump by a 55% to 43% margin among likely voters. The poll was the third high quality national poll published this week that had Biden up by at least 10 points and above 50%. This is an unprecedented position for a challenger with a mere 23 days to go until Election Day. (CNN)

* Biden is favored to win the election. -- We simulate the election 40,000 times to see who wins most often. The sample of 100 outcomes below gives you a good idea of the range of scenarios our model thinks is possible. Biden 86%, Trump 14%. (538)

***

Personal update: I have voted by mail, have you?

I'm gonna let your pass
And I'll go last
Then time will tell just who has fell
And who's been left behind
When you go your way and I go mine.

-- Bob Dylan and The Band

-30-

A Planetary Pandemic

The overnight news headlines are replete with signs that the pandemic is surging around the world. A cursory check of global news sources reveals new problems in Germany, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Iran, India and the continent of Africa.

Most of us have understandably focused on the situation here in the U.S. but Covid-19 is truly a global crisis.

As NPR is reporting, over a million people have died of the disease and that total is undoubtably low, as reporting in many parts of the world is spotty.

And a global crisis will require a global solution.

Meanwhile, the domestic political crisis has deepened in the U.S. with revelations that President Trump has profited from being in office in unprecedented ways -- by essentially selling access through his real estate properties.

On top of that, he is instructing the Justice Department to investigate his political opponents -- the mark of a tyrant.

We've reached the point where the responsible press, led by the New York Times and its investigative reporting, has done everything the American people could ask to uncover the official corruption at the center of our federal government.

Now all that is left for the citizenry to act -- by voting.

***

On to the news:

* The Swamp That Trump Built -- A businessman-president transplanted favor-seeking in Washington to his family’s hotels and resorts — and earned millions as a gatekeeper to his own administration. (NYT)

 * One person died and another taken into custody after a shooting near dueling protests in Denver on Saturday, police said. The shooting occurred in an area near a planned police support rally and counterprotest. (CNN)

* Prospects for more stimulus checks, coronavirus relief fade as Trump’s offer draws bipartisan opposition (WashPo)

* Protesters occupied the Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, city hall lawn Saturday and blocked traffic on the fourth night of demonstrations over the fatal police shooting of Alvin Cole, police said. (CNN) 

* A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Kill Half A Million Sharks, Conservationists Warn --The use of an immune-system stimulant harvested from shark liver oil in the development of some coronavirus vaccines has animal conservationists pressing for alternatives. (NPR)

* Taking Page From Authoritarians, Trump Turns Power of State Against Political Rivals -- President Trump took a step even Richard M. Nixon avoided in his most desperate days: openly ordering direct, immediate government action against specific opponents, timed to serve his re-election campaign. (NYT)

* U.S. COVID-19 cases hit two-month high, 10 states report record increases (Reuters)

* Democrats, Facing Critical Supreme Court Battle, Worry Feinstein Is Not Up to the Task  -- Ms. Feinstein, 87, has slowed in recent years and limited her public profile, leading some Democrats to wonder if she can lead them through a consequential confirmation process. (NYT)

* The White House doctor said that President Trump was no longer at risk of transmitting the coronavirus but did not say explicitly whether Trump had tested negative for it. The diagnosis came as the president prepared to resume campaign rallies and other activities. (AP)

* Huge Absentee Vote in Key States Favors Democrats So Far -- In Wisconsin, about 146,000 people voted by mail in the 2016 general election. This fall, about 647,000 people have already voted absentee, many in Democratic strongholds. (NYT)

* French daily COVID cases set new record at almost 27,000 (Reuters)

* India’s confirmed coronavirus toll crossed 7 million on Sunday with a number of new cases dipping in recent weeks, even as health experts warn of mask and distancing fatigue setting in. (AP)

* Germany offered up soldiers to help with contact tracing in newly flaring hotspots. (AP)

* Face masks made compulsory in public in Tehran as COVID toll rises (Reuters)

* Brazil’s count of COVID-19 deaths surpassed 150,000 on Saturday night, despite signs the pandemic is slowly retreating in Latin America’s largest nation. (AP)

* Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak -- The respiratory disease has spread rapidly across six continents and has killed at least 1 million globally. (NPR)

* Spanish Government Orders State of Emergency In Madrid Region As COVID-19 Cases Rise (NPR)

* Italy mandated masks outdoors and warned that for the first time since the country became the European epicenter of the pandemic, the health system was facing “significant critical issues” as hospitals fill up. (AP)

* Africa 'needs $1.2trillion' to recover coronavirus losses. There have been more than 1.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa and nearly 37,000 people have died. (BBC)

***

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" -- A traditional African American spiritual.

-30-