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News Round-Up: October 22, 2020

Me, Olivia Newton-John, Michael and Lindsay Wagner (2012)
Some news items you might have missed: • Throwback Thursday: I was reminded of this moment in 2012 (above) when Olivia Newton-John played a concert in Palm Springs and the one and only Lindsay Wagner showed up! Michael and I squealed like the Bionic Woman fans we are 🙂 • NBC News: Seventy percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, according to the 11th annual American Values Survey, the highest percentage recorded by a major national poll. The results, released Monday, found just 28 percent of respondents oppose the right of gay couples to wed. • Edge Media: TikTok announced in a statement that the social media platform will ban anti-LGBTQ content, including that which promotes conversion therapy. Users appear to trust TikTok, as it has become a space for survivors — and younger LGBTQ people who fear being subjected to conversion therapy — to find and connect with one another. • Kenneth in the 212: I’m a day late, but Kenneth’s ‘Wrestle Wednesday’ entry this week is definitely worth clicking over to 🙂 • VICE News: Almost 21,000 Election Day polling places have been eliminated heading into the 2020 U.S. election, a drastic dip in voting locations driven by a heavy shift to mail voting, coronavirus-related consolidations, cost-cutting measures, and voter suppression. • Coronavirus: Spain became the first Western European country to exceed 1 million COVID-19 infections on Wednesday, doubling its tally in just six weeks despite a series of increasingly stringent measures to control the second wave of the virus. • Fox News: Donald Trump holds a narrow advantage in Ohio, while voters in the three battleground states that put him over the top in 2016 prefer Joe Biden, according to Fox News polls of likely voters. Biden leads by 12 points in Michigan (52-40 percent), 5 points in Pennsylvania (50-45 percent), and 5 points in Wisconsin (49-44 percent). Trump carried each of these states by less than a percentage point in 2016.

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Donald Trump Releases Whiny, Defensive 60 Minutes Interview

Donald Trump

Donald Trump on 60 Minutes (screen capture)
Donald Trump followed through on his threat to release the “full video” of his interview with CBS News journalist Leslie Stahl prior to airing on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night. From the Washington Post:

Trump was interviewed by Stahl at the White House on Tuesday but abruptly ended the interview after declining to participate in a scheduled walk-and-talk that would have included Pence.

Later that day, the president said on Twitter that he was “considering” posting the White House’s copy of the video, “so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about.”

Then, on Thursday morning, after he again teased a release of the video (“the vicious attempted ‘takeout” interview of me”), a 37-minute-clip of the interview appeared on the president’s Facebook page.

As with numerous business agreements in his past, Trump violates the agreement with CBS News in releasing the video. The White House had previously claimed their camera was “for archival purposes only,” according to a network official with knowledge of the interview.

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‘Happy Days’ Stars Reunite For Democrats And Scott Baio’s Not Happy

The cast of ‘Happy Days’
Deadline reports much of the cast of the 1970s ABC sitcom Happy Days will come together for a cast reunion that will benefit the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Fans of the show will recall the series was set in Milwaukee in the 1950s. Scheduled to take part are stars Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Don Most, Anson Williams, Marion Ross and more on Sunday, October 25. It’s only going to be live-streamed once at 6pm CT on Sunday, October 25th. Fans and interested viewers must donate at least $1 to access the virtual fundraiser. Click here for more info. “We’re thrilled a show made famous in Milwaukee is coming back home to help make Donald Trump a one-term President,” said Ben Wikler, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. “We know all roads to the White House go through the Badger State, and with the cast of Happy Days helping us raise money to take back the White House, we believe even more we can deliver a victory on November 3rd.”
Scott Baio on Fox Business (screen capture)
That said, Scott Baio, a proud Trump supporter who played ‘Chachi’ on the show, is not thrilled and not taking part. More about bitter Baio from Yahoo News:

Baio told anchor Maria Bartiromo a show like Happy Days with “traditional American values” shouldn’t be used to promote people like Biden and Kamala Harris. He also took aim at John Stamos, who offered to play Baio’s character “Chachi,” labeling the actor an “elite Marxist.”

“I think Stamos always wanted to be Chachi instead of paying second fiddle to a three-year-old,” Baio said, referencing Stamos’s hit show Full House which starred child actors Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

“I have been, you know, [whacked from pillar to post] for the past four years and by people who were supposed to be all-inclusive and understanding and loving,” Baio said. “And they’re all basically… they’re fascists and you’re not allowed to think outside of what they think, and I find it disgusting.”

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Betty Buckley To Trump: Stop Using My Music ‘Your Presidency Is The Very Antithesis Of Art’

Tony Award winner and proud Texas Democrat Betty Buckley (photo: John Boal)
Do not mess with Broadway legend Betty Buckley. She. Will. Call. You. Out. Buckley, a proud Texas Democrat, became aware that the Trump campaign has been playing the recording of her Tony Award-winning performance of “Memory” from CATS at the Donald’s rallies. Months ago, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Trump campaign asking that his music not be played at the events, but was clearly ignored. And so, the mighty Ms. Buckley has now fired off an open letter to the Trump/Pence campaign demanding they cease and desist using her music. “We must insist that you stop this misappropriation of music and performance that has nothing to do with the representation of your regime. Your presidency, completely devoid of empathy or humanity, is the very antithesis of art.” She goes on to note his “disastrous mishandling of the pandemic” which is responsible for closing down Broadway and theaters across the country as well as his “super spreader events” which are “undoubtedly exacerbating the problem.” Buckley also underscores the many artists who, like her, have asked that their music not be associated with Trump’s “deplorable mendacity and ill behavior.” Among those musicians are Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Phil Collins and many more. The star closes her epic takedown writing, “The good news is that we, the voters, have the ultimate say. We will reject you at the polls, and by January the utter hell of your presidency, your criminal enablers and regime will be nothing more than a (wait for it) memory.” Buckley recently produced a new music video in which she sings a beautiful medley of “For the Beauty of the Earth / Jesus Loves the Little Children” with the School of Arts & Enterprise Virtual Choir in a gorgeous arrangement by longtime collaborator Christian Jacob. The video was created to promote social justice, turn out voters in her home state, and encourage donations for the American Civil Liberties Union, Save The Children, Black Lives Matter, and Voto Latino. In a statement, Buckley shared:

“I grew up as a military brat on Air Force bases around the World.  My Father Ernest Buckley was a Major turned Lt. Colonel in the United States Air  Force. Kids of every race and color were my classmates and our neighbors.

“When I  was in the fifth grade my father retired from the military, and we settled in Fort Worth,  Texas. Every Sunday morning we went to the Methodist Church. I sang in the Youth Choir on Sunday evenings. ‘For The Beauty Of The Earth’ is one of my favorite, most beloved hymns. I learned ‘Jesus Loves The Little Children’ when I was very young at  Vacation Bible School.

“It is my hope that via the remembrance of the simple truths contained in the beautiful music and lyrics of these two traditional hymns some persons will feel a call to a soul remembrance of Truth. And it is my hope that the gorgeous faces and voices of the Children of the School of Arts and Enterprise will touch hearts and minds to remember our connected humanity.

“These children, their teachers and families did these recordings from their homes. Over 200 people have participated in creating this project. If this music and the images in this video touch one person, ten or one hundred, it will have been worth it.”

Watch and listen to Buckley’s hymns for humanity below. #Bravo

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Campaign Spot: Let’s Agree We All Love This Country And ‘Go From There’

A new campaign ad for Joe Biden premiered on Tuesday during the first game of the Major League Baseball World Series featuring a voiceover from iconic film actor, Sam Elliott. Titled “Go From There,” the voiceover plays out over a simple piano accompaniment of the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The message of the spot: “There is only one America.” “No Democratic rivers, no Republican mountains, just this great land and all that’s possible on it with a fresh start. Cures we can find, futures we can shape, work to reward, dignity to protect.” “There’s so much we can do if we choose to take on problems and not each other.” “Joe Biden doesn’t need everyone in this country to always agree, just to agree we all love this country — and go from there.”

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Pope Francis Calls For Civil Union Laws For Same-Sex Couples

Pope Francis (image via public domain)

Pope Francis (image via public domain)
In a new documentary that premiered in Rome on Wednesday, Pope Francis signaled a break from the Catholic Church’s official teaching calling for civil union laws for same-sex couples. And this from the Catholic News Agency:

“Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,” Pope Francis said in the film, of his approach to pastoral care.

After those remarks, and in comments likely to spark controversy among Catholics, Pope Francis weighed in directly on the issue of civil unions for same-sex couples. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” the pope said. “I stood up for that.”

Francis has expressed an interest in reaching out to the church’s LGBTQ followers in the past, but his comments have primarily been along the lines of general ‘welcoming’ and not substantive policies.

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News Round-Up: October 20, 2020

Matt Morton (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Edge Media: Thirst-trapping, self-described ‘typical alpha male footballer’ Matt Morton (above) comes out at 30-years-old. • NBC News: The Texas Board of Social Work Examiners voted unanimously to remove anti-LGBTQ discrimination protections from a section of its code of conduct last week following a recommendation from Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott’s office said the change was suggested because the board’s nondiscrimination clause went beyond the state’s policy on social work. • Boy Culture: Donald Trump and Mike Pence were set to be interviewed by 60 Minutes, with Trump and Pence appearing together for a walk-around at the White House. But Trump apparently bailed 45 minutes into his interview with Lesley Stahl, then took to Twitter to shame her for not wearing a mask. Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris are also set to appear in the episode, and their segments apparently went off without problems.

• US Elections Project: Of the states that provide party-registration information (which includes battleground states Florida, Nevada and Pennsylvania), about 53% of early votes have been cast by registered Democrats compared with 25% by registered Republicans. • Politico: The Fox News crowd may be salivating over the recent stories about Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President Joe Biden, but over 50 former senior Intelligence officials say the reports have “all the classic earmarks of Russian disinformation.” • CNN: A poll worker in Shelby County, Tennessee, was fired last week for asking voters to turn their Black Lives Matter t-shirts inside out before letting them vote, violating his training as a nonpartisan election worker. The state bans voters and poll workers from wearing clothing that endorses a political candidate, but Black Lives Matter is neither a candidate nor a political party. • Law and Crime: Miami police officer Daniel Ubeda was photographed Tuesday morning at a Florida polling location wearing a “Trump 2020: No More Bullshit” face mask, a move the department said is an “unacceptable” and a violation of MPD policy. Florida election law Chapter 102.101 states that “No sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, or other officer of the law shall be allowed within the polling place without permission from the clerk or a majority of the inspectors, except to cast his or her ballot.”

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Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Member: We Weren’t Given Opportunity To Consider Homicide Charges

Deceased ER tech Breonna Taylor (AFP/Getty Images/Fair Use)
A ruling from a Kentucky judge has allowed an anonymous grand juror in the Breonna Taylor case to come forward and speak publicly about court proceedings. The juror shares the grand jury was never given an option to even consider homicide charges regarding the police officers who shot Taylor bed in the middle of the night. From ABC News:

“Being one of the jurors on the Breonna Taylor case was a learning experience. The three weeks of service leading up to that presentation showed how the grand jury normally operates. The Breonna Taylor case was quite different.

“After hearing the Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s press conference, and with my duty as a grand juror being over, my duty as a citizen compelled action,” the statement said. “The grand jury did not have homicide offenses explained to them. The grand jury never heard anything about those laws. Self defense or justification was never explained either.”

They said “questions were asked about additional charges,” but the grand jury was told there would be none because the prosecutors didn’t feel they could make them stick.

“The grand jury was not given the opportunity to deliberate on those charges and deliberated only on what was presented to them. I cannot speak for other jurors but I can help the truth be told.”

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Even Before COVID-19 Trump Did No Better On Economy Than Obama

L-R Former President Barack Obama, Donald Trump
Trump and his followers often tout the stock market and unemployment under Trump as “the best economy in the history of the world.” But crunching the numbers from the final three years of the Obama administration and the first three years of Trump’s time in office – which leaves out the devastation of the current pandemic on the US economy – the data shows Trump is not better on economic issues than his predecessor. I recently came across a report from USA Today comparing the economic records of Donald Trump and Barack Obama. From USA Today:

• Employment: According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the economy created 6,979,000 jobs during Obama’s final three years in office. In Trump’s first three years through this past January, the economy added 6,585,000 jobs to a total of 158,714,000. That’s 394,000 fewer under Trump than under Obama during a similar time span.

• Economic growth: During Obama’s final three years, the economy (inflation-adjusted gross domestic product) grew 2.5% in 2014, 3.1% in 2015 and 1.7% in 2016, or an average of 2.43%, according to figures from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. Under Trump, the economy grew 2.3% in 2017, 3.0% in 2018 and 2.2% in 2019, for an average of 2.5% a year –  just below one-tenth of a percent per year under Trump, who came into office promising to produce an economy that would sprint ahead at a 4% annual pace or even higher.

• Wage growth: During Obama’s final three years in office through January 2017, hourly earnings adjusted for inflation grew 3.3%, according to BLS figures. During Trump’s first three years, inflation-adjusted hourly earnings grew an identical 3.2%. • Stock market: During Trump’s presidency, the S&P 500 climbed 50.4%, from a close of 2,271.31 on Jan. 20, 2017, when he was inaugurated, to 3,4433.12 today. Under Obama, the S&P 500, which was 805.22 on Jan. 20, 2009, grew 182% during his presidency. During his second term, it grew 52% (from 1,492.56 on Jan. 22, 2013).

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USA Today Makes First-Ever Presidential Endorsement ‘Elect Joe Biden’

Former Vice President Joe Biden
For the first time since its founding in 1982, the editorial board for USA Today has endorsed a presidential candidate – Joe Biden. An excerpt:

If this were a choice between two capable major party nominees who happened to have opposing ideas, we wouldn’t choose sides. Different voters have different concerns.

But this is not a normal election, and these are not normal times. This year, character, competence and credibility are on the ballot. Given Trump’s refusal to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power if he loses, so, too, is the future of America’s democracy.

For nearly four decades, the Editorial Board has stood for certain core values: truth, accountability, civility in public discourse, opposition to racism, common-ground solutions to the nation’s problems, and steadfast support for First Amendment rights. These aren’t partisan issues, or at least they shouldn’t be.

Donald Trump has trampled each of these principles, making more than 20,000 false or misleading statements, ducking responsibility for his actions, spewing streams of invective at his critics, trafficking in racial fearmongering, governing more as the leader of the red states than of the United States, and relentlessly attacking the free press.

Everything about Biden’s nearly half-century political career suggests he would do a far better job of respecting these values.

Mentioning Biden’s role in the last economic recovery, the editorial board notes that Trump “did no better than the Obama-Biden administration on job creation, the stock market and economic growth.” Also referenced is the national debt which is now $27 trillion, up more than $7 trillion from four years ago. The op-ed closes with this statement: “We may never endorse a presidential nominee again. In fact, we hope we’ll never have to.”