Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
August 12, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
How Biden decided on Harris . . . On Tuesday, Harris' strategy — a low-profile, leak-free effort that contrasted sharply with her undisciplined presidential campaign — and the late push by her supporters paid off when Biden made her the nation’s first black woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket. The logic of Harris as Biden's running mate was apparent — no other contender had the combination of executive and legislative experience
and diverse background. Not long into Barack Obama's presidency, she was being compared to him and pegged as a future national star. Much to her annoyance, Harris was held up as an ideal No. 2 for Biden even before she announced her own campaign. She was even close friends with Biden's late son, Beau, after the two served as fellow state attorneys general. Politico
Biden used script during call to Harris asking her to be his running mate . . . Trump supporters have mocked Joe Biden for using a script when he rang Kamala Harris to ask her to be his vice presidential nominee. In an image posted on Biden's Instagram, the 77-year-old is seen with his laptop open, speaking to Harris, 55, via video link. He is holding his iPhone up to the laptop with the speaker, at the
bottom of the phone, directed towards the laptop - suggesting that a third person was on their call. It was unclear who that person was. Beneath the iPhone was a typed up script, with the words 'chose you' and 'three reasons' spelled out. 'I think you are entitled to know why...,' Biden's script read. Daily Mail
Trump says Harris mean, horrible, and nasty . . . President Trump said he was “a little surprised” that Democratic challenger Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his running mate, saying she had been “nasty” to the former vice president in primary debates. “She was my number one pick” to run with Biden, Trump said at a Tuesday news conference. Trump attacked Harris for her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct
allegations during his Senate confirmation hearings to join the Supreme Court. “I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the U.S. Senate,” Trump said. Bloomberg
Cue the charges of racism and sexism. Democrats will try to protect Harris by saying attacks on her stem from bias. I don't think they'll succeed.
Harris cosponsored bill to force schools to let males compete in girls' sports . . . Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced Harris as his running mate on Tuesday. In March 2019, Harris cosponsored the Equality Act, which would make “sexual orientation and gender identity” protected characteristics under federal anti-discrimination law. Among other things, the bill would force public schools to expand
female athletic teams to include biological males who identify as transgender girls, as both supporters and opponents of the bill have acknowledged. Daily Caller
Memories: That time Harris accused Biden of consorting with racists . . . One standout moment of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden on June 27, 2019. During the debate, she said Biden made 'very hurtful' comments about his past work with segregationist senators James Eastland and Herman Talmadge, and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s. 'I do not believe you are racist,' Harris
told Biden at the time. 'But I also believe, and it is personal — it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and careers on the segregation of race in this country. Daily Mail
I gather she has gotten over the pain of this trauma.
Harris believed women who accused Biden of inappropriate touching . . . Sen. Kamala Harris, who was announced as presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s running mate on Tuesday, once said that she believed women who accused Biden of inappropriate touching. “I believe them, and I respect them being able to tell their story and having the courage to do it,” the California senator told reporters in April 2019. Biden
had been accused by a number of women of inappropriate touching and kissing, including by a Nevada politician who said he came up behind her at a 2014 campaign stop and kissed her on the back of her head. Fox News
Growing number of voters oppose fully reopening schools . . . A growing majority of voters oppose the Trump administration's demand that schools and colleges fully open for in-person instruction, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. In the survey of nearly 2,000 registered voters, 59 percent said they oppose fully reopening K-12 schools for the beginning of the academic year. Those numbers are up
from polling last month that showed 53 percent opposed. Politico
Georgia school opens with in-person learning and now 900 are quarantined . . . The first letter went out on Aug. 4, one day after students in the Cherokee County School District returned to their classrooms. “Dear Parents,” wrote Dr. Ashley Kennerly, the principal of Sixes Elementary School. “I am writing this letter in order to communicate that a student in 2nd grade has tested positive for Covid-19.” This week, more letters went
out. Altogether, more than 900 students and staff members in the district have already been ordered to quarantine. On Tuesday, one high school closed its doors until at least Aug. 31. New York Times
Blood test could predict whether coronavirus will kill you . . . Researchers at George Washington University believe that a simple blood test could predict which coronavirus patients could become deathly ill. The scientists have identified five biomarkers that indicate risks of complications like inflammation and bleeding disorders that make someone more likely to die if they contract coronavirus. High levels of two of these blood
indicators, in particular, are linked to far greater odds of dying from the infection. Daily Mail
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Coronavirus talks going nowhere . . . Senate lawmakers haven’t been able to revive negotiations on a new round of federal coronavirus aid and are instead using floor time for partisan criticism. “This is not a both-sides-to-blame situation,” Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday. “Democrats are willing to compromise. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that it is the Democrats who are refusing to
budge from their costly proposal by insisting on including provisions unrelated to the coronavirus outbreak. Washington Examiner
Trump outpaces Obama on executive orders . . . President Trump, who criticized President Obama as ineffective four years ago for relying heavily on executive orders, is increasingly wielding his presidential pen for tax relief, lower drug prices and other agenda items as the election nears. With five months remaining in his term, Mr. Trump is on pace to exceed Mr. Obama’s total number of executive orders
issued in the Democrat’s first term. Mr. Trump has signed 179 executive orders; Mr. Obama issued 185 in four years, according to the Federal Register. Washington
Times
Trump: Pre-pandemic, George Washington would have had a hard time beating me . . . This will, of course, be scorned as an outrage by the very people preparing to tear down statues of George Washington. Trump’s problem, and his strength, is that he speaks like a regular person. You could hear him saying “Geroge Washington would have had a hard time beating me” in a bar to the laughs of knowing patrons who understand he is joking. But the
elite in the media lack common sense. Most of them, having spent too much time in Washington, common anything. White House Dossier
I guess you could say that, owning slaves and bearing wooden teeth, Washington might not make the perfect candidate in 2020. I mean, CNN and the Washington Post certainly would not approve of his candidacy, given Washington’s support for traditional values and the original intent of the Constitution.
Ilhan Omar holds off primary challenge . . . Rep. Ilhan Omar held off a well-funded challenger Tuesday and won the Democratic primary in her congressional district, putting her on track for re-election in November along with other members of the “Squad” of four liberal freshmen. Omar defeated attorney Antone Melton-Meaux, who had accused her of prioritizing her celebrity over her constituents. Omar won 57.2% of the vote Tuesday compared
with 39.4% for Melton-Meaux. Reuters
QAnon follower wins Georgia GOP primary . . . A GOP candidate who expressed support for the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon and been criticized for a series of racist comments, has won the Republican nomination for Georgia's 14th Congressional District.
Marjorie Taylor Greene beat neurosurgeon John Cowan in a primary runoff for the open seat on Tuesday in the deep-red district in northwest Georgia. 'I just wanna say to Nancy Pelosi. She’s a hypocrite. She’s anti-American. And we’re going to kick that bitch out of Congress,' Greene said. Daily Mail
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China increases pressure on Taiwan . . . Two Chinese jets briefly flew across the Taiwan Strait "median line" - the de facto border between China and Taiwan - on Monday morning in what has been a busy year in cross-Strait military exercises. While the jets were signalling Beijing's displeasure with US Health Secretary Alex Azar's ongoing visit to Taipei, similar missions have entered Taiwanese airspace and waters at least 20
times this year, according to local media. Al Jazeera
China will never stop until it retakes Taiwan, and the U.S. has to decide now what it will do about that, and what it won't.
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South Africa nears point of no return . . . South Africa’s story of the last decade is one of chronic under-performance that is pushing the continent’s dominant powerhouse to the edge of economic and political disaster. With debt surging and the coronavirus pandemic threatening the deepest economic contraction in almost 90 years, business leaders are warning that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government can no longer
procrastinate. With the situation deteriorating rapidly, they say, South Africa faces a choice between loosening the grip of vested interests to embrace radical — and likely painful — reform, or risking a sovereign debt crisis and more permanent scars. Bloomberg
Malaysia to use stem cells to bring back its extinct rhino . . . Some skin, eggs and tissue samples are all that remain of Malaysia’s last rhino, Iman, who died last November after years of failed breeding attempts. Now scientists are pinning their hopes on experimental stem cell technology to bring back the Malaysian variant of the Sumatran rhinoceros, making use of cells from Iman and two other dead rhinos. “I’m very confident,” molecular
biologist Muhammad Lokman Md Isa told Reuters in his laboratory at the International Islamic University of Malaysia. Reuters
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Britain falls into recession with 20% decline in GDP . . . The UK economy suffered its biggest slump on record between April and June as coronavirus lockdown measures pushed the country officially into recession. The economy shrank 20.4% compared with the first three months of the year. Household spending
plunged as shops were ordered to close, while factory and construction output also fell. This pushed the UK into its first technical recession - defined as two consecutive quarters of economic decline - since 2009. BBC
New York City may take years to recover from coronavirus . . . An ongoing mass exodus of residents and businesses from New York City has led some to suggest that the damage to the city's economy could last for years or decades to come. 'There's no reason to do business in New York,' said Michael
Weinstein, the chief executive of Ark Restaurants, which owns Bryant Park Grill & Cafe in Manhattan and 19 other restaurants. After months of harsh lockdowns and amid soaring violent crime in the city, Weinstein said he will never open another restaurant in New York. Daily
Mail
Nearly 20% of NYC hotels shelter homeless . . . Nearly 20 percent of New York City's hotels are being used to shelter the homeless in a widely criticized initiative that some say will 'bankrupt' the city and drive its wealthy residents out for good. Since the start of the pandemic, 13,000 homeless
people have been moved out of shelters and into hotels around the city. Currently, 139 of the city's 700-odd hotels are being used. De Blasio is paying the hotels $175 per person per night, according to sources who are familiar with the scheme, which puts the cost at more than $2 million a night. Daily Mail
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Portland protests move to residential areas . . . As Portland’s protests against police violence and systemic racism approach 80 consecutive nights, the location of the main action has shifted from downtown to residential neighborhoods on the east side of the Willamette River, bringing crowds of demonstrators and a heavy police force onto usually quiet nighttime streets. People who live and work in areas where protests have
taken place are not happy. The Oregonian
Pennsylvania school district mandates white supremacy lessons for kindergartners . . . Elementary school children returning to a wealthy Pennsylvania classroom in the fall will learn that sympathizing with police officers is racist. Gladwyne Elementary School—located in Lower Merion School District, one of the richest in the nation—will require fourth and fifth graders to read Not My Idea: A Book About
Whiteness, which claims that white people who relate to police officers or decline to watch the news are complicit in racism. The curriculum also assigns A Kid's Book About Racism to kindergarten and first graders. Washington Free Beacon
Because it's never too early to learn to hate yourself.
CBD may help your mind . . . Just one dose of cannabidoil (CBD) was shown to improve blood flow to parts of the brain, a new small study suggests. Researchers found that the main non-psychoactive ingredient in marijuana increased blood flow to the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for memories and learning. It also increased blood flow to the part of section of the brain responsible for decision-making. The team,
from the University of College London, says the findings could offer better target therapies for those who suffer conditions that affect memory, such as Alzheimer's disease and post-traumatic stress disorder. Daily Mail
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Employees starts meat-only club to counter vegan club . . . An anonymous poster on Reddit’s "Am I the A--h---" subreddit said he started a meat-eating club at his job in response to a coworker’s vegan-only club. He claimed that one of his colleagues started a vegan dinner club exclusively for their coworkers following a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian diet. In response, the poster claimed that he and some other
meat-eating coworkers started a burger and steak club to go out and try new restaurants each week. Members of the vegan club filed a complaint with the company’s human resources department. Fox News
My wife once said that I will not eat a meal unless there is dead flesh on the table. Now, I admit, I've changed. I will consider eating live animals as well.
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Keith
Keith Koffler
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