Nasal spray may prevent people from catching the virus . . . A nasal spray may prevent humans from catching Covid-19 and could even be more effective than wearing PPE, scientists claim. Experts at the University of California, San Francisco created 'AeroNabs'. They hope it will act as a short-term tool to prevent thousands of people becoming infected before a vaccine is eventually discovered. AeroNabs contains nanobodies, which are antibody-like immune proteins that have been engineered to target SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the pandemic. Daily Mail

 

Coronavirus shaping up as battle that will last years . . . The coronavirus pandemic is likely to be a challenge for years to come even with a vaccine, according to pharmaceutical and public-health experts. While a vaccine will provide some measure of protection to societies around the globe, the virus is likely to flare up from time to time and be constantly battled, much like the flu and other pathogens. Humanity’s record against viruses is poor. Only one virus has been fully driven out of existence in humans – smallpox. The rest are managed, with brushfires stomped out when they flare up. Bloomberg

 

California megachurch holds services for thousands . . . To hear Pastor John MacArthur tell it, all Grace Community Church did was open its doors and the people came. The megachurch in suburban Los Angeles had closed its doors in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. The church reopened in late July. "People started slowly coming back and they just kept coming until there were six or seven thousand." According to an order issued July 29, houses of worship in Los Angeles County must limit indoor gatherings to 100 people or 25% of the building's capacity, whichever is lower. CNN

 

Biden picked Harris from among four finalists . . . Ms. Harris was one of four finalists for the job, along with Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Susan E. Rice, the former national security adviser. But in the eyes of Mr. Biden and his advisers, Ms. Harris alone covered every one of their essential political needs.  Ms. Rice had sterling foreign-policy credentials and a history of working with Mr. Biden, but was inexperienced as a candidate. Ms. Warren had an enthusiastic following and became a trusted adviser to Mr. Biden on economic matters, but she represented neither generational nor racial diversity. Ms. Whitmer, a moderate, appealed to Mr. Biden’s political and ideological instincts, but selecting her also would have yielded an all-white ticket. New York Times

 

 

Harris has done nothing as a US senator . . .  Over her 3½ years, she has quietly amassed one of the most liberal records in the chamber while standing out as one of the least bipartisan members in terms of her willingness to work across the aisle with Republicans, according to analysts who study bill-writing patterns.She has no laws to her name but has made a splash in committee hearings, where her confrontation with future Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. Washington Times

 

 

Harris profited from relationship with married boyfriend Willie Brown . . . When they met around 1993, Brown, a noted lawyer and civil rights leader, was the speaker of the California assembly and regarded as one of the State's most influential legislators. He had turned 60 while Harris was 29. As Brown's 'new steady' she soon found herself rubbing shoulders with many of California's political movers and shakers. As well as gifting his young squeeze a BMW car, the relationship reaped even more tangible benefits when Brown handed Harris two influential positions. 'Brown Harris to the California Medical Assistance Commission, a job that pays $72,000 a year. Brown also appointed Harris to the state's Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, a lucrative position worth a further $97,088 a year, according to the same article. Daily Mail

 

 

Trump pans Biden mask mandate . . . President Donald Trump rebutted Joe Biden's demand that Americans to wear masks for the next three months to combat the spread of coronavirus. 'Americans must have their freedoms,' Trump said. 'He does not identify with what authority the president has to issue such a mandate or how federal law enforcement could possibly enforce it. Or why we would be stepping on governors throughout our country,' Trump said. Daily Mail

 

 

Fauci says there's no reason people can't vote in person . . . Dr. Anthony Fauci said it should be safe for people to vote in person as long as they take sufficient precautions. “I think if carefully done according to the guidelines, there’s no reason that I can see why that not be the case,” Dr. Fauci told National Geographic in an interview that aired Thursday. He pointed out that grocery stores have marks intended to keep people at least six feet apart. Washington Times

 

Trump opposes postal service funding in bid to block mail-in voting . . . President Donald Trump said Thursday he opposes funding for the U.S. Postal Service and election security grants in an effort to stymie mail-in voting for the upcoming presidential election.

Democrats "want 3½ billion dollars for something that will turn out to be fraudulent, that's election money, basically. They want 3½ billion dollars for the mail-in votes, OK, universal mail-in ballots,” Trump told Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, in response to a question on talks on the next coronavirus relief package. Politico

 

Resistance contemplates armed battle to remove Trump  . . . 

The day after Election Day is going to be very bad news. The results are almost certain to be contested, given President Trump’s distrust of mail-in voting and Democrats’ unwillingness to contemplate another four years of Trump. According to Byron York in the Washington Examiner: With 80 days left before the presidential election, a new and dangerous rhetoric has emerged from some corners of the Resistance. A number of President Trump’s most implacable critics are fantasizing about deploying the U.S. military to remove him from the White House on Jan. 20, 2021, based on their assumption that a.) he will lose the election, and b.) he will refuse to leave office on his own. White House Dossier

 

Are Democrats willing to go along again with winning the popular vote but losing the Electoral College? Given that there is an African American on the ticket, will there not be allegations that racism or voter suppression brought about Trump’s victory?

 

Hillary would like to serve in a Biden administration . . . The former 2016 Democratic presidential candidate said she is “ready to help in any way I can” when asked if she would take a job in a Biden administration. “I’m ready to help in any way I can,” Clinton said at the 19th Represents Summit on Thursday. “Because I think this will be a moment where every American — I don’t care what party you are, I don’t care what age, race, gender, I don’t care — every American should want to fix our country … So if you’re asked to serve, you should certainly consider that.” New York Post

 

 

Trump floats false theory Harris not eligible to run . . . President Donald Trump floated a false theory about presumptive Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris from the White House briefing room podium on Thursday. Trump campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis propagated the suggestion on ABC that Harris’ birth to non-citizen immigrant parents disqualifies her from holding the presidency. Trump said he had “just heard” about the idea when asked to respond to the theory. Harris was born in Oakland, California and is qualified to hold the presidency. Daily Caller

 

Trump to deliver convention speech from White House lawn . . . President Trump on Thursday confirmed to the The Post he intends to give his Republican National Convention speech from the White House lawn, defying critics who said the location was inappropriate.

During an exclusive Oval Office interview, the president said he would visit the battlefield at Gettysburg at a “later date.” New York Post

 

Video || Huffington Post reporter asks Trump if he regrets "All the lying" . . . S.V. Dáte a reporter for the liberal Huffington Post, wanted to know today if President Trump regrets his lies to the American people. Well, actually, S.V. Dáte wanted to make a statement that Trump lies to the American people, and so he did. Because that’s how we do it in objective journalism these days. Probably the most noteworthy part of the exchange, since we already know the press has an opinion and expresses it, is that Trump didn’t go for the bait. White House Dossier
 

Michael Cohen in book describes doing Trump dirty work . . . The book also includes a flurry of admissions from Cohen, some of which he already pleaded guilty to and was given a three-year prison sentence for. 'I stiffed contractors on his behalf, ripped off his business partners, lied to his wife Melania to hide his sexual infidelities, and bullied and screamed at anyone who threatened Trump's path to power,' Cohen admitted. Daily Mail

 

I wouldn't trust Michael Cohen to babysit my kids, but hey, Trump did, and this is news.

 

Russia hacking tool targets US government computers . . . The NSA and FBI said that Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known as the GRU, was using a hacking tool code named “Drovorub” to break into Linux-based computers.  “Linux systems are used pervasively throughout National Security Systems, the Department of Defense, and the Defense Industrial Base - as well as the larger cybersecurity community writ large,” Keppel Wood, chief operations officer in the NSA’s Cybersecurity Directorate, told Reuters. “The malware has the potential to have a widespread impact if network defenders don’t take action against it.” Reuters

 

Beatings, arrests in Belarus as Lukashenko clings to power . . . Accounts of violent beatings of protesters and mass detentions mounted in Belarus on Thursday as the country’s embattled president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, deployed brute force to cling to power. Widespread protests against Mr. Lukashenko, an authoritarian who has ruled for 26 years, have gripped the Eastern European country ever since he claimed victory in a presidential election on Sunday that his opponents and international governments widely considered fraudulent. New York Times

 

Fed testing digital currency . . . The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston is partnering with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop, test, and research a hypothetical digital currency over a two to three year period. Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard said that the Fed is investigating whether a central bank digital currency would be safe and efficient for widespread use. Fox Business

 

DOJ says Yale discriminates against Asians and whites . . . The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday accused Yale University of illegally discriminating against Asian American and white applicants in its undergraduate admissions process in violation of U.S. civil rights law. The findings are the result of a two-year investigation in response to a complaint by Asian-American groups concerning Yale’s conduct, the department said in a statement.  The department said it was prepared to file a lawsuit against Yale if the school did not take “remedial measures.” Reuters

 

Black Lives Matter crowd demands Seattle homeowners give up property . . .  Black Lives Matter activists in Seattle are demanding homeowners willingly give up their property to Black people as a form of reparations because they’re “coming for it” one way or the other. “Give up your house,” exclaimed one of dozens of activists marching through a neighborhood. “Give black people back their homes. You’re sitting their comfortably — comfortable as f— as if they didn’t help gentrify this neighborhood. Washington Times

 

Travelers stuck at home buy airline food to relive flying experience . . . America Edwards was supposed to visit Australia with her parents earlier this year, but the coronavirus pandemic scuttled the trip. To re-create the experience, she did the next best thing: She bought airplane food online. For a few dollars, Ms. Edwards purchased two JetBlue-branded snack packs that included crackers, cheese and dried fruit. Her family ate the snacks one night, when instead of being in Australia, they were waiting out the pandemic at their home in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Wall Street Journal