Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
August 20, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news. My apologies for the late send.
Leading the News . . .
Obama: Trump will "Tear our democracy down" . . . Barack Obama on Wednesday said President Trump is a despot and a threat to American democracy, warning of dire and lasting consequences if voters don’t put a stop to him in November. In his pitch at the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Obama implored voters to turn out for Joseph R. Biden and stop Mr. Trump who “will tear our democracy down if that’s what
it takes to win. “The Commander-in-Chief doesn’t use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against peaceful protesters on our own soil,” he said. “They understand that political opponents aren’t ‘un-American’ just because they disagree with you; that a free press isn’t the ‘enemy’ but the way we hold officials accountable; that our ability to work together to solve big problems like a pandemic depends on a
fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up.” Washington Times
The people who will "tear our democracy down" are rioting in the streets of our cities with the tacit and sometimes overt support of the Democratic Party.
Harris accepts historic nomination . . . U.S. Senator Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for vice president on Wednesday, imploring Americans to elect Joe Biden in November and accusing President Donald Trump of failed leadership that had cost lives and livelihoods during a pandemic. Making history as the first Black woman and Asian-American on a major U.S. presidential ticket, Harris said Trump’s divisive leadership had brought the
country to an “inflection point” and made a direct appeal to the party’s diverse electorate whose vote is crucial to defeat Trump on Nov. 3. “The constant chaos leaves us adrift, the incompetence makes us feel afraid, the callousness makes us feel alone. It’s a lot,” the California senator and former prosecutor said. Reuters
Trump fires away in ALL-CAPS . . . As Kamala Harris was giving her vice presidential nomination speech, President Trump called to mind tensions between Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his running mate that played out during the primary season. And as Barack Obama delivered his own address, the president questioned why Obama had waited so long to endorse his former running mate. “BUT DIDN’T SHE CALL HIM A RACIST???”
Trump wrote on Twitter as the third night of the convention concluded with Harris’ remarks. “DIDN’T SHE SAY HE WAS INCOMPETENT???” WHY DID HE REFUSE TO ENDORSE SLOW JOE UNTIL IT WAS ALL OVER, AND EVEN THEN WAS VERY LATE? WHY DID HE TRY TO GET HIM NOT TO RUN?” Trump wrote as Obama delivered a speech which, in a rare move for the stately former president, called his successor out by name. "HE SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN, AND GOT CAUGHT!" Trump added later. Fox News
Hillary Clinton warns Trump could "steal his way to victory" . . . Former 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said that 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden needs an “overwhelming” victory so that President Donald Trump does not attempt to “steal his way to victory. She said: “Remember: Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million more votes and still lose. Take it from me,” Clinton said. “So we need numbers overwhelming, so Trump can’t sneak
or steal his way to victory.” Daily Caller
Biden to close out the convention . . . Former Vice President Joe Biden will accept the Democratic presidential convention in a Thursday address, culminating a decades-long climb in politics and setting up a general election battle with President Trump that his party is desperate to win. The final evening of the convention will center on answering the central question, “Who is Joe Biden?” It will feature various voices from
all parts of the former vice president’s life, reintroducing him to the nation, according to sources familiar with Thursday night’s program. The Hill
DNC rejects principle of saving the best for last.
DNC emcee Kerry Washington praises "hugely diverse" black community . . . Actress Kerry Washington, while emceeing the virtual Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, said "the Black community in this country is hugely diverse" -- just weeks after Democratic nominee Joe Biden was forced to walk back comments on the topic. Before airing a pre-taped segment addressing immigration, Washington began by telling viewers the
next subject is "close to my heart." "The Black community in this country is hugely diverse," Washington said. Fox News
Bill Clinton's totally Clintonian Tuesday night speech . . . Bill Clinton was back Tuesday night, with all his Bill Clinton nonsense. I began covering the White House during the Clinton administration, and I’m familiar with all of it. Let’s start with this, such a Clintonian, lawyerly line. That
is, it’s technically true, but completely misleading. “We are the only major industrial economy to have its unemployment rate triple,” he said. Left out of that? Unlike other industrialized nations, our unemployment rate at the start of the crisis was practically nearing zero. So, of course, when going up, it tripled! White House Dossier
“At a time like this, the Oval Office should be a command center. Instead, it’s a storm center,” Clinton said. Does he not remember what he did in the Oval Office?
Covid-19 fatality rate falls . . . Doctors are learning about better methods of treating those who are ill. Those who contract the virus are now more likely to be younger, rather than older people who are most at risk of dying. And more widespread testing is identifying cases among those who show few or no symptoms. In Arizona, about 5 percent of those who tested positive for the coronavirus by the end of May died. The case
fatality rate now is about half that figure. In California, the rate stood at 4 percent in late May, and is now 1.6 percent. In April, 7.5 percent of those who tested positive in Minnesota died, a rate that has fallen to 2.7 percent. The Hill
Asymptomatic kids may be more contagious than severely ill adults . . . Children with few to no symptoms may spread the coronavirus more easily than severely ill adults, according to a new study published Thursday. The Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General Hospital for Children recently studied 192 children suspected of having the coronavirus or who had been in contact with an infected person. Of the 192 participants,
49 tested positive and had significantly higher levels of virus in their airways compared to virus-stricken adults in intensive care units. Fox News
Wuhan officials, Chinese leadership hid data . . . Chinese officials in Wuhan Province hid important information about coronavirus from the country’s central government, even as the virus spread rapidly, according to a Wednesday report. The findings represent the consensus view of the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies. The intelligence report also maintains that high ranking Chinese Communist Party officials in Beijing withheld
coronavirus information from the world and the World Health Organization as they tried to gather more data from Wuhan. Daily Caller
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Trump heads to Biden's birthplace to blast him ahead of speech . . . President Donald Trump on Thursday will travel to the area in the swing state of Pennsylvania where Democratic rival Joe Biden was born to slam his decades of government service, hours before the former vice president accepts his party’s nomination. The speech, which the campaign has said will highlight a “half century of Joe Biden failing America”,
will seek to shore up the Republican’s support in the state, which may prove key to winning re-election in November. Reuters
Trump makes positive statements about QAnon conspiracy theory . . . The QAnon conspiracy theory movement won a major victory Wednesday when President Trump was asked about it at a White House press conference — and he answered. “Well, I didn’t know much about the movement, other than that I understand they like me very, which I appreciate, but I don’t know much about the movement. I have heard that it is gaining in popularity,” Trump said.
“These are people that don’t like seeing what’s going on in places like Portlandand places like Chicago and New York and other cities and states. And I’ve heard these are people that love our country.” New York Post
Trump should stop legitimizing this.
Trump to change Goodyear tires on presidential limo . . . Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’ll change the Goodyear tires on the presidential limousine after calling for a boycott against the company for allegedly banning his trademark MAGA hats at its workplaces.
“I would swap them out based on what I heard,” Trump said of the tires on the bullet-proof limousine, known as The Beast. “We’ll see what happens.” Earlier in the day, the president demanded a boycott of Goodyear after after an image circulated on social media that appeared to show an employee training session deeming Trump
campaign apparel “unacceptable” for the workplace. Bloomberg
Amazon pulls "Joe and the Hoe" T-shirts . . . Amazon pulled t-shirts from their site Wednesday that pushed the slogan 'Joe and the H*e' following uproar online from users calling them racist, sexist and 'unacceptable'. The offensive line was being used on clothing from pro-Trump sellers, referencing Democratic candidate Joe Biden's Vice Presidential pick Kamala Harris. The derogatory terms refers to a right-wing theory that Harris gained power through her sexual relationships with men. The slogan gained
momentum last Friday when conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh repeated it while he claimed that Harris 'used sex to get ahead' and shared articles calling her an 'escort' and a 'mattress'. Daily Mail
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Trump announces "snapback" of sanctions on Iran . . . President Trump announced Wednesday evening that his administration would notify the United Nations of plans to restore "virtually" all sanctions on Iran. “Today, I am directing the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to notify the U.N. Security Council that the United States intends to restore virtually all of the previously suspended United Nations sanctions on Iran,” Trump said during remarks at a press briefing. “It’s a snapback, not uncommon.” The move comes after the U.N. Security Council rejected an effort by the United States to extend a weapons embargo on Iran last Friday. Trump told reporters Saturday that snapback sanctions could come as soon as this week. The Hill
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Putin critic Navalny in a coma as aides suspect poisoning . . . Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was in a coma in a Siberian hospital on Thursday after drinking a cup of tea that his spokeswoman said she believed was laced with poison. A fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, Navalny started feeling ill when returning to Moscow from Tomsk in Siberia by plane on Wednesday morning. He was carried off the plane on a
stretcher after it made an emergency landing at Omsk. He was in intensive care and on an artificial lung ventilator in an Omsk hospital, his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said. “We assume that Alexei was poisoned with something mixed into his tea. It was the only thing that he drank in the morning. Alexi is now unconscious,” Yarmysh said. Reuters
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Apple is the richest US company ever . . .
Apple is the first U.S. company to boast a market value of $2 trillion, just two years after it became the first to reach $1 trillion. The company's share price rose more that 1 percent on Wednesday, to $468.35 at 11am, for a market capitalization of $2 trillion. Apple shares have gained nearly 60 percent this year as the company overcame the
shutdown of factories in China that produce the iPhone and the closure of its retail sales amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company's hugely loyal customer base trusts its products so much that they continued to buy iPhones and other devices online while stuck at home. Daily Mail
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Thousand flee as lightening siege causes fire across California . . . Thousands of people are under evacuation orders in regions around the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday as wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week. Smoke blanketed San Francisco, and could be seen from space, per satellites at the National Weather Service. In all, Gov. Gavin Newsom said
firefighters are battling 367 known wildfires across California, including 23 that are considered major fires. Of those 367 fires, "the prospect of that number going up is very real," he said at a press conference Wednesday. USA Today
Reds announcer removes after using anti-gay slur . . . Thom Brennaman, the longtime play-by-play man for the Cincinnati Reds, was suspended indefinitely Wednesday and acknowledged his career might be over after video showed him using a homophobic slur on a hot mic earlier in the day. The 56-year-old Brennaman was pulled from the broadcast booth by the Reds after he said, “One of the f-g capitals of the world,” on the Fox Sports Ohio TV broadcast
during the first game of a scheduled doubleheader in Kansas City. It was unclear what Brennaman was referring to. New York Post
California's "Golden State Killer" faces sentencing . . .
A former California police officer dubbed the “Golden State Killer” who confessed to 13 murders and dozens of rapes during the 1970s and ‘80s faces a life prison term when he is sentenced in Sacramento on Friday. Joseph James DeAngelo, 74, will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole following three days
of emotional hearings in which victims or their family members confronted him in open court. Reuters
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Chinese man's big belly stops him from falling down well . . . Luckily, he’s got guts! An overweight Chinese man found his big belly to be a lifesaver — after it got wedged in a well and stopped him falling down, according to officials. The 28-year-old only identified as Liu got trapped in his family’s well after breaking through wood that had been used to cover it in his hometown of Fuliudian Village in Henan
Province, the Luoyang fire service reported. An official fire service video clip shared on social media showed rescuers arriving last Friday as the shirtless man patiently waited with his arms crossed. He remained that way as gobsmacked locals watched a team of at least five firefighters tie a strong rope around his waist to finally heave him out to safety — totally
unharmed, they said. Fox News
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Keith Koffler
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