Reading archive 2020-10-30

D.C. police and businesses prepare for possible Election Day unrest

One theory by one justice binds together Supreme Court’s contradictory election opinions

Why Jim Carrey’s Biden impersonation on SNL isn’t quite catching on

Police took a Black toddler from his family’s SUV. Then, the union used his photo as ‘propaganda,’ attorneys say.

Video surfaces showing Philadelphia police bashing SUV windows, then beating driver while child was in backseat

A top Interior official has controversial views on race. He used a white supremacist website to support them.: Jeremy Carl called Black Lives Matter a racist organization in articles written before his appointment this month. He also cited an opinion by Jared Taylor, who said Black people destroy any civilization they control.

Reading archive 2020-10-29

Hong Kong activists turned away in bid for refuge at U.S. Consulate, advocacy group says

New York Times, CNN sullied by ‘Anonymous’ charade

Jon Ossoff attacks Sen. Perdue on pandemic: ‘You’re attacking the health of the people that you represent’

A Long Island wedding and birthday party infected 56 with the coronavirus: ‘Blatant disregard for the well-being of others’

Election 2020: How sports owners hide political donations from players and fans

Hospitals being hit in coordinated, targeted ransomware attack from Russian-speaking criminals

Man shouting ‘Allahu akbar’ kills three at French church, terrorism investigation opened

‘There’s no help coming before the election’: Indiana’s RV capital faces its worst coronavirus outbreak alone

Glenn Greenwald resigns from the Intercept following dispute over Biden story: While the crusading journalist claimed censorship, his former editors accused him of trying to publish unsupported innuendo.

Republicans could suffer from Chinese company’s failure to buy Montana beef: Deal touted during Trump’s 2017 Beijing visit may affect tight U.S. Senate race

Unrest in Philadelphia after police kill a Black man roils the presidential campaign

Millions of mail ballots have not been returned as window closes for Postal Service delivery: Election officials said many may belong to those who requested them early, then decided to vote in person

What happens to Fox News if Trump loses? Rupert Murdoch is prepared.

As Election Day nears, Trump ponders becoming one thing he so despises: A loser

How Trump waged war on his own government ‘The 45th President’: One in a series looking back at the Trump presidency

A room, a bar and a classroom: how the coronavirus is spread through the air

Gray wolves stripped of endangered species protections by Trump administration States now drive gray wolves’ fate as Colorado votes on whether to force a state-run reintroduction

Trump strips protections for endangered gray wolves: Hunters and ranchers celebrate while conservationists say wolves will be hunted to extinction.

Reading archive 2020-10-28

The coming decade of Democratic dominance

A guard asked two sisters to put on a mask. They stabbed him 27 times instead, prosecutors say.

Trump to strip protections from Tongass National Forest, one of the biggest intact temperate rainforests

‘Stop doing that, or this interview will end’: How the smackdown took over cable news in 2020

Doug Emhoff paused his career for his wife Kamala Harris’s aspirations — and became the campaign’s ‘secret weapon’

Hundreds of Trump supporters stuck in the cold for hours when buses can’t reach Omaha rally

QAnon learns to survive — and even thrive — after Silicon Valley’s crackdown

Reading archive 2020-10-27

New voters and Trump antipathy converge to make Sun Belt competitive — maybe for real this time

Former U.S. attorneys — all Republicans — back Biden, saying Trump threatens ‘the rule of law’

GOP foreign policy defectors form an alliance with Biden — for now

Democrats say Republicans will ‘regret’ confirming Amy Coney Barrett. Will they?

Judge rejects Justice Dept. bid to short-circuit defamation case brought by woman who accused Trump of rape

Early-voting surge scrambles Election Day expectations as some states gallop toward 2016 turnout levels

Veterans have been targets of foreign manipulation. Now they’re fighting it before the election.

Josh Kramer: The structural racism that created DC government is still holding us back

DOJ faces new questions about accuracy of Flynn filings: Lawyers for Andrew McCabe and Peter Strzok disputed the department's claim to have vouched for the accuracy of certain documents related to the case.

Records show Trump’s border wall is costing taxpayers billions more than initial contracts: As the presidential election nears, a review of federal spending data found modifications to contracts have increased the price of the border wall by billions, costing about five times more per mile than it did under previous administrations.

Reading archive 2020-10-26

‘A disgrace to democracy’: Dozens of ballots destroyed in suspected arson of a Boston drop box

A New York police officer said, ‘Trump 2020,’ over his patrol car speaker. He has been suspended.

FBI Sits on Report Detailing White-Supremacist Terror Threat

‘Boogaloo Boi’ charged in fire of Minneapolis police precinct during George Floyd protest: Ivan Harrison Hunter, a Texas rightwing extremist, bragged about helping to set the fire then was seen shooting 13 rounds at the building

Alleged ‘Hunter Biden sex and drug tapes’ posted on Chinese website linked to ex-top Trump adviser Steve Bannon

Kushner: Black Americans have to 'want to be successful'

Trump Wants COVID-19 Media Coverage To Be Illegal: ‘Should Be An Election Law Violation’

US Republicans are starting to look a lot like authoritarian parties in Hungary and Turkey, study finds

Jaime Harrison bets on ‘New South’ coalition in his against-the-odds bid to oust Sen. Lindsey Graham

Trump’s Carrier deal fades as economic reality intervenes: Jobs that were saved are dwarfed by others that left

Trump’s conservative imprint on the federal judiciary gives Democrats a playbook — if they win

Historically Dark Mood Clouds 2020 Election - "In sharp contrast with other presidents, Trump has positioned himself not as a unifying ambassador of hope, but as a fellow victim. He tweets conspiracy theories, laments 'hoaxes' aimed at him, devotes his inaugural address to a dystopian vision of 'American carnage,' and campaigns for reelection as a breakwater against anarchy in the streets and a nefarious plot against the suburbs."

Tumult at home, ailing alliances abroad: Why Trump’s America has been a ‘gift’ to Putin

"All it means when people say 'you're speaking from a place of privilege' is that you're likely to underestimate how bad the problem is by default because you are never personally exposed to that problem. It's not a moral judgment on how difficult your life is."

Reading archive 2020-10-25

Enlarging the Supreme Court is the only answer to the right’s judicial radicalism

Reading archive 2020-10-24

He’s a former QAnon believer. He doesn’t want to tell his story, but thinks it might help.

Spin, hyperbole and deception: How Trump claimed credit for an Obama veterans achievement: President Trump has told mistruths about the 2014 VA Choice Act more than 156 times, seeking to deny the contributions of rivals including Barack Obama and John McCain.

Reading archive 2020-10-23

This New Project Imagines What the Tidal Basin Could Look Like in 100 Years: The Tidal Basin Ideas Lab asked five architecture firms to come up with new ideas for the area.

The Marcus Goodwin Flip-Flop Tracker Different opinions on the streetcar, congestion pricing, eviction moratorium, tipped wages, and other pressing issues!

I Spoke to a Scholar of Conspiracy Theories and I’m Scared for Us: The big lesson of 2020 is that everything keeps getting more dishonest. - "To people who have been 'Q-pilled,' QAnon plays a much deeper role in their lives; it has elements of a support group, a political party, a lifestyle brand, a collective delusion, a religion, a cult, a huge multiplayer game and an extremist network."

Why New Zealand rejected populist ideas other nations have embraced: Labour’s historic win delivered Ardern a second term while voters punished politicians who embraced populism

A 19-year-old with a van full of guns and explosives plotted to assassinate Biden, feds say

How politically damaging were Biden’s comments about closing down the oil industry?: Biden said at the debate he would transition away from oil, then later clarified that he would stop giving federal subsidies to the industry.

Black moderates fear losing power in D.C. with younger, Whiter electorate

A GOP state Senate candidate was expelled from high school for wearing a KKK outfit on Halloween

The town that built back green: After a tornado demolished Greensburg, Kan., it rebuilt without carbon emissions. Can its lessons help communities and economies rebound from fires, hurricanes and covid-19?

A Wall Street Journal columnist said Joe Biden was part of Hunter’s business deal. Hours later, its news reporters said the opposite.

Reading archive 2020-10-22

Trump weighs firing FBI director after election as frustration with Wray, Barr grows

CNN destroys coronavirus research showcased on Tucker Carlson’s show

Weird science: How a 'shoddy' Bannon-backed paper on coronavirus origins made its way to an audience of millions

Trump Thinks He’s Found Biden’s Greatest Vulnerability In targeting Hunter Biden, the president is waging psychological warfare against the Democratic nominee.

Trump administration considers labeling top humanitarian groups ‘anti-Semitic’

Reading archive 2020-10-21

Trump Will Have $900 Million Of Loans Coming Due In His Second Term If He’s Reelected: The president would likely have to engage in a series of high-stakes transactions that could produce unfathomable conflicts of interest.

The latest celebrity cause: Defending the honor of Chris Pratt

Rudy Giuliani faces questions after compromising scene in new Borat film: Trump’s personal attorney has indiscreet encounter with actor playing Borat’s daughter in hotel room during pandemic

Study finds no crime increase in cities that adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies, despite Trump claims

Trump, unhappy with questions from ‘60 Minutes’ host Lesley Stahl, threatens to release interview himself

‘Not a fair fight’: In Kansas, GOP frustrated as money rolls in for Democrat and Senate race tightens

These people told us in 2016 why they voted for Trump. Here’s how they’re voting in 2020.

Reading archive 2020-10-20

Joe Biden has a better option than court-packing: Legislating A Democratic Congress and president could prevent an activist Supreme Court from dismantling the regulatory state.

This interracial couple got engaged in Obama’s America. Then Trump took office.: David and Jessica Figari are navigating racial and political divides in their country — and in their family — that they never anticipated when they fell in love

My husband died of COVID-19 and I have just one plea to make of you | Opinion

Reading archive 2020-10-19

How does Google’s monopoly hurt you? Try these searches.: Right under our noses, the Internet’s most-used website has been getting worse

In a year of political anger, undecided voters inspire a special kind of scorn - "Undecided voters are the butt of jokes. But they also tend to be venerated — by media, by campaigns — as freethinkers, tough customers, keepers of a rarefied common sense that exists above the partisan tug-of-war. They are granted special audiences with candidates, who must persuade them personally while other Undecideds look on.

...

"So yes, they do exist. And some think Decideds should consider being a bit more diplomatic. 'The more attacking I feel from one side, it pushes me away from that candidate,' says Samantha Thomas, 32, of Cape May, N.J. 'Sway me, and do it kindly. You catch more flies with honey.'" [ed. note: SPARE ME]

EXCLUSIVE: Fox News Passed on Hunter Biden Laptop Story Over Credibility Concerns

The George W. Bush White House 'Lost' 22 Million Emails

Park Police officers surrender in Fairfax on manslaughter warrants in Bijan Ghaisar slaying: Alejandro Amaya and Lucas Vinyard are arraigned after being indicted last week.

Why crises make some people susceptible to conspiracy theories, and how to protect yourself

Supreme Court to review Trump’s border wall funding and ‘remain-in-Mexico’ program

Republicans: The New Confederacy

‘My people fought for the right to vote’: With a surge of emotion, Black Americans rush to the polls

Trump’s den of dissent: Inside the White House task force as coronavirus surges

Reading archive 2020-10-18

The 31-day campaign against QAnon: In Georgia, what happened when a ‘nice guy’ named Kevin Van Ausdal ran for Congress against a candidate known for her support of extremist conspiracy theories.

How the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have spread coronavirus across the Upper Midwest Within weeks of the gathering that drew nearly half a million bikers, the Dakotas, along with Wyoming, Minnesota and Montana, were leading the nation in new coronavirus infections per capita.

Reading archive 2020-10-17

The truth behind the Hunter Biden non-scandal

Joni Ernst’s soybean blowup shows debates really do still matter

If you crack your knuckles, don’t worry too much about getting arthritis. But the habit isn’t harmless.

Where will all the Trump staffers go? Preparing for the worst, the GOP ponders life after Trump.: If Trump loses, ‘it’ll be challenging for Republicans everywhere’ to find a new job, said Sean Spicer.

Supreme Court will review Trump plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from calculations for congressional seats

Bolton Warned His Staff To Stay Away From Russia-Aligned Rudy Giuliani

Texas is the most intriguing political state in the country this fall

Reading archive 2020-10-16

'I Always Lead With Black': Curator Dr. Ariana A. Curtis Wants to Normalize Blackness in Latinidad

Savannah Guthrie grilled Trump like few others have, taking the heat off NBC for its town hall: The network was criticized for accommodating Trump after he rejected a debate. But then the ‘Today’ host started asking him questions.

At Trump’s NBC town hall, reality strikes back at a reality-show president

Facing a backlash, Ice Cube defends his role advising the Trump administration

The election’s winner will confront a disorderly world. Which candidate do you want in charge? [ed. note: George F. Will]

White House was warned Giuliani was target of Russian intelligence operation to feed misinformation to Trump

Reading archive 2020-10-15

Is this champion disrupter of D.C. development a crusader or an extortionist?

Defense Department study finds low risk of coronavirus infection through air on a packed airline flight

Riggleman condemns Trump’s retweet of ‘ludicrous’ conspiracy about Navy SEALs, bin Laden

GOP’s Sen. Sasse says Trump mistreats women, flirts with white supremacy and secretly mocks evangelicals

Halloween is ‘gay Christmas’ for many in the LGBTQ community. This year, it has been canceled.

Fox News veterans face a hurdle in the job market: Having Fox on the résumé

Trump’s fake new Biden scandal has a deeper purpose. Bannon revealed it.

‘There are no more guardrails’: Obama lashes out at Trump for spreading misinformation

A Crusade for Something Noble Americans are coming together to save our Republic, right now. And it means something.

Six post-Trump reforms to help protect the rule of law

Medieval Europeans didn’t understand how the plague spread. Their response wasn’t so different from ours now.

Reading archive 2020-10-14

Susan Collins Goes on the Attack With few options left, the normally reserved senator is going aggressively negative as she tries to save her seat.

Prosecutors allege White woman charged with calling 911 on Black birdwatcher in Central Park also falsely claimed the man tried to ‘assault’ her

Justices Thomas and Alito lash out at the decision that cleared way for same-sex marriage

GOP has been aggressively trying to pack supreme courts at state level, study says Court-packing has a surprisingly rich recent history, with efforts documented in 11 states, including two that succeeded.

Biden reaches out to Catholics like himself, embracing a key group in big 2020 states

Northeast Ohio turned red in 2016. I asked five of my high school classmates why.

Pittsburgh-area mail carrier under investigation is apparent QAnon conspiracy theorist

An explosive New York Post story that sent Trumpworld into a frenzy is riddled with holes and red flags

Man Who Reportedly Gave Hunter’s Laptop to Rudy Speaks Out in Bizarre Interview: John Paul Mac Isaac gave conflicting stories to reporters on Wednesday. He also said he feared for his life, citing the Seth Rich conspiracy.

Reading archive 2020-10-13

UNREAD (Paywall) - Justices Thomas and Alito Question Same-Sex Marriage Precedent: The justices, who dissented from the 2015 decision establishing a right to same-sex marriage, said it had cast “people of good will as bigots.”

UNREAD (Paywall) - Trump Funnels Record Subsidies to Farmers Ahead of Election Day: Despite an extraordinary government bailout, America’s agriculture sector remains under severe economic pressure.

UNREAD (Paywall) - Environmentalists and Dam Operators, at War for Years, Start Making Peace: Facing a climate crisis, environmental groups and industry agree to work together to bolster hydropower while reducing harm from dams.

What Thomas and Alito get wrong in their grumbling about same-sex marriage

Could American Evangelicals Spot the Antichrist? Here Are the Biblical Predictions: I've reviewed every prophecy on the Antichrist, and what I read blew my mind. (Updated with new signs, 6/10/2020)

‘Unmasking’ probe commissioned by Barr concludes without charges or any public report

Biden stiff-arms the left — which holds its fire

Biden making increasingly aggressive pitch to moderate voters

Catholics should vote for Biden, says former bishops’ conference official: Carr also reports that divisions among the bishops in 2019 kept them from updating their voter guide to reflect current issues and the teachings of Pope Francis.

Reading archive 2020-10-12

Yes, you should smile behind your mask. Here’s why.

The ballad of Big John Fetterman: Democrats yearned for a folk hero. But will they vote for one?

As Trump stumbles, voters finalize their choices, and Biden’s lead grows

New research explores authoritarian mind-set of Trump’s core supporters: Data reveal high levels of anti-democratic beliefs among many of the president’s backers, who stand to be a potent voting bloc for years to come

QAnon is tearing families apart

Mark Zuckerberg’s reversal on Holocaust denial is a 180: Facebook’s decision to disallow Holocaust denial after previously affirming it reflects the company’s shifting stances on free speech.

‘Hatred is taught’: Pennsylvania’s second lady films a woman’s racist attack at the grocery store

How Biden could end 2020 on election night — and why Trump’s path is unlikely: Biden leads in polls of several fast-counting states Trump won in 2016, but the states that put Trump over the top last time face delays.

China hawks encounter new opponent: U.S. companies: Industry groups are fighting some restrictions on tech trade with China, saying the costs are too high

What's the first species humans drove to extinction?

Reading archive 2020-10-11

FBI director says antifa is an ideology, not an organization

If Clinton Wins, Republicans Suggest Shrinking Size of Supreme Court

How sexist, racist attacks on Kamala Harris have spread online — a case study

Reading archive 2020-10-09

Catching on to Q

D.C. urban gardens flourish in the pandemic as people dig in to ‘fill the isolated life’

The ‘Wolverine Watchmen’ Accused of Targeting Michigan Guv Spooked Their Neighbors ‘THEY WERE MEAN’: Social posts and testimony from neighbors of the men who allegedly plotted against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer point to a disturbing relationship with the far-right.

FBI charges six who it says plotted to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as seven more who wanted to ignite civil war face state charges

Plans to kidnap Whitmer, overthrow government spoiled, officials say

Reading archive 2020-10-07

Two ISIS militants charged in deaths of James Foley and other American hostages in Syria

Amy Coney Barrett served as a ‘handmaid’ in Christian group People of Praise

Reading archive 2020-10-05

Never before published images of men in love between 1850 and 1950

Sugar adds more than sweetness to baked goods. Here’s what to know before you cut it.

When Invasive Species Become the Meal: Is dining on nature’s predators an act of environmentalism — or just a new way for humans to bend the world to our will?

Positive tests for senators raise doubts about fast-track confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court choice

Secret Service agents, doctors aghast at Trump’s drive outside hospital

Prospect of Trump’s early hospital discharge mystifies doctors: They say he is in a particularly vulnerable window for covid-19 patients and should be watched closely while taking an unusual combination of drugs

‘Do they think ... rules for everybody else do not apply to them?’: Chris Wallace slams Trump’s family for refusing masks at debate

Reading archive 2020-10-12

The Incredible Influence of James A. Baker III

Reading archive 2020-10-01

NBA players’ historic push to increase turnout started by getting each other to vote

The Most Illuminating Moment of the Debate: Donald Trump sees everything—even his own children—as a reflection of himself.

The Designated Mourner

The Anger Games: Who Voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 Election, and Why?