How American religious conservatives fought LGBT rights in Ukraine — bellingcat

US Christian conservatives have attempted to shape the country’s conversation on LGBT rights through their locally registered affiliates An investigation by “Bellingcat Anti-Equality Monitoring” suggests that Steve Weber, longtime head of the Ukrainian branch of the Christian Broadcasting Network, a US media juggernaut, initiated the creation of the “Alliance Ukraine for Family”, a “pro-family” umbrella…

How American religious conservatives fought LGBT rights in Ukraine — bellingcat

DeWine: ‘This is the worst situation Ohio has been in’ as Butler County remains Level 3 (Translation: Let people die, it is your fault, so be it… I am not planning on doing anything more than saying ‘it is what it is.’

DeWine said some of the increase can be blamed on social gatherings such as bonfires, weddings and funerals. He has heard that communities have larger events scheduled this fall and it’s time to rethink those plans in the “best interest” of the communities.

“We have the ability to control this,” he said.

The Red Alert counties in southwest Ohio included Butler, Hamilton and, for the first time, Warren. DeWine was asked whether he will shut down many businesses and activities in the state like he did earlier this year.

“We have to live with this virus,” he said, adding closing businesses would be “devastating.”

Source: DeWine: ‘This is the worst situation Ohio has been in’ as Butler County remains Level 3

‘This Is Unprecedented’: Lindsey Graham Openly Violates Committee Rules to Schedule Vote on Barrett Nomination | Common Dreams News

Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Lindsey Graham on Thursday brazenly flouted the rules of his own panel by scheduling a vote on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for next week without the required number of Democratic members present, a move Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned as further evidence of “the illegitimacy of this sham process.”

Under committee rules, at least two members of the minority party must be present for a vote to take place. But on Thursday morning, with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) the only Democrat in attendance, Graham moved forward with a motion setting Barrett’s Judiciary Committee vote for 1:00 pm ET on October 22.

Source: ‘This Is Unprecedented’: Lindsey Graham Openly Violates Committee Rules to Schedule Vote on Barrett Nomination | Common Dreams News

Intelligence officials warned Trump that Giuliani was target of Russian influence campaign: report | TheHill

Intelligence officials warned President Trump that his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was the target of an influence campaign conducted by Russian intelligence, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

Four former officials familiar with the matter told the Post that the intelligence officers were worried that the president’s personal lawyer was being used to pass Russian misinformation to Trump.

Source: Intelligence officials warned Trump that Giuliani was target of Russian influence campaign: report | TheHill

Thoughtful Thursdays and racism, mentioning Dr. King’s Basic Income, in passing, and a Town Hall Link — ShiraDest: The 4 Freedoms for ALL via Language & Adult Education, Writing, and PublicDomainInfrastructure

It’s quarter to 5 P.T., so please watch the long-scheduled Biden Town Hall, and then read this post (I’d love to hear your comments on both, please…) — This reference to the Basic or Citizen’s Income, as Dr. King called for it in 1968, is from his last book. Here is where I am in […]

Thoughtful Thursdays and racism, mentioning Dr. King’s Basic Income, in passing, and a Town Hall Link — ShiraDest: The 4 Freedoms for ALL via Language & Adult Education, Writing, and PublicDomainInfrastructure

PolitiFact | 7 ways to avoid misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic — Rcooley123’s Blog

A guide for weeding the truth in planning and voting for or against any candidate in this era where facts and the truth are often given a back seat by unscrupulous candidates and their campaigns when producing advertising, delivering stump speeches, participating in “debates”, etc. Tonight’s dueling town halls being broadcast on competing mainstream media […]

PolitiFact | 7 ways to avoid misinformation during the coronavirus pandemic — Rcooley123’s Blog

Honoring Latinx Art, Personal and Political — Repeating Islands

El Museo del Barrio celebrates its own electric history, and present, in a show about the Puerto Rican workshop Taller Boricua. A review by Holland Cotter for The New York Times. The marketing of modern and contemporary art from Latin America is one of the cultural success stories of the globalist decades. What was once […]

Honoring Latinx Art, Personal and Political — Repeating Islands

Chris Christie says he ‘was wrong’ not to wear face mask at White House | TheHill

“I believed when I entered the White House grounds, that I had entered a safe zone, due to the testing that I and many others underwent every day,” Christie said in a statement obtained by the newspaper. “I was wrong. I was wrong not to wear a mask at the Amy Coney Barrett announcement and I was wrong not to wear a mask at my multiple debate prep sessions with the president and the rest of the team.” “I hope that my experience shows my fellow citizens that you should follow [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines in public no matter where you are and wear a mask to protect yourself and others,” he said.

Source: Chris Christie says he ‘was wrong’ not to wear face mask at White House | TheHill

COVID-19 cases climb in the US and Europe | CIDRAP

Europe’s cases soar to weekly pandemic high

Europe’s fall and winter surge continues to unfold, with exponential increases in daily cases and matching percentage increases in daily deaths, Hans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) European regional office, said today at a briefing.

He added that the region just registered its highest weekly incidence since the start of the pandemic, adding about 700,000 cases.

The region isn’t in the same situation as it was in March, because deaths are five times fewer and hospitalization doubling time is still two to three times longer, Kluge said. Lower mortality could reflect higher testing rates among younger, healthier people, but he warned that the situation could worsen dramatically if the disease spreads back into older age-groups with more indoor multigenerational social gatherings.

Epidemiological models show that simple measures like greater use of masks and stricter social distancing measures could save up to 281,000 lives across the region by Feb 1. “These projections do nothing but confirm what we always said: the pandemic won’t reverse its course on its own, but we will,” Kluge said.

Source: COVID-19 cases climb in the US and Europe | CIDRAP