Daily Archives: November 19, 2020

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By Land or Sea: How Did Mammals Get to the Caribbean Islands?

Repeating Islands

A multidisciplinary team is jointly investigating mammal evolution and subduction dynamics to unravel how flightless land mammals migrated to the Greater Antilles and other Caribbean islands.

A report by Philippe Münch, Pierre-Olivier Antoine, and Boris Marcaillou  for Eos.

This work is dedicated to the memory of Gilles Merzeraud, who passed away on 30 October 2020. As a colleague and as a friend, he was a key figure of the GAARAnti team.

The islands of the West Indies—comprising the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and Lesser Antilles—feature remarkable biodiversity, with species mainly having originated from South and Central America. These islands are regarded collectively as one of the 25 main biodiversity hot spots on Earth and the third in terms of endemism (a measure of the number of species that are found only in that geographic region) [Myers et al., 2000].

Charles Darwin noted that “the South American character of the…

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Caribbean-born Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón to Serve in the Biden White House

“For my chief of staff, it was important to find someone with deep experience and an understanding of government,” Dr. Biden told NBC News. “I wanted someone with heart and a passion for public service. I found all of that and more in Julissa – an accomplished diplomat, legal expert and strategist.”

Repeating Islands

In “A Caribbean Born National Has Been Selected to Serve in the Biden White House,” News Americasreports that Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, a Caribbean immigrant, has been selected as part of the team of the incoming Joe Biden White House team.

Dominican Republic-born immigrant, Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon, has been named the Chief-of-Staff to Dr. Jill Biden.

Pantaleon is a partner at the law firm Winston and Strawn LLP. She is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Cambridge and Columbia Law School and previously served as U.S. ambassador to Uruguay and as deputy assistant secretary of state for the western hemisphere in the U.S. Department of State under the Obama-Biden administration.

Currently, she serves as a trustee for New York-Presbyterian Hospital and for Columbia University, and she’s on the Board of Directors of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law and the Truman National Security Project.

“For…

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Michigan Judge Rejects Challenge to Detroit Election Results

Finding that two voters’ claims about election fraud lack credibility, a Michigan judge on Friday shut down a lawsuit demanding an audit of results in the Detroit area.

Wayne County Circuit Chief Judge Timothy M. Kenny’s opinion denying an injunction locked in on an affidavit filed by Jessy Jacob, a furloughed city worker temporarily assigned to the Detroit clerk’s office.

Jacob alleged that election workers were coaching voters to only choose Democratic candidate Joe Biden or simply vote a straight Democrat ticket, even going as far as standing next to them at a voting station. Jacob claimed she was specifically instructed not to ask for photo identification from voters.

Kenny acknowledged the seriousness of the accusations but was not convinced.

“Ms. Jacob’s information is generalized. It asserts behavior with no date, location or frequency or names of employees,” he wrote. “In addition, [she] offers no indication of whether she took steps to address the alleged misconduct or to [alert] any supervisor about the alleged voter fraud. Ms. Jacob only came forward after the unofficial results of the voting indicated former Vice President Biden was the winner in the state of Michigan.”

Source: Michigan Judge Rejects Challenge to Detroit Election Results

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PLO member Ashrawi: ‘Made in Israel’ endorses land theft, plunder – The Jerusalem Post

 Ashrawi also noted that products made in the West Bank directly contradict international law, saying “Labeling products made inside illegal Israeli settlements as ‘made in Israel’ or ‘products of Israel’ is an outrageous and illegal policy tantamount to de facto recognition of Israel’s annexation of most of the West Bank.”
“It is an attempt to legitimize the theft of Palestinian land and plunder of Palestinian resources that runs counter fundamental principles of international law and the global consensus,” Ashrawi claimed.

Source: PLO member Ashrawi: ‘Made in Israel’ endorses land theft, plunder – The Jerusalem Post

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Presidential Transition Live Updates: Trump Invites State Lawmakers to White House in Bid to Subvert Election – The New York Times

After failing repeatedly in court to overturn election results, President Trump is taking the extraordinary step of reaching out directly to Republican state legislators as he tries to subvert the Electoral College process, inviting Michigan lawmakers to meet with him at the White House on Friday.

A source with knowledge of the trip said that Mr. Trump would meet with Michigan’s Senate majority leader, Mike Shirkey, and speaker of the House, Lee Chatfield, late Friday afternoon. Both lawmakers are Republicans who have said that whoever has the most votes in Michigan after the results are certified will get the state’s 16 electoral votes.

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L.A. County reports over 5,000 new COVID infections, a record – Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles County reported more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases Thursday, the most it has seen on any one day since the pandemic began, as the state announced that a new, limited stay-at-home order would be put in place starting this weekend.

The sheer magnitude of the figure illustrates that the coronavirus outbreak is surging to devastating new heights and underscores that no one should underestimate the extent of its spread, according to county health officer Dr. Muntu Davis.

Source: L.A. County reports over 5,000 new COVID infections, a record – Los Angeles Times