All posts by nedhamson
Trump issues sweeping order stripping job protections from tens of thousands of federal employees – Stripes (If he wants to claim you don’t like Trump, he can and can fire you.)
Federal scientists, attorneys, regulators, public health experts and many others in senior roles would lose rights to due process and in some cases, union representation, at agencies across the government. The White House declined to say how many jobs would be swept into a class of employees with fewer civil service rights, but civil service experts and union leaders estimated anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in a workforce of 2.1 million.
It would be a profound reimagining of the career workforce, but one that may end up as a statement of purpose rather than anything else. The order fast-tracks a process that gives agencies until Jan. 19 to review potentially affected jobs. That’s a day before the next presidential inauguration. An administration under Democratic nominee Joe Biden would be unlikely to allow the changes to proceed.
Still, the order, coming less than two weeks before the election, represents a stunning effort to reshape large parts of the nonpartisan government, which is supposed to serve as a cadre of subject-matter experts for every administration.
Coronavirus: Ohio tops 2,500 new cases, breaks record for third straight day
Ohio broke its record for new coronavirus cases for the third straight day with 2,518 cases reported Friday.
Source: Coronavirus: Ohio tops 2,500 new cases, breaks record for third straight day
Jared Kushner and Rudy Giuliani friend Ken Kurson charged with stalking
- Ken Kurson, the former editor of a New York newspaper that had been owned by his friend Jared Kushner, has been charged by federal prosecutors with stalking and harassment of three people.
- Kurson, a political consultant, is accused of repeatedly visiting his victims at work, making false complaints with their employer and “malicious cyber activity,” prosecutors said.
- Kurson, who is also a confidant of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, told The Times in 2018 that he withdrew from consideration for a Trump administration-appointed seat on the board of the National Endowment for the Humanities
Source: Jared Kushner and Rudy Giuliani friend Ken Kurson charged with stalking
Lebanon Records Highest Daily Tally of Virus Cases — Naharnet
Lebanon on Friday announced 1,534 new COVID-19 deaths, the highest daily tally so far for the small country since the first infection was detected on February 21.
In its daily statement, the Health Ministry said 1,460 of the cases were confirmed among residents and 74 among people coming from abroad.
Source: Lebanon Records Highest Daily Tally of Virus Cases — Naharnet
19 Women at Georgia Immigration Facility Say They Underwent Surgeries Without Consent
At least 19 women have come forward to say that they were forced to undergo surgeries without their consent. Many of the procedures are said to have been unnecessary gynecological surgeries which impacted their ability to have children.
Source: 19 Women at Georgia Immigration Facility Say They Underwent Surgeries Without Consent
‘It’s like they’re waiting for us to die’: why Covid-19 is battering Black Chicagoans | Chicago | The Guardian
Chicago’s leaders, such as the mayor, Lori Lightfoot, have promised to tackle Covid disparities beyond just the short term.
Lightfoot has set up a Racial Equality Rapid Response team (RERRT) that has targeted the most affected neighborhoods, distributing masks and informational material, meals and other aid. The team stepped up Covid testing and focused on partnering with local health and community groups.
“We are all in this crisis together, but we haven’t experienced it in the same way,” Lightfoot said back in April, addressing what she called the “shockingly disproportionate impact” of coronavirus on the hardest-hit, majority Black neighborhoods.
The mayor’s office this week said in a statement that the RERRT has “become a leader in the nation for this type of hyper-local outreach and response to the global pandemic” and that the effort continues.
While some experts have praised efforts, others have argued that suggested policies don’t significantly address decades-long disparities.
“We have to be very clear about getting to the underlying causes. I’m afraid of people putting Band-Aids on things,” said Freeman-Wilson.
Residents who have experienced or witnessed the tragedies in their communities are also skeptical.
“I don’t think Chicago is addressing [the disparities],” said McMiller. “Everybody’s just numb. It’s like they’re sitting and waiting for us to die.”
Idaho county health board overturns mask mandate despite hospitals hitting capacity | TheHill (politics before health and life)
Health board member Glen Bailey had proposed ending the mandate, arguing that it “restricts people’s right of choice and ability to comply or not comply under penalty of law,” according to the Spokesman-Review. Source: Idaho county health board overturns mask mandate despite hospitals hitting capacity | TheHill
Judge orders Postal Service to restore high-speed mail sorting machines | TheHill (if he does not – lock him up!)
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the U.S. Postal Service to restore high-speed mail sorting machines at facilities that cannot process First Class election mail efficiently amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Thursday order was intended to clarify an injunction issued late last month that prevented the Trump administration from enforcing operational changes implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in June and July that included removing high-speed sorting machines.
Source: Judge orders Postal Service to restore high-speed mail sorting machines | TheHill
Dear Self

Dear Self,
I am sorry for the times I tried to be somebody else
I’m sorry for the days I didn’t put you first
When I saw your exception as a sickness
And how I doubted your majestic strength
Dear Self,
I’m sorry for shedding those tears
I’m sorry for denying your presence every now and then
Making up unwarranted excuses for your uniqueness
Mainly because you don’t fit in, you are different
Dear Self,
I’m sorry for disregarding your priceless worth
I’m sorry for making you take so much
I shunned you when their attention I’d won
Shushed you until from a whisper, you became voiceless like the ‘k’ in knob
Looking back now, does it even make sense?
Looking back now, everything was pointless
I acknowledge my mistakes from the onset
I beseech you therefore, for your divine forgiveness
Making a solemn promise of a changed mindset
To…
View original post 46 more words
You must be logged in to post a comment.