Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

How the legacy of George Floyd could impact the U.S. election – National | Globalnews.ca

“There was a photo I took on the first day of protesting at the third precinct when the police arrived and they started tear-gassing people.  The group of protesters stood in the tear gas, holding hands as the cops formed a line in front of them,”  he recalled.

“After taking that photo my eyes were burning, my nose was burning, but to see people stand in that for as long as they did just shows the passion and dedication people have for what they’re out here for.”

Rogers believes that passion and dedication will now be carried to the polls.  Four years ago, voter turnout among African Americans dropped sharply across the country.

Source: How the legacy of George Floyd could impact the U.S. election – National | Globalnews.ca

Climbing COVID-19 cases hurt hope for faster L.A. reopening – Los Angeles Times

Hopes that a wider reopening of Los Angeles County’s economy could come in time for the holidays appear to be fading, as the region continues to see a steady uptick in the average number of daily coronavirus infections.

While the spike is nowhere near as severe as those in other parts of the country, L.A. County’s seven-day average has increased from 940 new cases a day in early October to more than 1,275 each day as of last week, health officials said.

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced 1,406 new COVID-19 cases Monday, following 1,590 on Sunday. The county’s total now tops 310,000.

Source: Climbing COVID-19 cases hurt hope for faster L.A. reopening – Los Angeles Times

Photo of Biden without mask, shared by Trump’s former National Intelligence director, was taken in 2019 | KTLA (GOP Faux news)

Why wasn’t Biden, who has made a point to put on a facial covering throughout the campaign, wearing a mask? Because the photo was taken in November 2019, before the first case of the new coronavirus was reported, and months before global health officials began urging people to wear masks in order to stop the spread of the virus.

The image was shared on Twitter by Trump’s former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, where it was liked and shared from his account more than 50,000 times. Grenell, who currently serves as special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, was a U.S. ambassador to Germany for two years before resigning in June.

Source: Photo of Biden without mask, shared by Trump’s former National Intelligence director, was taken in 2019 | KTLA

US COVID-19 cases surge on eve of Election Day | CIDRAP

On the eve of Election Day, the United States is entering uncharted territory in the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 dashboard, the nation reported 81,493 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 447 deaths, two days after nearly hitting 100,000 new infections. The 7-day average of new daily infections is higher than 81,000, according to a CNBC analysis of the Johns Hopkins data. And those numbers could be an undercount. Public health officials told the New York Times they’re worried that because several states don’t report the results of rapid COVID-19 antigen testing, there could be greater spread of the virus than is being reported. The paper reports that seven states plus Washington, DC, don’t publicly report antigen test results, while six keep the number separate from their total case count.

Source: US COVID-19 cases surge on eve of Election Day | CIDRAP

Belarus: Savage attack and possible 3-year sentences against journalists reporting March against Terror – Human Rights in Ukraine

300 Belarusians were brutally detained on 1 November during a March against Terror, with 231 participants now facing criminal charges.  A number of journalists were among those badly beaten and detained, with two Belsat correspondents reporting on the protests charged with ‘organizing riots’.

Belarusians have continued to come out in huge numbers in protest after Aleksandr Lukaszenko claimed to have won the presidential elections on August 9.  Threats that live weapons will be used against demonstrators have doubtless deterred some, but huge numbers have still continued to come out in often creative and moving protest, from the original protests of women in white with flowers, to demonstrations by large crowds of pensioners or the disabled.  The traditional Sunday demonstration on 1 November coincided with the annual March against Terror from the centre of Minsk to Kurapaty, a forested area outside Minsk where the mass graves lie of thousands of victims of NKVD Terror, executed between 1937 and 1941.

This was a march of remembrance, yet the enforcement officers who have demonstrated savagery, including among very young protesters and the elderly, blocked the columns of demonstrators from reaching the mass graves.

Source: Belarus: Savage attack and possible 3-year sentences against journalists reporting March against Terror – Human Rights in Ukraine

Utah officials say thousands attended Halloween rave protesting coronavirus rules | TheHill – (Faux-Freedom rants over health and concern for relatives and neighbors)

The Utah County Health Department said in a statement on Sunday, “As we struggle in our local and statewide communities to contain the COVID-19 virus and mitigate its impacts on our communities, it is unfortunate that some would ignore public health and medical guidance and plan and participate in an event that would allow for the ready spread of the disease between individuals which can then be taken back by these individuals to our communities and infect others who are trying to follow public health and medical recommendations.”

The health department also implored those who attended the parties to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and get tested if any are noticed. NBC News noted that most counties in Utah are currently reporting “very high rates” of COVID-19 cases.

According to KSL, authorities responded to another party in a warehouse with about 1,500 people in attendance. It is unknown who hosted this event.

Source: Utah officials say thousands attended Halloween rave protesting coronavirus rules | TheHill

Teens turn to TikTok to boost Biden | TheHill

In just two months, Ni amassed more than 6 million views and 310,000 followers on TikTok. It is now the largest super PAC on TikTok, the closest being The Lincoln Project with 30,000 followers. The super PAC formed by Republicans opposed to Trump served as Ni’s inspiration to create MemePAC.

“I kind of wanted to do what they did. Rather than focusing on Republicans, I wanted to focus on the youth,” Ni said.

TikTok has banned paid political posts on its platform, but the platform’s guidelines do not bar users from posting unpaid political posts. Neither the Trump nor Biden campaigns have official accounts on the platform.

Source: Teens turn to TikTok to boost Biden | TheHill