Top 10 Idiots

Top 10 Idiots's Journal

August 26, 2020

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-10: Here Comes The Bad Year Blimp Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-10: Here Comes The Bad Year Blimp Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! How’s everybody doing? Are you guys doing fucking good? I know, right? If you’re a long time follower of the Top 10, one of our most popular features is the Wheel Of Corruption, in which I spin a giant wheel of 100 items on it, and then I have to talk about whatever the wheel lands on. Now you might be asking yourself “Where’s the Wheel Of Corruption”? Well the thing is the Wheel is part of our live show and is mainly meant to get a live audience reaction. Since there’s no live audiences right now, we can’t do that. And our Wheel and all the equipment is in our Burbank Studio, which we can’t go to right now because of the stay at home orders. So there. We won’t be doing the Wheel for a while but we will be bringing you some of our patented clips without context (patent pending) for this edition. Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do. That’s all we’ve got right now is time. I’ve got some amazing news! Science may have discovered a hangover cure! We can’t cure COVID but we can cure hangovers! Yay, now when I do “I Need A Drink”, I can chug Jack Daniels at home and not look like a raging alcoholic! Well, in theory, anyways. Researchers in Finland discovered that 1200MG of the amino acid L-cystine can stem off hangovers in tablet form. And it will be great when we can start going to bars again, because this is the kind of thing that we need. Not only that, this pill has also prevented nausea, headache, stress, and anxiety! So it’s a win-win. Now I just need to drink enough to help me get through this nightmare of a pandemic! Where’s my bottle of Jack Daniels at? OK that’s enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he talks further about the ridiculous situation that Trump’s Border Wall has brought us:

Sigh, yet another week under the dreaded pandemic but at least we had a really awesome DNC! So in the top spot this week we’re going to take you through some highlights of the DNC (1) which went way better than expected! In the second slot, we’re going to take you through highlights of the RNC (2) and well, expect 4 straight nights of Trump barfing his brain, some has-been celebrities, and every single member of his family giving a speech. In the third slot this week is the man himself, Donald J. Trump (3), and he attempted to burn the GOP racist dog whistle known as “cancel culture” by attempting to stick it to Goodyear Tires, and well, it backfired on him hilariously! And yes, our standards for the RNC were much, much lower. Taking the fourth slot this week is Steve Bannon (4). He is up to some ridiculously shady shit with his “We Build The Wall” charity, but it may be part of an even larger scam, licensed and endorsed by Trump himself! Grifters gotta grift. In the fifth slot this week is of course our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5) and this week we’re taking a look at what is happening in Belarus. Yes, the European country that is home to Minsk is in the midst of a revolution and an evil president who is refusing to give up power, get a sneak preview of what that might look like here! Taking the 6th slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” and this week the Christian right has a few tricks up their sleeve to revitalize voters, known as the “50 Day Fight Plan”. Our pastor is going to analyze this plan and come up with one of his own! In the seventh slot this week is a new “Beating A Dead Horse” (7) and this week, Fox News’ favorite blank stare guy, Tucker Carlson, is taking on Cardi B for her controversial new song “WAP”. And yeah the white guy fails to understand everyone not like him again! In the 8th slot this week, we have a new “This Fucking Guy” (8) and we’re going to profile the Western Kentucky teenager who made national headlines last year and is a guest speaker at the RNC this year, Nicholas Sandman (8). Expect him to call the media a bunch of big meanie heads. In the number 9 (NEIN!!) slot this week we have a new “I Need A Drink” and we’re gonna need some drinks to get through Netflix’s controversial new series “Cuties”. In doing research for this one, I might be put on a few Q Anon watch lists! Finally this week, in our ongoing series that is looking at the election, Road To The White House, we’re going to examine the celebrity endorsements of both Biden and Trump. Because they are different, and you will never guess who endorses who! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]DNC Recap
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Yeah yeah I know that the sign on the door says “Top 10 Conservative Idiots” and we’re not supposed to talk about anything the Dems do, but we’re really just commenting on anything in the news right now so fuck it! This is my show I will talk about what I want, damn it! So Joseph Biden is now *OFFICIALLY* the nominee for the 46th president of the United States, while Kamala Harris stands to be his running mate and the next vice president of the United States. How awesome is that? Can I get a round of applause, my virtual audience? Thank you! So we have to bring you some highlights of the DNC and there’s a lot to digest, especially how we move forward after the devastation wrought this year. Joe Biden had some warnings about what to expect, and it’s not pretty.

The fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention culminated Thursday with Joe Biden accepting the party’s presidential nomination.

In his address, Biden not only eviscerated President Donald Trump’s handling of his first term but also portrayed himself as the best candidate to combat overlapping economic and health-care crises. During a period of reckoning over entrenched racism and economic injustice in America, the former vice president promised to “draw on the best of us, not the worst” and “be an ally of the light, not the darkness.”

Outside of the main event, the night featured testimonials from Biden’s family members, former primary opponents and strangers he has met over the course of his career. The event continued another theme of the week in former Republicans switching their allegiance to Biden.

Here are some of the highlights from the fourth night of the Democratic convention.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/dnc-night-4-highlights.html

Unfortunately that’s not going to kill the virus there. But we must heed Joe’s warning, damn it! So grim warnings aside, the DNC was mostly positive compared to what the RNC is doing, and we will get to that in a minute. But we do have to talk about how awesome the roll call was, and how the conservatives will never have anything like it. Because while the Democrats embrace diversity, the republicans think of it the same way that Ron Burgundy does.

After former first lady Michelle Obama's foreboding address Monday about the consequences of a second term for President Trump, and her urgent appeal that people "vote for Joe Biden like our lives depend on it," the second night of the Democratic National Convention focused on building the case for how Biden would restore a country struggling in an economic and public health crisis.

The main messenger — Jill Biden — delivered an intimate speech that wove together her career as an educator with her story about how her partnership with Joe Biden began with an effort to heal a broken and grieving family.

Democrats continued to highlight their priority for quality and affordable health care with an emotional appeal from an activist stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease. After Democrats focused the 2018 midterms on the threat of the GOP dismantling the Affordable Care Act, the Biden campaign and congressional candidates are confident the issue is an effective one to use in suburban battlegrounds around the country this fall.

Tuesday's lineup featured elder Democratic statesmen including two former presidents, but their appearances highlighted how much the party has changed, and how the energy of younger stars is focused on an agenda far more progressive than these leaders envisioned when they served in office decades earlier.
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/19/903698102/4-takeaways-from-night-2-of-the-democratic-national-convention

No, that’s the conservative line of thinking. But some of the best speeches of the whole week came from Biden’s former primary opponent Bernie Sanders and former first lady Michelle Obama. Both of these speeches are great and worth seeking out on Youtube. This is how we beat Donald Trump – we come together and we fight. So here’s how that whole thing panned out and it was definitely why I’m a Democrat and still in this fight!

Sen. Bernie Sanders and former first lady Michelle Obama headlined the first night of the all-virtual Democratic National Convention on Monday, testing out a new format for the quadrennial event made necessary by the spreading coronavirus.

Day 1 focused on unity, featuring speeches by Republicans in addition to a full-throated endorsement from Sanders, the leader of the party’s progressive wing, for onetime rival Joe Biden.

President Donald Trump was in the speakers’ crosshairs.

“Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consolation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division, and a total and utter lack of empathy,” the former first lady said at one point, offering an unusually blunt assessment.

The two-hour event was emceed by the actress and activist Eva Longoria. It will continue each night through Thursday starting at 9 p.m. ET.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/17/democratic-national-convention-top-moments-and-highlights.html

No no, Bernie isn’t Grandpa, though you could probably have Bernie narrate Grandpa’s quotes in his voice and no one would know the difference. And yes I am dodging things being thrown at me by disgruntled Bernie supporters. Virtually. But one thing that I have to point out about this presidential election is the key difference between the two parties. Joe Biden has nearly all of the former presidents endorsing him. Trump? He has zero. And that’s saying something!

The Democrats officially nominated Joe Biden for president in a virtual roll call vote on Tuesday, the second night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Delegates announced their votes from their home states in locations ranging from a beach in American Samoa to a fire station in Connecticut to the new Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C.

Former second lady Jill Biden closed out the night's events with a speech from the Delaware high school where she used to teach. She spoke about the loss and tragedy her family — and the nation — has faced, and highlighted how hard times can lead to resilience.

"How do you make a broken family whole?" she said. "The same way you make a nation whole. With love and understanding—and with small acts of kindness. With bravery. With unwavering faith."

Jill Biden said we need "leadership worthy of our nation … that's Joe. He and Kamala will work as hard as you do, every day, to make this nation better."
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/democratic-convention-night-2-live-updates/

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[font size="8"]RNC Recap
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Let’s do another one of our patented clips without context!

Nah. Given his bad diet, laziness, and the fact that everyone around him has COVID, he’s more likely to die of a heart attack than he is from an assassin. Nice try, Rick.

OK not to be outdone, there’s plenty on display at the RNC. Of course we won’t get to all of it – we don’t have that kind of time! In fact I wanted to live blog this week but I respect my writers so I didn’t want to be making a call to the emergency room when this edition is over. But that said, how fucking crazy is it that Trump is literally speaking every single night of this convention? Who the hell does that? And what could he possibly say that’s different from one night to the next? Does his brain just vomit shit out and then he somehow manages to put it into word form? Well, that is a thing and unfortunately Trump’s ego is the size of Kansas and that’s something that we unfortunately have to deal with.

Anthony Scaramucci, who spent 11 days as the White House communications director before he was removed from the position, said Sunday that President Donald Trump was exhibiting "classic narcissism" by planning to speak at every night of the Republican National Convention.

As Business Insider previously reported, Trump is preparing to speak on all four nights of the Republican National Convention, scheduled to begin Monday. According to The New York Times, he plans to speak nightly during the 10 p.m. hour of the convention, which will be mostly virtual after the president for months insisted on an in-person event.

"But, knowing his personality, he thinks it's the right way for him to do it. He thinks it's all about him, him all the time," Scaramucci told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday during a broadcast of "State of the Union." "The classic narcissism is to annihilate everybody around you and then show everybody that you can do it all alone, you can do it by yourself."

He continued: "It's all about me and watch me. I'm going to win this without your help. And so I'm sure he was advised by some smart, somewhat courageous people inside the campaign not to do that. That level of saturation is beyond ridiculous."
https://www.businessinsider.com/scaramucci-trump-speaking-four-times-at-rnc-beyond-ridiculous-2020-8

That is a good question, sir! Can the mind vomit? Well Trump’s mind vomits on a daily basis – just take a look at his Twitter feed! Hey o!!!! Thank you I’m here all week, don’t forget to tip your virtual server via VENMO. Yes, that’s a 2020 social distancing joke. But speaking of crazy, we have to talk about the batshit crazy performance from Trump Jr’s girlfriend Kimberly Guillfoyle. Did you know she was married to Gavin Newsom? Yeah I had no idea either. But this speech is beyond ridiculous.

Red states. Reagan red. The red of President Trump’s favorite ties. There’s so much red in the recent mythology of the Republican Party, it’s little wonder, really, that it was the predominant color worn by speakers on the opening day of the Republican National Convention.

It stood out on the stage flanked by the towering Doric columns of the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., where many of the speeches aired Monday night were recorded, even against the row of American flags. On Natalie Harp, as she told of surviving cancer and the “right to try”; on Tanya Weinreis, the coffee shop owner whose business was one of the first to receive a Paycheck Protection Program grant in Montana; on the closing speaker, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. (Though not on Donald Trump Jr., who chose a silvery blue tie for his own excoriation of the rival party.)

But on no one did red stand out quite so much as it did on Kimberly Guilfoyle, senior fund-raising official for the Trump campaign, former Fox News host and Mr. Trump Jr.’s girlfriend, as she gave what was the perhaps the most … fiery speech of the night.

“Very forceful speech, Jake, from Kimberly Guilfoyle,” said Wolf Blitzer to Jake Tapper on CNN.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/25/style/kimberly-guilfoyle-republican-national-convention.html

Yeah you know I liked that speech better when it was in the original German! Thank you my fair virtual audience! But while the Democrats are bringing people together and getting positive remarks, the Republicans on the other hand are taking things in the much more opposite direction. Instead of images of hope, the conservatives are painting images of fear. And some light racism. Well, replace the word “light” with “heavy”.

Night one of the RNC saw speakers such as Kimberly Guilfoyle and Donald Trump Jr. attempting to get Trump's base foaming at the mouth. It probably worked.

To hear the Laura Ingrahams and Jeanine Pirros of the world tell it, last week the Democrats held a convention marked by darkness and pessimism — a monomaniacal four-day rant about Donald Trump in which their own candidate, Joe Biden in case you've already forgotten, was defined only by his not being Donald Trump. And to hear those same pundits tell it, rather than resorting to the same sort of name-calling that the Democrats wallowed in, this week's Republican Convention was going to be a more positive affair, celebrating the power of America and hope for the future.

After one night of the Republican Convention, is the GOP living up to the promised better angels of their nature (to quote a Republican president who would be baffled by today's Republican Party, but also probably Twitter, Hamilton and Sour Patch Kids)?

Depends on which direction you choose to fixate on, I suppose.

The first thing to know is that the Republicans dispatched with the actual convention portion of their convention earlier in the day. Before the morning was over for half of the country, the Republicans had done a roll call unanimously nominating Donald Trump — a more traditional roll call, before the Republicans made a flimsy attempt to mimic the Democrats' Zoom roll call around America in under two primetime minutes — and they'd already decided not to bother with a platform this time around. So Monday's opening night got to be almost entirely speeches, mostly taking place at a podium at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/critics-notebook-republican-convention-launches-with-fear-mongering-and-shouting

No, no, that comes later. While the Democrats are bringing people together, the GOP are tearing people apart. And there is no president I’ve ever seen that just revels in hate the way Trump does. And then he accuses the other side (us) of being the hateful ones. But if you’re tired of the “owning the libs” bullshit as much as I am, well, here’s where it gets weird. There’s no president in my lifetime where they have told the other side to fuck off like Trump has.

As he took the stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, President Donald Trump smiled as delegates enthusiastically chanted, “four more years!”

“Now, if you really want to drive them crazy, you say 12 more years,” the president said, inspiring some shouts in support of a dozen more years of Trump in the White House.

It’s not the first time Trump has publicly toyed with the idea of an extended stay on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Just moments after a divided U.S. Senate handed Trump an acquittal on impeachment charges in February, the president took to Twitter to revive a controversial tweet showing a never-ending political campaign.

The tweet features a doctored video of a TIME Magazine cover with a series of campaign yard signs with escalating years, from “Trump 2024” to 2028, 2032 and eventually the year 90,000 and “4EVA.”
https://www.masslive.com/politics/2020/08/president-donald-trump-urges-rnc-delegates-to-chant-12-more-years-if-they-want-to-drive-critics-crazy.html

[font size="8"]Donald Trump
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Silly Donald. When will you learn that you cannot cancel the cancelers of cancel culture? Yes, in this day and age where everything is getting canceled for so much as attempting to look at you funny, Trump attempted his own hand at cancelling the cancel culture, and well, it backfired on him hilariously. What was the target you might ask? Well the target is Goodyear. And like moths to a bug zapper, here comes the Bad Year Blimp! So here’s how it happened. A Goodyear employee was attending a sensitivity training seminar. Said employee found out that MAGA hats were banned, took photo, uploaded it to social media, and all hell broke loose. So of course naturally the Trump MAGA conservatives got their underwear in a wad and immediately assumed their free speech rights were under attack. Or were they?

After President Trump calls to boycott Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., over a reported policy ban on workplace expression involving political campaigning, some employees at Fayetteville's plant have strong reactions toward the company for taking this stance. They say it violates their rights.

"Why is Goodyear giving a ban like that and telling us what to wear and what not to wear? The LGBT community and the Black Lives Matter community gets to wear their shirts," said Goodyear employee Robert Sampson. "This is how I feel. If Goodyear doesn't want everybody to wear certain shirts to work. They should make everybody wear uniforms, but they don't do that. That's how I see it."

Sampson is a longtime employee of more than 20 years who works in raw materials prepping rubber. He said the Fayetteville plant used to allow employees to take a political stance and wear it in the workplace but recently reversed course.

On Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump tweeted: "Don't buy GOODYEAR TIRES - They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS," Trump said. "Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!)."
https://abc11.com/business/goodyear-employees-caught-in-crossfire-between-pres-company/6382621/

Sigh… excuse me a minute, I have to go yell at my producer on Skype. No, that was last week! OK I’m back. But yeah so if you’re keeping score at home, so far Trump has endorsed Goya beans and Goodyear’s biggest competitor, Continental Tires. But was this a jab at Goodyear, or a jab at the racist dogwhistle known as “cancel culture”? Well it was a little from column A, and a little from column B.

President Donald Trump is calling on his followers to not buy Goodyear tires and threatening to remove them from his custom presidential limousine, despite previously railing against "cancel culture," after an employee posted a viral photo of a company policy banning "Make America Great Again" and other political attire in the workplace.

"Don't buy GOODYEAR TIRES - They announced a BAN ON MAGA HATS. Get better tires for far less! (This is what the Radical Left Democrats do. Two can play the same game, and we have to start playing it now!)," he tweeted Wednesday morning.

The tweet came in response to an employee who posted a photo, obtained by CNN affiliate WIBW, from a Topeka, Kansas, Goodyear plant that showed a slide during a training that "Black Lives Matter" and LBGT pride apparel were "acceptable" and "Blue Lives Matter," "All Lives Matter," "MAGA Attire," and other political material were "unacceptable."

Goodyear issued a statement following the President's tweet stating "the visual in question was not created or distributed by Goodyear corporate," but that it asks its associates to "refrain from workplace expressions in support of political campaigning for any candidate or political party, as well as similar forms of advocacy that fall outside the scope of racial justice and equity issues."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/politics/trump-goodyear-cancel-culture/index.html

Yeah probably. But here’s where this whole thing gets weird and goes south, because you knew it was going to. Trump does have one ally in Congress backing him up on this, and that’s notoriously toxic Ohio representative Jim Jordan. Yup, the Congressman who is known by his more common nickname Gym Jordan, who was asking of course some completely inane questions and getting well, equally inane responses. Because this is 2020 after all.

Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan says President Donald Trump’s call to boycott Akron-based Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. over its workplace ban on political attire including MAGA hats isn’t equivalent to the “cancel culture” that Jordan and Trump decry among Democrats.

In an interview with cleveland.com the day after Jordan published a cleveland.com column that urged Ohioans to reject the so-called “cancel culture” by supporting Trump, Jordan said Goodyear - not Trump- engaged in “cancel culture.”

“It’s Goodyear that’s involved in trying to cancel all the people who would like to wear ‘Blue Lives Matter’ masks or hats or T-shirts, or would like to wear ‘Make America Great’ hats T-shirts or masks,” Jordan, a Champaign County Republican, said in the interview.

He accused the company of discriminating against conservatives by letting employees wear apparel with “Black Lives Matter” or LGBTQ messaging, while blocking messages favorable to conservatives.
https://www.cleveland.com/open/2020/08/jim-jordan-defends-president-trumps-call-to-boycott-goodyear-and-says-the-company-not-trump-is-engaging-in-cancel-culture.html

Ha ha ha ha. But the bad thing? This is going to come back to bite Trump on the ass hard. Because if there’s one thing Ohioans don’t like, it’s when somebody fucks with their business. And yeah there’s no football this year because of COVID, so that’s all they’ve got! The good news though is that Biden is going to use your tomfoolery in a campaign ad against you! Here’s what you have to look forward to, Spanky, your days are numbered!

AKRON, Ohio — Following an attack ad released by Republican-funded organization The Lincoln Project condemning President Donald Trump’s tweet urging people not to buy tires from Goodyear—Akron’s fourth-largest employer—Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden followed suit.

On Sunday, “Biden for President” released a new ad in Ohio that makes claims that Trump is “going out of his way” to hurt thousands of jobs “in an effort to protect his.”

The Ohio ad features a statement from Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, who was outraged by the call to boycott the company and said “when you come after Goodyear, you’re coming after Akron.”

Last week in a statement, Biden addressed Trump’s tweet, saying he “doesn’t have a clue about the dignity and worth that comes with good-paying union jobs at places like Goodyear—jobs that can support a family and sustain a community.”

Trump’s tweet, made on Aug. 19, made a call, written in all caps, for consumers to stop purchasing tires from Goodyear over an image suggesting employees are not allowed to wear MAGA hats.
https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/akron-canton-news/new-biden-ad-centered-in-akron-criticizes-trumps-tweet-calling-for-goodyear-boycott

[font size="8"]Steve Bannon
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Ah it’s another one of our clips without context!

Of course it would only make sense that Satan’s minions are conspiring against Trump!

You know I make no mistake about my love of the TV show Arrested Development. If you don’t know then drop what you’re doing and go watch it. But the show revolves around the once fabulously wealthy Bluth Family and their real estate empire, and it all crashes and burns, and the one member of the family who can save the family business wants nothing to do with them. And watching Steve Bannon get arrested on a boat was quite frankly a lesson in life imitating art. Because the pilot episode of that show revolves around Bluth family patriarch George Bluth getting arrested at a boat party for shady business practices. And here’s how he got arrested. Remember that “We Build The Wall” charity from a couple of years ago? Yup that was fraud! So how did that play out?

Steve Bannon’s indictment in a scheme to defraud donors to a fundraising campaign to help build Donald Trump’s wall on the southern boarder cast a spotlight on a web of prominent figures adored in conservative and anti-immigration circles.

On Thursday, Bannon and other leaders of the We Build the Wall nonprofit group were indicted by a federal grand jury in Manhattan for scheming to “defraud hundreds of thousands of donors” in relation to the online fundraising campaign.

But the list of well known names associated with We Build the Wall goes far beyond the figure of Donald Trump’s former campaign manager and populist firebrand Bannon.

The group’s website is a roll call of top figures in Republican and conservative circles.

It lists Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state and a prominent Trump cheerleader, as its attorney general. Bannon was the advisory board chairman. Erik Prince, founder of the private military contractor Blackwater USA, is a member of the organization’s advisory board. Former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo, an icon in conservative anti-immigration circles, is also on the advisory board, as is former Milwaukee county sheriff Dave Clarke and former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/steve-bannons-arrest-shines-a-light-on-web-of-anti-immigration-conservatives/ar-BB18c7Yt?li=BBnb7Kz

Oh sorry I got carried away there, but this is too damn good. In case you’re wondering, yes, I did have my Instacart driver bring me the largest thing of microwave popcorn I could get and the requisite bucket to fill with. And yes, this could bring down some major Trumpers with it! So here’s the thing – if you donate to a Trump, expect them to take it and not give you a refund when things go south. Trump is a dirty dealer, plain and simple.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was arrested Thursday after being charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors through his “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign.

Bannon pleaded not guilty during a court hearing later Thursday, and he was expected to be released, according to NBC News. Bannon is getting a $5 million bond that is secured by $1.75 million in cash or property that Bannon has to post by Sept. 3. He is not allowed to use private jets or yachts, and he must surrender his passport. His travel will be limited to Connecticut and the New York and Washington, D.C., areas.

Bannon and three associates were indicted in a federal investigation in the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors allege the four defrauded donors by raising “more than $25 million to build a wall along the southern border of the United States,” but some of that money was used for personal gain.

The United States Postal Inspection Service assisted in the investigation.

Others in the indictment are Timothy Shea, a 49-year-old from Colorado accused of owning a shell company, Brian Kolfage, a disabled Iraq war veteran, and Andrew Badolato, who according to his own website was a contributor to Breitbart News, the conservative publication Bannon used to run.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/former-trump-advisor-steve-bannon-arrested-on-charges-of-defrauding-donors-in-fundraising-scheme.html

Um… define “light” there, guy. Oh and by the way in case you’re wondering where this is going, well, it’s going full Nazi. And if you’re wondering how far “full Nazi” goes, it goes literally all the way. Because guess who is involved? That’s right, the elder Trump brother Trump Junior. And he appeared at an event with who else? Neo Nazis! Here’s the thing guys, you don’t go full Nazi. You never, ever go full Nazi!

Donald Trump Jr., who will serve as the headline speaker at the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) Monday, appeared in a photograph with One America News Network (OANN) correspondent Jack Posobiec at a “We Build the Wall” event in July 2019.

Posobiec is a far-right extremist with a history of promoting falsehoods. He is connected to and has taped interview segments with white nationalists and neo-Nazis. He has more than once targeted Jewish reporters with antisemitic hate on Twitter and also used that site to amplify a march held by a modern incarnation of a Polish fascist movement whose members bombed Jewish homes during the 1930s. Prior to being hired by OANN, Posobiec became notorious for his involvement in promoting politically charged disinformation. He also put the words “fmr CBS News” in his Twitter bio in parts of 2016 and 2017, but that company told Hatewatch he never worked for them.

In addition to the photo of the two men together at the We Build the Wall event, Trump Jr. follows Posobiec on Twitter and has done so since before July 2017, according to the app DoesFollow, which gathers data on users of that site. At that time, Posobiec was not yet a correspondent with OANN and was known primarily for supporting President Trump and promoting disinformation and hate. Beyond following Posobiec, the president’s son has also periodically interacted with him on Twitter. Posobiec, for his part, described Trump Jr. as being “redpilled [as fuck]” in a July 13, 2017, private text message with former anti-immigrant propagandist Katie McHugh, who leaked the correspondence to Hatewatch. “Redpilled” is a slang word taken from the 1999 film “The Matrix” that became popular among online far-right extremists to refer to someone’s radicalization to their cause. McHugh has since renounced the movement.
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/08/24/donald-trump-jr-pictured-we-build-wall-event-neo-nazi-collaborator-jack-posobiec

Man if that’s your attorney then who is the prosecutor? Well that’s one thing that this has brought to light and maybe it explains why Trump is so afraid of the USPS! Because did you know that the USPS has its’ own police force? That’s right, and you could say that it’s just like Scientology, because Scientology has their own police force and a super-secret sea prison that they send the unbelievers to. Oh wait, I’ve said too much, damn it!

On Thursday, former White House advisor Steve Bannon and two other men were arrested and charged with defrauding individuals who had contributed to Build the Wall, an online fundraising effort that has raised over $25 million to help build the Mexico border wall promised by President Trump.

According to an indictment unveiled by Audrey Strauss, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the men claimed that 100% of proceeds would go toward construction but instead used hundreds of thousands of dollars to secretly pay for expenses and salaries.

If found guilty, Bannon will join a venerable cohort of criminals who were nabbed by a federal law enforcement agency most people don’t even know exists.

The U.S. Postal Office Inspection Service (USPIS) is 2,442-member enforcement division made up of white-collar-crime experts, research scientists, explosives, chemical, and biological weapons experts, as well as armed officers who protect post offices and postal employees and arrest people who violate postal laws (there are a lot). It has offices across the country, a forensics lab in Dulles, Maryland, and 22 satellite labs.

It also has an impressive history of laying down the law
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a33670971/steve-bannon-arrest-postal-inspectors/

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Belarus Revolution
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It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!

They say that Donald Trump will not want to leave the White House if he’s going to lose the 2020 election. If you want to get a preview of how those events might unfold, then look to the Eastern European of Belarus. A more accurate comparison would be to see how the events of the Ukraine revolution panned out in 2015. But that said, the people of Belarus are at a crossroads. There’s different schools of thought as to how this revolution could pan out. But the fact is that the people of that nation are waking up to the dangers of their regime and the possibility of them cozying up to Russia. But then again nearly everything comes back to Russia in this day and age. How is this going to pan out? Well here’s how this could play out.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the figurehead of popular protests to unseat Belarus' authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko, said Belarusians would "not relent" in the face of state violence as she addressed Members of the European Parliament on Tuesday.

In a speech delivered via video link from exile in Vilnius, Lithuania, the opposition leader urged MEPs at an extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs to continue their support for what she called Belarus' "democratic revolution."

"Belarus has woken up. We are not the opposition anymore. We are the majority now. The peaceful revolution is taking place," she said.

She reiterated the demands of protesters in the Eastern European country for free and fair elections as well as the end of intimidation and violence carried out by state actors, calling on the world to respect the "serenity of Belarus."
https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/25/belarus-opposition-leader-sviatlana-tsikhanouskaya-to-address-leaders-at-emergency-eu-summ

Yes, the people of Belarus have woken up. Their president is in a position where he won’t leave their government and the people are looking to get rid of him. But how do you oust a leader in a position of power like that when he could theoretically use the military against you? That’s a tricky situation that the people of Belarus are going to have to navigate. So where is the country headed from here? It’s not going to be what it once was.

A week ago, the popular protests in Belarus seemed close to succeeding.

Lukashenko was speechless as workers in a tractor plant heckled him and demanded he resign.

Observers were musing about a possible Ceaușescu moment - the late Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, awoke in 1989 from his shielded life to learn that Romanians wanted him out.

But Lukashenko has not left and it seems that the ruling elite and Moscow have remained loyal to him.

While many big state enterprises, under pressure from their workers, appear to have defected from the regime, state institutions have not changed sides.

Some have gone on strike, including state TV, but there have been few defections from ministries, parliament, security forces or local authorities.
https://euobserver.com/opinion/149205

So far these revolutionists don’t appear to be carrying torches. That might be the next step. But if you want to see a preview of what could happen not just in America but anywhere in the world this would be a good indication of where we are headed if we keep electing fascist dictators. But what is a “color revolution”? That is what they are calling the events that are taking place in Belarus and neighboring country Kyrgyzstan.

GRODNO, 24 August (BelTA) – A color revolution scenario is being implemented against Belarus; the distinctive feature of this scenario is the use of an external factor, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he inspected a military training area near Grodno on 22 August, BelTA has learned.

At the military training area of the 6th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade, Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin informed the head of state about the general idea of a comprehensive tactical exercise with an aggregate group at the Grodno tactical direction. He also updated the president on the situation at the Belarusian border.

“Everything is clear. Just as we thought, everything is unfolding in line with a color revolution plan with attempts to foment political tensions inside the country. The uniqueness of the situation is that an external factor is at play, which does not happen all the time. Usually, they act from inside, overthrow the existing government. However, as the authorities are on the ground and are resisting resolutely [not only resisting, but also in control of the situation], they involved an external factor,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

According to the president, opponents want to stretch Belarusian military and law enforcement thin, to draw them away from the domestic situation and put pressure on them at the external border. He added that simultaneously, there are attempts to stir up protest moods and banditry. “You see they are already trying to bring in ‘the alternative president', they are doing it in earnest, because western states are making multiple statements pledging finances and other types of support. The military support is obvious – the relocation of NATO troops to our borders. This all is being done to bring here the alleged new president. This person is addressing western states, in other words NATO, to protect people. If they bring in their troops, Belarus is doomed,” the head of state said.
https://eng.belta.by/president/view/lukashenko-color-revolution-is-unfolding-in-belarus-132810-2020/

So this situation is more similar to the Ukraine or any country where fascism is on the rise, like Turkey, Spain, France, the UK, and all around the world. And all of these countries have one thing in common: a relationship with Mother Russia. Yes, Vladimir Putin is putting his stamp on the world and converting the entire world to be consummate in his flirtation with becoming the world’s dictator. And if more countries are flipped, it might be too little too late. But this is a warning for America and the rest of the world.

Belarus stands before a critical chapter in its history. Following a rigged election in which the incumbent claimed an absurd 80% of the vote, thousands took to the streets demanding free and fair elections and an end to repression. This is an unprecedented show of support for democratic values in a country that has experienced just one competitive election – in 1994, bringing President Alexander Lukashenka to power for the next twenty-six years.

The scale of the protests is remarkable given the risks Belarusians face: at least 6,700 were arrested after the election; at least two protesters were killed; gruesome stories of beatings during and after detention abound. The broad-based opposition is united in a desire for change. Their resolve only strengthened following an internet blackout and police brutality. Mass actions have spread to the smallest towns and villages and encompass diverse segments of society. Demonstrations remain orderly – protesters even pick up their trash.

Citizens coordinate via an encrypted Telegram channel NEXTA (meaning “somebody” in Belarusian), which currently has over 2 million subscribers. NEXTA announces main protest events, cheers on occasional defections from the regime side, posts inspiring images and videos, and publicizes protesters’ horrific stories of torture and rape by the security forces. The channel is manned by a small team of professional journalists who do their best to verify stories and weed out “fake news” and, importantly, warn about provocations.

Dozens of state-owned factories are on strike, a remarkably effective strategy given the degree of state ownership in the economy. The size and strategic importance of the striking enterprises, which include Belaruskali, Belarusian Automobile Plant, Minsk Tractor Works, and many others, facilitate organisation and put workers directly in confrontation with the state. The workers are joined by doctors, teachers, artists, and transport workers. Even CEOs of Belarus’s top IT companies have called for an end to violence and new elections in an open letter.
https://belarusdigest.com/story/revolution-unfolds-in-belarus/

That’s it for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.

[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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Hey! It’s another one of our clips without context!

That’s funny, I don’t remember that being a part of the party platform! Now it’s time for Holy Shit!

Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the virtual pew make an online donation in the LAWRD’s VENMO collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:

My fair virtual congregation! We are currently in a battle for the heart and soul of this nation! I do not say that lightly because in this most egregious of times, we can find comfort in the good LAWRD JAYSUS CHRIST. For he is truly humbled in our presence. And I say this now because we are about to get political here, and as we have tested the limits of the IRS requirement before, wait until I show you how far down the rabbit hole we go because of this! Yes, I do get tired of the Matrix references. But that said, those on the right are about to revitalize voters, whatever that means. Especially now that Jerry Falwell Jr is embroiled in that scandal. We went over that in full last week but I still have to point it out because these are the people that want to control the soul of America!

Jerry Falwell Jr. the embattled president of Liberty University and one of the biggest champions of President Donald Trump, has resigned, Religion News Service has learned.

His resignation came within hours of the publication of a news story that alleged he and his wife Becki had a years-long sexual relationship with a business associate.

Falwell had been placed on indefinite leave earlier this month after posting, then deleting, a provocative Instagram photo of him posing with his arm around a woman at a party with their zippers down and midriffs showing.

After that post, Liberty University alumni and former teaching faculty at the school called for his permanent ouster, citing a long list of offensive statements by Falwell, who has been one of President Trump's staunchest allies.

Read more: https://religionnews.com/2020/08/24/jerry-falwell-resigns-liberty-university-alleged-affair-trump-pool-attendant/

I almost kind of want to post that on a Liberty University message board. Now now, thou musn’t gloat, it’s in the Good Book which we still have available! But that said, conservative Christians are at a moral crossroads because their unwavering support of the unholy, ungodly Dark One, a man so disgusting that his name must not be mentioned in my church, even if it is virtual, is costing them votes! And come on, is this really what we want?

The anti-LGBTQ Family Research Council and its political action arm are seeking $10.7 million for a get-out-the-vote plan in eight battleground states to stop “anti-biblical forces” from achieving their goal to “permanently transform America into a socialist, godless state,” according to a direct-mail fundraising letter from FRC President Tony Perkins postmarked Aug. 18. Perkins declares the November 2020 election “a make-or-break battle for America’s soul.”

“And with the possibility of at least one or more Supreme Court vacancies in the near future, abortion restrictions loosening in states all across the nation, religious liberty threatened like never before, and the debate over the natural family still raging, defeat is not an option,” Perkins writes.

The letter describes a strategy for maximizing conservative evangelical voter turnout by mobilizing members of FRC’s pastors network and its 8,000 community impact teams. It says it will use social media networks and some paid television advertisements to get out its message. FRC says its ground game in North Carolina helped President Donald Trump win the state in 2016 by almost double Mitt Romney’s 2012 margin.

A “special report” included with the fundraising letter highlights the importance of future judicial nominations to “defending pro-life policies, religious liberty, and the rule of law.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/family-research-council-wants-millions-to-reelect-trump-and-save-america-from-a-godless-secularist-leftist-future/

Except that there is judgement here, and that’s all they do. But this might be one of my favorite things to come out of the 2020 election. They have a “50 day fight plan” to revitalize voters. And why not? It’s not like they need revitalization, I think it’s safe to say that their mind is already made up. Do they really need prayer points? I could come up with some prayer points of my own!

President Donald Trump’s religious-right supporters are carrying out an array of efforts to promote his reelection, some using prayer and spiritual warfare as organizing vehicles. One of the latest is calling for a “Fifty Day Fight” between Sept. 14 and Election Day to defeat “the enemy” and ask God for “a second miracle” to put Trump back in the White House. The group held an online organizing meeting on Wednesday.

The project was launched by Daniel Bernard, president of a Tampa, Florida-based ministry called Somebody Cares Tampa Bay. Its partners and sponsors include anti-LGBTQ activist and POTUS Shield member Harry Jackson, far-right Christian broadcaster and failed politician E.W. Jackson, and Jason Yates, who heads My Faith Votes, a religious-right GOTV operation.

A video promoting the project portrays the 2020 election as a “battle of good and evil” and “spiritual warfare at its highest.” It warns that “Satan has released his demons” and urges viewers to “go to war with us.”

The project’s “prayer points” are not subtle. Here are the instructions for praying for the president:
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/50-day-fight-project-calls-for-spiritual-war-against-satan-and-his-demons-to-reelect-trump/

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! I’m sure this is not what the Good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now, is it! Because if they think that the Dark One is of a sound mind, I can assure you that he is not! But if the unholy Dark One is of a sound mind, then what does it say about them? Well let’s look at their prayer warriors, and I am going to go over this in full the next time we congregate. But one of my favorite Dark One-loving organizations, the Family Research Council, wants to save America from a “Godless left”. Now who are the godless ones really?

Yup and they’re gonna feel real bad about themselves when their boy loses, because good must triumph over evil! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy
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This week’s this fucking guy is Nicholas Sandmann. You might remember him as the smirking MAGA douchebag from last years’ Indigenous People’s Rally that was held in Washington, DC (see: Top 10 #6-3 ). Well, now that smirking MAGA kid has a lot more to smile about because he literally won the lottery. Just remember the American way – if you don’t like it, sue! But this week, Mr. Sandman has been elevated to a whole new level of fame because he’s been an invited guest at the RNC. Yes, as much as Trump loves himself, he has a psychotic hatred for the American news media, so as you can guess naturally he loves this kid, because, reasons. Now hold your boos.

On the weekend of January 18, 2019, a short video appeared on Twitter that purported to show a group of Catholic high school boys—one young man, Nicholas Sandmann, in particular—harassing a Native American elder named Nathan Phillips on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

One year later, the media's reckless mishandling of the story stands as an important warning against the kind of agenda-driven, outrage-mongering clickbait that unfortunately thrives in the world of online journalism.

But no less noteworthy was the news cycle that followed the initial flawed coverage, which featured a host of ideologically-motivated partisans doubling down on their initial assumption, digging for new information to justify it, and reassuring themselves that they were right all along. Sandmann and his MAGA hat-wearing friends had identified themselves as members of Team Trump, and thus the national shaming they endured was deserved, this thinking went. Indeed, those who had defended the boys by disputing some aspects of the encounter—including me, in an article for Reason that changed many people's minds about what had happened—were engaged in "gaslighting": trying to make people think that something they saw hadn't really happened.

Sandmann's subsequent lawsuits have kept the Covington-sympathetic public focused on several of the outlets that misreported the initial story: CNN, The Washington Post, and others. Indeed, these publications certainly deserve criticism, independent of the merits of the individual lawsuits. But these outlets' Covington-related sins pale in comparison to those who continued to malign the teens long after the additional video footage was available.
https://reason.com/2020/01/21/covington-catholic-media-nick-sandmann-lincoln-memorial/

So lesson learned: if you are wearing a MAGA hat, you can sue anyone for anything if they so much as look at you funny! But now this kid is being poised to be featured as a speaker at the RNC. Because, why not? The party that loves to “trigger the snowflakes” are a bunch of easily triggered snowflakes! They also seem to love anyone who will “own the libs”. Because they are a bunch of psychopaths. What can you expect at the RNC? Well expect a lot of Trump love.

Nicholas Sandmann, the Kentucky teen falsely accused of harassing a Native American protester in D.C. in 2019, will speak at the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, next week.

President Trump’s reelection campaign announced the 18-year-old would speak at the convention and the Covington Catholic High School graduate confirmed the date.

“I can’t tell you all enough about how excited I am to be apart of this years RNC!” the teenager tweeted.

Sandmann made headlines in July 2019 when he and fellow students demonstrating against abortion rights were approached by a smaller group of protesters including Native Americans raising awareness of the world’s indigenous people. A group called the Black Hebrew Israelites added to the confusion, according to VOX, which reports members of that organization engaged the high schoolers.

Initial reports, some including video clips, took the position that Sandmann and his classmates instigated a confrontation that saw the MAGA-cap wearing teen standing nearly nose-to-nose with an older, Native American man, seemingly smirking at him. As more footage of the incident emerged, Sandmann’s claim that he did not instigate the situation or do anything improper became increasingly convincing.
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-nicholas-sandmann-maga-covington-protest-sues-news-rnc-20200818-w5bpj733znahfcvknof4igpbn4-story.html

So here’s the difference between the two parties. The left has David Hogg, who survived one of the worst school shootings in 20 years. And the right has Nicholas Sandman, a smirking teenager who happened to be in the right place at the right time and wearing the same hat that Trump does. But speaking of attorneys, you’d better be careful who you hire if you’re going to sue the shit out of the major networks and newspapers.

A Covington, Ky., teenager who, along with some of his classmates, were at the center of an international tempest in January 2019 for an incident in Washington D.C., has settled a defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post for an undisclosed amount.

Former Covington Catholic student Nick Sandman announced the settlement Friday on Twitter. It also is his birthday.

“On 2/19/19, I filed a $250M defamation lawsuit against the Washington Post. Today, I turned 18 & WaPo settled my lawsuit…Thanks to my family & millions of you who have stood your ground by supporting me. I still have more to do,” Sandman tweeted.

He settled a similar lawsuit with CNN earlier this year. Sandmann also sued NBC Universal in U.S. District Court in Covington and then, in March, added ABC, CBS, USA Today owner Gannett, The New York Times and Rolling Stone.

In January 2019, the students from Covington Catholic High School were attending an annual March for Life trip being held at the same time as an Indigenous Peoples March.
https://www.wtvq.com/2020/07/24/covington-teen-settles-defamation-suit-with-the-washington-post/

Yeah fuck off!!! You guys are concerned about bullying and slander? Have you seen what Trump tweets on a daily basis? Or have you listened to Rush and Hannity and heard what they say on a daily basis? I mean come on, that’s some straight up bullying. And unlike what this kid went through, we don’t challenge Fox News! Maybe we should start. Because they’re not done. You know what they say – the beatings will continue until morale improves!

Attorneys for Nick Sandmann intend to file complaints against five additional media outlets, a status report filed earlier this week says.

The report states that lawyers for the Covington Catholic High School senior intend to file lawsuits against Gannett, ABC, ViacomCBS, The New York Times and Rolling Stone.

"All of the future defendants listed above have published or republished statements made by Nathan Phillips and others that Nicholas blocked or otherwise restricted Phillips’ free movement and would not allow Phillips to retreat at the National Mall on January 18, 2019. Nicholas reserves his right to file complaints in this Court or any other court against any other potential defendant not listed above, subject to the applicable statute of limitations," the document reads.

Sandman is the high school student who found himself at the center of a controversy after his face was depicted across social media during a 2019 March for Life trip, which coincided with an Indigenous Peoples March.
https://www.wlwt.com/article/nick-sandmanns-lawyers-intend-to-sue-5-additional-media-companies/31150604

Again, fuck off!! If you can’t beat ‘em, sue, sue again! Uh oh, I hope I don’t get sued for this piece! That’s Nicholas Sandman, this week’s:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Tucker Carlson Vs Cardi B
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Hey it’s time for another clip without context!

Whew, you guys got to stop smoking the covefefe, it’s bad for you! It’s now time for: Beating A Dead Horse!

I’m getting reaaaaaaaaaaaally sick of conservatives using the talking point that all liberals are “triggered snowflakes”. You know who the real triggered snowflake is? White conservative males. And you know what triggers them? Women. They can’t stand being around women of any kind. Even their own wives and daughters. Case in point: Tucker Carlson is triggered by none other than Latina rapper Cardi B, a rapper who is famous for her depictions of bling in her songs, and among other things, some extremely graphic depictions of the feminine lifestyle. And by “feminine lifestyle”, I mean sex and female body parts. Also, by female body parts, I mean the clitoris, ovaries, and the vagina, or as some rappers call it, the vajayjay! So Tucker Carlson got extremely triggered by Cardi B’s new song “WAP”, which stands for, and I’m guessing, Wet Ass Pussy. So here’s where the offense comes in.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s raunchy “WAP” was released last week and nearly everyone — from PETA to Tiger King‘s Carole Baskin — has an opinion about it. The rappers’ witty lyricism has also caught the attention of the conservative right, and many members of the GOP are beside themselves. Ben Shapiro recently went viral for reading through the song line-by-line and now Fox News host Tucker Carlson is also losing it over the No. 1 track.

Dissecting the track on his show Tuesday night, Carlson was appalled by the song’s popularity. The anchor was incredulous at the song’s NSFW lyrics and even included a clip of Cardi jokingly explaining the song’s meaning, taking her words at face value.

Voicing his outrage about “WAP,” Carlson said: “That’s garbage. You don’t need to be a puritan to think so. It is, it’s garbage. It’s aimed at young American girls — maybe your girls, your granddaughters and what is it doing to them? Can you imagine what it’s doing to them? People are getting rich pushing that crap on the country and they should be ashamed of themselves. But they’re not ashamed of themselves.”

Carlson also defended himself, saying he’s not being “prudish” and denying his indignation is similar to when James Brown was “sexually suggestive” on stage, something that happened 50 years ago. “Ask yourself, above all, and ask it more than once — What is this doing to our kids? The people pushing it are clearly trying to hurt your children. Why is nobody pushing back?” While Carlson thinks “WAP” is hurting children, Consequence Of Sound points out the anchor also doesn’t believe in the science of wearing masks and how they can keep everyone — including “your children” — safe from contracting coronavirus.
https://uproxx.com/music/tucker-carlson-wap-cardi-b/

Wait a minute, whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re comparing Cardi B to James Brown? Well, let me spell it out for you, Tucker. James Brown was a product of his time and his songs suggested way more than the lyrics did. And I'm guessing that by today's standards, if you were to do some digging, you could probably find a sexual misconduct lawsuit or two in there somewhere. Here, the lyrics don’t suggest anything. You know this song is Cardi B talking about her vaginal area. But here’s where they don’t tell you why they are angry about Cardi B.

Cardi B has a list of things she wants for the country and she has shared them with Joe Biden.

The rapper, who is riding high on the charts right now with her and Megan The Stallion's collaboration "WAP," sat down with the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for Elle magazine.
Even Cardi B seemed unable to believe it was happening, saying at the beginning of the virtual chat, "Oh, snap. Is this real?"

After Biden got her to call him Joe and introduced her to his daughter, Ashley, who he said was a fan, he joked that he and the rapper might be related as his daughter's nickname for him had been "Joey B."

He also congratulated Cardi B on landing the cover of Elle magazine and thanked her for her "generosity in dealing with people suffering from COVID" before the rapper launched into her questions.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/entertainment/cardi-b-joe-biden-elle/index.html

That’s actually Cypress Hill. But that’s right – they’re not triggered by Cardi B’s song WAP. They’re more triggered by the fact that she supports the next president of the United States, Joe Biden and not the current president, Donald Trump. So yeah Tucker, you’re just looking for an excuse to be pissed off at something. Look I get it, it’s a time to be mad at everything. Now playing devil’s advocate, here’s where things go a bit too far.

Cardi B isn’t pleased that a group of Trump supporters are playing her new song, WAP.

She posted on social media about the incident after videos circulated of a party – where tons of people with red MAGA hats were gathered – that had WAP, her new song with Cardi B, laid over it.

Cardi was not impressed – she tweeted about the incident, pointing out that some Republicans and prominent American conservatives hadn’t been all too happy about the song when it came out, and had spent time trying to tear down the song.

The video, which was posted by a user called TrumpsPlans, is a montage of clips from a Trump2020 boat party, where tons of people without masks and wearing Trump shirts were gathered.

The song only came out two weeks ago, but it’s inspired a lot of meltdowns and consternation from right-wing people. Cardi may have been referring to Ben Shapiro, the prominent conservative commentator who spent a whole video dissecting the lyrics and the video for WAP, commenting that he was only ‘concerned’ because his ‘doctor wife’ said that there may be medical conditions for a WAP (which is worrying).
https://www.indy100.com/article/cardi-b-wap-trump-boat-party-twitter-instagram-9681416

Seriously, Cardi, you’re going to go there? We can’t even track all the people who have COVID! Good luck with that one. But who’s the real triggered snowflake in all of this? Oh yeah it’s Tucker. And man is he fucking triggered in this piece! But you know what? If you don’t like it, change the damn channel! Or stream something else to your wifi! It’s not like you don’t have a choice right now. We live in a land where you can get any content you want 24 hours a day. So I say this in all seriousness – shut the fuck up, Tucker. Also, you don’t care about kids at all.

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson ranted against not one, but two prominent Black women on Tuesday evening, calling Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention “a total and complete crock” before assailing Cardi B’s new hit “WAP” as “filth.”

Michelle Obama, Carlson said in an opening segment devoted to criticizing the DNC, “delivered a taped address from her $11 million estate on Martha’s Vineyard. Michelle Obama, it’s fair to say, has done pretty well for herself. But what she wanted you to know last night was that she is still a victim ― she and everyone who looks like her ― so shut up and accept her dominion over you.”

Carlson argued that Obama was playing up her victimhood and used her speech to stoke racial tension.

“They hate me for my race, says the woman whose husband was elected by that very same country twice in a row, hence allowing her to buy an $11 million spread on Martha’s Vineyard, from which she lectures the plebes. And by the way, if Michelle Obama hates politics so much, why is she giving a political speech at a political convention?”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tucker-carlson-michelle-obama-cardi-b_n_5f3cb4c0c5b6d8a9173f978e

[font size="8"]I Need A Drink

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Hey everyone! I could really use a drink!

So you know the idea about this is that we have some drinks and while we’re drinking we talk about anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. Because let’s face it, there’s some seriously dark shit out there. And I do miss my live audience. Because drinking at home while recording this on my desktop with my webcam just isn’t nearly as fun. I miss my sarcastic bartender. This virtual bartender isn’t nearly as fun. So tell me virtual bartender, what goes well with a story about a creepy new Netflix show? A mudslide? OK who’s been screwing with this thing? Just give me my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. This week we’re going to talk about the controversial new Netflix series called “Cuties” and whew, this is getting quite the reaction. And it’s batshit insane.

Netflix has issued a swift mea culpa after a strong backlash today around the marketing of its forthcoming release Cuties.

The largely well-received French-language pic won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance this year. It follows Amy, an 11-year-old girl who joins a group of dancers named “The Cuties” at school and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity — upsetting her mother and her values. The film is rated 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics generally praised it for its handling of sensitive topics.

Netflix recently began promoting the movie ahead of its September 9 release on the platform. However, the accompany artwork has provoked a storm of online criticism, with many saying the poster sexualizes children. One Twitter user called it “disgusting,” while another said, “Netflix really messed up here.” Here’s the poster that sparked the backlash:

The online release follows its theatrical rollout in its native France via Bac Films, which began Wednesday. The Netflix poster contrasts considerably with the French theatrical poster, which strikes a somewhat different tone:
https://deadline.com/2020/08/netflix-apologizes-inappropriate-cuties-poster-criticized-sexualizing-children-1203018498/

Oh yeah that’s the stuff! Excuse me while I pour another round here. So of course just the poster is triggering people. But have you seen child beauty pageants? Those people are fucking insane! And come on this isn’t any different than what those Q Anon dipshits have come up with. The real outrage should be that people haven’t seen it yet and they’re literally judging a book by its’ cover.

Netflix has issued a statement apologizing for the marketing around its upcoming original film “Cuties,” directed by French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré. The movie world premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and earned Doucouré a spot on IndieWire’s annual list of rising women directors to know. Netflix received backlash over the film after it debuted a poster for the film August 18 that many believed sexualized children.

“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties,” a Netflix spokesperson said. “It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.”

“Cuties” stars newcomer Fathia Youssouf as Amy, an 11-year-old girl who befriends a group of dancers at her school and begins growing into her burgeoning femininity. Amy’s coming of age experience with her new friends upsets her mother as it is in direct confrontation with the family’s Senegalese Muslim traditions.

Netflix’s poster for “Cuties” featured the young girls that appear in the film striking suggestive dance poses such as twerking while dressed in tight and revealing group outfits. Netflix’s marketing led to a Change.org petition urging the streaming giant to remove the title from its upcoming slate. The petition for Netflix to cancel “Cuties” has earned over 35,000 signatures and counting.
https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/netflix-apologizes-cuties-marketing-sexualizing-children-1234581341/

OK here’s where cancel culture goes berserk. And I totally get Bill Maher on this one, but here’s the thing – we here at the Top 10 do *NOT* endorse any kind of perversion or any kind of sexual exploitation of minors. Fuck that shit. But the film was trying to make a point about this sort of thing, and the “won’t somebody please think of the children” crowd took things just a bit too far here. Of course we’re in a pandemic and they can’t complain in person, but their online outrage was noted.

On Aug. 20, Netflix issued an apology following a wave of backlash for its marketing materials promoting Maïmouna Doucouré's Cuties. The poster featured the French film's main characters — the titular dance troupe named Cuties — in spandex dance costumes of shorts and crop tops. The streamer's now-deleted movie description read that lead character Amy "becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew," and in an attempt to join them, she "starts to explore her femininity, defying her family's traditions."

An uproar was immediately ignited over the poster's apparent sexualisation of children, and the backlash equated Netflix's marketing with the film's intent. "We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties," a Netflix spokesperson said in the statement on Thursday. "It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We've now updated the pictures and description."

The damage, however, was already done. Along with accusations that Netflix was run by pedophiles, petitions went up demanding the streamer remove the film from its lineup. I should note that Cuties won't premiere in the United States until Sept. 9, so the masses currently protesting the film's release haven't actually seen it. But that hasn't stopped over 178,000 people from signing the petition or another petition with the same purpose from gaining over 336,000 signatures.
https://www.popsugar.com.au/entertainment/netflix-cuties-poster-artwork-controversy-47719798

OK why don’t we ask actual actresses what they think of this movie? Let’s take for instance Tessa Thompson, responsible for one of my favorite recent movies Thor: Ragnarok. Now Ms. Thompson of course is a woman who grew up in cinema and saw this kind of thing first hand. Now what does she think of this most egregious of movies? Well, it’s a decidedly different take than the “Won’t somebody please think of the children” crowd.

Thor: Ragnarok and Men In Black: International actress Tessa Thompson has taken to Twitter to defend Netflix’s upcoming release Cuties after the film’s marketing sparked widespread backlash.

Originally titled Mignonnes, the French film is said to follow a young Sengalese Muslim girl who joins a youth ‘twerking’ crew in Paris and finds herself torn between her traditional religious culture and the hyper-sexualized culture of the West.

Mignonnes premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it earned director Maimouna Doucouré the event’s Directing Award, and was soon after optioned for international distribution by Netflix.

Netflix recently ignited a firestorm of anger around Cuties after the streaming service released promotional material for the film, including a poster that featured the pre-teen kids in suggestive outfits and poses.

They also released a description of the film that read “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her feminity, defying her family’s traditions.”
https://boundingintocomics.com/2020/08/22/thors-tessa-thompson-defends-netflixs-cuties-due-to-directors-race/

[font size="8"]Road To The White House
[br] [/font] [br]

Welcome back to the segment where we are documenting everything leading up to the 2020 election to end all elections! This is… cue reverb… THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!! Oh that was some good reverb there! Last week we brought you all the GOP reactions to Joe Biden’s historic nomination of California senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate. This week, we’re going to talk celebrity endorsements. And I had to look up who is still endorsing Trump because that list is getting shorter and shorter every day. Trump did pick up a celebrity endorsement this week – from former NFL legend Herschel Walker. But really, Herschel, if you are sad that Trump is being called racist, well, have you been paying attention the last four years?

Former NFL player Herschel Walker defended his friend President Donald Trump against claims that he is a racist on Monday during the first night of the Republican National Convention.

“I’m not an actor, a singer or politician. I’m Herschel Walker. Most of you know me as a football player, but I’m also a father, a man of faith and a very good judge of character,” Walker said during his virtual address to Republicans.

Walker went on to recall his 37-year-long friendship with Trump, whom he described as kind and thoughtful — the antithesis of how the president has been characterized over the past four years in office.

“It hurts my soul to hear the terrible names that people call Donald. The worst one is ‘racist.’ I take it as a personal insult that people would think I would have a 37-year friendship with a racist,” said Herschel Walker, a two-time NFL pro-baller.
https://thegrio.com/2020/08/25/herschel-walker-trump-racist-hurts-my-soul/

Yes, break out the sad songs on the tiniest violin. Because if you want celebrity endorsements, you vote for Joe Biden. He attracts the cool celebrities. Trump on the other hand, attracts people like James Woods and Jon Voight. If that’s your cup of tea fine. But let’s keep in mind that here’s the kind of people and “celebrities” of the caliber that Trump attracts. People like the gun-toting McCloskeys of St. Louis!

Mark and Patricia McCloskey — the couple seen in a viral video brandishing guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside of their home earlier this summer — are now taking aim at Democrats.

On Monday, the pair spoke from their hometown of St. Louis during the 2020 Republican National Convention, addressing viewers in a four-minute clip about "defending" one's home and decrying anyone who attempts to infiltrate their suburban lives.

“What you saw happen to us could just as easily happen to any of you who are watching from quiet neighborhoods around our country. And that’s what we want to speak to you about tonight,” said Patricia.

The McCloskeys were charged in July with unlawful use of a weapon by exhibiting. Video from the June 28 incident showed the two personal injury lawyers, who are white, holding guns in front of a large crowd of protesters outside their home. Mark was filmed holding a large assault weapon, while Patricia was holding a pistol. (Joel Schwartz, the couple's attorney, has said he believes "no crime was committed.&quot

https://people.com/politics/couple-who-threatened-protesters-with-guns-say-america-will-not-be-safe-with-democrats-in-rnc-remarks/

Yeah compensate this. Now let’s switch gears and talk about Biden’s celebrity endorsements. See kids, if you want to hang with the cool crowd, vote for Joe Biden. If you want to see real artists, celebrities, entertainers, scientists, and everything in between, you vote for Biden. If you want to see lameness on display, by all means vote for Trump. So we’ll go hang out in the cool kids room, and you guys can wait behind the velvet rope to get in.

The 2020 Democratic National Convention wrapped up on August 20, officially naming Joe Biden as the democratic nominee for as the next President of The U.S. and Kamala Harris as his VP.

In addition to impassioned speeches and touching videos, the four day event was jam packed with celebrity appearances from A-List actors to pop performers.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Emmy-award winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus channeled her Veep character Selina Meyer as she moderated the fourth and final night of the DNC.

Throughout the night she zinged the sitting president with her comedic chops.

“Tonight, I couldn’t be prouder to be a loyal union member, a passionate climate activist, and a patriotic Democrat,” she said at one point. “Or as Donald Trump will call me in a tweet tomorrow, ‘a washed-up, horse-face, no-talent has-been with low ratings.’ Well, with all due respect, sir, it takes one to know one.”

John Legend
Singer and songwriter John Legend performed on the last night of the convention. The singer took to the stage to perform ‘Never Break’ and ‘Glory’ with rapper Common.

Billie Eilish
Singer songwriter Billie Eilish delivered a powerful anti-Trump speech, and debuted her new song ‘My Future’ on the third night.

“You don’t need me to tell you that things are a mess. Donald Trump is destroying our country and everything we care about. We need leaders who will solve problems like climate change and COVID, not deny them,” she said.

Before launching into her first single since quarantine, she continued: “Someone who’s building a team that shares our values. It starts with voting against Donald Trump and for Joe Biden.
https://okmagazine.com/photos/celebrities-endorse-joe-biden-eva-longoria-billy-eilish/

At least our VIP sign is much nicer than that! So let that be a lesson, there, kids. If you want to hang out with the cool kids, vote for Biden. If you want to hang out with the creeps and lowlifes, vote for Trump, and that’s about it. I know, I am repeating myself but I can’t emphasize that enough. And if it’s celebrity endorsements that you are after, by all means vote for Democrats! If you don’t care, then vote for Trump, it’s that simple.

If there’s one area that Democrats clearly have Republicans beat, it’s with celebrity endorsements.

The party took full advantage, stocking the programming with appearances from top-tier performers.

Billie Eilish blasted Trump in a startlingly blunt direct-to-camera monologue before unveiling her song “My Future.”

Jennifer Hudson performed the Sam Cooke classic “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Folk legend John Prine’s last recorded song was played over a tribute to those who have died from COVID-19. Prine died this year from the disease.

Common and John Legend led a final night tribute to the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) with "Glory," the Oscar-winner from the movie “Selma.”

Along the way, basketball star Steph Curry and family released a cute and playful endorsement video. Actresses Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria hosted different nights of the convention.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/513052-what-well-remember-from-the-2020-biden-convention

We are taking a little bit of a break for Labor Day and we will running a Best Of on 9/2 and 9/9. We will be back on 9/15 with the second edition of our Top 10 Hot 10! See you in two weeks!

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August 19, 2020

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-9: When You Control The Mail, You Control Information Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-9: When You Control The Mail, You Control Information Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! How’s everybody doing? Are you guys doing fucking good? I know, right? I hope everyone is enjoying the virtual Democratic Convention. Yeah we wish it were in person too but this shitty virus is still roaming the landscape. But so far some great speeches and we can’t wait to see what Joe and Jill Biden have in store for us! I We’ll have a full 3 part recap next week and preview of the RNC as well. I know that I cannot wait until we kick Trump to the curb in November! Do we have time for the thing? Of course we do. We have all the time in the world right now. I await no schedule! Well, remember how the video store that everyone loved to hate, and hated to love, Blockbuster Video, was down to two locations? Now it’s just down to one – and it’s in Bend, Oregon. Well now that location is doing something and it’s bringing back the slumber parties that you had from childhood! Yup, those are a thing again! Complete with VCR copies of your favorite 80s and 90s flicks! That’s right – for a low price on Air BNB you can now rent the last Blockbuster on earth for a sleepover. I hope they have the old Radiation King TVs from my youth! That’s right, I had one. I also had the cheap ass VCR from Sears with the broken power button. OK I had better stop right now before I completely date myself. OK that’s enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he talks about the impact all the crisis are having on juries – and it’s scarier than you might imagine:

Sigh, yet another week under the dreaded pandemic and things aren’t getting any better. So we’re here to entertain you for another week! In the first slot this week is of course the guy who we still inexplicably call president, Donald J. Trump (1). If you cannot win, why not rig the vote? That’s what he’s trying to do with his relentless attacks on the USPS. And he just might get it. Do your best Newman impression here. In the second slot this week is the actual 45th president of the United States, Vladimir Putin (2)! Does glorious Mother Russia have a COVID vaccine? Spoiler alert: NO! Taking the third slot this week is Twitter (3). So Herman Cain sadly lost his battle with the dreaded COVID-19 virus that has been plaguing the landscape, but someone is using his verified account to tweet from beyond the grave! And they’re using and abusing his account! In the fourth slot this week is a new edition of “We’re All Gonna Die” – which features Q Anon Maskholes, a new string of potentially deadly insect, and a rather scary development happening in the California desert! Taking the 5th slot this week is our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5) and this week the lawsuit that refuses to die – involving legendary rock band Led Zeppelin, and band nobody’s ever heard of, Spirit, over Stairway To Heaven, might be going to SCOTUS after another ruling. Find out what it takes to go all the way! In slot #6 this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week our resident pastor can’t help but gloat at the straits that Liberty University is in after president Jerry Falwell Jr is quite literally caught with his pants down! Taking the 7th slot this week, we have a new edition of “This Fucking Guy” (7) and this week we’re going to profile the CEO of the NRA, Wayne La Pierre, and his abuse of the NRA’s bank account to spend on some lavish personal items! At slot #8 is our segment where we attempt to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner (8) and we’ll introduce you to a pair of Q linked candidates who could be headed to Congress, and that’s fucking scary! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week, is a new People Are Dumb (9) because of course they are! Finally this week in Road To The White House (10), there’s even more reactions to Joe Biden’s historic nomination of Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate, and we will go through more of them! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

[div style="padding: 20px; background-color: #ffffff; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 1px #aaa;"][div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-weight: bold; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999; padding-bottom: 8px;"]

[font size="8"]Donald J. Trump
[br] [/font] [br]

It’s basically no secret that the guy who we still inexplicably call president, Donald J. Trump, and I am going to go out on a limb here, and say that he’s a bit afraid of Joe Biden. And he’s gone to such extreme lengths as to denounce Biden and dig up some dirt on his son’s business dealings in the Ukraine. Now his latest attacks are on the United States Post Office. Yes, in the middle of the worst pandemic in an entire century, people want to be able to exercise their right to vote against Trump. And Trump is slipping in the polls. So put those two things together and there’s a good possibility that Trump will be a one term president. But what if… he were to start fucking with the post office? Yes one of the few government entities actually defined in the US Constitution could be in serious jeopardy, and we’d all lose because of it!

The US Postal Service is at the center of the 2020 presidential election following President Donald Trump's repeated baseless claims that voting by mail will lead to voter fraud and his acknowledgment last week that he wanted to block USPS funding to sabotage mail-in voting.

Now, a group of attorneys general from at least 20 states are formally suing the Postal Service as part of an effort to ensure that that mail service is not interrupted before November 3, The Washington Post first reported on Tuesday.

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy — a major Trump donor with no prior government experience — has said he hopes to reduce costs by cutting down on overtime and late trips, which has disrupted mail delivery in some parts of the country. Critics say the measures are meant not to financially repair the long-ailing USPS but to compromise the effectiveness of mail-in voting.

In the lawsuits, states are expected to argue that some of the more recent changes DeJoy made to mail delivery, including limiting overtime and late trips, violate federal law because they were not formally approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
https://www.businessinsider.com/attorneys-general-consider-suing-trump-administration-attack-usps-democracy-2020-8

That’s right! When you control the mail, you control information! So Trump is stepping in some seriously deep doo doo with this latest act of aggression. Things are bad enough right now, last thing we need is this petulant man child fucking up one of the oldest and most American of institutions. Having an America without the post office would be like having an apple pie without apples. Just crust and apple flavored syrup. Here’s why this is, and I am just guessing, bad. Hold your boos.

The Trump administration is making new inroads into the operations of the US Postal Service, raising fears that the agency is degrading services ahead of a surge of votes being cast through the mail in the November election.

As President Donald Trump has launched a relentless attack on vote-by-mail elections, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has inserted himself into the Postal Service's finances and a major Trump donor was selected to lead the USPS -- steps critics warn have opened up the independent government agency to undue political influence.

New Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who took over in June, is under pressure to reverse dramatic cost-cutting measures and prepare the Postal Service for a flood of mail-in ballots this fall. Last week, Mnuchin struck a loan deal with the Postal Service giving him access to details of its 10 biggest service contracts, likely including Amazon -- a move that could give the administration new ammunition to push the USPS to agree to one of Trump's pet projects, raising its shipping prices.

And in another sign of Mnuchin's involvement in the Postal Service's dealings, the Treasury secretary received briefings from the USPS Board of Governors to discuss the appointment of DeJoy as postmaster general earlier this year, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, an irregular arrangement that has not happened in past appointments.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/06/politics/trump-administration-postal-service-elections/index.html

But here’s why Trump is ramping up his attacks on the USPS. It has absolutely nothing to do with his reelection he claims. But it could have a lot to do with his ridiculous on again, off again feud with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. And Trump is once again upping the insanity that Amazon is responsible for the demise of the USPS. Despite time and time again that claim is 100% pure, grade A bullshit!

President Donald Trump is once again blaming Amazon for the demise of the United States Postal Service.

In an interview with "Fox & Friends" on Monday, Trump reignited his attack against the ecommerce juggernaut, stating that Amazon is killing the USPS.

The remark is one of a series of recent snipes the president has made at Amazon, including back in April when he placed fault on "internet companies that give their stuff to the Postal Service" in response to claims he tried to cut USPS funding from the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill.

"Amazon and other companies like it, they come and they drop all of their mail into a post office," Trump said on "Fox & Friends. "They drop packages into the post office by the thousands and then they say, 'Here, you deliver them.' We lose $3 and $4 a package on average. We lose massive amounts of money."
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-reignites-campaign-against-the-us-postal-service-and-amazon-2020-8

We don’t either but there’s no reason to get rid of the USPS either. We need them as much as they need us. And if you’re not fucking horrified by the attacks on this institution, but if you support these attacks you may just be part of the problem. The resolution? It comes in 78 days and it involves voting Trump’s sorry ass out of the White House! That’s the only way to end this nightmare!

Taking reporters’ questions on the White House lawn Monday morning about the future of the U.S. Postal Service and mail-in balloting, President Donald Trump dissembled.

“One of the things the post office loses so much money on is the delivering packages for Amazon and these others. Every time they deliver a package, they probably lose three or four dollars,” he said. “That’s not good. They have to raise those prices — OK — not for the people to pay, but for Amazon and those companies to pay.”

Trump has been asserting this for years and it’s not true. Delivering packages provides a handsome revenue boost to the U.S. Postal Service, thanks to e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and others that ship packages in vast truckloads. But package delivery is a small part of the Postal Service’s operation. Mail delivery is its lifeblood, and it has been withering.

A big chunk of the Postal Service’s losses, about $32.6 billion for the fiscal years 2014 through 2019, are also due to a congressional mandate requiring it to prefund future retiree health benefits for its employees — which many other public and private entities don’t have to do. So no, none of these financial problems are caused by package delivery.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-18/usps-sos-trump-can-t-hide-his-true-reason-for-attacking-post-office

[font size="8"]Vladimir Putin
[br] [/font] [br]

So is anyone really buying this polished turd of a claim that Vladimir Putin already has a vaccine for COVID? Well, the 45th president of the United States and supreme overlord of Mother Russia says that his vaccine has been approved for use. Or has it? Cue the shifty eyes because he might have unleashed a heaping table of bullshit. That’s right, last week Putin unveiled his version of the COVID vaccine called “Sputnik V” but as I have said is anybody really buying this? I know for a fact that I am not. And let’s just see how real Russia’s vaccine really is. Do your best Scooby Doo impression here.

Amid the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a coronavirus vaccine, touted as the world's first such vaccine, too. The registration of the vaccine lays ground for mass inoculation even as the final stages of clinical trials to test safety and efficacy continue.

The announcement came in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 20 million people and killed nearly 750,000 worldwide, thus, crippling world economies.

Russia dubbed its newly launched vaccine against coronavirus "Sputnik V" after the Soviet satellite, the head of the country's sovereign wealth fund said, as per reports.

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund which finances the vaccine project, said Phase 3 trials would start on Wednesday, industrial production was expected from September and that 20 countries had pre-ordered more than a billion doses, AFP reported.
https://www.livemint.com/news/world/russia-develops-world-s-first-covid-19-vaccine-putin-s-daughter-gets-vaccinated-11597135192189.html

Why do TV show and movie characters always say that? Because even I don’t know what I’m thinking half the time. But anyway glorious dictator Putin not only has the vaccine he has had family members take it. If you’re following the 1918 playbook, it was at this point in the pandemic that the bogus drugs and cures were being touted. Hey, we all want to get on with our lives and put this behind us. But we won’t if shit like this keeps happening!

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on 11 August that the country’s health regulator had become the first in the world to approve a coronavirus vaccine for widespread use — but scientists globally have condemned the decision as dangerously rushed. Russia hasn’t completed large trials to test the vaccine’s safety and efficacy, and rolling out an inadequately vetted vaccine could endanger people who receive it, researchers say. It could also impede global efforts to develop quality COVID-19 immunizations, they suggest.

“That the Russians may be skipping such measures and steps is what worries our community of vaccine scientists. If they get it wrong, it could undermine the entire global enterprise,” says Peter Hotez, a vaccine scientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

“This is a reckless and foolish decision. Mass vaccination with an improperly tested vaccine is unethical. Any problem with the Russian vaccination campaign would be disastrous both through its negative effects on health, but also because it would further set back the acceptance of vaccines in the population,” said Francois Balloux, a geneticist at University College London, in a statement distributed by the UK Science Media Centre.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02386-2

By the way we’re not the only ones calling bullshit here! See in order to get a vaccine approved, there’s four different stages that one must go through in order to get it approved and distributed. And Putin is claiming that he won the Stanley Cup when we’re just in 1st period intermission of game 1. This virus is a beast and not going away anytime soon. But the subject of the anti-vaxxers’ favorite punching bag, Bill Gates, is calling bullshit!

If Russian President Vladimir Putin has found an effective COVID-19 vaccine, then the data showing its safety and effectiveness should be released, the head of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance says.

In an exclusive wide-ranging interview with Newsweek International, Dr. Seth Berkley said that he had yet to see any efficacy data showing that President Putin had a safe vaccine.

He said: "We don't have public, published information on efficacy or safety of this product.

"It may be that there's some data we don't know about but in general what's very important is that vaccines go through a well-oiled and recognized process for evaluation and safety and ultimately registration.
https://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-vaccine-russian-uk-putin-trump-gavi-covid-19-health-1525552

That is most certainly true! And before you keep calling bullshit, like I am, let’s just say that the COVID vaccine race is the latest in the long, long series of pissing contests between the United States and Mother Russia. And it’s made even worse by the fact that we have a ruthless dictator on one end, and an insecure, egomaniacal man child on the other. You can interchange those as you see fit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the approval of a coronavirus vaccine for use on Tuesday, claiming it as a "world first," amid continued concern and unanswered questions over its safety and effectiveness.

"A vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning," Putin said on state TV. "I know that it works quite effectively, it forms a stable immunity."

Putin added that one of his daughters had already taken it; he said she had a slightly higher temperature after each dose, but that: "Now she feels well."

Developed by the Moscow-based Gamaleya Institute, the vaccine has been named Sputnik-V, a reference to the surprise 1957 launch of the world's first satellite by the Soviet Union. It has yet to go through crucial Phase 3 trials where it would be administered to thousands of people.

The claim of victory by Putin in the global push to make an effective vaccine against Covid-19 comes amid suggestions that Russia has cut essential corners in its development.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/europe/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-putin-intl/index.html

[font size="8"]Herman Cain
[br] [/font] [br] B

This next entry is going to go against the long, long standing Top 10 policy that we never speak ill of the dead. But when the dead are mysteriously using their Twitter accounts to speak ill of us, that’s when I throw out the rules and say “fuck it” and start fighting fire with fire! If you’ve been following the Top 10, you know that former presidential candidate and pizza magnate Herman Cain sadly lost his brief battle with COVID-19. But if you’re on the Tweet Sphere, you know that somehow, Cain has mysteriously risen from the dead and is tweeting republican! Yes, to borrow that classic Bart Simpson line. So how did someone manage to get a hold of Cain’s verified account and why are they using it for bad? Because fuck it, that’s why!

Herman Cain's Twitter account is still tweeting, more than two weeks after the former Republican presidential candidate died from coronavirus.

Cain died at 74 years old on July 30 after being hospitalized with coronavirus. His official Twitter account, now with the name "The Cain Gang," has since regularly tweeted or retweeted criticism against Democrats, particularly against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his pick for vice president, Kamala Harris.

For instance, on Thursday, Cain's Twitter tweeted "Harris has a ton of baggage and a political glass jaw. She's awful."

That same day, it tweeted that The Cain Gang "consists of different writers who have their own opinions. We all lean right, but we're also individuals. Each piece reflects the opinions of that writer. That's how Herman wanted it to work."

Cain's daughter, Melanie Cain Gallo, wrote in a post on his website on Tuesday that Cain "believed in using his voice to teach, enlighten and give hope. It's one of the ways he used this web site every day, and he wouldn't have wanted that work to stop with his passing."
https://www.businessinsider.com/herman-cains-twitter-is-still-active-after-died-from-coronavirus-2020-8

Well in this case they’re tweeting republican! But why? And why is this so fucking creepy? Well Hermain Cain was a naturally creepy individual by nature. I mean we all saw that weird campaign ad from when he actually attempted to run:

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. 8 years later and that still creeps me the fuck out. But seriously, speaking of the creep factor, here’s why this is so creepy.

Although Republican activist and one-time Godfathers Pizza CEO Herman Cain — who served as co-chair of Black Voices for Trump — died from COVID-19 on July 30, new posts from his Twitter account, @THEHermanCain, have appeared this week. And according to The Guardian's Adam Gabbatt, Cain's allies have decided to keep the account active with tweets on this week's events.

One of the posts appeared after former Vice President Joe Biden, on Tuesday, chose Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Another post, added on Thursday, attacked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Gabbatt explains that Cain's daughter, Melanie Cain Gallo, has offered some clarification on the new tweets. According to Gallo, "We've decided here at Cain HQ that we will go on using this platform to share the information and ideas he believed in. He often talked about the site going on once he was ready to step away from it. We had hoped he could enjoy reading it in his retirement, but he made it clear he wanted it to go on."

Gallo also said that new tweets from her father's social media accounts will "go under the name The Cain Gang."

But initially, the name on the account hadn't been changed — "Herman Cain" still seemed to be tweeting — and no explanation for the new posts was given. The posts appeared exactly as they would have had Cain tweeted them while he was alive, leading many to react to the disconcerting situation in shock.
https://www.salon.com/2020/08/15/herman-cains-twitter-account-is-creeping-everyone-out-it-is-still-trolling-after-his-death_partner/

So this begs the question – if Herman Cain is dead, then who’s got a hold of his account? And why is this individual using it to promote the dark side? Well the “Cain Gang” has taken over his account and they are apparently using it to spread his legacy. And by the way is the name “Cain Gang” what you really want to call your army of followers? Or do you even have an army? Maybe it’s just a small but vocal fan club.

Herman Cain, the 2012 Republican presidential candidate who died after contracting COVID-19, is continuing to denounce to Democratic politicians on social media two weeks after his death.

"Just in case you thought Biden's candidacy was going to be anything other than completely nuts, team Trump has released a new video," read the first post on Cain's Twitter account since an Aug. 7 one that shared the time of his funeral.

"How well prepared is Kamala Harris for the presidency? We take a look. We're not impressed and you won't be either," read a post added to his Facebook account on Wednesday.

"Harris has a ton of baggage and a political glass jaw. She's awful," read a post added Thursday.

The flurry of political posts on his social media accounts is the work of Cain's daughter Dr. Melanie Cain Gallo.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/13/herman-cain-attacks-kamala-harris-social-media-2-weeks-after-death/3362783001/

Wait, let me get this straight. Kamala has a lot of baggage but your man dies from a plague after hanging out with Trump in Oklahoma City? Get the fuck out of here! And come on, Cain Gang, whoever you are, we’re onto you! And I really hate to use TMZ for this angle of the story but I couldn’t find anything else but guess what? No violation at all! Even though Twitter has rules against this sort of thing!

Herman Cain's political takes from beyond the grave will continue -- even if some Twitter users think it's dirty pool -- because they're not breaking any rules.

The late pizza tycoon and politician's Twitter account raised eyebrows Wednesday night when it started firing off anti-Joe Biden posts in response to Joe announcing Kamala Harris as his running mate.

The tweets drew a mixed reaction -- some joked Cain had jumped online posthumously to keep supporting President Trump. But, others fumed the account was violating Twitter policy ... since the person posting is obviously not HC.

Not so, according to a Twitter spokesperson, who tells us the profile info and images have been updated to reflect who is truly managing the account ... so, it's all Kosher.

The new group in charge calls itself "The Cain Gang," and -- led by his daughter Dr. Melanie Cain Gallo -- vows to continue working on his political mission.

Since Wednesday, that's included several tweets and retweets supporting Trump and slamming his opponents.
https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/14/herman-cain-gang-twitter-account-no-violation-biden-tweets/

[font size="8"]We’re All Gonna Die
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Hey everyone guess what? We’re all gonna die!!WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!! WOOOOOOO. WOOO. Of course unlike the other times when I’ve said we’re all gonna die, I mean it could really happen this year. After all, this is 2020, which seems to be the year of disaster. Don’t believe me? We’ve had a plague, we’ve had murder hornets, we’ve had test tube stealing monkeys, and we’re still in August! But this might be something that could really kill us – there’s a storm coming. No, I’m not talking about that Q Anon horseshit. I’m talking about a real life fire tornado that’s been brewing up in the Northern California desert. For real.

Firefighters are battling more than a dozen wildfires across California as a scorching heat wave continues to bear down on the state. And in the midst of record-breaking temperatures, rare lightning storms have also sparked a handful of new fires that continue to rage on.

"We are all experiencing rather extraordinary conditions," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday, adding that there are about 15 fires burning in the northern and southern ends of the state.

About 40,000 acres have been charred by a fire that was started by lightning close to Loyalton, a community along the California-Nevada border near Reno.

As of Monday afternoon, officials said it was 10% contained after destroying 11 structures, including five homes, the U.S. Forest Service said.
https://www.npr.org/2020/08/18/903399662/extreme-heat-and-fire-tornadoes-slow-firefighting-efforts-in-california

Yeah probably! So fire tornadoes are one thing that is actually a thing in my home state and it’s absolutely terrifying! You know what else could kill you? A major earthquake, and that’s also a thing that my state of California has to deal with. Not only that, boomerang earthquakes are now a thing! And that would also make a great band name. But you know since the Doomsday Clock moved another 30 seconds closer to midnight, is it any wonder why we are fucked?

A massive earthquake in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in 2016 ricocheted east then west like a geologic boomerang.

Boomerang quakes have only been rarely anecdotally reported, and never before recorded scientifically. This strangely complex earthquake happened on a relatively simple, straight-line fault called an ocean transform fault. That suggests such weird, ricocheting quakes could happen on other straight-line faults, such as the San Andreas Fault that snakes along California's coast.

Complicated earthquakes aren't unusual, said study co-author Stephen Hicks, an earthquake seismologist and research associate at Imperial College London. But that's not surprising because most faults are complicated: They might be very close to other faults, which all rupture in weird ways when one snaps under pressure. Ocean transform faults, by contrast, should be simple, Hicks said.

"We're seeing this level of complexity on just a single structure," Hicks told Live Science.
https://www.livescience.com/boomerang-earthquake.html

Now now we’re not gonna die yet. And not only are we gonna die, the animals might also have a chance of dying with us! No, that’s nothing to laugh or scoff at! You know what the COVID pandemic is having an effect on? The salmon population. Yes, that most delicious of pink, scaly fish that goes great on a bagel with a metric shit ton of cream cheese could be at risk because of the COVID pandemic, which means bad news for us!

Unless you fished for salmon this summer at Bristol Bay, it’s been slim pickings for fishermen in other Alaska regions. Salmon returns have been so poor that communities already are claiming fishery disasters.

Cordova’s City Council last week unanimously passed a resolution asking the state to declare disasters for both the 2018 Copper River sockeye and chinook salmon runs and the 2020 sockeye, chum and chinook runs at the Copper River and Prince William Sound.

The resolution also urges the state and federal governments to declare a “condition of economic disaster in Cordova as a result,” reported Seafood.com, adding, “The town of 2,500 is now the first of what will likely be at least one or two others to ask for a fisheries and economic disaster declaration in 2020.”

The sockeye fishery at Chignik on the Alaska Peninsula also has remained closed again this year. So few salmon have returned state managers said it is unlikely escapement goals will be achieved for the third consecutive year.
https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/08/11/2020-salmon-returns-have-been-so-poor-that-alaska-communities-already-are-claiming-fishery-disasters/

Yeah probably! Although there is some good news, I guess. While COVID is ravaging the landscape, and you are more likely to die from that than you are anything else right now, you’re actually less likely to die from a natural disaster! That’s right, while deaths from other variables are way up, deaths from actual natural disasters are way down! Could this be the calm before the storm perhaps?

New data indicates that the number of people killed in natural disasters in the first six months of 2020 was much lower than average figures over the past 30 years.

Why it matters: A combination of climate change and more people moving into risk-prone areas can intensify the effects of natural disasters. But better preparation and greater wealth can prevent deaths, even as the overall price of catastrophe rises.

Driving the news: The reinsurer Munich Re released data about the toll of natural disasters over the first six months of 2020.

While the financial losses were just slightly below the 30-year average over the same months, far fewer people than average — 2,900 people total — were killed by natural catastrophes.
That's 38% below the total from the first half of 2019, and nearly 90% below the 30-year average.
https://www.axios.com/natural-disaster-deaths-2020-49437b93-2a05-41b3-a7ba-2d32b885e34f.html

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Led Zeppelin Lawuit
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It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!

It’s the lawsuit that refuses to die. Rock band Spirit has sued one of the most popular rock bands of all time, Led Zeppelin, over the music in their hit song “Stairway To Heaven”. Now that lawsuit is literally one step away from going to the Supreme Court of the United States. What will it take for that to happen and what could the potential outcome have for musicians around the US? Not to mention musicians around the world? The entire world is watching and waiting for the outcome of this lawsuit and the implications that it will have on the creative community. Well now this has the potential to reach the highest law in the United States. What could happen if it goes all the way to SCOTUS?

There’s a feeling you get, when you look at two repeated court losses, and your spirit is crying for … trying a third time. The U.S. Supreme Court has been petitioned to review the never-ending Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” copyright-infringement saga, in what would become the most significant music trial to ever reach the nine justices. The case, which has been in and out of courts since 2016, claims that the band infringed upon the instrumental song “Taurus” by the American rock band Spirit and repurposed it as the intro to “Stairway to Heaven.” Per THR, the petition comes from Michael Skidmore, who had been representing the late Spirit front man Randy Wolfe in previous court cases. “It is fitting, perhaps,” the petition states, “that the future of music copyright law be decided by a case about rock n’ roll’s most iconic song.”

In the new petition, Skidmore claims that he lost the previous trial because the jury “didn’t get to appreciate the true ‘Taurus’” and “wasn’t properly instructed about originality,” as the original “Taurus” recording was not played. In 2016, Led Zeppelin won the trial following a few days of entertaining testimony (Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were both called as witnesses), and earlier this year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict and denied a retrial. The timeframe for Skidmore to petition the Supreme Court remains unclear, so we’ll entertain ourselves in the meantime by imagining that Clarence Thomas asks a question about how, exactly, the piper will lead us all to reason.
https://www.vulture.com/2020/08/led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven-trial-go-to-supreme-court.html

Yes, that could have serious complications for the music industry, who in the last year has seen lawsuits from the Marvin Gaye estate, Ed Sheeran, Neil Young, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles. So how is this latest ruling affecting the music industry copyright claims? Well it comes back after last March when the latest ruling in the suit was that the song did not steal the riffs. Though the members of Spirit are taking it yet another step further.

Once again, Led Zeppelin has come out on top in the midst of a long-running legal dispute with the estate of the late Spirit frontman Randy (California) Wolfe.

Earlier this week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Calif., found — for the second time — that the iconic opening of Led Zeppelin’s 1971 rock anthem Stairway to Heaven was not plagiarized from that of Spirit’s instrumental prog song, Taurus (1968), according to the Associated Press (AP).

The verdict comes six years after Wolfe’s estate — run by trustee Michael Skidmore — ignited the copyright infringement lawsuit in 2014. At the time, the estate sued not only the British rock group, but also their label, Warner Music Group.

Led Zeppelin was initially deemed not guilty of plagiarism in 2016; however, the jury’s decision was overturned in October 2018, when members of the 9th Circuit panel ruled that the case’s previous judge had provided “erroneous instruction” to the jury. This prompted a retrial in 2019.
https://globalnews.ca/news/6661744/led-zeppelin-win-copyright-lawsuit/

So Led Zeppelin won that round, but have they lost the war, or will Spirit rue the day when they sued one of the world’s most popular rock bands? And what could it take for the suit to go all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States? And what will be the potential outcome? Do we know where we are going with this line of questioning? You bet we do not.

The plagiarism claim linked the intro’s origins to a lesser-known 70s rock band, Spirit, and their song, “Taurus.” Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the estate of Randy California, the guitarist for and composer of Taurus, brought a lawsuit in 2014 alleging that Zeppelin stole the guitar intro for “Stairway” from Spirit. The lawsuit alleges that the two bands toured together in the late 1960s, and therefore, Zeppelin had “access” to Spirit’s songs.

Skidmore’s lawsuit charged Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with copyright infringement, but a jury found them not guilty following a full trial. Skidmore appealed, and in 2018 a Ninth Circuit ordered a new trial after finding that the original trial had “erroneous jury instructions.”

A new trial was held in September of 2019. Plaintiff’s main argument focused on the fact that the original trial did not compare the recorded versions of “Stairway to Heaven” and “Taurus.” To some, this might seem odd, but both “Stairway” and “Taurus” were copyrighted under a 1909 law that only protects sheet music turned into the U.S. Copyright Office. More recent copyright laws extend copyright protection to sound recordings.

Plaintiff protested that judging the songs by their sheet music was misleading because Jimmy Page himself does not read sheet music. “Why are we looking at this artificial analysis that never happened in the real world?” Plaintiff’s attorney said, per the Associated Press. “It’s wrong, it’s artificial, it’s imaginary. What we do know, and what we proved at trial, is that Jimmy Page has five of Spirit’s albums in his record collection.”
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/sometimes-words-have-two-meanings-court-rules-stairway-to-heaven-s-troubled

Well that said, Spirit is not the only band who’s been on the side of a Led Zeppelin lawsuit. There’s also popular singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye, who goes by the stage name of The Weeknd. Well, needless to say the copyright suits against Led Zeppelin could determine the future of the music industry. And you can expect that we will keep an eye on this and future lawsuits.

In terms of how Tesfaye or his collaborators might have had access to the trio’s unreleased song, that all centred on Universal Music Publishing. The three songwriters had been signed to the publishing wing of London management company Big Life, which was then bought by the major in 2008. A co-writer on ‘A Lonely Night’, Jason Quenneville, also has links to Universal Music Publishing via a Canadian music firm he works with. So, the theory went, he must have been exposed to ‘I Need To Love’ via Universal.

However, in a motion to dismiss last month, Tesfaye’s lawyers said that Quenneville’s co-write credit on ‘A Lonely Night’ actually stemmed from his work on an earlier unfinished song, a verse from which Tesfaye borrowed for his ‘Starboy’ track. And that earlier unfinished song was written before Quenneville had any connections with Universal.

That motion to dismiss also claimed that the musical elements shared by ‘A Lonely Night’ and ‘I Need To Love’ were also found in lots of other songs. And that one more specific element both songs contained amounted to “three isolated notes spread over three measures, one note per measure”. Citing the recent Ninth Circuit court ruling in the big Led Zeppelin song-theft case, Tesfaye’s lawyers argued that specific element was not substantial enough to be protected by copyright.
https://completemusicupdate.com/article/court-dismisses-plagiarism-claims-made-against-the-weeknd/

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day!

[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the virtual pew make an online donation in the LAWRD’s virtual collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:

My fair virtual congregation! You know it’s not my style to engage in a bit of schadenfreude because that’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want. But when it involves an institution that is widely known for spreading HERESY and worshipping the unholy, ungodly dark one, whose name shall not be mentioned in my church – real or virtual, then exceptions must be made! But here’s the thing my fair flock, that still come to us week after week to put up with my nonsense, Liberty University was a well oiled machine that actually had some credibility. Then their founder died and made the asshole son president, who worships the unholy, ungodly Dark One, whose name shall not be mentioned in my church! That’s when things started to go predictably south.

A few days after Jerry Falwell Jr. buried his father in 2007, an author writing about the family visited Falwell Jr.’s office and made what he thought was an obvious comment. With the death of Jerry Falwell Sr., a charismatic religious-right titan, Falwell Jr. was about to become president of a Christian mega-university as the heir of the extremely famous brand name.

“I said: ‘You’re really in the spotlight now, eh?’ ” said Dirk Smillie, then a Forbes writer working on a book about the family and the booming university Falwell Sr. had created in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in central Virginia. “If I was in his place, I’d expect a number of emotions. But instead he had this look like he was being taken to the guillotine, like: ‘This is, like, the last thing I want to do.’ He was dreading the visibility that would come from having to replace what his father had engineered.”

Over the next 13 years, Falwell Jr. transformed from a shy, reclusive real estate developer and lawyer nervous in public settings to a highflying national figure — known not only for his leadership of the country’s most prominent evangelical university, which boasts 85,000 students, but also for a long series of controversial social media posts — some criticized as Islamophobic, sexist and racist — and for his zealous public defense of President Trump.

Earlier this month, in the minds of Liberty leaders, he went too far. On Aug. 7 Falwell Jr. was put on an indefinite leave of absence from the presidency after he posted a provocative Instagram photo of himself posing with his wife’s assistant.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/08/17/liberty-president-falwell-instagram-reckoning-trump/

Of course! You cannot support the unholy Dark One because everything he touches turns to absolute shit! Remember, we are allowed to swear in my church! Remember that movie from a few years ago called Horrible Bosses? Jerry Falwell Jr is the dim son who takes over the family business and doesn’t have a clue how to run it. Which is probably how he lost control of the message so easily!

As president and chancellor of the country’s largest Christian university and the son of one of the founding fathers of the religious right, Jerry Falwell Jr. has come to serve as a stand-in for American evangelicals. But to those inside the Liberty University community, Falwell’s leading role has lately seemed more like a liability than an asset. On Friday, the executive committee of the school’s board announced that Falwell will take an indefinite leave of absence.

Alumni feel “they have to hide their association with Liberty,” Colby Garman, a pastor who graduated from Liberty and serves on the board of Virginia’s Southern Baptist Convention, told me by phone Friday night. “A lot of pastors feel that way, a little bit, when it comes to the leadership of the school.” (Falwell did not reply to my request for an interview.)

What finally pushed Liberty’s leaders to act was their belief that Falwell had openly flaunted immoral behavior: He posted, and then deleted, an image of himself on a yacht, his arm around the waist of a young woman who was not his wife. Both of their pants were partially unzipped, and a glass of what looked like alcohol—which he called “black water” in his caption—was in Falwell’s hand. Later, in an interview with a local radio station in Lynchburg, Virginia, where Liberty is located, Falwell explained that the woman works as an assistant to his wife. He laughed the incident off: “I promised my kids I’m going to try to be a good boy from here on out,” he said. But alumni and staff who had previously expressed their concerns about Falwell in private began openly calling for his resignation, including Representative Mark Walker of North Carolina; many of them noted that any number of Falwell’s actions would have gotten a Liberty student written up.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/08/jerry-fallwell-evangelicals-liberty/615112/

So Liberty University has gone over the edge. Guess you can say that we tried to warn them because that’s what you get when you trust the unholy Dark One. Everything he touches dies! Instead, you must trust the good LAWRD JAYSUS! Of course you can see why Liberty is currently in shambles and one incident must be what pushed them over the edge! You can’t trust how things are going right now.

Jerry Falwell Jr., the president and chancellor of Liberty University, has agreed to take an "indefinite leave of absence," according to a statement Friday from the evangelical Christian university.

The leave of absence is effective immediately, the statement said. The executive committee of the university's board of trustees made the request of Falwell. The board did not provide a reason for Falwell's leave in its statement.

CNN has reached out to Falwell for comment. In a separate statement, Jerry Prevo, chairman of the university's board of trustees, said the Lynchburg, Virginia-based university has "experienced unprecedented success" during Falwell's 13 years as president.

"Unfortunately, with this success and the burdens of leading a large and growing organization comes substantial pressure," Prevo said in the statement. "Today, my colleagues and I on the Liberty University Board of Trustees and Jerry mutually agreed that it would be good for him to take an indefinite leave of absence."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/07/us/jerry-falwell-jr-liberty-university-leave/index.html

Except when there is judgement of course, and I speak of that in the Good Book, which you can now buy online for the low low price of $19.99! But yeah this is the incident I am referring to that got Mr. Falwell ousted from his own school. Really don’t do this people, and especially don’t be partying on a boat during a pandemic. But once again everything the Dark One touches dies!

The executive committee did not provide a reason, but the request comes several days after Falwell posted -- and then deleted -- a photograph on Instagram with his pants unzipped and his arm around a woman, The New York Times reported.

According to WSLS, the caption on the post -- which has been deleted -- reads, “More vacation shots. Lots of good friends visited us on the yacht. I promise that’s just black water in my glass. It was a prop only.”

On Thursday, Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., a Southern Baptist minister and former Liberty instructor, called for Falwell’s resignation, according to The Washington Post.

“Jerry Falwell Jr’s ongoing behavior is appalling,” Walker tweeted. “I’m convinced Falwell should step down.”

On Friday, Walker tweeted that the move was the right call for the university and offered prayers for Falwell and his family.
https://www.wsoctv.com/news/trending/jerry-falwell-jr-announces-leave-absence-liberty-university/5RZAAJAKORFRNKGQ2CFEGV7HPI/

So we must not celebrate or pity Rev Falwell, rather, just heed this warning as a caution of things not to do in dire times! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: Wayne La Pierre
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Man I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to do this one, but this week’s This Fucking Guy is the long time head of that most American of institutions, the gun lobby organization known as the National Rifle Association, Wayne La Pierre. Yes, this week, Mr. La Pierre is in some deep shit after New York Attorney General Letitia James laid the smackdown on his group for taking advantage of the state’s charity requirements. Which of course is an actual crime but don’t tell the NRA that. But like most good republican executives, Mr. LaPierre used and abused the NRA like it was his personal piggy bank. And for that he must go. Or will he? I always pictured his exit from the NRA in a good old fashioned western style duel to the death!

For nearly three decades, Wayne LaPierre has been the face of the National Rifle Association, burnishing the organization's influence and power in Washington, taking a defiant stance against gun control advocates in the wake of mass shootings and once famously declaring, "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

On Thursday, LaPierre's position as CEO and executive vice president of the most dominant gun lobby in the United States became more precarious after New York Attorney General Letitia James sued him and three other high-ranking current or former NRA executives, alleging that they have undercut the nonprofit organization's charitable mission by engaging in illegal financial conduct.

That includes diverting tens of millions of dollars for personal trips and expenditures, lucrative no-show contracts to buy people's silence and other improper spending, according to the lawsuit.

"The NRA was serving as a personal piggy bank for four individual defendants," James, a Democrat, said at a news conference.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wayne-lapierre-allegedly-used-nra-personal-piggy-bank-n-y-n1236068

Man who still has a toilet like that? Anyway Mr. LaPierre is in quite the serious shit, as we pointed out last week. And you know when you’re traveling, back in the days when we actually could travel to places, and I am old enough to remember when that was, why do you need a private jet that costs more than some people’s homes? Or a vacation home that cost more than your actual house? Wayne LaPierre does!

Oh, the places he went in private jets, luxury yachts and safari trucks.

In New York Attorney General Letitia James’s lawsuit against the National Rifle Association, the word “travel” appears no fewer than 118 times — almost always in reference to the extravagant jet-setting of the National Rifle Association’s Chief Executive and Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre.

New York State is seeking to dissolve the NRA and is suing the group’s executive leadership for “fraud and abuse” following an 18-month investigation that revealed a $64 million loss in just three years.

Central to the 164-page chronicle of alleged financial malfeasance is LaPierre’s use of NRA funds for over-the-top vacations, private jets, and lavish meals. In a statement, James’s office said that the charitable organization's executives “instituted a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement, and negligent oversight at the NRA that was illegal, oppressive, and fraudulent.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2020/08/06/wayne-lapierres-extravagant-travels-are-central-in-new-yorks-nra-lawsuit/#2a9e0ffa38ed

Boy that would be pretty sweet wouldn’t it? Although I don’t know, there’s some places you just don’t want to travel at all these days. Maybe Wayne and his cronies can sit at home and play virtual duck hunter on a VR headset like the rest of us will do during this pandemic! Well all that being said with as dire straits as the most conservative American gun toting of all organizations is in, they might just be their own worst enemy!

A year after being re-elected as the executive vice president and CEO of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre has seen his group go from an electoral kingmaker to the edge of financial ruin. He and other NRA executives have urged laid-off employees to seek public assistance benefits. The nation's most prominent pro-gun lobby has lost tens of millions of dollars amid numerous legal woes and investigations that have exposed its questionable financial dealings. Now, the longtime NRA leader hopes his lawyers can "keep him out of jail," according to previously unreported allegations in court documents in the group's legal battle against its longtime public relations firm, Ackerman McQueen.

The documents, which were published in full on NRA Watch, a new database launched by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, allege that LaPierre has grown "preoccupied with going to jail." Ackerman's allegations paint a picture of an executive who "didn't trust his own accounting department" and instructed associates not to disclose important information to the group's auditors.

The documents also include allegations about the NRA's search for a personal mansion for LaPierre, whose alleged obsession with "purchasing a lavish home for himself" led Ackerman to pull out of the deal. They also allege that LaPierre may have violated his own group's bylaws by improperly using Ackerman to pay off the group's former president, Lt. Col. Oliver North, who left the organization after what it described as a "failed coup attempt."

Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, told Salon that NRA Watch aimed to show that LaPierre "used member dues for what looks like personal reasons" while "only 10% of NRA funds in 2018 were even spent on gun safety."
https://www.salon.com/2020/05/01/exclusive-nra-chief-wayne-lapierres-no-good-very-bad-year-according-to-new-court-filings/

Wow, so a gun organization that spends 10% of its’ income on gun safety? Do car manufacturers only spend 10% of their income on safe driving practices? Yes that’s how an organization is supposed to run, and it ain’t supposed to run like this! But here’s the real kicker out of all of this. And I’m no big city lawyer, but if you put together the NRA’s massive losses with Wayne’s extravagant spending, well, it might just make him look bad!

The National Rifle Association was forced to drastically cut its budget after legal battles cost the group $100 million, according to a recording of an NRA board meeting obtained by NPR.

NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre lamented at the January meeting that investigations into the organization launched by attorneys general in New York and Washington had bled finances. He decried the "power of weaponized government."

"The cost that we bore was probably about a $100 million hit in lost revenue and real cost to this association in 2018 and 2019," LaPierre said in the recording. "I mean, that's huge."

LaPierre told board members that the group was forced to cut $80 million from its budget to "survive."

The attorneys general in New York and Washington are investigating the group's finances, as well as its nonprofit status. The NRA has also been locked in a years-long legal battle with its longtime public relations firm, which accused LaPierre of mismanaging the group's money and spending millions on lavish travel, clothing and even his search for a personal mansion.
https://www.salon.com/2020/04/22/wayne-lapierre-reveals-that-nra-cut-budget-to-survive-after-losing-100-million-leaked-audio/

So, reckless spending and treating his own organization like it’s his personal piggy bank. That’s Wayne La Pierre, this week’s:

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner

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Welcome back to the segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner! We are coming at you from a remote bomb shelter in the alkali flats of the Iowa badlands. Just allow me to adjust my trusty tin foil hat for maximum government interference. They are trying to read my thoughts after all, and they’re trying to read yours! That’s right! But that said, conspiracy theories are no longer limited to just crackpots. They’re gaining traction, as with the popular Q Anon conspiracy that got roots in the internet sewer known as 4chan. Of course like most bad things, Q Anon has no basis in real life, and it has no basis in reality. So why are so many people embracing it?

A Republican candidate who subscribes to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory prevailed Tuesday night in a House primary runoff in Georgia.

Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated fellow Republican John Cowan in the runoff for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, and her victory in the solidly Republican Georgia district means Greene is all but certain to find herself elected to Washington.

What started three years ago as a conspiracy theory born on the internet's dark fringes has moved into the mainstream with candidates like Greene espousing and promoting QAnon theories and phrases as they seek political office on a major party ticket.

QAnon's main theories claim that dozens of politicians and A-list celebrities work in tandem with governments around the globe to engage in child sex abuse. Followers also believe there is a "deep state" effort to thwart President Donald Trump. Another QAnon theory is that Trump will arrest all his wrongdoers like Hillary Clinton and send them to Guantanamo Bay. There is no evidence for these claims.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/12/politics/qanon-congressional-candidates/index.html

Man remember the good old days when Q was the lovable chap who used to bring James Bond cool and extremely dangerous gadgets from his workshop? And Q Anon isn’t just limited to getting assholes elected to the highest levels of government. Q Anon is also wreaking havoc with the pandemic. And you can almost always tell a Q Anon supporter by the fact that they’re violent and obnoxious, and start spewing all kinds of pro-Trump crap.

In February, five months before she became known as "QAnon Karen," there was no one more terrified of the coming pandemic than Melissa Rein Lively.

"I bought the N-95 masks. I bought the hazmat suit," she said. "In my mind, a zombie movie was imminent."

At the time, Rein Lively said her career was at its peak. Her self-owned marketing company had just helped launch the high-end restaurant Nobu in Scottsdale, Arizona. Hyatt Hotels had signed on for marketing help.

By July 5, she had gone into a Target store and trashed the mask section, streaming her rage in a viral post that drew over 10 million views. Before the police closed in on her garage, she livestreamed her own mental breakdown on her company's Instagram account, telling police to "call Donald Trump and ask him" why she shouldn't be arrested for her actions.

She was, she told the police, the "QAnon spokesperson."
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-qanon-rode-pandemic-new-heights-fueled-viral-anti-mask-n1236695

Seriously, Desmond Llewlyn is the only guy in the entire world who gets to call himself Q. These douchebags don’t hold a candle to that. But the bad thing is, remember last week Twitter banned a whole bunch of Q Anon accounts because they were being violent, obnoxious dicks who were spreading false information? Well that was what some might call a case of “too little too late”. Because Q Anon has been let out of the bag!

Twitter’s decision to crack down on the conspiracy-theory mongering of QAnon underscores the loose-knit group’s increasing reach into the mainstream of US politics.

From an anonymous 2017 posting claiming bizarre child exploitation and deep state plots, the headless and bodiless movement has earned a place in President Donald Trump’s Twitter stream.

His son Eric posted a QAnon image to promote his father’s recent campaign rally; and more than a dozen Republican candidates for Congress in November openly support the group.

But Twitter’s decision this week to shut down some 7,000 accounts pushing QAnon material came amid rising concerns that the movement could spawn violence.

The FBI last year said in a report that QAnon was one of several movements that could drive “both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts.”
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/technology/in-other-news/230720/twitter-crackdown-no-use-qanon-now-among-conservative-mainstream.html

And by the way in case you’re wondering, Q is a hot seller! That’s right, merchandising, merchandising, that’s where the real money from the conspiracy is made! If you want some Q merchandise, just look no further than your local online retailer who will literally sell anything, like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay, where the Q fad is flying off the shelves! Now, not only are they batshit crazy online, they’re branding themselves now!

Amazon currently has hundreds of products listed for sale that promote the far-right conspiracy theory QAnon.

QAnon has been tied to violent acts, and the FBI has warned of the movement's potential to incite domestic terrorism. A man in Nevada professed himself a follower of QAnon after blocking traffic with an armored vehicle, and in 2019 a man cited the movement as the motivation for his plot to kill alleged New York mob boss Francesco Cali.

In a search for "QAnon" on Amazon, Business Insider found the site produced hundreds of results for t-shirts, books, stickers, masks, bandanas, tumblers, hats, and other items related to the movement. Amazon also churned out hundreds of results for "WWG1WGA," the shorthand for QAnon's "Where we go one we go all" slogan.

Most of the products on Amazon sport the "Q" symbol, or bear the movement's signature WWG1WGA saying, as well as others, like "Trust the Plan." Many also include products merging both support for the QAnon movement as well as for the president.
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-selling-qanon-shirts-masks-products-2020-8

[font size="8"]People Are Dumb
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Hit it!

Of course you know by now that people are people, and people are dumb. So who is really dumb this week? Well, this week I want to do something different and dedicate it to the Sturgis Biker Rally. Yes, the annual gathering of Harley Davidson afficionados in Sturgis, South Dakota had some serious stupid on display. In fact there was so much stupid that it was called the biggest and dumbest ever. All of this just to “own the libs”. Well, check back with us in two weeks after COVID has incubated. Anyway here’s some of the stupid that was on display in Sturgis. Not only did they have the most crashes and accidents on record, they also had this!

Having found a real cup of coffee, I was walking back to my lavish room at the Spa Hot Springs Motel and Clinic on Main Street, White Sulphur Springs, Montana when the half-dozen biker guys poured out of their adjoining rooms and began the process of saddling up for the day’s ride. They were a riot of Harley-Davidson-branded gear. Harley vests. Harley belts. Harley t-shirts. Harley bandanas. And of course big, chromy Harley motorcycles.

Watching the elaborate packing process while sipping my latte I finally asked, “So what’s up with Sturgis this year? Have they called it off?” Four of them ignored me. The guy I picked for the alpha of the bunch shot me a look and said, “Fuck no.” The sixth guy, a bit more sociable, looked up from carefully folding his rain gear into his (Harley-branded) saddle bag said, “No way. It’s happening.” All I could say was, “Really. Well, that’ll be wild.” “Yeah,” he said. “It’s a protest.”

I was tempted to say something effete and out-of-touch big city liberal like, “A protest against what, sanity?” But I didn’t. At this point in the worst pandemic in a hundred years and with as many Americans dying every three days as died in 9/11, futility is the only product of a “discussion” with Harley-encrusted “protestors.” So ride on, dudes.

It goes without saying that the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a tribal extravaganza of face-to-face, jowl-to-jowl, belly-bumping machismo and consumer exhibitionism holds the high probability of being the single largest “super spreader” of COVID-19 held anywhere in the world since the outbreak began last November. A quarter of a million people, the vast majority middle-aged to older white men, will both ride into western South Dakota this week for the giant, mechanized bacchanal … and then turn around ride back to their homes, all across the country, spreading everything they picked up in Sturgis all along their routes, like a horde of toxic Johnny Appleseeds.
https://www.wrywingpolitics.com/the-gob-smacking-stupidity-of-the-sturgis-motorcycle-rally/#comment-144467

I can’t imagine that’s the way to bike. But first one of my favorite incidents of this whole thing – there was an incident involving a wild animal chase, and maybe some pants may or may not have fallen down, because it’s never a real party unless the pants come off! OK I’m rambling here. But this might be one of my favorite instances of stupidity all year, and this has been a year where lots of stupid shit has been happening!

A woman attending a South Dakota motorcycle rally narrowly escaped after a wild bison charged at her Wednesday evening. Authorities claimed that the reason she survived the attack was because her pants fell off.

The woman, 54, was visiting Custer State Park in Custer County when she approached a bison calf, witnesses said. The victim, who is from Iowa, was in town to attend the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, an annual event which brings thousands of motorcyclists together for several days.

The woman got off her motorcycle to approach the calf when an adult bison charged at her, witnesses said. The bison caught the woman's belt and jeans on its horn as it violently swung her around, according to a post on the Custer County Sheriff Facebook page.

She managed to escape death because her pants came off and she fell to the ground, unconscious, with the attacking bison running off to join the rest of the herd after the woman fell, the post said.
https://www.newsweek.com/motorcycle-rally-goer-survives-wild-bison-attack-because-her-pants-fell-off-1525155

That's funny, I didn't know there was a Jackass reboot in the works! Thank you canned audience! Oh and by the way in case you're wondering what all the hoopla surrounding the Sturgis rally is for, well, we're in a pandemic and this virus is not going away anytime soon. And here is some shocking stupidity on display. I know everyone wants to move on, but we just can't right now, especially when this will be the aftermath of said rally:

A person who spent hours at a bar during the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota last week has tested positive for Covid-19, state health officials said Tuesday.

The potential exposure came during the city's 80th annual Sturgis motorcycle rally August 7-16.

Health experts were concerned the mass gathering could be a "super-spreader" event, as many attendees travel from all over the country -- including coronavirus hotspots -- and could bring infections back home when they return.

The bar-goer visited One-Eyed Jack's Saloon in Sturgis on August 11 from noon to 5:30 p.m. while able to transmit the virus to others, health officials said. Anyone who visited the saloon during that period should monitor for symptoms for 14 days after the visit.

South Dakota Department of Transportation officials tracked over 462,000 vehicles entering Sturgis during the rally, according to CNN affiliate KDLT/KSFY. That total is a 7.5% decline from the previous year but still represents one of the largest gatherings since the coronavirus pandemic began.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/us/sturgis-south-dakota-rally-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

Yeah if you went to Sturgis, and did shit like this, you are stupid. Well it can’t be all Sturgis this week, there’s plenty of other stupid people out there! Like for instance at the currently socially distanced Disneyland! Yes, it’s still the happiest place on earth even in the time of pandemic. If you go to Disneyland, and of course Disneyland in *THAT* state - just remember where you parked your car!

Sometimes when you’re on vacation, especially at Walt Disney World, it’s easy to “zen out” and forget about your worries and your strife—or in some cases, how to drive. Just in from Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, photos of a vehicle looming over the entrance steps to the resort are circulating on social media after a guest made an early left turn inside the porte-cochère and ended up stuck on the steps.

The car is seen lodged halfway down the steps, with the front wheels managing to land on the base of the steps, but the back of the car still up in the air.

Guests staying at the resort are making rounds to check in on the vehicle as part of their morning entertainment, which was still at the front of the resort as of an hour ago.

It’s unknown if any guests or Cast Members were injured in this incident. Cast Members have coned off the car and are directing incoming guests to avoid the area.
https://wdwnt.com/2020/08/photos-guest-drives-down-entrance-steps-of-disneys-wilderness-lodge-at-walt-disney-world/?

Yes, Florida never fails to bring the crazy! Next up – I’m sure that nearly every cop in the nation has had their share of drunk people driving just about anything that is not a car. But as we’ve seen time and time again on here that you can get arrested for driving while drunk while literally riding anything that has two or more wheels on it. Hell you can even get DUI on a horse! Well, how about getting a DUI on a lawnmower?

A Florida man who admittedly had “maybe a little too much to drink” was caught on dash camera video riding a lawn mower on a highway, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said they caught Paul Burke, of Fort McCoy, driving the riding lawn mower in the middle of Highway 316 on Wednesday.

Video provided by the department shows Burke slurring his words and admitting that he had been drinking, although he never quantifies exactly how much he had.

At first, Burke said he had “a couple” but when asked again by the deputy again he replies, “I’m not gonna lie to you” and later says, “I have had maybe a little too much to drink tonight.”

Burke said he had just left his home and was driving to his home.
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2020/08/10/video-drunk-florida-man-drives-lawn-mower-on-highway-deputies-say/

I swear there’s a Simpsons GIF for everything! Finally this week, when the cops are the crooks, how do you tell the bad guys from the good guys? Well, we go to Eastern Virginia for this one, where a crooked DEA agent (think Hank Schraeder from Breaking Bad) managed to dupe nearly $4 million out of potential chumps, er, clients. Yeah I think the dumb people are the ones who couldn’t see this guy for the scam artist that he is.

A former Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman admitted in court on Thursday to creating an elaborate scheme where he posed as a covert CIA agent.

Garrison Kenneth Courtney, 44, pleaded guilty to a fraud charge in Eastern District of Virginia's federal court Thursday morning.

He admitted to duping public officials and companies into believing he worked with the CIA and ultimately defrauded a dozen companies of more than $4 million, according to his plea.

Courtney took extraordinary steps to convince public officials and companies he was working for the CIA undercover, including by implying to the companies he was a secret agent on a classified US defense and intelligence "task force" that had been established by top officials like the president or the attorney general, according to his statement of offense.

At times, he said the program was to support special operations forces in Africa. But the program didn't exist, prosecutors said.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/06/11/politics/dea-cia-fraud/index.html

That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Road To The White House
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Welcome back to the… *cue reverb* ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!! Ooh that was some good reverb there! This week Joe Biden accepted the nomination to become the 46th president of the United States with an overwhelming majority of delegates needed. But that said, people are still talking about the historic nomination of Kamala Harris to the vice presidential position, and man has she got the conservatives running scared, the birthers working overtime to discredit her credentials, and Trump is hopping mad! And he’s unleashed some hardcore rage tweeting aimed at her. Now look, you know I love a good beef, and nobody beefs up more than conservatives vs everybody that doesn’t think like conservatives. Well, this basically outlines the GOP message in a nutshell.

In the 24 hours since Harris was announced as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, Republicans have launched a variety of contradictory attacks on the newly formed Biden-Harris ticket.

Pulling from a grab bag of dubious accusations, President Donald Trump's campaign and other leading GOP officials and prominent conservatives on social media, like Donald Trump Jr., have pushed conflicting caricatures of Biden, Harris and the Democratic Party's progressive wing, furthering the appearance that Republicans are still broadly unsure of what kind of messaging will stick with voters ahead of November's general election.

The most consistent thread has been the most familiar one: that Biden, and now Harris, is a front for socialists and anarchistic radicals pulling the strings of the Democratic Party. It's been a difficult sell so far, given Biden's 40-year record of liberal-leaning centrism, but Trump has pushed it consistently over the past few months. In a fundraising email on Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence welcomed Harris to the race with a similar warning.

"From the very first day of this Administration, President Trump has set our Nation on a path to freedom and opportunity," the email read. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would set America on the path of SOCIALISM and DECLINE."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/12/politics/republican-attacks-kamala-analysis/index.html

Well that said, the GOP is in sharp decline. They’ve essentially become the party of lowlifes and assholes, and if you look at who the keynote speakers are for Trump’s reelection shindig next week, that solidifies that! See, kids, the democrats get all the cool celebrities. The GOP gets Kid Rock, Ted Nugent, that douchebag from the Catholic school, and the My Pillow Guy, if you can call him a celebrity. So why are they so terrified of celebrities like Kamala?

Just one day after Kamala Harris was named the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Trump campaign advisers and allies are expressing concern that the GOP’s initial fumbling response to her selection signals there is no clear strategy to define the historic pick in the weeks ahead, according to several people involved in the discussions.

Despite having months to prepare for the probable outcome that Harris would be chosen, the Trump re-election effort countered with a series of contradictory and at times confusing messages about the California senator, from her record as a California prosecutor to her positioning in the party.

Some allies of the president said they were stunned that the rejoinder appeared to be so flat-footed and incongruous, reiterating that President Donald Trump and his campaign have had trouble landing a punch on the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, and expressing concern that the same issue could take place with Harris.

“They struggled to attack her when she was running and will struggle now,” one former Trump campaign official said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/republicans-fret-over-trump-team-s-reaction-harris-pick-n1236533

Yup, there is an election in November, and we got to get ready. The Dems have a unifying message and the GOP message is all over the place. They even can’t get their attacks on Kamala right. So why does Trump have a habit of calling his female opponents “nasty women”? Well it didn’t take long for Trump to call Kamala nasty because he’s a petty, vindictive piece of crap with a rageaholic personality disorder and is generally afraid of strong women.

Donald Trump wasted little time on Tuesday after Joe Biden announced Senator Kamala Harris will be his running mate before calling her "nasty," and suggested the California Democrat once lied about smoking marijuana while listening to rapper Snoop Dogg.

The president has a well-documented habit of calling women who question or oppose him "nasty," and he made clear during a press briefing that despite the country's ongoing racial tensions, he will not shy away from attacking the first black female vice presidential candidate.

Mr Trump was asked about Mr Biden's choice during a coronavirus briefing in which he said the number of virus cases in the US is falling; it's actually on the rise. He also said, again without supporting data, that it will be eradicated "shortly."

But the bulk of reporters' questions were about Ms Harris, as the Trump-Pence versus Biden-Harris race officially gets underway.
https://www.independent.co.uk/us-election-2020/trump-kamala-harris-press-conference-today-pot-snoop-dogg-cannabis-a9666096.html

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that! But come on, does anything that Trump does really surprise us anymore? I mean his schtick is getting so old, tired, and repetitive that we could have easily seen this coming. Seriously we’ve been covering this POS for four fucking years now. I know that I am getting tired of what this man is saying. It’s time for a president who is not this piece of shit. I know that I am ready for Joe! In fact Trump’s incompetence and predictability are bringing the GOP down from the inside!

On Thursday, President Donald Trump was asked about a false report that California Sen. Kamala Harris might not be eligible to be vice president.
Rather than dismiss them out of hand, he said this:

"I heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements, and by the way the lawyer who wrote the piece is highly qualified, very talented. I assumed the Democrats would've checked that out before she gets chosen for vice president."

Shame on Trump. But anyone who acts surprised that the President was willing to push a lie about his political opponents into the public space has been residing on another planet over the last four-plus years. This is who Trump is and what he does. Birtherism is, literally, how he got his start in politics.

The real story at this point, then, is not necessarily Trump's willingness to engage in baseless speculation about an untrue storyline. The real story is the silence that has -- and will continue -- to greet Trump's ridiculous remark from the Republican establishment and its elected leaders.
Because it's that silence, and the tacit acceptance that "Trump is Trump," that will define the GOP long after Trump leaves office -- whether involuntarily in 2021 or four years later. The willingness to simply swallow known falsehoods or dismiss them with a "I didn't see the President's remarks" or "I'm sorry, I have to get to a meeting" is what will, ultimately, do the lasting damage for a Republicans.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/14/politics/donald-trump-kamala-harris-birther-republcian-party/index.html

See you next week!

Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

August 12, 2020

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-8: Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad NRA? Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-8: Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad NRA? Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! How’s everybody doing? Are you guys doing fucking good? I know, right? Well especially this year, there’s never been a time where you just want to stop wheat you’re doing and say “fuck it”. There’s just so much bad shit in the news right now and it all sucks, we know things will get better down the line and we’ll try and keep it light for you guys this week. But first, why don’t we get some music going?

Oh man that is such a great song. So this was actually pretty cool this week is that there was a multi-generational listening party online for this song, from groups of all ages. I honestly don’t know why they chose this particular song, but who doesn’t love it? But a lot of people who were mere babies when their parents saw Mike Tyson air drumming to this song in the party suite in “The Hangover”, are just now figuring out why their parents loved it so much. And it actually is kind of a beautiful thing. Maybe we can all end madness, as Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy character would say, through the majesty of song! Really, something has to come along and stop this! Let’s get “In The Air Tonight” blasting everywhere, in every town in every city. Come on people, come together! OK that’s enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first Bill Maher is back and he gives a “eulogy” for Trump:

&t=10s

Well while we’re still holed up in quarantine thanks to Coronavirus, there have been some interesting developments this week! Taking the first slot this week is the epic battle between the NRA and New York Attorney General Letitia James. It seems that James has dropped the big one and the NRA could be indicted and prosecuted for their involvement in Russiagate! In the second slot this week is Kanye West (2). So Kanye basically admits what we’re all thinking – he’s being used as a prop by the GOP to influence the election and siphon votes from Biden! This could get very ugly very quickly! In the third slot this week is the guy who we inexplicably still call president, Donald J. Trump (3). He went on HBO’s Axios TV last week and his interview is quite the stuff of insanity. We will break down some of the more insane claims that have been made. Taking the 4th slot this week is Jake Paul (4). The Youtube star got nailed in Calabasas by the FBI with a boatload of weapons and drugs and well, he’s going down. It’s certainly worth checking out. Taking the 5th slot this week is our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5) and this week the Murder Hornets are back, but they’ve been caught! What can we learn about them and how close are they? Closer than you might think. Taking the sixth slot this week is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week is a holy war brewing over COVID? Our resident pastor shakes his head over the insane claim about keeping churches closed and this could also get ugly. Taking the seventh slot this week is a new Beating A Dead Horse (7). And this week, the glorious star of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds, got married at America’s oldest plantation, and now he regrets doing it, but was he really wrong in doing so? We will find out! Taking the 8th slot this week is a new edition of the segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable – Conspiracy Corner (8) and this week, Q Anon trolls are taking on… dolls from the movie Trolls! We cannot make this up! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new I Need A Drink and this week we’re going to get drunk and discuss some cartoon reboots – a lot of the cartoons we grew up with are getting reimagined for the modern era. Some good, some bad. Finally this week in Road To The White House (10), who is Karen Bass? The LA rep and possible VP nominee has been in the news a lot and we will introduce you to her if you are uninitiated! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

[div style="padding: 20px; background-color: #ffffff; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0px 2px 4px 1px #aaa;"][div style="font-family: arial, helvetica; font-weight: bold; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999; padding-bottom: 8px;"]

[font size="8"]The NRA
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Well well well, who's afraid of the big, bad NRA? Well, NRA members for one thing. And Trump and the GOP too. One thing I will say about conservative America is that they do love their guns. And there is no organization that’s more uniquely American than the National Rifle Association. Yes, the NRA is an organization that thinks that the 2nd amendment, particularly those four infamous words “shall not be infringed” shall be taken way too literally. And they are definitely not afraid to shoot first and ask questions later. They think that life is a Rambo movie. But could their reign of terror finally be coming to a long awaited end? A lawsuit in New York is challenging the NRA’s right to exist as a lobby organization could finally dissolve the entity once and for all.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D-New York) reiterated Friday that she is committed to a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the NRA.

On Thursday, James filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association, citing illegal financial misconduct by the organization’s leaders. She announced the lawsuit at a news briefing in New York City.

Later that same evening, the NRA released a statement, and filed a counter suit against the Attorney General, claiming that New York was simply targeting the organization for political reasons.

Now, James is responding to reactions to the lawsuit, which quickly became a national story, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-New York) and even President Donald Trump (R) weighing in.
https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/new-york-attorney-general-refuses-to-back-down-in-lawsuit-against-nra

Come on, everyone knows that guns are for keeping the King Of England out of your face! So that is a thing that is happening. So could it happen? Could the NRA cease to exist in its’ current form? It’s entirely possible. But now the NRA is fighting back, and they are hopping mad. You don’t want to get on their bad side, because they have guns and they’re not afraid to use them. So does the NRA get the right to call itself a “charitable organization”? It’s a bit complicated.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday she has filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association. The lawsuit charges the influential pro-gun organization with illegal conduct, alleging it funneled millions of dollars away from its charitable mission.

At the center of the lawsuit, NRA Executive Vice-President Wayne Lapierre, who was born in Schenectady, and is the national face of the NRA.

The NRA is registered as a non-profit organization in New York State. In the complaint, James alleges Lapierre and three other NRA executives used millions of dollars from NRA reserves for personal use, and extravagant lifestyles.

The lawsuit alleges NRA executives awarded contracts to financially benefit close associates and family, and doled out lucrative no-show contracts to former employees in order to buy their silence and continued loyalty.

Now it's not uncommon for an attorney general to go after non-profits. Just within the past few years, there's been several high-profile cases. However, the NRA is massive in size and scope, families across the country have literally been members for generations. It's that robust nature of the group that's the difference maker here.
https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/nra-strikes-back-against-new-york-attorney-general-claims-lawsuit-was-political-attack

Yes, you are most definitely compensating for something! But what? You know it doesn’t take a financial genius to see that the NRA is committing fraud on a felonious level. But could this, for lack of a better word, backfire on them>? Well yes it most certainly could, and no it couldn’t. The NRA is in some absolutely deep doo doo, and it’s going to take a miracle to get them out of this.

Though the NRA, the preeminent gun advocacy group, has been a political flashpoint over the years, this lawsuit revolves around its internal operations and whether they comply with the nonprofit laws in New York state, where the organization is chartered. New York’s top legal authorities allege that the NRA improperly made millions of dollars in payments to benefit executives, disguising compensation as business expenses.

The alleged improprieties involve Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s longtime leader; John Frazer, the group’s general counsel; Wilson “Woody” Phillips, its retired treasurer and chief financial officer; and Joshua Powell, who formerly served as LaPierre’s chief of staff.

The allegations fall into three primary categories: First, NRA funds were improperly spent to personally benefit its executives. Second, its executives also received personal benefits from organizations doing business with the NRA. Third, the group failed to properly disclose these and other transactions in its annual regulatory filings.

Separately, District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine is suing the NRA Foundation, a charity tied to the group, for allegedly diverting donations to the NRA itself, which then used them for non-charitable purposes.
https://theconversation.com/why-new-york-is-suing-the-nra-4-questions-answered-144108

How has Homer not been shot yet? But the good news is that James’ lawsuit against the NRA is warranted – they’re not just throwing shade at that most American of institutions. But even going so far as to call it a “terrorist organization” really isn’t that far off either – these guys could definitely be considered terrorists, considering that a lot of the guns they’re selling aren’t being used for the advertised purposes.

New York Attorney General Letitia James made national news when she filed suit last week against the leading gun rights advocacy group, the National Rifle Association. Charges of engaging in self-dealing, diverting the nonprofit’s funds for personal use and awarding contracts to close associates are among the accusations laid out against leadership at the NRA, leading James to call for the group’s dissolution.

The organization quickly fired back that James’s action stems from political bias, referring to it as a “premeditated attack aiming to dismantle and destroy the NRA” in a statement. Critics have also pointed to James’s promises on the campaign trail to investigate the NRA’s nonprofit status and comments referring to it as a “terrorist organization” as further proof of her targeting the institution.

But experts in nonprofit law say that there is substantial enough evidence against the NRA that questions of political bias are rendered moot. “The case speaks for itself,” said Daniel Kurtz, former assistant attorney general-in-charge of the state Attorney General’s Charities Bureau. “That’s essentially just a distraction. Motive is essentially irrelevant. Why did you bring this? I don’t know, it’s pretty egregious.”

A result of an 18-month investigation into the conservative pro-gun membership-based group, the state’s lawsuit specifically targets four top officials affiliated with the NRA, including CEO Wayne LaPierre. LaPierre is being accused of spending more than $3.6 million on travel consultants, taking at least eight private flights to the Bahamas with his family using NRA funds and awarding himself a $17 million post-employment contract without board approval.
https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/policy/criminal-justice/experts-james%E2%80%99-nra-lawsuit-warranted-no-sign-bias.html

[font size="8"]Kanye West

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Spoiler Alert!!!! Kanye West is completely full of shit! But if you’re here and you’ve been following our reporting for the last few weeks, you already knew that. This week however, the Yeezy for president campaign took a turn when he got caught admitting what we all pretty much could have figured out the obvious – his campaign is a spoiler campaign meant to help Trump and hurt Biden. But what you may not know is that he’s being used and abused by GOP operatives, and he doesn’t care. You also might be wondering when Kim is going to step in and put a stop to this. I would say normally Kanye’s hair brained schemes fizzle out when there’s something good on TV. But we’re in a pandemic and there’s no new content being produced.

Kanye West's unlikely White House bid is getting help qualifying for presidential ballots in key states from Republicans around the country, fueling suspicions he's being pushed to run by allies of President Donald Trump hoping to siphon support away from Joe Biden.

The rapper qualified for Colorado's presidential ballot on Thursday, after the Secretary of State's office verified that nine electors he submitted are all registered to vote in that state. One of those was Matthew Zielinski, is a former Republican congressional candidate who served as an officer with a county Republican Party in suburban Denver.

Zielinski tweeted that he believed in "fair ballot access" but declined further comment.

A similar pattern has played out in in Wisconsin, Ohio, Vermont and Arkansas, where lawyers or activists with GOP ties have been involved in securing the star's place on the ballot. The successful effort in battleground states Wisconsin and Ohio in particular raised red flags for Democrats, who are braced for a close race and anxious about any third-party candidate drawing voters.
https://abc7chicago.com/politics/republicans-push-kanye-2020-but-will-it-really-hurt-biden/6359322/

Seriously, I could just post clips from that South Park episode and it would not really be that much different than what’s going on now. But let’s do a little bit of onion peeling here. See, if we take a pairing knife to the onion and start removing the layers, this story stinks. Of course he actually admits to being a spoiler in the election and it’s a hell of a lot worse than you might think.

Amid various reports that Republican and Trump-affiliated political operatives are trying to get Kanye West onto various state ballots for November’s presidential election, the billionaire rap superstar indicated, in an interview by text today, that he was in fact running to siphon votes from the presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden.

Asked about that directly, West said that rather than running for president, he was “walking,” quickly adding that he was “walking . . . to win.”

When it was pointed out that he actually can’t win in 2020—that he won’t be on enough ballots to yield 270 electoral votes, and that a write-in campaign isn’t feasible—and thus was serving as a spoiler, West replied: “I’m not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.”

West rebuffed various attempts to clarify who was driving his ballot access or strategy and whether it’s being coordinated by or with Republican-affiliated officials. He does, however, appear to have a continuing relationship with the Trump White House. West says that he’s “designing a school within the next month” and that “I’m meeting with Betsy DeVos about the post-Covid curriculum.” (The Secretary of Education’s press office hadn’t responded to a request for comment by the time we published.)

“I like Kanye very much,” President Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday. “No, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot. We'll have to see what happens.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/randalllane/2020/08/06/exclusive-kanye-west-indicates-that-his-spoiler-campaign-is-indeed-designed-to-hurt-biden/#17005eb76397

We already have one batshit crazy, completely unstable egomaniacal jackass running the show, do we really need another one? Hell no! and we also don’t need this coming around in 2024 either. So what’s stopping Kanye? Well, there is this thing called the Federal Election Commission, which we profiled during our tour of the government (see: Top 10 #5-18 ). So yeah they’re stepping in in the great state of Illinois!

Kanye West's Presidential run just got a death blow, at least in Illinois, where election officials say more than half his submitted signatures are invalid ... and that means he's off the ballot.

TMZ broke the story ... multiple people stepped up to object after Kanye submitted his petition to get on the ballot in his home state. That triggered a review -- from the State Board of Elections -- of all the 3,128 signatures on his documents.

The tally is in, and 1,928 were ruled invalid ... which leaves Ye way more than a thousand short of the 2,500 needed to be a Presidential candidate on the state's ballots. What we don't know is what was wrong with the bad ones.

It could be any number of issues -- fake names, fake addresses, unregistered voters in Illinois -- or even simply an illegible signature.

Bottom line is Illinois will be officially removing him on August 21, or he still has the option to gracefully announce he's withdrawing.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/08/07/kanye-west-off-illinois-ballot-presidential-campaign-signatures-invalid/

God, I would certainly hope not! But wait until you see *WHY* Kanye is not getting on the ballot. Sure, he may have racked up those signatures pretty quick, but it turns out that a good majority of said signatures are complete bullshit. See, you know people aren’t taking his campaign seriously when they start fucking with the petitions and putting fake names on it. But even more so when they put names of celebrities and cartoon characters. Well, Kanye is kind of a cartoon character.

On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Michael Curran, an attorney for rapper Kanye West’s independent presidential campaign, is demanding Democrats prove their assertion that Mickey Mouse didn’t really sign West’s petition to qualify him for the ballot in Wisconsin.

“Curran … dismissed most of the other technical challenges as ‘misguided and ill-informed,’ including the claims that the nomination papers included obviously fake names, such as ‘Mickey Mouse’ and ‘Bernie Sanders,'” reported Daniel Bice. “He said the complaint must prove these are fraudulent signatures.”

Kanye West, who is running under a self-created political entity he calls “the Birthday Party,” has filed to run in a number of states, aided by Republican election strategists who appear to hope he will pull votes from former Vice President Joe Biden. His bids to get on the New Jersey and Illinois ballots failed due to irregularities with the petition signatures, and his campaign is accused of similar problems in the Wisconsin filing.

In addition to fake names, the challenge alleges that West’s signature-gatherers lied to at least six people about what they were signing, and filed the paperwork just after the deadline. Curran denies anything improper in West’s petition process.

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/08/kanye-wests-lawyer-demands-democrats-prove-mickey-mouse-didnt-really-sign-his-ballot-petition-in-wisconsin/

[font size="8"]Sturgis Rally
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Yes, sadly, COVID-19 is still a thing. And look we get it, we’re all fucking bored as hell. Reruns, video games, and leftovers can only get you so far. But right now COVID is running the show, as much as we don’t want it to. And we get that all your favorite events have been canceled. I lost a lot of money in tickets and travel when the pandemic started, I get it! So while we’re all suffering, one event hasn’t canceled. That event is the annual gathering of Harley Davidson enthusiasts in Sturgis, South Dakota – a town whose population nearly triples in size during the week of the Festival and nothing else. So what is not stopping bikers from attending? Come on, even the Harley Davidson people aren’t attending this year!

The 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, has already attracted thousands of bikers despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but Harley-Davidson staff were not in official attendance due to the Milwaukee-based manufacturer's travel ban.

"We will be focusing our support in ways that are consistent with our health and safety goals instead of large consumer activations. Fortunately, the Sturgis Rally isn’t restricted to concerts and parties – the true experience is rooted in riding and the spectacular routes that surround the event," a Harley-Davidson spokesperson said in an email.

The 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally runs from Aug. 7-16. Normally, Harley-Davidson would send staff and executives to promote the company. Instead, it is encouraging socially distanced riding through its "Let's Ride" campaign.

"More than building machines, Harley-Davidson stands for the timeless pursuit of adventure,” Harley-Davidson general manager of brand marketing Jon Bekefy said in a press release. “The Let’s Ride Challenge is Harley-Davidson’s invitation for all riders in this challenging time to rediscover adventure through socially-distanced riding to find freedom for the soul.”
https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2020/08/10/harley-davidson-staff-does-not-attend-sturgis-but.html

Seriously, I think even the Sons Of Anarchy are sitting this one out. OK so people aren’t going to follow the rules that the rest of us are following. But there is one thing that the Sturgis rally is known for in years when there aren’t pandemics – crashes! And fighting! You know, biker culture! So while nobody cares about the virus during the Sturgis Rally, it’s good to know that it’s business as usual!

South Dakota authorities on Sunday reported the first haul of crashes, arrests and citations from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in the western part of the state. The annual rally started on Friday, drawing thousands of maskless riders to the streets and bars of Sturgis.

While organizers have said they expect fewer visitors than in other years, the Argus Leader reports the number of arrests and citations have increased from last year.

The Department of Public Safety reported that police made 84 arrests for driving under the influence or drug-related offenses during a 24-hour period spanning from Saturday into Sunday morning. That's up from last year, when 76 people had been arrested in a similar time frame.

Police have also issued more citations, with 226 people getting tickets. The figure is 37 more than last year. But it appears police are less lenient this year and are letting fewer people off with warnings.

So far, police in the region have reported 18 crashes, which is down from last year's mark of 20. None have been fatal.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sturgis-rally-2020-84-arrests-24-hours/

Holy shit!! Crashes have actually increased! I’m sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that people are packing the bars in Sturgis like there’s nothing wrong going on. Now let’s talk concerts. Music festivals around the whole damn world have been canceled because of COVID fears. But that’s not stopping Sturgis. Nope. But let’s think about this for a minute – of all the bands you could risk your life to go see, this is who you pick? Really? I guess people really are that desperate for entertainment!

Smash Mouth's concert on Sunday in front of a packed crowd at Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota drew widespread outrage.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of bikers poured into the small city of Sturgis on Friday for the start of the annual motorcycle rally. More than 250,000 people are expected to attend the 10-day rally, making it one of the largest events to take place during the pandemic.

South Dakota has seen an uptick in coronavirus infections in recent weeks.

The band was one of the headliners at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip music festival.

Smash Mouth was one of several musical acts — including Trapt, Night Ranger, Saving Abel, Buckcherry, Reverend Horton Heat, 38 Special, Quiet Riot and Big Skillet — to play at the multi-day festival where admission to the entire event cost $360 per person, according to the Buffalo Chip website.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/smash-mouth-singer-mocks-coronavirus-pandemic-packed-sturgis-motorcycle-rally-n1236409

Woohoo! Now we can relive all the excitement of Woodstock 1999! No dude, you don’t risk your life to see Smash Mouth. The Rolling Stones are a band worth risking your life to see. The Foo Fighters are a band you risk your life to go see. AC/DC is a band you risk your life to go see. Guns N Roses and Iron Maiden are bands you risk your life to go see. You go see Smash Mouth during a 1990s “Where are they now” celebrity montage. Of course none of the good bands are touring right now, so sacrifices must be made, damn it. But it does seem that COVID, and logic are taking a holiday at Sturgis. Well, see you at the ER in two weeks!

Bill Converse had never attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally before, but this year he drove 29 hours from Georgia to sell his conservative pro-second amendment novelty T-shirts at the famous annual South Dakota event.

The 10-day rally brought hundreds of thousands of bikers to the small city of Sturgis, in the middle of a pandemic. While more than half of the local residents wanted the event to be canceled, city officials knew people would show up anyway and did their best to prepare.

Since Friday, visitors have packed into bars, used communal Slip n Slides, and — for the most part — flouted advice from local officials to wear masks.

Between the event kickoff Friday and early Monday morning, there were nearly 90 drug arrests and 286 total citations within city limits, according to statistics provided by the South Dakota state highway patrol.
https://www.insider.com/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-covid-19-attendees-pack-bars-2020-8

[font size="8"]The Maskholes: Party Boat Edition
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Look, believe me, I get it. It’s a pandemic, and one that is happening once in a century at that. Everyone is bored as fuck and looking for any excuse to get out of the house and away from their webcams and Zoom meetings and video chats. But don’t be a maskhole. And don’t go and make things worse for the people like me who are trying to take this seriously. So if you can’t go to a party and mingle with people in person right now because of COVID restrictions, where do you go? How about cruising around international waters? That’s right – one industry that is thriving right now is the party boat! Yup, if you’re brave enough to go mingle in public, you can take the party to international waters, because as we learned from the Simpsons, you can do just about anything!

There is one less party boat in the water, and the popular Liberty Belle was not at its usual dock at Pier 36 after police moved in and made arrests on Saturday night.

Officials met the boat at the pier and arrested the owners and the captain of the boat, claiming it did not practice social distancing and did not have a license to serve alcohol.

"How a charter boat could put together a crowd on deck and leave. It's disrespectful, it's illegal, it not only violates public health, it violates common decency," said Governor Cuomo.

As other boats left the same pier on Sunday, the crew of the Majestic Princess, which is a different company, told Eyewitness News that they sanitize hands, they take everyone's temperature and they operate at 50% capacity so that passengers can safely enjoy a ride around the city on a hot summer day.

"If it's crowded, I won't take it," said passenger Yahaira Salinas.
https://abc7ny.com/covid-coronavirus-social-distancing-party-boat/6349400/

Is that shit really helping? Having hand sanitizer to protect from a virus that’s transmitted by respiratory droplets is like putting a piece of duct tape on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. Go on, try the buffets, they’re the best buffets! Amazing, tremendous buffets. And the shuffleboard court, tremendous, tremendous shuffleboard. But New York isn’t the only place that is cracking down. Even Europe is cracking down on illegal parties right now.

Nightclubs around Europe are closed. But that doesn’t mean the continent’s party people are staying home.

As coronavirus lockdowns are eased, illegal raves are growing in popularity. Outdoor events for hundreds, or in some cases thousands, organized via social media and messaging apps, are in full swing every weekend, causing headaches for police forces and lawmakers, and stirring public debate and news media panic.

Tom Wingfield, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said in an email that there were no medical studies about the coronavirus and outdoor parties, but that a likely lack of social distancing posed risks for transmission. Throw in alcohol or drugs, and those risks could be exacerbated, he said.

Some countries have tried bringing nightclubs back. In Switzerland, most regions let venues reopen in June, provided they kept attendees’ contact details. (After many partygoers gave false information, ID checks became mandatory in some areas.) Clubs in Barcelona, Spain, reopened at the end of June but shut again a few weeks later as the virus surged in the city.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/sns-nyt-illegal-parties-coronavirus-europe-20200810-l4uc3rgkefe75cdil73sie6bli-story.html

Gambling, drinking, no masks during a pandemic… what else do you need? You know who else can’t help but party when there’s a deadly super virus that’s roaming the landscape? One of our favorite punching bags – Jerry Falwell Jr! Yes, the Liberty University captain was caught steering the ship off the waterfall, and I’m not even going to link to the absolutely disgusting picture that’s been circulating around the internet. You can Google that shit yourself!

You probably had a normal Monday. You got up, gave some ham slices to the cat, started your workday. You took a break, checked Twitter and Wonkette, gave some ham slices to the cat, went back to work. Maybe you ordered lunch takeout from a local eatery you like. You watched your shows last night while casually giving ham slices to the cat, and you fell asleep. Besides how you gave the cat at least 34 ham slices, which is way too many, you are normal.

Jerry Falwell Jr., though. Apparently he was busy deleting this on Monday, from where he had posted it on Instagram this weekend, we guess, until people started noticing it. This is not normal.

OK, you fucking nerd.

If your worldview is so weird that you are concerned with us knowing that you only have "black water" in your glass, instead of telling us why your pants are unzipped and you are showing us your quarantine belly and your upper pubic mound region, which is covered by some kind of stupid underwear thank God, your worldview is fuckin' weird.
https://www.wonkette.com/if-youve-ever-thought-i-wonder-what-jerry-falwells-upper-pubic-mound-looks-like-this-is-your-blog-post

That is a good question! And I honestly don’t want to know the answer to that! But while we’re all stuck at home and going ridiculously stir crazy, people like Falwell are not resisting temptation and going out and partying like it’s 1999! Even Donald Trump Jr and his COVID-diagnosed girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle couldn’t help themselves and shacked up on a party boat in the part of Long Island famously known as “The Hamptons”!

Donald Trump Jr, his sister and girlfriend took part in a 'Trumpilla' in the Hamptons on Friday ahead of a potentially lucrative weekend of fundraising in the region by the president.

Trump is hoping to rake in $15 million in campaign cash on Saturday in a series of fundraisers in the Southampton area of Long Island, including a stop at the home of Don Jr. and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

On the eve of the event Don Jr, 42, was spotted participating in a Trump rally on a series of boats off the coastal town of Montauk, 25 miles along the coast from Southampton.

Also at the boat parade was Don Jr's sister Tiffany, 26, and her boyfriend Michael Boulos.

In a blue swimsuit and white loose-fitting pants, Tiffany waved from the deck at the other participants in the 'Trumpilla'.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8606515/Tiffany-Don-Jr-Kimberly-attend-Montauk-boat-party-ahead-presidents-Hamptons-fundraising.html

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Murder Hornets
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It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines! This is Top 10 Investigates!

Back in June, which during a pandemic, seems like an eternity ago, everyone was obsessed with the latest bug developing out of Asia. Though this was no ordinary bug. The insect, an unusually large cicadia wasp, originating from central Japan, was dubbed the “murder hornet”. The murder hornet is an insect capable of ravaging bee and honey populations, destined to wreak havoc on the environment. The first one arrived in Washington State last week. And has been caught. What can we learn about these so called “murder hornets”? And are there more coming? Maybe this is the proverbial “storm” that Q Anon fans are going on and on about. But there’s more to it than just the hornets got caught – how close are they to your backyard?

Washington state has trapped its first Asian giant hornet -- or, what we've come to know as the "murder hornet."

Scientists have been trying to trap the invasive insects and prevent an infestation since they were first spotted in the state last year. More than two inches long, the hornets get their nickname from their propensity to attack and kill honeybees and potentially, people.

Up until now, five giant hornets had officially been sighted in the state. This is the first one found in a trap, according to a news release.

Officials announced Friday that they had identified the Asian giant hornet earlier this week from a trap collected near Birch Bay on July 14.

"This is encouraging because it means we know that the traps work," Sven Spichiger, managing entomologist for Washington's Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said in the announcement. "But it also means we have work to do."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/31/us/murder-hornet-trapped-washington-state-trnd/index.html

Yes, bees can defend themselves. And the murder hornets are called that because they have an unusually large stinger. So how do murder hornets differ from that of native hornets? And why are native hornets being mistaken for these killer insects? Well that’s because there’s already a similar hornet that’s native to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that looks very similar to the Japanese murder hornet.

People in West Michigan are mistakenly identifying Eastern Cicada Killers for the dreaded Murder Hornet.

The United States was introduced to the concept of the Murder Hornet, or Asian Giant Hornet, back in May. Though the only confirmed sightings of the frighteningly-named insect have been in Washington State.

"But Washington, it seems to be doing everything very, very right. They are putting lots of time and effort into surveillance," said Mark VanderWerp, a Certified Board Entomologist with Rose Pest Solutions.

"So if they keep that work up and they continue to get the word out to people to submit sightings in Washington, not Michigan, there's a very real chance that these things will be eradicated and not established permanently."

Of course, only time will tell. But VanderWerp says it would take many years for the little buggers to make it all the way to Michigan.
https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids/cicada-killers-are-being-mistaken-for-the-dread-murder-hornets

Not bees, hornets. No, this guy is not on board with us. But thankfully the hornets won’t be showing up in your backyard anytime soon. If you saw what you thought is a murder hornet, you probably saw one of these instead. Because the actual murder hornet is only one of a small species of hornets and there’s already bees and hornets that look similar to native American populations, but don’t have the destructive and killer nature of the ones originating from Japan.

Read the room, 'murder hornets'! Can't you see society is in no mood for you?

It turns out the hornets may be better at obeying this wish than expected. Asian giant hornets, or 'murder hornets,' have not been documented on the East Coast — though social media is full of people who say they've seen one.

The Asian giant hornet made headlines in early May when The New York Times reported that the insect had, for the first time, entered North America.

Experts who spoke to the Times expressed fears that the invasive hornets would wreak havoc on honeybee populations, not to mention humans — the sting was reported to feel like "hot metal driving into (the) skin."

These hornets are held responsible for 50 deaths a year in Japan, though it should be noted that dozens of bee sting-related deaths also occur in the US each year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Asian giant hornets have almost entirely yellow-orange colored heads, with a dark thorax (the midsection where wings and legs attach) and an abdomen with dark brown and black bands. Their presence in Maryland is "highly unlikely," the Maryland Department of Agriculture tweeted May 4.
https://www.delmarvanow.com/story/news/2020/07/19/murder-hornet-identification-look-alikes-delmarva-maryland/5467657002/

Well there won’t be any honey if the actual murder hornets show up on American soil. But no, if you think you spotted any murder hornets in your backyard, don’t worry. You’re safe for now. At least that is one thing that you don’t have to worry about possibly killing you in 2020, because we’ve already had lots of other things that could. But there’s no murder hornets on American soil right now and let’s try to keep it that way.

As the Texas summer rolls on and you spend more time outdoors, you're likely to encounter insects flying and crawling around, including ones that are big and mystifying.

Recently, KVUE viewers have shared photos like the one below of what they believed to be Asian giant hornets or "murder hornets," as some people in Japan call them because they're known to kill people.

But the two-winged, striped insect shown in this picture is not an Asian giant hornet. It's actually an eastern cicada-killer wasp, which is native to Texas.

In the U.S., the Asian giant hornets have so far only been discovered in Washington state. There haven't been any confirmed reports of the insect in Texas, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension experts.

Asian giant hornets can grow to be as long as two inches, while eastern cicada-killer wasps typically don't get much bigger than 1.5 inches.
https://www.kvue.com/article/tech/science/environment/asian-murder-hornet-austin-cicada-killer-wasp-confusion/269-2c465a98-7ac7-47b1-905a-5c12d0480ac1

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.

[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the virtual pew make an online donation in the LAWRD’s VENMO collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:

My fair congregation! This year has been a year of plague! In case you don’t know, COVID-19 is a thing that we must deal with. This wretched, EVIL virus has divided many of us. And none of our nation’s congregations can well, congregate like we used to. But does that mean that there is a holy war brewing among the nation’s faithful? Look, there’s nothing that says that you cannot worship. No! We are free to worship as we see fit! Because that is a right that is guaranteed to us under the Constitution of the United States Of America! But the unholy, ungodly Dark One, whose name shall not be spoken in my church, has a really different theory!

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a list of business sectors required to close as the number of coronavirus cases continue to increase substantially across the state.

California's average daily new cases hit 8,211 over the past week and 23 people died due to virus-related complications in the past 24 hours.

Bars and indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, zoos and family entertainment centers like bowling alleys are required to shut down in all counties — he previously ordered these closures in 19 counties with a concerning number of COVID-19 cases on July 1. The closures emphasize that outdoor activities are much safer than mingling with people inside, though Newsom said he'd prefer residents limit socializing all together.

Counties on the state's targeted engagement list were also ordered to close additional businesses on Monday. The targeted counties, which account for 80% of the state’s population, are required to close indoor operations of fitness centers, places of worship, offices for non-critical sectors, personal hair services, and indoor malls.
https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/health/2020/07/13/newsom-orders-gyms-churches-closed-monitored-california-counties/5430110002/

And he most certainly does! If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! So if you cannot hold a live, in-person congregation right now because of the pandemic, where can you go? How about we go to the place where one can usually indulge their fantasies, to a place called Sin City! That’s right, the Christian right are taking their show to Vegas! Well, it’s quite literally the only show going in Vegas right now!

Hundreds of people packed the Ahern Hotel in Las Vegas on Thursday for a faith-based campaign event for President Donald Trump headlined by the president’s personal pastor, Paula White.

“Our president understands how important faith is to our country,” White said.

According to organizers and one speaker, the Evangelicals for Trump event proceeded despite warnings from city and state officials, including several attempts by police to shut it down as it unfolded.
Ralph Reed, a political consultant and chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, said Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and the City Council threatened the owners of the Ahern Hotel with fines and license revocation if they allowed the event to proceed.

White added during her speech that Gov. Steve Sisolak also attempted to block the event.
https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/trump-evangelical-rally-proceeds-despite-warnings-from-city-state-2089941/

Hey it’s a virtual congregation, everyone must be seated in front of their webcams right now! But don’t call it a “holy war”. Don’t call it a comeback either! Because I’m certain that’s not what the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want now is it? So Evangelicals for the unholy Dark One, a man so disgusting and ungodly that his name must NEVER be spoken in my church, even if it is virtual, are attempting to bypass the current rules and restrictions! And what is that getting them?

Evangelicals for Trump held a prayer and praise event at a Las Vegas casino Thursday night, circumventing the state's restrictions on church gatherings that are not imposed on casinos.

More than 500 evangelicals attended the event held at the Ahern Hotel, according to The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The hotel lobby’s maximum capacity is 1,600 which allowed the event to follow the 50% capacity rule for hotels and casinos.

Featured speakers at the event included Paula White, head the White House's Faith and Opportunity Initiative, and members of the president's evangelical advisory board, Pastor Jentezen Franklin and Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., along with Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, California, who reopened his church on Pentecost Sunday.

Ralph Reed, chair of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, shared a video from the event that was retweeted by Vice President Mike Pence. Reed and hundreds of others sang and prayed together before speakers shared why they planned to vote for Trump. In Reed’s video, most attendees wore masks but some did not.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelicals-for-trump-bypass-nevada-restrictions-hold-rally-las-vegas-casino.html

That could happen in Vegas! And I hope that when travel restrictions are finally lifted on this nightmare pandemic that we’ll be able to go preach in Sin City again. But here’s the sad thing the COVID holy war isn’t going away, and when the religious right is done with Sin City, they’ll take their show elsewhere. So the moral of the lesson here? Don’t shoot the messenger. And that’s exactly what Vegas did!

The city of Las Vegas has fined a hotel for hosting a religious campaign event for President Trump that broke Nevada's restrictions on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A mandate issued by Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) prohibits gatherings of more than 50 people in either indoor and outdoor areas.

The group Evangelicals for Trump, however, held an event at the Ahern Hotel on Thursday with more than 500 attendees, The Associated Press reported. The event was reportedly headlined by the president's personal pastor Paula White.

Organizers told the AP that masks were required at the event, and a temperature check was conducted. Las Vegas spokesperson Jace Radke told the news wire that the organizers and the hotel owner were issued a citation from the city that included a $250 fine.

Per the AP, the Trump campaign has maintained that hotels can hold events at 50 percent capacity and aren't subject to gathering limits that have been placed on places of worship and other venues across the country during the pandemic.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/511089-las-vegas-fines-hotel-for-hosting-trump-campaign-event-despite-coronavirus

And that’s why some things should probably stay in Vegas! Virtual mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Ryan Reynolds Wedding
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Let’s talk about weddings. Everyone has their vision of the perfect marriage ceremony. Beautiful backdrops, everyone’s friends and family there, ravishing looking wedding parties, free flowing booze, and an overall good time. But could you regret where you have said wedding? Well, lately with racism being erased all over the world after the death of George Floyd, it’s hit the glorious star of everyone’s favorite wise-cracking, foul-mouthed, murderous superhero Deadpool, the great Ryan Reynolds, pretty hard. See, he and his wife Blake Lively got married at one of America’s oldest plantations. Which sounds pretty innocent until you start digging deeper and find out the true history of where he got married.

"Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds said he and his wife, actress Blake Lively, are "deeply and unreservedly sorry for" for holding their 2012 wedding ceremony at a South Carolina plantation.

"It’s impossible to reconcile," Reynolds told Fast Company, in a profile published Tuesday. "What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy."

Reynolds and Lively got married at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, which features nine slave cabins, referred to as "Slave Street." The move was criticized at the time, but came under renewed scrutiny in 2018 after Reynolds tweeted in support of "Black Panther," the first superhero movie to feature a majority Black cast, and was accused of hypocrisy.

The wedding industry has also been responding to plantation weddings' role in glamorizing sites of violence against Black people. Last year, Pinterest and The Knot banned pictures of all plantation weddings on its platform, including Reynolds' and Lively's.
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/ryan-reynolds-blake-lively-apologize-plantation-themed-wedding-n1235770

That’s like what? 16 walls? Yes, that probably was a bad idea to begin with. And this might be a good topic to explore in the future but who knew that weddings could be racist? I mean aside from when your creepy drunk uncle gets up during the toasts and makes uncomfortable remarks about white supremacist content he found on Facebook – and hey we’ve all been there, right? So why is this not OK to do something like this?

When planning their nuptials, some couples dream of having a “classic Southern” wedding at a grand, columned mansion with oak trees covered in Spanish moss and fireflies winking at dusk—a picturesque affair hosted on an antebellum estate that has made its facilities available to rent for parties and events. In other words, a plantation wedding.

But there’s a growing consensus that there’s something deeply wrong with this concept. A beautiful mansion and sprawling estate cannot be separated from a horrifying violent history. These are monuments to American slavery, not a place to hold a celebration or a backdrop for beautiful photos. “If anyone wanted to get married at a plantation, you must ask, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘what exactly are you saying about yourself?’” says Steven Hahn, a historian and the author of A Nation Without Borders: The United States and its World in an Age of Civil Wars.

White Southerners may be the most likely candidates to choose a plantation wedding, as it might be the popular venue in the area, but they are far from alone. Speaking to representatives for plantations like Middleton Place near Charleston, they say that people from all over the world, of all races and genders, opt to have their ceremony and reception there.

There are even celebrity examples. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds (who are from California and Vancouver, respectively) married in 2012 at Boone Plantation in South Carolina. Though they received mostly positive coverage at the time, it has sparked criticism on social media since and it is something Reynolds says he and Lively now deeply regret. “It’s something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for,” Reynolds recently told Fast Company.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/the-scene/weddings/a33446093/plantation-wedding-controversy-ryan-reynolds-blake-lively/

No wonder Southern people are always clamoring for “heritage” – they want that sweet, sweet Antebellum lifestyle! Which really if you think about it, is really just a trashy version of the rich life from Pride & Prejudice. Mr. Reynolds would say that this is a mistake. But that said, I am sure that Deadpool would be mocking you before slicing and dicing you after saying that. I’m just saying.

In the wake of the racial justice movement renewed by the death of George Floyd, Ryan Reynolds apologized for his plantation wedding with Blake Lively. The two wed in 2012 at Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina, a location fraught with painful history as a site where Black slaves lived and produced bricks and crops. (Pinterest and The Knot have since restricted promotions of plantation weddings.) In an interview with Fast Company on Aug. 4, Reynolds said the decision is one that he and Lively will “always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for" — and that it was "impossible to reconcile."

“What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest," Reynolds said. "What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy.” He revealed that the two got married a second time at home — but “shame works in weird ways.” Reynolds continued, “A giant f*cking mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action. It doesn’t mean you won’t f*ck up again.” He added that “repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.”

The interview comes after Reynolds and Lively donated $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in June and acknowledged their own history of complicity. “We want to educate ourselves about other people’s experiences and talk to our kids about everything, all of it,” Lively wrote on Instagram, in part. “We look back and see so many mistakes which have led us to deeply examine who we are and who we want to become.” She also pledged that she and Reynolds would “stay educated and vote in every local election” — and use their “privilege and platform to be an ally."
https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/ryan-reynolds-apologizes-for-his-plantation-wedding-with-blake-lively

[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner: Q Anon Vs The Troll Dolls
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Welcome back to the segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner! Yes, we are still holed up here in a doomsday shelter in the the remote alkali flats of the Iowa badlands while we anxiously await the end of the world. Oh, you say that’s actually going on? Great. Just allow me to adjust my trusty tin foil hat for maximum government interference. So what’s so batshit crazy this week? Well, we have to talk about the group that is off their rocker known as Q Anon. Last time we reported on the Q, they were accusing furniture manufacturer Wayfair of human trafficking because they have too much free time on their hands. This week they’re taking their fight to actual trolls. Which came first? The trolls or the troll dolls? That is a question only real trolls can answer!

Hasbro is removing a Trolls doll from store shelves following a number of complaints about an inappropriately placed button that some people say promotes child abuse. The company announced its decision to discontinue the doll on Wednesday thanks to an online petition that received more than 300,000 signatures.

A now-viral video of the Trolls "Poppy" doll shows one button on its stomach, which is advertised on packaging and another, which led to confusion among buyers. It says clearly on the back of the box that if you press the first button on the stomach, the doll will say ten phrases and sounds. But there’s no mention of a button under the doll’s skirt placed on the “private area,” the video noted. When pressing that second button, the doll gasps and makes sounds like, “Whee!” and “Oh!” which people have complained are a disturbing sexualization of the children’s toy.

The parent who made and shared the video said they felt it necessary to show the hidden button as issues related to child abuse, grooming, and child sex trafficking receive more national attention right now. The video she made, which garnered over half a million views, sparked an online petition to pull the Poppy doll from shelves entirely.
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/08/9955764/hasbro-pulls-trolls-poppy-doll-controversy-explained

Yes, that is a good question! And normally this is where I would say that Q Anon fans should get a hobby, but the sad reality is that this probably is their hobby! But that said, there is some good news for the Q Fans – Hasbro was just named one of the most ethical companies in the entire world for the 9th year in a row! And it’s probably because they don’t listen to Q Anon trolling dipshits!

PAWTUCKET, R.I.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hasbro, Inc., a global play and entertainment company, has been recognized by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2020 World’s Most Ethical Companies. Hasbro has been recognized for nine consecutive years and is one of only three honorees in the consumer products industry this year.

In 2020, 132 companies spanning 21 countries and 51 industries were honored.

“Hasbro’s commitment to integrity is central to our purpose to make the world a better place for children and their families, and it is evident in every aspect of our business,” said Brian Goldner, Chairman and CEO, Hasbro, Inc. “From our environmental initiatives, like our first-in-the-sector toy recycling program, our goal to eliminate plastic from our packaging and our plans to become carbon negative; to our commitment to workers in our supply chain with our industry-leading Ethical Sourcing Academy, we believe every day is a chance to do better. We are honored that Hasbro was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 9th consecutive year and are proud to be recognized for our dedication to using our business as a force for good.”

“More than ever before, employees, investors and customers are seeking out companies that demonstrate their commitment to leading with integrity and to using their business as a force for good,” said Ethisphere’s CEO, Timothy Erblich. “This is the 9th consecutive year that Hasbro has earned a spot on the World’s Most Ethical Companies list, a testament to their commitment to making the world a better place by blending profit and purpose in a meaningful way.”
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hasbro-named-one-2020-world-205400882.html

Well do we really have to? I mean we have Q Anon who is really thinking of children just a little too much. No really, in an almost certifiably creepy sort of way. Although the bad news is that Hasbro actually did listen to Q Anon and Pizzagate trolls, and just like Wayfair, it is costing them deeply. So the moral of the story here? Don’t listen to Q Anon dipshits guys! And I mean yeah, we do live in a world right now where there’s nothing better to do than point out the sex characteristics of troll dolls, so what?

Hasbro announced that it will be pulling Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy due to an inappropriately placed button on the doll.

The announcement came after a video showing the button went viral and a Change.org petition amassed over 400,000 signatures. The video, which is in a tweet below, shows a button placed on the underside of the doll that when pushed makes inappropriate noises. According to the Change.org petition, "When you push this button on the doll’s private she gasps and giggles."

Hasbro has since removed the dolls from stores and says they will replace any dolls already purchased with a doll of equal value. The toy maker claims that the button was not intended to be perceived as sexual and was only intended to have the doll react when put in a seated position. You can contact Hasbro's Consumer Care Team to get your doll replaced.

All of that seems completely plausible and most likely just a poor design choice when making the doll, but where and how the outrage came to be is interesting. The original video failed to make any waves online until a QAnon conspiracy theorist decided that the video was worthy of being shared.

Read More: The Weird Story Of Hasbro's Discontinued Trolls World Tour Doll | https://mix957gr.com/the-weird-story-of-hasbros-discontinued-trolls-world-tour-doll/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

Yeah I thought they did close the sex cauldron down! And speaking of sex cauldrons, here’s the thing when dealing with Q Anon idiots – they’re just making this shit up! That’s right my faithful audience – they are just making this shit up as they go along, much like the creators of LOST did. Hell with the way things are going this year, I totally expect to find a mystery VW bus that will take us to a part of the island where they’re conducting secret experiments.

The DreamWorks Trolls World Tour Giggle 'n Sing Poppy Troll doll, introduced by Hasbro in its spring toy lineup, has a strategically placed button between its legs that giggles when the doll is placed in a seating position. Several posts on Facebook – and a Change.org petition – describe the button as located in the doll's "private parts" area and suggest it is designed as part of an effort to groom young children for sex.

According to Hasbro's product description, the 12-inch tall doll is aimed at children 4 years and older and "giggles 3 different ways when she's tickled." It sings a version of the song "Trolls Just Want to Have Fun" from the DreamWorks Animation feature movie "Trolls World Tour."

The description adds that the doll can say "How about a hug?" and "Um, cupcake!" Finally, it notes that "when you sit her down, she makes other funny sounds, too!" Not all dolls in the spring collection include such a button.

In one video posting, Jamie Nelson Cornaby, from Utah, displays the doll her child received as a gift, shows how its works and also notes the button located at its "private parts."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/08/07/fact-check-troll-doll-draws-fire-giggle-button-private-parts/3307417001/

[font size="8"]I Need A Drink: Cartoon Reboots
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Hey everyone I don’t know about you but I could really use a drink!

Of course you know by now that this is the segment where we have some drinks and while we’re drinking we talk about anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics or to world events, because there’s a lot of dark shit out there. This week we’re going to discuss the rebooting and reimaging of some of our favorite cartoons. You know since the virus hit, there hasn’t been much production going on in Hollywood these days. But now that’s about to change. Tell me virtual bartender, what goes well with a story about cartoons? A dirty martini? Eh, I will just stick with my usual Jack Daniels mixed with Jack Daniels. So what cartoons are getting rebooted? Well one of my personal favorites to start with – Beavis & Butthead!

Beavis and Butt-Head are returning to TV.

Comedy Central announced Wednesday that the world’s favorite slacker teens are getting a reimagining at the cable network courtesy of original series creator Mike Judge. Comedy Central has ordered two seasons of the show as part of a new animation deal with Judge and 3 Arts Entertainment. The deal also includes potential spin-offs and specials.

As with the original series, Judge is set to write, produce and provide the voices for both iconic characters.

“It seemed like the time was right to get stupid again,” said Judge.

The series officially launched in 1993 on fellow ViacomCBS cable network MTV. It featured the titular duo offering satirical commentary on youth and adolescence. The show proved to be a cultural phenomenon, generating strong reactions both positive and negative.
https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/beavis-and-butt-head-reboot-comedy-central-1234695587/

Ah that hit the spot! Man I miss my bartender and my audience. Well, maybe Beavis & Butthead isn’t for you. Maybe you prefer the comedy stylings of Nickelodeon’s Ren & Stimpy – the children’s show that was deemed too racy for children! Maybe that’s because series creator John Kricfalusi was outed as being a creepy weirdo. But that hasn’t stopped Viacom from wanting that sweet sweet revenue!

Happy, happy, joy, joy we are getting a new version of "The Ren & Stimpy Show."
Comedy Central announced on Wednesday that it is reimagining the 1990s cult animated series.

The original "Ren & Stimpy" centered on the exploits of a dog and cat duo and debuted on Nickelodeon in 1991 along with two other animated series, "Rugrats" and "Doug."

But with it's dark humor and themes "Ren & Stimpy" was considered more of an adult series than a children's show.

"We are excited to reinvent this iconic franchise with a new creative team and our partners at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio," Chris McCarthy, president of ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group, said in a statement.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/05/entertainment/ren-stimpy-reboot/index.html

You know folks, maybe we really have reached the end of ideas! Because there’s over 30 shows being remade and it’s not just cartoons either. Maybe you’re more interested in some real nostalgia, like the remake of Looney Tunes. Yes, all your beloved Looney Tunes characters are getting a much needed 2020 makeover, and no, their remake does not include coronavirus. Oh did that go too far? Sorry.

Even amidst a pandemic and worldwide protests against systemic racism, online headlines on June 8, 2020 was dominated by... an 80-year-old cartoon series.

The Looney Tunes, one of the longest-running properties in the history of animation, was suddenly back in the news because the creators of the series’ latest iteration — a new batch of shorts titled Looney Tunes Cartoons that recently premiered on HBO Max— revealed in a New York Times profile that their new Tunes contained no guns whatsoever. “Cartoony violence” was okay, said executive producer Peter Browngardt. But Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam would no longer chase Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck with hunting rifles or six-shooters.

The announcement was a dream come true for internet headline writers, who know that few things spark outraged clicks faster than a pop-culture classic everyone knows and loves getting “ruined” by political correctness run amok. A Twitter search turns up dozens of angry tweets insisting that without guns the new Looney Tunes “will suck.” One article claimed Looney Tunes without guns “makes no sense” because (and yes, this was a real argument against the change) “Elmer Fudd is a hunter, not a wheat farmer, after all.”

While I am a stickler for extremely accurate depictions of hunters in cartoons about talking rabbits, I finally decided to check out the new Looney Tunes this weekend. They are, without question, the best anything made with Bugs, Daffy, and the rest in decades. Even without the guns, they’re also the most authentic Looney Tunes since the glory days of Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng.

Read More: HBO Max’s ‘Looney Tunes’ Is the Best Reboot of 2020 | https://screencrush.com/looney-tunes-2020/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

So we have Beavis & Butthead, Ren & Stimpy, and now Looney Tunes. Anything else getting the modern remake? How about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Yes, the original Saturday Morning Cartoon that’s had more remakes and reboots than Star Wars is going back for yet another round! And do we really need Seth Rogen helming this one? Does that mean that the Turtles are going to smoke copious amounts of weed before consuming all the pizza in New York City?

Deadline has learned that Nickelodeon is rebooting Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the big screen with Point Grey Pictures’ Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver producing, and Jeff Rowe (Gravity Falls, Connected) directing. Brendan O’Brien (Neighbors: Sorority Rising, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) will write the screenplay. Paramount will be handling global distribution on the film.

This time around, the feature adaptation of the Kevin Eastman-Peter Laird-created comic book, will be CG animated. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature franchise has accumulated $1.15 billion across six movies from three studios since 1990. The last two movies, released by Paramount and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes in 2014 and 2016, were live-action and together accounted for $730.6M. The last time there was a feature CG version of Turtles was Warner Bros.’ 2007 TMNT ($96M WW).

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie reps Nickelodeon Animation Studio’s first-ever CG theatrical production, in partnership with Ramsey Naito, EVP, Animation Production and Development, who is overseeing production for Nickelodeon. Josh Fagen is overseeing for Point Grey Pictures.

Said Brian Robbins, President, Kids & Family for ViacomCBS: “Adding Seth, Evan and James’ genius to the humor and action that’s already an integral part of TMNT is going to make this a next-level reinvention of the property. I’m looking forward to see what they do, and I know that Ramsey Naito and her team are excited to take the Nick Animation Studio into another great direction with their first-ever CG-animated theatrical.”
https://deadline.com/2020/06/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-cg-movie-reboot-from-nickelodeon-seth-rogens-point-grey-pictures-1202973764/

[font size="8"]Road To The White House: Who Is Karen Bass?
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Welcome back to… ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!! Ooh that was some good reverb there! Of course you know, thanks to COVID-19, we’re in what seems like literally the longest election year ever with each day slower than the one before it. So has presumptive nominee Biden chosen his running mate yet? Oh I see, maybe next week? Of course, the three stooges – Trump, Johnson, and Bolsonaro, are sadly, still inexplicably still in power. With two of those clowns having the virus and one shockingly still doesn’t. So the original piece that I had planned to do is no more, because it’s official! We have a running mate! And it’s who I called way back when the campaign started, and as a Californian, I couldn’t be happier for this nomination!

Kamala Harris was the front-runner to be Joe Biden's running mate pretty much since the moment the presumptive Democratic nominee announced in March that he would pick a woman to be on his ticket.

She was a safe pick and a practical one. She's also now in the position to be the heir apparent for the Democratic Party - whether it's in four years because Biden loses in November or doesn't run for re-election or eight years if Biden serves two full terms.

That could be why it seemed that there were so many attempts to knock Harris down a peg, or advance alternative candidates over the past month.

This was, in effect, the first fight of the next presidential nomination contest, and Harris - whose ambitions are clear - now has a step on the competition.

But determining future Democratic nominees is a battle for another day. The pressing concern for the party at the moment is how Harris might help Biden win the White House. Here are some strengths she brings to the ticket and, perhaps, some concerns Democrats may have.
https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53745148

Yes that is a good point, while the rest of us are attempting to embrace diversity, the GOP is thinking of it the same way that Ron Burgundy does! So how did Kamala get to be the vice president on what is going to be the ticket that will end Trumpism once and for all? Well, her list of qualifications should surprise no one, and especially no one that’s been following California politics for quite some time!

Joe Biden thinks he is going to win the White House in 84 days' time.
That's the unmistakable message he sent just after 4 p.m. Eastern time when, via text, his campaign announced that he had picked Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his vice presidential nominee.
Harris, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this year, had been the front-runner to be Biden's pick for months because, well, she simply made sense.
Consider:

* She's been vetted on the national stage due to her own 2020 bid
* She has experience in government -- as both the California attorney general and as a US senator since 2017
* At 55 years old, she represents a younger generation of leader -- something that Biden, who will be 78 on Inauguration Day 2021, said was a major factor in his choice
* She is a historic pick as the first Black and South Asian American woman to appear on a major party's national ticket
* She's from California, a massive treasure trove of both Democratic votes and Democratic donors
https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/11/politics/joe-biden-kamala-harris-vp/index.html

Hell yeah let’s do this thing! We are fired up and we are ready to send Donald Trump and the Christian right packing! We need a real leader to lead us through these times so we can get back to doing what we love doing. And only Joe sees the dire straits that COVID-19 has put the US in, and it’s going to take a near Herculean effort to lead us out of this. But Joe and Kamala are ready to take charge on day one and do what needs to be done!

US presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's selection of Senator Kamala Harris gives him a running mate who can appeal to African American voters who are core to Biden's base of support and serve as a fierce critic of President Donald Trump's record in office.

A former top state prosecutor in California, Senator Harris brings a law-and-order career record that will help Biden steer a tricky, centrist line between Black Lives Matter protesters and white Americans who worry about attacks on police funding.

At the same time, picking a woman who competed with Biden during the presidential primaries and attacked him memorably on race during a debate, shows Biden asserting a degree of self-confidence that he can forge a cooperative, working relationship with her, political analysts told Al Jazeera.

"Biden faced unprecedented pressure to pick a Black woman," said John Jackson, a professor at the Public Policy Institute of the University of Southern Illinois.

"He wanted someone who is going to command some respect and will balance the ticket with demographic characteristics of gender and race," Jackson said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/08/biden-choice-kamala-harris-vp-candidate-unprecedented-200811210524520.html

Yes let’s do this! Finally after 3 years of hell and 6 months of living in an absolute fucking nightmare, we are ready to tackle this thing. And at the end of this segment, I have a special message for the guy who we call president, Donald J. Trump. Hey Trump, guess what? You’re fired. And it’s time that we get a real president and a real vice president who know what they are doing, and Joe is ready! It’s time to kick their sorry asses to the curb and send them packing!

During his final debate with Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic Party presidential nominee Joe Biden vowed, “If I’m elected president my Cabinet, my administration will look like the country.” With Biden’s selection of Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, he has taken an important first step toward representing the diversity of the Democratic Party and the nation.

If Biden wins the election in November, his Cabinet will represent an opportunity to rally underrepresented groups and interests around his administration. As Biden considers candidates for these positions past presidents can offer him a helpful road map for creating a successful Cabinet. The best Cabinets throughout the history of the United States have been filled with competent, engaged and disciplined secretaries who present diverse views and actively disagree with the president.
The historical importance of a diverse Cabinet

In 1789, President George Washington set this precedent for effective leadership by selecting men who represented different regions of the country, backgrounds and ideological interests. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson was a wealthy plantation owner from Virginia, owned hundreds of enslaved people, and brought critical diplomatic expertise to the administration. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton was born in the Caribbean, before making his home in New York City and cozying up to the merchant and mercantile elite in cities. Jefferson and Hamilton disagreed on almost everything and Jefferson later described their Cabinet meetings as a “cock fight,” evoking the bloody, brutal nature of their disagreements. While Jefferson hated these confrontations, Washington knew that he benefited from having both perspectives and pleaded with Jefferson to stay and provide “the check of [his] opinions in the administration in order to keep things in their proper channel and prevent them from going too far.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/08/11/joe-biden-picks-kamala-harris-vp-vice-president-diverse-cabinet-column/3348957001/

Hey Trump! Guess what?

See you next week!

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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo

August 5, 2020

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-7: With Experts Like These, Who Needs Quacks? Edition

Top 10 Conservative Idiots #9-7: With Experts Like These, Who Needs Quacks? Edition

Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! How’s everybody doing? Are you guys doing fucking good? I know, right? It’s hard to find fun things to talk about for the intro since COVID killed all the fun in the world and we’re currently stuck at home staring at the walls. I know I would like to be out at clubs and theaters doing the Top 10 live like we used to but that ain’t happening for quite a while, at least during the duration of the pandemic. But at least we have sports back (sort of). Yeah I know they’re not as much fun without a live audience watching, but the players in every league kneeling for the national anthem is something right? And in real life it has made my Fox News loving, Trumpster friends and neighbors’ heads explode! Even my one super-conservative neighbor is planning on ditching his season tickets that he’s held forever because of this. And I say his loss is my gain! Part of me can’t wait for live audiences to be able to come back to events to see what the reaction is. But on the other hand, given just how many conservatives there are, it could also be disastrous. So maybe it’s better to wait for live audiences for next year. But given the extreme nature of COVID who knows how long we’ll get to enjoy sports this year? I say we put politics aside and enjoy sports for as long as we can while we can. OK enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to. But first John Oliver is back and he delves into the US history of racism in schools – and it’s a very uniquely American problem:

Sigh… another week under this crappy virus and it’s not ending any time soon, and life just gets crappier and crappier. So in the number one slot this week we’re going to do something different and rather than talk about all the bad shit in the world, we’re going to pay tribute to the late, great civil rights leader John Lewis (1). Yes, the long-term Baltimore Congressman deserves a shout out, and there will truly never be another one like him. Now onto the idiots, taking the second slot this week is of course the guy who we still inexplicably call president, Donald Trump (2). And can we say Bill Maher was right in that Trump ain’t leaving? Well he just called to delay the election and what could possibly go wrong with that? Taking the third slot this week is also Donald J. Trump (3). COVID-19 is unfortunately still a thing, but Trump is betting the farm on the alleged “cure” – hydroxychloroquine, and his “experts” that he is endorsing are completely batshit insane! Taking the fourth slot this week is the Maskholes (4), and yes they are still a thing, and we are going to be bringing you these stories as long as the pandemic is still a thing. In the fifth slot this week is our wekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5) – can campaign advertising be digitally manipulated? After a couple of candidates have got caught doing this, we do a deep dive to find out how they get away with this. In the sixth slot this week is of course our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit”, and this week the Christian right is still holding get togethers, and the Faith & Freedom Conference has officially endorsed the Dark One, which our resident pastor says FML. At slot number 7, we haven’t done one of these in a while but we’re bringing back This Fucking Guy (7) and this week we’re going to profile K.W. Miller (7). If you don’t know the name, he’s a Florida (obviously) Congressional candidate, die hard Q Anon supporter, and colossal douchebag. Just the type of mind that Trump attracts! In slot #8 this week is a new “How Is This Still A Thing” and this week with racism being canceled everywhere, we’re going to ask: “Civil War Reenactments: How Is This Still A Thing?”. In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new “People Are Dumb” and this week it’s a special All Florida Edition, though we really want to highlight the guy who fleeced PPP loans to buy a Lamborghini! Finally this week in “Road To The White House” there’s a very real possibility that Maine senator and Trump ally Susan Collins could actually lose, but what other seats could possibly up for grabs? Hint: More than you might think! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!

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[font size="8"]Remembering John Lewis
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You know what? I’m tired of talking about bad news. We’re living in a time when a killer virus is roaming the landscape and devastating the economy and keeping us all locked in our houses. So I want to talk about something that’s not that. Last week, we lost a legend. That’s right – we lost long, long term Baltimore Congressional representative and Civil Rights leader John Lewis. So I felt that he more than deserves a shoutout. How do you best remember a guy like John Lewis? He was profiled in the movie Selma for his participation in the history making Selma march. And since then he’s led Baltimore for more than 40 years. Here’s more.

The late US Rep. John Robert Lewis made his final journey on Sunday across the famous bridge in Selma, Alabama, where the towering civil rights figure helped lead a march for voting rights in 1965 that came to be a key part of his legacy.

Following a short ceremony outside of Brown Chapel AME Church on Sunday, Lewis' body traveled on a horse-drawn caisson through several blocks of downtown Selma to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Lewis' flag-draped casket crossed. It was on that bridge that a 25-year-old Lewis and other marchers were met by heavily armed state and local police who attacked them with clubs, fracturing Lewis' skull.
The caisson paused when it reached the bridge's steel arch that bears its name.

The final crossing provided a new chapter in the history of the bridge and Lewis' relationship to it: The concrete and steel structure that was once stained with blood during the violent clash was covered with rose petals on Sunday, a somber moment honoring the fallen civil rights icon that stood in marked contrast to the scene in which Lewis was brutalized 55 years ago.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/26/politics/john-lewis-memorial-edmund-pettus-bridge/index.html

Yes, Rep. Lewis, we salute you! And no I am not going to ruin this with Trump’s asinine comments about how he didn’t attend the service or any of that nature. Trump can go fuck himself. But the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, did have some choice words for Trump. And she completely unloaded on him for his painfully insensitive comments.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) on Tuesday blasted President Trump’s latest comments on the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), calling Trump “delusional.”

Trump told Axios’s Jonathan Swan in an interview published late Tuesday that he couldn’t say “one way or the other” whether the civil rights icon’s life had been “impressive” but that Lewis “made a big mistake” by not attending his inauguration in 2017.

Asked about the remarks on CNN, Bottoms said she was “disgusted."

“Donald Trump shows us time and time again that the only thing he believes in is himself,” she said. “He doesn’t care anything about the American people, he doesn't care anything about the history of this country, he doesn’t care anything about the future of this country.”

Bottoms said the comments underscored that the 2020 presidential election is “the most important election of our lifetime.”
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/510421-atlanta-mayor-rips-trump-over-john-lewis-comments-he-doesnt-care-anything

Uh… Mayor Bottoms? Have you been following the same insane administration we have for the last four years? Are you really surprised by anything he says anymore? Yes, Trump, your message is bad and you should feel bad! But then again Trump is a sociopath who makes everything about himself and feels no empathy or shame in anything he does. Well let’s take a look at how an actual president remembered John Lewis.

Former president Barack Obama gave a searing eulogy for John Lewis, urging Americans to honor the legacy of a civil rights giant by engaging in the "good trouble" that leads to a more perfect democracy in the face of powerful institutions that seek to oppress.

Obama spoke from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church during the funeral for Lewis in Atlanta on Thursday, where he said he was there because he owed a debt to the 16-term congressman and his "forceful vision of freedom." Obama, the country's first Black president, remarked on the instructions given to Americans enshrined in the constitution to create a "more perfect union."

"John never believed that what he did was more than any citizen of this country can do," Obama said. "I mentioned in the statement the day John passed, the thing about John was just how gentle and humble he was. And despite this storied, remarkable career, he treated everyone with kindness and respect because it was innate to him. This idea that any of us can do what he did, if we’re willing to persevere."

The former president spoke on the current threat to voting rights in America, a cause that Lewis nearly gave his life for as a young man, and the responsibility citizens have to continue to engage in the fight for equality.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/john-lewis-funeral-set-mlk-s-church-atlanta-obama-give-n1235302

And yes John Lewis gets the Captain America salute! He practically is the personification of a real life Captain America. The guy truly loved his country. And by the way, I do miss having a president who can speak in complete sentences and pronounce words correctly. That time will come again! And by the way, Fox, you can kiss our asses! Because unlike you, we care!

Fox News’ daytime ratings “fell off a cliff” on Thursday when the network started broadcasting the funeral for congressman and civil-rights icon John Lewis, CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter reported on his show Reliable Sources over the weekend.

On Monday, Stelter elaborated with a series of tweets that demonstrated just how much Fox’s typically loyal viewers did not want to watch former President Barack Obama and others eulogize the Democratic lawmaker.

While Fox was in the lead (as it usually is) during the 9 a.m. hour with 1.7 million viewers, once the funeral began the following hour, “viewership collapsed,” bottoming out at just over half a million viewers by 1 p.m. (Fox is represented by the red line in the graphic; CNN is blue and MSNBC is green). “Yet more evidence that Fox has totally demonized Democrats?” Stelter asked.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/fox-news-ratings-collapsed-during-john-lewis-funeral

[font size="8"]Donald Trump

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Welp, Joe Biden called it. And now it’s coming to fruition. We are 93 days out from the election as of the time of this Top 10. And Trump and his minions are literally doing everything they can to fuck with the election process short of calling the whole damn thing off. They might just go through with it. But that’s a pretty big “might” there. So the question is, could Trump delay the election because of his insane paranoia about mail in voting? The actual answer is a big fat “no” but it’s way more complicated than that. In fact it’s very clearly defined in the Constitution when the election can take place and when the presidential term is up. But Trump is preparing to go full Grandmaster.

He floated a delay until people could "properly, securely and safely" vote.

There is little evidence to support Mr Trump's claims but he has long railed against mail-in voting which he has said would be susceptible to fraud.

US states want to make postal voting easier due to public health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the US constitution, Mr Trump does not have the authority to postpone the election himself. Any delay would have to be approved by Congress. The president does not have direct power over the two houses of Congress.
What did Trump say?

In a series of tweets, Mr Trump said "universal mail-in voting" would make November's vote the "most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history" and a "great embarrassment to the USA".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53597975

Come on guys, don’t give them any ideas. But this is, and I’m using this in the most technical sense of the term – truly fucking evil. Not only is it evil, it’s uncharted territory. We didn’t stop elections in the Civil War, World War II, or the Influenza pandemic. We just kept right on voting. But we adapted to the circumstances. Yes, COVID is the worst pandemic in a century. And we can still vote. So what’s stopping Trump from going through with the election? Well…

But Pompeo's reference to the Department of Justice injected a new element into the proposal. The secretary of state, a former editor of the Harvard Law Review and later a lawyer for the elite Washington, D.C.-based firm Williams & Connolly, did not elaborate on what role the agency could play. He said only that the election should be carried out "lawfully."

"We want to have an election that everyone is confident in," Pompeo said, declining to answer Kaine's explicit question about how Trump could legally postpone the election. "It should happen lawfully."

Trump on Thursday pinned a tweet to the top of his account taking aim at proposals for greater mail-in voting to protect Americans against spreading the coronavirus. He did not offer evidence that mail-in voting leads to greater fraud, a claim he has frequently repeated.

"With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history," Trump tweeted Thursday. "It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"
https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2020-07-30/pompeo-reacts-to-trumps-proposal-to-delay-november-election

Yes, holy shit indeed! Even Mike Pompeo, Trump’s own appointee for the head of the DOJ is concerned that this might be, and I am using the technical term here – an abuse of power. So does he have the power to do this? Of course the answer is a big fat NO!! , like I said before. And not only has he been suggesting this, he’s been doubling down on the insanity.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that the United States would need to “delay the election,” claiming that mail-in voting would make the results “the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history.”

Trump has no power to unilaterally delay elections, which were set for the day after the first Monday in November through a mid-19th century law passed by Congress. Since then, it has never changed, said presidential historian Michael Beschloss.

But Trump is trailing in the polls by double digits to Democrat Joe Biden, and election experts have long worried that the president would actively try to interfere with the Nov. 3 balloting in order to prevent a potential loss.

Trump, however, has personally denied thinking about changing the date of the election. “I never even thought of changing the date of the election, why would I do that? November 3rd. It’s a good number,” Trump said on April 27 at the White House. “I look forward to that election.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/30/trump-suggests-delaying-election-amid-fraud-claims-but-has-no-power-to-do-so.html

Seriously, holy shit. Where’s the song from Deadpool? Yes holy shitballs, and I can’t say that enough! So where is Trump getting the idea that he can overstep his power and stay in office as long as he wants? Well for that let’s look at his boss, the real 45th president of the United States, Vladimir Putin. Who I am sure that Putin is loving watching the collapse of the United States because of the COVID pandemic. But while we were sleeping, Big Vlad did this. And don’t think it can’t happen here.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is already one of the world's longest-serving leaders, and on Wednesday, voters paved the way for him to rule the country until 2036.

Early referendum results showed overwhelming support for Putin's proposed constitutional reforms, including one that resets the clock on the President's term limit. Should he win the 2024 election and the next one, six years later, Putin could cling onto power until he is 84, pushing his reign to more than 36 years.

Putin has already been in power for over 20 years, coming in at number 14 on a list of the world's longest-serving leaders, excluding royals, who often serve for life.

His longevity has come from shuffling back and forth between the roles of prime minister and president continuously since 1999. He is regarded as an autocratic leader, and while the country holds elections, they are widely seen as undemocratic and designed in his favor. Election monitors said the 2018 presidential vote was "overly controlled" and "lacked genuine competition."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/02/europe/russia-vladimir-putin-longest-serving-leaders-intl/index.html

[font size="8"]Donald Trump
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In case you didn’t notice, we’re still in the middle of a raging pandemic – and the worst in an entire century. Of course this happened when we were putting together last week’s story but I couldn’t wait to do this entry. I mean seriously, with experts like these, who needs quacks? So our current president, Donald J. Trump, is going all in on his “cure” for COVID-19 – hydroxychloroquine. Despite that time and time again, study after study has proven this cure to be complete, utter bullshit. But that hasn’t stopped the professional product hawker to keep hawking his product. And this might be my favorite thing to come out of this crisis, and there haven’t been a lot of things to be amused about right now.

President Donald Trump vigorously defended his administration's handling of the coronavirus on Tuesday, but it was a series of questions from CNN's Kaitlan Collins about Dr. Stella Immanuel, a little-known Houston-based physician featured in a video the President retweeted, that caused him to abruptly end his press briefing.

"Mr. President, the woman that you said is a great doctor in that video that you retweeted last night said masks don't work and there is a cure for Covid-19, both of which health experts say is not true. She's also made videos saying that doctors make medicine using DNA from aliens, and that they're trying to create a vaccine to make you immune from becoming religious," Collins asked.

The CNN reporter went on to press Trump: "It's misinformation."

"I don't know which country she comes from, but she said that she's had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients," Trump said. "And I thought her voice was an important voice, but I know nothing about her."
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/29/politics/stella-immanuel-trump-doctor/index.html

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. You’re saying that the guy who is currently sitting in the Oval Office, is recommending a cure based on “research” from a doctor who believes in alien D.N.A. and demon sperm? I’m sorry to tell you this conspiracy theorists, but we’re literally living in your worst nightmare right now! Yes, the truth is out there my friends! And by the way, Madonna, you’re not helping either!

Madonna joined President Trump in sharing the viral video of Houston doctor Stella Immanuel on Instagram.

Immanuel, member of America's Frontline Doctors, believes that hydroxychloroquine is a cure to coronavirus, despite the FDA and WHO condemning the use of the drug to treat COVID-19.

In a viral video, Immanuel made claims that there's no need for another shutdown and citizens don't need to wear masks. Immanuel has been widely criticized for spreading coronavirus conspiracies, and, as reported by The Daily Beast, believes in sex demons and that alien DNA is currently used in medical treatments.

According to The Washington Post, Madonna posted a clip of of the video with the caption, "without evidence, that a vaccine for the disease has been found and proven and has been available for months. They would rather let fear control the people and let the rich get richer and get the poor get poorer and sick get sicker."

Madonna also falsely claimed that a vaccine for coronavirus "has been available for months," but "people in power who stand to make money from this long, drawn-out search for a vaccine" don't want to make it available, reported Rolling Stone.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/coronavirus/article/Madonna-praises-Houston-doctor-demons-15446488.php

Seriously, where are Mulder and Scully when you need them? We are literally living in an episode of the X-Files right now. There’s a killer virus out there ravaging the landscape, and our president is obsessed with a fake doctor promoting a bogus cure and believes in demon sex and alien DNA. But apparently when we’re dealing with a novel and highly contagious virus, all rules are out the door! And for you idiots who are claiming that the cure is worse than the disease, well…

Dr. Stella Immanuel, who appeared in a controversial video promoting an unproven COVID-19 treatment, is a member of a group of pro-Trump medics who have for months been pushing misinformation about the virus.

In the video, clips of which were shared this week by President Donald Trump, Immanuel appears at a news conference outside the Supreme Court with other members of the group, America's Frontline Doctors, and GOP Rep. Ralph Norman. The members promote the drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventive treatment and a cure for COVID-19.

The Food and Drug Administration has said that hydroxychloroquine is not an effective COVID-19 treatment and that it should not be used for coronavirus patients because of a risk of dangerous heart problems.

The founder of America's Frontline Doctors, who also appears in the video, has been a vocal critic of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 and said in May that most Americans need not worry about it. Immanuel has also questioned the effectiveness of wearing masks to stop the spread of the disease — despite mounting evidence that it is one of the best protective measures people can take.
https://www.businessinsider.com/stella-immanuel-member-tea-party-pro-trump-group-2020-7

Yeah priorities, who needs them? It’s not like we’re in a raging pandemic that’s trashed the economy and killed over 650,000 people worldwide and caused untold devastation and potential generational harm. Come on people!!! And of course Trump likes the people who kiss his ass the most. That’s about all that he’s good for right now, since he really isn’t doing much else. At least Twitter and Facebook are *FINALLY* putting an end to this nonsense, for now. Fuck I need a drink.

Social-media sites have come out swinging against a video pushing misleading information about hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment — which led to Twitter’s partially suspending Donald Trump Jr.’s account.

The conservative media outlet Breitbart first published the contested clip, which features men and women dressed in white lab coats and referring to themselves as “America’s Frontline Doctors” staging a press conference outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The individuals make questionable coronavirus claims that have been proven false, such as calling hydroxychloroquine (a drug used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis for decades) “a cure for COVID” — despite a growing body of scientific evidence that has not shown this to be an effective treatment against the virus.

What’s more, one of the self-identified doctors whose name is given as Stella Immanuel of Houston claims in the video that “you don’t need masks,” despite evidence showing that face coverings help slow the spread of the coronavirus. (She has also said that alien DNA is being used in medical treatments, and gynecological problems such as cysts are caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches, the Daily Beast reported.)
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-twitter-facebook-and-youtube-are-taking-down-that-hydroxychloroquine-video-and-suspending-accounts-including-donald-trump-jr-that-shared-it-2020-07-28

[font size="8"]The Maskhole Files
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I don’t know if people seem to have forgotten but we’re in the middle of the worst pandemic in an entire century! While there’s no good way out of this, at least for the current time being, one of the things we have to do is wear a face mask in public. Look, no one likes this, I can’t stand it. But I do it because I don’t want to get this shitty virus any more than the next person does. And here’s thing number one – if someone confronts you about it in public, don’t be an asshole. Also, here’s thing 2 – those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This case, history is quite literally repeating itself. The New York Times recently did a piece on the 1918 pandemic and the parallels between the maskholes then and now is simply stunning.

The masks were called muzzles, germ shields and dirt traps. They gave people a “pig-like snout.” Some people snipped holes in their masks to smoke cigars. Others fastened them to dogs in mockery. Bandits used them to rob banks.

More than a century ago, as the 1918 influenza pandemic raged in the United States, masks of gauze and cheesecloth became the facial front lines in the battle against the virus. But as they have now, the masks also stoked political division. Then, as now, medical authorities urged the wearing of masks to help slow the spread of disease. And then, as now, some people resisted.

In 1918 and 1919, as bars, saloons, restaurants, theaters and schools were closed, masks became a scapegoat, a symbol of government overreach, inspiring protests, petitions and defiant bare-face gatherings. All the while, thousands of Americans were dying in a deadly pandemic.

<snip>

Resisters complained about appearance, comfort and freedom, even after the flu killed an estimated 195,000 Americans in October alone.

Alma Whitaker, writing in The Los Angeles Times on Oct. 22, 1918, reviewed masks’ impact on society and celebrity, saying famous people shunned them because it was “so horrid” to go unrecognized.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/us/mask-protests-1918.html

So with that said, 2020 = Pandemic II, 2030 = Great Depresion II, 2040 – World War III? Is that how the cycle is going to work? But seriously, imagine the balls it takes to go into public during a raging pandemic when we’re all essentially walking biological weapons and say that you’re not going to wear a mask because it goes against your beliefs. And one place you shouldn’t be doing that? An airport.

A Delta flight was forced to return to its gate after two passengers refused to wear masks onboard amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A spokesperson for the airline told PEOPLE in an email statement that the plane "returned to the gate following two customers who were non-compliant with crew instructions," before adding that the plane departed to its destination "after a short delay."

According to Delta's website, "Delta customers and employees are required to wear a face mask, or appropriate cloth face covering over their nose and mouth throughout their travel, aligning with best practice guidelines from the CDC."

The incident occurred a day after Delta's CEO Ed Bastian said that passengers who refuse to wear masks will be banned from flying with the airline.

"You cannot board a Delta plane unless you have a mask on,'' Bastian told Today on July 22. "If you board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you don't fly Delta into the future."
https://people.com/travel/delta-flight-returns-to-gate-after-2-passengers-refuse-to-wear-face-masks/

Yeah seriously, these guys have monster balls, but they are also colossal dicks! And we may be seeing a hell of a lot of people being added to the no-fly list in the near future. Even worse, some people are even going so far as to sue over mandatory mask rules. Guys, we’re in a pandemic! And the sooner we all comply by the rules, the sooner the pandemic will be over! Just think about that for a minute, you selfish, nasty assholes!

With coronavirus cases spiking across the US, public health officials are urging the population to wear masks in all public areas, a simple measure that could limit the spread of the disease. But while 20 states now have some kind of mask requirement in place, the new rules have been difficult to enforce. Police departments in Ohio and Texas have refused to enforce statewide mandates, and West Virginia’s mask rule leaves enforcement up to businesses, which are often paralyzed by the bizarre politics of the issue.

A minority of the population simply refuses to wear masks and often causes a scene when confronted about it — as countless viral videos have shown. The result is a strange stalemate, with some state and local governments gun shy about the politics of mask mandates and businesses ill-prepared to police the public health practices of their customers. Now, that fight is spilling into court, as anti-mask activists publicly challenge stores’ right to force them to cover their faces.

So far, legal challenges to mask ordinances have had mixed outcomes: a Florida man unsuccessfully tried to claim the local mask requirement was a privacy violation. A group of citizens in Washington state filed a lawsuit claiming Gov. Jay Inslee’s mask rule is a “violation of their freedom of conscience” and thus unconstitutional. But a judge in Louisiana granted a temporary restraining order to a group of businesses in Shreveport, which prevents authorities from enforcing the mayor’s mask requirement there.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/13/21314477/shoppers-suing-legal-masks-doctors-coronavirus-pittsburgh-discrimination

Seriously! You can’t be an asshole in public during a pandemic and then sue to exercise your right to be an asshole. And yes, I know that is covered by the 1st amendment. I know what country I live in. But on the other hand, this is America, and we don’t like being told what to do! But if you must tell someone what to do, please consult the experts! Seriously, I don’t want to do this feature every week during the pandemic, but as long as these stories keep popping up in the news, I will do it!

“As soon as you venture into a tone or demeanor that sounds critical, they will immediately get into a defensive posture,” says Noesner. “Whether they feel strongly about it or not, they feel compelled to defend their freedom to do what they want. So any approach like that is inevitably going to fail.”

The first thing you notice when talking to Noesner is his soothing tone. His sentences sound like ocean waves, the pitch gently rising with curious questions and falling in calm reassurances. It’s a stark contrast to the harsh assertive voice I want to use at people who don’t understand the word asymptomatic.

“You might say, ‘Excuse me, could I chat with you for a second? I see that you don’t have a mask on, and I know that’s a personal choice, and a choice that you need to make. But I have this vulnerability medically. Or my son does. Or my daughter. If not for yourself, you might make others feel more secure,'" says Noesner in a re-enactment so convincing that I almost reach for my mask, even though I’m inside my home.

He explains that using science or the law or politics won’t stop bad actors; this type of coercion requires a personal appeal. He describes that strategy as an “I message.” Instead of putting blame on the maskless, flip the problem on yourself. Be vulnerable and admit that you’re concerned because there’s things you don’t know about this virus, and that scares you.
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/mask-etiquette-coronavirus-covid19-fbi-hostage-15416464.php

[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Campaign Advertising Manupulation
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It’s time to investigate beyond the headlines. This is Top 10 Investigates!

Can your own photos be used against you for advertising purposes? And especially in a campaign? This week multiple parties were caught manipulating photos for the purposes of advertising, this is a phenomenon that is unique to the social media age. But this week it goes all the way to the White House, and that’s not a precedent to be set by the president of the United States. But these days in the social media era, literally anyone can manipulate any image for any purpose, and most go unchallenged for this practice.

No, White House didn’t release a doctored image of Trump’s airport crowd
If Your Time is short

A doctored image of an airport crowd greeting Trump in Tampa was posted by a Twitter user, who said he thought it was an obvious joke.

See the sources for this fact-check

Someone did a lousy job of doctoring a photo of President Donald Trump’s July 31 Tampa, Fla., airport event to make the crowd look bigger than it was.

A Facebook user claimed it was the White House.

On Aug. 1, the Facebook user posted four images "borrowed from" a Twitter user that purported to show the Tampa event. The Facebook post included one photo the user said was from the media, showing a modest gathering, and another one, with clear evidence of manipulation, said to be from the White House and depicting a thick crowd.

The White House doctored the image "to make the crowd look bigger," the post claimed.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/aug/03/facebook-posts/no-white-house-didnt-release-doctored-image-trumps/

Yes, and not only are they fake, but they are terrible at this practice! But it gets weirder because it can be used in your campaign and it can be used against you. Just take a look at what happened when a Georgia state senate candidate was manipulated to have a larger nose and then was accused of using taxpayer funds to pay for plastic surgery to make it smaller.

Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia has been called out for running a Facebook ad campaign that featured a digitally manipulated photo of his opponent, Democrat Jon Ossoff, with a bigger nose. Ossoff is Jewish and depictions of cartoonishly large noses have been a staple of anti-Semitic propaganda for over a century. Senator Perdue’s re-election campaign called the editing of the image “accidental” and refused to apologize.

The photoshopped ad, first reported by Forward, featured photos of Ossoff along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s also Jewish, and included text that reads “Democrats are trying to buy Georgia!” along with “Schumer’s SUPER PAC is spending $3 million in Georgia for Jon Ossoff!”

The original unedited photo was taken for Reuters by photojournalist Chris Aluka Berry in 2017 after Ossoff lost an election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District. Perdue’s campaign denied that the edit had been intentional and sought to distance itself from the unnamed designer who made the ad.

“In the graphic design process handled by an outside vendor, the photo was resized and a filter was applied, which appears to have caused an unintentional error that distorted the image,” the campaign told Forward.
https://gizmodo.com/republican-senators-campaign-accidentally-photoshops-je-1844527600

So the moral of the story here is that if you’re going to hire someone to manipulate an image for you, at least hire someone who’s competent in graphic design and Photoshop. Because if you don’t and you get caught it can backfire on you big time. And it’s not limited to politics either. Well it’s mostly limited to politics, but manipulation can take form in a variety of ways. Even the president of the United States got caught in the manipulation wars.

Fox News said on Monday that it "mistakenly" cropped President Trump out of a photograph that featured the accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.

"On Sunday, July 5, a report on Ghislaine Maxwell during Fox News Channel's 'America's News HQ' mistakenly eliminated President Donald Trump from a photo alongside then Melania Knauss, Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell," a spokesperson for the network said.

The Fox News spokesperson added, "We regret the error."

Maxwell was charged by federal prosecutors in New York on Thursday for her alleged role in recruiting and sexually abusing underage girls as part of a years-long criminal enterprise.

Trump's allies have played up ties between former Democratic President Bill Clinton and Epstein sometimes by sharing old photos in which both of them appear, while downplaying photos that show Trump and Epstein together. A Clinton spokesperson said in 2019 the former President knew "nothing about the terrible crimes" the convicted pedophile committed.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/06/media/fox-news-trump-crop-epstein-maxwell/index.html

Yes, error! And of course Fox would admit to editing Trump out of a photo of him standing next to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. But lying about an election is still prevalent in 2020 despite people getting caught with their proverbial pants down. The sad thing is that data manipulation is nothing new and Facebook and Twitter are still allowing this even going into the biggest election of a lifetime.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc (FB.O) announced limited changes on Thursday to its approach to political ads, including allowing users to turn off certain ad-targeting tools, but defied critics’ demands that it bar politicians from using its ads system to spread lies.

Ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November 2020, the world’s biggest social network has vowed to curb political manipulation of its platform.

Facebook failed to counter Russian interference in the 2016 election and allowed misuse of user data by defunct political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Now, it faces intense criticism of its relatively hands-off ads policies, especially after exempting politicians’ ads from fact-checking standards applied to other content.

Facebook said it and its photo-sharing app Instagram will soon have a tool enabling individual users to choose to see fewer political and social issue ads, and will make more ad audience data publicly available.

In contrast, Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) banned political ads in October, while Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) said it would stop letting advertisers target election ads using data such as public voter records and general political affiliations. Online platforms Spotify (SPOT.N), Pinterest (PINS.N) and TikTok have also issued bans.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-politics/facebook-tweaks-ad-policy-but-still-allows-political-lies-in-u-s-campaign-2020-idUSKBN1Z81A6

That’s it this week for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.

My fair online congregation! You know I had a much different piece planned this week, but after I saw this story I knew I had to cover this, this week! Now in case you’re living under a rock, or you’re like Jared Leto who had no idea this was going on, we’re in a pandemic. The worst one since 1918 to be exact. And just like in 1918, we had the same idiots who refuse to wear a mask. Now take a look at this guy who dares to call himself a pastor out of Tennessee. Well if you’re endangering your congregation during a pandemic, you ain’t no pastor. In fact this guy is so crazy that he went on this insane rant against Dunkin Donuts! Come on, don’t rag on the donuts!

In the wake of a threatening online rant from anti-LGBT pastor Greg Locke, Dunkin’ Donuts has announced that it will now require customers to wear masks in all its stores.

In the video, Locke said he had threatened to knock a Dunkin’ Donuts employee’s teeth down his throat. The video has been viewed nearly 6 million times on Facebook. Locke said the employee, who he called “Nazi Skippy,” asked him to wear a mask the next time he’s in the store. When Locke pushed open the door with his foot on the way out, the employee allegedly falsely accused him of trying to break the door’s glass.

“I said, ‘If you call me a liar one more time, I’m going to take these work boots and I’m going to kick your teeth down your throat,’” Locke said in his rant, which according to Towerload is a confession to a possible crime.

“Locke, a staunch anti-masker and full-fledged COVID-19 denier, said in another video this week that he will go to jail before halting services at Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, due to the coronavirus pandemic, which he calls a hoax,” Towerload reports. “In his video about the Dunkin’ Donuts incident, he said he’s also willing to go to jail over mask requirements.”
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/dunkin-donuts-to-require-masks-after-trump-supporting-pastor-threatens-employee-report/

Yes, Pastor Locke, I cast thee out!!! And you worship and support the unholy, ungodly Dark One, whose name shall not be spoken in my church even if it is a virtual one! But this got me thinking – if this guy is like this, then who else is like this? Well, pandemic boredom set in and I decided to do a deep dive into who supports this man and this line of thinking. Well, it turns out that the Christian right is actually encouraging this sort of thing.

The lights dimmed. Guitars thrummed. And a nine-piece band kicked off what amounted to a rock concert inside an amphitheater of a church. “Shout for joy to the Lord,” one musician called out, quoting Scripture.

Any such shout could release the coronavirus to congregants. With some 500 people singing along, though, any concern about a deadly virus circulating was hard to find other than the spaced-out chairs in the 6,000-person hall. Although Colorado’s governor had issued a statewide order days earlier mandating masks, hardly anyone at this service at New Life Church obeyed.

“I’m finding this to be true at churches all over America: If they’re told they have to wear a mask, they’ll stay home,” said Brady Boyd, senior pastor of the 15,000-member New Life Church, a nondenominational megachurch that meets in five locations across the Pikes Peak region.

Long considered one of the country’s evangelical strongholds, Colorado Springs returned to church in ways both guarded and full of gusto after the state lifted lockdowns June 4 with limitations on how many people could gather. But as the county’s coronavirus cases and hospitalizations climb to their highest levels in months, many of the city’s largest and most well-known congregations remain undeterred — openly flouting the new statewide mask order and, in at least one instance, threatening not to stop holding in-person services again if ordered.
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/07/30/colorado-churches-reopening-mask-orders/

Yes, so churches are holding spreader events! I mean that’s not something the good LAWRD JAYSUS would want in a time of crisis now would he? Because he would want everyone to congregate, but we can’t congregate in person until we find a way to deal with this crisis at hand. But while churches are reopening, they are proving to be a major source of virus cases! I mean, I am shocked, shocked I tell you!

Weeks after President Donald Trump demanded that America’s shuttered houses of worship be allowed to reopen, new outbreaks of the coronavirus are surging through churches across the country where services have resumed.

The virus has infiltrated Sunday sermons, meetings of ministers and Christian youth camps in Colorado and Missouri. It has struck churches that reopened cautiously with face masks and social distancing in the pews, as well as some that defied lockdowns and refused to heed new limits on numbers of worshippers.

Pastors and their families have tested positive, as have church ushers, front-door greeters and hundreds of churchgoers. In Texas, about 50 people contracted the virus after a pastor told congregants they could once again hug one another. In Florida, a teenage girl died last month after attending a youth party at her church.

More than 650 coronavirus cases have been linked to nearly 40 churches and religious events across the United States since the beginning of the pandemic, with many of them erupting over the last month as Americans resumed their pre-pandemic activities, according to a New York Times database.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/sns-nyt-coronavirus-churches-outbreaks-20200708-gmcawizqenbn5nplxwmullj5cy-story.html

Yes, yes he does! For the DEVIL is the pastors who are willing to put their congregation in danger for the sake of making a few bucks! And I am almost certain that is something that the good LAWRD JAYSUS would not want. Look, I hate being cooped up as much as the next guy and I would much rather be preaching to my literal choir, but we are all in this together! Well, some of us are anyways!

God apparently won’t hear your prayers if you wear a mask according to a Florida pastor suing to overturn a local mask mandate. Apparently, God needs to read lips.

Rev. Joel Tillis, a pastor at Suncoast Baptist Church in Palmetto, has joined forces with a Republican state lawmaker to nullify a local ordinance that requires people to wear masks inside businesses and churches when social distancing isn’t possible.

State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R) joined Tillis for a rally outside of the Manatee County Courthouse to celebrate filing the ridiculous lawsuit. Sabatini has filed over a dozen similar lawsuits across the state.

The simple coronavirus prevention measure is “a radical infringement of the reasonable and legitimate expectation of privacy and facial autonomy in addition to the medical privacy by forcing them to wear masks for the majority of the day,” according to the lawsuit.
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/08/florida-pastor-sues-mask-mandate-church-cant-pray-wear-masks/

Yes, so some pastors are OK with not wearing masks, and some are even going so far as to be colossal dicks about it! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]This Fucking Guy: K.W. Miller
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This week’s This Fucking Guy is K.W. Miller. If you don’t know who he is, he goes by the Twitter handle @kwcongressional. That’s where all the batshit crazy things this guy says comes from. He’s a Q Anon supporter, die hard Trump fan, batshit crazy conspiracy theorist, and – wait for it – he’s running for Congress! And if you guessed that he’s running from the great state of Florida, you would also be correct! Because Florida never fails to bring the crazy, and now that’s where this week’s This Fucking Guy comes from! So what does this guy stand for? And what makes him so criminally insane compared to the next Trump candidate? Well, for one thing, like most Trump loving conspiracy theorists, he has a weird obsession with female performers – namely Beyonce and Ariana Grande!

Beyoncé holds many titles — entertainer extraordinaire, business mogul . . . Satanist?

KW Miller, who’s running as an Independent for Florida’s 18th Congressional District seat, has proclaimed that the “Dreamgirls” star not only worships at the altar of Lucifer but is faking being black.

The energy analyst asserts that Beyoncé isn’t African-American at all but rather a woman of Italian heritage whose real name is Ann Marie Lastrassi.

And the source of these seemingly cuckoo contentions? Why, Beyoncé herself, from her 2016 single “Formation.”

“You all do know that Beyoncé‘s song “Formation” was a secret coded message to the globalists, I certainly hope?” wrote Miller in a July 5 Twitter post. “The song clearly admitted that she was demonic and that she worshiped in the Satanist churches located in Alabama and Louisiana. She keeps Satanist symbols in her bag.”
https://www.nydailynews.com/snyde/ny-beyonce-italian-20200710-pm5ewckxfzg3tbsd3ofgyugbui-story.html

Really? I’ve seen that video a hundred times and I’ve never got the impression that she was a Satanic witch from Italy who worships in the Church Of Satan! If that isn’t enough he’s recently turned his attention to another art form who some might call Satanic witchcraft - Japanese anime! Specifically, the insanely popular series Dragonball Z! Now what does he have against Dragonball Z, you might ask? Well, it’s dirty, perverted pornography!

KW Miller is a US congressional candidate running as an independent for Florida's 18th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. Like most politicians, he uses his online presence to promote his political views. In one of his most recent attempt to sway people to his way of thinking, Miller accused Dragon Ball Z of being a top issue regarding anime porn.

The exact statement of Miller's tweet reads, "They are now introducing a great deal of anime porn into the internet matrix." He then followed by saying, "Dragon Ball Z is one of the top issues here. They are sexualizing cartoon characters to push a depraved agenda on our kids." He says all of this before asking, "When will it stop? When will it end?"

Now, there are several confusing and humorous elements within this tweet, but the most head-scratching one of the lot has to be the identity of "they." Miller is currently running as an independent candidate, but he routinely aligns himself with far-right politics, so it's unclear if he;s referring to the left in this statement, or a different entity, like Japan. Neither one makes sense in the context of this tweet.

Dragon Ball Z certainly isn't afraid to show off what it looks like to be in peak physical condition. Characters like Goku, Frieza, and even Teen Gohan are riddled with muscles, but to consider that porn or over-sexualization is a farfetched statement, to say the least, and one that someone could make about anything regarding fitness.
https://gamerant.com/dragon-ball-z-kw-miller-criticism-anime/

Here’s the thing, KW, if you support Q Anon and worship Trump, a guy who has been known to do some absolutely unspeakable things in the bedroom, you can’t be surprised by anything that comes out of Dragonball Z! And if you really want to see anime porn, just type “Japanese schoolgirl” into Google with the safe search turned off and see what comes up! Go on, I’ll wait. And that’s not the only overseas pop culture entity he’s attacked lately. He also went after insanely popular Korean boy band BTS!

Korean pop idols generally stay away from any political alignments. According to reports, the management companies have strict policies over the K-pop idol talking about anything related to political influences. However, a congressional candidate from the United States of America is now claiming that K-pop is ‘foreign propaganda’ and the K-pop juggernauts BTS or Bangtan Sonyeondan, are ‘socialists’. Politician KW Miller is making these ardent claims through his Twitter posts. The group’s fan base is now confused and thinking about what exactly the accusations mean. The social media post in question was flooded with ‘confused’ reactions from the followers of K-pop.

The US politician KW Miller is not only blaming BTS but also dragging K-pop’s involvement in politics in the US. The remarks and allegations come after the wayward turnout of the audience for President Donald Trump’s Tulsa rally in June. As per reports, over one million people were registered to be a part of the rally. However, people in few thousands turned up. The reason behind the low turnout was the pseudo reservations made by K-pop stans and group of TikTok users. As per reports, it was the youth’s way of showing disapproval of the president running for the second term. The main aim of the youth was to ‘spoil the rally’ as per media reports.

The politician wrote, “Last month @AOC worked with KPOP agents via the app TikTok to sabotage the President's rally. KPOP is foreign propaganda. Why was AOC conspiring with Koreans such as Junkook and BTS (Big Time Socialists) to undermine our President? TikTok is Chinese owned. Kim Jong Un knew?.” The claims mentioned Kim Jong Un, however, he is from North Korea and not South and the tweet also mentions Chinese involvement. The politician's bizarre tweet was called out by many Twitteratis.
https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/music/bts-is-big-time-socialists-k-pop-is-foreign-propaganda-us-politician.html

Oh come on, KW, there’s no conspiracy here. Trump really *IS* that unpopular! In fact right now Trump is so unpopular that he’s literally in the phase where he could be opening up for puppet shows right now, that is if we had any events to go to! But how is Twitter allowing this guy to say the batshit crazy things he does? Because for some inexplicable reason, Twitter allows people who have blue checkmarks next to their name to say any damned thing they want!

The social media giant said it would also stop recommending content linked to QAnon and block URLs associated with it from being shared on the platform.

QAnon is a sprawling conspiracy theory whose followers support US President Donald Trump.

Twitter said it hoped the action would help to prevent "offline harm".

In a statement shared on the platform, Twitter said it would permanently suspend accounts that violate its policies while tweeting about QAnon.

The suspensions will be applied to accounts that are "engaged in violations of our multi-account policy, coordinating abuse around individual victims, or are attempting to evade a previous suspension - something we've seen more of in recent weeks," it said.

The suspensions are expected to affect about 150,000 accounts worldwide. More than 7,000 accounts have been removed in recent weeks for violations, Twitter said.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53495316

That’s why we’re working to get a Blue Check for the official Top 10 account! That’s KW Miller, this week’s:

[font size="8"]How Is This Still A Thing: Civil War Reenactments

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It’s time once again to ask:

This week: Civil war reenactments. How are they still a thing? This week, the Coronavirus pandemic ended the world’s longest running Civil War reenactment that has been going on in Florida for the last 40 years. But with America’s past being revisited after the tragic death of George Floyd, one has to wonder why are they still a thing? Well, before we answer that question, we must first analyze why people find the Confederate Flag – the symbol of the Confederate Army, so offensive. But can you really blame the pandemic for ending the time honored tradition of recreating the worst war in American history? Yeah probably.

The annual reenactment of The Brooksville Raid has been canceled for next year.

The largest Civil War reenactment in Florida has been canceled. It’s about time.

For 40 years, people have gathered at a Boy Scouts camp in Hernando County dressed in Civil War uniforms to conduct a mostly fictitious reenactment of The Brooksville Raid.

“The Scout Council decided not to make the Sand Hill Scout Reservation property available for The Raid,” the sponsors posted this month. “The coronavirus health crisis and declining profitability were part of the deciding factors.”

OK, maybe that’s not the whole story.

Others blamed “cancel culture” and the diminished collective appetite in romanticizing anything connected to the Confederacy. Plus, it’s really expensive to indulge in all this military cosplay.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200727/cerabino-is-covid-19-really-to-blame-for-killing-civil-war-battle-reenactment-in-florida

No they don’t respect authori-tah, and you definitely can’t blame “cancel culture” for this. And don’t go blaming “cancel culture” for this because it’s a losing battle. And actual experts on American history and culture say that recreating a battle from 160 years ago is also fighting a losing one. And you definitely don’t want to be on the side of the losers.

I had to double-check recently that the Civil War actually did end in 1865. I wondered whether this was still the case after hearing Republican spokesmen and Conservative Inc. celebrities demonizing Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and other 19th century Southern leaders. American history seems to grow more hateful to our establishment conservatives as the years flow by.

Anti-Confederate rants are now common on Fox News and in mainstream Republican publications. These conservatives seem to approve, at least implicitly, of the toppling of Confederate statues, and they seem shocked and hurt when the left doesn’t give them credit for this stance. Fox News commentator Brit Hume in an interview with Bret Baier expressed shock that President Trump’s July 3 Mt. Rushmore speech caused Democrats to accuse him of being pro-Confederate. Trump, notes Hume, kept out of his speech any defense of anything even remotely Confederate, while glorifying Lincoln, Grant, and especially Martin Luther King, Jr. The president even managed to suppress any outrage over the toppling and dishonoring of Confederate memorial monuments.

Since GOP propagandists Dinesh D’Souza and Mark Levin have been attacking the Democrats repeatedly as the party of Southern traitors, I have begun to wonder whom these tirades are supposed to persuade. This is aside from the question of whether the South had an at least defensible right to secede, given the circumstances in which it joined the Union. Or, whether the 11 Southern states, which collected an army of a million men, were necessarily engaging in traitorous rebellion by deciding to form a new nation.
https://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/blog/reenacting-the-civil-war-is-a-losing-strategy/

Uh… we’re not sure that quote is right there, Apu. But in a case of “when keeping it real goes wrong”, don’t take the fight literally! It was a horrible time for America that still rings true nearly a century and a half later. There was an actual battle being fought on July 4th this year but the other side simply didn’t show up. And that makes you look like one of the biggest losers of them all when you fight a literal one sided battle.

The Fourth of July is usually a big day in Gettysburg, coming, by coincidence, a day after the anniversary of the end of hostilities in town.

Usually, the holiday follows a reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg, the turning point in the Civil War, and a pivotal moment in American history.

This Fourth of July was exceptionally busy in Gettysburg, with traffic moving at glacial speed all over town, but for reasons that may well be a reflection of our times and of the divisions that have existed in the country before the war between the states and ever since. Those divisions are exacerbated by this overheated political season playing out against a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated economic crisis and the protests that have flared up all over the country, and the world, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

This year, in Gettysburg, the holiday was supposed to be, in some respects, a re-litigation of the Civil War, with Black Lives Matter and anti-fascist activists attempting to defeat the Confederacy by tearing down statues and desecrating Confederate graves and heavily armed people who call themselves patriots defending the monuments to the Lost Cause, as it’s called.
https://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/2020/07/04/gettysburg-4th-guns-and-political-rhetoric-but-no-antifa/5374621002/

No, we’re hoping that the south just won’t rise again. The fascists have been repeatedly on the losing end of battles since the 1600s. Whether it’s the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, or World War II, people still hang onto the losing team and will wear their colors proudly. There’s no reason to keep fighting these battles and there’s no reason to praise the losers either. They lost for a reason!

Most Australians — aside from a few groups dedicated to reenacting American Civil War battles and history buffs including Bob Carr and Kim Beazley — were not familiar until recently with the charged history of the flag of the Confederate States of America.

Now the flag is in the Australian news with reports SAS military in Afghanistan in 2012 used the bold red, blue and white flag to guide in a US helicopter. Two SAS personnel also posed for a photograph with the flag.

Why do these images of Australian soldiers posing with a flag from another country’s long-ago war provoke such strong reactions? Because the flag has long symbolised defiance, rebellion, an ideal of whiteness and the social and political exclusion of non-white people — in a word, racism.

The flag represents the Confederate States of America (CSA or Confederacy), created in 1861 when 11 states seceded from the 85-year-old nation. This rebellion was prompted by the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Lincoln argued slavery should not be extended to new territories the United States was annexing in the west. Southern enslavers feared slavery in their established states would be Lincoln’s next target.
https://theconversation.com/why-is-the-confederate-flag-so-offensive-143256

So an offensive flag and you’re repeatedly fighting a losing battle for a losing team. In a time when people are fighting back against a systematic racist system. That’s enough to make you ask – Civil War Reenactments:

[font size="8"]People Are Dumb
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Hit it!

Of course you know by now that people are people and people are dumb! This week, we’re taking to our favorite place in the world – the Sunshine State! Even in the worst pandemic in an entire century, the Sunshine State always brings the crazy! But mainly I wanted to use this space to talk about one specific story. We of course are going to that magical Florida city of Miami. Home, of course, to the Miami Marlins, to the Miami Heat, to the Miami Dolphins, to serial killer extraordinaire Dexter Morgan, and now they’re home to this douchebag. Look, if you’re going to fleece the government for life saving PPP money, maybe keep a low profile, OK?

Fund payroll, take care of employee benefits, pay the mortgage, cover utilities, buy a Lambo?

Apparently, that last one doesn’t quite qualify as a permissible cost under the Paycheck Protection Program, but that allegedly didn’t stop one Florida man from putting some of his coronavirus aid money toward buying a $318,000 Huracán EVO.

David Hines, whose business was in the red by more than $30,000, received a $4 million loan from the government and soon took to the streets of Miami Beach in his fancy Italian sports car.

As if the Lambo wasn’t enough, Hines also splashed $4,600 while shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue as well as thousands more on fancy hotels and jewelry, according to the Washington Post.

Maybe, just maybe, he should have kept a lower profile.

Hines was arrested and charged with making false statements to a lending institution, bank fraud and engaging in transactions in unlawful proceeds.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/florida-man-uses-coronavirus-aid-money-to-buy-a-318000-lamborghini-2020-07-28

Of course the Lamborghini is always the much more subtle choice! Next up – speaking of Batman, we go to the Florida city of Englewood for this one. Yeah if you wind up getting arrested for a DUI, maybe don’t tell the police that you’re Batman. But while Batman would never get a DUI, chances are good that Commissioner Gordon is going to be following Batman’s case load.

ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — A southwest Florida man is accused of wandering around a hotel naked and identifying himself as Batman, authorities said.

Christopher L. Jackson, 49, of Englewood, was arrested Friday and charged with loitering and exposure of sexual organs, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call at the Suncoast Inn in Englewood late Friday after the motel’s manager reported a naked man had tried to enter his room, WINK-TV reported.

Deputies found Jackson at a table outside the motel, the television station reported. Jackson claimed to have a room at the motel and had accidentally locked himself out of the room, but the manager said Jackson was not registered there, WINK reported.

“I made multiple attempts to obtain his name and date of birth which he replied with ‘I’m Batman,’” the deputy wrote in an arrest report. ............(more)

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/trending/naked-florida-man-tells-deputies-hes-batman/YHEZQLR6TZGZ7AQC5LV4NURC4U/?

Yeah no this guy is not the hero we need or deserve, is it? Next up – we go to the, and I hope I am pronouncing the name of this town right – Wimauma, where you should never have these particular two things in your hands at the same time. And by those two things, we are talking about guns and alcohol. And this story just keeps getting better and better. Cue the “hold my beer and watch this!” people!

WIMAUMA, Fla. (CW44 News At 10) – According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a man in Wimauma was arrested on Saturday, August 1, 2020 after reports that he was waving a firearm at citizens while walking down the road.

At 11:49 a.m. on Saturday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office received multiple calls from citizens that a man walking near Railroad Street and State Road 674 was pointing a gun at vehicles driving by. Deputies arrived within minutes and located the armed man walking south on Railroad Street.

Eric Ricardo Felder, 66, was still holding and carelessly waving the firearm around in one hand with an alcoholic beverage in the other. Deputies took him into custody without incident.

Felder was in possession of a loaded .38 Smith and Wesson revolver. He was arrested and charged with felon in possession of a firearm, 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, use of a firearm while intoxicated, improper exhibition of a dangerous weapon, and resisting arrest without violence.
https://tampa.cbslocal.com/2020/08/02/florida-man-arrested-with-gun-in-one-hand-beer-in-the-other/

You tell ‘em, Homer! Next up – America’s most penis-shaped state never fails to bring the crazy even during the worst pandemic in a century. Normally we would do these when we go to Florida but since we’re not going to Florida any time soon due to COVID restrictions, we are exploring the sunshine state from home! Well one thing we won’t be doing – exploring the state with a live candle in our cars!

The Charlotte County Fire Department and EMS has a warning for drivers.

Do not drive with an open candle!

According to the department’s Facebook page, the fire started after a fragrant candle that was burning in the car, tipped over onto some papers, and caught on fire.

The man driving stopped his car and ran for a trashcan to fill with water and when he got back, the car was engulfed in flames.

Fire and EMS crews say they were able to put out the fire but, unfortunately, not before the fire destroyed the car.
https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/florida-man-driving-with-candle-sets-car-on-fire/

Yeah I would say that’s probably the right time to abandon ship! Finally this week on People Are Dumb – you know the show Cops finally got yanked off the air after 30 seasons because people are sick of police brutality. But that said, we miss the crazy because this is the kind of thing that would almost certainly be featured on that particular program. If you get arrested, maybe don’t do cartwheels. Seriously.

He flipped out.

A Florida man was caught on camera trying to evade arrest — by cartwheeling away from the police.

The now-viral footage shows the gymnastics enthusiast blocking the path of a truck at a Wawa in Orlando, by doing a flip in the middle of the roadway.

Officers took him down for apparently blocking traffic, but the man was able to wiggle out of their grasp.

He then launched into a cartwheel — but didn’t get very far.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office identified the spry 40-year-old as Gianfranco Fernandez, according to Orlando outlet WOFL-TV.
https://nypost.com/2020/07/23/florida-man-tries-to-evade-arrest-by-cartwheeling-away-from-cops/

That’s it this week for:

[font size="8"]Road To The White House
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Welcome back to our coverage of the 2020 mother of all elections to end all elections! In this corner, we have the presumptive democratic nominee, Joseph R. Biden! And in this corner, he is currently and inexplicably still the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump! But this week the advantage is increasingly leading towards Biden becoming our 46th president and leave Trump in the dust! And in order to win the 2020 election, there’s several states that need to flip toward Biden in order to be effective. And those states are the ones that are typically considered key swing states – Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Mexico, and Florida. If Biden can take most or all of those he can win the election! So what’s it going to take?

Recent national polls show that Joe Biden’s commanding lead has eroded longstanding demographic divisions that have favored Republicans, endangering their hold on a tier of states where the Democratic Party usually has little chance to prevail in federal elections, even Republican strongholds like Kansas or Alaska.

President Trump still has plenty of time to close the gap with Mr. Biden. But with Mr. Biden’s lead enduring well into a second month amid a worsening coronavirus pandemic, it’s worth considering the potential consequences of a decisive Biden victory.

Remarkably, Mr. Trump’s lead among white voters has all but vanished. On average, he holds just a three-point lead among them, 48 percent to 45 percent, across an average of high-quality telephone surveys since June 1. His lead among white voters has steadily diminished since April.

In the long view, the president’s losses among white voters compared with his final standing in 2016 polls are broad, spanning all major demographic categories. In more recent months, the president’s losses have been somewhat narrower and concentrated among younger voters, according to the polls. Mr. Biden has made no gains among voters over age 65 at all since May, and as a result his once-distinctive lead among the group now looks similar to what one would expect in this national environment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/upshot/biden-polls-demographics.html

Let’s hope that isn’t an excuse for not voting! So those are the key takeaways here – mainly that Biden is winning in places where they have traditionally leaned conservative are now trending blue! And that is something mainly because the entire world is waking up to how fucked up conservative policies have destroyed this country. But there’s one state everyone is focusing on that was a big blow to Hillary’s 2016 chances – the state of Wisconsin. Could Biden turn the tide?

Nate Zimdars, a Democratic candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly, arrived at the V.F.W. lodge here after marching in the local Independence Day parade, ready to meet voters at an annual outdoor chicken cookout called the “Chic Nic.” Although the event was hosted by the local Republican Party, Mr. Zimdars was far from nervous being behind enemy lines. He was eager.

The county flipped from blue to red in 2016, Mr. Zimdars noted, which meant it could flip again. Plus, national Democrats had done him a favor — they chose former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. for the top of their ticket.

“Biden comes across as someone who’s moderate and has experience on both sides of the aisle,” Mr. Zimdars said. “My close family and friends, who are a little more on the Republican side of the fence, said if Biden became the nominee they would vote for him.”

Such persuasion is at the core of Mr. Biden’s campaign strategy, designed to bring together moderates, seniors, working-class voters across races and former supporters of President Trump. The approach has helped him jump out to an early lead in polling, both in national surveys and in swing states like Wisconsin, where Mr. Trump won by less than 23,000 votes in 2016. It has also helped him fend off attacks from Mr. Trump, who has sought to cast Mr. Biden as a radical progressive despite his lengthy career as a moderate lawmaker.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/19/us/politics/joe-biden-wisconsin-election.html

So there’s a huge possibility that Wisconsin could turn blue after going for Trump in the 2016 election because we’ve had it. We’re completely fed up. We’re in the worst pandemic in a century, everyone is miserable, everyone is going stir crazy and we see through you, @realDonaldTrump! But what about another state that everyone is talking about – Texas? Yes, Texas could finally join the blue team! We hope!

Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has pulled ahead of President Donald Trump in the state of Texas, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday, which is the latest in a string of surveys that suggest the nation’s second-largest state and longtime Republican stronghold could flip blue for the first time in over 40 years.

Biden led Trump 45% to 44% in the poll, a flip from a June poll that showed Trump ahead by one point.

Polls show Trump trailing nationally to Biden, and behind in many swing states, but losing Texas would be an especially massive blow.

Republican presidential candidates have relied for decades on Texas, which, with 38 electoral votes, is only behind California in terms of Electoral College importance.

Democrats in Texas have been hoping to translate Biden’s solid polling in the state into a successful challenge to incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, but the Quinnipiac poll showed the Republican leading Democratic challenger MJ Hegar 47% to 38%.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2020/07/22/biden-now-leads-trump-in-texas-poll-finds/#3cad846172eb

Seriously I will literally take just about anyone to be president over Trump right now. Hell even Lisa would make a far better president! But here’s why Trump will lose – the pendulum is swinging to the left and Biden could make some serious swings in some very republican strongholds. Like I said, the people are fed up and we’re not gonna take it anymore. Apologies to Twisted Sister. At least I know that Dee Snider hates Trump!

President Donald Trump trails presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in all six of the key battleground states less than 100 days ahead of the November election. Meanwhile, Biden actually only needs to win three of those states, while maintaining all the states former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won in 2016, to secure victory in November.

Under the Electoral College system, each state is granted a certain number of electoral votes in proportion to its population. In 2016, Clinton garnered nearly 3 million more individual votes than Trump, but the president won by a significant margin in the Electoral College due to a series of wins in battleground states. Trump won 306 electoral votes while Clinton only garnered 232.

Several of the key battleground states – including Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania – had gone blue for former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 before flipping red for Trump. Democrats aim to regain these states come November, while they hope to pick up others that have historically leaned Republican.

The key battlegrounds in this election include the four states mentioned above, as well as North Carolina and Arizona. The most populous of the states is Florida, with 29 electoral votes. Notably, Florida is also Trump's official home state and the president will cast his ballot there. The president formally transferred his residency to the southern state from New York late last year.
https://www.newsweek.com/biden-only-needs-win-3-battleground-states-defeat-trump-hes-leading-all-6-1521794

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See you next week!

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