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As far as I’m concerned, 3rd November can’t come soon enough! Having finished the fourth of my flex-hybrid classes over the first two days of the semester, I looked at my sophomore and junior students — some in person and others online — and saw an innocence and vulnerability that had not been as visible in January, and it broke my heart.

Each one has been impacted by this pandemic in someway and each one is frightened by the gaslighting and incomprehensible changes which have given a dark hue to their dreams, their futures. Never have I seen so much enthusiasm for learning about human rights, diasporic communities, immigrants, freedom of speech, BLM, white privilege, and social justice. Then again, how will I guide them through this semester of learning with a new sense of strength, possibilities, and a garnering of ethical values, questions, and insights that will imbue them with vision and the knowledge that they are the future, the instruments of harmony and hopefulness?

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Speaking of distracting from the COVID-19 deaths, the CDC puts out a report yesterday that in 94% of US COVID deaths the person had some other underlying condition. This is disturbing in so many ways. First, it implies that the reported deaths have been overblown because the 60 year old with diabetes who passed away from COVID would have died eventually anyway. Yet, that 60 year old was managing their diabetes with medication and diet and could have easily lived another 20 to 30 years. Second, and maybe more disturbing, is that our once well-respected CDC would put out a statement like that, which is obviously political red meat for Trump’s base. Trumpers are jumping all over that to say “see, COVID’s not that bad.”

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Thank you for keeping watch! I get home and as soon as I’ve eaten, I’m out. So exhausted! Our school had its first positive case today. One week into face to face. I pray the teacher, a good friend, is okay. But everyone is just going past the numbers and the risks! Like it’s nothing! How can we keep moving on and paying attention, if anyone of us is sick and at risk? I see every child in the school! We’re all at serious risk. Please somebody recognize this as the national crisis it is, and get kids out of classrooms! Gov Abbott, are you listening?

I wouldn’t know anything else is going on in the world if I didn’t read your posts. Thank you so much for all your hard work! Hope your students know how lucky they are! Stay home, stay safe!

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Thank you again for your work. I feel as if now I understand what happened today, even though I spend way too much time keeping up with each new development. It is striking that somehow Biden is responsible for what happens, even though he isn't president. The ultimate in gaslighting.

As you point out, Trump and his minions are trying to suppress not the coronavirus but the fact that it's still ravaging the country. How have they numbed us to the reality that tens of thousands of lives have been lost and even more afflicted with longlasting symptoms?

Even in my darkest moments, I believe the truth will win in the end. A fresh spate of polls tonight shows that states aren't buying Trump's deceptions. His lies also will help negate the "revelations" from Barr and others that are around the corner.

Oh, I wish I could live long enough to see history cast the lot for what they are — betrayers of American democracy and all those who died for the cause. Even now, after all this time, it's shocking to see what they all have wrought, with no hint of concern for how they ultimately will be judged. They deserve shunning and shame, plus in many cases, criminal prosecution.

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In terms of legal decisions recently too, on the subject of Trump's finances, a federal appeals court trio of Trump dominated judges in a "short panel hearing" denied the legal basis of Congressional subpoenas...as no law had been passed to allow them!. A full panel hearing an appeal, guided by the dissenting member of the initial judicial trio will, as in the Flynn case, overturn this stupidity as the power of investigation of the executive flows directly from the constitution. A clear illustration of the reason why McConnell is so intent on confirming new "conservative" judges and thus perpetuating their legacy and possibly exonerating them for their hideous posturing, dangerous neglect of the needs of the people, inaction on covid and legal irresponsiblity.

For sources see CNN, Politicos, WP and NYT

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“The corrupt World Health Organization!?” A bilateral thousand page report finds Don the Con guilty of accepting help from Russia again and it’s buried in red herrings that he throws out about mini- strokes and the press gobbles it up. HIS actual corruption is never dealt with. A quarter million people could die of virus by Election Day and he’s still selling snake oil. Just 1 image should have sunk him just like supposedly it did to Dukakis and Gore. How about the Goya products on the Truman desk with a big thumbs up. The most corrupt president in the history of America wants another 4 years to isolate us from the rest of humanity to make himself great.

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HCR, as a fellow historian I really appreciate that you don't report on items that you feel are poorly sourced--would that others do as you do!! I find the whole "mini-stroke" thing really interesting because I have a lot of experience with taking care of people who have had TIAs--transient ischemic attacks. These are not quite strokes because they don't actually show up in brain scans but they do mimic strokes and can be a warning sign of the possibility of a stroke in future. My father had quite a few of these, and I witnessed my ex-partner having one too. They have all the usual signs: slurred speech, short term memory loss, balance issues, weakness in the extremities, etc. But the symptoms fade within hours. I would not be at all surprised if Trump were to be having numerous TIAs on a regular basis. He is morbidly obese, his diet is terrible, he is on medication (supposedly) that messes with his blood pressure. But TIAs are not detectable on EEGs because they don't cause longterm brain damage. They are dangerous, though, because the person who experiences them is mentally and physically incapacitated during the TIA and in the recovery period--and they can happen in waves.

Just sayin'

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I admit this is a digression, but i must pass this on. A friend told me to write down the list of the Seven Deadly Sins...you know, lust, gluttony,etc. Then tick off each one that Donald Trump is guilty of. Any left without a checkmark?

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I can't help but feel that Trump's petty refusal to join the international Covid-19 vaccine initiative is going to come back to bite him (and us). His base, of course, will say that that's just dandy, because "the WHO is corrupt", but the rest of the country will wonder why any true leader would potentially deny his nation every possible chance to end this pandemic?

This is such a blatant example of Trump's putting his own selfish, petty wants ahead of the needs of 330,000,000 Americans, it staggers the imagination. And yet, that is fully who Trump is.

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Heather, it would be great if you could give us a little more from the Michael Schmidt book about a story that has gotten lost in the news. The fact that the FBI and Mueller's team both thought the other was doing a counterintelligence investigation into Trump's Russian ties, so nobody has done it.

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Do any of you, like me, need some good tunes to shore up our emotions for the next few months? I'd like to nominate Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer for its lyrics (we have been waiting and waiting for this current administration to be held to account) and, as they used to say on the old Bandstand show, "it's got a good beat and it's easy to dance to" -- even if, as in my case, it means dancing off my nervous energy alone in my kitchen. Any suggestions for other good "campaign songs"?

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Professor Richardson, You write this morning about Trump's legal problems. They may be small potatoes compared to what faces him once he is out of office and no longer has Bill Barr running interference. I speculate in a piece this morning whether his actions vis-a-vis Russia constitute treason as defined in the Constitution. https://www.pangyrus.com/politics/perspective-trumps-acts-may-face-america-with-an-unwelcome-dilemma/

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The most telling evidence that Trump has suffered a stroke was his attempt to lift a glass to get a drink of water and having to use both hands to get it to his mouth. An unsteady gait and lack of balance is another sign. If you know anyone who has suffered and survived from a stroke, you know that muscle weakness and lack of coordination are frequent results. The weakness occurs on the opposite side of the body from the side in the brain that suffered the stroke. It is possible in mild cases to do specific exercises to strengthen the weakened side to return function, which is probably what he did before demonstrating at the Tulsa rally that he had no problem lifting a glass with one hand.

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From personal experience i know that "mini-strokes" do not necessarily hinder your mental capacities, change your reflexes, diminish your senses nor alter your physical condition.....if you are treated in time! If you are in denial then some "scars" always remain. The problem with Trump's case is that we wouldn't necessarily notice as he's already living in a very strange, virtual world and, outwardly as well as inwardly, is a bearer of very significant "handicaps". However, when you think back to certain incidents....his difficulty descending a ramp in Las Vegas for instance...you start to think. I don't think we're likely to get a "factual" medical bulletin out of this administration to clarify the situation so we could start an external investigation or competition....Spot the Symptome....and accolades for the best suggestion. It would give us something to laugh about for the next 92 days and boost our "spiritual" defenses.

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The Kenosha “round table” only had one seat at it, really. The reporters had asked questions to two African American pastors present and Trump actually answered FOR them. Twice. CNN covered this if anyone wants to read it.

We are in the home stretch and the gaslighting is becoming more and more frenetic. Any minute I expect Joseph Cotton to come rushing in to save us all. I guess Biden will have play the part.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/01/politics/donald-trump-pastors-systemic-racism/index.html

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It's interesting that tRump can clearly foresee the future if a Biden is elected. tRump seems unable to see clearly what's happening right now, or he's writing his own history of what's happening daily across the country. His success hinges on making a mess that only he can clean up. You would think he might wish to make life in the US better before the election. I think we all imagine how the country might change when Biden becomes president, but no one can predict that things will get worse. What I do believe will get worse are the ever growing numbers of Covid cases and deaths. Until there are aggressive steps to slow/stop the spread, the numbers will just go up. And there's no way tRump re-write that history.

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