10-19: Trump calls Fauci and other health officials "idiots"; Democrats' deja vu worries; racism at VMI

✅Thousands of Trump supporters rally in Newport Beach as president arrives for fundraiser -- The rally along Pacific Coast Highway and Newport Boulevard was raucous and confrontational at times. A man from Tustin in a Trump-themed cowboy hat taunted a female Los Angeles Times reporter for wearing a mask. Laura Newberry, Stephanie Lai, Arit John in the Los Angeles Times$ Alicia Robinson, Erika I. Ritchie in the Orange County Register -- 10/19/20 

✅2016 sequel? Trump’s old attacks failing to land on Biden -- The president’s attempts to recycle attacks he used on Hillary Clinton that year have so far failed to effectively damage Democrat Joe Biden. And Trump has found himself dwelling more and more in the conservative media echo chamber, talking to an increasingly smaller portion of the electorate. Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin Associated Press -- 10/19/20 

✅Biden leads Trump. So did Hillary Clinton. For Democrats, it’s a worrisome campaign deja vu -- The polls are once again delivering feel-good boosts to Democrats: Joe Biden beats President Trump by 10, 11 or 12 points nationally, depending on the day. His edge in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin averages eight. Propeller-heads promise better than 4 in 5 odds of a new president next year. But then the partisans remember they have been here before, four years ago this week. Michael Scherer and Scott Clement in the Washington Post$ -- 10/19/20 

✅‘Lock Them All Up’: Trump Attack on Michigan Governor Fits Damaging Pattern 

President Trump has continued to draw attention to his difficulties with women and older voters by minimizing the pandemic and targeting female leaders 

—NYT 

✅Den of dissent: Discord besets White House task force as coronavirus surges 

The U.S. response is increasingly plagued by distrust, infighting and lethargy, as experts predict cases could surge this winter and deaths could reach 400,000 by year’s end. 

—WashPo

✅‘People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots’: Trump attacks health officials in fiery campaign call 

—Politico 

✅Seeking Fair Pay 

Five female professors sue Rutgers, saying the university hasn't delivered on its new salary equity adjustment program despite demonstrated disparities. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Racism Common at Virginia Military Institute 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     The Washington Post has reported that Black cadets at Virginia Military Institute endure an atmosphere of hostility, cultural insensitivity and racism. Over the past few years, several incidents of overt racism, such as a white student telling a Black student he would lynch him, have occurred. VMI administrators have also been among those accused of cultural insensitivity. The institute responded to those incidents with less stringent discipline than some students would advocate for. 

✅Pitt Law Lecturer Resigns After Using Racial Slur 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     An adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law has resigned after using the N-word in class, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported. The Pitt administration did not identify the professor but said that the word was used during a class discussion of a case involving offensive language.

Girl in the Mirror (anti-Trump ad by Lincoln Project)

Europe & North America are in trouble; in the U.S., Trump's negligence is allowed to continue, as tens of thousands die needlessly

Coronavirus: just fake news

     Recently, I wanted to get clear about Covid-19 cases/deaths around the world. Things aren't looking so good, especially in Europe and North America.

     I found a BBC article that provided useful graphs indicating comparative numbers. 

     The main graph listed countries by number of deaths, but I was more interested in death rates. So I modified the chart in order of rates: number of deaths per 100,000 people. I included only those nations with death rates of 50 or above (per 100K). The US is #11, with Mexico at #10 and the UK at #12.

     Obviously, a country can have a high death rate with low raw numbers owing to its small population. The real standout here is Brazil, with a rate of 74 per 100k and over 152,000 deaths. (On the other hand, the rate there has trended downward in recent weeks; good news.) 

     (Check out Peru as well.) 

     The US has far more deaths but its rate is much lower: 66 per 100k. (Our recent trends are not good, however. See below.)

Here's similar data from Johns Hopkins:

RECENT TRENDS:

Trends are also important.

The data below are also from Johns Hopkins:

Recent trends have been good in India, not so good in the US.
Note that India is low in deaths per 100k (8.4 compared to our 66.3).

In recent months, the trend has been good in Brazil (until very recently), but poor in France

The UK sucks about as badly as we do. What's that all about?
(Maybe the arsehole-as-leader factor.)

Big problems in Belgium

New cases of COVID-19 weekly for top 7 regions in the world.
European Union/UK and North America are standouts, in a bad way. South Asia, too, has
worrisome numbers, but, recently, trends have been good. Not so in Europe/US.

Above average death

From BBC, August 22:

Some argue that this is the truest measure of Covid's impact

Mysterious deaths in blue (Covidry uncounted)

In OC, things don't look too bad. Stable for now. But the cold is coming.
Then what? Rates will go up again.

10-17: Kanye West is American Independent Party’s candidate for vice president; Death Spiral?; Blood Bath?; the curious charm of pedophilia conspiracy theories

Greta Garbo (1905-1990)

✅California authorities and GOP clash again over unofficial ballot drop boxes 

State has subpoenaed more information on the boxes from the California Republican Party, but GOP officials argue details are confidential. 

—OC Reg 

✅In ballot box battle, Dems and GOP both claim victory. Why this fight fizzled -- In a press conference seemingly designed to deescalate a week-long legal standoff, declare victory and profoundly confuse the California press corps, Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Secretary of State Alex Padilla said they would not be taking legal action against the California Republican Party for its makeshift ballot box program. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 10/17/20 

✅California Republicans defend ballot boxes as subpoenas are issued -- California officials on Friday said that the state Republican Party has agreed to no longer deploy “unstaffed, unsecured, unofficial and unauthorized” private ballot boxes and that subpoenas have been issued in an investigation into how the containers have been used in at least three counties. Sarah Parvini, John Myers, Stephanie Lai in the Los Angeles Times$ Barbara Sprunt, Scott Rodd, Sam Gringlas Capital Public Radio Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20 

✅Supreme Court to consider Trump effort to exclude from census any immigrants not legally in the U.S. -- The Supreme Court said Friday it would give President Trump another chance to exclude immigrants in the U.S. illegally from the 2020 census, in a case that targets the political power of California and other states with large immigrant populations. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20 

✅Why do conspiracy theories about pedophilia hold such sway with some conservatives? -- In modern presidential campaigns, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about pedophilia are now almost as routine as stump speeches, poll results and televised debates. Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/17/20

✅Kanye West is VP pick in California for party of George Wallace -- Kanye West is the conservative American Independent Party’s candidate for vice president. And party leaders will let the rapper know as soon as they can find him. John Wildermuth in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/17/20 

✅Election of a board majority will shape the nation’s largest community college district -- With a dizzying 33 candidates, the election of four seats on the seven-member Los Angeles Community College District board has brought into focus the basic needs of some of the poorest college students in California amid the pandemic, as well as issues of declining enrollment, budget oversight and accountability over the chancellor. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20 

✅Coronavirus: California’s cases stay flat despite nationwide surge -- In the past month, cases have gone down about 5% in California, while they have risen about 42% nationally. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/16/20 

✅‘Death spiral’: What happens in California if the Supreme Court invalidates Obamacare? -- Nearly 17 million Californians with pre-existing conditions could face higher health costs or loss of benefits. Five million Californians could lose health insurance coverage completely. California would lose $27 billion to cover health care costs for low-income families. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/20 

✅Fearing a ‘Blood Bath,’ Republican Senators Begin to Edge Away From Trump 

—NYT 

✅Trump Reverses Decision to Reject California’s Request for Wildfire Relief 

—NYT 

✅Biden’s ABC town hall ratings beat Trump’s three-network NBC event 

—WashPo 

✅Pandemic schooling is producing a lost generation of coronavirus kids 

In Peru and across the developing world, remote learning is deepening the divide between rich and poor. 

—WashPo

✅Coronavirus live news: world sees record 400,000 new cases in a single day; Italy's PM to announce new measures 

Belgium and Austria’s foreign ministers test positive; UK adviser supports short ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown; Angela Merkel asks Germans to stay home 

—Guardian UK

10-16: Trump: "California is going to hell. Vote Trump!"

✅Christian College Faculty Aren't Lining Up for Trump 

Reflecting new polling that indicates college-educated white evangelicals are moving away from supporting Trump, many on Christian campuses are struggling to back him. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     …But while recent polls show Trump continues to hold a wide lead over Democrat Joe Biden among religious voters, a bad sign for the president is that some of his support is slipping, including among white evangelicals who, like the faculty at Christian colleges, have a college education. 

     At the nation’s Christian colleges, a number of professors described in interviews this week their struggle to reconcile their support for a president moving toward ending abortion with their discomfort, and even spiritual revulsion, over him.

✅President Donald Trump coming to Orange County for private fundraiser 

Tech mogul Palmer Luckey slated to host event at his Newport Beach home, as latest fundraising numbers show Trump falling behind Joe Biden. 

—OC Reg 

✅Trump, Biden clash in distant, dueling town halls 

The prime-time network events replaced the canceled second scheduled presidential debate and reflected jarring differences between the candidates. 

—WashPo 

✅Savannah Guthrie grilled Trump as few have done, taking heat off NBC for its town hall 

The network was criticized for accommodating Trump after he rejected a debate. But then the “Today” host started asking him questions. 

—WashPo 

✅Trump administration blocks California wildfire relief -- The Trump administration has rejected California’s request for disaster relief funds aimed at cleaning up the damage from six recent fires across the state, including Los Angeles County’s Bobcat fire, San Bernardino County’s El Dorado fire, and the Creek fire, one of the largest that continues to burn in Fresno and Madera counties. Andrew J. Campa in the Los Angeles Times$ Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/16/20 

Norma Shearer (1902-1983)

✅Trump’s immigration changes will affect California long after he’s gone -- It was a Monday morning in Washington less than three weeks from the November presidential election, and with the first day of Senate hearings for his Supreme Court pick and more than 210,000 Americans having died from COVID-19, President Trump tweeted: “California is going to hell. Vote Trump!” Molly O’Toole in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/20 

✅Schools shouldn’t reopen without adequate safeguards, California voters say -- Most California voters want schools to require safeguards like face masks, proper ventilation and social distancing in classrooms, and Covid-19 testing and tracing before schools return for in-person instruction, according to poll released Thursday by the California Teachers Association. Diana Lambert EdSource -- 10/16/20 

✅President Trump’s town hall turns contentious; Joe Biden focuses on policy -- As President Trump angrily refused to disavow the QAnon conspiracy theory or accept responsibility for the surge of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., Joe Biden laid out his policy plans in a more muted style on a separate stage. Evan Halper, Eli Stokols, Melanie Mason, Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/16/20 

✅White House was warned Giuliani was target of Russian intelligence operation to feed misinformation to Trump -- U.S. intelligence agencies warned the White House last year that President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani was the target of an influence operation by Russian intelligence, according to four former officials familiar with the matter. Shane Harris, Ellen Nakashima, Greg Miller and Josh Dawsey in the Washington Post$ -- 10/16/20 

✅Trump’s Combative Town-Hall Event Stands in Stark Contrast With Biden’s 

—NYT 

✅Slamming Trump, G.O.P. Senator Warns of a ‘Republican Blood Bath’ 

—NYT 

✅Permanent Budget Cuts Are Coming 

—CHE 

✅Right-Wing Trolls Attacked Me. My Administration Buckled. 

On the cravenness and cowardice of the corporate university. 

—CHE

10-15: California GOP says it won’t remove unofficial ballot boxes; U.S. College Enrollment in Steep Decline; community colleges particularly worrisome

Lily Elsie (1886-1962)

✅County Political Parties as Money Laundering Vehicles for Politicians 

—Voice of OC 

     A new money laundering investigation in Orange County is highlighting a statewide pattern of county political parties acting as money conduits to candidates, in ways that have led to multiple fines for concealing the true source of money and evading contribution limits. 

     Earlier this month, state authorities launched a probe into Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do and the Orange County Republican Party, focusing on whether they illegally steered over $22,000 last month to Do’s campaign through the Orange County Republican Party without disclosing the true source. 

. . . 

     Political parties aren’t subject to the contribution limits that candidates are, and they generally can donate unlimited amounts directly to the campaign of a state candidate. But they can’t be used to launder specific contributions – known as earmarking – while hiding the original source of money. 

     That’s where county-level parties have gotten in trouble. 

. . . 

     “It’s nothing new to try to avoid limits by earmarking money…by laundering it through another committee,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School who specializes in election law. 

     “I think what it comes down to is it’s an illegal end run around limitations. And the limitations are there to prevent actual corruption, the appearance of corruption, and to provide the public with the information about the funds used to support candidates, so that they can make an informed decision,” she added. 

     “I think it’s a really tempting way for actors to try and essentially wash money through the system and get it to the [candidate] that they really want to support.” 

     It’s not a subject party officials are eager to talk about. The chairs of Orange County’s Republican and Democratic parties didn’t return phone messages seeking comment, nor did the state-level parties…. 

✅California GOP: Ballot box strategy is bigger than previously reported 

Republicans have removed "official" labels from boxes but say they'll continue using them, even as a state-mandated deadline to stop approaches. 

—OC Reg 

✅Even in places where most voters use mail ballots, Democrats are already voting more heavily

—WashPo

✅More than 1 million California ballots already cast, shattering records -- Election day is more than two weeks away, but more than 1 million Californians have already returned their mail-in ballots, according to the state, an amount that marks the most ballots collected by mail at this point in any state election. Matt Stiles in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/15/20 

✅Napa County sheriff’s video shows deputy fatally shoot unarmed man during traffic stop -- Authorities in Napa County released video on Wednesday showing a deputy fatally shoot a man who was unarmed — but whom authorities said ignored commands and “aggressively” approached the sheriff’s deputy with his arm behind his back. Michael Williams in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/15/20 

✅Up to 1 million California students may still lack connectivity during distance learning -- Nearly two months into the school year, hundreds of thousands of California students are still without internet access at home needed to connect to teachers and peers during distance learning. Sydney Johnson EdSource -- 10/15/20 

✅Famed Navy SEAL pushes back after Trump amplifies baseless bin Laden conspiracy theory -- The former Navy SEAL known for his role in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden is pushing back after President Donald Trump amplified conspiracy theories that the terrorist leader's death was a hoax. Connor O'Brien Politico -- 10/15/20 

✅Millions of workers face jobless benefits cliff with lifeline set to expire -- A failure by Congress to enact a new economic relief package would prolong the pain of the coronavirus crisis for many Americans, but those without jobs face a special threat — millions could run out of unemployment benefits altogether by the end of the year. Eleanor Mueller and Rebecca Rainey Politico -- 10/15/20 

✅Report: Enrollment Continues to Trend Downward 

Several concerning enrollment trends are holding strong as the latest, and more comprehensive, data show. Experts and advocates are particularly worried about community colleges. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Ithaca Announces Sweeping Faculty Cuts 

Saying the coronavirus accelerated an ongoing need to rightsize its faculty, college plans to eliminate 130 full-time teaching jobs 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅ACT and SAT Scores Drop 

Declines come in a year in which it has become difficult to take either test. Gaps grow for minority groups except Asians. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Occidental College Discontinues Football Team 

Occidental College, a liberal arts college in Los Angeles, will discontinue its football program due to ongoing funding and recruitment problems and financial pressures created by the coronavirus pandemic, college officials announced this week. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅What’s at Stake for Higher Ed in the Election? 

—CHE 

✅U.S. College Enrollment in Steep Decline, Survey Shows 

Freshman enrollment has dropped 16 percent at colleges 

—NYT

✅OC Covid numbers: 31 new dead reported

10-14: Videos show top conservative activists discussing election tactics, amplifying conspiracy theories; How can 42 percent of Americans still support the worst president in our history?; Democratic early-voting wave

Marie Prevost (1896-1937)

✅Orange County in the Midst of Unprecedented Election Mail-in Ballot Wave 

The “unheard of” early return trend comes amid new controversy over California Republicans’ self-proclaimed “ballot harvesting program” through the use of unofficial ballot collection boxes. 

—Voice of OC 

     “It’s one more indication of an increasingly motivated electorate,” reacted Fred Smoller, political science professor at Chapman University, in a Tuesday interview. “There’s a lot of interest in this election; people feel there’s a lot at stake and are expressing that by voting early.” 

. . . 

     “What’s really significant for me is we just mailed the ballots, and within a few days we had return rate figures of 100% above four years ago — that’s unheard of,” [Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal] Kelley said to Voice of OC on Tuesday. “You might see that a couple of weeks in, but a few days after sending them out? That’s historic. It’s never been done before.” 

✅Science on the Ballot 

Experts see a sharp contrast between Trump and Biden when it comes to investments in federal research funding and respect for science itself. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

     …Trump’s continued efforts to downplay the severity of the pandemic, seen most recently in the wake of his own COVID-19 diagnosis, his rejection of public health guidance -- including, perhaps most consequentially, his mockery and failure of role modeling when it comes to face masks -- and reported efforts by his administration to interfere in scientific decision making in the nation’s public health agencies and sideline experts have raised alarms among scientists and many others. Scientists have criticized the president for rejecting scientific and other forms of expertise, including by forcing out or muzzling government-employed scientists and by eliminating many advisory committees comprised of outside experts…. 

✅New Zoom Competitor Targets Higher Ed Users 

Ed-tech start-up Engageli has raised $14.5 million to build a videoconferencing platform. Unlike Zoom, the platform has been purposefully designed with college and university faculty members and students in mind. 

—Inside Higher Ed 

✅Higher Ed’s Shameful Silence on Diversity 

—CHE 

✅Covid-19 Live Updates: Europe and the U.S. Confront Spiking Cases as Temperatures Dip 

—NYT 

Bessie Love (1898-1986)

✅Videos show top conservative activists discussing election tactics, amplifying conspiracy theories 

Footage obtained by The Post, covering dozens of hours of closed-door meetings of the Council for National Policy in February and August, reveals the group’s obsessions, fears and plans at a pivotal moment for conservatives. 

—WashPo 

✅How can 42 percent of Americans still support the worst president in our history? 

Opinion by Max Boot 

—WashPo 

✅Proposal to hasten herd immunity grabs White House attention but appalls top scientists 

—WashPo 

✅At a glance: See the biggest spenders in California’s prop battles -- Californians are voting on 12 propositions, but not all are funded equally. Just take a look at that fat slab of lilac in the graphic below. Ben Christopher CalMatters -- 10/14/20  

No surprise for even the most dimly engaged Californians who have been bombarded with ads for weeks now: Funding for Proposition 22, a measure to exempt gig-economy companies from a new state labor law, dwarfs just about everything else. To date, its yes campaign has raised nearly $188 million. That’s $3 of every $10 that’s been spent for or against any proposition on the November 2020 ballot.

✅Newsom’s office recommends changes for policing protests --Police should avoid unnecessary enforcement that could provoke conflict among protesters, avoid looking too militaristic, and use rubber bullets and tear gas only as a last resort when handling demonstrations and protests, according to recommendations released Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Teri Figueroa in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/13/20 

✅Trump urges California GOP to 'fight on' with unofficial ballot boxes despite prosecution threat -- President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to urge the California Republican Party to “fight on” in its move to collect ballots in unofficial “drop boxes’’ around the state, in defiance of legal threats from state officials. Carla Marinucci Politico -- 10/13/20 

✅Across the country, Democratic enthusiasm is propelling an enormous wave of early voting 

Roughly 15 million Americans have already voted, setting a trajectory that could result in a majority of voters casting ballots before Election Day for the first time in U.S. history. 

—WashPo

✅Chapman University works to contain coronavirus outbreak among students -- The university reported that 17 students living in dormitories are infected with COVID-19, as well as 19 living in off-campus housing near the school and one more in an unknown type residence. No faculty or staff have been infected. The item is in the Orange County Register -- 10/13/20 

Louise Brooks (1906-1985)

✅Back from Covid, Trump pins hopes on a hectic comeback tour -- The president is trying to regain ground with the resumption of campaigning three weeks from the election, but so far isn’t changing his message. Meridith McGraw Politico -- 10/13/20 

✅California poised to reject affirmative action measure despite summer of activism -- Polls suggest the Legislature may have miscalculated when it placed a measure on the November ballot to reinstate affirmative action. Alexander Nieves Politico -- 10/13/20 

✅Arellano: Latino Republicans face a tough task: turning blue Orange County red again -- So Avila has taken on a mission that seems downright Sisyphean: Not only help take Orange County back for the Republicans, but also bring Latinos to a party that demonized them, in this very county, decades before Trump sauntered into the White House by calling Mexicans “rapists.” And you thought fighting the Bobcat fire was tough. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/13/20

✅OC Covid numbers: 19 new deaths reported