View Poll Results: Who's gonna win the election?

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  • Biden

    7 77.78%
  • Trump

    0 0%
  • Biden, but Trump will legally steal it from him

    1 11.11%
  • Pelosi, because it will go into legal proceedings until after the inauguaration

    1 11.11%
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Thread: Election 2020-get your popcorn ready!

  1. #76
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    https://wreg.com/news/health-officia...f-virus-surge/

    Now there is a correlation between people who went to the Trump rally and COVID-19 Positive cases in Oklahoma

    OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa in late June that drew thousands of participants and large protests “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said Wednesday.

    Tulsa County reported 261 confirmed new cases on Monday, a one-day record high, and another 206 cases on Tuesday. By comparison, during the week before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 76 cases on Monday and 96 on Tuesday.

    Although the health department’s policy is to not publicly identify individual settings where people may have contracted the virus, Dart said those large gatherings “more than likely” contributed to the spike.

    “In the past few days, we’ve seen almost 500 new cases, and we had several large events just over two weeks ago, so I guess we just connect the dots,” Dart said.

    Trump’s Tulsa rally, his first since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., attracted thousands of people from around the country. About 6,200 people gathered inside the 19,000-seat BOK Center arena — far fewer than was expected.

    Dart had urged the campaign to consider pushing back the date of the rally, fearing a potential surge in the number of coronavirus cases.

    Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the campaign went to great lengths to ensure that those who attended the rally were protected.

    “There were literally no health precautions to speak of as thousands looted, rioted, and protested in the streets and the media reported that it did not lead to a rise in coronavirus cases,” Murtaugh said in a statement. “Meanwhile, the President’s rally was 18 days ago, all attendees had their temperature checked, everyone was provided a mask, and there was plenty of hand sanitizer available for all

    “It’s obvious that the media’s concern about large gatherings begins and ends with Trump rallies,” he said.

    Although masks were provided to rally goers, there was no requirement that participants wear them, and most didn’t.

    A reporter who attended the Trump rally is among those who have tested positive for COVID-19, along with six of Trump’s campaign staffers and two members of the Secret Service who worked in advance of the rally.

    Statewide, Oklahoma health officials on Wednesday reported 673 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, the state’s second-highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.

    The new cases reported by the Oklahoma State Department of Health follow a record high of 858 cases that were reported on Tuesday and bring the total number of confirmed cases in the state to 17,893. The actual number of infections is thought to be much higher because many people haven’t been tested and some who get the disease don’t show symptoms.

    The health department also reported three additional COVID-19 deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 407.

    In response to a recent surge in coronavirus cases, the cities of Norman and Stillwater have approved mandates that people must wear masks in public. Norman approved its ordinance Tuesday night after a five-hour city council meeting during which citizens on both sides of the issue spoke out.

    For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

  2. #77
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    https://www.foxla.com/news/supreme-c...id-by-congress

    WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court issued a mixed verdict Thursday on demands for President Donald Trump's financial records that will keep his tax returns, banking and other documents out of the public eye for the time being.

    By 7-2 votes, the justices upheld the Manhattan district attorney's demand for Trump's tax returns, but kept a hold on Trump’s financial records that Congress has been seeking for more than a year.

    But Trump, who has strenuously sought to keep his financial records private, didn't immediately regard the outcome as a victory.

    “The Supreme Court sends case back to Lower Court, arguments to continue. This is all a political prosecution," Trump wrote in a series of angry tweets that followed the court rulings.

    The justices rejected arguments by Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department that the president is immune from investigation while he holds office or that a prosecutor must show a greater need than normal to obtain the records. The tax returns are being sought as part of a grand-jury investigation.

    Because the grand jury process is confidential, the rulings make it likely that none of Trump’s financial records will become public soon.

    Trump’s two high court appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, joined the majority in both cases along with Chief Justice John Roberts and the four liberal justices. Roberts wrote both opinions.

    "Congressional subpoenas for information from the President, however, implicate special concerns regarding the separation of powers. The courts below did not take adequate account of those concerns," Roberts wrote in the congressional case.

    The ruling returns the case to lower courts, with no clear prospect for when the case might ultimately be resolved.

    The tax returns case also is headed back to a lower court, but Trump's major arguments have now been rejected.

    Justice Samuel Alito, who dissented with Justice Clarence Thomas in both cases, warned that future presidents would suffer because of the decision about Trump's taxes.

    “This case is almost certain to be portrayed as a case about the current President and the current political situation, but the case has a much deeper significance," Alito wrote. "While the decision will of course have a direct effect on President Trump, what the Court holds today will also affect all future Presidents—which is to say, it will affect the Presidency, and that is a matter of great and lasting importance to the Nation.”

    Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said his investigation, on hold while the court fight played out, will now resume.

    “This is a tremendous victory for our nation’s system of justice and its founding principle that no one — not even a president — is above the law. Our investigation, which was delayed for almost a year by this lawsuit, will resume, guided as always by the grand jury’s solemn obligation to follow the law and the facts, wherever they may lead," Vance said.

    The case was argued by telephone in May because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    The fight over the congressional subpoenas has significant implications regarding a president’s power to refuse a formal request from Congress. In a separate fight at the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., over a congressional demand for the testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn, the administration is making broad arguments that the president’s close advisers are “absolutely immune” from having to appear.

    In two earlier cases over presidential power, the Supreme Court acted unanimously in requiring President Richard Nixon to turn over White House tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor and in allowing a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton to go forward.

    In those cases, three Nixon appointees and two Clinton appointees, respectively, voted against the president who chose them for the high court. A fourth Nixon appointee, William Rehnquist, sat out the tapes case because he had worked closely as a Justice Department official with some of the Watergate conspirators whose upcoming trial spurred the subpoena for the Oval Office recordings.

    The subpoenas are not directed at Trump himself. Instead, House committees want records from Deutsche Bank, Capital One and the Mazars USA accounting firm. Mazars also is the recipient of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s subpoena.

    Appellate courts in Washington, D.C., and New York brushed aside the president’s arguments in decisions that focused on the fact that the subpoenas were addressed to third parties asking for records of Trump’s business and financial dealings as a private citizen, not as president.

    Two congressional committees subpoenaed the bank documents as part of their investigations into Trump and his businesses. Deutsche Bank has been one of the few banks willing to lend to Trump after a series of corporate bankruptcies and defaults starting in the early 1990s.

    Vance and the House Oversight and Reform Committee sought records from Mazars concerning Trump and his businesses based on payments that Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, arranged to keep two women from airing their claims of decade-old extramarital affairs with Trump during the 2016 presidential race.

  3. #78
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    https://www.foxla.com/news/kanye-wes...-black-panther

    LOS ANGELES - Kanye West is late to the 2020 presidential conversation.

    In fact, the rapper has yet to file the necessary paperwork to be a candidate, despite tweeting on July 4 that he was running for the top office in the land. And it’s far too late to appear on most state ballots.

    Even so, the “Late Registration” rapper already has an idea of how he’d set up his administration.

    Drawing inspiration from the 2018 Marvel superhero film “Black Panther,” West told Forbes he would have the White House set up like the government of Wakanda. In the movie, Wakanda is a fictional country in Africa ruled by King T’Challa, better known as the Black Panther. He frequently receives guidance from a council of nobles.

    He also consults the nation’s lead scientist, who happens to be T'Challa's younger sister, Princess Shuri.

    West indicated he would make meeting with top scientists a cornerstone of his administration. "Like in the movie in Wakanda, when the king went to visit that lead scientist to have the shoes wrap around her shoes. Just the amount of innovation that can happen, the amount of innovation in medicine — like big pharma — we are going to work, innovate, together," West told the outlet.

    Forbes described West’s four-hour interview as “rambling.” At one point, West declined to say the presidency would make him powerful because “you got a lot of alien level superpowers and it’s only collectively that we can set it free.” West also spoke about his recent battle with COVID-19, saying that he had chills and that the virus left him shaking in bed.

    “I remember someone had told me Drake had the coronavirus and my response was Drake can’t be sicker than me,“ West joked.

    West also touched on prayer in schools, China, abortion rights, the death penalty, race relations and said he had withdrawn his support for President Donald Trump.

    West had long been a vocal Trump supporter, often being spotted wearing Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” hat.

    But he said he could no longer support the president after learning that he reportedly hid in the White House bunker during nearby protests over racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd.

    Last month, West donated $2 million to the families of Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

    On July 7, West received criticism after newly released government data showed that his apparel company Yeezy received between $2 million and $5 million in coronavirus relief funds intended to help keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic.

  4. #79
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/08/enter...bes/index.html

    Kanye West says he no longer supports Trump and that he had coronavirus
    https://people.com/music/kanye-west-...cerned-source/

    Kanye West is reportedly fighting Bipolar disorder according to a person connected to the Kardashians.

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    Kanye West's announcement about his intention to run for president has come amid a new cycle in the rapper's struggle with his bipolar disorder, a source tells PEOPLE.

    "Kanye has been doing well for a long time. In the past, he has suffered both manic and depressive episodes related to his bipolar disorder. Right now, he is struggling again," a source tells PEOPLE.

    Wife Kim Kardashian West, who according to the source is in Los Angeles with their four kids while West is in Wyoming, has been feeling "worried" about her husband's behavior.

    "Kim is concerned, as well as her whole family. It's super stressful for Kim, because Kanye's behavior is very unpredictable. She is worried," the source adds. "The episodes usually last for a few weeks and then things go back to normal. Kim hopes it will be the same this time."

    RELATED: Kim Kardashian Previously Warned Husband Kanye West About Possible Presidential Run


    Days after announcing his campaign on July 4, the rapper, 43, doubled down on his intentions on running in 2020, despite significant hurdles to getting his name on the ballot, including that he seemingly has yet to register with the Federal Election Commission.

    In a new interview with Forbes, which the magazine described as occurring over "four rambling hours,” the rapper claimed he was running with the campaign slogan "YES!" as a member of his new political party called the "Birthday Party" because "when we win, it's everybody’s birthday."

    In the interview, which has drawn widespread controversy and condemnation, the rapper also addressed his mental health, saying, "You know I was out there, ended up in the hospital, people were calling me crazy. I'm not crazy."


    Following years of speculation from fans —particularly after he was hospitalized for a "psychiatric emergency" in November 2016 just after canceling his Saint Pablo tour — West seemingly confirmed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018, with the release of his album Ye — which bore the phrase "I Hate Being Bipolar. It's Awesome" on the cover.

    "I had never been diagnosed until I was 39," he said during an interview recorded with radio host Big Boy soon afterward "But like I said on the album, it's not a disability, it's a superpower."

    Later that year West stated that he had been misdiagnosed and was actually suffering from sleep deprivation. However, in subsequent interviews, both the rapper and his wife confirmed his diagnosis.

    In a 2019 cover story for Vogue, Kardashian West, 39, said that her husband has accepted that he is bipolar, though he has opted out of treating the disorder with pharmaceuticals.

    "For him, being on medication is not really an option, because it just changes who he is," she explained, adding that the couple had reached a "pretty good place" with his mental health at the time.

    "It is an emotional process, for sure," she added. "Right now everything is really calm. But we can definitely feel episodes coming, and we know how to handle them."

    RELATED: Everything to Know from Kanye West's Outlandish Forbes Interview, from Wakanda White House to Denouncing Black History Month

    The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star also spoke about how she handles criticism of West's more controversial acts and public proclamations.

    "I think some of the hurtful things that I read online: 'What is she doing? She's not stopping him…' Like it's my fault if he does or says something that they don't agree with?" she said. "That’s my husband. I share every opinion that I have and let him know when I think something's wrong. Or if it comes to him being in the middle of a bipolar episode, I'll do everything to be supportive and help to calm the situation."


    West has also spoken candidly about what it's like when he has an "episode."

    "When you're in this state, you're hyper-paranoid about everything," West said during his My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman interview last year.

    "Everyone — this is my experience, other people have different experiences — everyone now is an actor. Everything's a conspiracy. You feel the government is putting chips in your head. You feel you're being recorded. You feel all these things," he continued. "You pretty much don't trust anyone."

    Referencing the explosive interview he gave to TMZ in May 2018, in which he infamously suggested that slavery is "a choice," West noted that without regularly taking medication "you have a potential to ramp up."

    "When you ramp up, it expresses your personality more. You can become almost more adolescent in your expression," West continued. "This is my specific experience that I've had over the past two years."

  5. #80
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    https://time.com/5865261/tiktok-trump-campaign-app/



    The TikTok-tivists are at it again.

    Thousands of users of the popular video app flocked to the Apple App Store in the last few days to flood U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign app with negative reviews. On Wednesday alone 700 negative reviews were left on the Official Trump 2020 app and 26 positive ones, according to tracking firm Sensor Tower.

    TikTok fans are retaliating for Trump’s threats of banning the app, which is owned by China’s Bytedance Ltd. and is hugely popular in the U.S., especially among teens. The thought of taking away a key social and entertainment hub in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to outrage.

    “For Gen Z and Millennials, TikTok is our clubhouse and Trump threatened it,” said Yori Blacc, a 19-year-old TikTok user in California who joined in the app protest. “If you’re going to mess with us, we will mess with you.”


    Blacc said the movement gained steam Wednesday when a popular TikTok user, DeJuan Booker, called on his 750,000 followers to seek revenge. He posted a step-by-step primer on how to degrade the app’s rating, notching 5.6 million views. “Gen Z don’t go down without a fight,” said Booker, who goes by @unusualbeing on TikTok. “Let’s go to war.”


    The efforts to push the app low enough so that Apple will remove it from the app store may be misguided. Apple doesn’t delete apps based on their popularity. The App Store may review those that violate its guidelines or are outdated, but not if their ratings sink. A similar tactic was tried in April to protest Google Classroom by kids frustrated with quarantine home-schooling.


    But young people are looking for ways to make their voices heard, even if some of them can’t yet vote. Last month, many young people organized through TikTok to sign up to attend Trump’s first post-shutdown campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but then didn’t show up. The Trump campaign denied the online organizing effort contributed to lower-than-expected attendance.

    The Trump campaign and Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. TikTok was experiencing connectivity issues on Thursday, according to Downdector, which measures web traffic.

    Trump’s re-election smartphone app is a big part of the president’s unrivaled digital operation and was meant to circumvent tech companies like Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. and give the campaign a direct line to supporters. The app has helped the campaign engage Trump’s die-hard supporters, especially in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, by feeding them his latest tweets and promoting virtual events. Supporters can donate to the president’s campaign or earn rewards for recruiting friends like VIP seats to rallies or photos with the president.

    The Official Trump 2020 app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times on Google’s Android store as of June 15. Apple doesn’t publish information on downloads.


    Reviews with titles such as “Terrible App” or “Do Not Download!” have been flooding the App Store since late June. Official Trump 2020 now has more than 103,000 one-star reviews for an overall rating of 1.2.

    But the uptick of activity has also caused the app to rise in rankings. Users have to download the app to review it, vaulting it to second place on the Apple store from No. 486 on Tuesday, according to Sensor Tower.

    “Do I think that this is going to fundamentally change the election? No,” said Tim Lim, a veteran Democratic digital strategist. “But it goes to show that they are just as susceptible to these mass actions as anyone else. Trump is starting to see what it feels like to have a massive online army committed to defeating him.”

    Trump earlier this week said his administration is considering banning TikTok as one way to retaliate against China over its handling of the coronavirus. Trump’s comments came after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo told Americans not to download the app unless they want to see their private information fall into “the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” Bytedance is also facing a U.S. national security review for its acquisition of startup Musical.ly. It has denied allegations that it poses a threat to U.S. national security.

    Trump didn’t offer specifics about a potential decision and Pompeo seemed to walk back the idea of a ban in a later statement, saying that the U.S. efforts to protect American consumers’ data don’t relate to any one particular company.

    Many TikTok users say they care less about potential Chinese snooping and more about Trump taking away their digital hangout. In the U.S., TikTok has been downloaded more than 165 million times, according to Sensor Tower.

    “I don’t believe Trump is trying to take TikTok away because of national security, but more to retaliate against activism on the app and all the videos about him that drag him through the mud,” said Darius Jackson, an 18-year-old TikTok user in Champaign, Illinois, who asked his followers Wednesday to give Trump’s app a one-star rating.

    “This is the first year I’ll be able to vote and I think activism on TikTok is going to make a big difference,” Jackson said.

    —With assistance from Mark Gurman.

  6. #81
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    https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/to...itings-online/

    Tucker Carlson’s top writer has resigned from Fox News after secretly posting racist and sexist remarks online.

    CNN reported Friday that writer Blake Neff used a pseudonym to write bigoted comments about Black and Asian people, as well as women, on the online forum AutoAdmit.

    Neff began working on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in 2016 and was known as Carlson’s top writer. Neff previously worked as a reporter for the right-wing news outlet The Daily Caller, which Carlson co-founded.

    Fox News executives on Saturday said they condemned Neff’s “horrendous and deeply offensive” comments.

    “We want to make abundantly clear that Fox News Media strongly condemns this horrific racist, misogynistic and homophobic behavior,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace said in a memo to staffers.

    “Neff’s abhorrent conduct on this forum was never divulged to the show or the network until Friday, at which point we swiftly accepted his resignation. Make no mistake, actions such as his cannot and will not be tolerated at any time in any part of our work force,” they wrote.

    Scott and Wallace said Carlson would address Neff’s conduct on his show Monday.

  7. #82
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    https://www.insider.com/kim-kardashi...ampaign-2020-7

    Never Did I think this would happen

    Kim Kardashian-West is one of the only celebrities to publicly demonstrate her pro-vaccine stance, despite her husband Kanye West's anti-vaxx opinions.

    West recently announced he was running for president on an anti-vaccine and pro-life platform, and told Forbes in February that he is skeptical of vaccines, including a not-yet-existing vaccine to treat COVID-19.

    "It's so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralyzed… So when they say the way we're going to fix COVID is with a vaccine, I'm extremely cautious," West, 43, told Forbes. He also said that he had COVID-19 and took hot showers and watched instructional videos to treat himself.

    There's no scientific evidence to back up West's claims, as Insider's Connor Perrett previously reported.

    What's more, West's stance differs greatly from his wife's, who has long been held up as one of the few celebrities to openly champion vaccines by taking their first child, North West, and the rest of her family, to get a vaccine in an episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians."

    Kardashian-West publicly required her entire family get the whooping cough vaccine
    In October 2013, a KUWTK episode showed Kardashian-West and her family getting Tdap vaccines, which are used to protect against whooping cough.

    In 2014, there was a whooping cough epidemic in California where the Kardashians live.

    Whooping cough or pertussis is a respiratory illness that's extremely contagious because it spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the CDC. If a baby gets whooping cough it can be deadly, so having any family members or friends who may be around a baby get the vaccine can protect the little one.

    Kardashian-West appeared to take this stance.

    At one point in the episode, one of Kardashian-West's sisters said she was unsure if she wanted the vaccine, and the doctor said if she refused she couldn't be around baby North, as per the mother's request. The sister then got the vaccine along with the rest of the family.

    It's unclear whether West has received any vaccines himself, or if he's an exception to his wife's rule.

    But Kardashian-West remains one of a handful of celebrities who have demonstrated their pro-vaccine stances. Actress Kristin Bell has also said that she wouldn't let loved ones be around her child if they weren't vaccinated, and "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar has also been vocally pro-vaccine.

  8. #83
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    now being Pro-Vax or talking about legit concerns over COVID-19 is now considered a Kim Kardashian Conspiracy as Kanye West runs for president comes into play. I had no idea that was at play here prior to this. I had no idea Kardashian is a George Conway (Lincoln Project Leader) type person here. Apparently this is going to end up a conspiracy theory and not about public health? And Prior to this Kardashian was being judged over how she babysits Kanye West when he acts like a loose cannon in public.

  9. #84
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    Kim Kardashian and Kanye West-2 more people that the world would be better off without.

  10. #85
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    Kim Kardashian and Kanye West-2 more people that the world would be better off without.
    Not Gonna Happen as much as we think after the 2020 elections.

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    The Governor of Oklahoma has been tested Positive for COVID-19

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    https://kfor.com/news/local/oklahoma...-for-covid-19/

    KFOR asked Stitt’s staff to confirm when the picture was taken, but they said they do not comment on the governor’s personal schedule.

    Walmart issued a new policy on Wednesday requiring all shoppers to wear a mask in their stores beginning on Monday, July 20.

    OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – One day after Oklahoma saw its largest spike in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt announced that he has tested positive for the virus.

    He says he doesn’t feel very ill, but is a little achy.

    Health department: 1,000+ new COVID-19 cases reported across the state in 24 hours
    Stitt says that he is quarantining himself and will be working from home for the next two weeks.

    “We have to adjust our behaviors,” Stitt said.

    Stitt says he thinks he is the first governor to test positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic.

    “I want to use my story to remind Oklahomans that if you’re not feeling well, we want you to get tested,” Stitt said.

    So far, he says he doesn’t know where he contracted the virus but doesn’t believe that he was contagious before Saturday.

    Timeline
    KFOR received a tip on Tuesday night, saying the governor had tested positive for COVID-19. KFOR immediately contacted the governor’s office to confirm that tip. After 40 minutes of no response, we submitted another request for comment.

    At that time, Charlie Hannema, Stitt’s Chief of Communications, responded by thanking us for not reporting anything based on ‘assumptions’ and assured us that he had just talked to the governor and that governor was feeling “great.”

    However, Stitt says that he is tested regularly for COVID-19, and received a positive result during his test on Tuesday afternoon around 12:30 p.m.

    Stitt says that he doesn’t believe that going back through the reopening process is necessary, saying that Oklahoma has already flattened the curve.

    At this point, he says he is not considering a mask mandate for the state.

    Stitt did attend the President’s rally in Tulsa several weeks ago but he and the Oklahoma State Department of Health Commissioner say it was too long ago for that to be where Stitt contracted the illness. Stitt also attended a funeral for a fallen Tulsa police officer on July 9 where hundreds were in attendance.

    On Tuesday morning, data from the Oklahoma State Department of Health showed that the state has had 21,738 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March.

    That’s an increase of 993 cases over the past 24 hours.

    Officials say four additional people have died, bringing the total to 428 deaths connected to COVID-19.

    Currently, officials say there are 546 people who are hospitalized with confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19.

    Oklahoma Interim Commissioner of Health Lance Frye says the state currently has plenty of personal protective equipment for hospitals across the state, and that the positive rate of those tested for COVID-19 is lower than the national average.

    Right now, Frye says the state has more than 240 hospital beds available for patients.

    However, officials say the majority of the cases are in the 18 to 35-year-old age range, and most of those patients do not need to be hospitalized.

    “We went from a crisis mode to a risk management mode” Frye said.

    Although state leaders say they are watching the data closely, Gov. Kevin Stitt says Oklahomans should take precautions and learn from him.

    Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, released the following statement:

    “This is a horrible disease that is impacting the lives of every Oklahoman, whether by personal loss of family members, loss of jobs, or other economic challenges. I am truly sorry that our Governor did not take the necessary precautions to protect himself and his family from this potentially fatal illness.

    Frankly, I was concerned for the Governor when it was announced that Herman Cain was hospitalized with COVID-19. They were standing side-by-side, neither wearing masks or social distancing, at the Trump rally in Tulsa.

    At a meeting just yesterday, the Governor sat at a table with the Lieutenant Governor and the Secretary of Agriculture. Even knowing he has the virus, none of these state officials were wearing masks. It is my sincere hope that the Governor will now step up to be the leader we all need in Oklahoma. If he mandates wearing masks in all public places in our state—and leads by example—it will certainly help to protect the lives of every Oklahoman.

    While we will continue to pray for our Governor, we must also encourage him to do the right thing for all Oklahomans.”

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    https://www.kron4.com/news/national/...on-mask-rules/

    God Damn it Politics keeps interfering with COVID-19 Pandemic

    ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is suing Atlanta to block the city from enforcing its mandate to wear a mask in public and other rules related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, in a suit filed in state court late Thursday, argued that Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has overstepped her authority and must obey Kemp’s executive orders under state law.

    The suit comes a day after Kemp clarified his executive orders to expressly block Atlanta and at least 14 other local governments across the state from requiring people to wear face coverings.

    Kemp’s order was met with defiance Thursday by Bottoms and some other mayors, who said they would continue enforcing the order and were prepared to go to court. The lawsuit will force that showdown, resolving what had been an ambiguous situation with Kemp denying local governments could order masks, but local governments arguing it was within their power.

    Bottoms last week issued what initially appeared to be orders that people had to return to sheltering at home and forcing restaurants to return to only offering takeout and delivery. Kemp quickly swatted that down in public statements, and Bottoms on Thursday described them as guidelines. But Kemp’s lawsuit says the court should set Bottoms straight on those orders as well.

    This is a breaking news update. See AP’s earlier story below.

    Mayors in Atlanta and other Georgia cities deepened their defiance of Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday, saying their requirements for people to wear face coverings will remain in place, even after the Republican governor explicitly forbade cities and counties from mandating masks.

    Several mayors said Thursday they are ready to go to court to defend their orders.

    “I am not afraid of the city being sued and I’ll put our policies up against anyone’s, any day of the week,” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Thursday during a video news conference, telling reporters the city’s order is still in effect.

    Officials in at least 15 Georgia cities and counties had ordered masks during the coronavirus pandemic, and many were angry at Kemp for swatting down their efforts.

    Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who wrote Wednesday night on Twitter that Kemp “doesn’t give a damn about us,” admitted Thursday that he had been “so angry” when he wrote the comments. But he said Kemp is “overstepping his authority” and citied multiple national retailers who had mandated masks in recent days.

    “How can we take care of our local needs when our state ties our hands behind our back and then says ‘Ignore the advice of experts?’” Johnson asked in a news conference, later saying “If you don’t want to protect us, then allow us the opportunity to protect ourselves.”

    Kemp says he strongly supports mask-wearing to combat the spread of COVID-19 infections. He traveled the state this month to encourage face coverings. But he has maintained for weeks that cities and counties can’t require masks in public places, saying local actions can’t be more or less restrictive than his statewide orders.

    Full Coverage: Virus Outbreak

    That didn’t stop local governments from enacting their own mandates, so Wednesday, in an otherwise routine renewal of rules governing business operations and ordering medically vulnerably people to stay home, Kemp made that prohibition explicit. He went so far as to say local governments could not order masks on their own property, which would include Atlanta’s massive airport.

    The first-term governor made no mention of the decision Thursday as he cut the ribbon on an expanded emergency room at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in suburban Marietta, where everyone in sight was wearing a mask and the hospital was taking temperatures before people could enter. Kemp said hospital networks in Georgia have been thoughtful about expansion which will serve the state during current uncertain times and in the future. Kemp also signed some health care bills from the recent legislative session, but ignored questions shouted by reporters as he exited.

    Although national health officials have called on people to use masks, President Donald Trump’s administration has not issued any nationwide guidance. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia now require masks.

    Kemp’s stance — not only shying away from a statewide order but trying to bar local governments from instituting their own — leaves him standing virtually alone. In the South, Republican governors in Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida have resisted statewide mandates but allow local jurisdictions to implement them. Republican governors in Alabama and Texas and Democrats in Kentucky, Louisiana and North Carolina have issued statewide mask requirements.

    Some Georgia residents are caught in the crossfire. At Rosie’s Cafe, across from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the Atlanta Falcons play, manager Mykle Osborne said the cafe offers masks to customers but does not force people to wear one.

    “Some people are offended that we ask them to wear masks,” the 40-year-old Osborne said. “I’m all for everyone putting a mask on. I think that will help.”

    Outside Zoo Atlanta, Latanya Grover of suburban Mableton said she wants local officials to be able to order residents to wear masks. The zoo requires people to wear them in enclosed spaces and was selling them for $1 at the entrance.

    “I think it’s important, just for the safety of the people around us,” Grover said.

    Thursday’s numbers showed more than 2,800 people hospitalized statewide with the COVID-19 respiratory illness, the highest on record. The state reported that 84% of hospitals’ critical beds were filled, although some hospitals say they have opened up more space.

    Georgia overall had more than 131,000 confirmed infections and more than 3,100 deaths overall as of Thursday, although experts say many more people contract the illness but are never tested. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. Most recover, but some can become severely ill or die.

    Johnson had announced Savannah would start fining businesses that did not comply, but penalties haven’t begun.

    Some business groups are supporting Kemp. Georgia Restaurant Association Executive Director Kelly Bremer said Thursday that Kemp has done a “remarkable job” in leading Georgia. She said a statewide mandate isn’t appropriate considering Georgia’s size and diversity. But she also said local rules would be confusing and businesses should make their own decisions about requiring customers to wear masks. A group of businesses are backing a voluntary compliance program called Georgia Safety Promise.

    “For businesses to grapple with 535 different municipal ordinances and 159 different county ordinances is madness,” Bremer said. “Having one set of guidelines is very important.”

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    https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...ounty/2469477/

    Update Governor Wolf yanks COVID-19 recovery Funding to Lebanon County, PA for not complying with state orders.

    Gov. Tom Wolf followed through on his threat to yank COVID-19 funding from a county that defied his shutdown orders, while his administration targeted bars, restaurants and large gatherings statewide Thursday in an effort to prevent a wider resurgence of the virus that officials say could jeopardize students' return to school.

    The state's largest teachers union, meanwhile, asked Wolf to order schools to plan for online-only instruction, citing mounting concern among educators and parents about the “significant health risks” posed by sending kids back to the classroom.

    “It is extremely important for Pennsylvania’s public schools to plan for the distinct possibility that further increases in COVID-19 cases will make it impossible to safely reopen Pennsylvania’s schools for in-person instruction,” wrote Rich Askey, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

    Wolf withheld nearly $13 million in funding from Lebanon County, where local Republican leaders voted in mid-May to lift pandemic restrictions in defiance of the Democratic governor. Wolf's decision left Lebanon as the only Pennsylvania county to have been cut off from a $625 million pot of federal coronavirus relief money distributed by the state.

    Asked about it at a news conference Thursday, Wolf blamed the county's GOP-controlled Board of Commissioners and suggested that Lebanon residents should kick them out of office.

    “Don't come and say you want something from the state when you haven't followed the rules. There are consequences. These are the consequences,” he said.

    The region's congressman, GOP Rep. Dan Meuser, said Wolf lacked the legal authority to withhold the money and implored him to release it, writing to the governor: “Lives and livelihoods are at stake.” The local chamber of commerce called it an “unacceptable exclusion of just one county” and said Wolf's decision unfairly punishes small businesses, nonprofits and others.

    Lebanon County Commissioner Robert Phillips, the board's chairperson, declined to respond directly to Wolf's comments, saying he didn't want to “add fuel to the fire ... and put that money at further risk.”

    Amid the partisan fight over funding, Pennsylvania reimposed statewide restrictions Thursday on bars, restaurants, and larger indoor gatherings — now limited to 25 people, down from 250 — in response to what Wolf has called an “unsettling climb” in virus infections.

    Under Wolf's order, nightclubs are shut down, bars are closed unless they also offer dine-in meals, and bars and restaurants are limited to 25% capacity.

    Critics questioned the need for statewide restrictions when only a few areas of the state have been seeing rising case numbers, and confusion reigned among some bar and restaurant owners over what exactly constitutes a "meal" — do french fries count?

    Businesses impacted by the order said they're barely hanging on.

    “I don’t know what to do. Do you close your doors? Do you keep them open? It can’t keep going on like this," said Suzie Domasky, an owner of Ferrante’s Lakeview in Westmoreland County.

    Ferrante's, which hosts weddings and other big events and was shuttered for three months in the spring because of pandemic restrictions, immediately lost another big booking — a Christmas party — in the wake of Wolf's latest business shutdown.

    “Every time the governor announces something, I lose more money by the day,” Domasky said.

    Wolf has warned of increased viral spread and said the new restrictions are needed to help keep Pennsylvania's numbers manageable, especially with schools planning to reopen for the fall. Disease modelingfrom PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia shows infections rising sharply in Philadelphia and the suburbs in coming weeks.

    In other coronavirus-related developments in Pennsylvania on Thursday:

    Reopening Pennsylvania Schools
    With the teachers union expressing alarm over the state's virus hot spots, Pennsylvania released a set of best practicesfor schools planning to bring students back to the classroom for the first time since March.

    Staggered class times, reduced classroom occupancy, the elimination of buffet-style cafeteria meals and desks turned in the same direction are among the suggestions offered to schools to help minimize the risk of viral spread.

    The state health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, had previously ordered students and staff to wear masks at school and on the bus.

    State officials said they expect schools to offer at least some classroom instruction in the fall, though that decision rests with the state's 500 school districts. The Department of Education told school districts last month they may restart in-person instruction with a plan that’s approved by the local school board, made public and provided to the state.

    Levine and the state education secretary, Pedro Rivera, would not offer a direct answer Thursday when asked to describe the circumstances under which they might reverse course and scuttle in-person instruction.

    “It's very hard, obviously, for me to predict what things will be like in the fall," Levine said on a conference call with reporters. “What I like to emphasize is the things we need to do now. ... What we absolutely need to do now is everything we possibly can so that schools can reopen safely in the fall."

    Askey, the union president, called on the state to ensure that every school's reopening plan includes vigorous protocols to reduce risk.

    Hazard Pay
    Supermarket cashiers, bus drivers, custodians, health care workers and other workers on the front lines of the pandemic could get a temporary, $3-an-hour pay raise under a $50 million grant program touted by the Wolf administration Thursday.

    The program is available to employers for the purpose of offering hazard pay to front-line workers. The application period opened Thursday and will run through July 31.

    Workers making less than $20 an hour are eligible for up to $1,200 in hazard pay over a 10-week period between Aug. 16 and Oct. 24.

    Funding comes from Pennsylvania’s share of the federal coronavirus relief package.

    Cases
    Pennsylvania reported 781 new coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the statewide total to more than 98,000.

    The state Department of Health said there were 16 additional deaths for a new statewide toll of 6,973.

    Allegheny County, which has figured in a recent surge in virus cases, reported 140 new cases from tests conducted between June 30 and July 14. Philadelphia reported 132 new infections.

  15. #90
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    So what do you think 45 is going to do after he's not elected again? I think they're going to have to take him out of there by force and he'll try to burn the White House down.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    That is too pretty to be shoved up an ass.
    Quote Originally Posted by Nic B View Post
    You can take those Fleets and shove them up your ass



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    Quote Originally Posted by Boston Babe 73 View Post
    So what do you think 45 is going to do after he's not elected again? I think they're going to have to take him out of there by force and he'll try to burn the White House down.
    Come on here the Trumpies will get their Hydroxychloroquine like its the Right wing version of Drinking the Kool-Aid. You Have Del Bigtree and Trump try to be this generations Jim Jones though.



    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/hyd...-and-covid-19/

    In recent weeks an obscure drug has become the subject of much attention and debate in the public arena. The drug is called hydroxychloroquine. Hydroxychloroquine and a closely relative drug, chloroquine, are members of a class of chemicals known as quinolines. These drugs were long-ago recognized as anti-malarials. Chloroquine, in particular, was used extensively during WWI for the treatment and prophylaxis of malaria.
    Chloroquine_300

    Later, these drugs were recognized to be effective against certain autoimmune diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Patients with these chronic diseases are often on these medications for many years, much longer than typically required for malaria. With prolonged exposure a new adverse effect was recognized: a potentially blinding retinal toxicity. The first cases of retinal damage attributed to chloroquine was reported in 1957. Due to a superior safety profile, hydroxychloroquine has largely replaced chloroquine for treatment of autoimmune disease, but can produce retinal injury identical to chloroquine.
    Retinal injury from hydroxychloroquine

    Early detection is desirable because continued treatment can result in significant disability. The damage is often progressive long after the medication is stopped, probably because chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have a strong affinity for pigmented tissues and remain sequestered for years after the medication is discontinued. The classic pattern of retinal toxicity is often referred to as bull’s-eye retinopathy (or bull’s-eye maculopathy) because the retina displays a concentric zone of decreased pigment surrounding the center of the retina (the macula, see image below). With conscientious monitoring, toxicity from hydroxychloroquine is usually recognizable before the patient becomes symptomatic.

    Photo of the retina of the right eye of a patient with hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. The paler concentric ring (near the center of the photo) is characteristic, and the reason hydroxychloroquine toxicity is frequently classified as “bull’s-eye” retinopathy. Loss of visual function accompanies the anatomic change.

    An expert panel from the American Academy of Ophthalmology has issued recommendations for the hydroxychloroquine treatment and monitoring. The upper limit of the recommended dose was recently decreased to 5 mg/kg/day. If dosing guidelines are followed, the risk of toxicity is estimated to be <1% in the first 5 years, <2% up to 10 years. After 10 years the risk rises more steeply, up to 20% after 20 years. Higher doses confer a higher risk of toxicity. Baseline eye examination is recommended within 1 year of initiating therapy and annual screening exams beginning after 5 years of treatment. There are a couple of case reports of what appears to be hydroxychloroquine toxicity after only a couple of months of exposure, but these are very rare events.
    Hydroxychloroquine and COVID-19

    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “hydroxychloroquine” has become a household word. Based on some intriguing laboratory data and very preliminary clinical reports, hydroxychloroquine has emerged as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus, prompting some high level government officials and other high profile personalities to advocate for widespread use. David Gorski has written several detailed analyses of the state of evidence (or lack thereof) for the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19, and I have nothing to add to his excellent review of the evidence. I agree that based on very thin data there is irrational exuberance among some prominent opinion-makers.

    At this moment, there is no shortage of clinical trials looking at hydroxychloroquine in the context of COVID-19. A search on clinicaltrials.gov had 117 hits (as of 4/21/2020). The studies are from all around the world and have variable designs. Investigators are exploring intervention with hydroxychloroquine at various stages of infection, and some are looking at prophylaxis for known exposures and high-risk individuals. Many doses and schedules of treatment are being explored. I did not do a detailed review of all 117 studies, but I reviewed a sample. Most of the studies are looking at doses in excess of the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommended upper limit of 5 mg/kg/day sometimes by several multiples. Duration of treatment ranges from a few days to a few weeks.

    Even at these high doses I suspect the risk of retinal toxicity with short-term exposure is low. There are, however, caveats to this conclusion. Patients with COVID may be critically ill and are likely to be on multiple medications. The potential retinal toxicity of hydroxychloroquine in critically ill, metabolically compromised, multiply-medicated patients is unknown. Considering the devastation seen due to COVID-19, the risk seems justified in the context of clinical trials. We can be hopeful that data from clinical trials will be responsibly collected, collated, and reported. I look forward to these data to inform us about the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.

    Outside clinical trials, hydroxychloroquine is also being used, largely based on encouragement of a few high profile opinion-makers. I fear that some people, desperate to protect themselves, may take the medication at doses and durations sufficient to put them at risk for retinal damage (or even worse, die after drinking the wrong substance based on a misunderstanding). Meanwhile, patients with disabling diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are sometimes having difficulty filling their prescriptions.
    Conclusion: Low short-term risk, but completely uncertain efficacy

    The world desperately needs effective treatments for COVID-19. We can only hope that effective strategies will be discovered. This can only happen by using a science-based, systematic approach. Unless good data supporting the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine emerge, there are many reasons to be cautious adopting it for widespread use. Fortunately, current knowledge suggests that the risk retinal toxicity from short-term exposure to hydroxychloroquine is low.

  17. #92
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    https://www.kitv.com/story/42383754/...lection-ballot

    It looks like rapper Kanye West is still running for President after all.

    On July 4 West tweeted that he was running.

    A few days later he told Forbes magazine he was starting a new political party called the "Birthday Party."

    However, earlier this week one of his advisers told New York Magazine that West was out of the race.

    So far West has not made any more comments about his campaign.  

  18. #93
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    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...na-ballot-2020

    Here is more on Kanye West

    Kanye West has asked fans to sign a petition calling for him to be added to the presidential election ballot in South Carolina.
    Kanye West will appear on Oklahoma presidential election ballot
    Read more

    The rap superstar announced he was running for the White House on 4 July, tweeting: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.”

    But doubts persist over how seriously to take his bid.

    West, who has both expressed support for Donald Trump and said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has said he will model his White House on a fictional land in the Black Panther superhero film, saying: “Let’s get back to Wakanda.”

    This week it emerged he has qualified to appear on the presidential ballot in Oklahoma after making Wednesday’s deadline to register as an independent candidate. But it appears he missed the cut-off to run in South Carolina. According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), that state also had a deadline of Wednesday.

    Apparently hoping public opinion can sway officials, he tweeted: “If you’re a voter in South Carolina, please sign this petition to place me on the ballot Sponsored by Ye 2020.”
    The online petition is paid for by the Kanye 2020 political committee, which filed paperwork with the FEC this week, indicating West, who is married to the reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, is serious about running.


    Ben Jacobs, a former Guardian reporter now filing for New York Magazine who has followed West’s moves closely, reported that the rapper started to make moves to get on the ballot in Florida before pulling back.

    After missing the ballot deadline in the Sunshine state, West did file to be on the ballot in Oklahoma, which simply requires a check.

    On Saturday, Jacobs reported that petitions were available to be signed in nine locations across South Carolina. One host told the magazine people had been coming in “off and on” to sign the petition for West.

    The Kanye 2020 committee has filed a statement organisation form, also known as FEC Form 1. The next step would be filing a statement of candidacy, or FEC Form 2.

    That is filed when an individual has raised or spent more than $5,000 on campaign activity, triggering candidacy status. No record of a Kanye 2020 FEC Form 2 appeared online as of Friday.

  19. #94
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    https://fox5sandiego.com/entertainme...-as-candidate/

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Rapper Kanye West, in his first event since declaring himself a presidential candidate, ranted against historical figure Harriet Tubman on Sunday, saying the Underground Railroad conductor “never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people,” comments that drew shouts of opposition from some in the crowd.

    West delivered a lengthy monologue, touching on topics from abortion and religion to international trade and licensing deals, before a crowd in North Charleston, South Carolina. Whether he is actually seeking the nation’s highest office remains a question.

    Tubman is one of the most respected figures of 19th century America. An African American who escaped slavery, she helped enslaved Black men and women travel north to freedom and fought for the Union during the Civil War. She later became a supporter of women’s suffrage.

    On abortion, West said that while he believes it should be legal, financial incentives to help struggling mothers could be a way to discourage the practice.

    “Everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars,” he said as an example.

    Wearing a protective vest and with “2020” shaved into his head, the entertainer appeared on a livestream of the event. Several hundred people gathered in a venue, where gospel music played before West’s appearance.

    The event was reportedly for registered guests only, although a campaign website had no registration or RSVP information.

    Speaking without a microphone, West became tearful at one point while talking about his mother, who died following plastic surgery complications in 2007.

    West missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states, and it was unclear if he was willing or able to collect enough signatures required to qualify in others. Last week, he qualified to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot, the first state where he met the requirements before the filing deadline.

    West needed to collect 10,000 signatures by noon Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, according to state law. The entertainer tweeted out a list of locations around the Charleston area where petitions could be signed. Email to an address purportedly associated with the campaign was not returned Sunday afternoon.

    West, who is married to reality television star Kim Kardashian West, initially announced his candidacy on July 4.

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    Here is a Video of Kanye West Ranting about Harriet Tubman. But wait if Kanye West was there to promote an album Donda why would he put himself in a position where he and his label are the targets of a Boycott?


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    This is not the first time Kanye West used slavery in a rant. Go back to this clip.

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    https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...arriet-tubman/

    Here is more on the Kanye West Fallout

    When Toni Fulton and her sister jumped in the car Sunday for a roughly two-hour road trip through South Carolina to attend Kanye West’s first campaign event since the rapper declared he was running for president earlier this month, neither could predict what would await them at the venue in North Charleston.

    But the last thing the Fultons expected was to find themselves angrily marching out of the event after being there for only 20 minutes.

    The cause of their sudden exit? West declaring onstage that famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who has been called “the Moses of her people,” “never actually freed the slaves.”

    “She just had the slaves go work for other white people,” West said. Loud groans and unintelligible murmuring immediately erupted from the large crowd of several hundred people who had gathered at the Exquis Event Center. “Come on, man,” a voice shouted out.

    Meanwhile, the Fulton sisters, who are black, decided they had seen enough. In a now-viral video capturing West’s comment, Toni Fulton made her exasperation with the Grammy Award-winning artist clear in a single statement. “Yo, we leavin’ right now,” she could be heard saying in the background of the short clip as it abruptly cut off.

    “We’re young, black women and there weren’t a lot of us in the room,” Fulton, 30, told The Washington Post. “We know better than to be in a space that we’re not uplifted in. While he was saying a lot of crazy things that didn’t directly offend us, that was offensive and it wasn’t appropriate for us to be there anymore.”

    West, who is trying to get on the ballot in South Carolina, spoke for about an hour during Sunday’s freewheeling campaign rally, bouncing between a variety of subjects ranging from abortion and religion to international trade. But his claim about Tubman swiftly became the most-talked-about moment from the event. Video clips circulated widely online, prompting critics and historians to share facts about Tubman’s storied legacy and urge West, who faced intense backlash in 2018 for saying 400 years of African American enslavement sounded “like a choice,” to educate himself.
    By early Monday, “Kanye” and Tubman’s name were still top trending terms on Twitter as social media exploded with reactions to his remarks, which one prominent Tubman scholar decried as “completely irrational” in an interview with The Washington Post.

    “There’s something about that little, petite, black woman, who did so much, that seems to bother him,” said Kate Clifford Larson, author of the 2003 biography “Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero.” Larson noted that West has referenced the abolitionist critically in past years.

    “She put up with a lot of abuse her whole life,” Larson said of Tubman. “She’s getting the attention and accolades that she deserves. Why tear her down now? It’s just ridiculous.”

    Representatives for West did not respond to requests for comment late Sunday.

    The renewed backlash over West’s interpretation of history comes as he is attempting to collect the 10,000 signatures needed by noon Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, the Associated Press reported. West, 43, announced July 4 on Twitter that he was mounting a long-shot bid for the presidency, even though the deadline to get his name on ballots in several states had already passed. Still, West recently managed to qualify for the general election ballot in Oklahoma — and political experts have warned that it would be a mistake to ignore the hitmaker, citing the influence third-party candidates have had on past elections, The Post’s Helena Andrews-Dyer reported.
    “People want to dismiss the irrational,” pollster Terrance Woodbury told Andrews-Dyer. “It sounded irrational five years [ago] that Donald Trump would be president. It’s only crazy until someone pulls it off.”

    For Fulton, West’s fledgling presidential run bears marked similarities to President Trump’s 2016 campaign, and the Columbia, S.C., native told The Post on Sunday that she and her sister, both Democrats, felt the North Charleston rally “just seemed like a moment that we shouldn’t miss.”

    “She sent a text that said, ‘Hey, do you want to see the circus?’” Fulton said.

    It didn’t take Fulton long to determine that West’s rally wouldn’t be like any other standard campaign event. First, she said she noticed that the crowd was mostly young people and “sneakerheads,” sporting their distinctive pricey footwear, while other attendees arrived wearing concert T-shirts.


    Perhaps, she thought, West would perform a few of his songs during his first official introduction as a presidential candidate. She anticipated that the event, albeit not a typical rally, would “introduce the world to the professional, presidential side of Kanye West.”

    Instead, the rapper strode onstage a few minutes after 5 p.m. wearing a protective vest that had “SECURITY” emblazoned across the front. “2020” was shaved into his head.

    “In this Black Lives Matter spirit, to have a militarized outfit was, I don’t know, read the room,” said Fulton, noting the protests over racism and police brutality that have consumed the nation for weeks. “It was weird.”

    And things only proceeded to get weirder, according to live-streamed footage of the event.

    Speaking without a microphone, West brought members of the crowd onstage, appearing to use their thoughts on current events to drive the conversation. He addressed his past support of Trump and his days of wearing a Make America Great Again hat, acknowledging that it was a “very, very hurtful moment” for fans. West went on to argue that “Democrats ain’t did s--- for blacks” and disputed criticism that his candidacy would split black votes, calling the idea “the most racist thing that’s ever been said out loud.”

    Then, he appeared to abruptly shift gears to Tubman. Ignoring the crowd’s audible reaction to his comments about Tubman’s efforts to free enslaved people, West segued into criticizing economic equality.

    “National Basketball Association is not owned by any blacks. Universal Music is not owned by any blacks,” he said. “Any celebrity that you see talking is not the real power because the real power … you don’t see them.”

    But at that point, Fulton and her sister were already headed for the door.

    “We just left,” she said. “We didn’t want to be there any longer because it’s a joke. That’s what it felt like.”

    She described West’s comments as an attempt to “totally take away everything that Harriet Tubman did” for African Americans, adding, “I don’t even think I’ve heard white people say that.”

    On social media, the brief remark was met with similar criticism led by prominent black voices and historians.

    “You, Mr. West are a jerk and not worthy of uttering Tubman’s name,” Larson, the Tubman scholar, tweeted. “You have not freed anyone.”

    Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump wrote in a tweet addressed to West that “a Black history textbook is in the mail.”

    “Read it, then learn to respect Harriet Tubman’s legacy,” Crump added.

    In a statement to The Post, Erica Armstrong Dunbar, a Rutgers University professor who specializes in African American women’s history, echoed calls for West to become better educated.

    “Kanye West is in desperate need of a crash course in American History. His comments were erroneous and serve as a pathetic attempt to stimulate public attention,” Dunbar said, calling Tubman a “hero.”

    Regarded as “the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad’s ‘conductors,’” Tubman made more than a dozen trips to the South over the course of a decade, escorting hundreds of enslaved people to freedom, according to PBS. During the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse and a scout for the Union, and became the first woman to lead an armed and successful military attack at the time, Dunbar told The Post. Later in her life, Tubman was also an advocate for women’s suffrage.
    There is now an ongoing effort to get Tubman on the $20 bill, in place of former president Andrew Jackson, who was an enslaver.

    “Tubman was one of the most important social justice activists in our nation’s history and West’s words will never erase this fact,” Dunbar said. “He’s a distraction and I suggest we move along and pay him no mind.”

    But though Brenda E. Stevenson, a professor of history and African American studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, agreed that West’s comments were “woefully uninformed,” she stressed that his influence should not be entirely discounted.

    “He’s a celebrity and he has a great following of young people in particular,” Stevenson told The Post. “Some may be as uninformed as he is and believe that what he says is true, so that’s what’s disturbing to me.


    “This country has a real problem with knowing African American history,” she continued. “So when you have someone who has a great following say something that really is not based in fact, then it really distorts the history even more.”

    Instead, she urged people to do their own research.

    “Question what you read on social media. Question it deeply,” she said, “All the information is available to us, literally at our fingertips. All you have to do is Google Harriet Tubman, you will see.”

  23. #98
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    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roger-s...mo-kelly-show/

    Roger Stone under fire for a rant

    Washington — Republican operative Roger Stone, who was relieved of a 40-month prison sentence by longtime ally President Trump this month, is coming under fire for using a racial slur during a radio interview Saturday, though he denies doing so.


    Stone appeared on the Mr. Mo'Kelly Show, broadcast on KFI-AM in Los Angeles, on Saturday evening, during which he and radio host Morris O'Kelly discussed Mr. Trump's decision to commute his prison sentence days before he was set to report to federal prison in Georgia.

    During the phone interview, O'Kelly, who is Black, told Stone, "There are thousands of people treated unfairly daily. How your number just happened to come up in the lottery, I'm guessing it was more than just luck, Roger, right?" A man who sounds like Stone is then heard saying, "I don't really feel like arguing with this Negro," though the audio is muffled.

    After attempting to reconnect with Stone and nearly a minute of silence from the GOP operative, he then reappears, saying, "You there? Hello?"

    O'Kelly confronted Stone about the remark, though he denied making such a comment.

    "I did not," Stone responded. "You're out of your mind."

    In a statement to the Associated Press, Stone again denied using the slur, saying "Mr. O'Kelly needs a good peroxide cleaning of the wax in his ears because at no time did I call him a negro."

    "That said, Mr. O'Kelly needs to spend a little more time studying black history and institutions," he continued. "The word negro is far from a slur."

    Stone was convicted in November of seven charges of obstruction, making false statements and witness tampering in a case that stemmed from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

    Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February, but day before he was set to surrender, Mr. Trump wiped clean the entirety of his sentence and his two years of supervised release, but declined to issue a full pardon.

  24. #99
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    https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/20/busin...ock/index.html

    New York (CNN Business)Kanye West's threat to walk away from his fashion company's fledgling partnership with the Gap has sent shares sharply lower.
    Gap's stock fell nearly 6% Monday following West's comments he made at a public event Sunday. Videos taken at the event show the rapper criticizing Gap and Adidas, another apparel company his Yeezy brand partnered with.
    West noted he was not on either company's board. "That has to change today or I walk away," he said.
    Adidas declined to comment and Gap didn't immediately respond to CNN Business' request for comment.

    Gap, which has been struggling lately, announced a 10-year partnership with Yeezy last month for a new line of clothes that are "modern, elevated basics for men, women and kids at accessible price points" due out next year. It's unclear if he's even allowed to walk away from the deal.
    The initial announcement sent Gap's shares soaring nearly 19% on June 26. The stock has lost half of those gains since then.

    The Yeezy deal could give Gap a much-needed financial and creative boost. Gap (GPS) has been struggling: Sales plunged 43% in the quarter that ended May 2, but online sales for May were double what they were a year ago.
    Gap also didn't pay rent in April because of the temporary closures. It said cash-saving measures taken during the quarter left it with $1 billion in cash on hand as of May 2, a bit more than it had a year ago.

    West has had great success in the fashion space. He became the first non-athlete to launch a full collaboration with Nike (NKE) for the original Air Yeezy sneakers in 2009, and the brand's sneakers often go for several hundred dollars. His major partnership with Adidas (ADDDF) that began in 2013 earned him raves.

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...vorce-him.html

    The Updates get crazy

    Kanye's plea for help: Star claims wife Kim 'tried to lock me up with a doctor' as the star launches into a distressing Twitter rant hours after it was claimed his reality star wife will 'divorce' him if he doesn't seek drop his 'presidential bid'

    A source said Kim Kardashian is 'furious' about Kanye West's revelation that the couple considered aborting their eldest daughter
    West made the statement public during his first presidential campaign rally
    West said at one point in the speech Kardashian 'had the pills in her hand'
    The source said West later told Kardashian he needed 'something big' to get attention for his campaign



    Kim Kardashian West is said to be so furious with husband Kanye West's public revelation that they almost aborted their seven-year-old daughter, that she wants him to drop out of the presidential race or she may divorce him.

    West, 43, made the private revelation about the couple's first child, North, during his debut, presidential campaign political rally in Charleston, South Carolina, Sunday.

    'Kim wants Kanye to drop out of this race now and she told him if he does not she may drop him!' a Kardashian source told The Sun.

    The source said that Kardashian 'lost her s**t' when West stood on stage and tearfully screamed about the abortion discussion the couple had had prior to deciding to keep their daughter.

    According to the source, West later told Kardashian and her mother, Kris, that 'the only reason he said that was because he knew that he needed something big to get the attention on his campaign.'

    West also allegedly told Kardashian that 'she should know the game by now.'

    The source said that West said that it was still 'so embarrassing to her' in light of the fact that she has 'built up the image of being so devoted to her children.'

    Kardashian, according to the source, has now 'had it' with West and 'does not believe that he is well enough to be running for president.'

    West has been open about his struggle with bipolar disorder and, in 2016, he spent time in hospital after a 'psychiatric emergency' that forced him to cancel 21 concert dates.

    West 'is an embarrassment to himself and to her family and Kim does not want this charade to go on any longer,' the source told The Sun.

    Among the surprising statements West made during the rally Sunday, was that after Kardashian called him 'crying' that she was pregnant, 'We talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand! I almost killed my daughter!'

    He also noted that while he was considering what to do about the pregnancy, he received what he interpreted as a sign from God while he was working on his laptop in Paris.

    'My screen went black and white. And God said, if you f**k with my vision I f**k with yours,' West yelled during the rally. 'And I called my girlfriend and said we're going to have this child.'

    Later in the unscripted speech, West said: 'Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.'

    Beyond the shocking abortion revelations, the Kardashian sisters are also 'horrified' that West did not engage in any coronavirus social distancing measures during the rally, according to the Kardashian source.

    To see 'Kanye interacting indoors with people without a mask on and that alone was enough to make her freak the f**k out,' the source said about Kardashian.

    Kardashian matriarch, Kris, has apparently told Kanye that he needs to self-quarantine for two weeks before he can see his wife or his children, the source said.

    OOOF things I never thought I would even say though. I feel bad for the Kardashian's having to babysit Kanye West during his run for the presidency.

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    This is only getting crazy from here though.

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