We made it through another week to Friday, CivMixers, and what a week it has been.
There’s a nice symmetry to today’s date: 11/20/20; 20/20, of course, is a measure of vision acuity. Those who are lucky enough to have it are said to have “perfect vision,” as they need no assistance to see better (glasses, lenses, corrective surgery, etc.), though there are folks whose vision is even better than 20/20.
We could all use a little more clarity in our lives these days. Perhaps today’s date will be a good omen.
As mentioned in yesterday’s “Five Things,” it’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which caps off Transgender Awareness Week, which aims to help raise visibility for transgender people and address issues the community faces.
TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998, and is intended to commemorate all others who have met a similarly senseless and tragic fate. A virtual vigil is taking place to mark this day, as the ongoing pandemic is making in-person gatherings unsafe.
Over the last decade, more than one person per month has died due to transgender-based hate or prejudice, regardless of any other factors in their lives – a trend that shows no sign of abating. The same hatred and prejudice that causes these acts of violence against trans people also often causes their deaths to be overlooked.
I was kind of expecting today’s Google Doodle to focus on TDOR, but instead, it celebrates Polish-born French American Benoit Mandelbrot, a mathematician known as “the father of fractal geometry,” who was born on this day in 1924.
Mandelbrot has a New York connection, as he worked at IBM here, (actually he worked at the company for 35 years) and was an early pioneer in using computers, developing an algorithm that modeled landforms found in nature. He was also very interested in what he called “the art of roughness” of physical phenomena and “the uncontrolled element in life.”
Mandelbrot periodically took a leave of absence from IBM to teach at Harvard. And here’s a cool factoid: toward the end of his career, he taught at Yale and ended up being the oldest professor in the university’s history to receive tenure. That just goes to show you, you’re never too old to…well, to do anything.
According to the UN, it’s also World Children’s Day, which was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated annually to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.
The pandemic is hitting us all very hard, of course, but it’s taking a particular toll on children – especially those who are disadvantaged. Virtual learning is simply not a replacement for in-person instruction, and it is exacerbating the divide between the haves and have-nots significantly.
It also happens to be National Peanut Butter Fudge Day, not to be confused with (just) Fudge Day, which took place in July. Fudge also has a New York connection in its origin story, which you can read about here – if you’re so inclined. Bonus: there’s a recipe in that link, and also, apparently the phrase “Vassar chocolates” became inexorably linked with women’s higher education.
It’s going to be downright warm today, comparatively speaking, with temperatures in the mid-50s and a mix of clouds and sun.
In the headlines…
President Donald Trump has invited Republican state lawmakers from Michigan to the White House today, as he and his legal team are mounting an effort to overturn the results of the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.
Trump also called two Republican canvass board members from Wayne County, earlier this week to offer his support, the person said, after they went back and forth on voting to certify the election results from the state’s largest county, which includes Detroit.
…The board members filed affidavits Wednesday seeking to “rescind” their votes to certify the election result.
The president has also asked aides what Republican officials he could call in other battleground states in his effort to prevent the certification of results that would formalize his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, several advisers said.
Trump’s campaign revised a pivotal Pennsylvania lawsuit seeking to block certification of the state’s election results, adding a proposal that the Republican-controlled state legislature choose the winner instead of voters.
There is great concern that Trump’s effort is doing real damage to public faith in the integrity of U.S. elections, though his chances of succeeding are remote.
Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election are unprecedented in American history and an even more audacious use of brute political force to gain the White House than when Congress gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency during Reconstruction.
In his sharpest condemnation yet of Trump’s efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the 2020 election, Biden said that his erstwhile opponent’s refusal to authorize an orderly transition ensured that he would be remembered as “one of the most irresponsible presidents in American history.”
In a wild, tangent-filled and often contentious press briefing led by Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, the Trump campaign’s legal team laid out its case for widespread voter fraud in the election. The roughly 90-minute briefing was overflowing with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.
Biden’s campaign belittled Trump’s legal team for promoting “thoroughly discredited claims of voter fraud,” allegations that have failed to convince judges, elections officials or much of the American public.
By the time Giuliani began to take questions from reporters, dark rivulets of liquid streaking down his face had become impossible to ignore, even as he pleaded with those present not to make light of his claims, for which he has yet to present evidence.
Most hairdressers agree that if the leaking substance was dye, it was something hastily sprayed in or applied before Giuliani took to the microphone to start a now customary elongated bout of shouting.
Trump has so far received 73.6 million popular votes in the 2020 election, surpassing the previous record set by President Barack Obama by more than 7 million, giving him the most votes of any sitting president in U.S. history. But Biden is approaching a record 80 million votes.
Biden prevailed over Trump in Georgia’s election, making him the first Democratic presidential candidate in 28 years to win the state, according to the Associated Press projection.
Two months before Biden assumes the presidency, U.S. Senate Republicans are racing to install a series of conservative nominees that will outlast Trump.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ripped House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the months-long COVID-19 aid stalemate, saying she was the only person stopping relief from reaching tens of millions of Americans.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to resume negotiations with Democrats over a potential new Covid-19 relief bill as cases continue to surge around the country, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
Members of the U.S. Senate left the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday for Thanksgiving break. The House is expected to leave today. And a coronavirus relief package is nowhere in sight.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he does not plan to extend several key emergency lending programs beyond the end of the year and asked the Fed to return the money supporting them – a decision that could hinder Biden ability to use the central bank’s vast powers to cushion the economic fallout from the virus.
Mnuchin’s decision to allow several of the Fed’s emergency lending programs to expire on Dec. 31 will dramatically reduce the central bank’s ability to backstop the financial system. But people familiar with the situation say the Fed will still have considerable lending power in the event of a shock to the system.
Two separate New York State fraud investigations into Trump and his businesses, one criminal and one civil, have expanded to include tax write-offs on millions of dollars in consulting fees, some of which appear to have gone to Ivanka Trump.
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, leaders of the Democratic Party’s left wing, are at risk of being excluded from the senior ranks of Biden’s administration as he balances the demands of his party’s progressive base against the political realities of a narrowly divided Senate.
U.S. home sales rose to a 14-year high last month, a rare bright spot for the economy as ultra low borrowing costs and the sudden shift in living preferences during the pandemic power the market.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose last week to 742,000, the first increase in five weeks and a sign that the resurgent viral outbreak is likely slowing the economy and forcing more companies to cut jobs.
New claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance — a federal program for gig workers, independent contractors and the self-employed — totaled 320,000, an increase of 24,000 from the week before.
About 12 million jobless workers around the U.S. will lose their unemployment benefits the day after Christmas, according to a new analysis. The benefits cutoff could push many households into poverty while creating headwinds for the economic recovery.
The Trump administration is planning today to roll out two final rules aimed at lowering drug prices—one curbing rebates paid to middlemen in Medicare and another pegging the prices of certain prescription drugs in the U.S. to their prices in other developed countries.
Faced with a seemingly unstoppable surge in coronavirus infections, CDC officials urged Americans to avoid travel for Thanksgiving and to celebrate only with members of their immediate households — a message sharply at odds with a White House eager to downplay the threat.
The CDC has issued guidance about Thanksgiving traditions, ranking them by risk level.
Travelers are calling off holiday trips as Covid-19 case counts surge around the country, threatening U.S. airlines’ last hopes for bringing in more revenue this year.
Supermarkets are the most common places that people have visited in the days leading up to a positive coronavirus test reported to the Test and Trace app in England, new data suggests.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and partner BioNTech will seek emergency government approval for their coronavirus vaccine on Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, paving the way for millions of doses to be distributed within 24 hours.
Dr. Anthony Fauci assured the public that a coronavirus vaccine would be safe and effective and called for an end to suggestions that the development was rushed for political purposes.
Top Trump administration health officials made a rare appearance at the White House to plead with Americans to redouble their efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Deborah Birx urged Americans “to increase their vigilance” while standing in front of a chart showing a rise in the test positivity rate, indicating increased community spread in states across the U.S.
Biden’s transition team is weighing whether to give Trump administration coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx a role in its Covid-19 response, even as it prepares a broader purge of officials closely tied to the president’s handling of the pandemic.
The World Health Organization said it recommends against the use of remdesivir, the antiviral drug for Covid-19 made by Gilead Sciences after concluding that there isn’t evidence that the drug reduces deaths or recovery times.
Nearly all of California’s 40 million residents were placed on an overnight curfew yesterday as the state tries to fend off an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases.
As other states return to shutdowns due to the COVID-19 surge, the response in New York State, once the pandemic’s epicenter, has been far more measured, with officials banking on a variety of less disruptive, targeted actions, often reliant on voluntary compliance.
The coronavirus numbers have actually gone down in New York state, but we’re far from out of the woods.
A new study of Covid-19 mortalities from March through May in New York City finds that the highest rates of cases, hospitalizations and deaths were concentrated in communities of color, high-poverty areas and among people 75 years of age and older or those with underlying conditions.
Across New York City, parents and elected officials — including many who did not initially support the mayor’s push to get children back into schools — registered their dismay and frustration over the closure of all the city’s classrooms yesterday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio says he’s hopeful the closure will last just a few weeks. He expects to provide clarity on reopening benchmarks before Thanksgiving after consultation with the state, but there is no clear reopening plan.
De Blasio Blasio had hoped to keep the nation’s largest school district open at least through Thanksgiving but rejected a state proposal that could have staved off the closure of public schools this week, people familiar with his deliberations said.
The decision to switch to all-remote learning has parents scrambling for backup plans.
Prominent statistician Nate Silver ripped City Hall’s closure of schools on Twitter, and said parents should be “furious” with the controversial measure.
New York City gyms and indoor dining may close in the coming days as positivity rates for Covid-19 rise ahead of the holiday season, de Blasio said.
Even as cases surge across the state, it’s unlikely New York will mandate statewide school closures as it did in March. Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Department of Health are focused on implementing restrictions on hot-spot neighborhoods, or “micro-clusters.”
“Fox News Sunday” anchor Chris Wallace blasted Cuomo as “obnoxious” for getting into a shouting match with reporters while falsely denying that New York City public schools would be shut down due to a spike in coronavirus cases.
Cuomo will have a few like-minded celebrities wishing him a happy birthday — Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez and Ben Stiller. The trio will headline his virtual birthday-holiday campaign fundraiser on Dec. 17.
Cuomo added a dozen new “yellow” cluster zones across the Hudson Valley, including in New Rochelle – the region’s first hot zone for COVID-19.
“When he is acting as governor, Cuomo should take off his Dad hat and treat New Yorkers like adults.”
Cuomo is facing scrutiny over a deal he scored for a book on his coronavirus response, as residents of his state reel from the financial impacts of his lockdowns.
A Western New York company is selling “spying Cuomo” window decal for the holidays.
New York’s airport traffic is still down 77 percent compared to this time last year due to COVID-19 — and it’s costing the Port Authority dearly. It expects to have lost $1.7 billion in revenue by the end of the year.
Legal weed is one step closer to becoming a reality in the Garden State following an agreement reached this week between Gov. Phil Murphy’s office and a key legislator — and the measure could be voted on as early as Monday.
The addition of psilocybin mushrooms to a bill decriminalizing marijuana possession threw a monkey wrench into New Jersey’s legalization effort.
The 2021 NYC mayor’s race is already well underway. For voters, the contest may boil down to a test of priorities: Do they want a mayor best suited to advance the city’s embrace of progressive policies, or someone best qualified to confront its dire economic concerns?
A new bill introduced in the New York City Council would give citizens cash for reporting drivers who park their cars illegally — including placard abusers and cops.
Twice as many people have been shoved onto New York City subway tracks this year compared to last, according to records obtained by The NY Post — but the NYPD claims that’s not true.
The Bronx DA’s sex crimes unit is rife with sexual harassment, according to a female prosecutor who says in a new lawsuit that her supervisor showed her photos of a defendant’s penis, commented on her breast size and joked about her having sex with police.
A new report found that 80 percent of healthcare providers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities fear future state budget cuts will force them to eliminate services.
Albany Medical Center nurses will hold a news conference outside the hospital this morning to announce they are ready to strike over patient care concerns and working conditions they claim are unsafe.
Nurses at a Westchester hospital put management on notice that they’ll strike in 10 days unless they can agree on a contract guaranteeing safer conditions and better stock of protective gear.
A former employee of the Albany Jewish Community Center was charged with grand larceny after allegedly stealing over $100,000 from the organization, city police said.
Fears that a new redistricting commission charged with redrawing state and congressional lines based on the outcome of the 2020 Census would be mired in politics and face gridlock are coming true.
Republican Kyle Van De Water called Democratic Rep. Antonio Delgado to congratulate him on a second term yesterday morning, after the vote totals showed the congressman ahead by over 30,000 votes. He’s vowing a 2022 rematch.
A bill that would correct a $63,000 pension penalty mistakenly levied on a 76-year-old retired Otsego County teacher has gone to Cuomo’s desk where it will be signed or vetoed by the end of the month.
Mavis Discount Tire is asking a judge to dismiss more than a dozen lawsuits that blame the car repair shop for the deadly Oct. 6, 2018 limousine crash in Schoharie County, arguing the family that owned the 31-foot stretch Ford Excursion limo involved in the accident is solely to blame for the tragedy.
In her emotional return to her MSNBC program, Rachel Maddow emotionally revealed that the close contact who had tested COVID-positive — which prompted her two-week quarantine on Nov. 6 — was her partner of 21 years, Susan Mikula.
Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law who emerged during the 2020 presidential campaign as a defender of the president’s basest political instincts, is now eyeing a political future of her own in her home state of North Carolina.
Prosecutors across the nation are declining to pursue cases against the vast majority of people arrested during protests that have taken place in recent months because they concluded the protesters were exercising their basic civil rights.
A Queens judge overturned the murder conviction of an Army veteran and USPS mailman who spent 25 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.
BuzzFeed Inc. has agreed to acquire Verizon Media’s HuffPost in a stock deal, the companies said, uniting two of the larger players in digital media as companies across the sector search for ways to jump-start growth.
Happy the elephant was the center of attention in court when five state appellate judges debated whether the beloved Bronx Zoo mammal should be recognized as a person.
After 81 years — and in the midst of a pandemic — Hemlock Hill Farm in New York, which specializes in turkeys, is finally hitting its stride.
