WTF Just Happened Today

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

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• ???? Dept. of “We Have It Totally Under Control.”

• Global: Total confirmed cases: ~21,975,000; deaths: ~777,000

• U.S.: Total confirmed cases: ~5,470,000; deaths: ~172,000

• Source: Johns Hopkins University

• ???? How To Vote In The 2020 Election. A state-by-state guide to everything you need to know about mail-in and early in-person voting in the age of COVID-19, including the first day you can cast your ballot in the 2020 election. (FiveThirtyEight / NBC News)

• ???? Democratic Convention: Night One Moments That Mattered. “Democrats kicked off their virtual nominating convention Monday with a focused denunciation of President Trump, showcasing dozens of testimonials that culminated in lancing criticism from former first lady Michelle Obama, who cast Trump as incapable of meeting America’s needs and said Joe Biden would usher in racial justice and ease the coronavirus pandemic.” (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico)

1/ Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that he is temporarily “suspending” some controversial cost-cutting initiatives until after the election “to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail.” In his statement, DeJoy said “mail processing equipment and blue collection boxes will remain where they are” and that “overtime has, and will continue to be, approved as needed.” DeJoy did not address whether changes that have already been made (e.g. removed equipment or changes in operational practices) would be rolled back. DeJoy and USPS board of governors Chairman Robert Duncan is scheduled to testify on Friday at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, and again at the the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Monday. (Politico / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / USA Today / CNBC)

2/ At least 20 states plan to sue the U.S. Postal Service and Louis DeJoy, seeking to reverse operational changes made without first seeking approval from the Postal Regulat...

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