We've now passed 150,000 deaths in the U.S. from Coronavirus. The virus is going to be with us for a long time. It's still unclear how much it will change our professional and personal lives in the future.

The virus mutates -- a new form is already spreading in Vietnam, and causing great concern. I'd like to know which of the virus vaccines the U.S. is financially backing, if any, will work on mutations of COVID-19.

Is it possible we will spend billions for a vaccine that works on the disease as it existed when the vaccine testing began, but not on the mutated disease that exists months or a year later when it's approved?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

There were 60,000 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday.
The United States is like a rudderless ship. Scientists now warn that it may result in permanent cognitive impairment (brain damage) even to young people. Also, the disease is linked to strokes, heart attacks and blood clots.

Are we getting to the point where masks, or even new lockdowns, will be too little too late?

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I didn't celebrate the Fourth of July this year. Between the coronavirus and Donald Trump's incompetence, laziness and inability to express a truthful statement, on any topic, America can no longer say it is the leader of the free world. The day he was given a desk in the oval office, he became the laughing stock of the world. Since then, he's done nothing but drag us all down with him.

Today is another day. I am not going to worry about where Donald Trump and his under-informed, marginalized base are leading us. [More...]

Bob Dylan's new song, Murder Most Fowl, about the JFK assassination is really, really good. It's 16 minutes long and I listened to it twice in a row, the time flew.

Who is surprised that Jack Abramoff is headed back to prison for a new fraud crime? He's agreed to cooperate for a lesser sentence. (Documents here) [More...]

I have no idea where this week went but it's almost over.

What happens now that the protests are winding down?
If raising awareness of racism in this country was the goal, they certainly succeeded. If a change in police culture is what they are after, that's going to take a little longer.

Is there a police brutality database where identifying details of offending officers are publicized? The police didn't take well to the idea of "Who's a Rat" (one naming informants) but they have no problem with posting mug shots of those busted for prost*itution.

Back in 2019, USA Today published a database of 85,000 police officers charged with misconduct, including case documents. The searchable database is here. Maybe it should be updated. And limited to cases in which discipline was imposed, so as not to infringe on the most bedrock principle of our criminal justice system which is the presumption of innocence.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

I hope everyone here is staying safe and healthy, and still wearing a mask in public.

It's time for a new open thread, all topics welcome.

This is a day to honor those who served in the military and made the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.

In light of the 97,000 plus Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19 in the last 90 days, I don't see any reason it can't also be a day to remember them. The New York Times clearly feels the same way -- here is the front page of their Sunday edition.

I also agree with the New York Times that it's an appropriate time to say "thank you" to the more than 144 million Americans who followed their state's stay at home orders for weeks on end, donned (and are still wearing) masks and who are still practicing "social distancing".

This is love of country at its best, generous and communal. And it’s all the more important to keep that spirit alive as we enter the warmer months and are tempted to forget all that we have learned in this dark and deadly spring. .

[More...]

Everybody knows the boat is leaking
Everybody knows the captain lied
Everybody's got this broken feeling
like their father or their dog just died

I'm sorry for my absence last week. I just got tired of thinking about coronavirus. It seems pretty clear it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Also, I am not interested in the allegations against Joe Biden. Until there are investigations into the multiple allegations involving force or unwanted touching against Donald Trump, it's not right to investigate Joe Biden. His denial should be worth as much as Donald Trump's denial. If a denial is all it took for Trump to continue with his election campaign in 2016, it should be good enough for Biden now. He denied it, let's move on.
[More...]

Managing a law practice remotely takes a huge amount of time. I expected it to be less time-consuming since I am not going to courts and jails and client meetings, but it is the opposite.

I have not even had time to read the news today. I assume more people died and Trump is still in his own head rather than addressing the critical issues we all face, so I may not have missed anything.

I hope all TL readers and their families are symptom-free and not going stir-crazy staying at home.

I am fine, but since I am of elevated risk just due to my age, I am only leaving my house to go to the grocery store, where I wear gloves but no mask. I tried for hours on two separate days to make one of those easy no-sew masks, and failed each time. Worse, I ruined two good t-shirts: [More...]

The company that physically hosts TalkLeft's server is in the process of moving its servers a short distance from where they are presently located. Our server was not scheduled to be moved until midnight tonight, but apparently someone pulled the wrong plug somewhere when moving another server last night, and TalkLeft was down for several hours last night and this morning.

Obviously, we are back up now, but we are still on schedule to be moved tonight around midnight, and we should be down for only 90 minutes or so (n a perfect world).

I apologize for any inconvenience to those of you who clicked this morning and got no response -- I only realized it around 9:00 am, by which time Colin, our webmaster, was already on it and we went back up soon after.

This is now an open thread, all topics welcome.

I'm busy at work today, no time to read the news yet. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

Here's a new open thread, all topics welcome.