Some days it’s hard to feel like the world isn’t ending. Optimism is exhausting.
📈 Some numbers, to start with, from Axios, who gets their data from the Johns Hopkins dashboard: “U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 p.m. ET: 2,683,000 — Total deaths: 129,545 — Total recoveries: 705,203 — Total tested: 31,557,407.” Read it.
🤒 So, they found a new strain of influenza in China that has “pandemic potential,” and don’t freak out. Yes, it’s a new strain of swine flu, but it’s related to the old swine flu, and we have vaccines we can adapt to this flu, so take a few deep breaths and remember that news articles like to scare you so you spend more time with their content watching their ads.
🇷🇺 The Russians are paying bounties to terrorists to encourage them to kill US and UK troops, and the president knew about it, did nothing, and is now lying about it. Some reading:
- AP sources: White House aware of Russian bounties in 2019
- Trump Got Written Briefing in February on Possible Russian Bounties, Officials Say
- White House learned of Russian bounty intelligence in early 2019
- The Russian bounties on US troops in Afghanistan scandal, explained
🍊 Trump approvingly tweeted a video of a dude yelling “white power” at protestors, and then deleted it about three hours later, Sunday morning. NBC News is reporting that it was up for three hours because no one could reach Trump to have him take it down. Which is clearly a lie, because more people than Trump have access to that account, for starters, but also there’s no such thing as “can’t get ahold of the president,” and if there is, it’s gross and appalling incompetence.
🦠 “We are now having 40-plus-thousand cases a day. I would not be surprised if we go up to 100,000 cases a day if this does not turn around.” – Dr. Anthony Fauci.
😷 Starting Wednesday, in Oregon, we’re required to wear masks when we go into businesses.
🐻 And finally, to wrap things up on a good note, you can watch this family help a bear cub with a jar stuck on its head.
Notes & Thoughts 