Kari Lake embraces her inner nutjob

 Admittedly, she didn't have to look too deep to find it.

From Twitter (highlights added by me) - 

Ummm...some parents may wish to disagree with her.

From AZFamily -

600+ Scottsdale students quarantined as COVID threatens in-person learning

The Scottsdale Unified School District may have to go back to virtual learning if the spread of COVID-19 isn't controlled among its students. Superintendent Scott A. Menzel said in a letter to parents on Friday that since school started on Aug. 4, there have been 78 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on-campus and 31 cases of students who didn't come to school. One hundred fifty students were sent home and 632 students have been quarantined because of being in close contact with someone with COVID-19.

Trish Olson has three kids in Scottsdale Unified Schools. Her son was sent home to quarantine after coming in contact with another student who tested positive. She says they knew this was a possibility, but her kids were looking forward to returning to campus. "They were excited to see their friends. They were excited to see their teachers because there was a large portion of the last school year where they were not face-to-face with their teachers," Olson said. "And I know better than anyone that teachers can do for my kids what I'm not able to provide them.

For you non-AZers out there, Lake is former anchor for the local Fox affiliate and is a candidate for governor here.  A Republican candidate, of course.

Covid is behind some folks relocating. Just not the kind of relocating that Chambers of Commerce brag about.

From NBC News - 

Fired Tennessee vaccinations director planning to leave state

The husband of Tennessee’s former vaccinations director says they are planning to move out of the state this fall amid growing tension over efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Their move to northern Virginia was in the works before a contentious school board meeting that he took part in Tuesday to discuss mask mandates, Brad Fiscus told WPLN-FM.

Fiscus is a school board member in Williamson County, where protesters held signs with messages saying, “I will not let you muzzle my child,” and “My child, my choice.” Some had to be escorted out by law enforcement. The county is just south of Nashville.

Tennessee's Covid numbers, from John Hopkins University -

Virginia's Covid numbers, from the same source -

Tennessee has fewer folks than Virginia does, but has more deaths from Covid.

From the Census Bureau -

There are probably folks in Tennessee who are rejoicing over their ability to drive smart folks out of TN and into other states.

There are probably folks in Virginia who are rejoicing over the same thing.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated.

Some folks just do things wrong.

From CNN -

A parent sent their child to school after a positive Covid-19 test. More than 80 students may have been exposed, officials say

More than 80 students were potentially exposed to Covid-19 on the first day of class in Reno, Nevada, on Monday after a parent sent their child to Marce Herz Middle School, despite both the parent and child receiving a positive Covid-19 test just two days earlier, Washoe County Health District officials said.

The exposed students had to quarantine at home and started distance learning on Tuesday, the Washoe County School District said.

If any of the folks exposed to COVID develop symptoms, the parent in question should be financially responsible for their treatment.

If any of those folks die from COVID, that parent should go to prison; at the very least, that parent should face voluntary manslaughter charges.

From The Independent (UK) -

Teacher beaten by parent on first day of school over mask dispute

The father has been banned from returning to the elementary school after leaving a teacher with lacerations to his face

A parent has physically attacked a teacher at a California elementary school during a dispute over Covid masks.

The incident occurred on the first day of a return to in-person classess for students at Sutter Creek Elementary in the small town of Sutter Creek, east of Sacramento.

 "Banned" from that school?  That's the primary penalty here?

That kind of violence is intolerable.  Period.

A term in prison is appropriate here.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated.

3. Don't harm others.

Federal committees update

 From the website of the FEC -

Democrat Williamson is a perennial candidate who's setting up a challenge in AZ6, currently held by Republican David Schweikert.

Republican Wheeless is a former aide to Martha McSally who's setting up a challenge in AZ9, currently held by Democrat Greg Stanton.

From the website of the IRS, a PAC -

It's been formed in AZ, too.  From the website of the AZSOS - 

At one point, Gantt worked for Mitt Romney in his presidential campaign.  He looks to be one of Cheeto's guys now.

While I haven't done a state committees update post in a few weeks, it's not because I've ignored developments there, there just haven't been any new committees formed for statewide candidates in Arizona.  There were no new ones this week.

Dear NY Assembly: When Cuomo leaves office, suspend your impeachment investigation...

 ...but don't do so even one moment before then.

From CNN -

New York lawmakers suspend Cuomo impeachment investigation

New York state lawmakers will halt the impeachment investigation against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned this week and will leave office on August 25, state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced on Friday afternoon.

In a statement, Heastie said Cuomo's resignation effectively eliminated the central question of the probe -- "whether Governor Cuomo should remain in office" -- and that Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Lavine advised him, with the guidance of counsel, that the state constitution "does not authorize the legislature to impeach and remove an elected official who is no longer in office."

Apparently, to certain GOPers, knowing how to win an election means the winner knows science, too.

 Maybe they believe that a scientist who wins a Nobel Prize found it in a Cracker Jack box.

Pic from Amazon

From NPR -

Florida Gov. DeSantis Expands Monoclonal Antibody Treatments Amid COVID-19 Spike

Florida is rolling out a mobile unit to administer monoclonal antibody treatments to coronavirus patients, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced.

Officials are expanding the availability of the treatments, which have emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, as a record number of new coronavirus infections is straining Florida's health care system.

From KSAT in Texas -

Gov. Abbott argues San Antonio’s mask mandate will ‘shatter’ Texas’ ability to respond to pandemic

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an appeal Thursday seeking to reverse a Bexar County judge’s temporary restraining order that allowed the county to mandate masks in school.

On Tuesday, Bexar County scored a court victory when 57th Civil District Court Judge Toni Arteaga granted the order, which prevented the enforcement of Abbott’s latest executive order that barred local governments from imposing any coronavirus-related mandates.

[snip]

Lawyers for the statewide officials argued that the restraining order “will have shattered” the state’s ability to “carry out an orderly, cohesive, and uniform response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

FYI - Texas' Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals turned back Abbott's quest to condemn more people to death.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated.

Coming soon to a BOLO near you.

 From Twitter - 

Dear Doug Ducey, Read the polls.

I know you believe that the best way to address the pandemic is to listen to the craziest members of your own party, but it turns out that most of the vaccinated folks in the U.S. want harsher penalties for the unvaccinated.

From The Atlantic - 

‘Everybody I Know Is Pissed Off’

The vaccinated, across party lines, have kind of had it with the unvaccinated, an array of new polls suggests.

While most state and national GOP leaders are focused on defending the rights of unvaccinated Americans, new polling shows that the large majority of vaccinated adults—including a substantial portion of Republicans—support tougher measures against those who have refused COVID-19 shots.

Doug, if someone, perhaps a political "consultant", has told you that the best look for you is wetting your finger and holding it up to see which way the wind is blowing...when you're in a meeting of the unvaccinated, you need to get out more.

Maybe you should go to an ER or an ICU.

Insider trading while people die? It's official - Rand Paul is a Republican

The corruption is bad (enough for him to be removed from office, IMO), but the sheer *callousness* of it may actually be worse.

From CBS -

Senator Rand Paul failed to disclose wife's purchase of COVID-19 drug maker's shares

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul waited more than a year to disclose that his wife purchased stock in a company that makes a COVID-19 treatment, an investment made after Congress was briefed on the threat of the virus but before the public was largely aware of its danger.

The Republican filed a mandatory disclosure Wednesday revealing on Feb. 26, 2020 that Kelley Paul purchased somewhere between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of stock in Gilead, which makes the antiviral drug remdesivir. Under a 2012 law called the Stock Act, which was enacted to stop lawmakers from trading on insider information, any such sale should have been reported within 45 days.

Kentucky's daily Covid report is here; don't have access to Paul's P&L statement for this, but I expect that Paul sees and increase in cases and dead people to mean an increase in profits.

Not exactly breaking news, but it explains the GOP rush to pass voter suppression laws

 From The Daily Mail (UK) -

The number of white people in the US has declined for the first time in history while Hispanic and Asian populations grew, according to census report

For the first time in U.S history, the number of white people in the nation is expected to show a decline when racial breakdowns of the 2020 Census are reported this week. 

The data, set to be released on August 12, will reveal just how much the ethnic and racial make up of the nation has shifted over the past decade, according to preliminary data seen by The Washington Post. 

Apparently, Abbott and Paxton don't believe that the dead, dying, their families, and their friends are Texans

Of course, both Abbott and Paxton are both ethically challenged.

From KPRC - 

‘Protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans’: Gov. Abbott, AG Paxton to block Dallas County Judge’s mask mandate

Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Wednesday the filing of a mandamus petition the 5th Court of Appeals to strike down the actions by Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, according to a release.

On Tuesday, Judge Tonya Parker granted local authorities in Dallas counties, such as Judge Jenkins, temporary power to issue mask mandates, defying the governor’s executive order GA-38, which bans local mask orders across Texas. In San Antonio, Judge Antonia Arteaga granted the local officials a temporary restraining order blocking Abbott’s action.

[snip]

“Under Executive Order GA-38, no governmental entity can require or mandate the wearing of masks,” Abbott said. “The path forward relies on personal responsibility—not government mandates. The State of Texas will continue to vigorously fight the temporary restraining order to protect the rights and freedoms of all Texans.”

Cuomo and Navarette are out

Navarette's (alleged) bad behavior was a bit of a surprise, but Cuomo's?

The specifics were surprising, but the badness was not a surprise, not to anyone paying attention.

First, Navarette.

From AZFamily.com - 

State Sen. Tony Navarrete resigns; denies child sex crime accusations

Arizona state Senator Tony Navarrete has announced his resignation from public office on Tuesday following accusations of sexual conduct with a child and molestation of a minor. 

Elected to office in 2016 and rumored as a potential candidate for state treasurer next year, Navarrete was considered a rising star in Democratic politics. But that quickly unraveled after his arrest Thursday night on numerous allegations of child sex abuse that date back to 2017. Hours after issuing his resignation, Navarrete released a statement denying the allegations against him:

The AZ Lege's website has already been updated to reflect his resignation -

Cuomo's exit has been coming for a long time.

First up, the immediate issue of the sexual harassment allegations.

From CNN -

Andrew Cuomo's downfall sends a striking message

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is stepping down from office. The politician who was willing to fight every scandal that plagued his tenure finally met a challenge he couldn't outmaneuver. After the nation's most prominent Democrats -- from President Joe Biden to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer -- called on him to leave his post in the wake of New York Attorney General Letitia James' devastating report into allegations of sexual harassment, Cuomo finally conceded.

While Cuomo called the investigation into his alleged misconduct "politically motivated" and maintained his innocence, he also said that a monthlong struggle to remain in office would harm New York State, that he would "never want to be unhelpful in any way," and agreed to leave his post in 14 days.

The women who he harassed seem to have opinions of him that are different than his opinion of himself.

From NBC News - 

Women who accused Gov. Cuomo of sexual harassment speak out after resignation

In the wake of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation, several of the women who accused him of sexual misconduct are speaking out.

Lindsey Boylan — whose February account of alleged sexual harassment by Cuomo ignited new calls for the governor to resign — tweeted, "From the beginning, I simply asked that the Governor stop his abusive behavior."

"It became abundantly clear he was unable to do that, instead attacking and blaming victims until the end. It is a tragedy that so many stood by and watched these abuses happen," Boylan wrote.

Of course, Cuomo has a long history of bad behavior.

From Reuters in 2014 -

New York Governor Cuomo's office intervened in corruption probe: NY Times

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office meddled with a commission he created to root out corruption in state politics, pushing back whenever it focused on groups tied to Cuomo, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

The commission that Cuomo established in July 2013 to investigate violations of campaign finance laws and other matters was hobbled almost from the start by demands from the governor’s office, despite a public promise of independence, the Times said.

Within a year, it was disbanded by Cuomo, who had initially indicated it would operate for about 18 months.

Of course2, one of the targets of Cuomo's ire wonders if Cuomo may be up to something with his delay in leaving office.

From Yahoo! -

Former US Attorney Preet Bharara wonders if 'mischief' afoot in Andrew Cuomo waiting 14 days to resign

A former federal prosecutor said he was surprised New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who faces allegations of sexual harassment, intends to wait two weeks to resign and hopes there is nothing "nefarious" in the works.

Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009-2017, said he sees no reason why Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul shouldn't take over almost immediately.

One of the differences between Republicans and Democrats is that while Republicans are gleefully pointing fingers right now, they would excuse the same behaviors from a Republican.

Witness their attitude toward Trump.

Democrats are horrified by this behavior, no matter the partisan affiliation of the person (s) engaging in it and will call it out, no matter what.

"The stupid, it hurrtttssss!"

 

From The Hill -

Californians draw guns on firefighters trying to rescue them from wildfire

Some firefighters battling the massive Dixie Fire raging in Northern California have faced some unforeseen challenges when trying to evacuate residents in harm’s way. 

Local KPIX reported that firefighters working to evacuate the historic mountain town of Greenville last week encountered residents who refused to leave their property and threatened firefighters with weapons as the blaze moved in on the town.

“There is stuff out there that we didn’t want to see. Again, talking about the people out there dealing with evacuations. We are all challenged. Law enforcement’s challenged. We have firefighters getting guns pulled out on them because people don’t want to evacuate,” Jake Cagle, operations section chief for California Incident Management, said during a Thursday morning briefing, according to KPIX. 

From Plumas County's official website for Covid -

From the website of the CDC -

Plumas County went for Trump in both 2016 and 2020,

Is anyone shocked that Plumas County is below average?

Cheeto's consigliere is going under, so Trump throws him...an anchor

 From The Daily Beast -

As Rudy Giuliani’s legal bills have piled up in recent months—and as federal investigators intensify their probe into Donald Trump’s longtime associate—the former president appears willing to provide just as much help as he usually does when his friends are in need: next to nothing.

For months now, Trump has consistently ignored or rejected Giuliani’s pleas for assistance. And it’s not just that Trump and other prominent Republicans have been unwilling to open up their wallets or war chests to help offset Giuliani’s mounting legal costs; in many cases, Giuliani’s former Trumpworld comrades have declined to even acknowledge the existence of his legal defense fund, which has struggled to raise much of anything from the public.

Well, at least Cheeto is consistent - he always looks out for himself first.

One question: Now that Giuliani's license to practice law has been taken away, does attorney-client privilege even matter to him?

If he violates it, the most that they can do to him is take away something that has already been taken away, right?

In a first, betcha both Trump and Putin disagree with Paul Gosar

From Twitter feed of Paul Gosar (R-Indictment Waiting To Happen) -