Morning Politocadoes!
President Trump discussed mask policy in an interview with Fox Business News. The President lied that he was in ‘all in on masks’, preferred masks to social distancing measures, and that he wore a black one the other day that made him ‘look like the Lone Ranger’.
As much as I might enjoy the thought of him not only putting on a mask wrong but it also being full of holes, thus completely useless, this is a lie. There’s no way in hell he wore a mask. His tepid support for mask wearing is a concession because he knows the coronavirus isn’t going away. People wearing masks but not social distancing is the weird middle ground in his mind that would allow the country to operate more normally.
President Trump weighs in on the ongoing mask debate as officials warn against fake exemption cards – here’s @SamBrockNBC with the details. pic.twitter.com/0o2oviSwKl
— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) July 2, 2020
Also, the White House does not believe that intelligence reports on the Russian bounties for US and coalition forces in Afghanistan are not true or “actionable”. Interestingly, the CIA has reportedly asked the Justice Department to look into the leak. Several NATO allies were not informed until last week and it appears that CIA Director Gina Haspel has distributed the information to coalition forces in a bid to have them take precautionary measures. It sure sounds like this fake news is being taken seriously!
The White House is not planning an immediate response to intelligence reports of Russian bounties given to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan because Trump does not believe the reports are true or "actionable." https://t.co/QlMri7QkWi
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 2, 2020
Elsewhere in the world, Hong Kong’s new security law was put into effect on June 30. The law effectively criminalizes protests in the city and puts Hong Kong citizens under the same draconian security measures as mainland China. The law was swiftly put to the test after the thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets on July 1st, the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s transfer back to China. 300 people have been arrested.
Hong Kong, while not ever as vibrant a democracy as it could be, was certainly more open than mainland China. That openness made it a lucrative hub for international trade, with many hoping that Hong Kong would be the model for what China might someday be. Alas.
Finally, Mark Zuckerberg fucking sucks. In order to build a mansion on the Kauai, he is suing the native Hawaiians. Using a ‘Quiet Titles’ lawsuit, Zuckerberg is questioning their right to ownership of the property and essentially evict them. Sign the change.org petition here.
Welcome to Thursday! Please be excellent to each other in the comments. The Mayor McSquirrel Rule remains in effect. As the protests continue, please be safe, dress non-descriptively, avoid wearing contacts if you wear them normally, and keep your phones on you. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, please continue to maintain social distancing measures, wear masks in public areas, and practices sanitation policies as circumstances dictate.