Associated Press:  “The Supreme Court is not immediately blocking the Texas law that bans most abortions, but has agreed to hear arguments in the case in early November.  The justices said Friday they will decide whether the federal government has the right to sue over the law.

“The court’s action leaves in place for the time being a law that clinics say has led to an 80% reduction in abortions in the nation’s second-largest state. The law bans abortions after cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks of pregnancy. That’s before some women even know they are pregnant.  Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that she would have blocked the law now.”

John Eastman, author of the infamous memo that purported to explain how then-Vice President Mike Pence could undermine the votes of millions of people in states around the country to install Donald Trump in a second term in the White House, now claims that the opinions written in that memo do not express his views, the National Review reports.

The only problem with his claim:  he’s on video speaking at the January 6th “Stop the Steal” rally with Rudy Giuliani explaining the details of the memo and ginning up the crowd with conspiracy theories.

“They were internal discussion memos for the legal team. I had been asked to put together a memo of all the available scenarios that had been floated,” Eastman told the National Review. “I was asked to kind of outline how each of those scenarios would work and then orally present my views on whether I thought they were valid or not, so that’s what those memos did.”

CNBC: “Digital World Acquisition Corp., the SPAC that is taking former President Donald Trump’s planned social media platform public, soared Friday following a massive rally in the previous session. Trading in the stock was halted due to volatility multiple times in morning trading Friday. The SPAC, which trades under the ticker DWAC on the Nasdaq, skyrocketed 216% at one point and last traded up 150%. The stock surged more than 350% to close Thursday at $35.54 in explosive trading volume and volatility. The Trump effect wasn’t limited to DWAC. Phunware, the advertising software startup involved with Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, jumped in unison with DWAC. The stock last traded up a whopping 624% to $11.09 per share Friday, bringing its week-to-date rally to nearly 980%.”

With President Joe Biden in office, the federal deficit has shrunk from its all-time high of $3.13 trillion, hit in the final year of Donald Trump’s administration, finishing at $2.77 trillion, the Associated Press reports.

The fiscal year ended September 30th, showing the deficit dropped $360 billion from the record high of the Trump Administration.  The Trump Administration led the fastest increase in the national debt in US history, running up $8 trillion in debt in four years.  The $3.13 trillion in deficit was more than double the highest previously recorded deficit: the $1.9 trillion the US accrued in 2009 in Obama’s first year in office as the country dug out of the Great Recession.

Coming into office in January, the Biden Administration trimmed back some coronavirus pandemic aid and started to crack down on tax scofflaws.  Revenue from corporate taxes reached an all-time high of $4.047 trillion in FY2021, according to the Tax Foundation.

Zabihullah Mohmand booking photo, Missoula County Sheriff

After 19 year old Zabihullah Mohmand, a recent evacuee from Afghanistan living in a hotel room in Missoula, Montana was charged with raping an 18 year old woman, Republican Governor Greg Gianforte released a statement complaining to the Biden Administration:

“We support providing a home for our Afghan allies that have been fully vetted. We had a tragic situation with alleged sexual assault yesterday, with someone who arrived here in the state earlier this month. I called on the Biden Administration. This individual did not have an SIV status, and I called on the Biden Administration to assure us that these refugees are fully vetted. It’s not clear to us that that occurred in this situation. So, we’re asking the Biden Administration to halt the placement of refugees here until they can assure us that the people that are being placed, our allies being placed here, are fully vetted” said Gianforte in response to the man’s arrest.

Now, having read that, you would probably assume that the “terrorist” broke into the victim’s home while she was sleeping, tied her up, and chanted some ritual Taliban prayers to Al-Shaitan before, during, and after he was having his way with her. After all, wouldn’t proper refugee vetting by the Biden Administration have flagged this scumbag as a member of an evil Islamic sex cult?

Republican Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz failed to pay his Florida Bar Association dues, preventing the pride of the William & Mary Law School from practicing law, the Daily Beast reports.

The searchable database for the state bar shows two tags at the top of his listing:  “Delinquent:  Fees” and “Not Eligible to Practice in Florida.”  Gaetz is not believed to be admitted to practice law in any other state.  The bar association also lists his email address as “matt@mattgaetz.com.”

Although the failure to pay the $175 annual fee to be an “inactive” member in good standing could be written off as an oversight that can be remedied by writing a comparatively small check, Gaetz’s staff explained that the beleaguered Floridian–who is facing accusations of child sex trafficking and is currently under federal investigation–has made a career change.  “Congressman Gaetz is no longer actively engaged in the practice of law. He is focused on representing his constituents in Congress, not the courtroom,” said his office’s communications director, Joel Valdez.

Washington Post: “Russian President Vladimir Putin again attacked Western liberalism in a fiery address on Thursday, blasting so-called cancel culture and advances in gay and transgender rights. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin stressed that his country should adhere to its own ‘spiritual values and historical traditions,’ while steering clear of ‘sociocultural disturbances’ in the West. Some Westerners believe ‘the aggressive deletion of whole pages of their own history, reverse discrimination against the majority in the interests of minorities… constitute movement toward public renewal,’ Putin said. ‘It’s their right, but we are asking them to steer clear of our home. We have a different viewpoint.'”

“Putin, who told the Financial Times of London newspaper in 2019 that liberalism had become ‘obsolete,’ has loudly advocated for what he considers to be traditional family values. In his Thursday remarks, he said the notion that children are ‘taught that a boy can become a girl and vice versa’ is monstrous and ‘on the verge of a crime against humanity.’ He also suggested that transgender rights supporters were demanding an end to ‘basic things such as mother, father, family or gender differences.’ The authoritarian leader has sought to portray himself as a symbol of virile masculinity – for instance, by being photographed shirtless on horseback – while ramping up a state-led pressure campaign on sexual minorities in Russia.”

BREAKING:

YouTube has banned all version of "Let's Go Brandon.”

So, I’ll start a Twitter chant.

Comment “Let’s go Brandon” below!

— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) October 22, 2021

Don’t know what “Let’s Go Brandon” means yet? It’s really fucking dumb, but here’s why they say it.

“Nobody can doubt the power of former President Donald Trump to draw and keep an audience. But is their allegiance so pure and enduring that they’ll follow him to a new company, announced Wednesday night – a business that promises a social media outlet to take on Twitter (called Truth Social), ‘non-woke’ streaming video news and entertainment to compete with CNN and Disney, podcasts, and cloud software and services to go up against Microsoft, Google and Amazon? A public statement announcing the merger of the newly formed Trump Media & Technology Group, of which Trump is chair, and a speculative ‘blank-check’ company named Digital World Acquisition Corp. promises that TMTG will enter all these media spaces to ‘fight back against the ‘Big Tech’ companies of Silicon Valley, which have used their unilateral power to silence opposing voices in America.’ At least that’s Trump’s pipe dream. There’s nothing new about the comic grandiosity of TMTG’s ambitions, revealed in its corporate slide deck.”

“It only conforms with Trump’s long-held belief that ‘truthful hyperbole’ is the key to selling real estate – or any of the crap products (steaks, mattresses, water, men’s wear, vodka, perfume, eyeglasses, coffee) Trump has hawked to resistant customers. Trump is a moderately successful businessman when he sticks to his specialties – real estate and hotels. But all those overpriced, shoddy namesake products failed in the marketplace because Trump didn’t know how to compete with people who really understood those businesses” – Jack Shafer, Politico.

Harry Enten, CNN: “President Joe Biden is not a popular politician at this point in his presidency. This is even true in Virginia, a state he won by 10 points last year, where his net approval rating (approval – disapproval) is under water. Yet in Virginia, and even nationally on the generic congressional ballot, Democrats are holding onto slim within-the-margin-of-error advantages. Why? It could be in part because former President Donald Trump is unusually present for a politician not in office, and he’s as – if not more – unpopular than Biden. You can see the Trump dynamic playing out in real time on the campaign trail. Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe has repeatedly tried to tie Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin to the former President, both in his speeches and ads.”

“If the polls were exactly right, McAuliffe would greatly underperform Biden’s win last year and current Gov. Ralph Northam’s win in the 2017 governor’s race. They won by 10 points and 9 points, respectively. The drop in McAuliffe’s position relative to other Democrats shouldn’t be surprising given that Biden’s net approval in the state in recent polling has averaged about -2 points. Still, a lead is a lead, and McAuliffe is outrunning Biden’s net popularity rating by a little less than 5 points. The same polling reveals that Trump remains deeply unpopular in the state. A Fox News poll released last week had his net favorability rating at -9 points among likely voters and -18 points among registered voters. Trump’s more unpopular than McAuliffe or Youngkin, who both sported positive net favorability ratings in the Fox News poll among likely voters. This seems to matter.”

“A Bloomfield man threw pumpkins at a woman and her vehicle Wednesday afternoon, after the woman parked in front of his home to pick up her grandchild a few doors down the street, Pittsburgh police said. According to court documents, James Gazis, 41, is charged with aggravated assault and propulsion of a missile. According to a criminal complaint, the victim told police that she parked near her son’s house on Pearl Street where Mr. Gazis’ wife and child were walking and began to scream at her for parking in front of their house. However, Mr. Gazis told police he came outside when he heard his wife yelling, and his wife told him that the victim’s car that was parked in front of their house ‘almost hit her and their child,’ the complaint said. According to the complaint, the victim said that she saw Mr. Gazis throw a pumpkin at her vehicle and heard it hit, and then was ‘struck in the head by a second pumpkin while seated in her vehicle.”

“The victim’s son told police that after Mr. Gazis threw the pumpkins, he approached Mr. Gazis and ‘a fist fight ensued,’ and that he ‘threw [Mr. Gazis] to the ground,’ according to the complaint. Medics bandaged Mr. Gazis’ toe, according to the complaint, and he was then transported to the Allegheny County Jail. In the complaint, a detective reviewed the incident caught on surveillance tape, and that it ‘did not appear that [James Gazis’ wife] or her child were ever in danger of being struck by [the victim’s] vehicle while crossing the street.’ According to court records, Mr. Gazis was released from jail Thursday on nonmonetary bail” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

WNBC: “Popular breakfast brand Kellogg’s is facing a lawsuit accusing the company of falsely advertising the strawberry content in its Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts. The lawsuit is asking for the company to adopt more accurate labeling, and claims that damages from the false advertisement ‘exceeds $5 million.’ The class-action lawsuit filed by plaintiff Anita Harris in late August claims that Kellogg’s advertising is designed to ‘give consumers the impression the fruit filling contains a greater relative and absolute amount of strawberries than it does.’ ‘Plaintiff bought the product because she expected it would have more of the named fruit ingredient,’ the lawsuit states. ‘Plaintiff wanted more than a ‘strawberry taste,’ which she nevertheless failed to receive… Plaintiff would not have purchased the Product if she knew the representations were false and misleading.'”

“The advertising highlighted in the lawsuit includes the product’s labeling and advertising that praises the ‘timeless yet yummy’ flavor of strawberries, as well as an online recipe on how to make strawberry shortcake. According to the lawsuit, this makes strawberries the ‘characterizing ingredient’ in the product, but dried strawberries do not appear in the ingredient list until the ‘contains 2-percent or less’ section, alongside other fruits like dried pears and dried apples.”

ABC News:  “A cinematographer working on the film ‘Rust’ is dead and the director is hospitalized after an accident involving star Alec Baldwin and a misfiring prop gun during filming Thursday, authorities said.  The Western, starring Baldwin and Jensen Ackles of ‘Supernatural,’ began filming this month at Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, a film location in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“Deputies with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office responded to the film set around 2 p.m. local time after a 911 caller ‘reported a shooting on the set,’ the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“Two people were shot after a prop firearm was discharged during filming, authorities said. Baldwin fired the prop gun, striking the film’s director, Joel Souza, and director of photography, Halyna Hutchins, the sheriff’s office said In a follow-up statement Thursday night.  Detectives are still determining ‘how and what type of projectile was discharged,’ the sheriff’s office said earlier.”

The Florida Department of Education informing Centner Academy that it is investigating the legality of its recently announced policy that vaccinated students should stay home and quarantine for one month after getting inoculated, CNN reports.

The agency said that the school’s policy recently came to its attention and that it “may employ attendance policies which require parents of recently vaccinated students to quarantine their children for an unreasonable, unnecessary and unduly burdensome amount of time before returning for in-person instruction.”

The Centner Academy is propagating a lie about the vaccine:  that newly vaccinated people will “shed” virus, thereby becoming more of a risk to others.  This has been disproven by multiple studies. 

Joking about propaganda network Fox News, Joe Biden got a laugh at the town hall he held in Baltimore Thursday night.  “You know what I find fascinating,” Biden started.  “I turn on Fox to find out how popular I am–”

“How’re ya doing over there,” host Anderson Cooper inquires.

“I’m doing very well,” Biden responds.  “I think I’m at 3% favorable.”

Imagine the calming lapping of waves on the side of a boat.  Now, imagine that experience on a small, floating island with 2,500 strangers for 274 consecutive nights, as you travel to 150 ports picking up… whatever… diseases.  Sound fun?

Royal Caribbean hopes you think so!  For merely $60,000 per person (standard cabin, other fees may apply), you can book a cabin on the line’s Serenade of the Seas ship for the nine-month, seven-continent mega-cruise, ABC 7 New York reports.

“This is the world cruise of world cruises,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Now more than ever, people have resolved to travel the world and make up for lost time. Royal Caribbean is making that a reality with the ultimate vacation that welcomes those seeking adventure and exploration to taste, dance and dream with us around the world. To travelers asking themselves where they should go next, we say everywhere.”

Washington Post:  “Tens of millions of Americans can sign up to get Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters beginning Friday after the nation’s top public health official endorsed recommendations from expert advisers that the shots are safe and effective at bolstering protection against the coronavirus

“The green light from Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, means that nearly 100 million Americans at risk of severe disease can choose any of the three boosters now authorized in the United States regardless of their original shot.  ‘These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from covid19,’ Walensky said in a statement Thursday night several hours after receiving unanimous recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. ‘The evidence shows that all three covid19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe — as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given. And, they are all highly effective in reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, even in the midst of the widely circulating delta variant.

“Walensky’s action — following a green light — largely fulfills the administration’s August promise to make boosters of all three vaccines available to Americans, albeit a month later than promised and for a smaller group. The administration’s focus on boosters came as the highly contagious variant sickened millions and killed tens of thousands, and also reflected concern about waning immunity from the vaccines.

There are a number of Trump loyalists who have been circulating the claim that “Covid19 originated in a Wuhan virology lab”. This claims lacks merit. in this article, we will briefly apply the concept of Occam’s Razor to the notion of how Covid19 originated, and look at several other factors that are counter to the virus lab origin claim. Occam’s Razor is a concept from science which declares that “given any problem or puzzle, the simplest possible solution is most likely the correct one.” The problem with human beings in general is that we have a natural tendency towards conspiratorial thinking, and conspiracy theories tend to spring up organically in any group of people when they are angry and scared. When applying Occam’s Razor we must put aside that tendency, focus on factors that are known to be present in a given environment, and consider factors that are so obvious that they can easily be overlooked.

With great pomp and circumstance, Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine unveiled a new license plate for the state.  It immediately became the subject of ridicule and derision, per the Associated Press.

The new plate honors the state as the home of the Wright Brothers, roundly regarded as the inventors of powered, fixed-wing flight.  And while the Wright Brothers performed their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Ohio has claimed the title, “Birthplace of Aviation.”

The Ohio plate depicts the Wrights’ first plane, the Kitty Hawk Flyer, soaring through the sky…. apparently in reverse.