Fox News host (and Michael Cohen’s third client) Sean Hannity tells disgraced TheHill unpaid contributor Li’l Joey Concha that he deserved a media criticism television program.

Concha had a media review radio show canceled on a local New York station, and he was caught fabricating quotes to promote a biased argument supporting Republicans, and as The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona notes, “Concha was exposed in 2018 for literally buying thousands of Twitter fake followers to artificially pump up his social media clout.”

This will not likely impact Concha’s ability to unbiasedly report on Fox News, as his claimed title of media columnist would demand.  Concha’s never been unbiased.

“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized the marketing of three new tobacco products, marking the first set of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products ever to be authorized by the FDA through the Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) pathway. The FDA issued marketing granted orders to R.J. Reynolds (RJR) Vapor Company for its Vuse Solo closed ENDS device and accompanying tobacco-flavored e-liquid pods, specifically, Vuse Solo Power Unit, Vuse Replacement Cartridge Original 4.8% G1, and Vuse Replacement Cartridge Original 4.8% G2. As the RJR Vapor Company submitted data to the FDA that demonstrated that marketing of these products is appropriate for the protection of public health, today’s authorization allows these products to be legally sold in the U.S.” – FDA press release.

Investigators found no counterfeit forms in an inspection of one thousand of ballots flagged by Republican elections inspectors during the November 2020 election, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told a judge in a lawsuit by a group attempting to hand count ballots in Fulton County, the Atlanta Constitution Journal reports.

In a statement to the court, Raffensperger said that investigators inspected 1,000 randomly chosen ballots out of thousands flagged by Republicans during the election.  The Republicans claimed that the ballots must have been fraudulent because they were “pristine” and the ovals designating a candidate were filled in perfectly.  None of the ballots inspected were found to be forged, and they were all tracked back to legal voters.

“The secretary’s investigators have not uncovered any absentee ballots that match the descriptions given by affiants or otherwise appear to be fraudulent or counterfeit,” stated the 89-page response to the court by Georgia Assistant Attorney General Charlene McGowan.

Famous for its rankings of US colleges and universities, US News & World Report will expand its ranking systems to assess public and private elementary and middle schools across the nation, further putting meaningless numbers to tens of thousands of schools around the country.

While ranking roughly 1,500 of the nation’s 4,000 colleges has some merit as students research to determine which schools meet their needs, the validity of grading the schools five- to fifteen-year-olds go to is less useful because the students rarely travel outside their hometown to go to school.

Like their high school rankings, which draws the attention from curious parents and administrators, the criteria for ranking elementary schools will depend on standardized test scores based on individual state requirements and goals.

It’s unknown if the rankings will take into account student input, like how fun recess is or if the chicken fingers served in the cafeteria are crunchy enough.

Reuters:  “Rebuffing the Texas governor, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines said on Tuesday they would comply with U.S. President Joe Biden’s executive order to require their employees be vaccinated for COVID-19 by a Dec. 8 deadline.  The two Texas-based carriers said the federal mandate superseded an order by Republican Governor Greg Abbott barring COVID-19 vaccine mandates by any entity, including private employers.

“Southwest said it ‘would be expected to comply with the President’s Order to remain compliant as a federal contractor.’ American said while it was reviewing Abbott’s executive order, ‘this does not change anything’ for the company.  Both carriers have asked U.S.-based employees to submit proof of vaccination by Nov. 24.

“Biden issued his mandate last month as his administration struggled to control the pandemic, which has killed more than 700,000 Americans. It covers all federal contractors.”

More than 200 House Republicans voted for the United States to default on its debt, knowing that the Democratic majority in the chamber would do the responsible thing, and the House passed the debt ceiling extension by a 219-206 margin.

NBC News reports that President Joe Biden will sign the measure on Thursday.  It passed the Senate with a 60 vote bipartisan majority to move the bill forward last week.  Democrats then passed the bill with a simple 50-48 majority, with Republican Senators showing willingness to default on federal debt.

“A local parent with the help of a northern Wisconsin brewery has filed a federal lawsuit against the Waukesha School District and Waukesha School Board, saying her son got sick after being exposed to a classmate who had COVID-19 symptoms due to the district’s lack of mitigation protocols. Attorney Frederick Melms filed the lawsuit on Oct. 5 in the U.S. Eastern District of Wisconsin on behalf of Shannon Jensen and other parents and K-12 Waukesha School District students.”

“The lawsuit is the latest instance of local parent frustration with how area school boards have responded to the pandemic and yet another example of how school board meetings have increasingly become ground zero in politics. The lawsuit, which is being funded by the Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC and argues for class-action status, is seeking an injunction ordering the district to comply with CDC COVID-19 guidelines” – Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

In his diatribe explaining why he’s not voting to extend the debt ceiling–which allocates money to pay the government’s already accrued bills, not to fund new programs–Republican Texas Congressman Chip Roy says he doesn’t want to fund various new programs.

“But [the public does] know that those dollars are being used to fund government tyranny over their lives,” Roy claims incorrectly.  “That’s what those dollars are being used for.  For a border that’s not secure.  For cartels that are ripping into Texas.  For critical race theory being taught to our children.  To not fund police.  To have the FBI going after parents and school boards.  Vax mandates.  Shutting down businesses, forcing people to comply or they lose their job.  Energy poverty.  Preventing people from getting the energy to actually heat their homes, drive their cars and go to work.  That is what my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to borrow half a trillion dollars to keep funding.  So please forgive me if I vote no.”

Well, no, Chip.  We won’t.  Y’see, the debt ceiling doesn’t fund those things.  It allocates money for the programs and tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans that you voted for during the Trump administration.  The things you mention aren’t paid for by this debt ceiling extension.

“Michigan Rep. Daire Rendon, a Republican from Lake City, wore a button to a rally outside the Capitol Tuesday that featured an American flag with a gold ‘Q’ on it, a letter that has become a symbol for a right-wing conspiracy theory movement. Asked if the button was for the group QAnon, Rendon, chairwoman of the House Insurance Committee, responded, ‘That is a flag with a Q on it.'”

“As for what the ‘Q’ referenced, she replied, ‘The ‘Q’ is the highest level of security in the federal government… That’s what it is.’ Rendon appeared to deny the button was a direct reference to QAnon, which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as ‘a sprawling spiderweb of right-wing internet conspiracy theories’ that ‘falsely claim the world is run by a secret cabal of pedophiles who worship Satan and are plotting against’ former President Donald Trump. The ‘Q’ in QAnon is also a reference to the ‘Q level clearance,’ a top-secret clearance level within the U.S. Department of Energy, according to the Anti-Defamation League. State Rep. Mari Manoogian, a Democrat from Birmingham, suggested on Twitter that Rendon has previously worn the button. ‘The first time I saw her wearing it on the floor of the House I was shocked,’ Manoogian posted. On Tuesday afternoon, supporters of requiring another audit of Michigan’s 2020 election held a rally on the state Capitol lawn. Rendon was among the speakers for the gathering, which drew hundreds” – Detroit News.

With many looking for greener pastures in a tight job market, a record 4.3 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs in August to pursue other employment options according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, NBC News reports.

Job openings fell from 10.9 million to 10.4 million as companies withdrew offerings after a peak hiring spree in early summer and the spread of the delta variant pushing economic expectations lower.

“If we look across broad cross-sections of economic metrics, we know there’s been some moderation recently” in forecasters’ expectations, said Mark Hamrick, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.  “There continue to be a lot of remarkable cross currents in the economy.  It stands to reason that there would be a cost to that with respect to employment.”

“The hand count in Maricopa County was off by hundreds of thousands of ballots, according to a review of newly released Arizona audit records. Election analysts say Cyber Ninjas’ count was off by about 312,000 and also double counted almost 23,000 ballots in its months-long review of 2020 election results. The numbers represent the latest challenge to the Arizona Senate’s audit, which was led by Cyber Ninjas, involved more than a thousand volunteers and cost millions of dollars.”

“A 695-page report, produced by former Arizona GOP chair and audit spokesperson Randy Pullen, was supposed to provide a snapshot of all the counts of the 2.1 million ballots cast in the county’s general election. The Arizona Senate released the report late Friday after The Arizona Republic filed a request under the state’s Public Records Law. But Cyber Ninjas didn’t tally as many as 167,000 Maricopa County ballots, according to analysts who reviewed the report for The Republic. The hand-count numbers in the report reflect a 15% error rate when compared with a separate machine count of ballots authorized by the Arizona Senate, they said. ‘This is proof that the Cyber Ninjas’ vote count wasn’t real,’ said Larry Moore, co-founder of the Boston-based Clear Ballot Group. ‘It means they lost control of their ballots'” – Arizona Republic

Should America have a national divorce?

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) October 12, 2021

Axios: “NASA’s Perseverance rover has only been on Mars for a relatively short amount of time, but the spacecraft is already revealing the watery secrets of the Red Planet’s ancient past. Scientists have known at least some part of Mars was habitable billions of years ago, but this new data from Perseverance is allowing them to piece together more of the world’s complex history.”

“A new study in the journal Science uses photos taken by Perseverance to confirm that the ancient river delta in Jezero crater once flowed with water billions of years ago. Long-lived water flows shaped the ground Perseverance now studies, but the new data also revealed fast-moving floods carried rocks from other areas into the delta. By learning more about these flooding events and sediment deposits, Perseverance scientists may be able to better target samples that could show signs of organic materials that may reveal if life once thrived in Jezero.”

The #FDNYSmart Podcast for Kids team is here to share their Top 10 Fire and Life Safety Tips for kids! Kids and adults of all ages are invited to follow along to learn how you can help prevent fires before they start. Watch the full video at https://t.co/k3iHvX6Fa8 pic.twitter.com/ySjCA6agIP

— FDNY (@FDNY) October 12, 2021

The FDNY’s fascist campaign of indoctrinating New York City’s children hit a new low Tuesday as “Chloe”, a pre-teen girl appeared in a video promoting their radical, extremist “fire safety tips”. In the video, “Chloe”, who may or may not be appearing of her own free will, introduces three adults that seem to be controlling her like a puppet before encouraging her audience to grab a pen and paper to write down and thereby propagate her hateful, anti-fire rhetoric.

Enough is enough. The time has long since passed for New Yorkers to put a stop to poisoning young minds with this shit. Fire played an important role in the development of human civilization. Teaching children to hate and fear it is like teaching them to hate and fear themselves. Plenty of kids can responsibly own and use Zippo lighters and Ronsonol fuel with the squirt bottle top to light old books and newspapers on fire in a properly ventilated room, so why does the FDNY waste taxpayer resources suggesting that they can’t? Shame on them for using a child to spread hate.

“Despite a pandemic, a recession and a slew of tax cuts, federal tax receipts are booming. Revenues jumped 18 percent in the fiscal year that just ended, analysts say – the biggest one-year increase since 1977. That translates into $627 billion more than in 2020, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which estimates that, for the first time, total government revenues topped $4 trillion. ‘They are just booming,’ said Mark Booth, a former top revenue forecaster at the agency. ‘It is very unusual.’ Though Dems are hammering the rich for not paying their fair share in taxes, the increase is being driven by levies primarily paid by the well-to-do.”

“For example, corporate tax receipts leapt 75 percent, CBO says. At $370 billion, they easily top where they were immediately before Republicans slashed the corporate rate as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The surge has gotten relatively little notice, obscured perhaps by the government’s towering budget deficits and congressional battles over taxes and spending. It is highly unusual, though, for the government to see a big wave of revenue in the wake of an economic downturn. Typically, receipts crash following recessions because, as people’s incomes fall, they owe less to the Treasury. The COVID downturn was much more bifurcated, however, with higher-income people, who pay most federal taxes, doing far better than low earners” – Politico.

Organizers of Jan. 6 feeder rallies have 1 day left to comply with House subpoenas and turn over relevant records to the @January6thCmte. Those who defy a lawful order of Congress to cover up insurrectionary violence will face referral for criminal prosecution—at the very least.

— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) October 12, 2021

CNN: “Two teenage boys have been charged after ‘allegedly deliberately killing 14 kangaroos’ in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) at the weekend, police said Tuesday. Police were called to the Long Beach area shortly after 7 a.m. local time on Saturday following reports that several kangaroos had been killed, according to a statement from NSW Police. South Coast Police District officers first located five dead adult kangaroos and one dead joey, as baby kangaroos are known, in the Long Beach area Saturday. Police were later notified that another seven dead kangaroos and one dead joey had been found in the Maloneys Beach area. Police also located one injured joey which was taking into the care of WIRES wildlife rescue team, the NSW statement said.”

“Officers arrested two 17-year-old boys at Batemans Bay Police Station Monday evening following an investigation and a public appeal for information, according to the statement. They were charged on Tuesday. ‘The pair were issued a Court Attendance Notice (CAN) for recklessly beating and killing animals,’ reads the statement.”

Mike Lindell “clarifies” his earlier claim that the Supreme Court will rule 9-0 in his favor before Thanksgiving to that the court will merely vote 9-0 to accept the case next month. Really is great seeing the pillow man starting to learn to manage his expectations. Kind of.