• I’m going to set up a website to sell tickets to the Donald Trump Re-Inaugural Ball and advertise it on Breitbart and Fox News.  A fifty dollar non-refundable down payment will get you the option to buy a ticket for a ball in Washington, DC when Trump gets re-installed any time prior to the 2024 election.  Date of the ball TBD.  And remember, it’s non-refundable.   Maybe I’ll even set up a “Make this a monthly donation” box. 
• There are fewer white nationalist characters featured in an hour’s worth of “Hogan’s Heroes” than there are on a primetime show on Fox News.  
• If I’m the Biden Administration, I’m calling up Tucker Carlson’s producers and saying that Biden’ll do a live 20-minute interview with Carlson at the White House on Monday.  Carlson and crew arrive, the appointed time comes, Biden walks in, sits down, sees the red light on the camera go on and says, “Tucker, you’ve been lying to the American people about the vaccine.  Stop it.  You’re costing people their health and lives.  And tell them that YOU’RE vaccinated.  America, this man isn’t a doctor and shouldn’t be listened to.”  Then Biden should get up and walk out, taking no questions from Carlson.
  Read More ▶ “Random thoughts Friday, Volume XXIX”

Associated Press:  “The very first match of the Olympic beach volleyball tournament has been canceled because a Czech player tested positive for COVID-19.  Markéta Sluková tested positive earlier this week, knocking her and partner Barbora Hermannova out of the Tokyo Games.

“The Czechs were supposed to be playing a team from the host country that would have been making its Olympic debut. Instead, the Japanese pair of Megumi Murakami and Miki Ishii earned the victory by default.  Sluková is one of at least three members of the Czech team who have tested positive since their arrival in Japan, including men’s beach volleyball player Ondřej Perušič.

“The team has said it’s investigating if the outbreak of COVID-19 is linked to its charter flight to Tokyo.”

“COVID-19 vaccinations rose 14% over the past week, White House officials said Friday, as the more contagious delta variant is quickly spreading in under-vaccinated areas,” reports ABC News.  ‘In the past 7 days 2.15M reported newly vaccinated, vs. 1.88M the 7 days prior (+14%),’ Cyrus Shahpar, the White House COVID-19 data director reported Friday, July 23rd.”

“The delta variant now makes up over 80% of cases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday, up from 50% at the beginning of July.”

Iconic shoemaker Crocs filed lawsuits against 22 different companies including Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Skechers for illegally selling rip-off versions of its unique clogs, the Washington Post reports.

The Colorado-based company says the defendants have produced their own versions of the $50 shoes that have made the company iconic since it was founded 19 years ago.  The shoes, made with bright, light foam and airholes, are popular with health care workers and the company has sold more than $2 billion in merchandise in the last year.

“These actions underscore our determination to take forceful steps to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property,” the company’s chief legal officer, Daniel Hart, said in a statement. “It is essential that we protect Crocs’ iconic DNA, and we will not tolerate the infringement of our rights or those who try to freeride on the investments we have made in our brand.”

https://youtu.be/FbQ4SzQYv0E

Guest co-host on The Five Jessica Tarlov burst the balloon of the Fox News panel as the revved up discussion about Hunter Biden.  “We cannot have this conversation and completely ignore the fact that Trump children, Ivanka and Jared, according to a Citizens in Ethics investigation, made hundreds of millions of dollars while they were serving in government posts…”–at which point Jesse Watters, the chief Trump water carrier, tried to hush her.

“No, Jesse, don’t put your hand up,” as Tarlov continued on and the other panelists chuckled uncomfortably, with Watters trying to cut to a commercial.

Less than a month after the event, authorities have halted the effort to recover bodies from the site of the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida after recovering the remains of 98 people, the Associated Press reports.  The remains of 97 victims of the June 24th collapse were identified and their families notified.  One set of remains has yet to be definitively identified.

The site of the collapse has now been searched thoroughly, with the rubble from the 12-story building remove and the site leveled.  The portion of the building that wasn’t destroyed in the collapsed was razed July 4th weekend to stabilize the debris for the safety of rescue workers.

The rescue workers evacuated the site in a column of emergency and construction vehicles Friday afternoon.  “It’s obviously devastating. It’s obviously a difficult situation across the board,” Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the men and women that represent Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.”

From the second Trump-Biden debate on October 23, 2020. Read about today’s close at CNBC.

“Texas’ state-run veterans homes had more than double the death rate among COVID-19- infected residents compared with other nursing homes in the state. Seven of the homes had a fatality rate of 25% or more – far higher than the statewide average – 11% – among Texas nursing homes. Approximately 23% of the state veterans homes nationwide are overseen by outside management companies, but in Texas all nine of them are, and they account for a quarter of the privately run homes in the United States. Resident advocates say for-profit nursing homes tend to have lower staffing levels and perform worse than nonprofit and government-run facilities.”

“Average staffing levels in Texas nursing homes are among the lowest nationwide. Five of Texas’ veterans homes fell beneath the state average. On July 8, one day after the Tribune and the Chronicle shared their analysis with the agency, Land Commissioner George P. Bush decided to end the relationship with the two for-profit operators of the homes and asked his staff to conduct a nationwide search to find replacements” reports the Texas Tribune on their in-depth investigation in partnership with the Houston Chronicle on the veterans’ nursing homes.

Let’s see how much the MAGA trolls want to talk about this after they’ve spent over a year acting like the only place COVID-19 was real and the only place anyone ever died from it was inside of nursing homes within New York State. Andrew Cuomo is a freaking dirtbag and kind of an autocrat, but that terrible nursing home death toll in 2020 was not on him, that was on Trump.

Media Matters: “On July 21, Sean Hannity went on a long radio rant denying that he ever recommended his viewers get the vaccine. He later repeated himself on his Fox show This endorsement of vaccine hesitancy messaging from Hannity came after days of positive mainstream press for the Fox News host. Following a viral out-of-context tweet, reports in places like Politico Playbook, The Atlantic, The New York Times, NPR, and The Week framed pieces around Hannity supposedly endorsing the vaccines, even though he never did any such thing. The funniest version of this was the Fox News version, which was never shared to any of its social accounts, per Crowdtangle. (The former Republican governor of North Carolina, Pat McCrory, shared the piece and lauded Hannity, writing, ‘Thank you, Sean Hannity. Vaccines work and they will save lives.’).”

“Interestingly, Hannity’s anti-vax radio remarks came in response to anti-vax criticism of Hannity from the generic right-wing content mill of radio host Wayne Dupree, a Sandy Hook truther who has falsely claimed that the parents of a Sandy Hook victim were ‘actors’ and the shooting was a ‘hoax.’ So, not only does Hannity distance himself from the vaccines, but he’s doing so to appease a far-right conspiracy theorist who has written about crisis actors. Why is Hannity acting like this? Because he’s scared. Recall that Hannity is the comparatively responsible one about vaccines on Fox News prime-time shows. And the Murdoch/vaccine problem isn’t even limited to North America! Next time, don’t listen to Fox News’ PR spin. Just listen to what Fox hosts say.”

This weird "pigeon" has been STARING at me for 2 hours. SHOO!!! pic.twitter.com/8xlbD7par0

— Greg Kelly (@gregkellyusa) July 23, 2021

Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey put the blame for the spike in new coronavirus cases in her state squarely on the people impacted by it:  the unvaccinated.

“Folks are supposed to have common sense. But it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down,” Ivey told reporters in Birmingham, CNN reports.

Ivey’s statement marks another Republican who seems to have taken a 180-degree turn in addressing the coronavirus, as many GOP politicians and conservative media personalities have reversed their previous talking points to encourage their audiences to get vaccinated.

“Trump ally Tom Barrack and prosecutors have reached agreement on a bail package that will let the Colony Capital founder be freed ahead of a trial on charges that he illegally lobbied on behalf of the UAE” Bloomberg Politics reports.

AP: “At first glance, Herschel Walker has a coveted political profile for a potential Senate candidate in Georgia. He was a football hero at the University of Georgia before his long NFL career. He’s a business owner whose chicken products are distributed across the U.S. And he’s a Black conservative with backing from former President Donald Trump, a longtime friend.”

“But an Associated Press review of hundreds of pages of public records tied to Walker’s business ventures and his divorce, including many not previously reported, sheds new light on a turbulent personal history that could dog his Senate bid. The documents detail accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior. Walker, now 59, has at times been open about his long struggle with mental illness, writing at length in a 2008 book about being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, once known as multiple personality disorder. But it’s unclear how he would discuss these events as a candidate. Walker did not respond to requests for comment. Multiple emails went unanswered, although his executive assistant confirmed they were received. AP also sent emails and left a message with his long-time attorney, who did not respond”

“Right-wing groups from across Massachusetts will gather at a private club in Auburn Saturday for a fundraiser for two local residents charged after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and to align conservatives for a larger political mission, according to an organizer. The event, called the ‘Refounding Fathers Festival,’ will collect about 20 conservative groups – from pro-Trump clubs to Republican organizations – from every part of the state. Attendees will be asked to donate to a legal fund for Natick Town Meeting member Sue Ianni and Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) vice president Mark Sahady, who were called ‘heroes of Jan. 6’ in a flier advertising the event. Both were arrested and charged in January after the Capitol riot. ‘I think it’s heroic to protest against a stolen election,’ SHFA organizer John Hugo said Wednesday. The event also coincides with federal prosecutors formally filing charges against Ianni. On July 2, federal prosecutors charged her with misdemeanor disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds.”

“The event will take place at the Century Sportsman’s Club and will feature patriotic rock music, food and drinks, and is open to all ages. Ianni and Sahady will be there, as will Camp Constitution founder Hal Shurtleff, who is also known for suing Boston over his right to fly a Christian flag outside City Hall. Hugo declined to name other groups planning to attend, but said about 300 people are expected. The event is drawing fire, Hugo said. People aligned with ‘antifa’ – a disparate group generally focused on protesting fascism – are trying to convince the club to shut down the gathering, he said. For anyone opposed to either the event or the events on Jan. 6, Hugo says it’s a celebration of opposing ideas. ‘The reason we’re having the event is to have all the conservative groups together and form a single organization,’ he said. SHFA is perhaps the most well known right-wing group in Massachusetts following its 2019 rally in Boston celebrating ‘straight pride’ (and Hugo said another straight pride parade is coming this fall). The group also chartered 11 buses to bring New England conservatives to former president Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 rally, which fed the Capitol insurrection” – Worcester Patch.

https://youtu.be/8CSRIpvj3oc

A bust honoring Nathan Bedford Forrest, a barbarous Confederate general who became the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, was removed from the Tennessee capitol building early Friday morning, the Associated Press reports.

Philip Bump, Washington Post:”It’s probably safe to assume that Donald Trump isn’t terribly concerned about undermining the results of the presidential election in Texas. After all, he won the state by six points and, so far, his flailing attempts to raise questions about his loss have centered on the states where he actually did. But Texas state Rep. Steve Toth (R) has very much taken his party’s rhetoric about voter fraud to heart. So the legislator from suburban Houston is proposing that there be a ‘forensic audit’ of the results of the 2020 contest in his state. That science-ish-sounding term is very much in vogue at the moment, and we’ll come back to it.”

“Toth’s proposal, though, is accompanied by a very important asterisk: It would only require investigation by counties with more than 415,000 people, as The Washington Post’s Eva Ruth Moravec reported on Thursday. There are 13 such counties in the state, 10 of which voted for President Biden last year. The 13th-most populous county, Cameron County, preferred Biden by a 13-point margin. If you kept going down the ranks of most-populous counties, incidentally, the next five most populous counties all preferred Trump. Convenient place to stop the review! But Toth is not shy about the convenience at play. Moravec spoke with him and he explained his thinking: [W]hile Toth said he would support a statewide effort, he also argued the undertaking would be too expensive and time-consuming. Asked if he would consider including some smaller counties, Toth replied, ‘What’s the point? I mean, all the small counties are red.’“

UPDATE 7/23/2021 11:19 AM EDT: Georgie deleted the tweet, but screenshots are forever.

“Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland’s Major League Baseball team will be called Guardians. The ballclub announced the name change Friday with a video on Twitter narrated by actor Tom Hanks, ending months of internal discussions triggered by a national reckoning by institutions and teams to permanently drop logos and names considered racist. The choice of Guardians will undoubtedly be criticized by many of the club’s die-hard fans. The organization spent most of the past year whittling down a list of potential names that was at nearly 1,200 just over a month ago. But the process quickly accelerated and the club landed on Guardians” – KDKA.

Daily Beast: “The record-setting COVID-19 surge in Missouri springs from Branson, a superspreader tourist town whose visitor policy – to sell lots of tickets and take few precautions – is endangering thousands of lives. ‘It’s crazy busy with no mask mandate,’ said the person who answered the town’s tourist information line on Thursday. As the crowds come and go, the infection rate for Branson and surrounding Taney County is 19.3 percent. There are 54 new cases a day in a population of 57,000, which is 10 times the national per capita average. More than two-thirds of the population are unvaccinated, including the very nice tourist information person. ‘It’s not happening,’ she said when asked if she had gotten the shot. ‘Have a blessed day.'”

“These statistics acquire particular significance in a locale that provides what one prominent virologist and epidemiologist terms ‘prime conditions’ for COVID-19 to spread – and all the more so for the highly contagious Delta variant. ‘Branson has a lot of country-western shows,’ says Dr. Marc Johnson of the University of Missouri School of Medicine. ‘No Vaccines. No masks. A bunch of people indoors and air conditioning, tightly packed, listening to music, possibly singing along, i.e. a superspreading [event].’ Johnson oversees a statewide program to monitor COVID-19 via wastewater samples, or sewer sheds. He was able to chart the spread of the U.K. Alpha variant in Missouri from urban to rural areas between February and the end of April, when it essentially took over. ‘I thought that was really fast,’ Johnson said. Then, on May 10, his lab received what he calls ‘the Branson sample’ from one of the town’s two sewer sheds. The RNA test results identified the state’s first confirmed appearance of what would become known as the Delta variant, which originated in India. The Delta variant showed up in Branson’s other sewer shed the following week.”