DHS Officials Told to Defend Kyle Rittenhouse ; Lax Procedures Fueled Virus Spread in Federal Jail ; and More Picks 10/5
DHS Officials Told to Defend Kyle Rittenhouse in Killings of Kenosha Protesters: Report (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Trump administration officials were reportedly instructed to speak ‘sympathetically’ about Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenage Trump supporter charged with killing two racial justice protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August. Internal talking points told Department Homeland Security spokespeople to portray Rittenhouse as acting in self-defense even though authorities have charged him with premeditated murder in the shooting deaths, NBC News reported.”
Judge’s Order: Census Count Must Continue (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose had issued a nationwide injunction Sept. 24 barring the Census Bureau from carrying out its recently announced plan to end census-taking on Sept. 30, a month ahead of its previous schedule. … But four days later, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose department oversees the Census Bureau, issued a new order to shut down operations on Oct. 5. That was unacceptable, Koh said in a new order late Thursday. … She ordered the Census Bureau to immediately send text messages to all of its employees telling them that the Oct. 5 shutdown date was ‘not operative’ and that census-taking must continue through Oct. 31. Any further violations will lead to contempt-of-court proceedings against government officials, Koh said.”
Docs, Witnesses Say Lax Procedures Fueled Virus Spread in Federal Jail (Dan)
From Voice of San Diego: “Court documents and interviews with inmates, family members and attorneys reveal key decisions – including sending an inmate to a hospital against advice, where he was exposed to COVID, as well as accepting new intakes – allowed the virus to spread throughout the Metropolitan Correctional Center.”
Geneva to Introduce a Minimum Wage of Over $4,000 a Month (Dana)
The author writes, “The Swiss city of Geneva is to introduce a minimum wage of 23 Swiss francs ($25) an hour, equal to roughly 3,772 Swiss francs ($4,100) a month for a 41-hour working week. Nearly two-thirds of the canton of Geneva on Sunday voted in favor of introducing the minimum wage, which is reported to be the highest in the world.”
Tragic Genetic Heritage: The Ancient Neanderthal Hand in Severe COVID-19 (Peg)
From SciTechDaily: “There are several factors that influence a person’s susceptibility to having a severe reaction [to COVID-19], such as their age and the existence of other medical conditions. But one’s genetics also plays a role, and, over the last few months, research by the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative has shown that genetic variants in one region on chromosome 3 impose a larger risk that their carriers will develop a severe form of the disease. Now, a new study, published in Nature, has revealed that this genetic region is almost identical to that of a 50,000-year old Neanderthal from southern Europe. Further analysis has shown that, through interbreeding, the variants came over to the ancestors of modern humans about 60,000 years ago.”
Antares Rocket Launches New Astronaut Toilet and More to Space Station (Mili)
The author writes, “A robotic Cygnus spacecraft successfully blasted off from Virginia late Friday (Oct. 2) carrying nearly 4 tons of gear, including a new space toilet, to the International Space Station. … One of the most anticipated items onboard is a new space toilet, formally known as the Universal Waste Management System. The astronauts on the space station will test the $23 million commode for future use on station and by future crews on missions to the moon.”
