White House Fight Over Masks Signaled COVID-19 Plans Running Awry ; Memory Sticks Used to Program Philly’s Voting Machines Stolen ; and More Picks 10/2
White House Fight Over Masks Signaled COVID-19 Plans Running Awry (Russ)
The author writes, “The first masks arrived on the White House grounds in February by special order of the National Security Council, mobilizing early on to address the emerging threat of the coming coronavirus. Job One in their emergency response was to take personal precautions, preparing for the critical work at hand, multiple officials tell CNN. But word that some NSC staffers were being told to wear masks quickly made its way back to the West Wing and it wasn’t long before a sharp dictum came down. ‘”If you have the whole West Wing running around wearing masks, it wasn’t a good look,’ one administration official recalled of the directive that came down from senior staff and lawyers.”
Memory Sticks Used to Program Philly’s Voting Machines Were Stolen From Elections Warehouse (DonkeyHotey)
From the Philadelphia Inquirer: “A laptop and several memory sticks used to program Philadelphia’s voting machines were stolen from a city warehouse in East Falls, officials confirmed Wednesday, setting off a scramble to investigate and to ensure the machines had not been compromised. Though it remains unclear when the equipment was stolen, sources briefed on the investigation said the items vanished this week. The laptop belonged to an on-site employee for the company that supplies the machines. It and the USB drives were the only items believed to have been taken.”
NYPD Trapped More Than 300 George Floyd Protesters in the Bronx Until Curfew, Then Arrested Them All: Report (Dan)
From the New York Daily News: “The NYPD deliberately trapped more than 300 protesters in a Bronx rally for George Floyd until the 8 p.m. citywide curfew, then arrested them all for breaking the law, a human rights group wrote in a scathing report released Wednesday. According to Human Rights Watch, Bronx cops surrounded protesters on June 4 in a tactic known as kettling, refused to let them disperse, then began ‘whaling their batons, beating people from car tops, shoving them down to the ground and firing pepper spray in their faces’ as soon as the curfew hit.”
Proud Boys Are a Dangerous ‘White Supremacist’ Group Say US Agencies (Gerry)
The author writes, “The far-right Proud Boys group whom Donald Trump told to ‘stand by’ during this week’s presidential debate is seen as a dangerous organization by law enforcement, according to leaked assessments of the organization from federal, state and local agencies. Trump’s refusal to condemn white supremacists during the debate, and his suggestion that the Proud Boys ‘stand by’ during the current 2020 election campaign sent shockwaves through American politics. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the Proud Boys a hate group.”
Remains of 2,000-Year-Old Monkeys Buried Like Sleeping Children Reveal Romans and Ancient Egyptians Imported Them From India as Household Pets (Dana)
The author writes, “Archaeologists … were in the process of excavating a vast animal cemetery when they came across the monkey skeletons. For years they assumed they belonged to guenon species, quite common in this area. It was only by using 3D scanners and comparing the bones with others that they made the incredible discovery. Professor Marta Osypińska … said: ‘We believe that the influential Romans who lived in Berenice, a faraway outpost, in the first and second, wanted to make their time pleasant with the company of various animals. Among them were also monkeys.’ The pets were carefully buried in an animal necropolis and arranged like sleeping children.”
