New York Guns for the NRA | GOP Pols Aiding Kanye Bid

1. New York Guns for the NRA

It’s high noon in Manhattan. Yesterday New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in state court aiming to dissolve the National Rifle Association, accusing its officers of illegally funding luxury lifestyles with members’ donations. Calling the New York-chartered group a “breeding ground for greed,” James said her office might also file criminal charges. The powerful gun rights advocacy group is standing its ground, however: It’s countersuing James for defamation and violating the group’s free speech rights, calling her a “political opportunist” and noting that she made battling the organization central to her election campaign.

Sources: AP, Fox News

2. Riot Police Fire Tear Gas at Beirut Protesters

Dozens of stone-throwing protesters clashed with tear gas-firing police yesterday in the aftermath of Tuesday’s massive explosion that laid waste to a large swath of Lebanon’s capital. The country was already torn by anger over the government’s failure to stem corruption or deal with coronavirus outbreaks, but new protests were fueled by news that officials had long been aware of the dangerous stockpile of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate. France has pledged aid, but warned that reform is desperately needed, while Lebanese authorities have detained 16 people in a probe that’s been given four days to determine the blast’s cause.

Sources: The Guardian, Al Jazeera

3. ‘Black Lives Matter’ to Sean Spicer

He’s still the blustering “Spicey” you fell in love/hate with. Spicer won’t admit to outright lying to the American people on behalf of President Donald Trump (crowd sizes, anyone?), but the famously parodied former White House press secretary does break with him on one crucial point. Appearing on The Carlos Watson Show, the avowed conservative uttered “Black lives matter” like he meant it, and admitted the president’s comments on civil rights “aren’t helpful in bridging the divide.” Even when he doesn’t agree with his former boss, he can temper his words with the best of ‘em.

Sources: OZY

4. Trump Targets TikTok, WeChat With Executive Orders

This isn’t a friendly challenge. President Trump issued two executive orders late Thursday barring people in the U.S. from using the Chinese-owned platforms over national security concerns, suggesting Beijing could access the apps’ user data to track Americans, steal intellectual property or blackmail government employees. The orders, which take effect in 45 days, give Microsoft little time to realize its aim of acquiring TikTok operations in the U.S. and several other English-speaking countries. It’s unclear how WeChat’s parent company, Tencent, will be affected, while TikTik owner ByteDance hasn’t commented — but the orders are certain to further escalate trans-Pacific trade tensions.

Sources: WSJ (sub), NYT

5. Also Important …

Talks between Republicans and Democrats on the latest U.S. pandemic relief package remain deadlocked and appear in danger of collapsing. An exiled Saudi intelligence official claims the kingdom’s crown prince dispatched a hit squad to Canada to assassinate him. And Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s ruling party has scored a huge victory in final results of Wednesday’s election, allowing him enough seats to change the Constitution.

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1. Republicans Help Kanye, Hoping He’s a Spoiler

They’re feeding his beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy. The mercurial rapper insists he’s serious about running for president, and the Washington Post reports he’s getting the professional help he needs. While he’s missed many state filing deadlines, Republican operatives — like Matthew Zielinski, a former congressional candidate who agreed to be a Yeezy elector in Colorado — have helped him get on the ballot in hotly contested states including Wisconsin and Ohio. The rapper admits his spoiler potential, and President Trump’s campaign, which could benefit from siphoning votes from challenger Joe Biden, professes “no knowledge” of any such effort.

Sources: Washington Post, Forbes

2. Mark Zuckerberg Joins ‘Centibillionaire’ Club

Not everyone’s suffering. The Facebook founder and CEO’s net worth cracked $100 billion yesterday, making him the world’s third centibillionaire. His fortune rose with Facebook-owned Instagram’s launch of Reels, a video-sharing competitor to TikTok, which lifted Facebook shares along with Zuckerberg’s 13 percent stake in the company. Having seen his wealth increase by $22 billion this year, he joins Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in the over-$100 billion club — targets of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Make Billionaires Pay Act, which would take 60 percent of pandemic-period gains to cover Americans’ health care expenses.

Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC

3. Asymptomatic? You’re Plenty Contagious, Study Finds

Wear your mask — please. Researchers from South Korea’s Soonchunhyang University have confirmed one of experts’ worst fears about the pandemic: Infected people showing no signs of illness can spread the coronavirus. The study found that among 303 patients in a Korean care facility, the 110 who were asymptomatic had a similar viral load to 193 visibly sick patients. That calls for masking up, as you could be spreading contagion without realizing it. On the other hand, the study did have some encouraging results: Of those asymptomatic patients, 80 percent remained that way 24 days later.

Sources: Forbes, PA Media, JAMA

4. Pope Francis Puts Women in Charge

“With the fruit of her hand, she plants a vineyard.” That line from Proverbs might be the inspiration for Pope Francis’ latest move to shepherd the Roman Catholic Church into the current millennium. He appointed six women, including a former British cabinet minister, to the previously all-male 15-member Council for the Economy, which oversees Vatican finances. That helps fulfill the pontiff’s pledge to bring more women into leadership positions in the world’s largest international organization. And they’ll have lots to consider, as the Holy See’s finances were already shaky before the pandemic throttled tourism revenue.

Sources: The Guardian, CBS

5. Major League Baseball Gets Real About Virus Rules

It’s no longer a game. After 33 players and staff from the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals tested positive for COVID-19, the league and players union agreed Thursday to tighten contagion protocols. Everyone at ballparks must now wear masks, even in dugouts and bullpens, other than while actually playing. Visiting teams must be masked outside their hotel rooms and can’t leave the premises without permission. No one can visit bars and other potentially crowded venues, and the rules even ban mealtime conversations. As for enforcement, repeat violators could be ejected from the rest of the shortened season.

Sources: CBS, Jared Diamond on Twitter, Reuters