The Big Role That Big Donors Still Play, Quietly, for Joe Biden (Russ)
The author writes, “While Mr. Biden’s campaign has trumpeted the small donations flooding in at record rates, the elite world of billionaires and multimillionaires has remained a critical cog in the Biden money machine. And as the size of checks has grown, the campaign has become less transparent, declining so far to disclose the names of its most influential check collectors, known as bundlers. From Hollywood to Silicon Valley to Wall Street, Mr. Biden’s campaign has aggressively courted the megadonor class. It has raised almost $200 million from donors who gave at least $100,000 to his joint operations with the Democratic Party in the last six months — about twice as much as President Trump raised from six-figure donors in that time.”
Trump Blasts Beijing in Public, but Privately Trump Org Imports Tons of Chinese Goods (Dana)
The author writes, “President Donald Trump has cast himself as tough on China and promised that his trade negotiations with Beijing would economically benefit everyday Americans, even as Trump-owned properties have continued to contribute to the trade deficit with the country he rails about. Since September of last year, Trump properties in the US have imported more than eight tons of goods from China … The imports have arrived to decorate his properties while the President has sought to dress down China. More than six tons of tables were delivered to Trump International Hotel in New York last fall. On the same day, Trump tweeted, ‘We are doing very well in our negotiations with China.’”
How Does a Pandemic End? (Dana)
From TIME: “Current scientific understanding is that only a vaccine will put an end to this pandemic, but how we get there remains to be seen. It seems safe to say, however, that some day, somehow, it will end. After all, other viral pandemics have. Take, for example, the flu pandemic of 1918-1919. That pandemic was the deadliest in the 20th century; it infected about 500 million people and killed at least 50 million, including 675,000 in the United States. … Even after that virus died out, it would be years before scientists better understood what happened, and some mystery still remains. Here’s what we do know: in order for a pandemic to end, the disease in question has to reach a point at which it is unable to successfully find enough hosts to catch it and then spread it.”
Body Weight Has Surprising, Alarming Impact on Brain Function (Mili)
From ScienceDaily: “One of the largest studies linking obesity with brain dysfunction, scientists analyzed over 35,000 functional neuroimaging scans using single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) from more than 17,000 individuals to measure blood flow and brain activity. Low cerebral blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease. It is also associated with depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury, addiction, suicide, and other conditions.”
Funeral Homes Offer Limousine Rides to the Polls Nationwide (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Some voters could ride in style to the polls on Election Day courtesy of funeral home limousines offered to chauffer older residents to voting booths amid the coronavirus pandemic. The National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association expects to offer free rides to up to 300,000 people nationwide on Nov. 3. … Hari P. Close, the organization’s national president and owner of Hari P. Close Funeral Service in Baltimore, said funeral home directors in his city hope to transport up to 21,000 people in Baltimore alone. The program aims to serve those 55 and older, but won’t turn down any ride requests.”
