There are now 14,139,703 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the USA. There have been 276,316 deaths from the virus here as well. The U.S. reported 2,804 coronavirus-related deaths yesterday. The country registered nearly 205,000 new cases as well.
VIRUS NEWS:
US COVID-19 hospitalizations set another daunting record yesterday. (Click the link! Watch the video.)
US COVID-19 hospitalizations set another daunting record yesterday. (Click the link! Watch the video.)
As COVID-19 starts its final assault on the U.S., there will be no safe havens.
Dr. Scott Atlas, Trump's COVID "expert" who is really a radiologist (not a virologist), has resigned from the Trump administration and the coronavirus task force. Hooray!
In a dramatic escalation, the White House coronavirus task force, which has frequently pleaded in weekly reports with state officials to enact tighter mitigation measures, urged public health officials to take matters into their own hands.
The US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams warned on the Monday before Thanksgiving that all Americans -- even at the White House -- should follow US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and avoid large gatherings during what he called a "dire point" in the pandemic.
Travel hit its highest peak since March on the day before Thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving Day, U.S. hospitalizations topped 90,000. Then, the US reached more than 93,000 coronavirus hospitalizations on Sunday.
Dr. Deborah Birx said to Americans who gathered for Thanksgiving should ‘assume that you’re infected.’ Other top health officials also agree that Americans who traveled for Thanksgiving should get tested. Dr. Fauci even warned of a post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge in US.
Florida has become the third state to reach 1 million coronavirus cases.
Los Angeles County -- the biggest county in the US -- is now under a stay-at-home order.
Lockdowns could be avoided if 95% of people wore masks, the World Health Organization says.
Lockdowns could be avoided if 95% of people wore masks, the World Health Organization says.
The meme below is now wrong. Over the previous 24 hours, an American died of COVID-19 every 30 seconds.
'A natural disaster ... in all 50 states' is unfolding just as travelers disperse nationwide after Thanksgiving on Sunday, as infections across the country topped more than 100,000 new cases for the 27th consecutive day.
Many Americans ignored Thanksgiving travel warnings from the CDC, Smartphone data reveals.
A man was arrested for refusing to wear mask on a Delta flight from Salt Lake City.
How was Thanksgiving handled during the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918? More seriously than in 2020...
Social distancing isn’t enough to prevent infection. Here's how to detect COVID-19 super-spreaders.
Social distancing isn’t enough to prevent infection. Here's how to detect COVID-19 super-spreaders.
Among his first acts as president, Biden will call for 100 days of mask-wearing.
A new online tool can show the number of cases in your area. All you need to do is put in your zip code.
Coronavirus across the US is getting worse. Here's a refresher on how to stay safe.
San Francisco has imposed a curfew after having a spike in coronavirus cases.
Los Angeles County announced a new stay-at-home order as COVID-19 cases continue to climb.
States with lax coronavirus guidelines are spreading the virus beyond their borders.
South Dakota's governor, Kristi Noem's grandmother died in a nursing home hit by COVID-19 as Noem continued (and still continues) to downplay the virus.
Iowa is what happens when government does nothing. The story of the coronavirus in the state is one of government inaction in the name of freedom and personal responsibility.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at a building in midtown Manhattan just before 3 a.m. last Saturday and found almost 400 people drinking and partying inside. Few were wearing face masks in violation of public health safeguards despite the COVID-19 surge.
19 million Americans could lose their homes if Congress refuses to act before the Dec. 31 deadline.
How Mitch McConnell’s do-nothing Republicans are killing you.
Don't expect a second stimulus check this year, despite what Trump and GOP lawmakers have said Here's what Congress is talking about instead. Wait...hold the phone. It looks like there WILL be some sort of COVID relief after all as this announcement video seems to say:
Mitch McConnell is circulating a new relief plan as part of a last-ditch effort to pass a bill to prop up the struggling economy before year's end, moving to lock down GOP support even as a number of his own members and Democrats push for a different approach. Here is a rough draft of McConnell's plan.
McConnell’s COVID plan has business tax breaks (of course) — but $0 for unemployment boost and direct payments (of course).
More Republican Senators seem open to another huge stimulus — despite McConnell’s resistance.
By denying COVID relief, the GOP has left 'children begging Santa for their basic needs.'
And what does Trump say about a new relief plan and how close are we to getting one?
Mnuchin faces grilling over shutdown of CARES Act loan programs
Mitch McConnell has suspended in-person lunches for GOP senators in order to stop the spread of the virus.
Kayleigh McEnany’s husband attended last Wednesday's White House press briefing. He was asked to wear a mask and refused.
The White House is planning a 'spate' of indoor extravaganzas to celebrate the holiday season amid the pandemic (and on the US taxpayer's dime).
'Some were audibly coughing': Trump held yet another superspreader event on his way out. This was the first of his planned Christmas parties.
Karen "Mother" Pence is planning a maskless Christmas party even though the CDC urges against holiday gatherings and her husband, Mike "Father" Pence is the head of the coronavirus task force.
Mike Pompeo and his wife plan to host a 900-person Christmas party.
Pfizer to ship only half as many coronavirus vaccine doses as originally planned in the initial phase. The company puts the blame on difficulties with raw materials, among other challenges.
All Americans who want to be vaccinated will be by June, an Operation Warp Speed official says.
Dr. Fauci has asked Americans to be 'part of the solution' and get vaccinated, as states prepare for distribution.
No one who got Moderna’s vaccine in trial developed severe COVID-19.
CDC COVID-19 vaccine advisers called an emergency meeting to vote on who gets one first. Dr. Robert Atmar, a CDC vaccine adviser for Covid-19, says “essential workers” like “teachers, people in law enforcement, firefighters” may follow health care workers and long-term care facility residents for the vaccine.
UPS will make dry ice and distribute ultra-cold freezers for the coronavirus vaccine distribution.
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton said they "absolutely" plan on getting a COVID-19 vaccine when it's available and may end up taking it on video to promote public confidence.
The coronavirus vaccine's side effects risk sidelining healthcare workers while cases surge.
Here's when you can expect to get the vaccine.
Thermo King once kept food fresh for troops during World War II. Now, it will rise to the challenge to refrigerate COVID-19 vaccines.
The virus vaccinations must be given in two doses. There is strong concern that second shot no-shows could undermine COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Vaccination cards will be issued to everyone getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
The UK is the first country in the world to approve Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, and plans to begin distributing it next week.
Finland to vaccinate its population for free against COVID-19.
Putin ordered Russia to begin a large-scale vaccination of its citizens for the coronavirus.
Pfizer and Moderna request European Union authorization for coronavirus vaccines
Would you be willing to get a COVID vaccine in exchange for a $1,500 stimulus check? Here is how one bold proposal would work.
'Fake news' about a COVID-19 vaccine has become a second pandemic, the chief of the Red Cross says.
Interpol is warning about fake coronavirus vaccines. The agency has warned police forces to prepare for criminal gangs to try to sell illicit vaccines.
Geraldo Rivera thinks they should honor Trump by naming the vaccine after him.
Americans are furious after Kayleigh McEnany referred to the new COVID vaccine as ‘the Trump vaccine.’
Registered nurses gathered in Los Angeles to protest the fact that UCLA's athletic department conducted 1,248 tests in a single week, while health-care workers at UCLA hospitals were denied testing.
A doctor embraced a 'vulnerable,' 'lonely' COVID-19 patient on Thanksgiving in a heart-breaking photo.
A new treatment study at Purdue University could one-day cure COVID-19 and the flu once someone is infected.
A doctor embraced a 'vulnerable,' 'lonely' COVID-19 patient on Thanksgiving in a heart-breaking photo.
This doctor in Minnesota shared some horrible stories of some of her COVID-19 patients:
New Hampshire Republicans want to impeach the state's GOP governor for requiring people to wear a mask in public places.
Campbell County, Virginia, took a stand against Governor Ralph Northam's COVID-19 restrictions as its Board of Supervisors endorsed a measure Tuesday night that called on county agencies not to enforce Northam's crowd-size limits and other orders. (A recipe for disaster...)
An Oregon doctor and his staff refuse to wear masks during pandemic, calling COVID 19 'the common cold.' The doctor, Steven LaTulippe, made the comments during a Nov. 7 "Stop the Steal" election rally in Salem. (Glad he's not my doctor...)
Ohio Republican lawmakers have filed articles of impeachment against the state's GOP governor over his COVID-19 orders.
South Dakota's governor refuses to mandate masks, despite record-breaking coronavirus spikes and deaths.
Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, has been accused of going on a ‘killing spree’ after extending a ban on cities from imposing their own mask mandates.
Face masks reduced Tampa Bay, Florida coronavirus cases by 1.4 million, says a University of South Florida professor.
In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court sided with religious groups in a dispute over COVID-19 restrictions in New York. (Stupid... Thank you, Amy Coney Barrett.)
A judge ordered a San Jose church to comply with county's coronavirus health orders. (Good luck with that. Again, thank you Ms. Barrett. Idiot...)
A maskless man wearing a Trump-shaped floatation device (?) was charged with assault after purposely breathing on some women.
A couple was arrested for boarding a flight after testing positive for COVID-19.
Maryland health officers stopped a coronavirus-positive boy from boarding a flight.
Several celebrities attended a birthday party for Lil' Wayne's daughter on Sunday night at an Atlanta nightclub. Many of the guests were not wearing masks or socially distancing.
Fox News' Tucker Carlson says Dr. Fauci should never work in public policy again. (What makes Carlson an expert...on anything?)
The CDC is decreasing coronavirus quarantine time from 14 to 7-10 days.
Most coronavirus infections are spread by people who have no symptoms, the CDC said in a newly updated guidance.
Hawaii’s public schools lost 1,023 more students in the first quarter of the school year as coronavirus concerns kept many parents from sending their children back to class.
A New Jersey school superintendent says some parents have not been cooperating with coronavirus safety protocols by sending children to school when sick, not reporting positive COVID-19 results and ducking questions about Thanksgiving holiday travel.
Trump wanted churches open. So, the White House told the CDC to remove church “choir singing” from guidelines of risky COVID-19 activities. The CDC refused to edit the guidelines and published them anyway. Vice-President Pence's office went ballistic and forced the deletion from the CDC website.
A vast trove of leaked documents shows that China underreported COVID-19 numbers, took weeks to diagnose new cases and didn’t disclose a December flu spike in Hubei.
Is there a cure for Coronasomnia? Here are four tips from neuroscientists.
The US Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the first self-test for COVID-19 that can provide rapid results at home.
A check for antibodies in donated blood shows that the virus was here sometime between December 2019-January 2020.
A four-person crew of researchers traveled to Kure Atoll, a remote atoll in the Pacific Ocean that's more than 1,300 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii, in February. By the time they returned to Hawaii, the world was a different place as the virus ran rampant.
Grocery store workers fear getting sick as coronavirus cases continue to climb.
Nurses at the Kapiolani Medical Center in Hawaii have demanded better coronavirus protections.
Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott tested positive for the coronavirus the week before Thanksgiving.
COVID knocked Georgian Senator Kelly Loeffler off of the campaign trail — the week before Thanksgiving and 45 days before Georgia runoff.
A hospital CEO, who had COVID-19, is now out a job for refusing to wear mask.
A Jewish doctor shared his experience saving a COVID-19 patient covered in swastika tattoos.
An Alabama woman is raising 12 kids after her sister and brother-in-law died of COVID-19.
A family in Minneapolis survived COVID-19 and now vows to raise awareness.
15 Texas relatives are sick with COVID-19 after a family party and 'feel guilty' and made a PSA.
A poll worker in Texas died from COVID-19. She believed she got it while working during early voting.
A 30-year-old woman died just three days after testing positive.
A megachurch pastor in California, who held services despite the pandemic, has died from COVID.
A couple in Michigan, that had been married for 47 years, died from COVID-19 on the same day.
The man behind Darth Vader's mask, actor David Prowse, has died from the coronavirus.
When Angelina Friedman was a baby, she lived through the 1918 flu. In April, she survived COVID-19. And now, the 102-year-old New York resident has survived a second coronavirus diagnosis, according to her daughter.
Radio hosts were among the first who could explain COVID to indigenous Mexican farmworkers in US.
The third wave of coronavirus infections is devastating Colorado’s Native American and Hispanic communities.
Changes to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan for film and TV actors, allegedly based on the costs associated with the pandemic, has sparked outrage: ‘It stinks of dishonesty and cronyism.’
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson still have COVID-19 antibodies 9 months after getting sick. “They diminish as you get farther away from your infection but they’re still there helping us out,” Hanks says.
COVID 19 lung damage has been 'identified' in a study.
41 people who attended New Orleans' swingers convention have COVID-19.
Facebook will remove COVID-19 vaccine-related misinformation. (It's about time...)
A couple in Chicago decided to give back to delivery men and women after COVID-19 canceled their wedding.
In Canada, customers bought a struggling bar's entire beer stock to keep it in business.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has upped its warning on cruise ships, now advising that "all people avoid travel on cruise ships."
Airline travelers may soon be using a digital COVID-19 ‘passport.’
Australian airline Qantas will require future international travelers to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 before flying.
The CDC issued warnings against traveling to Mexico as the country continues to see a huge rise in COVID-19 cases.
England cut its traveler quarantine period to five days.
Travelers to Iceland don't have to quarantine or get tested if they've already had COVID-19.
If you're going to ski, here's how to do it safely in the pandemic.
Alone for the holidays? Here's how to find joy in the solitude.
Fox News' Tucker Carlson said the coronavirus pandemic is a global fraud perpetrated by China, abetted by the powerful. (Why is he still allowed to talk in public?)
GLOBAL:
There have been 65,235,456 confirmed cases of the virus around the world. There have been 1,506,601 deaths from the virus globally.
There have been 65,235,456 confirmed cases of the virus around the world. There have been 1,506,601 deaths from the virus globally.
The pandemic surge is affecting Christmas holiday plans across Europe.
Japan will give free coronavirus vaccines to all of its residents under a bill passed Wednesday, December 2, as the nation battles record numbers of daily cases.
The National Coronavirus Command Council of South Africa has agreed that there should be a 22:00 curfew in COVID-19 hotspot areas across the country, that alcohol sales should be restricted to Mondays to Thursday, and that pubs and taverns should be shut at 21:00.
Last week, Toronto Canada started a 4-week lockdown, it's second since the pandemic hit, in order to try cut the infection rate. Dress warmly, the Toronto District School Board is telling students as it plans to fight COVID-19 by opening classroom windows.
A pizza worker's lie to contact tracers forced an entire Australian state to go into a strict 6-day lockdown.
How Iceland hammered COVID with science: The tiny island nation brought huge scientific heft to its attempts to contain and study the coronavirus. Here’s what it learned.
STATES:
4 more in Maine have died as 237 new coronavirus cases are reported across the state yesterday.
Last week, Toronto Canada started a 4-week lockdown, it's second since the pandemic hit, in order to try cut the infection rate. Dress warmly, the Toronto District School Board is telling students as it plans to fight COVID-19 by opening classroom windows.
A pizza worker's lie to contact tracers forced an entire Australian state to go into a strict 6-day lockdown.
How Iceland hammered COVID with science: The tiny island nation brought huge scientific heft to its attempts to contain and study the coronavirus. Here’s what it learned.
STATES:
4 more in Maine have died as 237 new coronavirus cases are reported across the state yesterday.
New Hampshire announced 625 new cases and 7 new deaths yesterday.
New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo will restart regular public briefings on coronavirus.
A record 5,637 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina on Thursday, surpassing the previous record by a whopping 25 percent.
Even though Florida has topped 1 million coronavirus cases, Governor DeSantis still denounces a mask mandate or lockdowns. In fact, DeSantis has doubled down on his Trump-backed coronavirus approach of doing nothing. The state reported 97 more fatalities yesterday, while also adding 9,994 more positive COVID-19 cases.
A record 5,637 new coronavirus cases were reported in North Carolina on Thursday, surpassing the previous record by a whopping 25 percent.
Even though Florida has topped 1 million coronavirus cases, Governor DeSantis still denounces a mask mandate or lockdowns. In fact, DeSantis has doubled down on his Trump-backed coronavirus approach of doing nothing. The state reported 97 more fatalities yesterday, while also adding 9,994 more positive COVID-19 cases.
Pennsylvania reported a record 11,406 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and 187 additional deaths.
Ohio added 8,921 new cases and 82 additional deaths yesterday.
Ohio added 8,921 new cases and 82 additional deaths yesterday.
The Tennessee Department of Health reported 3,967 new coronavirus cases and 93 virus-related deaths, the highest number of deaths identified in a single day, as of Thursday.
Alabama added 3,531 COVID cases on Thursday and 65 deaths.
4,618 new positive COVID-19 and 60 deaths added in Wisconsin as of Thursday.
Illinois reported 10,959 new cases and 192 coronavirus deaths yesterday.
There were 2,168 new COVID-19 cases and 28 new deaths reported Thursday in Mississippi.
There were 5,165 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 77 more deaths reported in Minnesota on Thursday.
Iowa reported 70 more COVID-19 deaths and 2,926 more cases yesterday.
South Dakota surpassed 1,000 deaths due to the coronavirus as 38 new COVID-19 deaths were reported Thursday along with 1,145 total new cases. This means that 1 out of every 800 North Dakota residents are now dead from COVID 19. (Governor Noem must be proud...)
In Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth's business capacity was rolled back as COVID-19 for 7 days straight. New limits come as Dallas County reported 2,122 more coronavirus cases and three deaths.
Utah saw 3,945 new cases and 11 deaths yesterday. Nearly 1 in 4 coronavirus tests are positive and we haven’t seen full impact of Thanksgiving, says Utah’s epidemiologist.
University of Arizona researchers urged a 3-week shutdown and a statewide mask mandate.
University of Arizona researchers urged a 3-week shutdown and a statewide mask mandate.
Washington state reported 50 more COVID-19 deaths and new 2,090 cases.
Oregon reported 1,151 new cases and 21 more deaths yesterday. The state's Governor Brown implemented new coronavirus restrictions for 25 ‘extreme risk’ counties.
Hawaii's Governor Ige approved Kauai’s request to opt out of pre-travel test program and stick with a 14-day quarantine instead. There were 144 new COVID-19 cases in the state and 2 deaths yesterday.
CALIFORNIA:
California is at a COVID-19 'tipping point' as the Trump administration hopes for vaccines by Christmas.
Oregon reported 1,151 new cases and 21 more deaths yesterday. The state's Governor Brown implemented new coronavirus restrictions for 25 ‘extreme risk’ counties.
Hawaii's Governor Ige approved Kauai’s request to opt out of pre-travel test program and stick with a 14-day quarantine instead. There were 144 new COVID-19 cases in the state and 2 deaths yesterday.
CALIFORNIA:
California is at a COVID-19 'tipping point' as the Trump administration hopes for vaccines by Christmas.
Governor Newsom issued a regional stay-at-home order yesterday to battle its record COVID-19 surge. He has banned gatherings and ‘non-essential’ activities.
California has seen a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Los Angeles’ spiraling COVID-19 crisis: “At this rate, our hospitals won’t have any spare beds by Christmastime.”
Governor Gavin Newsom and his family had to go into quarantine the Sunday before Thanksgiving after an exposure to COVID-19.
What's next for restaurants and businesses in the new California stay-at-home order?
California is building a vaccine distribution framework, but mass vaccinations are still months away.
These seven California hospitals will be among the first to receive the vaccine.
Orange County set a record with 735 COVID-19 hospitalizations yesterday. The number of hospitalized patients reported exceeds the previous high of 722 recorded in July.
Los Angeles’s new COVID lockdown bans most walking, driving and use of public transportation.
Travelers arriving in Los Angeles are now required to sign a new COVID-19 form.
The Bay Area should expect a full COVID-19 lockdown within weeks.
LOCAL:
Fresno is aiming to increase COVID-19 testing as cases surge throughout the county.
A pop-up COVID-19 testing site opened in Clovis. The new mobile testing site is located on the corner of Clovis and Dakota Avenues and will be open for at least the next two Thursdays from 9 am to 3 pm.
It's free, easy and quick to get tested for COVID-19 at the Fresno Fairgrounds. Testing will be available every Wednesday and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm through February.
This map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in Central California.
Fresno County sees a steep increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19 in November.
South Valley hospitals, already strained, are preparing for a winter surge.
This map shows everywhere you can get a COVID-19 test in Central California.
Fresno County sees a steep increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19 in November.
South Valley hospitals, already strained, are preparing for a winter surge.
COVID-19 cases are spiking among Fresno's first responders.
Valley Children's Hospital will serve as regional distribution center for COVID-19 vaccine. The hospital said it has enough ultra low-temperature freezer capacity to store up to several hundred thousand doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
Here's what California's stay-at-home order means for local schools.
People's Church in Fresno is continuing to have indoor services, despite the county being in the 'purple' tier.
A gym in Fresno was fined after it refused to shut down its indoor operations. Fresno City Council president Miguel Arias says Fit Republic has been given at least four warnings to shut down indoor operations.
A gym in Fresno was fined after it refused to shut down its indoor operations. Fresno City Council president Miguel Arias says Fit Republic has been given at least four warnings to shut down indoor operations.
The new 'regional stay-at-home' order hits local businesses during their busiest time in the year.
Fresno's Roger Rocka's theater is selling family dinners for take-out and delivery in an effort to stay afloat during the pandemic.
Toys for Tots will have its annual marathon toy drive weekend. This year, with the virus , donations are really needed.
POST-ELECTION:
‘It’s over’: Joe Biden’s win is certified in all key states — and Donald Trump can’t handle the truth.
POST-ELECTION:
‘It’s over’: Joe Biden’s win is certified in all key states — and Donald Trump can’t handle the truth.
Biden says multiple Republican senators have called to congratulate him on his election win.
At any other time in history, Trump would be removed via the 25th Amendment.
Donald Trump recently claimed that his fight to overturn the election and defy the will of the voters wasn’t a selfish move, but an attempt to stand for millions of voters. However, there’s just no evidence that Trump is in it for anyone but himself — as usual.
Trump only lost winning the electoral college by 70,000 votes in key states.
Recently pardoned Michael Flynn called on Trump to "suspend the Constitution" and to re-do the election.
Congressman who oversees GSA’s Emily Murphy, was bashed her for denying transition: ‘She is a Trump loyalist.’ Later, she allowed the transition to begin.
Congressman who oversees GSA’s Emily Murphy, was bashed her for denying transition: ‘She is a Trump loyalist.’ Later, she allowed the transition to begin.
'No pardons. No immunity': Mary Trump says her family must pay.
Biden says he would not pardon Trump. He said he is committed to ensuring that any prosecutorial decisions would be dictated by the law, in contrast to what he called the "dereliction of duty” by Trump and his attorney general, William Barr.
As soon as he becomes a private citizen, Trump will be stripped of the legal armor that has protected him from pending cases both civil and criminal.
Trump is worried that he may be prosecuted in New York after he leaves office. (What does he mean "may"?)
A former White House ethics lawyer says Donald Trump cannot pardon himself.
A money laundering lawsuit involving the Trump Organization is moving forward.
The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson says GOP lawmakers deserve pain, humiliation and incarceration for propping up Trump.
Congress has every right to keep investigating Trump after he’s gone.
Groups are suing Trump and the White House to stop the destruction of the administration's records.
Trump apparently told an ally that he's trying to get back at Democrats for questioning the legitimacy of his own election.
Ex-presidents are entitled to classified briefings. Some ex-intel officials think Trump shouldn't get access to any national secrets when he leaves office.
Trump will, in many ways, be the most dangerous adversary the United States has ever faced when he leaves office. The level of classified intelligence he can, and will, sell to the highest bidder cannot be ignored. He must not be underestimated.
Donald Trump’s coup is not over — and his enablers aren’t done, says a fascism expert.
Trump will boycott Biden’s inauguration — and won’t even invite him for a White House visit.
Trump is considering kicking off his 2024 run during Biden's inauguration. MSNBC discussed this and the president's other schemes, saying that 'he is the Republicans' problem now.'
Mitt Romney calls Trump's attempt to overturn Michigan election 'undemocratic.'
A Trump-appointed federal judge told the Trump campaign that calling an election ‘unfair’ doesn’t mean it’s true.
Trump’s ex-election security official attacked Giuliani for ‘apparent attempt to undermine confidence in the election.’
US Dominion Voting Systems CEO explained why Trump and Sidney Powell’s attacks are bonkers.
Radio host Mark Levin is still calling on Republican state legislatures to ignore the desires of their constituents, and choose electors who will place Donald Trump as president again, even though the voters chose Joe Biden.
Georgia Republican officials reject Trump's calls to overturn election results.
Georgia's governor tried to make Trump understand that election interference is illegal and that he won't break the law for Trump.
Trump used data from the wrong election to claim massive voter fraud in Pennsylvania.
A witness in Trump ally Sidney Powell's lawsuits says the voting results in 'Edison County' indicate fraud. No such place exists.
President Trump paid $3 million in Wisconsin for a recount only to have Biden gain 132 votes.
Republican Representative Paul Mitchell begged Trump to #Stopthestupid in a tweet to one of Trump's own, demented and baseless election fraud tweets.
Republicans sold out democracy to appease Trump's loser tantrum.
Many Republicans are blaming Charlie Kirk for Trump’s floundering youth vote.
Trump says he will leave the White House if Electoral College votes for Biden.
Trump still has one crooked way to stay in power as this election expert explains:
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey defended the election process after Trump attacked.Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who are both Republicans, rebuffed President Donald Trump's calls to overturn the state's election results more than a week after they certified Joe Biden as the winner.
New Jersey lawmaker is pushing to disbar Rudy Giuliani for deceitful, ‘absurd’ election cases. Giuliani has caused “irreversible damage to the public trust in the fair administration of our elections,” Rep. Bill Pascrell wrote to officials policing attorney conduct.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear Trump's election lawsuit. The Wisconsin election lawsuit must wind its way through lower courts before it's even considered.
Trump claims we need to ‘save our country’ and that means letting him remain in the White House as president.
Trump, getting more desperate, is now accusing Attorney General William Barr and the FBI of election fraud.
Trump's attempt to shift the burden of proof to Biden further proves his legal battle is falling apart.
Trump railed at judges after yet another court rejected his lawyers' claims of voter fraud. The president then phoned into Fox News to blame the courts for his campaign’s so far unsuccessful legal challenges. One close adviser told to The Post that Trump was like “Mad King George” going around the White House ‘muttering, “I won. I won. I won.” He's bonkers, baby!
Trump’s tweets are getting worse and worse and people are sick of his tantrums. ‘Everyone knows it was rigged!’ he insists.
The editorial board of The Washington Post on Monday delivered yet another blistering critique of Donald Trump, describing the president’s most recent rant on Fox News as “one of the most dangerous of his presidency.”
Mike Pence isn’t buying Trump’s voter fraud claims: ‘He doesn’t want to go down with this ship.’
Trump was caught on video at the White House Christmas party yelling guests that he’d ‘see them in four years.’
Attorney General William Barr says there is no evidence of widespread fraud in presidential election.
Rudy Giuliani went after Bill Barr for saying the election was free of voter fraud, ‘With all due respect to the AG...’
Fox News' Lou Dobbs accused Bill Barr of being ‘compromised’ and part of the ‘deep state.’ This came hours after the attorney general said there was no evidence of widespread, election-changing fraud in the 2020 race.
Trump is frustrated with Attorney General Bill Barr after his election comments, but officials don't want the AG fired, sources say.
Sources say that Attorney General Bill Barr had an 'intense' meeting with Trump after the AG undercut his voter fraud claims.
Trump posted a 46-minute video rant about the election...and then was roasted by his public.
Lindsey Graham told Trump's legal team “You gotta prove it. Doing a video is not proof.”
A former United States attorney has asked Georgia to investigate Lindsey Graham for election interference.
Texas Trump supporters say they’re ready to take up arms the minute the president gives the order.
MAIL:
Over these long months of the pandemic, I have had texts, cards, emails, and letters from friends all over the world. But I've also experienced wave after wave of such kind and thoughtful generosity. Unbelievable. I know some of the most amazing people in the world and I thank ALL OF YOU for thinking of me. (And keeping Shutterfly afloat from me constantly buying 'thank you" cards. Ha!) This has time has been no exception.
My friend Christa in Santa Monica sent me a brief note not long after Thanksgiving:
My friend Eric in Orange County took his parents on a trip to Arizona the week before Thanksgiving. One of the things he wanted to see was a vintage tiki bar in Tucson, Kon Tiki. He also included some pictures:
"We went to Arizona for 6 days," he said. "I had to rest for 3 after I got home. I'm still getting things back to normal.
ME:
I continued my IVIG treatments. Ugh... 500 mls a day, infused over 6-8 hours each day. Ugh! I hated it. I had to get a new IV (third one) before it was all over.
It wasn't as bad as it had been when I'd had it done in May or June before my biopsy surgery (with that H-U-G-E swab that was jammed all of the way back down my nose), but it was still unpleasant. Either way, I was glad it was done. I went home, waited until Mom called from the airport and told her about my chills and COVID test. I then went to bed...
CHEERS!
Since first announcing his candidacy in 2016, we have been waiting for Trump to release his tax returns. But now, all of a sudden, Republicans want to examine Biden's nominees’ tax returns.
A dark money mystery in Florida centers on the campaign of a spoiler candidate who appeared to help a Republican win by 32 votes.
The Trump administration has been accused of moving military assets to Georgia to influence the special election--without the necessary consent from Congress.
Obama is expected to join a virtual rally today with both Democratic Senate candidates.
Democrats are leading in both of Georgia’s senate runoff elections.
Georgia has reported more than 1 million absentee ballot requests for the Senate runoff.
Georgia is probing voter-registration groups ahead of critical U.S. Senate races. Mostly “progressive” groups are being investigated.
A Florida attorney is under investigation for registering to vote in Georgia's run-off election and encouraging others to do the same.
Trump’s Georgia rally is sparking GOP anxiety. The state's Republicans welcome the president’s support for Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, but they’re worried about what he might say beyond that.
GOP pollster Frank Luntz thinks Trump’s constant election whining could have devastating effects in the Georgia run-off elections.
A watchdog group filed a complaint with SEC accusing GOP Senator David Perdue of insider trading. This is not the first time Perdue has come under scrutiny for allegations of insider trading.
Georgia's Senator Perdue insisted he had no input at all on his stock buys. New evidence shows he did.
While Kelly Loeffler opposed new COVID aid, her husband’s firm sought to profit off of the pandemic.
Kelly Loeffler's disclosures appear to omit the holding company that operates her private jet. If the Georgia senator knowingly falsified or omitted information from her disclosure forms, that's a crime.
Loeffler has been touting an endorsement from a House candidate who praised QAnon conspiracy theories. The appointed Georgia senator is still trying to lock down GOP support in next month's special election.
Trump told Georgians not to bother voting because the election will be rigged.
Pro-Trump attorneys are telling Georgians not to vote in the runoff until votes are 'secure.'
The ultra-conservative Newsmax has reported that some Georgian Trump supporters are considering a run-off election 'boycott' based on Trump's fraud claims. (Such idiots! But DON'T tell them. Let the Democrats win. Trump backfired on his own party. Ha!)
In Atlanta, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel faced questions from skeptical Republicans who bought into Trump's election lies. In one sharp exchange, a Trump backer quizzed McDaniel on why Georgia voters should bother "when it's already decided."
Fox News reported that Georgia's GOP ripped the Democratic PAC for posting billboards with the 'intention of deceiving' Georgian voters. The group's billboards say: "Perdue/Loeffler didn't deliver for Trump, don't deliver for them." (The billboards are BRILLIANT and sprinkled all over Trump country. Ha Ha Ha!)
Bill Kristol urges Georgia Republicans to ‘show true loyalty’ — by writing-in Donald Trump in the Senate runoff.
Lindsey Graham says that Senate Republicans will refuse to seat Joe Biden’s Attorney General choice if Trump will be facing a criminal investigation.
Rudy Giuliani tells GOP lawmakers to ‘take over’ the election because of ‘5 million illegal aliens in Arizona.’
The star witness in Trump’s ‘voter fraud’ case in Michigan only finished probation a few months ago for committing computer crime.
Rudy Giuliani claimed Georgia's results are ‘PROVEN TO BE A FRAUD’ in a cryptic, all-caps outburst.
Roger Stone has spun a bizarre tale of Korean ballots being smuggled in through Maine.
Pennsylvania counties reported no major issues with the Dominion voting machines, which have been a target of Trump and his campaign even though they won in 12 of the 14 counties that used them.
An ex-CIA director says Trump has exceeded Russia's ability to influence minds.
Trump praised QAnon during a meeting about keeping the Senate.
Overstock.com's founder says he’s “funding an army of hackers” to ‘save election’ for Trump. Geez! I guess I know where I won't be shopping this holiday season (or ever)!
A pro-Trump pastor said that when God allows Trump to overturn the election, atheists will convert to Christianity. (There really needs to be some law written up says churches will be taxed if they get into politics.)
Texas Trump supporters say they’re ready to take up arms the minute the president gives the order.
A Proud Boys member talked armed revolt outside of a Giuliani event in Arizona, saying ‘We’re not going to stand back and stand by.’
One of Trump's attorneys issued a call for violence against/execution of Christopher Krebs, the truth-telling former election cybersecurity official.
A Georgian election official has pleaded with Trump and Republicans to 'stop inciting acts of violence.'
Pope Francis appeared to compare Trump's rallies to Hitler’s rallies in the 1930’s.
An historian says that German denazification has lessons on how to deal with post-Trump America.
Trump and Kushner's companies reaped millions in PPP loans.
As with everything else, Trump's refusal to concede is a con. He’s trying to swindle his base out of every dime possible before leaving office. 75% of small-dollar donations go, not to his legal bills, but to Trump's own PAC (Political Action Committee).
Trump’s post-election cash grab is flooding funds to a new PAC. The Trump operation has raised $207.5 since Election Day, including a hefty chunk to a new leadership PAC Trump formed in November.
The ex-GOP chairman hilariously claims that Trump raised more money to try and steal the election then he did to win the election.
A legal analyst says that Trump could be held criminally liable for soliciting donations based on his phony claims of election fraud.
A Trump supporter who gave $2.5 million to fight against the bogus election fraud claims, wants his money back.
The Trump campaign still owes El Paso, Texas a 2-year-old debt of more than half a million dollars.
The Trump Organization’s efforts to sell the Trump International Hotel Washington DC have been put on indefinite hold, casting doubts on the future of one of the president’s biggest financial bets, according to industry executives.
Paul Ryan is attempting to stay relevant with comments about the election.
After President-Elect Joe Biden announced his proposed all-female communications team, Kayleigh McEnany tweeted and was called out for her ‘weird and pointless lie’ about the White House communications team.
Americans were disgusted and angry after Trump used Marine One to shuttle his family to his golf course.
Fox New’s Howard Kurtz whined that the media will rip Trump’s kids (who worked in various capacities within the White House) but not Biden’s (who will probably stay out of the White House spotlight for the most part).
The Trump kids are the biggest losers in his election fiasco. They’re learning the hard lesson of nepotism: You’re only as important as the parent you’re sucking the fame from. When that subsides, so do you.
Criminal fraud investigations into the Trump Organization could result in jail time for Trump’s kids.
The Trump family has been urging the U.S. appeals court to move the marketing scam lawsuit against them to arbitration.
Eric Trump just can’t understand how Joe Biden won.
Trump, Jr denies he is vying to take over the National Rifle Association.
Ivanka Trump sat for a deposition Tuesday with investigators from the D.C. attorney general's office as part of its lawsuit alleging the misuse of inaugural funds, according to a court filing.
Ivanka Trump complained that her deposition was a vindictive waste of taxpayer dollars (Not that her father's golfing trips, the multiple planned Christmas parties at the White House, etc. aren't wasteful...)
'They broke the law': The Washington DC attorney general rebuts Ivanka Trump's attack over inauguration case.
Ivanka Trump's high school best friend claims she was 'ignored' by the president because she wasn't as pretty and says first daughter isn't 'conservative' but rather an elitist snob who refused to socialize with people outside her wealthy circle.
Ivanka Trump is in ‘extremely frantic damage control mode’ after her father’s election loss.
CNN hosts mocked Ivanka Trump’s public meltdown after getting caught up in fraud probe.
A retired judge and legal professor thinks Ivanka Trump may flip on her father during her New York fraud trials.
Ivanka Trump wants to be the ‘first female president’ — but there’s one major obstacle.
Ivanka Trump is desperately trying to rehab her image on the way out the door. The first daughter seems concerned about how her reentry into society is going to go come January.
Ivanka’s New York City homecoming isn’t going as she planned. Posters all over Manhattan tell her she’s ‘not wanted.’
Ivanka and Jared are considering moving to New Jersey or Florida because Manhattan is too inhospitable to the couple.
Conservative magazine, The National Review, has called out “Trump’s disgraceful endgame.”
Post presidency, President Trump will "put considerable energy, at least as long as he's able to, into delegitimizing Joe Biden's win and his administration," but he won't run for president again, predicts his niece, Mary Trump.
‘Whiny kid’ Trump’s tantrums over his election loss are getting tuned out by voters in Pennsylvania's swing county.
How Trump almost sabotaged the U.S. Postal Service’s Operation Santa.
What American teachers are telling their students about what Trump is doing in regards to the election.
Lindsey Graham says that he hopes Joe Biden will attend Trump’s inauguration.
Mitt Romney on Trump’s election theories: “Russia and China have to be laughing.”
HAPPY DAYS has-been Scott Baio threatened to move to Utah and unseat Senator Mitt Romney for not loving Trump.
President Trump ripped into CBS News's 60 MINUTES on Sunday after an interview with his former cybersecurity chief, Christopher Krebs, was broadcast on the program.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos knocked the free college push as a 'socialist takeover of higher education.' In other words, she's another super rich white person who doesn’t want to pay any taxes to help people improve their standard of living.
Attorney General Bill Barr has appointed US Attorney John Durham to be special counsel in the origins of the Russia probe investigation.
The top official leading the Pentagon's Defeat-ISIS Task Force resigned Monday, becoming the latest senior official to be fired or asked to resign in recent days, part of a White House-directed post-election purge.
The Justice Department is rushing to expand execution methods, like firing squads, for federal death row inmates.
Before he leaves office, Trump wants to abolish birthright citizenship by Executive Order.
Right-wing pastor Rick Wiles claims the Trump’s Administration will be executing Democrats and media traitors.
The Justice Department released Trump's pardon of Michael Flynn and also formally asked a federal court to dismiss the case against him.
Trump's associates, including Giuliani, are apparently asking for pardons.
Sean Hannity told Trump to pardon himself and his entire family before leaving office.
Trump is reportedly considering pardons for three of his children (Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka) and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Trump is mulling preemptive pardons for up to 20 allies, even as Republicans balk. The clemency would be unprecedented, and some Republicans are expressing initial hesitation. But they’re not telling Trump to stop.
The Justice Department is investigating a potential presidential pardon bribery scheme, court records reveal.
A federal probe into the alleged Trump pardon-bribery scheme involves a now-deceased billionaire.
Brad Parscale says Trump would have won if he could have just shown some empathy.
Crazy Trump supporters think Biden’s medical boot for his fractured foot is actually hiding an ankle monitor following a secret arrest. Idiots...
Melania Trump wears extra high-heels when around Karen "Mother" Pence to belittle the much shorter Second Lady. (I know this has nothing to do with the coronavirus or the election. It's just catty and petty and...I'll be glad when BOTH are gone.)
A Trump insider claims that Melania has a long-term boyfriend in New York City (and Donald Trump knows about it).
A CNN legal expert laughed about Trump-appointed judges rejecting the president’s fraud claims.
Biden’s Twitter following has soared as large numbers have ditched Trump after his election defeat.
Trump will lose one of his Twitter accounts to Biden on Inauguration Day.
Trump is threatening to veto the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) because Twitter fact checks him.
Rudy Giuliani had audible flatulence in court. Ha!
A New York City's ABC news anchor gave a harsh slap of reality to Trump: ‘You don’t have to go home — but you can’t stay here.’
There is a giant Trump Countdown Clock in Queens that is tracking the last days of his presidency.
Prices have been slashed on Trump merchandise in the White House's gift shop.
People can’t believe Donald Trump’s tiny-looking desk for his Thanksgiving rant wasn’t a joke.
Trump is spotted with a very ample and puffy rear-end and Twitter has questions for ‘Diaper Don.’
Videos of Trump farting during White House events surface as #DiaperDon trends on Twitter.
In the (2 minute 20 second) video below, a member of the crew that made Trump's CELEBRITY APPRENTICE TV series spilled the beans on Trump's incontinence, which he says was occurring during the taping of the show. Yes, #DiaperDan does wear diapers. You may be skeptical, but you have to ask yourself why Trump isn't suing this guy? Because it's the truth and he doesn't want to expose himself. Turd.
CREATIVITY:
Just because it's the holiday season, doesn't mean you still can't get your tiki on. Enjoy these fa-la-la fabulous seasonal tiki cocktail recipes. (Santa totally approves!)
Just because it's the holiday season, doesn't mean you still can't get your tiki on. Enjoy these fa-la-la fabulous seasonal tiki cocktail recipes. (Santa totally approves!)
Six Flags Magic Mountain is offering a drive-thru holiday light event now through Christmas.
The #DiaperDan thang has prompted some creativity:
The 80's band Yello is back with another odd bit of music featuring Fifi Rong in SIREN SINGING:
Here is a clever (and timely) parody song giving the president a dignified way out (which he'll never take):
The presidential election may be over, but the very important Senate run-off in Georgia is approaching, and there are plenty of political ads exposing the incumbents for who they really are:
My friend Christa sent this. Great harmony (and I hope it really does come true):
Here are some Rudy Giuliani parody:
And this just in: President Trump's concession speech:
MAIL:
Over these long months of the pandemic, I have had texts, cards, emails, and letters from friends all over the world. But I've also experienced wave after wave of such kind and thoughtful generosity. Unbelievable. I know some of the most amazing people in the world and I thank ALL OF YOU for thinking of me. (And keeping Shutterfly afloat from me constantly buying 'thank you" cards. Ha!) This has time has been no exception.
I had a postcard arrive the week before Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving was a flurry of texts and emails wishing happy Thanksgiving, but no real notes of interest. My former co-worker Alicia did send some pictures from work--and it was wonderful to see the faces of Alicia, Gina and Jerry:
The message was simple---and signed "Jim Turkey"...which I can only guess is my former co-worker Mike. Ha!
I also heard from another former co-worker, Sandy. She is caring for her aged father and I found her text fascinating and moving. I was glad she shared:
"I'm doing well," she said. "It was my night to stay with Dad. I arrived around 1500 yesterday and will be here until my sister arrives. Most likely at 1500. That's our normal time of arrival. Usually the caregiver arrives in the morning and we leave but she started her vacation today and will be off until to 30th.
"My Dad has been better in spirit having us here. Health wise, he has ups and downs. But he's now eating and drinking a bit better.
"He is his own worst enemy, as he gets very stubborn about physical issues he has. He won't let me be proactive with interventions that would help him avoid painful outcomes, because he knows his body and what to do. So we do this cycle that is very hard on him. It wipes him out and increases his confusion, and makes him more compliant during the recovery phase.
"Now I'm talking about his bowels which would benefit from a bowel program. But what do I know?
"It's a dance to balance his dignity and independence, which is so important.
"And it's a privilege as well, to share his private thoughts with him. Its fascinating how the mind and memory works. He has visits with my Mom. I can always tell when he's talking with her. It's sweet and a gentle flow of conversation in Spanish with English thrown in. It's truly a treasure to listen to and to have him share their conversation with me later.
"We watch the news together and discuss what's happening. He doesn't get it all correct, but that's ok. But let me tell you he knew Trump needed to get out of the White House and can't stand to see his 'stupid face.' And Shawn, the word 'stupid' was not allowed in our household growing up. It was kin to a cuss word.
"Some of the things Dad comes up with make me laugh so hard I almost per myself! Especially at 3 in the morning when he's up AGAIN to pee himself.
"So this is a hard and precious time. I will hold the memories close in my heart.
"Ok, signing off now. I hear him getting up.
"Sorry for rambling on.
"False alarm, Dad was just talking. He's still in bed.
"I'm sitting in his recliner rocking with my 45lb pittie on my lap, drinking coffee and reading your blog.
"We will have a very small Thanksgiving here at Dad's. We will also order a prepared meal. It will be my daughter and son-in-law, me, my sister and her son and Dad. I want my nephew to get tested beforehand, as he is of the mindset that COVID-19 is just being blown out of what really happening."
A day or so later, this was sitting on my front porch: It was from my friend Ricki in Oregon.
It was the book WEIRD OREGON. Oh my STARS! Thank you, Ricki.
There was an inscription inside:
Ricki had been up visiting for a weekend on my most recent trip to Washington to visit my family and had been with me when I'd purchased the book WEIRD WASHINGTON. In addition to the inscription, there was this note:
The very next day, a box arrived and it was this bag chocolate caramel popcorn from my former co-worker Silvina, wishing me a happy Thanksgiving.
On Thanksgiving morning, this was sitting on the doorstep:
There was a card:
This was written inside. It didn't identify the mystery gifter, but a text from my friend revealed she was the one who had stopped by.
Since Vye hadn't been able to host her annual Friendsgiving (which I have been honored to attend the last few years), she brought a bit o' Friendsgiving to her friends. Mmm. A little tray o' baked goods. Mom and I gobble-gobbled these up! Thank you, Vye.
My friend Christa in Santa Monica sent me a brief note not long after Thanksgiving:
"I'm glad you had your mom with you for Thanksgiving," she said. "I had a nice Zoom happy hour with my friend Diane. We'll have to do that too once. It was fun. I was lazy and ordered a meal from my Co-op grocery store catering service, which was actually very good. Now I'm reading a mystery by Elly Griffiths, a British author."
Angel in Colombia popped into my inbox a few times. He had sent a note wishing me a happy Thanksgiving. I had sent him a note back that, I guess, had been a bit long. ha! Here is his reply:
Angel in Colombia popped into my inbox a few times. He had sent a note wishing me a happy Thanksgiving. I had sent him a note back that, I guess, had been a bit long. ha! Here is his reply:
"Wow," he said. "Ha-ha-ha! It was a very long text and, well, the translator changes a lot of words. But I understood almost everything...except the part, where you say your mother was flying with one of the dinosaurs, while you were serving your food and inside the food you found the nose of a waiter. I guess the translator is a bit wrong. Ha-ha-ha-ha!
"Here, we do not celebrate Thanksgiving, and my black days (days off?) are the same as all the others, since I only work to support my family. That is already my greatest luxury, and it occupies all my time, energy, and money."
I had a note from my friend Rosa:
"I am with my dad in Spain," she said. "He is very ill. He looks like he has lost so much weight. And counting. The doctors said he might have internal organs failure - kidney and liver. It is not looking good. But I’m in Spain and that’s all I can do right now.
"I also had my COVID test done. It was painful, It lasts seconds but really the pain is very real. Or maybe I was unlucky. I left with a bloody nose.
"Please look after yourself. And keep up your good humour and spirit."
A few days later, I checked in on her. This was her response:
"On the issue of my dad’s health, it is not looking good," she said. "He is losing weight and getting weaker day after day. But at least I’m here with him. I cancelled everything- including selling / buying a new house. I guess sometimes other things are more important!"
My friend Eric in Orange County took his parents on a trip to Arizona the week before Thanksgiving. One of the things he wanted to see was a vintage tiki bar in Tucson, Kon Tiki. He also included some pictures:
"We went to Arizona for 6 days," he said. "I had to rest for 3 after I got home. I'm still getting things back to normal.
"The first photos are of the special Kon Tiki mug I got, Forbidden Ruins. They are totally sold out of their regular mugs. It was a good drink. The place was busy. It's in an old strip mall, not a stand-alone place. It's a must if you are in Tucson. There is another one called The Hut, recently made (opened in 2001 but tiki-fied in 2009), and it has a giant Easter Island-type tiki at the entrance. I didn't have time to go, but it's more of a college-age bar."
I had this note from Guillaime / "Bill" from France recently:
"Here, we are still ok," he said. "Shops reopened last Saturday and we are now allowed to go out 20km and 3 hours. But always with an autorisation. Cinemas should reopen on December 15th and restaurants are next on January 20th. That's if the numbers keep on decreasing. Old people are the most fragile. Younger ones can be positive and badly sick, but most of them pass through. It is very sad that some don't.
:We keep wearing masks, washing hands and stay not too close from one another.
Christmas is coming. We'll see how it goes."
Last Tuesday, I had a text from my former co-worker Melaney. She wanted to know if I was home, saying she'd left some goodies at my door. I'd had my sound off still and my doorbell is broken, so I had completely missed her. Darn it all. But oh my stars and good golly, was I ever surprised. And completely touched.
However, just minutes after receiving Mel's gift and texts, I had a text from my former co-worker Mike:
"Just a quick note," he said. "My parents are both positive. Dad is not doing well and is out at Clovis Community Medical Center. I have a feeling he may not make it out. Mom is asymptomatic, but is quarantined in her room at the Armenian Home. We can't visit either of them. We are tired here, but okay."
Finally, I got my first Christmas card of the season yesterday. It was from Melaney and the card also shows her husband Joe, and her two little girls, Harlow and Piper.
"I was hoping to see you and say hi," she texted. "We will need to plan a lunch with some work people or something. This is just a little treat for you to let you know I was thinking about you!!
It's some low carb things and a splurge on the enchiladas, because they looked good."
There's some cheap wine that is my favorite right now.
And a Christmas bulb because we always had that on the counter at work and I thought you could watch it grow and think about rehab when you look at it.
However, just minutes after receiving Mel's gift and texts, I had a text from my former co-worker Mike:
"Just a quick note," he said. "My parents are both positive. Dad is not doing well and is out at Clovis Community Medical Center. I have a feeling he may not make it out. Mom is asymptomatic, but is quarantined in her room at the Armenian Home. We can't visit either of them. We are tired here, but okay."
Finally, I got my first Christmas card of the season yesterday. It was from Melaney and the card also shows her husband Joe, and her two little girls, Harlow and Piper.
ME:
I continued my IVIG treatments. Ugh... 500 mls a day, infused over 6-8 hours each day. Ugh! I hated it. I had to get a new IV (third one) before it was all over.
The infusions ended (for this first round of treatments, anyway) the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Each day left me utterly wiped out. I was exhausted for days afterwards.
But there wasn't much time to rest. On Monday, I had physical therapy in the morning and an appointment with my primary doctor in the afternoon. On Tuesday, I saw my neurologist. I had to as a contingency with my insurance company to fund my treatments for the next year. The doctor didn't understand and said I had come back too soon. He wants to wait until after my third round of treatments in January before he sees me. (I would later explain all of this to the pharmacist that is working with my insurance company and hopefully she will make the doctor understand.)
On the way home, I happened to go down Shaw Avenue, which took me by the old Marie Callenders restaurant. Both locations had closed down a while back, but there had been word that this one location was re-opening to sell pies for Thanksgiving. Hmm. Why not stop and pick some up?
There was a long--but socially distanced line when I pulled up (in the neighboring parking lot of the also gone Black Angus restaurant).
I asked someone about the line. Those were for pre-order pickups only. Hmm. I hadn't preordered anything. But I was told I could go to the front entrance to order on the spot. What? There was no line at all there. Mom likes coconut, so I got a coconut cream pie. I like apple, so I got a French apple pie. We'd be getting a pumpkin pie with out pre-ordered prepared meal from Boston Market, but what a nice treat to have pies that were our favorites for Thanksgiving.
The next day I had therapy again. Below is a bad shot of my therapist Josh working with another client. (The first time I met Josh, he was dressed as a hot dog for Halloween. Ha! I wish I had gotten a photo of him then.)
Since Mom was busy working on her rental house (which she got rented while she was here, thank goodness) and I was a physical mess, we had decided to just order a dinner from Boston Market. We were to pick up our order at 1 pm. But the whole process was a disaster. I had planned on going alone, but Mom insisted on going with me, worried that I would not be able to carry dinner to the car. I'm glad she did, as there were two lines we had to get through. While Mom waited in the pick up line, I went to the drive up window to get my claim ticket receipt (which I had to have, even though I had already paid online). Already you could see the laissez-faire attitude about masks--despite the exploding number of cases. One of the girls ahead of me wasn't even bothering with a mask. Her companion wore one, but frequently yanked it down below her nose or below her chin to talk.
After getting my claim check, I joined my mom in the much longer line to pick up the food. When i joined her, she was adjacent to the disgusting, overflowing dumpster. Charming...
The line behind us grew and grew even though we barely seemed to move up.
We rounded the first corner...
And finally the second corner...
We were finally getting closer...
One of the guys (left) picking up his meal didn't bother wearing a mask. (Trump supporter?) The server on the right did wear a mask, but had his nose hanging out the whole time. Geez!
This is where the food came from--a truck. Glamorous... Oh well. The dinner was okay. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible...and we had something at least (when so many others don't). I was very happy and luck to get to spend it with Mom this year. It had been YEARS since I'd had a Thanksgiving with her.
Thanksgiving evening, Mom got a text from a friend of hers, back on Whidbey Island in Washington. Her mother had died the night before Thanksgiving. She had been in a nursing home there. She had been spared during an earlier outbreak in the same home early in the pandemic. This time, she had not been so lucky and passed quickly. How utterly tragic. Her father had only days earlier been diagnosed with lymphoma.
(Several days later, she sent Mom this note, which Mom had forwarded on to me):
"Hi, Sandy," her friend said. "I hope your trip back was uneventful. I look forward to seeing you soon. I'm still making arrangements and helping my dad. The upside to COVID is that we can delay the memorial until we have the mental capacity to arrange it. I’ve always thought how cruel it is that family have to make all those arrangements and decisions just after someone dies.")
The morning after Thanksgiving, Mom worked a few last hours at her rental house and then it was time to take her to the airport. Man, that had been such a quick two weeks. Bye, Mom. I miss you and love you.
After dropping Mom off, I ran a few hours before dragging my tired, hobbly self home. I had been home about a half hour, when all of a sudden, I was overcome with chills and started shivering like crazy. What the heck? I'd had a flu shot. What else could it be??? C-O-V-I-D!!! It just flashed in my mind in great neon letters. Oh crap. Could it be?
Of course, the very next thought was for my mom. What if I infected her? I could deal with me having the virus, but if I had given it to my mom, that would be what would kill me. I was super scared and worried.
I told several people about what was going on, looking for advice and/or words of assurance that I probably didn't have it. I knew that the virus usually started out with a high fever. Despite my chills, I didn't have a fever. In fact, at 97.6, I was a tad on the low side, temperature-wise.
I haven't really been any where and I always wear my mask when I do go. But then I started thinking...I'd been to doctors offices, therapy, Boston Market, etc. I'd had a home health nurse (who is married with teenage children). I'm constantly forgetting to wipe things down when I bring them in the house and half of the time I forget to bring my hand sanitizer when I go someplace. Jeepers.
I decided to get myself tested. Finding a testing site the day after Thanksgving proved a bit of a challenge, but I did find one.
I made an appointment, then headed over. Thank goodness it wasn't very busy (especially since my diuretic had kicked in and I had to pee like crazy).
The test was $125 (paid online). Most insurance covers it, apparently. Mine probably won't, but we'll see. I'm not sure how the uninsured who can't afford $125 get tested, but the tests are supposed to be free for them.
Anyway, I went through the various stops and stations, confirming my identity and going over the rules and how the process works. I should hear back about my test in 3-4 days (normally 1-2 days, but due to the Thanksgiving weekend...)
Finally, it was time for the test. Joy...
I woke up around 9 pm-ish, I think. I took my temperature. Yikes! 102.2!
Despite the fever, I suddenly started feeling better. I couldn't sleep, so I got out of bed. I kept sweating. I'm guessing my fever "broke" as my temperature started dropping. I even got myself together to make a late-night run to the post office, so I could mail my COBRA insurance off so it would arrive (at the last minute) by the 1st. (Hopefully.)
I took it easy on Saturday. That night, around 9:30, I got an email with my COVID test results (just a little over 24 hours after taking the test). I was/am COVID negative. Hooray!!!!!!
On Monday, it was time for another doctor's appointment. This time it was with my immunologist/rheumatologist. This was probably our last meeting. She wanted one last appointment with me to make sure that the neurologist she referred me to was giving me the care I needed and had started treatment. If the IVIG doesn't work and something like Rituximab is called for, she said she'd be happy to prescribe it.
After a horrible night of no sleep until after 5:30 in the morning, I had therapy on Wednesday. This time I got a decent shot of my therapist Josh. He's a "float." Next week will be my last week working with him and then he is being transferred to a rehab hospital. I'll spend my last four sessions with someone new.
Although it may not sound like much, I ran some errands yesterday. I did two loads of laundry. I loaded up the car with bags and bags of stuff to donate and took that in. I got some Christmas parcels wrapped and sent. I had a grocery pick up. I also bought some Christmas stamps for my friend Erich (who can't find any of the non-religious kind), got those packed up and sent off as well. And I got the blog ready. As i said, it wasn't a lot---but for me, it was the most I've done in quite a while. Yes, I'm exhausted...but I feel good I got it all done.
Next week, in addition to therapy, I also see the cardiologist again about my heart monitoring. I'm almost afraid to hear what he found... The following week, it's back to the hematologist (for more blood letting) and another week-long series of IVIG treatments. Joy... (NOT!)
Stay SAFE! Stay HEALTHY! Stay ALIVE!
CHEERS!
Continue to the next part HERE.
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