Covers: Help Me (Sonny Boy Williamson II song)

“Help Me” was originally recorded by Sonny Boy Williamson II in 1963. I know it best from the 1974 cover by Van Morrison.

Climate update 08/25/20

Let’s not forget about the climate. The next president can undo some of the damage Trump has done but not four years of climate change. Sad!

Down the road, some parts of the US could become unlivable. Who will be stuck there? Poor people. Rich people will leave just like they left New York City during the worst of the pandemic.

Biden has climate goals – see tweet below.

#ClimateChange doesn't care if the president thinks its a "hoax" or not. https://t.co/orQJRK3MGu
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) September 7, 2020

Senate Democrats unveiled their plan to tackle climate change, @yayitsrob reports. It uses new goals, surges of investment, and a playbook from industrial policy to decarbonize the economy. https://t.co/0iHUQPAzxA
— The Atlantic (@TheAtlantic) August 25, 2020

Devastating: https://t.co/dZjQjDc4gE pic.twitter.com/3UTM4donCh
— Popular Science (@PopSci) May 14, 2019

Two thousand years of global temperatures in twenty seconds pic.twitter.com/zHArHtRnoi
— James Veitch (@veitchtweets) August 19, 2020

Greenland's ice sheet has melted to a point of no return, and efforts to slow global warming will not stop it from disintegrating, according to a new study https://t.co/nZe7yvmwic
— CNN (@CNN) August 23, 2020

Climate change doesn't care if the president of the United States thinks it is a "hoax." https://t.co/ltmEQ6jB89
— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) August 22, 2020

For the last 60 years, every decade has been hotter than the last, and 2020 is poised to be among the hottest years ever. See what it’s like to live in extreme heat around the world. https://t.co/UkeACz4cN1
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 9, 2020

The Post is now making its analysis of U.S. climate data accessible to the public to promote a deeper understanding of the regional and local effects of climate change.

More info ➡️ https://t.co/hqJmuVR3OO https://t.co/xhAiHNniZr
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 7, 2020

If the world does nothing to mitigate sea level rise, coastal flooding will become so extreme and destructive that it could cause damage worth up to 20% of global gross domestic product by 2100, according to new research https://t.co/8ruFONo0FR
— CNN (@CNN) July 30, 2020

Wildfires, record warmth and rapidly melting ice: Arctic climate goes further off the rails this summer https://t.co/DAL33y9wnX
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 29, 2020

Meanwhile…. https://t.co/Hi6t2xFxhu
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) July 27, 2020

As the planet heats and crops fail, millions of people will be forced to choose between flight or death.

New research suggests that climate change will cause humans to move at an unprecedented scale.

And for many, this great migration has already begun. https://t.co/jcjsvTrI3L
— NYT Magazine (@NYTmag) July 23, 2020

From @pewscience: Two-Thirds of Americans Think Government Should Do More on Climate https://t.co/MX2rlnXoBY pic.twitter.com/yAk73JuO5Z
— Pew Research Fact Tank (@FactTank) July 19, 2020

Siberian heat streak and Arctic temperature record virtually "impossible" without global warming, study says https://t.co/Wi1lpmgVLA
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 16, 2020

BIDEN CLIMATE PLAN

—100% carbon-free electricity by 2035
—1 million green auto jobs
—Zero-emission public transport in 100K+ cities
—Upgrade 4M buildings (w/ cash rebates)
—Weatherize 2M homes in four years
—1.5M sustainable homes/units
—250K jobs plugging abandoned wells/mines
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 14, 2020

Fake Trump and Manson pic

lol!

I approve of this fake picture. It would make a great black velvet painting.

Dead https://t.co/v2qmB1bf0g
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) August 25, 2020

Lots of lies at the Republican National Convention (RNC) Day One

Trump lies so his defenders have to lie to support him.

CNN: RNC night one was a "parade of dishonesty…" https://t.co/Sz5lkxnqIB

WaPo: A "fire hose" of false or misleading claims… https://t.co/RuyBxi5CBo

NYT: A "fierce and misleading defense" of Trump's political record… https://t.co/M5iDYnQhKL
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 25, 2020

Covers: Tennessee Jed

“Tennessee Jed” is a Grateful Dead song that first appeared on their live album “Europe ’72”. I don’t think they were ever better than they were then. There’s a fine cover by Levon Helm.

Before it was released on Europe ’72.

Covers: Suffering with the Blues

“Suffering with the Blues” was made famous by Little Willie John which was released in October 1956. I didn’t know that there was an earlier version by Joe Medlin in February 1956. I encourage you to look at the site Second Hand Songs which has great information about covers.

James Brown recorded an outstanding version on a tribute album Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things in 1968 soon after Little Willie John died. I first heard Brown’s version on the excellent two CD anthology Messing with the Blues (1990) which is explores Brown’s covers of songs that inspired him. You can really hear the pain in his voice.

Ike and Tina Turner!

Pompeo shouldn’t talk at the Republican convention

Trump has politicized everything. Pompeo won’t follow guidance he gave his employees.

Pompeo RNC speech while in Israel for official business is worth investigating. https://t.co/kCdhvE2843
— Jill Wine-Banks (@JillWineBanks) September 6, 2020

Secretary of State Pompeo sent a cable to all U.S. diplomatic missions last month warning diplomats that under federal law they should not take overt sides in the presidential campaign.

On Tuesday, he plans to ignore his own warning by speaking to the RNC https://t.co/YWpsVAy40D
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) August 25, 2020

Another State diplomat reached out to blast Pompeo’s RNC address tonight:

Pompeo and Trump “have obliterated the line between government work and politics. Everything in the US government is now bent in service of the president, not the American people.”
— Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox) August 25, 2020

Rules don't apply to @realDonaldTrump and his merry men. https://t.co/h4taaFOKEY
— Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) August 25, 2020

Colin Powell, in 2004, on refusing to attend the Republican convention: "As secretary of state, I am obliged not to participate in any way, shape, fashion, or form in parochial, political debates. I have to take no sides in the matter."https://t.co/fDMG0n96I4
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 25, 2020

The House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations is launching an investigation into Mike Pompeo's RNC address from Jerusalem for potentially violating rules that prohibit federal employees from engaging in political activities. https://t.co/g2TDlRJ7KR
— Axios (@axios) August 25, 2020

Good. Pompeo is one of the most corrupt members of a stunningly corrupt administration. He should be held to account for that. https://t.co/h9ddl45ECY
— Daniel Gilmore (@gilmored85) August 25, 2020

SCOOP: Just a few months ago, SecState Mike Pompeo approved updated restrictions on State Dept employees’ political activities – rules that seem to govern himself, too. Now he’s going to appear at the Republican National Convention. Weird, no? My latest: https://t.co/np9LjsGT7V
— Nahal Toosi (@nahaltoosi) August 24, 2020

“Longtime State Department employees I spoke to are furious with Pompeo’s decision to feature in the Republican Party’s showpiece.” https://t.co/RyZ26gV84i
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) August 24, 2020

It is unprecedented in modern times for a Secretary of State to address a political convention. This is not wise at a time when our chief diplomat should be focussed on restoring America’s lost global credibility. https://t.co/BGYlJULy3w
— Nicholas Burns (@RNicholasBurns) August 24, 2020

Pompeo's speech to the #RNCConvention2020 makes a mockery of the memo warning against this behavior that he issued to State Department officials. What kind of example does this set? pic.twitter.com/FERoMFXser
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) August 24, 2020

“We should not be using American diplomacy for partisan political purposes,” a State Department official critical of Pompeo’s upcoming RNC address told me https://t.co/JYP2q8rUV7
— Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox) August 24, 2020

What is depressing about Pompeo’s legacy at State is he knows better. He graduated first from West Point and went to Harvard Law. Still he plays down to the ignorant autocrat tearing away at the heritage of America’s political and constitutional norms. https://t.co/tfT74NekAt
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 24, 2020

Rich people own most of US stocks

Trump brags about the stock market but most people don’t benefit from it. Trump wants to cut taxes on capital gains which would benefit the wealthy.

To repeat:

The top 10% of earners own 87% of all U.S. stocks. https://t.co/JizWy97mho
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) August 24, 2020

Your reminder that the richest 1 percent own half of the stock market, and the richest 10 percent own almost all (92 percent) of it.

So when Trump brags about the stock market, he's not talking about the economy that 90 percent of Americans inhabit.
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) August 24, 2020

One really encouraging thing about the past few days is that nobody seems to care about the stock market hitting new highs. Good judgment! The stock market is not the economy. Still, is there a puzzle here? Less than you might imagine 1/
— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) August 19, 2020

1) Almost half of Americans don’t own stocks
2) 10% of Americans own 86% of all stocks
3) The stock market is not the economy
4) The deficit is exploding
5) 1 in 6 Americans can’t find work
6) 84 days until we beat you https://t.co/8yM2JNAa1l
— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) August 11, 2020

Deere sales are down 25%. Yet it's making a $2.25 billion profit this year by doing mass job cuts.

Companies everywhere are doing this, which is how the stock market booms amid lower revenues.

Remember which companies valued profits over humanshttps://t.co/vP1tlQfGC5
— Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) August 24, 2020

Doubts about the 2020 census

With 5 weeks to go, statisticians are worried that the 2020 US census may be a disaster. Here are their suggestions for how to avoid a serious undercount. https://t.co/XrRFErDBPa
— Jeffrey Mervis (@jeffmervis) August 24, 2020

“'If the current situation holds, I do not expect a census of the quality that the Census Bureau will even want to release the data,' said the official who oversaw the 2000 census…"https://t.co/8hOBu8rZl2
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) August 24, 2020

The 2020 census is short by about 80,000 field workers, people who knock on the doors of households that have not responded to the survey, the Commerce Department inspector general says https://t.co/impyRp1ui6 pic.twitter.com/FvbZ9D7Hyd
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 21, 2020

A coalition of groups, including those representing Blacks and women, filed what is at least the seventh lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's handling of the 2020 census this summer https://t.co/upo7zI4oRf
— CNN (@CNN) August 19, 2020

Inspector general asked to review Census Bureau’s decision to end count early https://t.co/JQevLYgS65
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) August 12, 2020

The census count is about money and power. Now, abrupt changes to the Census deadline by the Trump admin will likely lead to an undercount of Black and Latino communities. Latest w/ @KunkleFredrick https://t.co/QhrmbmIIdO
— Jose A. Del Real (@jdelreal) August 9, 2020

I just filed a motion to halt President Trump's efforts to illegally leave millions of undocumented immigrants out of the congressional apportionment in the #2020Census.

I will take every legal action available to ensure all communities are properly represented in Congress.
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) August 7, 2020

“It’s an attempt at political beheading of the Latino vote,” said national @LULAC president Domingo Garcia. “It just reeks of political opportunism.”

Cutting census counting a month short could suppress the vote of minority communities across the US: https://t.co/NSLucr0dn4
— Vox (@voxdotcom) August 7, 2020

“This is more nefarious than people realize,” Stacey Abrams says of the census count finishing early. “Do not let them end the census early. Make them do their jobs so we have an accurate census and an accurate count of America.”https://t.co/NVmqfqVcJw
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 7, 2020

This violates the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires all “persons” to be counted. https://t.co/qTNbZ3KZX2
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) July 21, 2020

This move by #Trump to change to the CONSTITUTIONALLY mandated count of EVERY person in the USA! WOW! The exclusion of unauthorized immigrants from the numbers used to divide up seats in Congress seems HIGHLY illegal. Especially given the #SCOTUS ruling. Just. Wow. #Census2020
— @tiffanydcross (@TiffanyDCross) July 21, 2020

With a month left, a judge is asked to give the 2020 census more time https://t.co/kD0rG7cTn5 pic.twitter.com/XEitjqQ8rv
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 25, 2020

Will Donald Trump, Jr. be the Republican nominee in 2024?

I think he will, regardless of who wins this election. The former Republican party is now a Trump cult. They don’t like government so they won’t be interested in traditional politicians like Pence and Cruz.

New video w/ @sarahellison:

How Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 Republican convention speech launched his newfound political careerhttps://t.co/iVh6ZtZOn1 https://t.co/8lDfp8LIz0
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) August 24, 2020

“As he works to secure a second term for Trump this November, Trump Jr. is also thinking about his own political future. He is wagering that by going all in on his father’s presidency.” https://t.co/xsP1lQKVsS
— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) August 24, 2020

Lots of establishment Republicans roll their eyes at the idea of Donald Trump Jr. running. They are not taking this seriously enough. pic.twitter.com/G8N5koJ66D
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) August 24, 2020