Covers: My Old Friend the Blues

Steve Earle released the original version in 1986. I’m putting it here because I like the bluegrass version he did with the Del McCoury band. I found a cover by Percy Sledge who covered other country songs over the years. If you like the Earle/McCoury combination, check out The Mountain (1999) an album of original bluegrass songs written by Earle. There are also other Earle/McCoury videos on YouTube.

View Posts

Trump sabotages FDA vaccine guidance

He’s the one making it political. While he is president, I would only take a vaccine if Fauci says to do it. I don’t trust Trump.

Breaking News: President Trump undercut government scientists on new FDA guidelines for approving a coronavirus vaccine, suggesting the plan might be political.https://t.co/bNh0g3SiVu
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 23, 2020

Trump meltdown in 10, 9, 8….

FDA to announce tougher standards for a coronavirus vaccine that make it unlikely one will be cleared by Election Day unlikely. https://t.co/fNnJxJhVRU
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) September 22, 2020

President Trump said today that the White House may not approve tougher FDA guidelines for authorizing the emergency use of any coronavirus vaccineshttps://t.co/yPT2Si7vAJ
— POLITICO (@politico) September 23, 2020

Trump, asked about stricter guidelines by the FDA before a vaccine can be released: "That has to be approved by the White House."

There you have it.

The vaccine has to be approved by the White House.
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) September 23, 2020

I don’t know if this true or Trump made it up

FDA declines to comment when asked if the White House would have to approve changes to vaccine approval standards, as President Trump claimed during his briefing tonight.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) September 23, 2020

The FDA is in a tough spot. Trump could fire people if they disagree with him.

Last week President Trump rebuked the CDC Director's testimony on masks and timing of a virus vaccine.

This time the President rejected the FDA Commissioner's testimony on safety reviews for a vaccine.

"Ultimately, the White House has to approve it."https://t.co/PBx4Of5ebY
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) September 23, 2020

“If the president [overruled the FDA on the timing of a vaccine release], physicians all over the country would advise their patients not to take the vaccine.” —Dr. Jonathan Reiner, ex-White House medical advisor, on @cnn, just now.
— Paul Farhi (@farhip) September 23, 2020

But Trump’s bleach-swilling cult members would take it.

Trump lies update 9/23/20

Trump said he brought back 700K manufacturing jobs. It's negative-237K under Trump as of August. It was plus-483K as of February.

Trump said he put coal miners back to work. It's negative-5.3K under Trump as of August. It was negative-1K as of February. https://t.co/7oyDoW4Mu6
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 23, 2020

Dishonesty chain – from Tom Elliott and Ian Miles Cheong to some conservative activists to Eric Trump to a Trump campaign senior advisor to a retweet from the president himself. https://t.co/0zEeAVZHf3 pic.twitter.com/y5AsfAKc32
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 23, 2020

Analysis: Tucker Carlson and Trump baselessly suggest Ginsburg’s granddaughter lied about Ginsburg’s dying wish https://t.co/etFoVtWsf4
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 22, 2020

a disgusting lie even by Trump’s standards

Trump falsely claims covid-19 “affects virtually nobody” as death toll approaches 200,000… https://t.co/oSy9kWhXrw
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) September 22, 2020

Fact check: President Trump baselessly claims Democratic politicians wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish https://t.co/pblLSrwuv4
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 22, 2020

No justice for Breonna Taylor

What Kentucky did was ridiculous. Support the Louisville Community Bail Fund. I did. See the first tweet below.

The best way to show up from afar for the city of #Louisville and organizers as they face the grand jury decision in the murder of #BreonnaTaylor is to RT their experiences and help fund & share the bail fund. https://t.co/J3scpnAVQK
— brittany packnett cunningham does not do remixes. (@MsPackyetti) September 23, 2020

Correct. That is the state of human rights in Kentucky. https://t.co/mgHsEcreEG
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 23, 2020

So no one in Louisville was responsible for killing Breonna Taylor, but the city awarded $12m to her estate? The city must have thought someone did something to settle like that, no?
— Madhulika Sikka (@madhulikasikka) September 23, 2020

There’s an armed group of Trump white supremacists ready to meet them. This is not a drill. Keep your eyes on Louisville. https://t.co/gvTGmR8g5v
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) September 23, 2020

That sums up what Black people are feeling at this moment all over the country about the American promise of equal justice and full citizenship. https://t.co/74OrL1tVtK
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) September 23, 2020

The sobs.

That’s what’s sticking with me here in Louisville as I see the reaction to the Breonna Taylor announcement. I’ve covered a lot of these but I don’t remember ever seeing this much hurt, this much crying from protesters.
— John Eligon (@jeligon) September 23, 2020

Daniel Cameron just called Breonna Taylor’s death “part of a national story.” No, man. Her death is a robbery. Those officers robbed her of her life. They robbed her family and her boyfriend of their loved one. They robbed Louisville of a first responder. Who elected this man?
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 23, 2020

Bear in mind that the prosecutor presents information to the grand jury.

It's not a public proceeding, so we don't know what Louisville prosecutors said to those jurors about Breonna Taylor's murder.

But we do know that this indictment is pathetic in light of the evidence.
— Adrienne Lawrence (@AdrienneLaw) September 23, 2020

Celebrities spoke out about the Breonna Taylor case https://t.co/e5VlFvCFkr
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) September 23, 2020

What a racist, bottomlessly narcissistic piece of shit Donald Trump is https://t.co/4fyz8oOWDC
— Daniel Gilmore (@gilmored85) September 23, 2020

Surreal scene here on Bardstown Road in Louisville….100 police officers with lights and riot gear on…Protesters around the streets

And then an Ice Cream truck drives up with its music playing right in the middle

A woman scream “READ THE ROOM ICE CREAM MAN!!!!”
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) September 23, 2020

Nobody will stand trial in the death of Breonna Taylor because that's the way things work in the world created by our misbegotten "war" on drugs, a world in which very few of us live, and that even fewer of us understand. https://t.co/BeZXli74Qd
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) September 23, 2020

Cameron is not, to my mind, a “sellout.” He’s just a tool. A tool of the White supremacist system unable or unwilling to oppose it. He didn’t betray anybody because ain’t nobody who knows what he’s about counted on him to be any better than he is.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) September 23, 2020

👇🏽 https://t.co/3suDLxHrYF
— Maya Wiley (@mayawiley) September 23, 2020

Police in Louisville tonight pic.twitter.com/t262TgTc5W
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) September 23, 2020

This has become a national phenomenon with enormous dangers going forward: https://t.co/ePaopRCJTE
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) September 23, 2020

So it turns out they can arrest someone without waiting six months? https://t.co/VxND9K9e5w
— John Iadarola (@johniadarola) September 23, 2020

Take note that the (Democratic) prosecutors who whiffed the ball on grand juries for Tamir Rice and Michael Brown were subsequently voted out of their jobs. Just leaving that right there for ole Mr. Cameron. #getthisdance
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 23, 2020

Coronavirus science notes 09/23/20

As many as one in three Covid-19 patients will develop symptoms that linger for months. Their circumstances, still little understood by the medical community, may play a significant role in shaping the country’s response to the pandemic.https://t.co/qS8dR0PO6p pic.twitter.com/ToZR83kyRO
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 28, 2020

Another consequence of our inability or refusal to contain the pandemic: Massive genetic study shows coronavirus mutating and potentially evolving amid rapid U.S. spread https://t.co/p8OHL02rcd
— Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) September 23, 2020

General consensus (AFAIK!) is that fomites are not a significant vector for SARS-CoV-2. I stopped wiping down groceries and boxes when I read @larrybrilliant wasn't doing it. (Keep washing your hands, obviously…) https://t.co/2xJyRgS5fX
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) September 18, 2020

My son, Raphael, working with Benji Wu and Leo Jacoby, made this. They're students; it was their stuck-indoors summer project. https://t.co/pJbt0EGttO https://t.co/tduKXUr2yz
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) September 22, 2020

As the US borders 200,000 deaths, why the hope of eliminating COVID increasingly diminishes. By me for @axios https://t.co/HHGmFzdrdV
— Bryan Walsh (@bryanrwalsh) September 20, 2020

The problem with getting tested too soon after COVID-19 exposure is that it can create a false-negative result, since there may not be enough viral particles present to be detected. How long you should wait, and what you should do in the meantime: https://t.co/XeN8xOF7nB pic.twitter.com/ic5iHFQY7r
— WebMD (@WebMD) September 18, 2020

The CDC has issued a news release to clarify what precautions should be taken by a person who has already been infected with coronavirus. What you need to know: https://t.co/8xzwOO8Vyq pic.twitter.com/4fNtn5Oqem
— WebMD (@WebMD) August 15, 2020

The CDC reversed a recommendation that previously said people don’t necessarily need to get tested for the coronavirus if they had close contact with someone with COVID-19 but don’t have any symptoms themselves. What you need to know: https://t.co/SV1OQ3a5aF pic.twitter.com/2zvDrMvRJv
— WebMD (@WebMD) September 18, 2020

Coronavirus kills far more Hispanic and Black children than White youths, CDC study finds /health/2020/09/15/covid-deaths-hispanic-black-children/?tid=ss_tw
— Terry McMillan (@MsTerryMcMillan) September 15, 2020

Coronavirus polls update 09/23/20

Who do you trust more on information about the coronavirus via new Quinnipiac poll:

Democrats:
1% President Trump
97% CDC scientists

Republicans:
51% President Trump
36% CDC scientists
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) September 23, 2020

New poll: 51% of Republicans say they trust President Trump over CDC scientists on COVID-19, another indication of how partisan politics have consumed the national conversation about the virus. https://t.co/rrNmouLj8T
— Fadel Allassan (@FadelAllassan) September 23, 2020

ARIZONA
Has [see below] done a good job or bad job handling the coronavirus outbreak?

Donald Trump
Good job 42%
Bad job 55%

Governor Doug Ducey
Good job 48%
Bad job 49%

(Monmouth U. Poll, RV, 9/11-15/20)https://t.co/IiCgGgKEMr
— PollingReport.com (@pollreport) September 17, 2020

Most Americans are skeptical of Pres. Trump's performance on the COVID pandemic, disbelieving of his rhetoric on the virus and critical of what they view as his lagging approach to containing it, new @ABC News/Ipsos poll finds. https://t.co/IHcVMCBkU1
— ABC News (@ABC) September 15, 2020

New @pewresearch poll in 14 countries: Has your country done a good job dealing with coronavirus?

Denmark 95%
Australia 94%
Canada 88%
Germany 88%
Netherlands 87%
South Korea 86%
Italy 74%
Sweden 71%
Belgium 61%
France 59%
Japan 55%
Spain 54%
United States 47%
United Kingdom 46%
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) August 28, 2020

Covers: Hit the Road Jack

Percy Mayfield wrote songs for Ray Charles after his own popularity waned. “Hit the Road Jack” was a big hit for Charles in 1961. Many years later, Mayfield’s demo was released.

Behind The Song Lyrics: “Hit the Road, Jack” Ray Charles

Covers: Stranger in My Own Hometown

Percy Mayfield’s “Stranger in My Own Hometown” is from 1964. I know it best from the cover by Taj Mahal in 1993 on his fine album Dancing the Blues. Mahal has done a great job covering songs by artists not remembered much now like T-Bone Walker, Fats Domino and Mayfield.

Elvis Presley recorded it in 1969.

Trump is trying to prevent people from voting in Pennsylvania

There are issues over “naked” ballots that don’t have an envelope inside the mailing envelope and how long mail ballots will be accepted. This will wind up in courts just like Republican voter suppression efforts in other states.

Pennsylvania Republicans plan to appeal mail ballot deadline ruling to U.S. Supreme Court https://t.co/l8STYB4tMU
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 23, 2020

🚨UPDATE: Last night the Pennsylvania Federal Court DISMISSED GOP naked ballots and third-party ballot delivery claims. Court also ruled that it will continue to ABSTAIN from ballot drop-box site claims and notice requirements. More here re next steps👇https://t.co/xHdwqx0X0B
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) September 23, 2020

They're called 'naked ballots'. Tonight, there's concern they could disenfranchise 100,000 Pennsylvania voters. In 2016, the state was decided by 44,000 votes.

Key reminder: Ballot goes into secrecy envelope, both go into outer, declaration envelope.https://t.co/cPLTbu2tWd pic.twitter.com/Zk5jNbFAsb
— David Kaplan (@DKaplanWTAE) September 22, 2020

Calling all billionaires with a belief in democracy!@chrislhayes explains how “naked ballots” could cost Joe Biden the Pennsylvania vote and why an educational campaign is more important than ever. pic.twitter.com/xfnFO21s0D
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) September 23, 2020

Look, regardless of the outcome, 80-100k or more PA ballots being tossed out on a technicality is a foreseeable train wreck. Perhaps more national news outlets should be picking this up? https://t.co/wX65ghFUgP
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) September 22, 2020

In a letter to GOP state leg leaders, an election official warns 100K PA voters could be disenfranchised b/c of a ruling rejecting naked ballots. It "set PA up to be the subject of significant post-election legal controversy, the likes of which we have not seen since FL in 2000." pic.twitter.com/3ml96W00EX
— Holly Otterbein (@hollyotterbein) September 21, 2020

A few people brushed off my PA "naked ballots" scenario the other day as "concern trolling." In reality, it's a very serious issue.

Here is the *chairwoman of Philadelphia's city commissioners* warning that 30,000-40,000 mail ballots could be invalidated in Philadelphia ALONE. https://t.co/Wr0YCnBW1C
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) September 21, 2020

Just heard from a reporter in western PA who's about to uncover yet *another* county where the naked ballot rate was ~5% in June. This appears to be the norm, not the exception.
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) September 22, 2020

“The state Supreme Court in PA, a critical battleground state that’s seen as increasingly likely to determine who wins the White House, last week ordered officials to throw out ‘naked ballots’ — mail ballots that arrive w/o inner ‘secrecy envelopes.’” 1/ https://t.co/vvEJCIft8g
— Jennifer Cohn ✍🏻 (@jennycohn1) September 22, 2020

"Naked" ballot rules put thousands of Pennsylvania mail-in votes at risk, Philadelphia official warns https://t.co/fLJ9IkRsMo pic.twitter.com/SwfJfXyVlV
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 22, 2020

Trump’s bigotry

He’s a racist and anti-Semitic. I have no idea how Jews can vote for Trump after the “very fine people” comments about Charlottesville neo-Nazis. He also says that Israel is our country. Not true. I am an American.

I don’t have a clever tweet. I’m just disgusted and offended, and Jews should take note. “After phone calls with Jewish lawmakers, Trump has muttered that Jews “are only in it for themselves” and “stick together” in an ethnic allegiance..” https://t.co/5yH5lBXNzZ
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) September 23, 2020

President Trump turns Rosh Hashanah call into campaign pitch and tells Jewish leaders "we love your country" https://t.co/wmpb5YMihO
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 17, 2020