Retailers Struggle to Survive Through Black Friday in Coronavirus America

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Black Friday appears to be calm but not catastrophically slow across much of the United States.

Most of the country’s biggest retailers were closed Thursday and abjured the late-night or midnight doorbuster openings of years past due to the risk of coronavirus infection. When they opened their doors on Friday morning, stores in some areas had small lines or few shoppers while in other areas shoppers faced sizeable lines, although none comparable to the prepandemic era.

The pandemic has created some wild and unpredictable swings in the economy, triggering shortages at times and igniting a home-buying boom. How holiday shopping will be affected is a big question mark at this point, making this arguably the most important Black Friday since the frightening days of the 2008 financial crisis.

Consumer spending has been surprisingly robust since the economy began to reopen and the labor market has staged a swifter than expected recovery. Many consumers are feeling flush, their wealth boosted by a stock market that has pushed the S&P 500 up 65 percent since the lockdown low in March and soaring home values. Money not spent on trips, sports games, movies, or eating out has apparently gone into the purchase of consumer goods and contributed to savings accounts of many households.

It’s unclear whether this will hold up on Black Friday as infections and hospitalizations hit new record highs across much of the country, lockdowns are being reimposed, and layoffs have begun climbing again. Retailers have much less inventory than is typical at this time of the year, a bet that demand will be softer. (Read more from “Retailers Struggle to Survive Through Black Friday in Coronavirus America” HERE)

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Taliban: War with America ‘Will Resume’ if Biden Undoes Trump Peace Deal

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A spokesman for the Taliban told Afghanistan’s Khaama Press in an interview published Thursday that the terrorist group’s “war against the United States will resume … until they leave Afghanistan” if Joe Biden walks back President Donald Trump’s attempts to withdraw U.S. forces from the country.

Trump initiated talks including both the Taliban and the legitimate government of Afghanistan this year to come to an agreement that would result in the end of the American military presence in the country. Afghanistan is America’s longest war, launched in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Trump administration has sought assurances from the Taliban that it would not harbor terrorists seeking to harm American interests – such as the architects of the 9/11 attacks, al-Qaeda – in exchange for America not continuing to attack the jihadist group.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan dropped to their lowest level in eight years in 2020, as peace talks in Doha, Qatar – where the Taliban’s political offices are headquartered – marched on. Attacks on American troops have also declined, though the Taliban has become more prolific in attacking the Afghan military.

Joe Biden has indicated that he does not support a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The Afghan war is not listed as a “priority” on Biden’s administration website, or is any other foreign policy issue.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem Wardak told Khaama Press that he does not anticipate the peace talks with the United States will change under Biden but that the Taliban was prepared in the event that they did. (Read more from “Taliban: War With America ‘Will Resume’ if Biden Undoes Trump Peace Deal” HERE)

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The Shocking Allegations of Mass Vote Fraud Made by Sidney Powell in Georgia; Here’s the Part of Sidney Powell’s Lawsuit That Could Impact the Outcome of the Election

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By Doug Ross.

(For more from the author of “Infographic: The Shocking Allegations of Mass Vote Fraud Made by Sidney Powell in Georgia” please click HERE)

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Here’s the Part of Sidney Powell’s Lawsuit That Could Impact the Outcome of the Election

By Townhall. . .Cortney wrote about Sidney Powell’s solo legal effort. She’s been pretty much cast out of the Trump orbit after making some pretty serious allegations, but then not really backing it up with solid evidence. Tucker Carlson and Rush Limbaugh have called her out on it, noting that you cannot hold a press conference, say you have bombshell evidence, and then never present it. It looks bad. It makes the legal effort look like a clown show. Despite the bumps in the road, the allegations are real and not some acid-addled nonsense like Russian collusion. The problem is that as of now, in the absence of evidence that leads to tossing certain ballots, Joe Biden has the upper hand. It’s not what you know. It’s what you can prove, and the Trump effort has had a hard go of it trying to make their case. Time is the most precious resource. It goes double in politics—and it’s running out quickly.

Trump legal adviser Harmeet Dhillon looked at Powell’s legal challenge and went on a lengthy Twitter thread zeroing in on some of the most serious allegations. Powell asserts again that Dominion systems can be easily hacked, which the company has denied. Dhillon noted that if successful, Powell’s legal challenge could alter the election, given how small the margin of victory is in some states. She added that maybe zeroing in on a lesser-known part of the alleged voter irregularities might do better in the courts. Lesser known, but still serious.

(Read more from “Here’s the Part of Sidney Powell’s Lawsuit That Could Impact the Outcome of the Election” HERE)

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SCOTUS Blocks Cuomo’s COVID Restrictions on Church Attendance in New York

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In a 5-4 ruling late Wednesday night, the U.S Supreme Court barred the state of New York from imposing strict attendance limits on religious services, in a major win for religious freedom.

Orthodox Jewish group Agudath Israel of America and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn sued New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for discriminatory targeting of religious groups with COVID restrictions, as houses of worship were being held to far more stringent standards than neighboring businesses.

At the time of the lawsuits filing, both the Agudath Israel of America and Diocese of Brooklyn fell into red or orange zones, which under state law allowed only 10 or 25 people into a house of worship at any time, regardless of the building’s typical capacity. At the same time, stores and business deemed essential were given far laxer standards, some even lacking any limits on their capacity.

Newly minted Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas in support of the aggrieved religious groups, while Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

The per curium opinion determined that New York’s targeted responses run in direct opposition to the First Amendment, stating, “Even in a pandemic, the Constitution cannot be put away and forgotten. The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty.” (Read more from “SCOTUS Blocks Cuomo’s COVID Restrictions on Church Attendance in New York” HERE)

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UK Govt: Lockdown Likely to Last 12+ Months, ‘Hard Winter’ Coming, Repeated Vaccinations May Be Required

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Lockdowns won’t end until anticipated vaccines “come to our aid” in the future and the country can expect a “hard winter”, the Prime Minister has said, as the government’s science advisor warned it is quite possible the coronavirus will simply mutate to outperform vaccinations.

Speaking at the Downing Street press conference hours after the details of the new post-lockdown-lockdown were revealed to the country, Prime Minister Boris Johnson made clear to the nation that there was no reasonable hope of lockdown ending soon, saying merely that there was “reason to hope” that spring would see an end of “this era of restrictions”.

Given the United Kingdom’s regime of lockdowns began in March 2020, it stands to reason that the Prime Ministers remarks confirm that the nation’s lockdown will be in place with varying degrees of intensity for at least a full calendar year.

As England emerges from the so-called second lockdown running into early December and heads straight into tighter-than-before tiered regional lockdowns, the Prime Minister also teased that things stand to get worse before they improve. Johnson said: “to get there we must first navigate a hard winter, when the burden on our NHS is heaviest, and cold weather favours the virus… If we ease off now, we risk losing control all over again.” . . .

Yet subsequent comments by the science experts flanking the Prime Minister at Thursday’s conference made clear that the arrival of a vaccine would not necessarily herald the end of Covid-19 as repeat vaccinations may, in the eyes of the government, be required in return for allowing society to re-establish itself. (Read more from “UK Govt: Lockdown Likely to Last 12+ Months, ‘Hard Winter’ Coming, Repeated Vaccinations May Be Required” HERE)

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Michigan GOP Electors Ask Court to Name Trump Winner

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A new lawsuit brought by a group of Michigan Republicans asks a federal judge to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state[.]

Six Republicans — three who would be Electoral College electors for President Donald Trump and three local GOP officials — filed the suit in federal court Wednesday night, two days after the Board of State Canvassers certified Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in Michigan.

Among their attorneys is Sidney Powell, who appeared at a press conference with Trump’s legal representatives last week. Since then, however, the Trump campaign has said that Powell is working on her own. . .

“Relief sought is the elimination of the mail ballots from counting in the 2020 election,” the 75-page suit says. “Alternatively, the electors for the State of Michigan should be disqualified from counting toward the 2020 election.

“Alternatively, the electors of the State of Michigan should be directed to vote for President Donald Trump.” (Read more from “Michigan GOP Electors Ask Court to Name Trump Winner” HERE)

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Michael Flynn, Family Thank Trump for Pardon: ‘Tyranny Will Not Topple Us’

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Following his full pardon from President Donald Trump on Wednesday, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn thanked the president, calling the move a “Pardon of Innocence.”

Flynn tweeted Thursday morning his thanks to the president in a short message that included a bible verse. . .

Flynn’s family released a lengthier statement Wednesday after the president’s pardon.

“For four long years, our family and millions of American patriots stood arm-in-arm together with our brother, General Michael T. Flynn, fighting the vicious, deep-rooted corruption of government institutions and vengeful individuals intent on destroying General Flynn and our country in shameful defiance of justice and the Rule of Law. Those individuals have disgraced the United States of America. The perpetuation of this political persecution of General Flynn was further fermented by Judge Emmet Sullivan’s refusal to dismiss the fraudulent prosecution. Judge Sullivan’s inactions are a reprehensible assault against the Constitution and will live in infamy the world over and is his legacy,” the statement said. (Read more from “Michael Flynn, Family Thank Trump for Pardon: ‘Tyranny Will Not Topple Us’” HERE)

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‘Don’t Talk to Me Like That’: Why Trump Got Testy With a Reporter and Had to Shut Him Down (VIDEO)

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President Trump got testy with a reporter and had to shut him down today. The president held a presser and took questions for the first time since Americans went to the polls earlier this month. The 2020 election has been called by the media and Democrats, but the allegations of voter fraud remain a lingering issue. Jeff Mason of Reuters began to speak over the president, which prompted a visibly irritated Trump to call Mason a “lightweight.” What prompted Trump shutting down Mason was an exchange regarding the certification of the Electoral College results (via Mediaite):

Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason asked Trump whether he would think about conceding the election when the Electoral College votes for Joe Biden, to which Trump responded, “Well if they do, they made a mistake, because this election was a fraud.”

“Just so you understand, this election was a fraud,” he continued. “So no, I can’t say that at all. I think it’s a possibility… they’re trying to, look, between you people…”

As Mason started to talk over Trump in an attempt to ask his question again, Trump snapped.

“Don’t talk to me that way,” he protested. “You’re just a lightweight. Don’t talk to me that way. Don’t talk to…”

(Read more from “‘Don’t Talk to Me Like That’: Why Trump Got Testy With a Reporter and Had to Shut Him Down” HERE)

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Cops Refuse to Be the Thanksgiving Police

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After failing to deal with months of violent riots in Portland, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced that she instead wants the police to go after families celebrating Thanksgiving.

When asked whether Oregonians should call the police on their neighbors if they have more than 6 people in their homes for Thanksgiving, she replied, “This is no different than what happens if there’s a party down the street… they call law enforcement.”

Except law enforcement has no interest in replying.

The Marion County Sheriff’s office, whose jurisdiction includes the state capital, declined, stating, “We cannot arrest or enforce our way out of the pandemic.”

When Governor Cuomo of New York, whose order forcing nursing homes to accept infected coronavirus patients may have killed as many as 11,000 senior citizens, tried to enlist law enforcement in his crackdown on Thanksgiving, the sheriffs of New York also wouldn’t do it. (Read more from “Cops Refuse to Be the Thanksgiving Police” HERE)

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Grover Cleveland Knew How Thanksgiving Could Lift Up A Hurting Nation

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. . .[W]hile there are several past presidential Thanksgiving proclamations worth revisiting as 2020 comes to a merciful close, President Grover Cleveland’s 1888 proclamation is especially fitting to our present moment. A man of notoriously unimpeachable character and son of a Presbyterian minister, Cleveland’s Thanksgiving proclamations grasp the proper tenor of the holiday and are notable for a couple of “firsts.” . . .

To start, his statement poignantly acknowledges God’s hand in guiding the nation and reinforces the need for Americans to be faithful. Cleveland trusts that the American people will take the national day of Thanksgiving to refrain from work, and, instead, dedicate the holiday to offering sincere, heartfelt thanks for their many blessings.

Most notably, at the conclusion of his 1888 Thanksgiving proclamation, Cleveland mentions an “afflictive dispensation” that has stricken a portion of the nation, beseeching Americans to “acknowledge His mercy in setting bounds to the deadly march of pestilence,” and to “be chastened by sympathy with our fellow-countrymen who have suffered and who mourn.”

Americans living in the late 1880s weren’t battling the novel coronavirus, but they were suffering from continued outbreaks of cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, typhoid, and yellow fever. So Cleveland took time in his 1888 Thanksgiving proclamation to reflect on both the tremendous gift that is life on this earth, as well as its fragile nature.

By calling on Americans to cherish life and to express sympathy and grieve with those who have lost loved ones to disease or illness, Cleveland was asking the men and women of the nation to follow through on two central precepts of Christian doctrine: to love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. (READ MORE FROM “Grover Cleveland Knew How Thanksgiving Could Lift up a Hurting Nation” HERE)

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