January 1, Florida’s Summer of Dread: Isaias Nears Virus-Hit Florida

This Day in History | 1990

Iraqi forces invade Kuwait, Iraq’s tiny, oil-rich neighbor. Kuwait’s defense forces were rapidly overwhelmed, and those that were not destroyed retreated to Saudi Arabia. The emir of Kuwait, his family, and other government leaders fled to Saudi Arabia, and within hours Kuwait City had been captured and the Iraqis had established a provincial government. Operation Desert Shield, the American defense of Saudi Arabia, began one week later.

Good morning Middle Americans, 

Well, good morning to everyone except Florida, we guess. Not a great time for the sunshine state – if you believe most of the media reports. We borrowed our headline from the New York TImes. We’ll know a lot more after today how bad it’s going to get in Florida. Former V.P. Joe Biden and his vice presidential selection will formally accept the party’s nomination at the Democrats’ national convention, scheduled for Aug. 17-20, and he is expected to announce his pick before it begins. In the mean time, all the potential nominees are jockeying for position. Finally, there are a lot of people who are very upset by President Trump’s decision to ban the Chinese App Tik Tok from the U.S., but if you are one of these people you should really take a closer look at the app, and what it was designed for. It’s as addictive as crack, only it sends a lot of data to the communist government of China. 

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon

Isaias Nears Virus-Hit Florida After Lashing the Bahamas

(AP) – Early bands of heavy rain from Isaias lashed Florida’s east coast before dawn Sunday as authorities warily eyed the approaching storm, which threatened to snarl efforts to quell surging cases of the coronavirus across the region. 

Isaias weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm late Saturday afternoon, but was still expected to bring heavy rain and flooding as it barrels toward Florida.

“Don’t be fooled by the downgrade,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned during a news conference on Saturday after the storm — pronounced ees-ah-EE-ahs — spent hours roughing up the Bahamas.

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Biden’s Potential Running Mates Jockey for Position

(Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to interview the finalists to be his running mate in the coming days, according to a person familiar with the process, as allies of the top contenders redoubled their efforts to push Biden toward their favored choice.

The announcement is not likely to come next week, according to two other people familiar with the matter. Biden and his vice presidential selection will formally accept the party’s nomination at the Democrats’ national convention, scheduled for Aug. 17-20, and he is expected to announce his pick before it begins. 

U.S. Representative Karen Bass, a Black lawmaker from California who was not seen as a candidate early on, has risen to the top tier alongside two other Black women, Senator Kamala Harris and former national security adviser Susan Rice, according to Democratic officials and Biden allies.

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TikTok Says It’s ‘Here for the Long Run’ After Trump Floats Ban 

(Fox News) – TikTok on Saturday said it’s “here for the long run” and “not planning on going anywhere” after President Trump said he intends to ban the popular video app over widespread concerns about data security.

“We’re not planning on going anywhere,” U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas said in a video, thanking supporters for their backing.

“We appreciate the support, we’re here for the long run and continue to share your voice here and let’s stand up for TikTok,” she said.

Find out more here