Trump protects red states only in offshore drilling ban

Ten-year moratorium leaves out North Carolina and Virginia:

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday in Florida imposing a 10-year moratorium on offshore drilling in waters from Florida to South Carolina, leaving North Carolina open to potential activity.

Under the order, leases of areas along the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina for the purposes of offshore exploration or development are prohibited between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2032. What is not clear is why the order omits North Carolina and Virginia, where residents have been vocally opposed to offshore drilling, often citing the potential impact to fisheries and coastal tourism.

Oh, it's clear as a bell. DeSantis, Kemp, and McMaster are all Republicans, while Cooper and Northam are Democrats. Nobody wants that shit anywhere near their beaches, but when you've got a partisan hack like Trump making these calls, punishing states who (even moderately) support the other party is fair game. Here's more from the Southern Environmental Law Center:

Thursday News: Bigot on the bench

TRUMP'S SUPREME COURT SHORT LIST INCLUDES NC WOMAN WITH TIES TO ANTI-LGBTQ GROUP: A Duke University graduate with ties to an anti-LGBT group has been included in President Donald Trump's list of nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Allison Jones Rushing was born in Henderson, North Carolina, in 1982 and was nominated to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which represents West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis tweeted his thanks to Trump, writing, "Judge Rushing is a western NC native I was proud to recommend to serve on the Fourth Circuit and a strong conservative choice who would uphold the Constitution." In March 2019, NBC News reported Rushing has ties to an anti-gay "hate group" called The Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF. According to NBC, ADF "has a long track record of opposing the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals."
https://www.wral.com/trump-lists-nc-native-with-ties-to-anti-lgbt-group-as-pick-for-supreme-court/19...

Alamance battleground: Protesters arrested for stepping in jail parking lot

Sheriff Terry Johnson is nothing more than a petty tyrant:

The demonstration took a turn, however, once the march reached the jail. Deputies quickly arrested and detained Nicholas Cassette for not complying with orders to vacate the parking lot in a fast enough manner. Though officers sequestered protestors to the sidewalk along West Pine Street, protestors didn't know they weren't allowed in the parking lot.

Liles was taken into custody after trying to help Nicholas Cassette, and Blunk was arrested for doing the same with Liles. Half an hour after the initial arrests, officers arrested Katherine Cassette for having used what they believed to be foul language.

Foul language? Some 100 inmates in that jail have been stricken by COVID 19, and these idiots are concerned about foul language? It doesn't get much more absurd than that. The protest originated at the County Courthouse, in response to the all Republican County Commissioners' ruling that Graham's Confederate statue cannot be removed:

Wednesday News: Every vote should count

DEM GROUPS FILE LAWSUIT OVER ABSENTEE BALLOT "CURES": Several Democratic groups sued on Tuesday demanding that North Carolina block a provision requiring residents to cast their vote over from scratch if a witness fails to sign or provide an address on the envelope containing their absentee ballot. State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a memo last month that envelopes lacking a witness name, signature or address are declared “spoiled," and a new ballot must be mailed to the voter. The requirement violates the state constitution, in part because it places an undue burden on the right to vote for those without the required witness information, the lawsuit filed in Wake County court says. It argues that the registered voter could miss out on voting due to delays in receiving a new ballot.
https://www.wral.com/democratic-groups-sue-to-seek-fixes-for-more-nc-ballots/19276442/

Tuesday News: Wave him off

WINSTON-SALEM TRUMP RALLY TO BE HELD AT AIRPORT: Smith Reynolds Airport has been gearing up for the president’s Tuesday campaign stop since 6 a.m. Monday morning. Fences have been set up around the airport to handle those who show up to hear the president and those who have planned protests. Hand sanitizer stations and temperature checks will happen as people enter the area. If you go, you also have to sign a waiver saying you take full responsibility if you catch COVID-19 at the campaign stop. Winston-Salem police plan to have more than two miles of road blocked off Tuesday. Liberty Street will be closed from 28th Street to Glenn Avenue at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. Forsyth County deputies will be on-site working alongside secret service.
https://www.cbs17.com/news/north-carolina-news/winston-salem-prepares-ahead-of-president-donald-trum...

Tuesday Twitter roundup

The Postmaster General has now been accused, on the record, of the precise crime I questioned him about two weeks ago. There is federal legal exposure, and the state of North Carolina should not hesitate to open its own investigation.

— Jim Cooper (@repjimcooper) September 8, 2020

What he said. DeJoy is an arrogant, unapologetic partisan hack, who refuses to put back the sorting machines and blue mail boxes he removed. He doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

Biden's "mental health" issue is a Russian disinformation plot

And one the Trump administration is helping to hide:

The intelligence bulletin, titled “Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of U.S. Candidates to Influence 2020 Election,” was drafted to inform state and local law enforcement officials that Russian state media agencies were posting “allegations about the poor mental health of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden,” ABC News first reported on Wednesday.

But before the bulletin was distributed, senior Homeland Security officials intervened to halt publication, department officials confirmed.

This is a classic Republican tactic: If you are weak in a certain area, or guilty of something, accuse your Democratic opponent of it. In this case, Trump's own mental health has been increasingly in question (his physical health, too), and due to his Twitter obsession, there's no way in hell to hide that cognitive deterioration. So it's time to project and deflect. I would not be surprised if Trump had actually asked Putin to help with this. He did it with Ukraine. Keep in mind, Homeland Security was originally created to facilitate the dissemination of intelligence amongst law enforcement entities, not stifle it:

BlueNC