Five Things to Know Today
— Publisher’s Note —
Good morning! There’s a graph in the Kentucky Health News update for today that I just find amazing. It’s a graph showing the difference in mask usage by political party. And as you might guess, Republicans wear masks at a much lower rate than Democrats and Independents.
Why? Is it the fact that Trump refuses to wear a mask? Is it Fox News telling them that the pandemic is over, or that it’s all a hoax to make Trump look bad? Is it some sort of misguided libertarianism, a “you can’t tell me what to do” attitude?
I don’t know. The survey doesn’t include cross-tabs, so I can’t tell you what underlying factors seem to be driving this difference.
What I DO know is that it is both stupid and dangerous. Masks are one leg of the three-legged stool (hand-washing, social distancing) that we have for lowering the spread of the virus and keeping ourselves and others as safe as possible. Not wearing a mask is selfish, and tells everyone around you “I don’t care whether you live or die.”
So please, wear a mask. If you have family that do not, talk to them and try to get them to. Same for friends and co-workers. As Andy Slavitt points out in an interview with scientists working on treatments and vaccines, masks in public is going to become the new normal.
#WearYourMask #TeamKentucky … and … #DitchMitch
Bruce Maples, publisher
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Cases still on plateau, ICU usage up; Beshear and McConnell both say, wear a mask!
Also: high school sports; racial inequities in virus effects; mask-wearing significantly different according to political party. Check out the graph at the end of the story. (Forward Kentucky)
Masking Questions: How pandemic health measures became politicized
Ohio Valley Resource talks with Richard Besser, the president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, about the importance of wearing masks in public. (Forward Kentucky)
Kanye West? The Girl Scouts? Hedge funds? All got PPP loans
The government’s small business lending program has benefited millions of companies, with the goal of minimizing the number of layoffs Americans have suffered in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet the recipients include many you probably wouldn’t have expected. (Kentucky Today)
Amid voter suppression claims, Black voter turnout in Louisville increased in June primary
In addition to a record number of Kentuckians casting a vote statewide, a Courier Journal review of Jefferson County data shows Democratic turnout increased significantly in majority-Black precincts compared with the 2016 and 2019 primaries. However, despite the increase in primary voters from mostly Black precincts in Louisville, this election continued a trend of racial disparity seen in past primaries — turnout in majority-Black precincts lagged well behind that of mostly white precincts. (Courier-Journal)
Breonna Taylor family’s lawyers: Police lied about search time, acted on ‘stale’ intelligence
Louisville police relied on faulty intelligence and rewrote times on official reports as part of the Breonna Taylor shooting case, lawyers say. (Courier-Journal)
Election 2020 Event
Meet the Candidates in Covington
If you live in Northern Kentucky, come join us for the opportunity to meet Ryan Olexia (running for State Senate, District 23, against Christian McDaniel) and Alexandra Owensby (running for US Congress, 4th District, against Thomas Massie). Meet outside the Covington Farm Market on Saturday, July 11, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in a safe and socially-distanced venue. Bring your masks. Hope to see you there! (More info)
Did you miss any of these?
Featured Content on Forward Kentucky
([new] indicates new since last Forward Five; 🔥 indicates lots of reads)
— News —
Cases, hospitalizations and ICU cases jump; judge blocks limits on day-care centers – 7/3 update – Numbers up on Friday; judge issues restraining order on some executive orders, but Beshear will appeal. New county-level map shows risk levels. (read)
Paper records, staff cuts – KY public health departments struggle to deal with a pandemic – “The U.S. public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century.” And Kentucky is a prime example. (read)
Cases remain stable; Cameron joins suit against Beshear’s business restrictions – 7/1 update – As many more places open up across Kentucky, Beshear urges everyone to follow guidelines to protect each other and the reopening. (read)
🔥 Forever chemicals in Louisville drinking water – Is it time for action? – There’s a reason they’re called “forever chemicals.” And they are in Louisville’s water. Is that a problem, or no? (read)
🔥 Map of Senate primary margins by county – Here is a map we made of the margins of victory in each county for the 2020 Democratic Senate primary. (view)
— Commentary —
🔥 [new] Millions of Americans are about to find out just how badly they’ve been screwed by Trump and the GOP – By late summer all people of voting age in this country are going to be forced to make brutal, existential decisions about their futures and those of their families – and they will know the truth. (read)
🔥 [new] Donald Trump, evangelicals, and the Ten Commandments – White conservative Christians nationwide don’t seem troubled that their guy Trump has spent most of his adult life as a repeat offender when it comes to the Ten Commandments. (read)
🔥 Taylorsville can’t SLAPP one of its citizens – The Kentucky Court of Appeals has told the City of Taylorsville that it can’t use a SLAPP order to silence a local critic. (read)
🔥 Trump’s unfathomable cruelty – A pandemic. Illness and death. Economic devastation. And yet, the Trump administration wants to use the Supreme Court to take away the ACA. Only two words to describe that. (read)
🔥 Question: Is this treason? – A number of crimes are mentioned in our Constitution, but treason is the only crime specifically defined there. Given this definition of treason, has President Trump committed treason against the United States? (read)
Now is the time for Black prosecutors – We need more Black prosecutors to help mend the disproportionate amount of Black Americans incarcerated. We need more Black prosecutors to put criminals like Derek Chauvin & Co. behind bars to help prove that there is no place for bias, murder, and incompetent policing in these United States of America. (read)
— Media —
[new videocast] Primary 2020 – Let’s talk about it! – Join us on The State of Kentucky as we analyze the primary with Al Cross, long-time political observer of Kentucky politics, and Robert Kahne, data scientist and one of the hosts of “My Old Kentucky Podcast.” What do the results mean for Mike Broihier, Charles Booker, and Amy McGrath? (watch or listen)
[podcast] Election results with Perry Bacon & interview with Jeff Grammer – Robert welcomed Perry Bacon to talk about McGrath’s victory, and what it will take for her to beat McConnell. Also, what is next for Booker, and what the future might hold for Black politicians in Kentucky. Then, an interview with Jeff Grammar, running for state House. (listen)
🔥 [photo gallery] Candlelight vigil for Tyler Gerth – Tyler Gerth, a young photojournalist who had become a strong supporter of the protests and rallies, was shot and killed Saturday night. On Sunday, a candlelight vigil was held in Tyler’s memory. Photographer Del Ramey was there and captured these photos. (view)
Posts with Most Social Media Shares in Past Fourteen Days
(🔥 indicates post with surge of recent shares)
- ‘I rise because I was Breonna Taylor’s congressman …’ (2,000+ shares)
- The Louisville voting story – an update (2,000+ shares)
- The Breonna Taylor rally in Frankfort – a photo gallery (571 shares)
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