This 11 June 2020 video from the USA says about itself:
Musicians perform a virtual gala in COVID-19 lockdown
Theatres around the world are closed, and there is no indication of when – or if – they will reopen.
Like many of us, the leader of the Metropolitan Opera and Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, has been in lockdown during the pandemic.
He has used his time in isolation to organize his musicians and singers to stage a touching artistic triumph, online.
Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna has more.
RALLY AT YOUR OWN RISK Those registering for President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, next week will notice a message on his campaign website when they sign up: You may contract COVID-19 at the rally, but it’s not Trump’s fault and you can’t sue. The legal disclaimer is the closest Trump has come in weeks to acknowledging that the coronavirus is still rapidly spreading. The number of cases leaped past 2 million this week while outbreaks grow in 21 states and more than a dozen see record surges. But that isn’t stopping his return to holding rallies on June 19, a day recognized as the end of slavery in the U.S., in a city known for the worst racist massacre in American history. Black Tulsans are calling Trump’s plan “a slap in the face.” [HuffPost]
Trump’s planned rally in Tulsa is almost blasphemous.
REPUBLICANS MOVE CONVENTION EVENTS TO FLORIDA After weeks of uncertainty about the future of this year’s Republican National Convention, the GOP said several of the convention’s major events would be moved from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) had refused to relax his state’s social-distancing restrictions for the event. But Florida has no rules — and a burgeoning second wave of coronavirus infections. [HuffPost]
FIRST KNOWN COVID-19 PATIENT TO RECEIVE DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT A young woman whose lungs were destroyed beyond repair by the coronavirus received a new set of lungs at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital last week. It’s reportedly the first time a COVID-19 patient in the U.S. has undergone a double lung transplant. Dr. Ankit Bharat, who performed the surgery, told reporters that the woman — who is in her 20s and had no serious underlying medical conditions prior to contracting COVID-19 — had some of the most damaged lungs he’d ever seen. [HuffPost]
How common is asymptomatic spread among kids?
MNUCHIN SAYS BAILOUT RECIPIENTS ARE A SECRET The Trump administration said it plans to keep the identities of more than 4.5 million businesses that received a government bailout through the Paycheck Protection Program a secret. Normally, the Small Business Administration discloses the names of borrowers from the program on which it based PPP. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his department considered that information “proprietary” and “confidential.” [HuffPost]
Coronavirus could make America’s gun problem even deadlier.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
URGENT: PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS DURING THE PANDEMIC
Make sure what happened in Georgia NEVER happens again. Donate now. >>
Protect Voting Rights. Donate Now.
The reports out of Georgia’s primary elections are shocking: voters forced to wait in line for hours on end, malfunctioning voting machines throughout the state, and in some precincts, voting machines that never arrived at all.
I testified before Congress today about the urgent need to protect voting rights in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the failure in the Georgia primary is a clear example of what our leaders need to prevent. This kind of electoral disaster must NEVER happen again.
Georgia’s primary was a slap in the face of our democracy, Lola. But if we don’t act soon, this shameful episode could repeat itself across the nation. Please, donate now to fund all of LDF’s efforts to protect the vote. >>
It’s unacceptable for voters to be subject to any obstacles, but especially during a pandemic – when public safety is of the utmost importance. LDF is working with officials at the federal, state, and local levels as well as fellow civil rights organizations and community leaders to make sure that come November, not only will all voters have the option to vote by mail, but that anyone voting in person will be able to do so safely.
To ensure that the right to vote is not impeded by the conditions of the pandemic, LDF is calling on Congress to take the following actions to guarantee that voters have the option of voting by mail and safe in-person voting:
Ensure that there are no barriers to a voter’s ability to vote by mail.
Extend the early voting period for all states.
Expand voter registration options, including online voter registration (OVR) and same-day voter registration.
Prohibit polling place adjustments that disproportionately impact people of color, limited-English proficient citizens, and students.
Make the option of curbside voting more readily available for those who cannot – or will not – comply with social distancing.
Offer voter education to inform the public of new practices and immediately quash disinformation.
We’re making progress, but this is going to be a tough fight.
And let me be clear about something, Lola: The voter suppression we’re fighting finds its roots in the very same systemic racism that causes the police violence we’re all mobilizing against right now. This is about silencing Black Americans so that we can’t use our voices – and our votes – to push our democracy towards justice and equality.
We won’t stand for it, in Georgia, Wisconsin, or in any other state. We’re fighting back, and we need you to join with us.
We know that states will need to implement large-scale changes in a short time frame to be ready for November. We also know that it will take a groundswell of grassroots support to push Congress to fully fund these efforts – but if we act NOW and if we act with urgency, we can get this done.
Lola, we can’t let what happened in Georgia repeat itself ANYWHERE in November. We need to act now to protect the right to vote – and that’s why we’re fighting in court in states across the country. Donate now to stand up in this fight. >>
We salute every voter in Georgia who stood in line for hours, risking it all to stand as full American citizens and cast a ballot. Let’s make sure that they never have to make that sacrifice again.
With you in solidarity,
Sherrilyn A. Ifill
President and Director-Counsel, LDF
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