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1. Most Important Story Of The Week

Trump’s secret police sent to occupy American cities

It is almost impossible to convey the gravity of what is happening across the country in Democratic controlled cities. Trailing disastrously in the polls (see below), Donald Trump is now deploying unidentified federal soldiers to Chicago and Albuquerque to ostensibly “help combat rising crime”.

This new election strategy is clearly designed to appeal to “Law and Order” conservatives who believe wholeheartedly in the dark, dystopian portrayal of crime (read immigrant) infested inner cities. Trump tested the approach in Portland, where protestors have been dragged by officers into unmarked federal cars, most likely without probable cause, and looks set to roll out the approach nationwide.

"Frankly, we have no choice but to get involved," Trump said at the White House this week.

"Politicians running many of our cities have put interests of criminals above law-abiding citizens."

We covered this at great length in the Banter Members sections, so if you are not a member, please take advantage of our 50% off membership deal and get reading. It is an incredibly important story that has extremely grave consequences for the future of American democracy.

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Read Bob Cesca’s in-depth take here:

Trump Launches The Invasion And Occupation Of American Cities

It’s difficult to fully emphasize how unconstitutional and despotic this is, writes Bob Cesca.

Read Justin Rosario’s powerful analysis here:

Trump Finally Has His Stormtroopers

Trump needs chaos and violence in the streets and since it’s not happening on its own, he’s going to create it, says Justin Rosario

2. Poll Analysis

Polling from swing states paints an increasingly grim picture for Trump. A Quinnipiac University poll shows Trump trailing Biden by an astonishing 13 points — 38 percent to 51 percent among registered voters. According to a Fox News poll, Biden is also leading Trump in the battlegrounds of Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. In Michigan, Biden is leading topping Trump by 9 points, 49-40 percent.

Trump has just over three months to turn this around, and given the trajectory of the polls, this is looking increasingly unlikely.

3. Quote Of The Week

“I am someone’s daughter, too. Thankfully, my father is not alive to see how Mr. Yoho treated his daughter. My mother got to see Mr. Yoho’s disrespect of me on the floor of this House, on television. I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter, and they did not raise me to accept abuse from men….

“This harm that Mr. Yoho tried to levy at me was not just directed at me. When you do that to any woman, what Mr. Yoho did was give permission to other men to do that to his daughters. . . . I am here to say, that is not acceptable.”

- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responding to Republican Congressman Ted Yoho after he called her a “fucking bitch”

4. What to Watch

Images captured by NASA’s robotic rovers have given us our first look at Mars in ultra-high-definition. Take 10 minutes out of your day and watch this truly incredible vide of the Martian landscape (and try to ignore the incredibly annoying voiceover…):

5. Good News

Some tentatively very good news for the weekend. Via the BBC:

A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears safe and triggers an immune response. Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus. The findings are hugely promising, but it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection and larger trials are under way. The UK has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine…
Prof Andrew Pollard, from the Oxford research group told the BBC: "We're really pleased with the results published today as we're seeing both neutralising antibodies and T-cells.
"They're extremely promising and we believe the type of response that may be associated with protection.

Combined with the promising phase 1 Moderna results and Sinovac’s move to phase 3 testing, it is looking increasingly likely that we will have an effective vaccine in the near future. This isn’t a cure all of course, but almost all medical experts have concluded that life can’t go back to any semblance of normality unless a solid vaccine is developed. It looks like we might be on the way.

Have a great weekend!

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