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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Donald Trump – flouting the state’s mask order -- rolled out some blatant Nazi rhetoric while giving a speech at a Ford factory in Michigan. This criminal ghoul, who is responsible for thousands of deaths, has not lost the power to disgust.

Meanwhile, young adults need to be looking out for symptoms of an inflammatory condition that was, until recently, thought to affect only children. It is linked to the coronavirus and doctors are still trying to figure it out.

And lastly, the University of California system is getting rid of the SAT and ACT admissions tests. It’s a victory for critics who argued the tests were biased against minorities.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

Most Americans know the name Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company. Many, although probably not most, know Ford was one of this country’s most notorious anti-Semites. At the peak of his wealth and power, Ford bought a newspaper in Dearborn, Michigan, and published conspiracy tracts ranting against Jews. He was, in fact, one of the only Americans to earn a medal from Adolf Hitler. He and Ford had a real mutual admiration society going, back in the day. Donald Trump’s defenders will tell you that the president is one of those Americans – maybe the majority -- who know nothing about this history. Maybe. Maybe not. One of his ex-wives claims Trump used to keep a book of Hitler speeches by the bed. He likes to talk about his good German genes. However he feels about them, Nazis certainly love him. Whatever the case, it doesn’t excuse what Trump pulled yesterday. He went to Michigan, a disaster area, to speak to workers at a Ford factory. The main point seemed to be to flaunt the fact that he wasn’t wearing a mask, even though the company – and top state officials -- asked him to. Because everyone there is required to. You know, to keep everyone safe. But Trump didn’t. Of course. And then he went and talked about how Henry Ford, the friend of Hitler, had, QUOTE, good bloodlines. Good bloodlines. If you believe in that stuff. He’s got good blood! ENDQUOTE. Draw your own conclusions, folks, what he meant by that. Blood and soil is what they chanted in Charlottesville. And Munich before that.

No word on Trump’s plans to invade Poland. However, he did withdraw from another crucial arms control treaty yesterday – the third such peace-keeping agreement he has gotten rid of since taking over the White House. The Open Skies Treaty, signed in 2002, allows thirty-five – well, now, thirty-four – countries to fly over each other’s territory and observe their militaries. The US is out of the treaty as of today. Trump says Russia made him do it, by violating the treaty. European diplomats said they saw this coming and will still honor the treaty.

Syndrome threatens young adults

There is mystery syndrome, an inflammatory condition, that doctors think is linked to COVID-19, with symptoms a lot like something called Kawasaki disease. When they first noticed the trend in cases, they thought it only affected children. Now, according to the Washington Post, doctors say they are seeing the condition affect young adults as well.

In fact, the mystery syndrome may be more severe when it attacks young adults as opposed to children. A pediatric diseases specialist at New York University, Jennifer Lighter, has been studying the condition. She told the Post that the Kawasaki-like symptoms – like swollen blood vessels – seem to occur in children with the condition. But when it hits older adults, the response is more severe and can involve the heart and other organs.

The children with Kawasaki symptoms began showing up in US hospitals in March and April. Many had trouble breathing and active coronavirus infections. The Post says the newer wave of patients are mostly previously healthy children, as well as young adults, who all of a sudden come down with fever, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting and rashes. These symptoms, they say, can can be sign of a more serious problem that is under-diagnosed and not fully understood. The reason doctors think it is linked to coronavirus is that patients with the condition test positive with corona antibodies. So they think the mystery condition might be a delayed immune system response to coronavirus infection. And they say doctors and the

public need to be aware, even though the syndrome is relatively rare. They are calling it MIS- C, for multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children. Again, it is rare but can be dangerous. Most are said to recover, but parents who think their kids might have this condition are advised to seek an urgent medical evaluation

California ditches SAT, ACT

There is some better news, for young adults, not to mention teachers and students everywhere. One of America’s largest education systems, the University of California, will be doing away with the SAT and the ACT, two out-dated, pointless, and demonstratably racist admissions tests. The vote by the board of regents was unanimous. There are ten schools in the UC system, plus a law school and a national research laboratory, and thousands of people have been denied access to these public institutions because of these biased tests. And the regents admitted as much in taking this vote. One said enough was enough boasted that the decision marks the beginning of the end for the SAT. And honestly who will shed a tear for it? The UC system plans to come up with its own admissions test within five years. But they did allow for the possibility that a new test won’t be ready by then. In which case, decisions about how to admit new students will be left up to the judgment of campus admissions officials. Even if some of them do a bad job, they won’t be forced to consider the results from a test they know is both bogus and racially biased. Plus: one less piece of stress- producing busywork to torture young people with. Like we don’t have enough forms to fill out.

There is some better news, for young adults, not to mention teachers and students everywhere. One of America’s largest education systems, the University of California, will be doing away with the SAT and the ACT, two out-dated, pointless, and demonstratably racist admissions tests. The vote by the board of regents was unanimous. There are ten schools in the UC system, plus a law school and a national research laboratory, and thousands of people have been denied access to these public institutions because of these biased tests. And the regents admitted as much in taking this vote. One said enough was enough boasted that the decision marks the beginning of the end for the SAT. And honestly who will shed a tear for it? The UC system plans to come up with its own admissions test within five years. But they did allow for the possibility that a new test won’t be ready by then. In which case, decisions about how to admit new students will be left up to the judgment of campus admissions officials. Even if some of them do a bad job, they won’t be forced to consider the results from a test they know is both bogus and racially biased. Plus: one less piece of stress- producing busywork to torture young people with. Like we don’t have enough forms to fill out.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

Much of the country is being prodded to go back to business as usual. And business as usual, in the USA, means mass shootings are back too. A twenty-year old man who self- described as an incel shot up a shopping center in Glendale, Arizona. Three people were injured and one is in critical condition. Prosecutors say the wannabe-mass murderer was targeting couples and hoped to kill at least ten. And in Texas, someone with a gun was killed while attacking Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. No details were released but the shooting was said to be terrorism-related.

Another weekly tally of unemployment claims was released. Add 2.4 million new filings for a total of 38.6 million Americans who’ve lost their jobs in the nine weeks since the lockdowns began. And that’s an undercount because most people who’ve lost work either aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits for whatever B.S. reason, or literally can’t file a claim because the states were caught flat-footed. What’s worse, a study reported in the New York Times estimates that forty-two percent of these new layoffs will be permanent. Which means those jobs aren’t coming back. What are leaders not getting? People. Need. Help.

Hong Kong, which has seen massive a popular upheaval over the past couple of years, may be losing what remains of its political autonomy. The Chinese central government yesterday imposed a new national security law intended to put an end to what it called foreign interference in last year’s massive street protests. The former British colony was returned to Chinese government control in 1997. Anonymous officials told the South China Morning Post the new law targeted QUOTE secessionist and subversive activity as well as foreign interference and terrorism in the city ENDQUOTE. Foreign interference all over, huh!

Hawaii’s Democratic party primary concludes today. On-site voting was canceled due to coronavirus and everyone there is voting by mail. And they’re one of five states to use ranked-choice voting, so the results will be interesting, even if Joe Biden remains the presumed presidential nominee. Yesterday Biden’s campaign said they would begin vetting Amy Klobuchar as a possible vice presidential nominee. Does that Biden picked Klobuchar for VP? Not necessarily! But people seem to like having this to talk about.

That’s all for the AM Quickie. Join us this afternoon on the Majority Report.

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