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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

Donald Trump takes his contagious campaign back on the road, and proclaims himself immune to COVID-19 while offering to kiss every man and woman in attendance at a raucous Florida rally. Oh, and the CDC confirms the first case of Coronavirus re-infection in the U.S. Huh.

Meanwhile, after avoiding a dastardly kidnapping attempt by inept right-wing militia members, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signs a package of criminal justice reform bills that could give clean slates to many people convicted of low-level crimes.

And lastly, new polls show Joe Biden pulling even further ahead in several swing states. Sure, we know these things can be fickle, but let’s take a quick look at the numbers all the same.

THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW:

he president had, and probably still has, the most deadly disease to spread widely across the globe since the Spanish Flu. You would think that means he’d take a step back from in-person, largely mask-free campaign rallies. Ah who are we kidding -- of course you wouldn’t think that. This is Donald Trump we’re talking about.

The president returned to one of his favorite haunts on Monday, speaking at a rally in a hanger at the Orlando Stanfield Airport for about an hour. During the speech, he delivered this absolute all-timer of a quote.

“I feel so powerful. I’ll walk in there, I’ll kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women. Just give you a big fat kiss.” endquote.

He then continued quote “They say you’re immune. I don’t know for how long. Some people say for life, some people say for four months.” Endquote.

Picture a record scratch sound right here. In related news from today, the CDC confirmed the first U.S. case of coronavirus reinfection, in a Nevada man who caught the disease twice. So much for immunity! Not to mention, he’s giving this speech in a state where 15,000 people have died from the virus as a result of his and Gov. Ron DeSantis’s negligence.

And regardless of Trump’s personal status, the sane people in his own government are warning that in-person events like the Orlando rally are particularly bad ideas, especially as we head into fall and winter. Dr. Anthony Fauci, said that Trump resuming rallies was quote “asking for

trouble.” Endquote. That sounds rational! But will the president listen? No. So that’s where we are.

Whitmer Signs Clean Slate Bills

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, after a brush with the dumbest depths of right-wing terrorism, is wasting no time in firing off some criminal justice reform bills. They probably won’t apply to the men who plotted to kidnap her, but they will help a whole lot of people convicted of low-level crimes get on with their lives with a clean slate.

Whitmer signed a package of bills that focus on one key thing: wiping people’s records automatically, as opposed to forcing former convicts into a complicated system to get their past forgiven, even after they’ve served their time.

Often, people have to go through costly and time consuming processes to petition for release, which obviously leaves many people with black marks and mountains of paperwork following them around for years. According to Bridge Michigan, the bills would also let people wipe out marijuana-related convictions, as the state legalized the substance in 2018.

Whitmer said quote:

“For too long, criminal charges have created barriers to employment, barriers to housing and others for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders.When we help people get a good job so they can put a roof over their head, it is good for our state. It is good for our families, our small businesses and our economy as a whole. It’ll bring down the recidivism rate even more. And most importantly, it’s the right thing to do.”

That about sums it up. Michigan’s reforms build on similar bills adopted recently by other states like South Dakota and Pennsylvania, which now also have active Clean Slate measures. Michigan’s are some of the most expansive thus far, as they also include low-level felonies. Here’s hoping more states follow suit.

Polls Are Good Now (Kinda)

All right folks, here we go, it’s time to do some polls. Look, we’ve heard this story before: don’t put all your faith in polls. However... what if just this once... we said that things are cautiously looking pretty good.

Two surveys by the New York Times and Siena College on Monday showed that Biden is making big gains with disaffected Trump voters in the key states of Wisconsin and Michigan. You’ll remember those states as the one Hillary thought she had in the bag and ignored in 2016, which worked out... well. Poorly.

In the new polls, Biden leads Trump by eight percentage points of likely voters in Michigan, 48 percent to 40 percent. His lead in Wisconsin is bigger, 51 percent to 41 percent.

That’s not all: A new Emerson poll on Monday shows Biden leading Trump by 3 points in Florida, 50 to 47. Is Florida the bane of the Democratic Party and American Democracy as a whole? Yes. But what if this year... it isn’t. We love electoral politics don’t we folks.

In perhaps more directly impactful results, the same Emerson poll found that Florida’s proposition to raise the statewide minimum wage to $15 per hour has 55 percent support, compared to only 33 percent against. $15 is just a starting point, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES:

In the first day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, Judicial Committee leader Lindsey Graham basically summed up the naked power grab his party is trying to make by ramming through Barrett. Quote: “This is probably not about persuading each other unless something really dramatic happens. All the Republicans will vote yes, all the Democrats will vote no.”

In Georgia, early voting is already running up against some of the state’s same old demons, as voters report massive lines and wait times upwards of five hours in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Remember: this is what the GOP wants, to make it as hard to vote as possible wherever they can.

The United Kingdom and other European countries are once again considering fresh restrictions or lockdowns, as England alone has seen coronavirus cases quadruple over the past three weeks. Once again, we’re looking at an advance picture of what our own country will probably look like this fall.

A new report by the Washington Post shows that Donald Trump’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has closed 54 percent of complaints about coronavirus procedures in the workplace without even investigating them. Not a great sign for the safety of millions of workers already back on the job site.

That’s all for the Majority Report’s AM Quickie! Stay tuned for the full show with Sam this afternoon.

Oct 13, 2020 - AM Quickie

HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner

WRITER - Jack Crosbie

PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn