MSNBC PRODUCER RESIGNS: A Brutal Assessment of Cable News.

“We are a cancer and there is no cure,” a successful and insightful TV veteran said to me. “But if you could find a cure, it would change the world.”

As it is, this cancer stokes national division, even in the middle of a civil rights crisis. The model blocks diversity of thought and content because the networks have incentive to amplify fringe voices and events, at the expense of others . . . all because it pumps up the ratings.

This cancer risks human lives, even in the middle of a pandemic. The primary focus quickly became what Donald Trump was doing (poorly) to address the crisis, rather than the science itself. As new details have become available about antibodies, a vaccine, or how COVID actually spreads, producers still want to focus on the politics. Important facts or studies get buried.

This cancer risks our democracy, even in the middle of a presidential election. Any discussion about the election usually focuses on Donald Trump, not Joe Biden, a repeat offense from 2016 (Trump smothers out all other coverage). Also important is to ensure citizens can vote by mail this year, but I’ve watched that topic get ignored or “killed” numerous times.

It’s Paddy Chayefsky’s media world, we’re just living in it.

HMM: Baby Boomers Are Experiencing Greater Cognitive Decline Than Previous Generations, Study Finds.

Though people do generally lose a step or two in their brain power as part of the normal aging process, the study found there was an improving trend in cognitive function across generations born before and during World War II. The study had data for the following cohorts: Greatest Generation (born 1890-1923); Early Children of Depression (born 1924-1930); Late Children of Depression (born 1931-1941); War Babies (born 1942-1947); early baby boomers (born 1948–1953); and mid baby boomers (born 1954–1959).

While each generation before the boomers had improved later-life cognition compared to the one before it, the boomers showed a decline compared to war babies, breaking the pattern of improvement.

“It is shocking to see this decline in cognitive functioning among baby boomers after generations of increases in test scores,” study author Hui Zheng, professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, said in a statement released by the university. “But what was most surprising to me is that this decline is seen in all groups: men and women, across all races and ethnicities and across all education, income and wealth levels.”

Zheng also tried to account for age-related declines in cognition by looking only at the scores of people in their early 50s. But again, early baby boomers in their 50s on average had lower test scores than did people from earlier generations in that same age group. That likely means that whatever is causing this drop in cognition, the decline started becoming apparent by the time baby boomers were still middle-aged.

If this study pans out, I’d guess the results are due to increases in obesity and/or drug use.

THE NEWS FROM THIS CATASTROPHE JUST GETS WORSE: Beirut in state of emergency after blast as death toll rises and rescues continue. “At least 100 people have been killed and 4,000 injured, the secretary-general of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettana, told LBCI, a local broadcaster on Wednesday. Those figures look set to rise with hospitals overwhelmed and victims still trapped underneath debris. . . . The governor of Beirut, Marwan Abboud, also said on Wednesday the cost of the damage to the capital, already under economic pressure, could be between $3 billion and $5 billion, adding that the explosion had made at least 200,000 people homeless. Many in Lebanon’s capital saw their apartments destroyed and family members injured, with daylight revealing scenes of destruction not witnessed in the country since its devastating civil war, which ended in 1990.”

RULES ARE FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE: As Democrats decried national park openings, one pushed to front of Yosemite’s line.

I’M SO OLD, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN JOE STILL POSED AS A MODERATE: Americans Reject Joe Biden’s Radical Suburbs-Crushing Housing Rule in a New Poll.

OH: Democrats Gutted Anti-Hezbollah Legislation Days Before Attack on Israel.

HISTORY: The Long, Hot Summer of 1967: A Forgotten Season of Riots and Urban Unrest Across America.

GASLIGHTING IS CNN: CNN’s Brian Stelter Claims Right-Wing Media Behind Push For Biden Not To Debate Trump.

POLICE BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE PROVES GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS THE MEDIA SAY IT IS.

Related: Floyd bodycam footage leaked — what next?

However, sustaining a murder charge against Chauvin is going to be tough, unless the other two videos show something significantly different. A manslaughter charge would have made more sense, but that would have made it very difficult if not impossible to charge the other three officers. Two of them had made several attempts to get Floyd into the car without success, and it’s clear that Floyd was resisting almost from the first point of contact. This won’t acquit Chauvin, but it’s very possible that the other three could walk if a jury considers the full context of the video.

The resulting riots will be even more disastrous for Minneapolis than the first go-around. No word yet on whether state Attorney General Keith Ellison would approve of them, but perhaps this since-deleted tweet offers a clue:

JOANNE JACOBS: 3-year bachelor’s degree: No time for vampires.. “A three-year path to a bachelor’s degree is doable, if universities cut distribution requirements and electives, he writes. In much of Europe, three years is the norm, perhaps because students don’t go to college if they’re not prepared.”

2020 SUMMED UP IN A SINGLE HEADLINE: Popular queer Native American Twitter account turns out to be unpopular straight white woman.

ROGER MARSHALL DEFEATS KRIS KOBACH IN KANSAS PRIMARY: “Marshall’s lifetime voting scores from the American Conservative Union and Heritage Action — around 75 percent — fall well short of conservative hero status. However, as noted, he is generally considered a considerably stronger general election candidate than Kobach…With the GOP holding a slender majority in the Senate and with several seats in real danger of falling to the Dems, the Republicans cannot afford to lose in Kansas.”

HANNAH COX: New York’s failure to use emergency hospitals is another reason to distrust government healthcare.

A good piece that’s getting some notice:

HEINLEIN’S CRAZY YEARS (CONT’D): Seattle Police Violated Civil Rights by Defending Themselves, Protesters Claim in Orwellian Lawsuit.

FLASHBACK: Our Caveman Politics.

AT AMAZON, Vont LED Tactical Flashlight, Ultra Bright LED Flashlight, Smart Compact Design, Anti-Slip Surface, 3 Modes, High in Lumens, Handheld Light, Suitable Camping, Hiking etc.

INDEED:

SOME PEOPLE ARE MOVING UP THE LEARNING CURVE: Protestor: “We are peaceful! You pointed a gun at my face!” Resident: “That’s why you are peaceful.”

UPDATE: From the comments: “I hope this starts a cascade of similar behavior.”

Plus: “The property owners are firm but calm, and the terrorists are shrieking nonsense. Quiet a contrast.”

TEACH WOMEN NOT TO RAPE! (CONT’D): Bastrop High teacher arrested, accused of sexual relationship with student.

THE MAZIE MOBIUS LOOP: Hirono Adopts Antifa Tactics Against GOP Witness at Senate Hearing About Antifa.

UGH: Beirut explosion: at least 78 dead and 4,000 wounded, says Lebanon health ministry.

UPDATE: What just blew up in Beirut?

OPEN THREAD: There is a degree of mercy beyond which any man is rude to inquire.

BOB MCMANUS: How Medgar Evers College is betraying its namesake.