Via TPM, Vanderbilt has studied hospitalization numbers and other COVID trends in Tennessee. The study is here (note: PDF). However the nut graf is below:

Hospitals that predominantly serve patients from areas without masking requirements (the <25% group) continue to see the highest rate of growth in hospitalizations. As the percentage of patients residing in mask-requirement counties increases, the growth curve “flattens,” indicating much lower growth in hospitalizations.

The graph is pretty striking. Here's a direct link since it seems pretty large to try to include:

https://cdn.talkingpointsmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2020-10-27-at-4.31.37-PM-804x1256.png

Former Nashville Scene editor Steve Cavendish is planning to resurrect the Nashville Banner as a all-digital non-profit on the order of the Daily Memphian:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2019/01/25/local-media-veteran-preps-relaunch-of-nashville.html

Hope he's successful, because the Tennessean and the other Gannett "papers" are about to blow away like the dried out husks they've become.

The recount in one of the last (and the closest) Virginia House of Delegates races was just completed and Democratic candidate Shelly Simonds made up a ten vote election day deficit to eke out a one vote lead in the unofficial recount results. The results will need to be certified by a three-judge panel, but assuming the results are upheld and not contested in court, the Virginia House of Delegates will be evenly split between Democrats and Republicans (50-50):

http://www.dailypress.com/news/newport-news/dp-nws-newport-news-94th-district-recount-20171214-story.html

Of course, this is after Democrats won the overall popular vote in Virginia House of Delegate races by 9%. Gerrymandering held the damage for Republicans to sixteen seats.

Breaking: Mitch McConnell to attempt to take health care coverage from 32 million Americans.

Per a statement (not yet online) read by Lawrence O'Donnell, Senate Majority Leader McConnell has decided to do just what Trump tweeted and try to repeal the ACA without a replacement offered. Because trying (though failing) to get a bill thru that takes health care coverage from 23 million Americans is not nearly enough. He has to put the entire health care system into chaos.

Last week I early voted for the first woman who ever had a chance at being President of the United States. I was excited to do so and am excited to see her win. Because I have to believe that she will win. That this country is not so lost that it will elect a person who is as manifestly unqualified to be president as Donald Trump.

Good piece on Ron Ramsey's plot to take over the rest of Tennessee's government:

(link...)

The cancer is spreading:

Russia To Vote On Bill That Bans Informing Children That Gay People Exist

Santorum is murdering Romney in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado. They've called the first two, with Santorum up by 20 points or more in all three (30 in Missouri), although results are still pretty sparse in Colorado.

Missouri
Minnesota
Colorado

Well, this'll keep the press happy.

Oklahoma GOPer Proposes Bill To Outlaw ‘Aborted Human Fetuses’ In Food

“I’m not entirely sure if there are any” companies doing this, he continued.

Ya think??

A new study is out from the Center for Public Integrity on the danger nationwide from coal ash storage. It includes a customizable map of fill ponds and landfills nationwide.

From Matt Cooper on TPM earlier today:

This morning there's talk about Phil Bredesen, the popular governor of Tennessee and former Nashville mayor. Breseden is a big figure and that's clearly what Obama wants at HHS to help push through his health care reform package. So it seems as plausible to me as any name but this is the silly season when lots of names will be floated and unless you're in the room with Rahm Emanuel, Larry Summers, Melody Barnes or some other top person, I think it's really just speculation.

Popular? I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Amazingly, Nashville has rejected the English First referendum by a solid margin (41,752 to 32,144). I thought sure that one would pass, although maybe the difference was that it was a city referendum rather than a county-wide one.

Caught this on the WBIR RSS feed. Interesting that they are going the citizen blogger route, rather than expanding their reporter/blogger presence.

Well, at least someone is going to run against Alexander.

Mike Padgett to challenge Lamar Alexander

Padgett joins a short list of hardly statewide names willing to take on Alexander.

This is pretty good, powerful even, whether you're for Obama or not (but especially if you are for him). Via crooksandliars.com.