We have reached the final Friday in May.

Most of the week has been a mix of drizzly evening, cool days, some sun breaks, slowly warming as the week went on. Then Thursday the weather decided to pretend it was summer. So it was sunny, too warm, and the darn pollen count was through the roof… and I had one of four remaining impossible deadlines of the week to try to get out while suffering a major sinus headache and other symptoms of a bad hay fever day.

Meanwhile, welcome to the Friday Five. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about the criminal pretending to be president, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

Activist, Author and Playwright Larry Kramer Has Died at 84. Yes, normally these stories go in the In Memoriam section (and there are more about Larry Kramer there), but Kramer’s role in leading the fight against medical inactivity, societal indifference, and active government hostility to people dying of AIDS during the first two decades of the pandemic is indescribable.

‘We All Feel At Risk’: 100,000 People Dead From COVID-19 In The U.S..

Facebook Helps Push Right-Wing Extremism, And They Know It – “Facebook knows what it’s doing, intentionally continues to cause harm to increase engagement and profit, and will never fix these problems themselves.”.

George Floyd: Black man dies after US police pin him to ground – Four Minneapolis officers fired after the murder of George Floyd, who died after being pinned down by a white officer.

Amy Cooper dubbed ‘Central Park Karen’ fired from job after targeting Black man.

This Week in the Pandemic:

2.1 Million Jobless Claims Filed Last Week, Reaching Total Of Over 40M Amid Outbreak.

Two Weeks After Residents Flooded Bars, Wisconsin Sees Record Number of COVID-19 Cases, Deaths.

11,000 COVID Cases Linked To Three Meat Processors.

Every Coronavirus Symptom We Know: A Visual Guide.

Protester who hoisted Gov. Andy Beshear effigy fired from job at Neil Huffman Auto Group.

This Week in the Deplorable Thug Occupying the White House:

For Trump Supporters, The Cruelty Is The Point – Does anyone really still believe that his supporters merely put up with his rages nearly five years after Trump declared his candidacy?

The Psychopath in Chief – I spent hundreds of hours with Donald Trump to ghost-write ‘The Art of the Deal.’ I now see a deeper meaning behind his behavior.

Trump Pushes a Conspiracy Theory That Falsely Accuses a TV Host of Murder – On Twitter and at a news conference, the president said Joe Scarborough was responsible for the death of Lori Klausutis, who worked for him when he was a congressman. But Twitter refused her husband’s request to have the false tweets removed.

Donald Trump, the Most Unmanly President – Why don’t the president’s supporters hold him to their own standard of masculinity?

Fox News Nails Trump For Lying About Mail-in Ballots: ‘There’s Not Evidence Of Significant Fraud’ – A Fox News segment on Sunday refuted President Donald Trump’s claim that mail-in voting is a “scam” that gives an advantage to Democrats.

In Memoriam:

Larry Kramer, Pioneering AIDS Activist And Writer, Dies At 84.

Anthony Fauci reflects on death of Larry Kramer: ‘He was truly an icon’.

Larry Kramer Taught Me to Be Angry. I Still Am.

‘Larry Kramer Changed My Life.’ Ellen Barkin, Joel Grey, Anthony Rapp, and Others Recall a ‘Hero’ and Friend.

Larry Kramer Had the Courage to Act on His Fear – The AIDS activist, who has died at the age of eighty-four, had a vision both catastrophic and hopeful.

Richard Herd, ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Star Trek’ actor, dies at age 87.

Sally Rowley, Jewelry Maker and Freedom Rider, Dies at 88 – She fought for civil rights, learned to fly and sold her art on the streets of San Francisco. She died of the novel coronavirus.

Things I wrote:

The Missing History of Decoration Day.

Tuesday Tidbits 5/26/2020: Willing to kill…?

Videos!

Rep. Brian Sims Delivers Epic, Expletive-Laden Rant Accusing GOP of Covering Up Lawmaker’s COVID-19 Diagnosis – Brian Sims slam Republican colleagues over keeping their COVID-19 exposure secret:

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DISTRACTION! – A Randy Rainbow Song Parody:

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Building the Perfect Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder:

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Old Gays Look Back At Their Past Pets:

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Elmo’s Song feat. Lil Nas X | The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo:

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