I’ve decided that the people who have been saying 2020 doesn’t really end until the Traitor-in-Chief’s term officially ends this coming Wednesday are on to something. So welcome to the 55th Friday of that most curséd year, 2020.

So, a bit over a week since a murder mob incited by the president and some of his political allies attacked the U.S. Capitol building, we’ve seen a second impeachment, thousands of national guard troops in the capital city, and a number of internet services have finally started enforcing their terms of service on rightwing people for threatening more violence. That last bit makes me hopeful that this timeline may be taking a turn toward the less awful than it could be. Or maybe I’m reaching delusional levels of hope.

Time will tell. Until then, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one local story that has taken a major source of happy distraction from my day, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, five stories about the deplorable thug still occupying the White House, and five videas (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).

This Week In News Local to Me:

Sick and dead finches reported in Kitsap County and across Washington state.

Stories of the Week:

Movers Pick Up Their Pace At The White House – More moving trucks seen at White House week ahead of Biden arrival.

Betty White reveals how she plans to spend her 99th birthday in quarantine.

Congress impeached and tried my ancestor after he left office. Trump could be next – I’ll leave the legal arguments to the lawyers, but my own last name is proof Congress can impeach and try newly-minted private citizens.

A man injected himself with ‘magic’ mushrooms and the fungi grew in his blood, which put him into organ failure.

US police three times as likely to use force against leftwing protesters, data finds – Law enforcement responses to more than 13,000 protests show a clear disparity in responses, new statistics show.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

Lesbian teen who got kicked out by family turns them in as possible MAGA rioters – “hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?” she tweeted with a photo of her mom attacking a Black woman.

The 22 Funniest Queer Jokes From LGBTQ Comedians.

Transgender people killed in Chicago & Puerto Rico as wave of violence continues – Tyianna “Davarea” Alexander was shot while walking down the street. Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín was killed before his body was dumped in the middle of a highway.

North Carolina Town Adopts LGBTQ-Inclusive Law After State Ban Lifts.

In ‘nasty parting shot,’ HHS finalizes rule axing LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections – Under the new Health Department rule, taxpayer-funded adoption agencies can refuse to acknowledge same-sex marriages and turn away qualified LGBTQ parents.

This Week in Deplorable People:

Justice Department launches webpage tracking individuals charged in Capitol riot.

MAGA Terrorists Making Threats At All Levels Of Government – MAGA seditionists are now issuing threats to politicians in all levels of governments.

Off-duty cops who rioted at Capitol facing investigations – Several off-duty police officers have been identified as participants in the pro-Trump attack on the Capitol.

Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account.

Rick Wilson Unloads On The Whiny Bitch Victimhood Of The Republican Party – “Twitter and Facebook aren’t banning you because you’re a conservative. They’re banning you because you suck. They’re banning you because you say evil shit,” said Wilson to Joy Reid.

This Week in the Deplorable Thug Occupying the White House:

House Republicans overwhelmingly stood behind Trump after he incited a white supremacist insurrection.

Desperate QAnon Believers Think Trump Spoke to Them in Morse Code.

Donald Trump Refuses To Pay Rudy Giuliani’s Legal Fees – Living up to his reputation, Donald Trump is stiffing yet another person that worked for him.

How Science Explains Trump’s Grip on White Males.

Trump Issues Lie-Filled Video Statement After He is Impeached for Second Time.

In Memoriam:

Chuck Yeager, pilot who broke the sound barrier, dies at 97.

Chuck Yeager was a Hollywood idea of a brave test pilot – today they must be skilled engineers too.

Chuck Yeager Was a Hero to Speed Demons Everywhere.

Public Ceremony Scheduled In West Virginia For The Late Chuck Yeager.

100-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Theodore Lumpkin Jr. Dies of COVID-19.

Pioneering Texas Trans Pol Addison Perry-Franks Dead at 39.

Pat Loud, Matriarch of Pioneering Reality TV Family That Introduced America to Their Out and Proud Gay Son, Dead at 94.

RIP Muppet Designer Caroly Wilcox.

Siegfried Fischbacher of Siegfried & Roy Dead at 81.

SF gay activist Ken Jones dies at 70.

Things I wrote:

Monday Update: Reactions to murder mob incited by the President, Police response, and Dems winning the Senate.

Age of Misinformation, or, how sf/f warned us of the current apocalypse.

You cannot reason with terrorists and cultists.

Videos!

It’s a Little Too Late For Republicans To Denounce Trump Pt. 1:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here. And hey, you can watch part 2 here)

FBI: The MAGA Maniacs Who Tried To Overthrow The Government Are Going To Pay:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

After Second Impeachment, Trump Begins Moving Out of White House: A Closer Look:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

James Comey: If You Went Up Those Stairs, You Committed A Crime. You Are Going To Be Found:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Doritos – The best gift (Mexico, English subtitles, 2020):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)