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Welcome to the first Friday of November! Do you have any of Halloween candy left?

After most of October being significantly and record-shatteringly warm than usual, much of this week has been colder than usual for this time of year.

Let’s move on to this week’s Friday Five, shall we? This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week you may not have seen because of everything else, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about truth & justice, five stories about enemies of democracy, and five stories about other kinds of deplorable people (plus some notable obituaries).

Stories of the Week:

Traces of an ancient ocean discovered on Mars

ZERO Kids Got Rainbow Fentanyl for Halloween, Despite Media Hysteria

NASA Prepares to Say ‘Farewell’ to InSight Spacecraft

Largest Potentially Hazardous Asteroid Detected in Eight Years

Simon & Schuster Sale to Penguin Random House Blocked

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Republican book banning attempt defeated after community stands up for LGBTQ people

David Archuleta opens up about stepping back from Mormon Church and healing

This mom’s powerful takedown of anti-LGBTQ hypocrisy goes viral for all the right reasons

Quieter queer spaces are worth protecting too – Bars and nightclubs aren’t the only queer institutions facing hard times post-COVID

There’s a new legal twist in Florida to block “Don’t Say Gay” and this time there are receipts

This Week in the Truth Matters:

Hillary Clinton: Republicans Not ‘Bothered’ By Pelosi Attack

“We” Don’t Have a Political Violence Problem. Republicans Do

Pastor Goes Viral With Fiery Sermon About Herschel Walker – The Rev. Jamal Bryant’s flaming critique of the Donald Trump-backed GOP Senate nominee has now been seen millions of times online

Federal Judge Bars Far Right Group Surveilling Drop Boxes In Arizona

Clinton wants Trump to pay her legal fees after tossed conspiracy lawsuit

This week in Enemies of Democracy and Other Haters:

Law enforcement ratchets up presence in voting process as some sheriffs push election conspiracy theories

Republican door knockers intimidate voters while hunting for voter fraud, say officials

The irony of the GOP’s war on ballot drop boxes – There are layers to the Trump-inspired campaign to intimidate midterms voters

‘Flat-out insane’: Arizona voters fume at pro-Trump ballot drop box vigilantes

OAN dropped by Frontier – Dan Ball to Frontier, DirecTV, and Verizon: “You three know where you can stick it”

This Week in the Liars, Grifters, Killers, and Other Deplorables:

‘The original sin begins with us’: ‘Fire Pelosi’ leader decries right-wing’s ‘toxic’ rhetoric after assault

Joe Rogan Admits His Litter Boxes Claim Is Bullshit

Trump Org Suddenly Settles Lawsuit With Protesters Beat Up by Its Security Guards Outside Trump Tower

‘God Forbid’ Jerry Falwell Jr. actually practiced what he preached

Hate speech increased on Twitter after Elon Musk takeover, study finds

In Memoriam:

Pioneering gay country musician Patrick Haggerty has died

Takeoff, member of Atlanta rap group Migos, has died at 28