• The first volume of former President Barack Obama's memoir is coming out Nov. 17, two weeks after Election Day. It's called "A Promised Land" and will cover his swift and historic rise to the White House and his first term in office. The publication date for the second volume has not yet been determined. "I've spent the last few years reflecting on my presidency, and in 'A Promised Land' I've tried to provide an honest accounting of my presidential campaign and my time in office: the key events and people who shaped it; my take on what I got right and the mistakes I made; and the political, economic, and cultural forces that my team and I had to confront then -- and that as a nation we are grappling with still," Obama said in a statement Thursday. "In the book, I've also tried to give readers a sense of the personal journey that Michelle and I went through during those years, with all the incredible highs and lows. And finally, at a time when America is going through such enormous upheaval, the book offers some of my broader thoughts on how we can heal the divisions in our country going forward and make our democracy work for everybody -- a task that won't depend on any single president, but on all of us as engaged citizens." The 768-page book is the most anticipated presidential memoir in memory, as much or more because of the quality of the writing than for any possible revelations. He has been called the most literary president since Abraham Lincoln and has already written two highly praised, million-selling books.
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• Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider took to social media to condemn anti-maskers who went into a Florida Target store blaring the group's hit "We're Not Gonna Take It" while ripping off their masks. In a tweet Wednesday, Snider called the stunt "moronic," and shared a video that was recorded by an upset customer inside the Target at Coral Ridge Mall in Fort Lauderdale. The video had more than 30 million views. Snider said the group doesn't have his "permission or blessing to use my song for their moronic cause." The stunt drew quick action from Broward County officials. Target was fined for not enforcing the county's mask law, and citations were mailed to the protesters, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. Fort Lauderdale resident Chris Nelson told the newspaper that his group, ReOpen South Florida, organized the "flash mob." He also posted a YouTube video of it from their vantage point on Tuesday. "In celebration of Burn Your Mask Day we decided to spread some freedom dust over the shoppers and employees of Target!" the YouTube caption said. Federal health officials have said masks could effectively halt the spread of covid-19 and have begged the public to embrace them. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a committee of U.S. senators Wednesday that a simple face covering could be more effective than a vaccine in protecting people from the virus.
