Good morning from Washington, where President Trump is touting the “spectacular news” in the June jobs numbers showing the economy coming back strong from COVID-19. Fred Lucas reports. Plus: the states that are moving to protect women’s sports; keeping peace through strength; and what history teaches us about big change. On this date in 1775, George Washington rides on horseback to greet troops gathered at Cambridge Common in Massachusetts, taking command of the Continental Army. Tomorrow, we celebrate what happened a year later.
As we’ve seen many symbols of America’s past get literally smashed by mobs, it’s important for those who still love their country to reflect on why it is exceptional and worth fighting for.
“I just proposed a nonbinding resolution condemning mob violence and Senate Democrats objected. I don’t know whether to be outraged or embarrassed for them,” says Sen. Mike Lee.
As Independence Day approaches and Americans look forward to celebrating the unparalleled peace, prosperity, and freedom that this nation has provided, many in Congress don’t seem to understand that we have these gifts because we maintain a powerful and ready military.
Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington are all considering bills related to transgender athletes’ participation in school sports.
We are in the midst of a revolution right now that affects every institution, political, economic, and cultural, from the U.S. Capitol to Wall Street to Hollywood.
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THE RESURGENT
THE EPOCH TIMES
“If we look to the history of other nations, ancient or modern, we find no example of a growth so rapid, so gigantic, of a people so prosperous and happy.”
JAMES MONROE
Good morning,
A surprising 4.8 million jobs were added in July, as restrictions on many businesses across the nation were lifted.
At a press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump said that “80 percent of small businesses are now open.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) condemned on July 2 mass arrests in Hong Kong that have taken place during protests this week against China’s new national security law. Read more
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was arrested on July 2, according to the FBI. Read more
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) thinks the time is right for her proposal, H.R. 40, that would establish a commission to study whether black Americans should receive reparations for slavery. Read more
The 2020 presidential campaigns and fundraising committees of Joe Biden and President Donald Trump each raised the most money in a single month since their inceptions. Read more
After a Beijing woman was notified of her positive CCP virus diagnosis while she was at a shopping mall, the facility was placed under lockdown, leaving thousands of shoppers stuck for several hours. Read more
The U.S. House of Representatives on July 1 unanimously passed a bill imposing sanctions on banks doing business with Chinese officials involved in the implementation of the Chinese communist regime’s national security… Read more
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Three Revolutions: One Choice in November!
By William Brooks
Various rebellions have raged in the West since Wat Tyler’s peasant uprisings in late 14th century England. But, from the start of America’s War of Independence to the turn of the second millennium… Read more
‘People’s War:’ Pro-China Communists Claim Credit for ‘Sparking’ US Riots
By Trevor Loudon
Leaders of the pro-Chinese Communist Party Freedom Road Socialist Organization have claimed credit for “the spark that has inflamed the world,” referencing the recent wave of rioting that has devastated… Read more
Everybody cares about their image, even whole countries. The good news for Americans: The United States is still the best in some areas and is viewed favorably by a majority of countries. And that despite the Iraq war and the financial crisis. Read more
How do we protect both the health and the livelihoods of Americans as we emerge out of this coronavirus outbreak? How should America approach the re-opening of the economy?
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DAYBREAK
THE SUNBURN
Happy Independence Day.
Each year, we urge Florida Man and Woman to be safe out there. This year, we truly hope you will take this message to heart.
There won’t be an edition of Sunburn on Monday. The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics will return to inboxes on Tuesday, July 7.
Facts about the Fourth
As you celebrate July Fourth, keep in mind, it was July 2 which got the shaft. On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress of the 13 American colonies voted to formally separate from Great Britain (New York abstained). On that occasion, John Adams, a future president of the renegade United States, wrote to his wife, Abigail, “The second day of July 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” Continued Adams, “It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.” It was not to be.
Two days later, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence written by a showoff named Jefferson. (Psst! Look over here!) Ahem … The rest is history. So Happy Independence Day, otherwise known as the Fourth of July. Just remember, it’s Adams who eventually got the HBO miniseries.
A bunch of troublemakers, led by some showoff named Thomas Jefferson.
“Getting the facts straight about the Founding Fathers” via PolitiFact — Invoking the Founding Fathers on Independence Day to celebrate our nation’s birth is a fine thing to do. Invoking them to score political points? Watch out. Take, for example, a Facebook post about BenjaminFranklin that circulated in May 2014, a post that was actually aimed at making fun of Tea Party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann. The meme quotes Bachmann as saying, “This country could use a president like Benjamin Franklin again.” Of course, Franklin was never president. And we think Bachmann knows that, as well, because she never actually said the quote. We rated the fabricated Facebook meme Pants on Fire. It’s not just claims on social media. Pundits and politicians get things wrong time and time again when they use the Founding Fathers to support their political views. Over the years, PolitiFact has found numerous errors about what the Founding Fathers supposedly said or did, especially when it comes to constitutional issues and civil rights.
“Even George Washington had to fight fake news” via Angie Drobnic Holan of the Tampa Bay Times — Forged letters from before his presidency claimed to show in his own words that he privately sympathized with the British monarchy and thought the American cause was doomed. The letters also suggested that Washington thought Americans weren’t ready for democracy. The letters were clever forgeries, but they dogged Washington. They circulated in pamphlets, during both the American Revolution and Washington’s presidency — until Washington grew tired of hearing about them and issued an adamant fact-check of his own. Whoever forged the letters worked to make them believable, including details about Washington’s life as a Virginia farmer. The letters were immediately recognizable as fakes to Washington’s inner circle.
The truth about Paul Revere’s ride brought to you by the Florida Medical Association — “The FMA wishes Sunburn readers a happy Independence Day! We hope you’ll celebrate safely. We also encourage all Floridians to thank our nation’s Veterans and their families for protecting the freedoms upon which our country was founded.” — FMA Executive Vice President Timothy J. Stapleton. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out this fascinating Paul Revere factoid involving a doctor (on message!) — a young physician was most likely the only Patriot who reached Concord during the famous “midnight ride” of Paul Revere.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow got a lot wrong in the “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.”
The History Channel tells us that “Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1861 poem about Revere’s ride got many of the facts wrong. For one thing, Revere was not alone on his mission to warn John Hancock, Samuel Adams and other patriots that the British were approaching Lexington on the evening of April 18, 1775. Two other men, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott, rode alongside him, and by the end of the night, as many as 40 men on horseback were spreading the word across Boston’s Middlesex County. Revere also never reached Concord, as the poem inaccurately recounts. Overtaken by the British, the three riders split up and headed in different directions. Revere was temporarily detained by the British at Lexington and Dawes lost his way after falling off his horse, leaving Prescott — a young physician who is believed to have died in the war several years later — the task of alerting Concord’s residents.”
“10 U.S. historical facts to rain on any July 4 party” via Florida Politics — Every party has a pooper, that’s why some people go to Fourth of July parties armed with trivia that casts doubt on conventional wisdom — especially in American history. When partygoers are lighting fireworks, exclaiming “Isn’t America beautiful?” these historical fact-checkers rain the truth on their parade. Here are 10 “truth firecrackers” to liven up (or put a quick end to) any Independence Day festivities: 1. Baseball, the “All-American” sport, likely came from England; 2. Apple pie is British, too; 3. The melody of the American national anthem comes from an old English drinking song; 4. The Pledge of Allegiance was created for one reason — to sell more flags; 5. Canadians own the Mall of America; 6. Bald eagle screeches are much weaker than the iconic sound, which is actually from the red-tailed hawk; 7. Settlers didn’t tame the American frontier; it was already pretty tame; 8. Hot dogs on the Fourth? Lewis, Clark and the “Corps of Discovery” ate over 200 dogs during the trip; 9. Speaking of wieners … President Lyndon Johnson would frequently pull his out his own “Johnson”; and 10. Independence Day is actually July 2 (see above).
Situational awareness
—@RealDonaldTrump: The United States has been experiencing, believe it or not, Historically Low Crime Rates. The last thing we will be doing is Defunding or Eliminating our many and various Police Departments or, putting an end to our great Second Amendment!
—@MatGertz: Some housekeeping: [Donald] Trump had 67 live tweets in June, his highest total since January. Of those, 65 responded to Fox or Fox Business (the other two were CNBC and the infamous OAN tweet). Fox & Friends (14), America’s Newsroom (10), and The Ingraham Angle (7) led.
—@ProjectLincoln: The Nasdaq can’t cure coronavirus.
—@MarcoRubio: #Florida surge isn’t because opened too fast It’s because we got complacent &/or assumed group socializing was safe Lockdown isn’t the answer We need to: -restrict settings conducive to spread -indoor mask-wearing -protect +65 & high-risk -daily #’s for #Covid admissions & ICU
—@GabrielSherman: Trump campaign in discussions to cancel Trump’s Jacksonville convention rally bc of Florida’s COVID outbreak, per source working on campaign.
—@JeffreyBrandes: I asked @FloridaDBPR for an update on the current bar/brewery pause. After speaking w/@HalseyBeshears it appears they are re-evaluating every 2 weeks as they look for a drop in numbers. I believe we can responsibly reopen with updated guidance and vigilant enforcement.
Tweet, tweet:
Days until
NBA teams travel to Orlando — 4; Major League Soccer resumes — 5; Disney World Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom to reopen — 8; Disney World Epcot and Hollywood Studios to reopen — 12; Federal taxes due — 12; MLB starts — 20; WNBA starts — 21; PLL starts — 22; TED conference rescheduled — 23; NBA season restart in Orlando — 27; NHL resumes — 27; Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” premieres (rescheduled) — 28; Florida primaries for 2020 state legislative/congressional races — 46; Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee begins — 47; “Mulan” premieres (rescheduled) — 49; Indy 500 rescheduled — 51; Republican National Convention begins in Charlotte — 52; U.S. Open begins — 52; NBA draft lottery — 53; Rev. Al Sharpton’s D.C. March — 56; “A Quiet Place Part II” premieres — 63; Rescheduled running of the Kentucky Derby — 64; Rescheduled date for French Open — 93; First presidential debate in Indiana — 88; “Wonder Woman” premieres — 91; Preakness Stakes rescheduled — 92; First vice presidential debate at the University of Utah — 96; NBA season ends (last possible date) — 102; Second presidential debate scheduled at Miami — 104; NBA draft — 105; Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” premieres — 105; NBA free agency — 108; Third presidential debate at Belmont — 111; 2020 General Election — 123; “Black Widow” premieres — 128; NBA 2020-21 training camp — 132; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 138; “No Time to Die” premieres — 140; NBA 2020-21 opening night — 151; “Top Gun: Maverick” premieres — 173; Super Bowl LV in Tampa — 219; New start date for 2021 Olympics — 385; “Jungle Cruise” premieres — 393; “Spider-Man Far From Home” sequel premieres — 490; “Thor: Love and Thunder” premieres — 588; “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premieres — 630; “Black Panther 2” premieres — 672; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” sequel premieres — 826.
Corona Florida
“Mike Pence: Florida can thank Donald Trump for being prepared to handle COVID cases” via Steve Contorno and Kirby Wilson of the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau — The coronavirus case numbers are worse than ever in Florida. But Thursday, Pence came to Tampa with a message for the Sunshine State: Florida is in a good position to weather the storm. “I want the people of Florida to know we’re in a much better place thanks to the leadership of President Trump, the innovation of American industry and to the partnership that we’ve forged, not just in testing, but in personal protective equipment,” Pence said in an event at USF. Pence noted a handful of differences between the current outbreak in Florida and the earlier ones in New York and Seattle this spring. Treatment options have improved, testing capabilities have expanded and hospitals are ready for a surge.
Mike Pence says we can thank Donald Trump for being prepared to handle COVID-19.
“Ron DeSantis won’t take responsibility for rising coronavirus cases, cites low death rate” via Steven Lemongello and Richard Tribou of the Orlando Sentinel — DeSantis would not take any responsibility for Florida’s skyrocketing coronavirus numbers Thursday, just hours after the state recorded its highest single day of new cases with more than 10,000. “Well, do you give credit for Florida for having much lower fatalities per 100,000 than all the states you just praised?” DeSantis told a reporter who asked about Florida and other Southern states’ case numbers compared with the Northeast. Florida reported a record-setting 10,109 coronavirus cases Thursday for a total of 169,106, and 67 new fatalities to bring the death toll to 3,617. Pence acknowledged what he called “this outbreak in Florida,” and said he and Trump supported DeSantis’ efforts to combat the rise in cases.
“As COVID-19 spreads in juvenile lockups, public defenders, advocates call for testing” via Samantha J. Gross of the Miami Herald — On April 10, the Department of Juvenile Justice reported the first three cases of COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. All three were staff members. Now, less than three months later, 97 young people and 106 staff at residential programs and detention centers have tested positive. While the department has set guidelines for screening incoming youth and staff and suspending visitation, public defenders, other attorneys and academics are asking why DJJ is still only testing those with symptoms or those who had contact with someone believed to be sick with coronavirus. There are about 1,700 youth at 72 facilities statewide, 541 of whom have been tested for the virus, according to DJJ.
“Airbnb limits young renters as Scott Rivkees warns against July Fourth parties” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Ahead of the Independence Day weekend, Rivkees and Airbnb have issued a reminder to people to maintain social distancing and to avoid house parties. To adhere to local rules, the popular vacation rental service Airbnb previously announced it would restrict parties and events at listings if local COVID-19 precautions prevented gatherings. The company announced it would limit people younger than 25 from renting an entire home locally unless the renters have records of good reviews. Rivkees reminded Floridians to avoid closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings, which health experts have dubbed the Three Cs. “This 4th of July, as we celebrate with family and friends, it is important that we all remain vigilant in our pursuit of curbing the effects of COVID-19 and doing everything we can to protect our state’s most vulnerable residents,” Rivkees said.
Scott Rivkees is working with Airbnb to help maintain social distancing protocols.
“Florida high school sports practices could fall back to Aug. 10 or later” via Ruddy Collings of the Orlando Sentinel — A fall sports task force voted to recommend that the Florida High School Athletic Association move its start date for official fall sports practices from July 27 to “no earlier” than Aug. 10 due to continuing coronavirus concerns. That shift, which would also push back the start of play, does not require the approval of the Association’s board of directors and could be enacted by FHSAA executive director George Tomyn and his staff in the coming days. The board of directors is not scheduled to meet until Sept. 27-28. But incoming Board President Lauren Otero, a Tampa Plant assistant principal, said she will be talking to Tomyn and suggested that a special board meeting could be held sooner.
“As Florida virus numbers rise, NBA arrivals draw closer” via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press — The coronavirus numbers kept climbing Thursday, with a single-day record for new cases being set in Florida and the NBA revealing that the count of players and staff from the 22 remaining teams that have confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 continues to grow. The NBA numbers: nine more positive players from tests conducted between June 24-29 to bring the total to 25 who have been positive since mandated testing began June 23. At Disney, preparations continued for the arrivals that start. Practice courts have been put into place in what typically are hotel ballrooms. The arenas that will play host to games are being set up for NBA needs, and some staff were getting set to arrive to begin their quarantines.
Corona local
“Is Miami mentally prepared for the idea of another COVID-19 lockdown? We got this” via Connie Ogle of the Miami Herald — The fear surfaces even as we try to ignore it: Will the coronavirus force Miami to shut down again? State and local officials say no. Never! Maybe they’re right, and it won’t happen. Local officials tell us if we wear masks all the time in public we can keep the tattered shards of our economy running. And we should listen because our officials are known for their cool heads, passionate attention to detail, making sure things run smoothly and never being part of the problem. They know all the facts, such as apparently the virus can only be transmitted after midnight. But say it happens. There is no need to panic! We are older and wiser. Older anyway. We acquired many skills on our coronavirus journey.
Is Miami ready for another possible COVID-19 lockdown? Image via Forbes.
“Miami-Dade Mayor: Wear masks because closing businesses again ‘brings so much suffering’” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — When COVID numbers started looking bad again two weeks ago, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez announced a crackdown on emergency business rules and declared the economy would remain fully open. “We’re not going back at this point,” he said on June 18. On Thursday, with coronavirus statistics in Miami-Dade the worst ever, that optimism was gone from Giménez’s public statements. “No one wants to go back to close nonessential businesses. I certainly do not,” Giménez said at a news conference Thursday morning at Charles Hadley Park in the Liberty City area of Miami. “I know how much suffering that has caused for working families. So please, everybody, follow the rules.”
“‘The needle he has to thread is very tricky.’ COVID-19 puts Miami-Dade mayor in a bind” via Alex Daugherty and David Smiley of the Miami Herald — Giménez wanted to campaign on opposing socialism and his nine years as Miami-Dade County Mayor. But a force larger than politics, the coronavirus pandemic, is defining his race for Congress against Democratic Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and complicating his path to victory. As a Republican running in a left-leaning congressional district, he also has to consider the president’s hard-core voters, some of whom shun masks and resist government lockdowns. This week alone, Gimenez issued a new mandate ordering that masks are worn in public at all times, or those not complying will face fines, with few exceptions. He also ordered beaches and pools closed for the July Fourth weekend and set a 10 p.m. countywide curfew.
“South Florida clamps down while cases hit new peak and COVID patients fill hospitals” via Ben Conarck and Daniel Chang of the Miami Herald — On the day Florida recorded a record high single-day of 10,109 new cases of COVID-19, South Florida’s local governments responded with more restrictions, including a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in Miami-Dade, as patient volumes at local hospitals continued to swell past the high water mark from early April. Amid those developments, the health department reported the death of an 11-year-old boy in Miami-Dade, the youngest person to succumb from the novel coronavirus in the state. After weeks of surging case numbers, health officials scrambled to ramp up testing to the maximum capacity of 28,000 tests a day at the 47 state-run sites dotting Florida. Local government leaders pleaded with residents to obey recently enacted face mask orders or risk a repeat shutdown of nonessential businesses, a drastic measure from which the state has struggled to recover.
“Miami boy, 11, is youngest Florida victim of COVID-19. He beat other illnesses but not this one.” via David Ovalle and Michelle Marchante of the Miami Herald — At 18 months old, his body suffering from deformities and his kidneys failing, Daequan Wimberly joined the family of a Miami pastor as a “medical foster child.” Four years later, Bishop Jerry Lee Wimberly adopted the boy, who despite constant health issues, became a smiling presence at Miami’s Ambassadors of Christ church. “He was happy. He could have been an usher anywhere,” said Gladys Brown, a family friend and church member. “He wouldn’t stop until he shook everyone’s hand.” But Daequan’s already precarious health — he had to undergo dialysis three times a week — took a fatal turn after he contracted COVID-19. Daequan, 11, became the youngest victim of the virus to date when he died Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
“Four clerks test positive for coronavirus as Miami judges return to criminal court Monday” via David Ovalle of the Miami Herald — As judges prepare to return to Miami-Dade’s criminal courthouse, at least four clerks have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, authorities confirmed Thursday. The four employees from the ninth floor of the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building tested positive within the past two weeks. Another clerk, from the traffic division, also tested positive about three weeks ago. To cut down on crowds at the Gerstein building, trials remain suspended, and limited hearings have been held through Zoom, with rotating judges in three courtrooms holding court via computers and lawyers appearing remotely. The number of people at the aging building will rise on Monday as all circuit judges — there are 25, plus support staff — will return to work.
Four employees from the ninth floor of the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building tested positive within the past two weeks.
“Two South Florida men accused of fleecing millions from SBA’s COVID-19 loan program” via Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald — As the coronavirus shoved the nation’s economy off a cliff, Congress passed a rescue plan for small businesses. A pair of South Florida businessmen got in line for the government bailout so many times with copycat loan applications that federal authorities are now accusing them of fleecing more than $10 million from the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program for employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, Ross Charno of Fort Lauderdale and James Richard Stote of Hollywood were arrested on charges of bank and wire fraud in an alleged conspiracy extending from South Florida to Ohio, according to a criminal complaint.
“Palm Beach County beaches to close starting Friday” via Hannah Morse of The Palm Beach Post — Following the footsteps of its South Florida neighbors, Palm Beach County beaches will be closed starting Friday through Sunday, ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend. All beaches, no matter if they are municipal or private, will be closed. Restaurants and shops inside beach parks will be allowed to operate but must continue to abide by the mask mandate and physical distancing guidelines. The restriction will be lifted Monday, similar to Broward’s order. Miami-Dade beaches will reopen Tuesday. Officials were concerned about crowds gathering on the shores after positive coronavirus cases across Florida spiked in recent weeks.
“Wellington to refund more than $880,000 in utility deposits as part of coronavirus response” via Kristina Webb of The Palm Beach Post — Utility customers in Wellington are getting a hand dealing with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the next two months, Wellington will refund deposits to its 6,500 accounts, Director of Administrative and Financial Services Tanya Quickel said. That amounts to more than $880,000 back in customers’ hands. The refund will show up as a credit on utility bills over in July and August, she said. The average credit is $135, and of the 6,500 accounts, about 6,100 will receive more than $100, Quickel said. “We hope it helps,” she said.
More local
“Visit Orlando handed out nearly $300,000 in extra pay as hotel taxes plummeted because of coronavirus” via Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel — Agency leaders would not say who received the “incentive compensation,” which totaled $278,549.29. The payments were made during a month in which county hotel taxes essentially evaporated, falling from nearly $26 million a year ago to less than $800,000. “Our governing body did approve the decision to pay incentive compensation per the company’s compensation plan, given that these payments pertained to (and were accrued for) an outstanding performance in 2019,” Visit Orlando Chairman Adrian Jones said in an email. “We discussed if delaying was appropriate but concluded that these were earned and due for past performance, accrued and should rightfully and morally be paid.”
“Rene Plasencia presses Orange County schools for reopening information” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Plasencia expressed concerns that parents and teachers are being left out of Orange County Public Schools’ planning to reopen schools in the coronavirus crisis, in a letter sent Wednesday to the district’s superintendent. Plasencia stressed that the information is critical particularly for families with exceptional student education plans who are being brought back for extended school year sessions as soon as July 13. Plasencia, a Republican representing a swath of eastern Orange County and northwestern Brevard County, also is planning to host a virtual town hall meeting to discuss COVID-19 and the 2020-21 school year, set for 11 a.m. next Wednesday.
Rep. Rene Plasencia wants more information from Orange County Public Schools about reopening plans.
“Lake, Osceola school districts to offer in-person, virtual, hybrid options this fall” via Dana Cassidy of the Orlando Sentinel — Before schools reopen in Lake and Osceola counties this fall, parents will need to make a choice for their children: virtual education, a return to in-person classes — or a mix of both. School boards from both counties met this week to discuss their plans for the 2020-2021 school year, with no end in sight to the coronavirus pandemic. They revealed plans that mix virtual learning and traditional classes — modified to embrace social distancing, increased cleaning and other precautions. The “modified day” option in Lake County’s plan would allow students to take language arts and math in school, but science and electives at home. One challenge for parents: The district isn’t planning to provide midday transportation for students who opt for that choice.
“Prepping for fall return amid virus adds up to $4.6M bill for UCF” via Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel — The University of Central Florida plans to spend more than $4.6 million to help stop the spread of coronavirus on its campus this fall, scheduling hourly wipe-downs of door handles and installing hundreds of touchless hand sanitizer stations, ventilation system upgrades and Plexiglas panels. The campus has been mostly shuttered since students left for spring break in early March. When the break ended, the university switched to online-only courses. UCF and the other state universities have received the green light to resume in-person classes next month from the Board of Governors, which oversees them.
“Disney College Program is indefinitely suspended” via Gabrielle Russon of the Orlando Sentinel — When Disney World reopens, Disney College Program participants won’t be among the thousands of employees returning to work. Disney is indefinitely suspending its internship program, saying it doesn’t know when it can reopen the Disney-owned apartments where the students had lived together. Last month, a Disney union leader acknowledged it was unlikely to return anytime soon. Disney said Thursday the suspension was “until further notice,” calling it a “difficult decision.” … “We understand this is not the news you were hoping to hear and we want to assure you this decision was not made lightly,” Disney said in an open letter on social media, promising to refund students their fees and allow participants, including recent college graduates, to reapply.
“Disney workers won’t stay in NBA bubble — and many live in coronavirus hot spots” via Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel — Many of the Walt Disney World workers who will be cleaning hotel rooms, preparing meals and providing other services for NBA players confined to a “bubble” on the resort’s property will be commuting from some of the hottest coronavirus infection zones in greater Orlando. Of the 20 Central Florida ZIP codes with the most Disney workers represented by union UNITE HERE, half rank in the region’s top 30 ZIPs for confirmed COVID-19 cases, an Orlando Sentinel analysis shows. More than 8,600 Disney workers live in those ZIP code areas. UNITE HERE officials, who represent nearly 30,000 workers at the parks, say the planned procedures will keep their workers safe during the anticipated three months of NBA play.
“15 St. Petersburg police officers test positive for COVID-19” via Kavitha Surana of the Tampa Bay Times — Fifteen officers and one civilian employee have tested positive for COVID-19 since June 15, the St. Petersburg Police Department announced. It’s another sign that the coronavirus pandemic is still spreading across Tampa Bay and Florida. Six of the officers tested positive this week even as the agency says it stepped up measures to contain the virus. The infected officers work in the investigative, uniform and administrative bureaus. The department did not name those officers, explain how they came in contact with the virus, give a timeline of the infections, their current medical conditions, or say what specific duties the officers or the civilian employee performed, citing privacy concerns.
“Pinellas beaches will be open for July 4 holiday, but officials expect self-policing” via Tracey McManus of the Tampa Bay Times — Public beaches along Pinellas County’s 35 miles of sand will remain open this weekend for what’s expected to be a busy holiday. In discussions this week, local officials worried that closing the outdoor spaces would only divert crowds to more susceptible congregating points indoors, like restaurants, as coronavirus infections continue to rise in the Tampa Bay area. “Even within the hotels, they’re having a hard time with crowds in terms of trying to get them to spread out, practice social distancing within the hotels and out on the pool decks. So the beach becomes a relief valve for people to be able to spread out and not be contained so much,” county administrator Barry Burton told the County Commission.
Pinellas beaches will be open for the Independence Day weekend, with a heavy reliance on self-policing. Image via WUSF.
“Lakeland commissioners pass monthlong mandatory mask mandate” via Andrea Lyon of ABC Action News — The City of Lakeland has passed a mask mandate Thursday after it failed to make it to a vote last week. At last week’s meeting, officials didn’t have enough support to hold a vote so the motion to require masks died. “I am disappointed that we didn’t even get enough interest to get a vote on the topic,” Mayor Bill Mutz said. Now due to more COVID-19 cases, leaders voted 5-2 to enforce mask-wearing. The mandate requires people to wear masks in certain public indoor locations when not maintaining social distancing.
“Escambia County launches $250,000 ‘Mask Up’ ad campaign in lieu of mask mandate” via Annie Blanks of the Pensacola News Journal — Escambia County is undertaking a $250,000 public health ad campaign in lieu of a mask mandate to encourage people to wear masks to help stop the spread of COVID-19, as the number of local cases continues to rise — especially among younger people. The campaign, dubbed “Mask Up, Escambia!”, will feature print, online, TV and digital advertisements, social media pushes, and distribution of masks and mailers to Escambia County citizens. The price tag will be fully funded by the CARES Act, the $5 billion federal bill passed to help local governments impacted by COVID-19. The campaign is marketed toward people ages 25 to 34, which has taken over as the age group with the highest number of positive COVID-19 cases statewide.
“Pensacola Beach Fourth of July fireworks show canceled due to COVID-19 spike, rain threat” via the Pensacola News Journal — The Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce has canceled its Fourth of July “Fireworks at the Beach” event in response to both the surge in COVID-19 cases and the threat of inclement weather. The event was originally expected to take place at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk. “We’re disappointed to be postponing this annual event, but public safety and the health of the community remains our top priority,” said Alison Westmoreland, director of the Pensacola Beach Chamber. The chamber’s announcement comes just a few hours after the Blue Wahoos announced they will also be canceling their scheduled Fourth of July movie and fireworks event Saturday at the stadium.
What Ryan Wiggins is reading — “Blue Angels cancel 2020 Pensacola Beach Air Show” via Jake Newby of the Pensacola News Journal — The 2020 Pensacola Beach Air Show, originally scheduled for July 8-11, has been canceled. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels team informed the Santa Rosa Island Authority of their decision to cancel their performance on Thursday afternoon. In a statement from the Blue Angels: “After much discussion and consideration regarding the current rise in COVID cases in our hometown, we have come to the conclusion that canceling our flights during the Pensacola Beach Air Show is the only way we can ensure the safety of our community we love so much. Each year we look forward to the opportunity to fly for our friends, family and neighbors here in Pensacola. This was not an easy decision to make.”
The Blue Angels will not be at the annual Pensacola Beach Air Show.
“Another record number of COVID-19 patients at Sarasota Memorial Hospital Thursday” via Zac Anderson of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — The number of severely ill COVID-19 patients in Sarasota Memorial’s intensive care unit also has been rising, hitting a record of 16 on Wednesday and Thursday. Sarasota Memorial Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Fiorica and Chief of Staff Dr. Alissa Shulman wrote a guest editorial in the Herald-Tribune urging local officials to adopt mandatory mask requirements, something the city of Sarasota did this week. The Town of Longboat Key followed suit on Thursday. “As Florida’s reopening gains momentum, we are seeing a rapid and alarming rise in patients hospitalized with the novel coronavirus,” wrote Shulman and Fiorica. Joining other area hospitals, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota is implementing a modified visitor policy, continuing until further notice.
Corona nation
“Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 states” via Jake Coyle and Terry Spencer of The Associated Press — Four U.S. states, Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, reported a combined 25,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday as the infection curve rose in 40 of the 50 states heading into the July Fourth holiday weekend. With the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide climbing past 50,000, an alarming 36 states saw an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. “What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said.
Patrons wait in line for the auto tag agency to open in Deerfield Beach. A new rule went into effect in Broward County requiring facial coverings outdoors where social distancing is not possible. Image via AP.
“Assessment of U.S. COVID-19 situation increasingly bleak” via Jeffrey M. Jones of Gallup — As coronavirus infections are spiking in U.S. states that previously had not been hard-hit, a new high of 65% of U.S. adults say the coronavirus situation is getting worse. The percentage of Americans who believe the situation is getting worse has increased from 48% the preceding week, and from 37% two weeks prior. The latest results, from June 22-28, are based on Gallup’s online COVID-19 tracking survey. Gallup first asked Americans in early April to say whether they thought the coronavirus situation was getting better or worse. At that time, 56% said it was getting worse and 28% better.
“America’s told-you-so moment: How we botched the reopening” via Joanne Kenan of POLITICO — States emerging from the coronavirus “stay at home” orders this spring had a road map to safety at their fingertips. Much of it was never put in place. Or it was largely ignored. And the alarming surge in coronavirus cases now spreading across the country is less a surprise than a tragically predictable national “I told you so” moment. “Every state was allowed to go off and do their own activities,” said Howard Koh, a senior public health official in the Barack Obama administration. The current resurgence of COVID-19 cases and most experts see this as a wave within a first wave, not the second wave that many fear will arrive in the fall, wasn’t inevitable.
“U.S. seeks large-scale expansion of blood-plasma collection for COVID-19” via Amy Dockser Marcus of The Wall Street Journal — Federal health officials are in talks with the American Red Cross and blood organizations about ramping up the collection of blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, in a large-scale effort to build supplies of the promising experimental treatment. In recent weeks the Red Cross and the industry group America’s Blood Centers were asked if they are able to collect 400,000 units or more of antibody-rich convalescent plasma for treating patients infected with the coronavirus, a multifold increase over the amount they have collected so far. Current talks between Barda and the American Red Cross involve it potentially collecting 200,000 units of convalescent plasma over the lifetime of their contract.
“Nation has supply of 130 million N95 masks in July, possible shortage of 30 million” via Donna Cassata of The Washington Post — Government documents show the nation faces a demand for 160 million N95 masks this month, but the supply is only 130 million, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn said at a hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on the national stockpile. Clyburn, chairman of the subcommittee, said the government suggests decontaminating and reusing old masks, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has raised safety concerns about such a step. “How is it possible that more than five months into this crisis, our country is still facing a possible shortage of 30 million N95 masks this month?” he asked. Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, the supply chain task force lead at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the supply chain doesn’t take into account what states or private institutions have purchased.
The United States could be short as many as 30 million N95 masks.
“Pfizer reports encouraging early coronavirus vaccine data” via Carolyn Y. Johnson of The Washington Post — An experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and the German firm BioNTech triggered stronger immune responses in recipients than those seen in people naturally recovering from an infection in a small study. The work has not yet been peer-reviewed, and it is still unclear what level of immune response will protect a person from getting sick. “It’s the first positive data I’ve seen coming out of Operation Warp Speed,” said Peter Jay Hotez, dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, referring to the U.S. government effort to speed up the development, testing and production of multiple coronavirus vaccines.
“Heart conditions drove spike in deaths beyond those attributed to COVID-19, analysis shows” via Reis Thebault, Lenny Bernstein, Andrew Ba Tran and Youjin Shin of The Washington Post — The coronavirus killed tens of thousands in the United States during the pandemic’s first months, but it also left a lesser-known toll: thousands more deaths than would have been expected from heart disease and a handful of other medical conditions. That spike contributed to Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York state and the city having a combined 75,000 “excess deaths” during that period, 17,000 more than the number officially attributed to COVID-19. The analysis of data shows heart disease is the major driver of excess deaths, excluding those officially attributed to COVID-19.
Corona economics
“Who’s waiting for unemployment checks? Thousands of Floridians still in system limbo” via Caroline Glenn of the Orlando Sentinel — Many unlucky people are labeled “pending” or “active” or even “eligible” in the unemployment portal, and their application, for some reason, is stuck inside the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s struggling system that continues to be fraught with errors and glitches. During the process, the department confirms the claimant’s identity and investigates whether they’ve received wages from a previous employer or filed an unemployment claim in another state. But it’s unclear why for some that process has taken months. The DEO in emails to applicants has said it’s “working diligently to process as many claims as soon as possible.” The DEO recommends that applicants log in to claim their weeks, even if they are still labeled “pending.”
Thousands of Floridians are still waiting for their unemployment benefits. Image via AP.
“Even before the pandemic, poverty was a way of life for many Black children in Tampa Bay” via Christopher O’Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times — About 20 percent of Hillsborough County children live in poverty, according to U.S. Census data, roughly the same as the average across Florida. But in parts of East Tampa, a predominantly Black neighborhood, almost one in every two children lives in a home where the family income does not cover the essentials, such as food, transportation and health care. It’s a similar story in South St. Petersburg, another predominantly Black community, where about 40 percent of children live in poverty. The Black Lives Matter protests have made it tougher to ignore Black poverty. Community leaders are calling on those in local government to do more before another generation of Black children grows up with less opportunity than most of their white peers.
“U.S. Treasury reaches loan agreements with five major airlines” via Alison Sider and Kate Davidson of The Wall Street Journal — The U.S. Treasury Department has agreed to terms for loans to American Airlines Group Inc. and four smaller airlines as part of an aid program to help the industry weather the coronavirus pandemic. The Treasury said that in addition to American, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, SkyWest Airlines and Spirit Airlines Inc. had agreed to loan terms and signed letters of intent. Air travel fell sharply this spring as government restrictions on travel and fears of infection kept passengers from flying. While air travel has started to rise, demand remains a fraction of what it was a year ago and airline executives have said they expect a full recovery will likely take years. These are the first airlines to accept government loans from a $25 billion pool Congress earmarked under the Cares Act.
“McDonald’s halts reopening plans” via Heather Haddon of The Wall Street Journal — McDonald’s Corp. is pausing the reopening of dine-in service in the U.S. as coronavirus cases continue to spread across states. The burger giant said that it would wait three weeks before any new U.S. restaurants add dine-in service to its drive-through, takeout and delivery operations. “Our resiliency will be tested again. COVID-19 cases are on the rise,” said a company letter by Joe Erlinger, McDonald’s U.S. president, and Mark Salebra, head of the National Franchisee Leadership Alliance owners association. Restaurant owners that began offering dine-in service can continue if their jurisdiction still allows it, the letter said, but the company decided to halt additional openings as a number of state and local governments tighten social-distancing regulations ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend.
More corona
“For TV networks missing sports, there’s one unthinkable scenario: Losing the NFL season” via Ben Strauss of The Washington Post — Throughout the spring and into the summer the sports world has continued to feel the steady drumbeat of the NFL. The league opened free agency as usual, providing news-making moments such as Tom Brady signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then its April draft went off without a hitch, delivering boffo ratings for ESPN. For the TV networks and sports media outlets that cover the league, this has been most welcome. But as the calendar flips to July, with NFL training camps set to open at the end of the month, doubts have surfaced about the viability of football season.
For TV networks, the unthinkable scenario: A canceled NFL season. Image via AP.
“Boat, RV dealers ride sales surge” via Brian Hartz of the Business Observer — The popularity of recreational vehicles and the RV lifestyle was already experiencing a resurgence earlier this year. That’s thanks, in part, to the strength of the economy (at the time) and increased interest among millennials who aren’t ready or can’t afford to buy a home and are able to work remotely while they indulge their wanderlust. Sales of luxury, big-ticket items like RVs and boats were supposed to come to a screeching halt because of the economic shutdown. But something funny happened on the way to a COVID-19 crisis-led downturn: a surge in sales. “Even with a ton of uncertainty in the world right now, and more uncertainty to come, people are pretty dang passionate about boating,” says Brett McGill, CEO of Clearwater-based MarineMax.
“The hair salon is now a place of anxiety. And clients can’t wait to return.” via Karen Heller of The Washington Post — Going to the hair salon, a quotidian treat and a monthly or, in some cases, weekly, reclamation project, is no longer normal. Given the tactile nature of hair care, a glut of new regulations has completely altered the experience. For the foreseeable future, getting a haircut, and color, which can take hours longer, will be the epitome of our risk/reward calculations. “Thirty percent of hairdressers live paycheck-to-paycheck,” says Mary Rector, founder and CEO of Behind the Chair, an industry website. The median stylist income was $26,270 in 2019. During the shutdown, some stylists continued to work in defiance of state orders; some were jailed.
Smoldering
“Jacksonville protesters have no plans to back down when Republican convention arrives” via Casey Craig of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay — Republican leaders recently announced that Jacksonville would play host to major parts of the RNC. Jacksonville, known for its relatively large conservative demographic, has been given a fair share of praise for the decision. However, as protests against police brutality and racism continue to surge across the country and Duval County, the announcement has also been met with significant backlash. Many have devoted dozens of hours — some, every day — to the protests, despite grueling heat and inclement weather. “Tentatively, if it’s not disrupted by coronavirus, I might go out and protest the arrival of the RNC, ideally we can get it shut down before it happens,” a Jacksonville protester who only identified herself as Jenn told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Protesters in Jacksonville are not going to let up when the RNC comes to town.
“Miami-Dade police moving to fire officer who hit a woman at Miami International Airport” via Devoun Cetoute and David Ovalle of the Miami Herald — The Miami-Dade Police Department is beginning the process to terminate an officer who hit a woman, knocking her on the ground Tuesday night at Miami International Airport. A day after a video of the incident started circulating on social media, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez said Thursday that due to an administrative investigation, he will be initiating the termination process of the officer who punched the woman, Paris Anderson, 21. Multiple sources have identified the officer as Antonio Clemente Rodriguez, a Black officer of Puerto Rican heritage stationed at the airport. Ramirez has not publicly identified the officer that he intends to terminate.
“South Florida cops charged for abuse of Blacks. Why did it take protests?” via the Editorial Board of the Miami Herald — And just like that, brutal officers in South Florida are being fired and charged with crimes for mistreating the public. Imagine that. Last week, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle filed four battery charges against a Miami Gardens police officer who pressed his knee on the neck of a woman outside a strip club and tased her in January. Then on Tuesday, suspended Fort Lauderdale Officer Steven Pohorence, who was captured on video shoving a kneeling woman during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in May, was charged with misdemeanor battery, the Broward State Attorney announced. So why did it take so long to hold accountable officers who abuse their power?
“Man videotaped flinging water at protesters near Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Orlando” via David Harris of the Orlando Sentinel — Jake Ramsey and Rucsandra Bitere were standing on the sidewalk alongside the Black Lives Matter street mural in downtown Orlando, holding signs in support of the movement, when a man in a pickup truck stopped in front of them Tuesday afternoon. After exchanging a few words, the man unscrewed the cap to a half-full water bottle and splashed Ramsey and Bitere in the face. A nearby business captured part of the incident on video. Activists have identified the man as a retired, high-ranking employee at the Orlando Fire Department. An OFD spokeswoman said the agency is investigating a complaint against an employee.
Color us shocked — “St. Louis couple who pulled guns on protesters on private street once armed selves when friend cut through property in 80s” via Jim Salter of the Orlando Sentinel — The St. Louis couple who became internationally famous for standing guard with guns outside their mansion during a protest have pulled a gun before in defense of their property, according to an affidavit in an ongoing case. As demonstrators marched near the Renaissance palazzo-style home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey, video posted online showed him wielding a long-barreled gun and her with a small handgun. No shots were fired. The protesters, estimated at around 500 racially mixed people, were passing the house on the way to the nearby home of Mayor Lyda Krewson.
This is not the first time Mark and Patricia McCloskey pulled a gun to defend their property. Image via Reuters.
D.C. matters
“Congress stares down funding cliff for coronavirus aid” via Heather Caygle, Marianne LeVine and Sarah Ferris of POLITICO — As the U.S. enters its sixth month of grappling with the coronavirus pandemic — with cases soaring and unemployment claims hovering in the millions — Congress is again facing a double-barreled dilemma: how to address both the health and economic catastrophes threatening the country. And in typical Congress fashion, lawmakers have teed up a crunchtime crisis this month, giving themselves just a few weeks to wrangle together a massive bipartisan coronavirus relief deal and ship it to Trump. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “of course” Thursday when asked whether Congress can pull a massive relief bill together in the coming weeks. “First of all, I’m not leaving for two weeks,” Pelosi told reporters of the upcoming Independence Day holiday.
“Rick Scott enlists India in ‘New Cold War’ with China” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Scott continues his efforts toward a global coalition to stand up against Communist China in the wake of recent Chinese conflicts with India. Thursday saw his office publicize a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offering condolences for China killing Indian soldiers and asserting shared purpose. “The United States stands with India as you fight against Communist China’s aggression,” Scott wrote, offering help in whatever way possible against the Beijing regime. For Scott, this is the latest outreach in what he has called a “New Cold War” with China, an effort that has seen him take an unusual interest in global alliance building for a first-term Senator.
Rick Scott is seeking to enlist India in a ‘New Cold War’ against China.
“NAS Pensacola attack: Base security act may be rolled into national defense budget” via Kevin Robinson of the Pensacola News Journal — Scott’s proposal to enhance vetting and increase security around foreign students training on U.S. military installations is being considered as part of the overall defense budget. Scott put forward the Secure U.S. Bases Act after a flight student from the Royal Saudi Air Force killed three people and wounded eight others in a shooting spree Dec. 6, 2019, at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Subsequent investigations found the gunman had spent years planning the attack in collaboration with al-Qaida and that his personal social media accounts contained anti-American rhetoric and jihadi ideology. The Secure U.S. Bases Act calls for thorough vetting of prospective foreign students seeking training on U.S. military bases, as well as screening their immediate family members and ongoing monitoring of their activities once they arrive in the U.S.
“Trump’s July Fourth celebration: No tanks, lots of planes” via Lara Seligman of POLITICO — Trump’s second annual Independence Day celebration will feature one major change from last year: It will have no tanks or other military equipment on static display in the nation’s capital, according to two defense officials. Defense Secretary Mark Esper last week approved an Interior Department request for the 2020 “Salute to America,” providing aerial, musical and ceremonial support to the day’s events, said Army Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell, a Pentagon spokesperson. This year, the festivities will also include a flyover of Mount Rushmore as well as an “aerial salute” to several cities that played roles in the American Revolution.
‘Merica
“The coronavirus pandemic and its effect on Fourth of July top Americans’ concerns” via Chris Jackson and Mallory Newall of Ipsos — The latest wave of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index finds that American fears of the coronavirus pandemic have resurged to levels last seen during the acute parts of the initial wave. Risk aversion may also put a damper on the upcoming Fourth of July holiday with 78% saying attending celebrations is a large or moderate risk. Also, 73% say taking a vacation is either a large or moderate risk. Americans have started curtailing social engagement; however, the number engaging in out of home commercial activities remains stable or continues to increase.
“From big cities to backyards, July 4 not usual blowout bash” via Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press — The idea sounds almost un-American. The Fourth of July was always a time for communities to come together, daylong celebrations with patriotic parades in the morning and fireworks finales to cap it off. This year, people are being urged to stay home. If they want a show, watch it on TV. Fireworks will still crackle over the National Mall in Washington and other places, though with fewer people packed together watching them. Backyard barbecues will replace some traditional trips to beaches or ballparks, as virus fears keep some home for this holiday. Marching bands blaring tunes while kids wave their handheld flags can’t happen as usual with the virus refusing to let go of its grip on some places and even strengthening in others.
A surprise display of fireworks sponsored by Macy’s explodes over the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan as seen from a pier in Hoboken. In New York, the Macy’s annual summer spectacle was replaced by a series of smaller, surprise shows. They’ve been ringing out all week, leading into the televised finale Saturday. Image via AP.
“Revived Mount Rushmore fireworks will feature Trump but no social distancing” via David Welna of NPR — A decade after being banned amid concerns about wildfires and groundwater pollution, and despite protests by Native Americans and recommendations from public health officials to avoid public gatherings, fireworks will once again be exploding over Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of western South Dakota, at the urging of Trump. About 7,500 spectators will be there, too, having won an online ticket lottery sponsored by South Dakota’s state tourism department. And despite at least 91 deaths registered in South Dakota from COVID-19, these visitors will not be told to don face masks or to practice social distancing at the event.
“I was in charge of Mt. Rushmore. Trump’s plan for fireworks there is a terrible idea.” via Cheryl Schreier of The Washington Post — It has been more than 10 years since fireworks were last seen at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The fireworks were canceled in 2010, my first year as superintendent of the memorial, and they never resumed during my tenure. While such patriotic celebrations were memorable, they also endangered public safety and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources within the national park and surrounding area. Yet this year, Trump and his administration, with the support of South Dakota Gov. Kristi L. Noem, have insisted on resuming the fireworks on July 3. And the Interior Department, undersecretary David Bernhardt, is allowing this to happen. Thanks to an extremely dry summer, South Dakota faces a higher than usual risk of wildfires.
“Experts fear July 4 weekend will exacerbate coronavirus spread” via Jessie Hellmann of The Hill — Experts worry that the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. will worsen after the Fourth of July weekend, when millions of people gather across the country during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. “I am very concerned, especially given this coming weekend, that the same types of spikes, the same types of surges could be seen not just in the places that are currently experiencing surges, but in places that have already experienced surges, and in ones that haven’t yet,” said Joshua Barocas, assistant professor of medicine at the Boston University School of Medicine. Experts hope people follow guidelines over the weekend and hold their events or gatherings outdoors, where the risk of transmission is lower than inside.
“How to safely celebrate the 4th of July during a pandemic” via Amanda Tarlton of USA Today — For most Americans, the Fourth of July is going to look a lot different this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many cities and states have decided to cancel their annual parades, festivals, and fireworks displays, along with closing picnic areas and park pavilions to discourage crowds from gathering. While you may not be able to attend the usual festivities or gather with friends and neighbors to watch fireworks, there are still ways to celebrate the Fourth of July while social distancing and following the CDC’s guidelines for preventing the further spread of COVID-19. A few displays will be livestreamed on the Fourth, including Macy’s annual fireworks in New York and the D.C. fireworks. Some cities have also announced that they will stream their fireworks displays on local news networks for residents who opt to stay home.
“6 peculiar Fourth of July celebrations across the country” via Natalie Compton of The Washington Post — Bet on lobster races in Bar Harbor, Maine; Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s 10-acre Strawbery Banke Museum celebrates Independence Day with a naturalization ceremony for more than 100 new citizens from more than 30 nations; see Willie Nelson and friends in Austin; take in the golf cart parade in Catalina Island, California; run up a mountain in Seward, Alaska; cheer on lumberjacks in State College, Pennsylvania — the Central PA 4th Fest, a big buffet of American activities, including, but not limited to, ax-throwing, free hot dogs, foot races, roller-derby entertainment and a big community parade.
Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic in Austin is one of the more unique ways to celebrate Independence Day.
“Misunderstood ‘patriotic’ songs for the Fourth of July” via Maeve McDermott of USA Today — “Born in the USA,” Bruce Springsteen: Perhaps the most famous song to be widely mistaken for a patriotic anthem, Springsteen’s famous 1984 single has been used by political candidates from Presidents RonaldReagan to Trump. Yet, listen past the song’s booming chorus, and its lyrics tell the story of a young American kid sent against his will to fight in Vietnam, only to return home to a country arguably as hostile. “Fortunate Son,” Creedence Clearwater Revival: The song has been similarly treated as a patriotic working-class anthem, but listen past its star-spangled opening lines — “Some folks are born made to wave the flag/Ooh, they’re red, white and blue” — for John Fogerty‘s anti-establishment storytelling about how the poor were sent to fight and die in Vietnam while the wealthy were spared. “This Land Is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie: It wasn’t intended as such when the singer-songwriter, irritated by radio stations playing Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” on a constant loop, wrote the song in 1940.
“What states are searching about grilling this Fourth of July” via Brian Stelter and Oliver Darcy of CNN — Data from Google Trends is revealing what people in each state across the U.S. checklist are searching about grilling as we approach the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The most searched “how to grill …” In the Western states is “tri-tip.” In the eastern part of the country, fish and steak are popular. In Florida, it’s “grouper.”
“The case for a Fourth of July Seder” via Alan Burdick and Eliza Byard of The New Yorker — Independence Day should be restful, yes, but it could also be more purposeful. What the Fourth of July needs, we think, is a Seder. For those unacquainted with it, the Seder is the meal served at the beginning of Passover, the Jewish holiday that recalls and celebrates the flight of the Israelites from bondage in ancient Egypt. It is a ceremony replete with symbolic foods (bitter herbs, invoking the bitterness of slavery; matzo, the bread of affliction) and ritual acts (hand-washing, blessings over wine). It’s also an adaptable holiday, responsive to its audiences through the ages and to changing historical tides. What would a good Fourth of July Seder look like? One core ritual, easily carried out in ten minutes, should be to read the Declaration of Independence out loud. It’s a declaration; let’s declare it. And one more thing: a proper Seder requires that you invite a stranger to your celebration, someone who is wandering alone in the desert, beyond the borders of your community. That shouldn’t be hard to find.
“The Statue of Liberty” via Miss Cellania of Neatorama.com — The story of the statue begins with the American Civil War. When fighting broke out in 1861, the rest of the world watched with rapt attention: Could the grand experiment in democracy survive? The United States had been an inspiration to the French, who were locked in a cycle of extremism, swinging between bloody democratic revolutions and imperial autocracy. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, the French were crushed. More than 40,000 grieving citizens contributed to a fund to award Lincoln’s widow a gold medal … It was in this climate, in the summer of 1865, that a group of prominent Frenchmen were discussing politics at a dinner party given by Edouard René de Laboulaye, a prominent historian and law professor … He proposed that France give America a monument to liberty and independence in honor of her upcoming centennial. After all, tens of thousands of Frenchmen had just contributed to a medal for Mary Todd Lincoln — how much harder could it be to pony up for a statue? Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, an up-and-coming sculptor … wanted his monument to be just as inspiring, and his sketches leaned on the popular imagery of the time-broken chains, upheld torches, crowns meant to represent the rising sun … Bartholdi didn’t want “Liberty Enlightening the World” to be just a tribute to American freedom. The statue had to send a pointed message to France that democracy works. It didn’t take long for Bartholdi to perfect his vision for the sculpture. Getting the statue actually built, however, was another matter … Given the statue’s message, backing from the French government seemed unlikely … Laboulaye had an idea: What if he and Bartholdi pitched the project as a joint venture between the two countries? As a show of their shared friendship, France could provide the statue and America the pedestal … Bartholdi’s workmen started by creating a 4-foot model. Then they doubled the size. Then they quadrupled it to create a 38-foot-tall plaster model. The workmen then broke down the structure into 300 sections, taking each piece and enlarging it to precisely four times its size. The result? A full-scale model of the final statue — in pieces! On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was finally ready. New York held its first-ever ticker-tape parade for her unveiling. And while hundreds of thousands cheered from Manhattan, only 2,000 people were on the island when she was finally opened to the public — a “tidy, quiet crowd,” an officer on duty told The New York Times.
The Statue of Liberty on display in Paris in 1878, before it was assembled in the United States.
“Forget plain ketchup: Try making these nine condiments for your Fourth of July cookout” via Michelle Stark of the Tampa Bay Times — Kranch. Mayocue. Mayomust. Three “new” condiments introduced by Heinz this year, all kind of weird until you really think about it. We’re not going to defend the names, but mixing classic condiments is a no-brainer. If you squint, Kranch resembles Russian dressing. In fancier circles, Mayomust might be called “mustard aioli.” For this year’s Fourth of July food spread, we are going all-in on condiments. Keep the food simple. Heat up a grill, cook up some meats and veggies. And ahead of time, whip up a number of accompanying creations. We’ve broken it down by three of the most common condiments, bases onto which you can build: ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard.
“Holiday travel expected to drop amid pandemic” via the News Service of Florida — “The roadways, we expect them to be much less congested than they would on a typical 4th of July or a typical holiday weekend,” AAA spokesman W.D. Williams said. AAA expects 15% fewer trips will be taken this summer, and 97% of travelers will drive to their destinations. Air travel is expected to be down by 74%. Nationally, last year’s most popular July 4 holiday destination was Orlando. But Williams said the pandemic has caused Central Florida to drop to number eight in 2020. “All of the attractions are not yet open in the Orlando area, and people are a little wary of going into places with large, massive crowds,” he said. This year’s top summer travel destination is Denver.
Statewide
“DeSantis backs proposals for Space Force headquarters” via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida — DeSantis endorsed six Florida counties and three cities that hope to land the command headquarters of the U.S. Space Force. In a letter to Air Force Assistant Secretary John Henderson, DeSantis supported the proposals by Jacksonville, Pensacola, Brevard County, Miami-Dade County, Orange County, Pinellas County, Seminole County and a joint proposal from Tampa and Hillsborough County. “Our state has a long history of support for our nation’s effort in space through the operations of the Kennedy Space Center, the 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,” DeSantis wrote. “Equally important as our military installations, is Florida’s robust commercial space industry.”
Ron DeSantis is backing a significant push to have the U.S. Space Force headquarters located in Florida.
Appointed — Roberto Alonso to the Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees; Elizabeth Justen and Steven Harvey to the South Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners.
“Environmentalists challenge ‘rights of nature’ preemption in SB 712” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Environmentalists in Orange County have filed a federal lawsuit against DeSantis to stop a provision in Senate Bill 712 that would preempt local “rights of nature” laws like one Orange County is considering. DeSantis signed SB 712, the Clean Waterways Act, calling it “probably the most comprehensive bill we’ve seen in quite some time.” The law, sponsored by Sen. Debbie Mayfield, provides sweeping new regulatory authority over septic systems, stormwater and agriculture runoff. But the act also includes a provision that bans a radical new kind of environmental protection effort being pursued in Orange County and elsewhere: using a legal concept acknowledged by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1970s to assign rights to rivers and other natural features.
What Jeffrey Brandes is reading — “A new law was supposed to make Florida’s criminal justice data radically transparent. It failed.” via Andrew Pantazi of The Florida Times-Union — In 2018, a law passed to make Florida’s criminal justice system the most transparent in the nation. But FDLE’s failure to meet deadlines has meant the law has failed to live up to its promise. The new database built by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would give the public individual case data and show how many people are in jails and prisons. The American Bar Association called the law a blueprint for the nation. Wired magazine said it would bring unprecedented transparency to criminal justice. Yet as protests draw a renewed focus on how the state handles punishments, the public has no more ability to access that data than it did the day the law passed.
“State attorney asks Governor to reassign Sheriff Darryl Daniels investigation to another circuit” via Dan Scanlan of The Florida Times-Union — The yearlong investigation into whether Clay County Sheriff Daniels used his position to illegally order the arrest of a woman he had an affair with has been completed by FDLE. But in a Thursday letter to DeSantis, State Attorney Melissa Nelson has asked for the case to be reassigned to another judicial circuit for final review after her office initiated that investigation in May 2019. Daniels, known for his get-tough policy on crime, posted a video this week saying he would make “special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county” if he feels the community is overwhelmed by protesters. He is also being challenged by six other candidates in his bid for a second term as sheriff.
“Orange County property appraiser asks court to reconsider ruling that could save Disney and other hotel owners millions in taxes” via Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel — Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh wants an appellate court to reconsider a ruling that could save Walt Disney World and other hotel companies millions in property taxes. Singh’s office on Thursday asked the 5th District Court of Appeal to hold another hearing in a yearslong legal battle with Disney over the assessment of Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort, a luxury hotel with an annual property tax bill of more than $4 million. The request comes two weeks after the court ruled that Singh’s office had improperly inflated the value of the Disney hotel, where the tax assessment more than doubled in 2015 to nearly $340 million.
“Legal woes mount for owner of popular tourist restaurant under tax investigation” via Melissa Hernandez of WUFT — The new legal problems also may complicate efforts by David Biegler, co-owner of the Hurricane Oyster Bar and Grill in Santa Rosa Beach, to pay the IRS and Justice Department over what the government said he owes. The latest arrest means Biegler is simultaneously fighting separate drunken driving cases against him in two states. Biegler and his estranged wife, Kellie, are accused of failing to pay payroll and other taxes on more than $4 million in wages for hundreds of employees and failing to file personal or corporate income tax returns for more than 10 years.
A Florida Fourth
“Florida was off center stage in American Revolution despite some important events“via Kevin Derby for Sunshine State News — As the nation celebrates this Fourth of July … Floridians can look back at the strange and almost entirely forgotten role their state played in the American Revolution. A Spanish colony for nearly 200 years, the English gained Florida at the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ended the Seven Years War. People in the U.S. call it the French and Indian War. Dividing the peninsula into East Florida and West Florida, the British attempted to develop plantations in their new holdings but generally used the Floridas for military purposes. The strong military presence helped ensure that the Floridas would not join the 13 colonies to the north in rebelling against George III. … rebellious Americans looked at the Floridas as a threat since the British could launch attacks into Georgia and South Carolina from the south. Colonists loyal to the British crown fled to the Floridas and helped form military units, like the East Florida Rangers, to fight against the American forces. While they did not play a leading part in the American Revolution, Florida and Floridians provided some dramatic moments. James Grant, who served as governor of East Florida from 1764 until 1771, played a crucial part in British successes in capturing New York, and would capture St. Lucia from the French later in the war. American prisoners were held in St. Augustine — including Arthur Middleton and Edmund Rutledge, two South Carolinians who signed the Declaration of Independence. One recent Florida politician with a keen interest in his state’s role in the American Revolution was longtime U.S. Rep. Charles E. Bennett … who represented the First Coast in Congress from 1949 until retiring in 1993. Bennett wrote several books on the Revolution, including a book on battles as well as a biography of Robert Howe with Donald Lennon.
“Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission urges safe boating practices over July Fourth weekend” via Spencer Fordin of Florida Politics — FWC is conducting an education and enforcement initiative called Operation Dry Water that seeks to educate people about the perils of irresponsible boating. The Fourth of July is one of the busiest boating holidays across the United States, and last year, there were five fatalities and 68 people injured in Florida in July in boating under the influence incidents. FWC is reminding boaters it is illegal to operate a vessel under the influence of alcohol or drugs and that doing so can lead to serious injuries and consequences. The law in Florida states that it is illegal to operate a boat with a blood alcohol content level of .08 or higher.
The FWC is promoting safe boating for Independence Day,
Florida Forest Service offers safety tips for Independence Day — Residents and visitors should always check local laws before using fireworks. If choosing to celebrate with fireworks, grills, or campfires, follow these safety tips: Light fireworks in a cleared area free of vegetation or dry debris; Clear debris from around campfires, grills and all fire sources; Remove debris from any location where fireworks could land; Always have a water source available; Aim fireworks away from people, homes and wooded areas; Never use homemade fireworks; Discard used fireworks in a bucket of water; Store unused fireworks, matches and lighters out of the sight and reach of children; Never leave a fire unattended and ensure it is completely out before leaving it; Report any fire immediately to 911.
“South Florida carnival drive-thru brings deep-fried Oreos, funnel cakes for July 4 weekend” via Phillip Valys of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Summer is carnival season, and not even a pandemic will keep people from indulging in deep-fried Oreos. That’s the gamble behind this weekend’s Fair Eats Drive-Thru, a three-day bonanza of artery-clogging carnival food rolling into the South Florida Fairgrounds July 3-5. Visitors — without leaving their cars — can order 14 menu items for curbside pickup, including candy apples, elephant ears, funnel cakes, small and jumbo corn dogs, turkey legs, fried Oreos and Snickers, cotton candy, chicken tenders, roasted corn and buckets of French fries. “People are going nuts for this on our social media,” says Vicki Chouris, South Florida Fairgrounds’ president and CEO. “Which makes me nervous, because it could be too popular.”
“Fourth of July gives Tampa Bay’s tourism a boost, but future remains unpredictable” via Veronica Brezina-Smith of the Tampa Bay Business Journal — Hotels are filling back up and passengers are hopping back on airplanes, for now. The Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest for local tourism as people get together and many book hotels along the beach, and the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t seem to be stopping that. Airlines flying in and out of Tampa International Airport are expected to add more than 3,400 flights in and out of Tampa this month. St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport indicated it is also seeing an increase in travelers.
“Fireworks are America’s favorite face exploding, dog torturing, bird murdering way to celebrate its birthday” via Caitlin Gibson of The Washington Post — You could argue that “fireworks gone wrong” (Google it: 37 million results) serve a kind of Darwinist function, reappropriating the anatomical inheritance of whoever can’t be bothered to follow the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s advice to “NEVER LAUNCH FIREWORKS OFF YOUR BODY.” But leaving aside that fireworks themselves can malfunction and that many of the wounded are just kids, consider the collateral damage of humankind’s fascination with these over-the-counter explosives. The National Fire Protection Association reports that roughly 18,500 fires are started by fireworks every year — house fires, vehicle fires, even wildfires, like the guy who set ablaze 47,000 acres in Arizona and caused more than $8 million in damage after he detonated fireworks as part of a “gender reveal” party.
“Firework tent sales boom as organized shows fizzle with COVID-19” via Sarah Hollenbeck of WFTS — In turn, local firefighters are preparing for a spike in calls. While firework shows may be fizzling out on both sides of the bay, at the Galaxy Fireworks tent on Dale Mabry in Tampa, sales are exploding. “The sales have been definitely a lot higher than normal,” Catherine Parbel, an employee at the tent explained. “Fireworks are often a last-minute sale so we really expect July 3 and 4 to be extremely busy.” TNT, Pyro Junkies and Phantom Fireworks tell ABC Action News they are also seeing a spike in sales thanks to a triple whammy: canceled organized shows, the holiday falling on a Saturday and a new state rule that makes fireworks legal on July 4 (and New Year’s Eve).
Jimmy Patronis wants you and your companions to be safe this Fourth of July.
“Fireworks! The science and psychology of fireworks“via PBS — NOVA presents the colorful history of pyrotechnics and reveals how high-tech firing systems are transforming public displays into a dazzling, split-second science. Here’s what you’ll find online: Name That Shell … Watch video clips of fireworks bursting in air and find out how well you know your chrysanthemums from your peonies, your roman candles from your palm trees. Anatomy of a Firework … Where you see brilliant light and vivid color, a pyrotechnician sees a successful lift charge, black powder mix, time-delay fuse, bursting charge, and other essential ingredients. Pyrotechnically Speaking … Dr. John Conkling, adjunct professor of chemistry at Washington College and former executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, describes what it is about fireworks that gets him, well, all fired up. On Fire (Hot Science) … This virtual laboratory lets you explore the basics of combustion, including how a fire ignites, what a flame is made of, and how burning molecules rearrange themselves.
“’They think they’re going to die’: How to keep dogs safe and calm during Fourth of July celebrations” via Jorge Ortiz of USA TODAY — It’s not too hard to tell your dog is scared if you know what to look for. Shivering, shaking, panting, salivating, yawning, and trying to hide are some of those indications. Frightened dogs may also lick their lips repeatedly or get stiff. Depending on the pitch fireworks that may seem distant can still elicit stress. Music, preferably classic or reggae, can block out some of the offending sounds. A familiar surrounding would also provide a sense of comfort. It’s best to leave pets behind in a secure place. If they’re outside, a leash is advised. The ASPCA points out alcoholic drinks can poison pets, which may get weak and depressed or even go into a coma after ingesting alcohol.
“With fireworks canceled, TV offers a way to see rockets’ red glare” via Sharon Kennedy Wynne of the Tampa Bay Times — All the major city fireworks shows in the Tampa Bay area are canceled this year in an effort to keep crowds from gathering during the coronavirus pandemic. But you can still see the rockets’ red glare on TV and online this weekend as some firework shows are televised and livestreamed to let you watch from the comfort of your couch. The Sarasota park that hosted a drive-in stunt show for daredevil Nik Wallenda last month is going the drive-in route again, this time for fireworks. The 40th annual broadcast of A Capitol Fourth airs on PBS on Saturday from 8-9:30 p.m. The Macy’s fireworks show in New York City will be broadcast on NBC from 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
2020
“’What do I do? What do I do?’: Trump desperate, despondent as numbers crater, ‘loser’ label looms” via Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair — To console himself, Trump still has moments of magical thinking. “He says the polls are all fake,” a Republican in touch with Trump told me. But the bad news keeps coming. This week, Jacksonville, Florida — where Trump moved the Republican National Convention so he could hold a 15,000-person rally next month — mandated that people wear masks indoors to slow the explosion of COVID-19 cases. According to a Republican working on the convention, the campaign is now preparing to cancel the event so that Trump doesn’t suffer another Tulsa–like humiliation. “They probably won’t have it,” the source said. “It’s not going to be the soft-landing Trump wanted.”
Donald Trump is despondent over the possibility he may lose big in November. Image via Bloomberg.
“Trump’s ardent defense of Confederate monuments continues as Americans swing the opposite direction” via Eugene Scott of The Washington Post — Trump’s continued defense of monuments to and institutions named in honor of Confederate figures puts him in opposition not only to his political opponents, who view monuments to Confederate soldiers as racist — but to most Americans, as well. While attacking Sen. Elizabeth Warren in what many consider a slur against Native Americans, Trump tweeted Wednesday that he would veto any bill attempting to rename military bases named for Gen. Robert E. Lee and other military leaders of the Confederacy.
“In wake of Trump’s Tulsa rally, his campaign is still contending with the fallout” via Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post — It was just hours before Trump was set to take the stage for his rally in Tulsa last month when the news broke: Six staff at the site had just tested positive for the coronavirus. The president, who was en route from Washington, was livid that the news was public, according to people familiar with his reaction. Health care workers were quizzed about whether they had leaked the information about the positive cases to the news media and then were given a different list of people to test. Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman, said the Trump campaign “performed more tests than originally anticipated” in Tulsa, adding that the event was in compliance with Oklahoma state guidelines and that campaign employees “wore masks during the rally in accordance with guidelines.”
“Trump set to headline high-dollar fundraising dinner at a private Florida home next week” via Josh Dawsey and Michelle Ye Hee Lee of The Washington Post — Trump is set to hold a high-dollar dinner at a private residence in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, next week to raise money for his campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to an invitation sent to top GOP donors, his first in-person fundraiser since mid-June.
Tweet, tweet:
“Democratic ad-makers think they’ve discovered Trump’s soft spot” via David Siders of POLITICO — Trump wasn’t halfway through his speech in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Democratic ad makers in Washington and New York were already cutting footage for an air raid on the slumping president. They didn’t focus on the president’s curious monologue about his difficulties descending a ramp or drinking water at West Point, the small crowd size of the Tulsa event, or even his use of the racist term “Kung flu.” Instead, the ads zeroed in on Trump’s admission that he urged officials to “slow the [coronavirus] testing down.” They are pouring tens of millions of dollars into ads yoking his behavior to substantive policy issues surrounding the coronavirus, the economy, and the civil unrest since the death of George Floyd.
Convention countdown
“Coronavirus crushing hospitals in Jacksonville, host of the Republican National Convention” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — In Jacksonville, UF Health, the sole safety-net hospital, is exhibit A. CEO Leon Haley and medical professionals described the situation in the city with the fastest case growth in the country. That growth is wreaking havoc at UF Health and elsewhere. Haley, in a briefing to local officials and state legislators, described “significant rises” in “cases and hospitalizations,” giving the lie to the politicians’ narrative that a surge in cases among the young didn’t matter because they wouldn’t die as older patients would. “We have continued to see a rise in patients,” Haley said, which intensified in recent weeks as people “started to relax a bit.” “We have 38 COVID patients in the hospital,” Haley said. “We were as low as eight 12 days ago.”
“Pence promises ‘safe and healthy’ Republican National Convention” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — The Republican National Convention host city is now an epicenter of coronavirus spread, but the Vice President is “excited” to head there. Speaking to reporters in Tampa, Pence was vaguely affirmational about the convention in Jacksonville next month. “We’re excited about coming to Jacksonville. I was in a meeting when I heard of very sophisticated plans to make sure it’s a safe and healthy environment,” Pence said. Pence said his goal was to make sure “the people of Florida can “rest easy’,” expressing hope “for great events to happen in Florida, not just the RNC … [and] Florida to once again be a great destination.”
“DeSantis engineered a Trump campaign aide’s ouster. Now she’s back” via Gary Fineout and Marc Caputo of POLITICO Florida — Trump’s decision to reinstate Susie Wiles to his campaign’s good inner circle follows months of behind-the-scenes efforts to bring her back after she was exiled at the demand of DeSantis, who had her cast out of the President’s good graces in September. The Trump campaign tweeted the news Thursday: “Susie Wiles (@susie57) was a very important part of how we Made Florida Great Again with @realDonaldTrump in 2016 and it’s tremendous to welcome her back to the team. We will win Florida again going away!” The decision to welcome back Wiles comes as polls show Trump trailing Democrat Joe Biden in Trump’s adopted home state. It wasn’t immediately clear if DeSantis had been told about the move.
Florida Democrats call for #NoJaxRNC in new digital ad, petition — As COVID-19 spikes overwhelm Jacksonville’s ICU and “safety net” hospital capacity, the Florida Democratic Party drops a new digital ad, “#NoJaxRNC,” with an accompanying petition calling on Trump to “put public health ahead of his ego trip.” The ad highlights recent developments in Jacksonville, including a poll showing 71% of Duval County voters are concerned about COVID-19 transmission and an open letter signed by 200 doctors calling the RNC convention “provocative of disease, predictably harmful, and medically disrespectful to the citizens of this city.”
“New super PAC slams Byron Donalds as “Never Trumper’” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — A newly formed political action committee launched a website and attack ad against Congressional candidate Donalds. Honesty America, a super PAC formed in April, announced in a news release it plans to “shine [a] light on shady and dishonest candidates.” That apparently starts with labeling Donalds, a Naples Republican running in Florida’s 19th Congressional District, as a “Never Trumper.” Club For Growth, a conservative group that fought Trump’s nomination in the 2016 Republican primary, endorsed Donalds last month. The organization booked more than $1 million in airtime in the Naples-Fort Myers market, which kicked off with pro-Donalds ads. But the group in other races has produced negative ads in primaries as well.
A new ad calls Byron Donalds a ‘Never Trumper.’
“Mike Hill called out for NRA hoax” via Rick Outzen of Rick’s Blog — At a recent gun show at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds, Hill displayed his campaign literature on a table sponsored by the National Rifle Association. His campaign told people that the NRA had endorsed Hill in his reelection bid against Michelle Salzman. Marion Hammer, NRA past president and executive director of Unified Sportsmen of Florida, found out and isn’t happy. Hammer yesterday fired off a message to all NRA and USF members. In capitalized red letters, she wrote, “NRA HAS NOT ENDORSED MIKE HILL!” and “USF HAD NOT ENDORSED MIKE HILL!” She added, “Mike Hill files legislation he KNOWS will not pass just so he can say he filed a bill.”
“Scott Plakon with Beatles on his mind as candidates muse campaign theme songs” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — For 90 minutes Wednesday, the East Side Regional Hob Nob rolled out Zoom moments with candidates and elected officials from Seminole and Orange counties. And while almost every one of them tried to squeeze in a few campaign statements, host Dan Pollock managed to cut most of them off pretty quickly. Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Winter Park, a Democrat seeking a third term representing Florida’s 9th Congressional District in Orange and Seminole Counties: “Only in America” by Brooks & Dunn. “My story could have only happened here in America,” said the congresswoman who came to America as an infant Vietnam refugee with her parents.
“Nick Duran touts $47K June haul as he defends HD 112 seat” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Duran says he added more than $47,000 in June as he faces a challenge to his House District 112 seat. Former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and president of the Douglas Park Neighborhood Association Rosy Palomino are competing for the Republican nomination in HD 112. Duran won the seat in 2016 and is seeking his third term. Candidates face a July 3 deadline to report all fundraising through June 26. Neither Duran nor the Republican challengers have filed their reports covering that span. A Duran campaign official, however, said the candidate raised $37,500 during June through his campaign. Leadership for Miami-Dade, a political committee Duran chairs, added another $10,000, according to his team. That gives him more than $160,000 still on hand between those two accounts.
“Ricky Junquera says campaign added more than $30K in June” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Junquera is touting a $30,500 haul in June as he seeks the House District 118 seat this November. Junquera is taking on incumbent GOP Rep. Anthony Rodriguez. Both are unopposed in their respective primaries, meaning the two will face off in the general election Nov. 3. Campaigns have recently been ramping up their fundraising operations, which had been slowed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Junquera’s June number is his largest since he entered the contest in October. “It’s reassuring to know that I have the support of the community in what many are calling the top House race in Florida,” Junquera said. The race is expected to be close. Rodriguez defeated Democratic Rep. Robert Asencio in 2018 by just 2 percentage points. Junquera is hoping to ride a blue wave to take the seat back for Democrats in 2020.
“The Fourth of July can be a virus reset. Here’s exactly what we need to do.” via Leana S. Wen of The Washington Post — Remember Memorial Day? There was a sense of optimism that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic was behind us. Most states had declining numbers of infections, and nearly all had announced plans for reopening. Now, we are seeing the consequences of rapid reopening. Top health officials testified before a Senate committee that 29 states are seeing increasing numbers of infections, and 12 states have set record highs in the past week. States with escalating infections must take urgent, large-scale action. Closing bars, as some state and local officials have already mandated, is a critical first step, since crowded indoor bars have clearly been identified as the source of numerous outbreaks.
Opinions
“The anti-Trump movement will outlast Trump” via John F. Harris of POLITICO — The Trump years have scrambled old ideological lines. So perhaps it is not so surprising that in recent days George F. Will, the elegant dean of conservative columnists, and Matt Taibbi, a raucous liberal iconoclast, found themselves gnawing on different parts of the same bone. In this case, both writers were agitated by what they see as the left’s effort to stifle freethinking and bully those who dissent from its rigid ideological and racial orthodoxy. The motivation is primarily revulsion toward Trump personally, his vulgarity, his mendacity, the heedlessness and even nihilism of his approach to governance, rather than ideology.
“I’ve watched in alarm as my fellow Republicans shun masks. It’s selfish.” via Karen Hughes of The Washington Post — I’ve watched in alarm and dismay as the course of action recommended by almost all of our nation’s infectious-disease experts has been shunned by many of my fellow conservatives and Republicans. Trump, Pence and many governors either refuse to wear a mask or wear one only occasionally. I understand the need to get the economy moving. People have to work to feed their families; small businesses and restaurants must be open to pay their rent and employees. But reopening successfully requires deliberate precautions.
“Gary Ostrander: Federal help needed to maintain research, innovation hit hard by COVID-19” via Florida Politics — Congressional action is key to continuing the progress that American researchers and innovators have made both in combating the coronavirus and overall scientific discovery. The facilities that house and train these researchers also are important job creators in our communities. Support for these facilities and the people who work and train there is vital for the creation and maintenance of the scientific and creative pipeline that is critical to American innovation. Without this funding, future innovations in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, space exploration and digital agriculture — to name just a few — will be hindered while agencies are forced to abandon these projects or use future appropriations intended for new research to cover existing grants.
Today’s Sunrise
Florida has achieved the dubious distinction of setting another record for COVID-19 cases, more than 10,000 new cases in a single day.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— Pence and Gov. DeSantis meet in Tampa to talk about the surge in coronavirus, but Democrats claim they’re both to blame for the failed response nationwide and in Florida.
— Speaking of death, Florida reported 67 more COVID-19 fatalities Thursday (if you believe the state’s numbers) bringing the death toll in the Sunshine State to 3,718.
— Three state lawmakers who are leaving the Legislature this year are hoping to remain in Tallahassee by appointment to the Public Service Commission.
— As the new trade deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada begins, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says Florida growers are getting the shaft. Fried, Rep. Murphy and blueberry grower Bud Chiles will talk about the new deal.
— The latest with Florida Man, a veteran cop who’s been relieved of duty for punching a woman in the face at Miami International Airport.
Dishonorable Mention: Rep. Chris Latvala, activist Becca Tieder, Ernest Hooper and communications expert Dr. Karla Mastracchio discuss politics and culture. The hosts discuss survivors of sexual assault and rape from the USF Greek System, who are telling their stories on Twitter over the last week. How has this systematically persisted for decades, what can be done legislatively, and what can we do to fix the system so the victims can be heard? With the spike of COVID — 19 cases, are we taking this pandemic seriously? They also give their thoughts on Trump’s recent Twitter activity and allegations. Hooper talks about the BET Awards last week and introduces some new artists he discovered. With everything happening in the world, how can we rise up from all of the pain and tragedies?
Inside Florida Politics from GateHouse Florida: DeSantis took an ax to the coronavirus-battered state budget this week and hacked off $1 billion in spending. Journalists Zac Anderson, John Kennedy and Antonio Fins discuss the Governor’s budget cuts, a series of significant bills he signed into law and continued questions about his handling of the coronavirus outbreak as cases surge.
podcastED: Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill talks with the head of the leading platform for enabling educator advancement via micro-credentials, a form of micro-certification that supports, scales and grows effective teachers. Sanford Kenyon joined BloomBoard as chief revenue officer in 2015 after 25 years in software and technology-based businesses and assumed the role of chief executive officer in February 2017. Unlike a traditional course or workshop where the learning process is linear and time-based, the micro-credential learning process is a unique online experience whereby educators gain an understanding at the outset of their specific goals, and then personalize their learning to achieve the specific requirements for achieving competence. BloomBoard, based in Palo Alto, California, offers competency-based professional learning programs to state and district leaders.
The New Abnormal from host Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast: “It’s not just treason. It’s historic treason,” Wilson says about the revelation that the Russians offered bounties on U.S. soldiers — and Trump kissed up to the Kremlin anyway. “This is a guy who was already going down into the dustbin of history. And now there’s going to be a line at his grave where they’re going to have to throw cat litter down. Because people are gonna piss on it for all time.” Democratic Rep. Connor Lamb talks up his favorite Republican. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison gets real about police unions. (“I’m reluctant to even call it a police union because a union is an honorable, wonderful institution,” he says. “These institutions are not like that at all. The teacher’s union does not deliberately harm the kids. Nurses don’t hurt the patients. UAW doesn’t break the cars.”) And Jong-Fast dishes on White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany: “At least with Sean Spicer, you did feel he possessed a human soul. Whereas with Kaylee, it’s just this sort of terrifying, blonde sea of obfuscation.”
The Yard Sign with host Jonathan Torres: Chris VerKuilen, Anibal Cabrera, Jodie Lopes and Torres discuss the COVID-19 spike, face mask lawsuits, Biden’s VP picks and protests — both local and national.
Weekend TV
Facing South Florida with Jim DeFede on CBS 4 in Miami: The Sunday show provides viewers with an in-depth look at politics in South Florida, along with other issues affecting the region.
Florida This Week on Tampa Bay’s WEDU: Moderator Rob Lorei hosts a roundtable featuring journalist-author Charlayne Hunter-Gault; Ray Arsenault, John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History at USF-St. Petersburg; PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief Angie Holan and Florida Sun-Sentinel columnist/reporter Steve Bousquet.
Political Connections on CF 13 in Orlando and Bay News 9 in Tampa/St. Pete: Host Holly Gregory will interview Rep. Kathy Castor about a new proposal to tackle climate change in the U.S.; a look at Gov. DeSantis’ budget cuts due to the coronavirus and the latest on a major decision from the Supreme Court.
“As ‘Hamilton’ arrives on Disney+, five lyrics that have shaped the culture” via John Jurgensen of The Wall Street Journal — There are many ways to quantify the success of “Hamilton,” such as its 11 Tony Awards, its multiplatinum cast recording album and how many of the musical’s lyrics have seeped into the American lexicon, repurposed everywhere from pop-culture to politics. Now “Hamilton” quotes stand to further their reach, as the musical about the triumphs and failings of the nation’s Founding Fathers premieres in its most accessible form yet: A performance filmed live on Broadway in 2016 and featuring its original cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, is set for release Friday on the Disney+ streaming service.
Starting today, Disney+ will begin streaming a filmed version of Hamilton, which may hold no surprises for those who have listened to the album. Image via Disney.
“Mad Men is moving to a new (old) home” via Josef Adalain of Vulture — Just weeks after leaving Netflix, Mad Men has found a new (old) home for subscription-based viewing, AMC Networks. The company, whose AMC cable network greenlit Matt Weiner’s period drama and aired it for its full seven-season run, has struck a deal with production studio Lionsgate Television, giving it broad U.S. rights to the show on multiple platforms, including linear cable networks and subscription video-on-demand services. The AMC Networks portion of the deal kicks in early this fall. At that point, AMC Networks will get the right to air Mad Men reruns on its cable channels and add the show to its various subscription-based streaming services, potentially including Sundance Now and the recently launched AMC Plus.
What Taylor Biehl is reading — “Jimmy Buffett takes over St. Pete Twitter page to promote new Pier opening” via Tampa Bay 10 — The new St. Pete Pier just got a shout out from the king of Hawaiian shirts and the founder of Margaritaville. Buffett, the famous singer-songwriter of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” fame, took over the St. Pete Twitter account on Thursday to “say hello to my good friend Mayor Rick Kriseman” and “all you Parrot Heads in Pinellas County.” In the video, Buffett said he can’t wait to get back to the area to check out the new Pier, which opens Monday to the public. “Stay safe until we see you again,” Buffett said. “Fins up, and have a happy Fourth of July!”
Happy birthday
Happy birthday in the coming days to state Sens. Janet Cruz and Joe Gruters, Rep. MaryLynn Magar, Rep. Barbara Watson, Ron Barnette, Susanne Dudley, Brad Herold, our friend James Kotas, Tim Nungesser, Tim Parsons of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee, Fatima Perez, Van Poole, and Tim Stapleton of the Florida Medical Association.
If DC were simply transferred to Maryland its residents would be at a disadvantage given the state’s existing political infrastructure
Democrats should not be afraid to play hardball politics in pursuit of electoral gain; in the past Republicans have admitted states for the same reason
Serious complications due to abortions are extremely rare and admitting privilege requirements have not been shown to offer any medical benefit; the laws in question are aimed at preventing abortion rather than protecting a woman’s health
Libertarians accuse Roberts of inconsistent respect for precedent, exhorting him to “stop playing ‘87‐dimensional chess’ and just call the legal balls and strikes.”
Democratic hostility to Russia may fade once Trump is gone, just as the anti-war movement faded after Obama was elected
Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis writes that if the intelligence is true, the US must respond forcefully by expelling the Russian ambassador
The Montana Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the entire program is analogous to a city shutting down its school system to prevent racial integration and thus was properly reversed
🎆 Happy Fourth of July Observed! It’s a perfect time to text or call someone you love, or who needs love, but isn’t in your daily mix.
I’ve had a few readers write to say they’re thanking one person a day as a random act of kindness — I love that idea! And I appreciate making your cut …
Today’s Smart Brevity™ count: 1,098 words … 4 minutes.
1 big thing: Markets swell as the economy shrinks
Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
The economy is sputtering, but the markets are thriving — a highly unusual event that shows how the coronavirus has thrown all bets off, managing editor Jennifer Kingson writes from New York.
Wall Street ended June with the best quarterly performance since 1998 — an upswing you never get when the economy is in this precarious shape.
The disconnect between the economy and the stock markets is “extreme,” Vikram Mansharamani, a Harvard lecturer who specializes in financial bubbles and business disruption, tells Axios.
“Markets are not supposed to become inefficient,” Mansharamani says. “This is not supposed to exist, according to some academics.”
Reasons the stock market has risen:
The Federal Reserveflooded the markets with as much cash as possible.
Congress passed extensive relief programs.
Investors remain flush with cash.
Expectations are that a vaccine will emerge.
But the real economy matters most:
U.S. GDPplunged 5% in the first quarter, personal income decreased 4.2% in May and consumer confidence — while higher in June than in March, April or May — is well below pre-crisis levels.
Only half of Americans own stocks, whether directly or through 401(k)s.
Thought bubble from Axios’ Felix Salmon: The S&P 500 and other big indices comprise the world’s biggest companies, with massive balance sheets and easy access to liquidity.
The virus has effectively wiped out their small-business competition. So the giants now have the field to themselves and get to carve it up.
President Trump took a victory lap in the White House press room with the release of yesterday’s unexpectedly rosy jobs report:
“Today’s announcement proves that our economy is roaring back,” he crowed, amid uncontrolled virus surges in the three most populous states.
“We have some areas where we’re putting out the flames or the fires, and that’s working out well.”
Trump predicted “a fantastic third quarter … the likes of which nobody has ever seen before, in my opinion,” then said the quiet part out loud:
“And the good thing is the numbers will be coming out just prior to the election, so people will be able to see those numbers.”
The catch: Axios’ Courtenay Brown notes that the labor market was showing more signs of recovery when the survey ended than now because of growing virus case counts that are pushing states to roll back reopenings.
3. Nike pulls gear, FedEx asks for Redskins name change
Photo: Mark Tenally/AP
If you search “Redskins” on Nike.com, you find that all official team gear has been removed, CBS Sports points out.
Nike even stripped Washington from its sidebar list of teams, making it look like the NFL has 31 teams, NBC Sports noticed.
And FedEx, named sponsor of the Redskins’ stadium, released a statement that says in full: “We have communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.“
The context, from NFL.com: “FedEx paid $205 million in 1998 to the Redskins for the team’s stadium naming rights in a deal that runs through 2025. FedEx founder, chairman and CEO Frederick Smith also is a team minority owner.”
Between the lines: Nike and FedEx were two of the companies we told you about yesterday who received letters, signed by 87 investors and shareholders, demanding the brands to cut ties with the Redskins.
The bottom line, from the WashPost’s Liz Clarke: “If prominent Redskins sponsors feel sufficient pressure to dissociate from the team, [Dan] Snyder’s bottom line would take a significant hit.”
Busy beach this week in Manasquan in Monmouth County, N.J. Photo: Wayne Parry/AP
Large crowds are expected at the Jersey Shore for the holiday weekend, AP’s Wayne Parry writes from Belmar:
New Jersey’s casinos have reopened, along with amusement rides and water parks. Beaches are open, though at reduced occupancy levels. Restaurants can offer limited outdoor dining, and stores and shopping malls have reopened.
Flags line the beach in Belmar, N.J. Photo: Wayne Parry/AP
5. Biden’s holiday ad gives his definition of success
A Joe Biden ad debuting over this holiday weekend, “Taught Me,” says his parents taught him “that success means looking at your child, and realizing they turned out better than you.”
Why it matters: The ad is part of Biden’s effort to leverage his experience as what the campaign calls “a core strength,” at a time President Trump is arguing, as he put in Tulsa, that Biden’s record “can be summed up as four decades of betrayal, calamity, and failure. He never did anything.”
The Biden campaign says the minute-long digital ad is part of a paid-media blitz in battleground states, highlighting Biden’s “leadership experience and core values.” Two others:
“Proud” depicts Biden as “a proud military father who sent a son to Iraq … American leadership isn’t just about an example of our power, but the power of our example. … So as long as they’re fighting, he is, too.”
The ads will run on YouTube, Hulu, and other streaming platforms in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, and Arizona.
The campaign says: “While our digital ads may have different looks and feels across platforms, they all ladder up to our campaign’s central themes that we know resonate with voters, especially right now during times of crisis.”
6. 🎧 What we’re listening to: America’s galloping news deserts
Our morning podcast, “Axios Today,” is up with a bonus holiday edition — our first audio Deep Dive.
Host Niala Boodhoo explores the “extinction-level crisis” in local news, with guests who include Sara Fischer and UNC’s Penelope Muse Abernathy, the nation’s top expert on news deserts, and author of a new report last week.
Hugh Downs hosts NBC’s “Today” show on March 10, 1966. Photo: Jack Kanthal/AP
“Good evening. I’m Hugh Downs. And this is ’20/20.'”
A line from my childhood — part of the rhythm and music of news that drew me into this ride of a lifetime.
Hugh Downs — an omnipresent broadcaster whose career on NBC, ABC and PBS spanned more than half a century — died at 99 in Scottsdale, per ABC.
Downs became a friendly and familiar face during his 15,000 hours “on television between the 1950s and 1990s, during which he worked on NBC’s ‘Today’ and ‘Tonight’ shows, the game show ‘Concentration,’ ’20/20,’ PBS’ ‘Over Easy’ and ‘Live from Lincoln Center,’ as well as on dozens of commercials.”
This is the second time in recent weeks that Secret Service agents preparing for a White House or campaign event outside of Washington have contracted the virus.
The company said in a statement it “communicated to the team in Washington our request that they change the team name.” FedEx signed a 27-year naming-rights deal for the stadium in 1999.
The college, named in honor of two of its early benefactors, George Washington and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, has deep and complex ties to the Confederacy.
In a 5-4 decision, the justices ruled that Alabama does not have to abide for now with lower-court decisions that made it easier to cast a mail-in ballot.
Even as other sports plan their returns, network executives have nervously kept their eyes on the NFL season, which is America’s most valuable television property.
Jared Kushner has reportedly been displeased with Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale after the low turnout at President Trump’s recent rally in Tulsa.
Abraham Lincoln’s renowned opening to his Gettysburg Address, “Four score and seven years ago,” mused about our nation’s beginnings while pondering its mortality. The phrase references Psalm 90’s contrast between God’s everlasting nature and the lifespan of man, which the passage describes as “three score years and ten.”
The top prosecutor in the nation’s capital says the Justice Department has charged 150 people in cases related to acts of violence during protests that followed the death of George Floyd.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday she is closing indoor service at Michigan bars as a proactive measure to prevent the resurgence of coronavirus in the state.
Bars that serve food and restaurants can open at full capacity in Virginia, but patrons still are banned from sitting or congregating at the bars as the state began phase three of its reopening Wednesday.
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Good morning, Chicago. Here’s the coronavirus news and other top stories you need to know to start your day.
Illinois health officials Thursday reported 869 new known cases of COVID-19 and 36 additional confirmed fatalities, bringing state totals to 144,882 known cases and 6,987 confirmed deaths.
The city ordered the quarantine for anyone who has spent more than 24 hours in the following states before arriving in Chicago: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
A southern Illinois judge on Thursday declared void Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s orders aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus, saying state law doesn’t allow governors to extend disaster proclamations beyond 30 days or restrict the activities of residents and businesses by executive order.
Ahead of a summer holiday weekend that, in normal times, would mean packed patios and crowded bars, restaurant and bar owners are facing fines of up to $10,000 if COVID-19 restrictions are flouted. It’s a tough line to toe for businesses just barely scraping by after nearly three months of being closed due to the pandemic.
Protests in Chicago and the suburbs over the Minnesota death of George Floyd as a police officer knelt on his neck so far have caused no identifiable uptick in COVID-19 cases, city and suburban Cook County officials said this week. But they also noted that cases have been leveling off in Chicago and the suburbs, and increasing slightly statewide.
Illinois’ recent progression to phase four of its reopening plan might have some feeling a renewed sense of freedom just in time for July Fourth. And while the reopening of the lakefront, movie theaters and other spots has put many in a celebratory mood, surges in COVID-19 cases in the United States are a cautionary warning that the virus is still out there. Nevertheless, there are still ways to have fun and commemorate the birth of our nation while practicing social distancing. Here is a list of activities, restaurant specials and other events happening over July Fourth weekend.
California was once a coronavirus success story, a national example of how other states could battle the virus and win.
But now California is in trouble. As the state joins Arizona, Texas and Florida as one of the worst coronavirus hot spots in the country, state leaders and public health experts say it should be viewed as a cautionary tale.
The Trump administration is eyeing the use of a new strategy that would allow states to dramatically expand their testing capabilities as several areas seek to get coronavirus outbreaks under control.
The nation’s top infectious disease expert said Thursday he is growing increasingly concerned with the number of coronavirus infections in the United States as cases grow at an unprecedented rate even after months of lockdowns.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has issued an order making it mandatory for all Texans to wear a face covering of some kind while out in public as the state faces a surge in coronavirus cases.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) announced Thursday that the city is issuing an emergency travel order directing all residents and travelers entering Chicago from states experiencing an uptick in coronavirus cases to quarantine for 14 days in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.
GOP Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.) accused Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, two key members of the White House’s coronavirus task force, of “undermining” President Trump’s response to the virus during an interview Thursday.
The U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs in June, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department, as the gradual easing of coronavirus-related restrictions helped more businesses reopen and bring back workers.
OPINION | The racial reckoning enveloping the country confirms that post-racial America was nothing but a pipe dream. The sheer depth and intensity of the reinvigorated Black Lives Matter protests portends the making of a Civil Rights Movement 2.0.
OPINION | Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden very nearly survived his first press conference in three months without a single goof. Almost, but not quite.
Vice President Pence’s trip to Arizona this week had to be postponed by a day after several Secret Service agents who helped organize the visit either tested positive for the coronavirus or were showing symptoms of being infected.
BY LARRY BUCHANAN, QUOCTRUNG BUI AND JUGAL K. PATEL
Four recent polls — including one released this week by Civis Analytics, a Democratic data firm — suggest that about 15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd and others in recent weeks.
As China drew up a new security law for Hong Kong last month, its top Foreign Ministry official in the city gathered international business groups and diplomats to deliver a message from Beijing: Don’t panic.
The Executive Committee of the Texas Republican Party voted on Thursday to push ahead and have their state convention in person this month despite a surge in coronavirus cases in Houston, where it will take place.
President Donald Trump will begin his Independence Day weekend on Friday with a patriotic display of fireworks at Mount Rushmore before a crowd of thousands, but even in a part of the country where many remain supportive of the president, the event has drawn controversy and protests.
Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth has put a blanket hold on 1,100 military promotions until Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper assures her in writing that impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alex Vindman will not be punished for his testimony. Read More…
The Senate voted quietly Thursday to undo a proposal in its fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill that would have given the Pentagon extraordinary new power to shape the Energy Department’s future nuclear weapons budgets. Read More…
From confusion on the Senate floor over just-passed bills to mask-related small talk and petty squabbling, lawmakers were clearly ready to get out of Washington for the Fourth of July recess as this week’s Congressional Hits and Misses attests. Read More…
Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.
Congress on Thursday cleared legislation for the president that would require U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials violating human rights in Hong Kong while also threatening penalties on foreign banks that support Beijing’s crackdown on the formerly autonomous territory. Read More…
Senators on Thursday left Capitol Hill for their first recess since before Memorial Day. The two-week recess had been planned in part because of the original schedule for the Democratic National Convention. Read More…
Ahead of Independence Day, CQ Roll Call health care reporter Emily Kopp unpacks the various recommendations on how to stay safe while celebrating the holiday. Among Dr. Anthony Fauci’s suggestions: avoid bars and get outside. Read More…
OPINION — Elijah McClain, described by an acquaintance as the “sweetest, purest person,” died after an encounter with police in Aurora, Colorado, last summer. Police later said he committed no crime. Well, except for the “crime” that he himself knew triggers suspicion if you’re Black: “I’m just different.” Read More…
CQ Roll Call is a part of FiscalNote, the leading technology innovator at the intersection of global business and government. Copyright 2020 CQ Roll Call. All rights reserved Privacy | Safely unsubscribe now.
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POLITICO PLAYBOOK
(Observed)
Presented by
DRIVING THE DAY
HAPPY JULY FOURTH(OBSERVED). THE PRESIDENT is off to South Dakota today for fireworks and a speech. The ARGUS LEADER front: “Trump to speak at Mount Rushmore” with a photo of a “Trump Shop” — a guy selling Trump 2020 gear. The AMERICAN NEWS of Aberdeen, S.D. has a photo of the president, and an explanation of how to watch him speak.
A SNEAK PEEK at TRUMP’S stage, via CNN’s BETSY KLEIN. “7,500 spectators expected with no social distancing” … NBC’s CRAIG MELVIN asked Surgeon General JEROME ADAMS about attending large-scale gatherings. Generally speaking, he punted. The 2-minute clip
As many as 80 percent of the holiday fireworks displays in large cities and small towns have been canceled because of the pandemic,” by NYT’s Julie Creswell
ALEX ISENSTADT: “The week that shook the Trump campaign”: “When Donald Trump had dinner with Home Depot cofounder Bernie Marcus at the White House Saturday night, word of the get-together quickly reverberated across the president’s political sphere. The 91-year-old billionaire is a longtime backer of former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, and Trump operatives were suspicious that a move was afoot to bring the smashmouth populist back into the fold.
“Few seriously believe Bannon will return — while Trump has praised his recent TV appearances, there is still deep anger within the president’s inner circle over Bannon’s post-White House mocking of first daughter Ivanka Trump. But the post-meeting jitters illustrate how Trump’s political team is suddenly gripped by uncertainty: With the election just four months away and Trump conceding privately that he’s behind, his advisers have spent the past week racing to get on track.
“Most notably, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner asserted further control over the campaign, a move that led to the abrupt demotion of one of Trump’s longest-serving political aides. The internal moves, however, did little to assuage skeptics who say Trump’s problems can only be fixed by the candidate himself. Namely, they say, Trump needs a message and to show some discipline in delivering it.” POLITICO
— NYT, A1 … MAGGIE HABERMAN, JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEX BURNS: “Why June Was Such a Terrible Month for Trump”: “In an interview, Mr. Kushner, whose influence in the administration is exceeded only by Mr. Trump, said his strategy amounted to letting the president dictate his own re-election.
“‘He’s really the campaign manager at the end of the day,’ Mr. Kushner said, adding: ‘Our job is to present him with data, give him ideas, help him structure. And then when he makes decisions on where he wants to go, the campaign was designed to be like a custom suit for him.’”
TIGHT! … Sen. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) and her Dem opponent, SARA GIDEON, are neck and neck in the money race. COLLINS has $5 million on hand, and GIDEON has $5.49 million.
YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE … WAPO’S CAROL LEONNIG and JOSH DAWSEY: “Secret Service agents preparing for Pence Arizona trip contracted coronavirus”: “Vice President Pence’s trip to Arizona this week had to be postponed by a day after several Secret Service agents who helped organize the visit either tested positive for the coronavirus or were showing symptoms of being infected.
“Pence was scheduled to go to Phoenix on Tuesday but went on Wednesday instead so that healthy agents could be deployed for his visit, according to two senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private details of the trip.”
REALLY, REALLY BAD NEWS … AP/FT. LAUDERDALE: “Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 states,” by Jake Coyle and Terry Spencer: “Four U.S. states — Arizona, California, Florida and Texas — reported a combined 25,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday as the infection curve rose in 40 of the 50 states heading into the July Fourth holiday weekend.
“With the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide climbing past 50,000, an alarming 36 states saw an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. ‘What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,’ Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a livestream with the American Medical Association.
“In a major retreat that illustrated how dire things have become in Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the wearing of masks across most of the state after refusing until recently to let even local governments impose such rules.” AP
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTERspoke with HILLARY CLINTON: “We wouldn’t have been able to stop the pandemic at our borders the way that Trump claimed in the beginning, but we sure could have done a better job saving lives, modeling better, more responsible behavior. I don’t think we necessarily should have had as deep an economic assault on livelihoods and jobs as we have. So I know I would have done a better job.”
UP NEXT? … HEATHER CAYGLE, MARIANNE LEVINE and SARAH FERRIS: “Congress stares down funding cliff for coronavirus aid”: “As the U.S. enters its sixth month of grappling with the coronavirus pandemic — with cases soaring and unemployment claims hovering in the millions — Congress is again facing a double-barreled dilemma: how to address both the health and economic catastrophes threatening the country.
“And in typical Congress fashion, lawmakers have teed up a crunch time crisis this month, giving themselves just a few weeks to wrangle together a massive bipartisan coronavirus relief deal and ship it to President Donald Trump. The month of July, which was already crowded with a slate of must-pass spending and defense bills, now brings even higher stakes, with the two parties still far apart on how Washington should approach the twin emergencies just four months before the presidential election.
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said ‘of course’ Thursday when asked whether Congress can pull a massive relief bill together in the coming weeks. ‘First of all, I’m not leaving for two weeks,’ Pelosi told reporters of the upcoming Independence Day holiday. ‘They’ve made their overtures,’ she added of Republicans. ‘They also have said publicly ‘this or that’ should be in the next bill. So we anticipate we will have a bill.’” POLITICO
HAPPENING TODAY … JOE BIDEN will participate in the National Education Association’s virtual representative assembly.
Good Friday morning.
SPOTTED: Sen. Rand Paul(R-Ky.) riding the bus Thursday at DCA without a mask. Paul recovered from Covid and skips a mask in the Capitol, too. Pic… Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) at DCA outside of Gate 31, bound for Chicago O’Hare on Thursday. Moran was kneeling on the floor organizing papers. Pic
KNOWING SYMONE SANDERS … NYT’S MARK LEIBOVICH: “Symone Sanders Bet on Biden, and Herself”: “As one might divine, Ms. Sanders has always had a desire to be seen, heard and generally in the middle of things. For many years, she imagined she’d have to play some other character in order to achieve that; to fashion some kind of safe persona or schtick and, if need be, sacrifice part of her genuine self in order to accommodate the cookie-cutter norms of Talking Head World. She also figured she’d have to wait around and pay years of dues before she could unleash her full charismatic arsenal upon the staid conventions of TV political gab.
“As things turned out, Ms. Sanders did not have to wait long at all to play herself on TV; nor would she have to cultivate some latter-day incarnation of Donna Burns. She has become, for a host of reasons, a critical of-the-moment character in this presidential race. At 30, Ms. Sanders is the youngest member of Mr. Biden’s inner circle, the highest-ranking African-American person on his campaign staff and the most prominent alumnus of a Bernie Sanders presidential campaign.
“All of which has positioned her as a key conduit between Biden World and four Democratic constituencies that the former vice president desperately needs: young voters, Black voters, female voters and supporters who were loyal to Mr. Sanders, the Vermont senator whose 2016 presidential campaign Symone Sanders (no relation) worked on as national press secretary, at the age of 25.” NYT
“The vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s conservatives in the majority. Neither the majority nor the four justices who noted their dissent — Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — supplied the reasoning for their votes in the short emergency order.
“But in an earlier case from Wisconsin involving a judge’s accommodations for voters who feared voting in person because of the novel coronavirus, the justices in the majority — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr., Neil M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh — said it violated the court’s precedent about making changes to the voting process too close to an election.”
2024 WATCH — “Tucker Carlson in 2024? Republicans see a frontrunner,” by Alex Thompson: “Tucker Carlson’s audience is booming — and so is chatter that the popular Fox News host will parlay his TV perch into a run for president in 2024.
“Republican strategists, conservative commentators and former Trump campaign and administration officials are buzzing about Carlson as the next-generation leader of Donald Trump’s movement — with many believing he would be an immediate frontrunner in a Republican primary. ‘He’s a talented communicator with a massive platform. I think if he runs he’d be formidable,’ said Luke Thompson, a Republican strategist who worked for Jeb Bush’s Super PAC in 2016.
“While practically every Republican eyeing a 2024 presidential run is professing loyalty to Trump the person, Carlson has become perhaps the highest-profile proponent of “Trumpism” — a blend of anti-immigrant nationalism, economic populism, and America First isolationism that he articulates unapologetically and with some snark. At the same time, he’s shown a rare willingness among Republicans to bluntly criticize Trump when he believes the president is straying from that ideology.” POLITICO
TRUMP’S FRIDAY — The president and first lady Melania Trump will leave the White House at 4:45 p.m. en route to Ellsworth Air Force Base. They will arrive at 6:45 p.m. (MDT) and leave for Keystone, S.D. They will arrive at Mt. Rushmore Landing Zone at 7:30 p.m. They will travel to the amphitheater in Keystone and participate in the fireworks celebration at 8:10 p.m. The two will depart at 9:55 p.m. and travel back to Washington. They will arrive at the White House at 4:25 a.m.
PLAYBOOK READS
TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week” with Bob Costa: Ayesha Rascoe, Weijia Jiang, Peter Baker and Jonathan Swan.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
Fox News
“Fox News Sunday”: Ashish Jha. Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Susan Page and Charles Hurt. Power Player: The U.S. Army Old Guard’s Presidential Salute Battery
NBC
“Meet the Press”: Panel: Peter Alexander, Jeh Johnson and Danielle Pletka.
CBS
“Face the Nation”: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner … John Bolton … Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez … Scott Gottleib … Stephen Kaufer
CNN
“State of the Union”: Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) … Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)
Sinclair
“America This Week with Eric Bolling”: President Donald Trump … Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) … Roger Stone … Raz Simone. Panel: Ameshia Cross and Sebastian Gorka.
Gray TV
“Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren”: Sen. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) … Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) … Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.).
ONLY THE BEST PEOPLE … FOREIGN POLICY: “White House Directed Hiring of Conspiracy Theorist Over Pentagon Objections,” by Jack Detsch and Robbie Gramer: “The White House directed Defense Department officials to hire a former National Security Council staffer fired for circulating a conspiratorial memo and known for Islamophobic tweets, people familiar with the matter told Foreign Policy. The move is part of an aggressive push to staff the Pentagon with figures loyal to U.S. President Donald Trump and with connections to ousted former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn that has been met with resistance across the river.”
THE LATEST IN HONG KONG — “Hong Kong Security Law Stuns International Business: ‘It Turns Out It Is Really Bad’”by WSJ’s John Lyons and Frances Yoon in Hong Kong: “As China drew up a new security law for Hong Kong last month, its top Foreign Ministry official in the city gathered international business groups and diplomats to deliver a message from Beijing: Don’t panic.
“The law would target only a small group of radicals and wouldn’t impede the free market ethos behind Hong Kong’s rise as a global business hub, the official said. But now that businesspeople are finally seeing the law, there is much to cause concern.
“While no one expects the giant money flows coursing through Hong Kong to cease anytime soon, the law sets in motion fundamental changes that threaten to erode the city’s special role as a gateway connecting Western finance and know-how with China Inc.
“‘Businesses were kind of waiting and laying their bets to see how bad it would be, and then it turns out it is really bad,’ said Christopher Hughes, a London School of Economics professor of international relations who focuses on Chinese foreign policy. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if changes happen faster than you think.’”
SPOTTED at a Zoom birthday party for Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart hosted by his husband Nick Schmit, with a pre-recorded video from Speaker Nancy Pelosi: his mother Margaret Capehart, Valerie Jarrett, Andrea Mitchell and Alan Greenspan, Susan Rice and Ian Cameron, Kathleen Sebelius, Darren Walker, Hilary Rosen, Andrea and Michael Steele, Ann Walker Marchant, Broderick Johnson and Michele Norris …
… Laura Jarrett, Elise Jordan, Chris Jansing, Tamron Hall, Jordan Roth and Richie Jackson, Joe Paulsen and Samantha Tubman, Audrey and Danny Meyer, Adrienne Elrod, Fred Hiatt and Pooh Shapiro, Maria Teresa Kumar, Jeremy Bernard, Karine Jean-Pierre, Joe Versace, Courtney O’Donnell, Pete Selfridge and Parita Shah, Robyn and Jeremy Bash, Adrienne Arsht, Joy Reid, Marc Adelman, Karen Finney, April Ryan, Katherine O’Hearn, Kirk and Crystal Wagar.
TRANSITIONS — Virginia Boney is now deputy director of policy and strategic planning at the Commerce Department. She most recently was a senior adviser at the VA, and is an NSC/WH legislative affairs alum. … Will Turner is starting as legislative director for Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.). He previously was legislative assistant for Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.).
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Kristen Morgante, COO and partner at Purple Strategies. A trend she thinks doesn’t get enough attention: “I’m not sure it’s a trend, but the trend line on maternal mortality in the United States is disturbing, especially for Black women. Last year, we lost my 31-year-old cousin during childbirth to an amniotic fluid embolism, a condition with absolutely no warning signs and I was shocked to learn that the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is one of the highest on record for a developed country.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is 8-0 … Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) is 65 … Lally Weymouth … Dave Barry is 73 … Julian Assange is 49 … Don “Stew” Stewart … Rick Powell, vice chairman of Teneo … Dave Carney … Rick Sanchez … Peter Sherman, SVP of PAC services at DDC Advocacy (h/t Jon Haber) … Nick Baldick, managing partner of Hilltop Public Solutions … AFP’s Shaun Tandon … POLITICO’s Allie Bice and Heidi Vogt … James Lightbourn … Cameron Morabito is 27 … Barbara Lee, president and founder of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation (h/t Teresa Vilmain) … PBS NewsHour’s Julia Griffin …
… Gloria Allred is 79 … Andrew Peek … Rina Shah … Scott Hatch … Suzanne Palmieri … Lara Sisselman … CNN’s Lindy Royce-Bartlett … Chris Welch … Adam Goldberg, co-founder and partner at Trident DMG, is 51 … Connor Sallet … Maya Serkin … Austin Fielding … Patrick Stranix … Mariana Quevedo Vallejo … Alicia Criscuolo … Charlotte Brown, account director at the Brunswick Group … Ian Martinez … Kate McCarty … Washington Examiner’s Naomi Lim … Mary Yatrousis … Brigham McCown … Jay Oliver Sax … Scot Faulkner … Mari-Lynn Evans … Sandra Lee is 54
“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord,” (Zephaniah 2:3, ESV).
By Shane Vander Hart on Jul 03, 2020 02:40 am
Every Friday, Shane Vander Hart shares five items of good news or inspiring stories from the week to end the work week on a positive note. Read in browser »
By Caffeinated Thoughts on Jul 02, 2020 07:08 pm
The letter urges the Trump Administration to issue a formal determination of the atrocity crimes, and presses them to impose sanctions against Chinese officials who are responsible. Read in browser »
By Caffeinated Thoughts on Jul 02, 2020 06:20 pm
The Economic Recovery Advisory Board that Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed met for a second time on Zoom to discuss the state’s economic growth post-COVID-19. Read in browser »
By Shane Vander Hart on Jul 02, 2020 12:39 pm
Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said they support law enforcement action that led to 17 arrests at the State Capitol after a protest turned violent. Read in browser »
By Caffeinated Thoughts on Jul 02, 2020 10:14 am
The new Test Iowa clinic site will be located at All Care Health Center, 902 South 6th St., in Council Bluffs and will open on July 6, 2020. Read in browser »
Launched in 2006, Caffeinated Thoughts reports news and shares commentary about culture, current events, faith and state and national politics from a Christian and conservative point of view.
America’s birthday will look very different this year – with more than 60% of us staying home and avoiding gatherings with others. That’s the finding of new Harris Poll data released today as the country heads into the holiday weekend. While citizens remain divided on issues of race, politics and …
Google revealed the top five searches and questions people are asking about July 4 when they visit the company’s platform ahead of Independence Day. “Independence Day is upon us, and that means searches for fireworks, sparklers and tons of delicious recipes are on the rise,” Google Trends noted Tuesday three …
The shipment contained three aluminum blocks, shrink-wrapped and palletized, each weighing approximately 165 pounds HONOLULU —U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Honolulu intercepted and seized a shipment of cocaine transiting through Hawaii from Juarez, Mexico to Australia. “CBP works diligently to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics, whether …
Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s confidante Ghislaine Maxwell has been arrested, according to two senior law enforcement sources. The British socialite and heiress, who has been accused of involvement in Epstein’s crimes against young women, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New Hampshire on Epstein-related charges, law …
Ray Bradbury’s novel, “Something wicked this way comes,” is an allegory of the struggle between good and evil. In present-day America, Trump supporters represent the characters Will, Jim, and Charles fighting for morality and good. The GOP establishment represents Mr. Dark and his carnival freaks siding with evil in servitude. Like the fantasy …
Do you have plans to enjoy a picnic, barbeque, or meal under the summer sun? Remember to pack your picnic basket with food safety in mind, as food-borne bacteria that cause food poisoning (also known as food-borne illness) multiply faster in warm weather. Follow these tips to keep your food …
President Donald Trump delivers remarks Thursday during the Great America Spirit Showcase at the White House. The president is scheduled to speak at 11:30 a.m. EDT. Content created by Conservative Daily News and some content syndicated through CDN is available for re-publication without charge under the Creative Commons license. Visit our …
The Los Angeles City Council approved a measure Tuesday that would allow unarmed community responders to step in for uniformed officers on non-violent calls, according to news reports. The local government’s initiative was unanimous and will replace cops on calls for drug overdoses and mental health issues, among other non-violent …
President Donald Trump holds a press briefing Thursday to update the nation on recent economic developments. The briefing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Content created by Conservative Daily News and some content syndicated through CDN is available for re-publication without charge under the Creative Commons license. Visit our syndication …
As we head into this Independence Day weekend that will hopefully give us all a little diversion and respite from the last several months, I’ve decided to think outside the box a little to see if I can snap out of this pre-election funk of mine. Being the resident pessimist wears on me even though I’ve go years of practice.
President Trump’s moribund reelection campaign could use a bit of a jump start here in the dog days of summer and I know just the guy to do it: one Stephen K. Bannon. Full disclosure: this wasn’t my idea, a political junkie Trump supporter friend of mine mentioned it earlier in the week. I haven’t been able to get the idea out of my head since then, however.
It’s not that I am in a dead panic about Trump’s chances. It’s still early from an election year perspective and, as I have written more than once, I’m rather skeptical of the polls. I just feel that the campaign at present is oozing ennui — a subject I’m going to explore more in a column that will post later today. The Bannon touch could inject a little life into this listless organization.
Whatever Bannon was whispering into Trump’s ear in 2016 was magical. I have no idea what the present state of their relationship is, I’m merely wishcasting here. I’m in the mood for some magic after the insanity that we’ve been enduring for months. The pandemic and the riots will be more survivable if Trump is reelected. If Biden wins then the mob rule we’ve been seeing this past month will never go away.
I’ve known Bannon for a while — not well — but well enough to know that he was never the person the MSM made him out to be. We ran into each other a lot during the Tea Party years. He’s an interesting thinker who’s well-versed in history and knows a lot about politics. Had Trump been using a more conventional strategist in 2016 he would have lost. Bannon’s outsider vibe helped him survey the landscape and articulate a path for Trump’s victory.
“He’s the president of the United States,” he said. “He’s not a candidate. You act like president of the United States, you take action like the president of the United States, you govern like you are president of the United States, you are going to be reelected.”
He applauded Trump’s visit to the border wall in Arizona as the sort of event that would resonate with voters.
The campaign, he said, should be focused on the president as a law-and-order leader who created jobs and understands the threat from China.
“We don’t need rallies,” he said. “We need the president five days a week out there doing those types of things, showing people he as president is the driver of action.”
The catch there, of course, is that the corrupt media will distort everything that the president is doing. Bannon’s point is still solid. The strong presidential quality is what will resonate with non-coastal voters who propelled him to victory in 2016. Things have gotten better on the law-and-order front in recent days but there were a couple of weeks there when I was wondering if the president was even in the country.
Another plus to getting Bannon back in the mix is that is that he is one of the people from the Trump universe who triggers the lefties almost as much as the president himself does. Any excuse to make liberal heads explode is a good one and few things get them going all Scanners like saying the words “Steve Bannon.”
Bannon hasn’t been all that Trump-friendly in public lately but a welcoming invite back into the fold might make all of that go away. And if Bannon is too far gone to be helpful, then maybe the Trump campaign can find a “Steve Bannon type,” if such a person exists.
This Bannon fantasy of mine is just that, of course — a fantasy. Jared Kushner is still calling a lot of the shots behind the scenes and the rumor always was that Bannon and Kushner clashed a lot.
Still, stranger things have happened in Trump World. If anyone were to reappear from the early days of the administration Bannon would probably be the least surprising.
And the most helpful.
Thanks for indulging a non-plague story.
Speaking of Thank Yous…
The Morning Briefing had its biggest month ever in June and I just wanted to give heartfelt thanks to all of you who’ve bought into my less-than-orthodox way of doing things. I have some lofty goals for the MB and I’m going to keep my foot on the gas. We’re going to make it weirder, if we can. I do value your input and all suggestions are welcome.
A reminder: This is the version of TMD available to non-paying readers. We’re happy you’ve made The Dispatch part of your morning routine, and we hope you’re enjoying The Morning Dispatch and the rest of our free editorial offerings. If you do, we hope you’ll consider joining us as a paying member. In addition to the full version of TMD each day, you’ll get extra editions of French Press, the G-File, Vital Interests, and our other paid products. And members can engage with the authors and with one another in the discussion threads at the end of each of our articles and newsletters. If this appeals to you, we hope you’ll please join now.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
As of Thursday night, 2,739,092 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States (an increase of 53,286 from yesterday) and 128,742 deaths have been attributed to the virus (an increase of 681 from yesterday), according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard, leading to a mortality rate among confirmed cases of 4.7 percent (the true mortality rate is likely much lower, between 0.4 percent and 1.4 percent, but it’s impossible to determine precisely due to incomplete testing regimens). Of 33,462,181 coronavirus tests conducted in the United States (634,822 conducted since yesterday), 8.2 percent have come back positive.
The U.S. economy regained about 4.8 million jobs in June, lowering the national unemployment rate to 11.1 percent, down from 13.3 percent in May. A total of 1.43 million Americans filed initial unemployment claims last week, bringing the total number receiving benefits to 19.3 million. Economists cautioned that this economic rebound may “stall out” if the coronavirus continues to spread at current levels and states begin instituting new lockdown measures.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the fall over whether the House Judiciary Committee is entitled to review the grand jury evidence that was part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and obstruction of justice. A decision by the court is not expected until after the 2020 election.
Ghislaine Maxwell—longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein—was arrested in New Hampshire Thursday morning and charged for her alleged role in Epstein’s sex trafficking enterprise. “Maxwell assisted, facilitated, and contributed to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of minor girls by, among other things, helping Epstein to recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims known to Maxwell and Epstein to be under the age of 18,” the indictment reads.
Geoffrey Berman—the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York—is slated to testify in a closed-door session before the House Judiciary Committee on July 9 regarding the circumstances surrounding his resignation last month at the behest of Attorney General William Barr.
With new COVID-19 infections surging in the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday joined the ranks of more than 20 states and instituted a mask mandate that applies to all counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases. With the exception of people who are medically unable to cover their nose and mouth or who are eating, drinking, or exercising, any adult Texan not wearing a mask in a public space is subject to a fine of up to $250.
National Pride at a Low Point This Fourth of July
Tomorrow is America’s 244th birthday, but this year’s Fourth of July celebrations won’t be like any Independence Day in recent memory. States and counties across the country have canceled parades and fireworks shows in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Anthony Fauci discouraged Americans from attending mass gatherings. “Avoid crowds, wear a mask, keep physical distance,” he said in an interview. “It doesn’t matter what the reason for the congregation, whether it’s a celebration here, the demonstration there. It doesn’t make any difference.”
But COVID-19 isn’t the only thing putting a damper on the Fourth this year. A mid-June Gallup poll found only 63 percent of the country is extremely or very proud to be an American—down from 92 percent in 2003 and a record low since the organization began asking the question 20 years ago. Even Republicans—who are on average more likely than Democrats or independents to report feelings of patriotism—saw a 9 percent drop-off in extreme pride since 2019.
Just as Americans are gearing up to celebrate our independence, citizens of Hong Kong are in the process of losing theirs. Charlotte Lawson talked to a series of experts to help explain China’s new national security law—its origins, its contents, and its implications for the future.
What did the Chinese Communist Party do this week?
After a year of historic pro-democracy protests thwarted Beijing’s 2019 extradition bill—which would have permitted Hong Kong’s chief executive to extradite criminals wanted for crimes in China back to the mainland—Xi Jinping enacted a law that is aimed at stamping out dissent in Hong Kong once and for all. Since the territory was returned to China from British rule in 1997, Hong Kong had previously enjoyed a semi-autonomous state characterized by the maxim “one country, two systems.” As a special administrative region, Hong Kong managed its own courts, currency, and extradition. However, according to Margaret Lewis—an expert in Chinese law at Seton Hall—this system increasingly looks more like “one country, 1.5 systems.” Many view the national security law as another step toward the end of Hong Kong’s economic and legal sovereignty.
The law paves the way for Beijing’s intrusion into Hong Kong’s long history of judicial independence, allowing for the introduction of China’s repressive legal practices. It sets up extensive administrative networks to investigate and prosecute various vague offenses thought to undermine the Chinese government.
“China is criminalizing what, in places like the United States, and most countries in the world, would be considered normal discourse,” Fred Rocafort, a legal expert on China and former diplomat, told The Dispatch.
Late last year, President Trump pardoned a number of U.S. soldiers who had been charged with or convicted of war crimes, scoffing at a military justice system where “we train our boys to be killing machines, then prosecute them when they kill!” One of those men, Clint Lorance, had been sentenced to 19 years in prison for second-degree murder after ordering his soldiers to shoot and kill three unarmed Afghan civilians, in addition to other war crimes, in 2012. This heartbreaking, exhaustively reported Washington Post feature by Greg Jaffe tells the story of the aftermath from the point of view of Lorance’s shell-shocked platoon, who turned him in and testified against him at his court-martial. Based on a creative new story amplified by Sean Hannity, false in many of its particulars, Lorance eventually came out a Fox News hero—while his former soldiers, spurned by the Army and their fellow soldiers, unable to cope with what they had gone through, turning to booze and drugs and even suicide, tried to take care of one another the best they can.
Independence Day comes this year at a time of great national turmoil. We encourage you to spend a few minutes this weekend reading one of the great Independence Day speeches ever delivered, one which, though tied to a long-past historical argument, still feels relevant today: Frederick Douglass’s 1852 address “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” The speech is uncompromisingly brutal in its clear-eyed look at the intolerable practice of racial slavery, but Douglass still manages not to fall into cynicism or nihilism—not using the country’s hypocrisy to denounce its lofty ideals of equality and humanity as a sucker’s game, but leaning on those ideals to scourge the hypocrites.
Coronavirus: ‘People need to pull together in hard times’ https://t.co/3cLQLJyzp3
Toeing the Company Line
Alec wasn’t messing around with his latest Dispatch Fact Check, looking into claims that face masks make it hard to get enough oxygen. “Wearing a mask poses no threat to your oxygen levels,” he writes, “and it is an important tool in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
David’s Thursday French Press (🔒) broke down what happened at the Supreme Court this week with regards to abortion. “The law is confused and contentious. The future is uncertain,” he writes. But “there’s still no hard evidence that any justice besides Clarence Thomas is willing to reconsider either Casey or Roe, and thus the core of the abortion right remains secure.”
William Jacobson: “Enjoy the long holiday weekend. Disregard the haters and the lunatic fringe. Turn off the TV and internet (except for Legal Insurrection!). Remember Twitter is not reality, and neither is CNN or MSNBC. The best revenge is being happy.”
Kemberlee Kaye: “This from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity is perfect:”
Mary Chastain: “Rachel Maddow predicted the June jobs report would have absolutely terrible unemployment numbers. ACKHUALLY, KAREN. The unemployment numbers and the numbers, in general, keep getting better. I am so sorry that you didn’t get your wish that the economy is at rock bottom. To them, it’s more important to make Trump look bad than for America to recover.”
Vijeta Uniyal: “China has arrested hundreds of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong as the new draconian security law cames into effect. Under the law passed by apparatchiks in Beijing, Hong Kong residents can be deported to the Mainland China and face life imprisonment for opposing the Communist rule.”
Leslie Eastman: “In California, under the newest spate of COVID restrictions, the only fireworks that can go off are those associated with looting and rioting.”
David Gerstman: “Leslie Eastman blogged that the Los Angeles sheriff’s office will not be enforcing orders to shut down the county’s beaches over the July 4 weekend. Leslie observed, “many good people are tired of the clearly useless and political restrictions and are beginning to push back against the new rules.” And of course, this lost crediblity is the result of exaggerated projections, dissembling by public health officials and overreach by local governments.”
Legal Insurrection Foundation is a Rhode Island tax-exempt corporation established exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to educate and inform the public on legal, historical, economic, academic, and cultural issues related to the Constitution, liberty, and world events.
For more information about the Foundation, CLICK HERE.
“Truly, we live in auspicious times. Those who have sinned will be cast down; those who are sinless will set new social standards for the rest of us. After all, we now live in the only generation ever to produce truly virtuous human beings….”
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Just as the Flag Waved Through the Night, So Must We All
Throughout the many years I lived in Baltimore, I would often find myself gazing at Federal Hill, a neighborhood park known for its supreme view of the city that sits directly adjacent to the Inner Harbor. Visible from almost anywhere downtown, it’s mostly referenced historically for its Civil War occupation by the Union Army.
But it wasn’t usually the Union soldiers I thought of as I squinted up at the hill and pondered its long history. It was a spring parade and city party in 1788 that I most often tried to imagine.
That was a legendary day for the hill, as 4,000 people gathered to celebrate Maryland’s ratification of the new United States Constitution. The people in Baltimore on that May day in 1788 were most likely weary from years of war and the British tyranny that preceded it. But that didn’t matter. They were a brand-new nation freed from the yoke of British oppression, celebrating their heroes and looking forward to infinite liberty and prosperity. This was a moment of sheer joy for the new nation.
In what is still considered one of the most epic parties in Baltimore history (and I’ve been to some ragers), the revelers, led by Naval hero John Barney, brought a 15-foot scale model of a fully rigged sailing ship which they intended to affix to the crest of the hill, then called John Smith’s Hill, where the parade would end. But the enthusiasm for America, for liberty, for victory, and for hope overcame the celebration and the seaworthy model ship was instead launched into the harbor at the bottom of the hill to embark on a journey.
Barney later sailed the model from the harbor making several stops, eventually arriving at Mount Vernon where he presented the ship as a gift to the retired General George Washington. The ship was named “The Federalist,” and was so inspiring to Baltimoreans they renamed their beloved hill “Federal Hill” in its honor.
It’s easy to envision the joy of that day, looking at Federal Hill, now beautifully preserved by the parks department, with old trees, lush green glass, and sweeping views of the city. The laps of water splashing in the harbor and the sight of the antique tall ships and rebuilt 18th century lighthouses make it easy to imagine yourself there, howling for freedom, charging glasses of brandy, and thanking God for victory over the British.
It’s likely more difficult, and certainly less pleasant, to imagine how quickly celebration and hope turned to terror in Baltimore when only 25 years later they were under attack by the British once again in the War of 1812. The city faced destruction, ruin, and death. The cause for celebration that day on Federal Hill faded instantly to a distant memory.
But something incredible happened at Fort McHenry in Baltimore in September of 1814. A lawyer imprisoned by the British listened to the sound of exploding shells and ceaseless fire against the fort throughout the night. The majestic, oversized flag that waved from McHenry, he assumed, would be totally destroyed – a frightful omen.
The sense of foreboding Francis Scott Key felt that night has become all too familiar in recent days as symbols of American liberty are destroyed at will by vicious mobs and anarchists bent on burning down our country and installing their own. And they seem to be succeeding with the blessing of weak-willed leaders.
But Key didn’t see the awful sight he had anticipated the following morning. He instead saw something that is difficult for many of us to see at this moment, when our history and treasured past is mocked and dismantled. He saw a miracle that morning; he saw proof that America would survive, no matter what bombs, or guns, or fire, or paint are thrown at her.
The flag was still there, waving over the land of the free and the home of the brave. The sight of the flag buffeting in the wind, bearing the colors of the USA was emotional for Key, so much so he wrote a poem about it that you may be familiar with.
The flag didn’t bow to British cannons or fire lapping at the fort’s outer walls. It didn’t give way to the threat of destruction on that night and it. And it won’t budge a single inch today either.
For Key, the flag was a literal one, waving as unworldly proof of the fortitude of the United States and actual proof of the fort’s survival. Today, the vision of a waving Star Spangled Banner at Fort McHenry must be a figurative one as we watch our own countrymen destroy all evidence of our national history and try to bully us into a Marxist hellscape.
This flag waves in the hearts of patriots and for the lovers of freedom. But we cannot allow our country to be dismantled for fear of being called names or being cast aside by peers. This country requires its people to love it, to fight for it, and preserve it – at all costs.
We toast tomorrow to 244 years since we made our Declaration of Independence from a tyrant king. The men who signed that document never thought it would be easy, but they knew it would be worth it. And now it is up to us to carry on the preservation of our rights and liberty, and American greatness. There is no one coming to save us from ourselves if we do not move to the front lines to protect our monuments, our history, our heritage, and our sacrifices.
This is the greatest country in the world because it is a country by the people and for the people and we are all endowed by our Maker to the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is the responsibility and mandate of its people to remember that.
Have a blessed and wonderful Independence Day and may you all have the strength and courage of those that came before us in the difficult days ahead. God bless America.
Links for Freedom Lovers and Patriots. And Freedom-Loving Patriots.
One of my favorite stories of the Revolutionary War: Peter Muhlenberg, a Virginia pastor who literally walked off of his pulpit and headed into battle. His story is remarkable and, of course, inspiring. (The Federalist)
An 11-year-old boy visited Omaha Beach on the 70thanniversary of D-Day to pay tribute to the heroes that died there. Get your red, white, and blue tissues ready because this one is emotional (but so good!)
A beautiful telling of the story of patriot Nathaniel Hale, who was hanged at 21 by the British. He is most famous for what he said in the moments before his death, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” (American Heritage)
John Daniel Davidson has some great ideas for how to prepare yourself for the front line: 5 Ways You Can Fight Back In The Cultural Civil War (The Federalist)
Ben Domenech lights the fire we’ve been waiting for, demanding action from elected Republicans who have shamefully stood aside as our towns and history are vandalized and people die in the streets: What Should Republicans Do? Join the Damn Fray (The Federalist)
And finally: What to know about Independence Day celebrations at Mount Rushmore and in Washington, DC! (Hint, they’ll be amazing! USA USA USA- Fox News)
Ellie Bufkin is a staff writer at Townhall and a senior contributor to The Federalist. Originally from northern Virginia, Ellie grew up in Baltimore, and worked in the wine industry as a journalist and sommelier, living in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. A fanatic for movies and TV shows since childhood, she currently reviews movies and writes about many aspects of popular culture for The Federalist. She is an avid home cook, cocktail enthusiast, and still happy to make wine recommendations. Ellie currently lives in Washington D.C. You can follow her on Twitter @ellie_bufkin.
Note: By using some of the links above, Bright may be compensated through the Amazon Affiliate program and Magic Links. However, none of this content is sponsored and all opinions are our own.
Jul 03, 2020 01:00 am
Democrats, fake news media, and anarchists promote the lie that cops awaken every morning with the intention of murdering as many blacks as possible. Read More…
Jul 03, 2020 01:00 am
Through Roberts and his application of stare decisis, the Court, as it is currently constituted, will continue the legal farce that there is a right to abortion in the U.S. Constitution. Read More…
Anti-Defamation League elevates anti-Semite and hurts America
Jul 03, 2020 01:00 am
Under the new leadership of Jonathan Greenblatt, a former high-level partisan of the Obama administration, the ADL has made its focus the destruction of political conservatism and President Trump. Read more…
So long, sports — nice knowin’ ya
Jul 03, 2020 01:00 am
The politicization and racial proselytism now mandated by athletes is a desecration of the games and their traditions. Read more…
Abolishing common sense
Jul 03, 2020 01:00 am
Evidently, no policy, domestic or international, can be too foolish to find proponents among those who strive to become public policy celebrities. Read more…
The coronavirus collides with bread and circuses
Jul 03, 2020 01:00 am
There is a lot of pent up anger at the behavior exhibited by these protesters. Patriots are deeply concerned, and they don’t have sports to occupy them. Read more…
Rapper Lord Jamar says that Black Lives Matter is not the black population’s movement and is serving only to distract the black community from a mission of peace and equality. What are the details? In an interview with SCUM, the 51-year-old rapper — real name Lorenzo Dechalus — said that the Black Lives Matter movement was create … Read more
by Tony Perkins: If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? This was the question David asked in Psalm 11. Those around him, who were looking only to the natural world may have answered with things like “Run away.” Or “Flee to mountains.” “Get as far away as you can.”
But David knew he could not hide, too much was at stake. If law and order, the foundations, were destroyed, what would the righteous do? What hope, what future would they have?
Listen to his answer:
“The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.” (Psalm 11:4 ESV)
David didn’t hide in the hills. He took his refuge in the Lord.
The foundations of our nation are being shaken with protests and riots, with uncertainty spreading like the coronavirus that has created it. Lawlessness is breaking out in the streets and courtrooms alike. For us, it is not time to flee to the mountains, or retreat into hiding out of fear. No, for followers of Christ in America, it is time to arise and stand. It’s time for us to seek the Lord on behalf of our nation and stand firm upon and for the truth, which is the foundation for all just and prosperous societies.
This past week, we at FRC held a special broadcast to both remind us of, and encourage us in our calling as followers of Christ to stand firm for the truth of God. Our featured guests included Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Congressman Mike Johnson (R-La.) who serves as chairman of the Republican Study Committee, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) who serves as chairwoman of the Values Action Team, Bishop Garland Hunt, Pastor Hernan Castano, and Pastor Carter Conlon, overseer of Times Square Church in NYC and author of It’s Time to Pray. We were also joined by former Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Cincinnati, Ohio mayor Ken Blackwell, and FRC’s Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin.
As we approach Independence Day, I invite and encourage you and your family to watch ARISE & STAND as we continue into the second half of a year that’s already seemed like a decade. As Congressman Mike Johnson reminded me on the program, “We have a biblical admonition to contend for the faith. Not just when it’s easy, but especially when it’s difficult.” We don’t have to wait for that difficulty. It’s already at our door. Arise and stand with us.
———————– Tony Perkins (@tperkins) is President of the Family Research Council . Article on Tony Perkins’ Washington Update and written with the aid of FRC senior writers.
Tags:Not Only, When It’s Easy, Arise & Stand, Tony Perkins, Family Research Center, FRC, Family Research Council,To share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by Brian C Joondeph: “The coronavirus surge is real, and it’s everywhere” says Axios and most of the DNC media.
Time to panic. They pile on, “The coronavirus pandemic is getting dramatically worse in almost every corner of the U.S.”
We are told new cases are rising by double-digit percentages, including: “The number of people hospitalized with coronavirus.” Hospitalized with or from coronavirus? Is this really a surge or simply fear-mongering fake news?
Texas features prominently in the surge scare. Coincidently Texas is a red state that if flipped to blue would prevent a Republican from ever winning the White House for the foreseeable future. Everything is bigger in Texas, including the Chinese coronavirus surge.
Most hospitals require a COVID test before elective surgery. This means that patients coming to the hospital for a non-COVID reason are tested for COVID, and if positive are being counted as a “COVID hospitalization.” If a patient goes to the hospital for a new hip or cataract surgery, and happens to test positive for COVID, they are counted as a COVID hospitalization.
Just like inflated death counts, there is a big difference between dying or being hospitalized due to coronavirus or with coronavirus. George Floyd tested positive for COVID but no one is attributing his death in Minneapolis to COVID. Yet that is how hospitalizations are being counted, leading to this so-called surge in cases.
This surge hit the news about two weeks ago, after the BLM protests and riots peaked and agitators were starting to be arrested. Is this the latest chapter in the ongoing saga to beat on Trump and interfere in the upcoming presidential election?
States experiencing this surge began reopening two months ago, including Florida, Texas, and Arizona. With a coronavirus incubation period of 5-6 days, ccording to the World Health Organization, any surge due to reopening should have occurred a week or two after states reopened, not two months later.
Not mentioned are the BLM protests, all within the past month. Mass gatherings in many U.S. cities, without masks or social distancing, everything the basketball player and scarf queen warned against, are far more likely the cause of increasing positive tests.
The CDC director recommended protesters get tested for COVID and likely many did, driving up the case numbers or so-called surge. Most infected young people are asymptomatic, especially teenagers where about 80 percent of those infected show no symptoms.
It’s young people out protesting, not senior citizens. Ignoring distancing and mask recommendations, many get infected, then tested, and voila, we see a surge in cases. Don’t forget the George Floyd funeral in Houston with over 6,300 attendees and over 60,000 marching, without distancing. Could this have contributed to the Texas surge?
A more useful metric would be hospitalizations and deaths. Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom noted,
His hospital one year ago was at 95% ICU capacity, similar to the numbers the hospital is seeing today. “It is completely normal for us to have ICU capacities that run in the 80s and 90s,” he said. “That’s how all hospitals operate.”As of last week, “Texas had around 13,000 open hospital beds statewide.” Yet the Washington Post pushes fear porn, “Arizona, Florida, Texas are latest coronavirus epicenters.” Remember how coronavirus patients in New York City were supposedly dying in hospital parking lots since hospital beds were full? Yet a hospital ship and multiple makeshift hospitals in NYC were largely empty.
It gets worse. Texas can’t even count their test positive cases correctly. “State health officials acknowledged they have been releasing inaccurate figures because they were combining the number of positive COVID-19 antigen tests with the number of positive antibody tests.”
Antibody tests are now readily available, and individuals exposed or symptomatic in March or April can be tested today. Many will have COVID antibodies, indicating past, but not currently active infection. Yet they are part of the so-called surge.
That’s nonsensical thinking, much like saying there is a surge in gun violence this week, counting all gun crimes for the past four months and attributing them all to this past week.
The surge is due to more testing and more test-positive individuals, especially young people who have been out and about as the state lockdowns lifted. Last March and April, testing was available only for those admitted to the hospital for presumed COVID. Now one can get a COVID antigen or antibody test on demand through major testing centers such as Quest Diagnostics.
Texas increased daily COVID testing by over 50 percent during the past five weeks. More tests means more positive cases.
What else might be causing more cases in Texas? How about the border with Mexico which is having its own surge in coronavirus cases. How many infected are crossing our southern border? Further west along the border, the New York Timesreported, “Coronavirus jumps the border, overwhelming hospitals in California.” How many of these border crossers were routed to California simply to overwhelm the local hospitals and give state officials an excuse to shut everything down again?
How convenient that we are seeing a surge in coronavirus cases as the economy is beginning to rebound and the great Democrat hope Joe Biden still can’t utter a coherent sentence. Deep state seditious shenanigans are coming to light as President Trump continues his unending quest to drain the swamp. Yet the news is all about surging coronavirus cases, drowning out everything else.
A surge in cases puts pressure on Trump to scale back or stop his rallies while Biden can continue to hide in his basement. Debates may be risky or entirely unnecessary now as the Washington Post claimed. Funny how they were still quite relevant when glib Barack Obama debated tongue-tied McCain and Romney.
Biden admitted as much, “I’m going to follow the doc’s orders, I will not hold any rallies.” Want to bet this morphs into him skipping the debates, based on “doctor’s orders,” avoiding Trump schlonging him on a national stage?
This has always been about the election, along with the protests and riots. The so-called surge is just the latest chapter in the left’s quest to deny President Trump a second term.
Expect to see impeachment resurrected based on fake news of Trump ignoring bounties on American troops. And if all else fails, why not another viral pandemic?
As the BBC recently reported,
A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists.It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans, they say.
The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person and trigger a global outbreak.
While it is not an immediate problem, they say, it has “all the hallmarks” of being highly adapted to infect humans and needs close monitoring.
As it’s new, people could have little or no immunity to the virus.How convenient. It was never really about the virus but instead the election, and the last gasps of the deep state desperately trying to keep their crimes against Trump and humanity hidden away in the hopes that Biden’s handlers can bury everything if Biden stumbles across the finish line in November.
———————— Dr. Brian C. Joondeph (@retinaldoctor), M.D., MPS, is a Denver-based physician and writer. Shared by American Thinker.
Tags:Brian C. Joondeph, Is the COVID Surge, More Fake News, American ThinkerTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
The media blitz during these last several weeks revealed a generation that is poorly educated and yet petulant and self-assured without justification.
by Victor Davis Hanson: When mobs tore down a statue of Ulysses S. Grant and defaced a monument to African-American veterans of the Civil War, many people wondered whether the protesters had ever learned anything in high school or college.
Did any of these iconoclasts know the difference between Grant and Robert E. Lee? Could they recognize the name “Gettysburg”? Could they even identify the decade in which the Civil War was fought?
Universities are certainly teaching our youth to be confident, loud, and self-righteous. But the media blitz during these last several weeks of protests, riots, and looting also revealed a generation that is poorly educated and yet petulant and self-assured without justification.
Many of the young people on the televised front lines of the protests are in their 20s. But most appear juvenile, at least in comparison to their grandparents — survivors of the Great Depression and World War II.
How can so many so sheltered and prolonged adolescents claim to be all-knowing?
Ask questions like these, and the answers ultimately lead back to the university.
Millions of those who graduate from college or drop out do so in arrears. There is some $1.5 trillion in aggregate student debt in the U.S. Such burdens sometimes delay marriage. They discourage child-rearing. They make home ownership hard — along with all the other experiences we associate with the transition to adulthood.
The universities, some with multibillion-dollar endowments, will accept no moral responsibility. They are not overly worried that many of their indebted graduates discover their majors don’t translate into well-paid jobs or guarantee employers that grads can write, speak, or think cogently.
One unintended consequence of the chaotic response to the COVID-19 epidemic and the violence that followed the police killing of George Floyd is a growing re-examination of the circumstances that birthed the mass protests.
There would be far less college debt if higher education, rather than the federal government, guaranteed its own students’ loans. If universities backed loans with their endowments and infrastructure, college presidents could be slashing costs. They would ensure that graduates were more likely to get good-paying jobs thanks to rigorous coursework and faculty accountability.
Taxpayers who are hectored about their supposed racism, homophobia, and sexism don’t enjoy such finger-wagging from loud, sheltered, 20-something moralists.
Perhaps taxpayers will no longer have to subsidize the abuse if higher education is deemed to be a politicized institution and thus its endowment income ruled to be fully taxable.
If socialism has become a campus creed, maybe Ivy League schools can be hit with an annual “wealth tax” on their massive endowments in order to redistribute revenue to poorer colleges.
It is hard to square the circle of angry graduates having no jobs with their unaccountable professors who so poorly trained students while enjoying lifelong tenure. Why does academia guarantee lifetime employment to those who cannot guarantee that a graduate gets a decent job?
The epidemic and lockdown required distance learning, but at full price. The idea that universities can still charge regular rates when students are forced to stay home is not just an unsustainable practice, but veritable suicide. If one can supposedly learn well enough from downloads, Zoom talks, and Skype lectures, then why pay $50,000 or more for that service from your basement?
Universities are renaming buildings and encouraging statue removal and cancel culture. But they assume they will always have a red line to the frenzied trajectory of the mob they helped birth. If the slaveholder and the robber baron from the distant past deserve no statue, no eponymous hallway or plaza, then why should the names Yale and Stanford be exempt from the frenzied name-changing and iconoclasm? Are they seen as billion-dollar brands, akin to Windex or Coke, that stamp their investor students as elite “winners”?
The current chaos has posed existential questions of fairness and transparency that the university cannot answer because to do so would reveal utter hypocrisy.
Instead, the university’s defense has been to virtue-signal left-wing social activism to hide or protect its traditional self-interested mode of profitable business for everyone — staff, faculty, administration, contractors — except the students who borrow to pay for a lot of it.
How strange that higher education’s monotonous embrace of virtue signaling, political proselytizing, and loud social-justice activism is now sowing the seeds of its own obsolescence and replacement.
If being “woke” means that the broke and unemployed are graduating to ignorantly smashing statues, denying free speech to others, and institutionalizing cancel culture, then the public would rather pass on what spawned all of that in the first place.
Taxpayers do not yet know what to replace the university with — wholly online courses and lectures, apolitical new campuses, or broad-based vocational education — only that a once hallowed institution is becoming McCarthyite, malignant, and, in the end, just a bad deal.
———————— Victor Davis Hanson (@VDHanson) is a senior fellow, classicist and historian and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution where many of his articles are found; his focus is classics and military history. He has been a visiting professor at Hillsdale College since 2004. Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush. H/T McIntosh Enterprises.
Tags:Universities, Sowing the Seeds, of Their Own Obsolescence, Victor Davis Hanson, McIntosh EnterprisesTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by Kurt Schlichter: t is not transcendently stupid for the alleged anti-racism rioters to destroy a Lincoln statue, though, to normal people, it looks like the act of drooling morons. Now, a good number of these cesspeople are drooling morons, but that does not change the fact that trashing POTUS #16’s statuary is brilliant.
They have confused their targets – us – by casting off the constraints of coherence.
Oh wait, you thought that these folks were trying to make a point about racism being bad. And you thought, because that’s how those of us who weren’t raised on Instatwitbook, soy, and critical race theory, that if you point out that something is unreasonable then that will cause the person you were instructing to rethink it. After all, trashing some Honest Abe totem in order to illustrate how racism is double-plus-ungood is about a “12” on the 1-10 scale of unreasonability. And yet, you can point that out all day and they don’t care.
In fact, they laugh at you for doing so.
It’s not about making sense. It never was. It’s about making you kneel.
If you look at everything that is going on, the one common denominator is that every action the woke insurgents take is designed to strip you of your ability to defend your interests, or property, or rights, or life. The idea is to leave you utterly vulnerable, totally exposed, at which point they can do with you as they see fit. The nicer ones will merely reeducate you then demand humiliating submission and tribute. History (and their social media feed) teach that others will happily murder you. Doubt me? Just ask your local kulak.
Stripping you of defenses takes many forms. One form is defunding and abolishing the police. Oh, someone will be wielding force in society. It just won’t be people accountable to or inclined to protect you. Another form is literally stripping you of your defenses. Why is gun control such a fetish for these creeps? Because you with a gun have the ability to not just say “no” but to exact a price from those who wish to compel a “yes.” So, of course, they want to eliminate your ability to have weapons, but they also want to eliminate, as a practical matter, your ability to use them to protect yourself.
Look at what happened when the pink polo shirt gun guy quite reasonably grabbed his AR-15 as the savages descended on his property and the cops were AWOL. St. Louis’s Soros-bought DA – who last month released all the arrested rioters – threatened to prosecute him. The media is slandering him too. A pack of jackals threatened his property, his family, and even his dog, and he’s the bad guy for not showing his belly? You see the same fake furor every time some citizen has his car surrounded by a feeding frenzy of scumbags and plows through them to escape. Ignore that the slime are now shooting people they try to trap. The idea is to make you give up instead of fight back because if you fight back, the law comes down on you instead of the criminals.
The law – and the law generally says you can reasonably defend your life and property (please consult your local laws for specifics and get proper training) – means nothing if corrupt Democrats ignore the crimes of leftists and prosecute normals who dare resist the Blue Terror, which is kind of the point. You thought you could rely on the law and on the government to protect you. Nope. And now you can’t protect yourself either.
And then there’s reason. That’s a defense too. You can use reason, make arguments, present evidence, and convince people. Not if making sense is beside the point.
You cannot reason with these people. Forget trying to convince them. You are not going to talk them out of their quest for power over you by deploying bourgeois conceits like “facts” and “evidence.” Yet so many of us see what’s happening and still take to Twitter or (increasingly) Parler to point out the sheer ridiculousness of the enemy’s latest antics. But these actions are not ridiculous. They are tactically genius. Instead of confronting an impenetrable defense, they just scuttle around it and attack into our rear.
Now that’s not to say pointing out the fact that everything they say and do is bullSchiff is pointless. It does help awoken the conservative unwoke. Normal people who are not neck-deep in the fight right now look at people trying to topple the guy who toppled the Confederacy and shake their heads. It does help with them, so keep it up with them.
But not with the wokesters. They just don’t care.
So how do we beat them?
Step one is to understand the nature of the fight. It’s not one of right and wrong, though that’s how they like to disguise it. It is one of power. Give them nothing. Concede nothing. Stop trying to be reasonable with people who think a reasonable compromise is just impoverishing and disenfranchising you instead of stashing you in a gulag or worse.
Are you still trying to prove to them you aren’t “racist?” Why? You aren’t, so the hell with them. You owe them no assurances or excuses. They’ll just claim your denial is more proof. You’re “fragile” if you surrender and you’re “fragile” if you don’t, so stop playing their game. You don’t have to prove anything to jerks who spew the same species of racial garbage Goebbels would have spewed, only with different names.
Step two is to understand the enemy and the information operation it’s running on you. The total number of these shrieking punks is infinitesimal, probably under 1 percent of the population. But the mainstream media seeks to make them seem pervasive and overwhelming by covering them 24/7, and it expects you to fall for it. Don’t. Look out your window. Except for that whiny woke wine mom down the street with the handwritten lawn signs parroting the slogans du jour, the one whose husband you often see weeping in the window, you are looking at peace and calm. That’s the reality, not the chaos in a few square blocks of occupied Grungeburg, Washington.
Don’t allow yourself to be demoralized. Victory is at hand. The media’s polls are meant to crush your spirit, but ask yourself – do you know a single person who voted for Trump in 2016 but is now thinking, “Gosh, we need Grandpa Badfinger – he’ll get the economy moving again even though he helped preside over nearly a decade of ennui?” Or have you had people who whisper to you, because they fear cancellation, “This time I’m voting for Trump?” I know zero of the former and a number of the latter. How about you?
Step three is to impose your will, ruthlessly and fearlessly, because this is our country and to hell with these schmucks.
It’s time for us to riot, not in the streets, because we have jobs and we’re not going to destroy our own stuff, but at the ballot box. That’s where we lay waste to their Venezuelan dreams. In the primaries, vote for woke conservatives, not establishment saps. And then in November, vote straight Republican down the ballot.
Sure, much of the GOP consists of spineless saps eager to join Mitt Romney – father of the Miracle Whip box set of sons Tagg, Tugg, Togg, Skip, Skoop, Skup, Freen, Ween, and Peen – in donning the latex and gimping out for the pleasure of their WaPo masters. But the nice thing about those cowardly sissies is that we can ensure they are more afraid of us than of the leftists they yearn to obey. We can fire them, and then they’ll have to get real jobs. This prospect scares them even more than a mean tweet from that desiccated crone Jennifer Rubin.
Finally, step four: Stop making sense. Unless it’s directed at the unwoke, making sense is a waste of your time. This is about power.
Time to use yours.
——————————- Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) is a trial lawyer, and a retired Army infantry colonel with a degree from the Army War College who writes twice a week as a Senior Columnist for Townhall.com
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. . . Chinese-originated virus job losses almost cut in half in May and June, 2020 by Rick Manning: “Almost 5 million Americans got a job in the month of June, marking the second straight month of economic recovery after our nation’s economy was ravaged by the after effects of the Chinese-originated virus. Since the bottom of the temporary, but dramatic economic slowdown almost 8.8 million Americans have gotten jobs, meaning almost one-half of the COVID job losses have been erased since the two-month economic shutdown sidelined a little more than 17 million workers.
“With many Governors in states like New York, Illinois and California effectively continuing to turn a blind eye to the economic ravages of the shutdown response, and many Americans remaining cautious about re-entering the normal day to day activities that were taken for granted in February of this year, it is almost a miracle that the our economy has risen so rapidly.
“As President Trump’s landmark ending of NAFTA, replacing it with the new USMCA trade deal with Canada and Mexico, which protects intellectual property, ends currency manipulation, allows more dairy products to be sold to Canada and makes manufacturing in America even more desirable, took effect yesterday, the economic pieces are coming into place to create a robust second half of 2020.
“It is important to remember that from April 2019 to February 2020, fewer Americans were unemployed than at any time since January of 2001, even though the civilian labor force was almost 22 million people larger in February 2020.
“The economy was very strong when China lied to the world about the COVID virus, continuing to allow flights from the Wuhan Province to Europe and Asia, even as they shut down domestic travel from the site of the virus’ origin. Now, because of that underlying strength, the economy is recovering. Let’s hope that those Democrat operatives and their gubernatorial allies who have publicly worried that a recovering economy helps President Trump’s re-election for once put the economic well-being of the people above their petty political interests.” View Full Employment Situation Summary!
—————— Rick Manning is President of Americans for Limited Government.
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by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Great News!
This morning the Labor Department released the official jobs figures for June — and they are stunning. A whopping 4.8 million jobs were created last month — the biggest single-month gain in U.S. history! And the unemployment rate fell to 11.1%, shattering the experts’ predictions of 12.4%.
We still have a long way to go, but we are clearly on the road to recovery!
In related news, Congress this week passed legislation extending the deadline for small businesses to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program. Roughly $130 billion still remains in the program, and businesses will now have until August 8th to apply.
Biden’s Abortion Extremism
Not surprisingly, Joe Biden celebrated Monday’s disappointing Supreme Court decision striking down a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to meet certain health and safety standards. His reaction was very revealing. Biden said:
“Women’s health care rights have been under attack as states across the country have passed extreme laws restricting women’s constitutional right to choice under any circumstance. . .
“As President, I will codify Roe v. Wade and my Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate a woman’s protected, constitutional right to choose.”
Biden’s promise to codify Roe v. Wade and unleash the Justice Department to fight states is an attack on federalism and the legitimate authority of voters in pro-life states.
But focus on the phrase “under any circumstance.” In other words, Joe Biden supports abortion on demand for any or every reason imaginable, even in the ninth month of pregnancy. That is pro-abortion extremism, and yes, I do mean PRO-ABORTION.
Anti-Semitism On The March
Pro-Palestinian groups took to the streets yesterday in a “Day of Rage” against Israel. These marches didn’t happen in Ramallah or in Gaza, but in cities across the United States.
Some protesters were seen with signs reading “Palestinians For Black Power.” Others chanted anti-Semitic slogans like, “Israel we know you. You murder children too.” This goes back to the disgusting blood libel that Jews eat children.
Will any Democrat leaders condemn these so-called “peaceful protests” now that their radical agenda has been revealed?
Going Nuclear
For years, some Republicans in the Senate have refused to deploy the “nuclear option” on regular legislation – getting rid of the filibuster. Without an agreement between party leaders, it takes 60 votes to bring a bill to the Senate floor.
It’s is rare for either party to have that many votes. That’s one of the reasons there is so much frustration, even when we control the House and the White House, that so many good conservative ideas die in the Senate.
Many conservative leaders have urged Senate Republicans to get rid of the legislative filibuster because it is absolutely clear that the woke Democrat Party will not hesitate to get rid of it.
If Biden wins the White House and Democrats retake the Senate, they intended to make it impossible for us to ever get into office again.
I have been called an alarmist for suggesting they would do such a thing. But multiple Democrat senators are already planning how and when they will “go nuclear” once they have power in order to ram through every radical agenda item they can imagine.
Just another reminder, no matter how frustrated some of you may be, about how important this election is.
Clueless In The Senate
Many of you are probably familiar with Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma. I’ve worked with them both. Johnson is a strong ally of President Trump and has been leading the fight against communist China. Lankford is a strong Christian and leads the Senate Values Action Team.
That’s why it was so disappointing to see what happened this week.
There is pressure to create a new federal holiday celebrating Juneteenth, which commemorates the emancipation of the last slaves in the state of Texas. Being fiscal conservatives, Johnson and Lankford know that federal holidays are expensive because workers get paid when they are off work.
So, they offered a compromise that if Juneteenth was to become a national holiday then Columbus Day should be abolished as a federal holiday. I think this is another bit of evidence that many of our leaders still don’t understand the times we are living in and the intentions of the left.
I agree with Tucker Carlson, who said that if this moves forward, Juneteenth will quickly become a rival to July 4th. The woke left and their media allies will elevate Juneteenth and it will become a symbol to the folks who think America is evil.
As surely as night follows day, July 4th will wane. Children will be told that if they really care about justice and equality, they will celebrate Juneteenth and stop celebrating the birthday of a country built on slavery and genocide.
I’m a fiscal conservative. But after witnessing the anarchy of recent weeks, as Columbus statues are being torn down, the weakness being signaled by getting rid of Columbus Day is unacceptable.
Nations and revolutions need symbols to rally around. But these two good senators are signaling that they don’t understand the moment we are in.
——————- Gary Bauer (@GaryLBauer) is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families
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by Dr. Chuck Baldwin: This Saturday, July 4, America celebrates the 244th anniversary of the adoption of our Declaration of Independence.
On July 4, 1837, John Quincy Adams said these words about Independence Day:
Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the world, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day [Independence Day]? . . . Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity, and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies, announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets six hundred years before?Notice that Adams said that our Declaration of Independence exhibits four major accomplishments:
1. It formed a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation.2. It first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth.
3. It laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity.
4. It was the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior.Adams was exactly right. The United States of America is the only nation in human history established by (mostly) Christian people upon 2,000 years of Christian thought—including being formed as a direct result of the Protestant Reformation—and God’s Natural Law principles and dedicated to the purpose of religious and personal liberty and equal justice under the law.
Not long ago, I was interviewed for another documentary movie (I’m featured in 14 full-length documentary films). The producer asked me to iterate the basic principles upon which America was founded. Based on my study of the Declaration, Constitution, Bill of Rights and the copious supplemental writings of the Founding Fathers, here, I believe, are the principles upon which America was founded:
1. That man is created equal under God, and as such, human life is a sacred gift of God.2. That the Natural rights of the individual are inalienable and superior to the will of the state.
3. That government exists to protect the Natural rights and liberties of man, not to provide man with public benefits and favors.
4. That a man is innocent until proven guilty, that he has the Natural right to a trial by jury and the right to a defense attorney.
5. That people have a Natural right to choose their own form of government.
6. That individuals have a Natural right and duty to bear arms for their own protection.
7. That the power and reach of the central government needs to be limited, being held in check by independent sovereign states and a well regulated and fully equipped militia.
8. That religious liberty is the core of America’s freedoms.
9. That the people have a Natural right and duty to alter or abolish any government that has become tyrannical.
10. That America would always be a constitutional republic.
11. That only sound money would be used as legal tender so as to keep the federal government from amassing excessive debt.
12. That America would always promote and protect a free market economy with limited governmental interference.
13. That a man’s home is his castle and his personal property can never be seized except by arduous due process.
(I’m in the process of reproducing the work of one of America’s most important—and least remembered—Founding Fathers: James Otis. This new book will also include a brief biography of this great man. Perhaps more than any other founder, James Otis was responsible for America’s respect for the sacred principles enshrined in our Fourth Amendment.)
14. That a free society depends upon the acceptance and application of God’s Natural Laws relating to the pursuit of happiness and peace, upon governmental adherence to the Law of Nations and upon upholding our Creator’s foundational moral code relating to human behavior.
15. That liberty depends upon the unfettered exercise of the Christian religion, including strong, uninhibited preaching from America’s pulpits.The Declaration begins:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.The Declaration ends:
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.Here are a few statements from America’s founders after the Declaration was approved by Congress:
John Hancock said, “There! His Majesty can now read my name without spectacles. And he can double the reward on my head.” (The Crown had put a reward of 500 pounds sterling on Hancock’s head. That amounts to over $100,000 in today’s money.)
George Washington said, “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”
Thomas Paine said, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration from Rhode Island, said as he signed the document, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not.”
Indeed, Hopkins (and the rest of the signers) had reason to tremble. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured, imprisoned and tortured. Several lost wives, children or entire families. Two wives were brutalized and tortured. All were, at one time or another, the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes by British soldiers. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned.
Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and merchant, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in rags.
Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family constantly. He served in Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were seized by the British, and he died in poverty.
At the Battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr. noted that British General Cornwallis was using his home for his headquarters. Out of respect to Nelson, General Washington refused to fire on the dwelling. Nelson privately urged Washington to open fire on his home, saying it was no longer his home but was now the headquarters of the enemy. The home was subsequently destroyed. Nelson died bankrupt.
Frances Lewis had his home and properties destroyed by the British. They jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and all of his 13 children vanished. He never saw them again.
The two patriots most responsible for the Declaration of Independence, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration. Daniel Webster gave the eulogy for both men on August 2 of that year. He concluded his remarks with these words:
“It [the Declaration of Independence] is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God, it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now and independence forever.”
Amen! This should be the living and dying sentiment of every American:
Independence now and independence forever.
————- Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the Pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Montana. Dr. Baldwin is Talk Radio Show Host for Chuck Baldwin Live.” He addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of view.and is a writer/columnist whose articles and political commentaries are carried by a host of Internet sites, newspapers, news magazines and the ARRA News Service.
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by Kerby Anderson: As we approach the traditional time in America in which we celebrate its independence, it’s worth considering the two types of political society that we can find in the world. The first is what we celebrate. We begin with the idea that government is instituted by human beings to provide liberty and security. We need enough government to ensure that we are safe. But we don’t want so much government that we lose our freedom.
Ben Shapiro talks about this in his editorial on “Our Totalitarian Moment.” He explains that in this form of government, “we agree not to infringe upon another’s life, liberty, and property, and we create a government capable of preventing or prosecuting such infringements.” We may disagree with one another on key issues, but we allow the system of government to provide a means of resolving disputes.
The second view requires purification. The goal is homogeneity instead of diversity. This is enforced by people with power whose goal is unity through coercion. We see this type of society in totalitarian governments in the past and in many governments around the world today.
We also see this type of society ruthlessly applied by the political left. In some cases, they hold the reins of political power. In other cases, they exert their totalitarian influence through the academy, the media, or popular culture. My commentary yesterday was yet one more reminder that even the slightest deviation from leftist standards can put you on a liberal blacklist. Public shaming, lawsuits, and a cancel culture are just a few of the tools used to enforce unity and political purity.
As we celebrate the 4th of July this weekend, let’s remind ourselves that freedom and diversity is our goal, not a coerced unity and a form of totalitarianism.
—————- Kerby Anderson@KerbyAnderson) is an author, lecturer, visiting professor and radio host and contributor on nationally syndicated Point of View and the “Probe” radio programs.
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by Paul Jacob, Contributing Author: Yesterday, on the 23rd anniversary of Britain’s 1997 handover of Hong Kong to China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) imposed a draconian national security measure on the previously semi-autonomous territory.
“The law effectively ends the long-cherished freedom of speech that Hong Kong residents have had,” reportedThe Washington Post, “putting them under the same threat of life imprisonment if they criticize Beijing’s government, as other Chinese nationals face.”
Supersizing police powers to “intercept communications and covertly surveil people” are also part of the CCP clampdown.
“In the past,” a pro-Beijing council member explained, “Hong Kong has been too free.”
In keeping with that sentiment, protests planned for yesterday were banned.
“They still came out,” however, noted a reporter with UK’s Sky News, “even though the cost of protest had been raised significantly on the first full day of the new law.”
“We are on street,” tweeted Joshua Wong, the young pro-democracy activist, “against national security law. We shall never surrender. Now is not the time to give up.”
“China is Hong Kong, Hong Kong is China, as of today, the first of July. It’s a sad day, but that’s what it is,” offered a woman protester. “I’ll still take to the streets. I’ll still say what I think. Because it is my right as a human being.”
Wong called on the “international community” to “continue to speak up for Hong Kong” and help protect its “last bit of freedom.”
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
—————— Paul Jacob (@Common_Sense_PJ) is author of Common Sense which provides daily commentary about the issues impacting America and about the citizens who are doing something about them. He is also President of the Liberty Initiative Fund (LIFe) as well as Citizens in Charge Foundation. Jacob is a contributing author on the ARRA News Service.
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Statues at New York City Hall stand defaced and painted.
The vandalism was part of the Occupy City Hall effort.
by Kay C. James: Our country is under attack from radical leftists. Mobs rampage through our streets, monuments are being destroyed, and the very law and order that ensures our communities’ peace and security is being undermined.
In far too many instances, those bent on destruction have hijacked protests, creating violence and division, and ultimately attacking the very foundation of our nation. For them, it’s not about resolving race issues; it’s about using racial discontent to forward their anarchist agenda.
One such group is Antifa. While it is widely recognized as a far-left fringe group, another organization—just as radical—has managed to drape itself in more mainstream clothes, gaining significant support with the public, politicians, and the business community.
While Americans of every color agree with the sentiment that black lives matter, the Black Lives Matter organization actually advocates an agenda that is completely out of step with American values.
One look at the Black Lives Matter organization’s website shows that the idea of protecting black lives and seeking justice is merely a vehicle to advance a different, radical set of ideas. The organization is more dedicated to gaining political power and remaking America according to Marxist ideology. Two of the group’s three co-founders are even “trained Marxists,” according to one of them.
And it shows. The group’s platform includes planks unrelated to improving black lives, like trying to get the U.S. to divest from Israel, which it calls an “apartheid state” while accusing Jews of committing genocide against Palestinians.
The organization also has called for dismantling the family, saying, “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure.”
The breakdown of the black family and the rise of single-parent households is one of the root causes of poverty, crime, drug abuse, and poor educational achievement in many black communities. Why would anyone who’s supposedly working for black progress want to tear down the very thing that helps to achieve it?
Just as disturbing is the fact that some of America’s biggest corporations are giving hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars to this organization and others whose misleading names conceal a more expansive and dangerous agenda.
Groups such as Antifa and the Black Lives Matter organization want to impose an ideology on America that would only bring greater poverty, a loss of freedom, destruction to churches and civil society, and violent law enforcement tactics to enforce compliance—exactly what we’ve seen in places such as Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea.
In fact, we’ve already seen a vision of what their America would look like.
We’ve seen videos of leftist protesters physically and verbally attacking police officers.
We’ve seen an entire neighborhood turned into a violent “autonomous zone” with spineless politicians telling the police to stand down and let anarchists rule over innocent residents.
We’ve seen violent mobs defacing and toppling statues of historical figures such as soldiers and abolitionists. Some are even calling for the removal of images of Jesus in which he is perceived as “too white.”
We must stop the violence and destruction and bring those committing criminal acts to justice while protecting the rights of good people to protest peacefully.
We must support our police officers who risk their lives every day to protect us no matter our color, religion, sex, or nationality—while also making needed reforms to weed out bad cops and end unacceptable policing procedures.
Calls to defund the police are calls for chaos, and calls to disarm them are lunacy. We’ve seen what happens in Seattle, Minneapolis, and other cities when criminals are allowed free rein.
Finally, we must combat the Marxist agenda. This agenda has wrought destruction on nations for generations. It expands government control and takes every opportunity to limit freedom—and it must not take root in the United States.
The most desperate communities in America have been run by the left for a generation or more. We’ve seen what that leadership has brought: generational poverty, fatherless families, worse educational outcomes, more disparity, and higher crime rates. Lurching even further left would be even more disastrous.
Instead, we must implement policies to ensure America’s promise of liberty and opportunity is a promise for all Americans. Conservatives always have had the policies that can help solve many of the difficult issues that Americans face.
We know how to create jobs, end poverty, provide better access to health care, improve education, and strengthen families better than anyone. And our fundamental belief in the inherent dignity of every human being can help bring about the healing our nation so desperately needs.
America is a land of promise, and conservative policies can make those promises ring true for all Americans. It is time for conservatives to take a message of hope to every American to end the racial strife and build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish for all.
——————– Kay C. James (@KayColesJames) is president of The Heritage Foundation. James formerly served as director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and as Virginia’s secretary of health and human resources. She is also the founder and president of The Gloucester Institute.
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by Mario Murillo Ministries: Beloved Child of God do not fear or be alarmed by the frightening images you are seeing every night. Do not fret at the occupiers of Chaz in Seattle, violent protestors, nor the wrangling of Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio, Antifa, or any of the screeching voices that are calling for America’s destruction.
I wrote that weeks ago and as you can see Mayors and Governors can’t keep a straight face anymore defending the occupy wackos. They are shutting them down.
Their ideals—their revolutionary rhetoric—their brazen acts—got their fifteen minutes of fame. And it would have been over sooner, but for the hatred of the media for Trump. It is only because of that hate that they have cast all reason to the wind in order to defend the angry occupiers. They will ensure anarchists get the best coverage and the best cosmetic-filters available to defend their absurd actions. Alas, it will be in vain. Because they are merely putting lipstick on a pig.
The radical actions of anarchists will fail. Their ‘revolution’ will collapse under the weight of its own stupidity. Let me give you the reasons why:
1. They are insincere about racial injustice—or any form of justice for that matter. The true protesters who marched sincerely to raise their voice against injustice have been hijacked. The graffiti, fire bombs and looting come from common criminals who have been poisoned by Marxism. They came in like burglars and vandalized what might otherwise have been movements for peace and equality. They want none of those things. They need chaos.
2. Millions are in the middle who want rational answers. The greatest enemy of these hooligans is the return of reason and common sense. When you set fire to a building and smash windows, thereby demonstrating the urgent need for law and order, and then you call for the police to be disbanded—that is the definition of stupid. The kind of stupid that sinks a movement.
3. Your extremes are now a political liability. The Democrats will run from you, because associating with you will guarantee a Trump victory. Already Biden is back-peddling so fast, he is pulling his hammies. What will you do when both Democrats and Republicans repudiate you?
Soon you will see many coming to the table, people who will be eager to talk frankly and openly about healing the nation. When that happens these “freedom fighters” will, in the minds of millions, be transformed back into what they really are: violent street punks.
You are wasting your time fearing these people. But there is very real cause for major concern in America, and that concern is the church. The real danger would come from letting our stupidity go unchecked: if we fail to realize, that, because of the Cross of Jesus, we have won a victory against evil. We have authority over the devils that are dividing America. We have power over the lies the Left is telling.
They are not the threat. We are our own worst enemy. If Christian leaders do not dispense with the human programs that have sidelined the church in America’s darkest hour—and yes, I will say it—if we persist in messages and methods that have replaced the Bible and the Holy Spirit, that will be fatal! And that kind of stupidity will do the same thing to us that it is about to do for the mad occupiers. Church incorporated can also collapse under the weight of its own stupidity.
The tantrums of Marxists will not doom America. But a sleeping and disobedient church will. That is why we must take our eyes off of terrifying images and place our unfiltered gaze on Christ—the Mighty Warrior Who stands at the door and knocks—the One Who wants to get back into His church—Who will arm us with power, love and prophetic words for a sin-sick and heartbroken nation!
—————————– Mario Murillo is an evangelist Mario Murillo, minister, blogger.
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by RBF: Liberals often dwell in a perpetual mist of nescience, never pausing to let facts intervene with their constant ad hominem diatribes. Personal baseless aggressions succeed only with an audience equally clueless of rudimentary American history.
Among independent thinkers, an examination of evidence, history that is, reveals slavery made for a bifurcated contentious populace from our beginnings and that one segment lobbied tirelessly to end the pernicious practice. And when peaceful grievance proved fruitless, 360,000 Northern men, almost all white, willingly made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of social justice.
After some exegesis, reasonable inference deduces that all of today’s anarchy, destroyed businesses, the murder of police officers, calls for racial justice, might be little more than a well-orchestrated deflection of a half-century of failed big-government liberalism and wasted trillions.
OUR CONSTITUTION
Article 1, Section 2, of the United States Constitution, states:
“Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons.”
In 1787 Philadelphia, James Madison, with perhaps Jefferson, Hamilton, John Jay, and Adams, pooled their thoughts to generate the most celebrated living document in mankind’s history. Its foundation was rock solid save for the above twelfth-hour architectural edit yielding a design kink, endangering the entire edifice.
To ignore this cornerstone Constitutional insert disregards our Founder’s struggles to mend antithetical perspectives. It was the defining moment at the Constitutional Convention. There may well have been no United States without this most contradictory and contentious solution. Southerners dug in and drove home the point that repealing slavery was a deal-breaker. As an ingrained Southern institution, economics coupled with inherent racism, necessitated the ownership of other humans endure. King cotton was a labor-intensive enterprise.
Known as “The Three-Fifths Compromise,” and that’s precisely what it was, was an expedient, a contrivance to kick the can down the road and to seal up that embarrassing stepchild in the basement.
The Missouri compromise of 1820, the Wilmot Proviso, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, were all heavily debated legislation that sought resolution to placate the petulant bastard. Slaves states, free states, self-determination, Henry Clay… everyone searched for a unifying answer to something ineluctably intractable.
Few believed at the time this piece of bubblegum sufficient as a permanent resolution. Under the “Compromise,” each slave counted as three-fifths of a person when calculating populations, and more people meant more seats in Congress for the Southern States.
Therefore, paradoxically, for maximum political clout, the North would have preferred slaves count for zero, while the South wanted a number as high as possible.
Another provision required the South to pay Federal taxes based on the higher population numbers. In an accommodation of sorts, Southerners gratuitously allowed the intrusion of a clause banning African slave trade no later than 1808 or twenty years after the convention. As if human servitude would sluggishly begin evaporating in the summer Philadelphia humidity, a long-lasting Northern chimera.
The questions bedeviling Federalism then, exasperates our Republic today. Since the contentious Adams-Jefferson election of 1800, states and the Federal Government exist in a continuum of bickering as proprietor of ultimate jurisdiction. Initially, those first shots at Fort Sumter, South Carolina April 12, 1861, symbolized as much about a state’s self-determination as about slavery.
As the conflagration commenced, by significantly more than two to one, America’s population adamantly opposed the institution of one man legally owning another. The North’s 22 million dwarfed the South’s meek 9 million. This puts a big leak in the silly 1619 Project assertion of “systemic racism” since the first colonists arrived. In a trance, I envision 17th century English settlers, escaping religious persecution and facing a life-threatening ocean crossing, their survival in question, with malice aforethought, contemplating machinations to enslave Africans.
ABOLISTIONISTS
Founded in 1775, The Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage gets recognition as the first formal abolitionist society. This cumbersome to pronounce organization, contained black and white members alike, and became the model for other anti-slavery groups during the antebellum period. Mr. Ben Franklin held the position of president in 1787, and on behalf of all members, in 1790, he unsuccessfully petitioned Congress to abolish slavery.
For a brief period, Ben Franklin held slaves before voluntarily manumitting them. Consistent with today’s rhetoric, does owning one slave for one day, irrevocably consign Mr. Franklin to eternal damnation notwithstanding contrition and countless deeds of positive consequence to the world? (With all the intrinsic yet heretofore concealed love beneath the rioting, looting, and murder of dedicated police officers, surely the frontal lobes of BLM and ANTIFA thugs will emotionally honor Franklin, as they simultaneously desecrate marble likenesses.)
Abolitionist Societies were numerous and prominent throughout the Northern States, and each sermonized the intrinsic barbarism of slavery while calling for varying degrees of aggression to end it.
Reformer William Lloyd Garrison’s weekly anti-slavery paper, ‘The Liberator,’ demanded freedom for all slaves, with a religious tone, appealing to moral conscience. These entreaties were in like vain to Quakers sentiments, who abhorred slavery but shrunk from violence even more. Henry David Thoreau was a lifelong abolitionist, as was industrialist and eponymous porcelain maker, Joseph Wedgewood. In October 1859, militant John Brown, called on by God, waged the legendary assault on the Harpers Ferry, Virginia federal arsenal, intending it as incitement of a broad liberation movement to encourage slaves everywhere to rebel against their masters. As the first American convicted and hanged for treason, Brown immediately became a martyr to the cause and future folk hero to the Union army. So quick was his apotheosis that government officials feared riots and protests, and the execution was a heavily guarded event.
The above-referenced anti-slavery proponents were but a microcosm of examples of white men who vociferously, through word and deed, committed themselves to eradicate human bondage.
Possessing other humans as property extended beyond the purview of white Southerners. Some black slave-owners operated plantations as well. How do they fit into the reparations schema? Are their transgressions ignored like black on black murders? Though the underlying Southern economy revolved around cotton, only about 20 percent of the population depended on slave labor.
Prejudice and systemic racism are analog to the prefixes, “micro” and “macro.” Macro implies a global framework for the behavior of an entire organization, whereas micro focuses on narrow subsets of the sweeping mandate encompassed by the macro. Parochialism is endemic to humankind, ergo prejudice does and will always exist.
Black people can claim no monopoly on this, old as time, emotion; Hindu vs. Muslim, Protestant vs. Catholic, Tutsi’s and Hutu’s in Africa, Sunnis and Shiites, and, sometimes, the world against the Jews.
Quite distinct from smatterings of bigotry, since the historical changes wrought by Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, America has methodically arranged an entire society built on equality with a plethora of rules, and statutes, codifying fair treatment and equal opportunity for the black race. Our country has far transcended these regulatory obligations.
More than a half-century on, and with trillions of Federal dollars spent on food stamps, section 8 housing, and Medicaid, statistics still reflect a group woefully behind in metrics such as education and mainstream assimilation. Corporations drool all over themselves, fighting for moral superiority badges, by hiring black recruits to meet internal percentages.
When grades and test scores lagged, leftist colleges long ago began disregarding empirical data for admissions in favor of a “holistic” approach or subjectivity to achieve unstated and illegal quotas. Isn’t making decisions based on skin color precisely the type of racism decried by the Left?
Demand for qualified black students far outstrips supply, so the University of California System (includes Berkeley and UCLA, among others) has proposed getting rid of the college entrance exam, the SAT, almost unanimously agreed as the most reliable predictor of academic success. How far do we have to dumb down standards? Is it ever incumbent on blacks to reach any minimum benchmarks?
Not only does America not qualify as a systemically racist society, our country now demonstrably and axiomatically favors black students and job applicants beyond the colorblind eyes of a fair and balanced meritocracy.
When all the money and failed inner-city unionized schools often yielded young barely literate people depressingly underprepared for higher learning, the Left constructed a scapegoat.
They invented and brilliantly marketed, the present zeitgeist of white guilt. This concept is part of a current fluid philosophy, containing some contradictory circular logic, whereby once-assigned, white guilt is like a tattoo; it can never be totally expunged. White people faithful to this cult of ethical nihilism, tether themselves to a doctrine that, if carried to ultimate fruition, is destined to destroy America.
How has this new conventional brainwashed society that black failure stems from structural racism and never from their deficiencies? Now every industry faces retaliation of the race card if they don’t have at least 13.2 percent black employees, their slice of the population. Does Silicon Valley currently employ only 4 percent black software engineers as consequence of racism? Or after canvassing Stanford, Berkeley, and Cal Tech they astonishingly ended up with an office full of condign Asians.
Interestingly, periodical “Black Demographics” reports forty percent of all black households as middle class, versus forty-two percent for all families. Eight percent of all millionaires are black. While we must strive to correct their much higher poverty rates, these figures indicate that certain segments of their population do very well. The media accentuates only gloom and ghettos, atypical police brutality, an empty glass approach. I wonder how the many capable black professionals who earned their stripes without a free push, look upon the new spirit engulfing society? Under the adopted regime, who knows how who got where.
CONCLUSION
In the Constitution, nowhere do the words “slavery” or “negro” appear. That the Founders assiduously avoided any mention of race, skin color, black or white contextualizes 1787 as a time that illustrates slavery as emotionally charged even then.
Far from a country birthed with congenital racism, historical scrutiny reveals a stark demarcation, where one side, the North, valiantly denounced the Southern institution of humans as chattel, ultimately forfeiting hundreds of thousands of lives to terminate the practice.
Confronting our history transparently deflates Liberals arguments of an unambiguously racist America.
The data today supports not systemic racism but the diametric; a society structured where blacks receive favoritism in college admissions and certain areas of employment. They have become a protected class, where any small criticism, gets run through the liberal gristmill and reshaped into racism. Educational elites inculcate in students an ethos of white guilt, exploiting gullible minds to fit false narratives.
Hard as the Left may try, from ISIS and Taliban-like desecration of monuments to rioting that distracts from policy failures to monotonous looping of fake news, hard evidence remains of America’s remarkable though imperfect history. If the contingent on the Left bothered to analyze and contemplate our past, perhaps then reasonable people might sit and discuss their commonalities. But in that process, Liberals would inexorably discover how misguided they are about so many things.
—————— * Damnatio memoriae is a modern Latin phrase meaning “condemnation of memory”, indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. Thus the author is not presently identified.
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by Ben Shapiro: Today, the nostrum goes, it is not enough for Americans to be not racist. They must be “anti-racist.” This woke terminology has infused our lexicon. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., recently declared from the well of the Senate: “Being race-conscious is not enough. It never was. We must be anti-racists.” What, pray tell, is the difference between being against racism and being anti-racist? Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to Be An Antiracist,” provides an answer: Racism is no longer to be defined as the belief that someone is inferior based on race. Instead, racism is to be defined as the belief that any group differences can be attributed to anything other than racism. Thus, any system that ends with different outcomes must be racist. Indeed, Kendi contends, “Racism itself is institutional, structural, and systemic.”
To be anti-racist means to tear down these systems. Any obstacle in the pursuit of equality of outcome must be torn down, assumed to be a product of discrimination. Basic decency, then, means that we must oppose even institutions that have been considered hallmarks of freedom. Those institutions, after all, have exacerbated inequalities, or at least failed to rectify those inequalities.
This means that America’s culture of rights — a culture that suggests an obligation on the part of individuals to respect the rights of others, even if they disagree — must come under fire. That culture reinforces hierarchies and inequalities, after all. The classical liberal says that rights fall equally on the just and the unjust alike; the anti-racist suggests that rights are merely tools of power. Anti-racism, in its essence, is merely reworked neo-Marxism from the 1960s: Herbert Marcuse would have been ecstatic to see his concept of “repressive tolerance” — “intolerance against movements from the Right and toleration of movements from the Left” — revived under the banner of race rather than class.
The self-proclaimed “anti-racist” left — a left that sees all of human relations reduced to a rudimentary correlation of skin color and inequality, an analysis we used to call racist — has decided that the culture must be cleansed of all of those who will not be drafted into its woke army. Its march through the institutions began with college campuses, where cowardly administrators quickly caved to the bizarre notion that campuses were unsafe, cruel bastions of bigotry requiring speech codes and training in microaggressions. Next, the woke army moved on to the halls of institutional media, where editors were forced to announce their own white privileges along with their resignations, turning over the instruments of informational dissemination to radical racialists.
Now the woke army has targeted corporations. Corporations are, by nature, risk-averse; they seek merely profit and lack of controversy. The hard left has targeted them as the weakest link in the chain of free speech: If corporations can be bullied into pulling their money from social media networks, those social media networks can be bullied into restricting their free-speech cultures. Remove advertising bucks from Instagram and watch as Instagram censors those the woke want censored.
Indeed, such a campaign is now front and center in the culture wars: Major corporations from Coca-Cola to Target have stopped advertising on social media networks, citing the need for more “hate speech” regulation on those platforms. Obviously, those who target corporations will not be satisfied until all non-woke speech is limited or banned; corporations will be unpleasantly surprised when those they have been seeking to appease turn on them as remnants of the evil system. But corporations have neither the principle nor the will to deny the demands of the loudest and the most militant.
The product of the woke crusade will not be a less racist America but a more polarized one. That’s because the woke crusade is not truly about reducing racism; it is about attacking fundamental institutions, American history and our very culture of rights. All the things we share must be eviscerated. So we will share nothing. And then the true ugliness begins.
——————– Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro ) is a graduate of UCLA and Harvard Law School, host of “The Ben Shapiro Show” and editor-in-chief of DailyWire.com. H/T The Patriot Post.
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Stoke chaos, obstruct economic recovery, and hide Biden in the basement till Election Day. by Victor Davis Hanson: Joe Biden is tragically suffering a mental eclipse and sliding away at a geometric rate. Understandably, his handlers have kept him out of sight. He stays off the campaign trail on the pretext of the virus and his age-related susceptibility to COVID-19 morbidity.
I say “pretext” without apology. Quarantine should not have otherwise stopped Biden over the past three months from doing daily interviews, speeches, and meetings. But each occasion, however scripted, rehearsed, and canned, would only have offered further daily proof that Biden is cognitively unable to be president or indeed to hold any office.
Often Biden cannot finish a sentence. Names are vague eddies in his mind’s river of forgetfulness. He is in a far more dire mental state than a physically failing FDR was in his 1944 campaign for a fourth term.
The earlier career of a healthy Biden illustrates that he was not especially sharp even when in control of most of his faculties. We recall the former sane/nutty Biden of Neal Kinnock plagiarism, his “put y’all in chains” demagoguery, the studied racism of Biden’s riffs about a “clean” and well-spoken Obama, and the sane/insane Corn Pop stories. All are the trademark of a once fool Joe Biden, who was at least alert when compared with his current catalepsy. If Donald Trump can be ungrammatical, Biden is agrammatical — he simply streams together half-thoughts without syntax and then abandons the sentence entirely.
If Trump repeats vocabulary, Biden increasingly searches for words, any noun, whatever its irrelevance to the point he is making. Biden seems to suffer dyscognitive seizures, in which for moments he has no idea what he is doing or saying or where he is — a tragic, nearly epileptic condition. In scary episodes, the pale, scaly, and frozen visage of Biden appears almost reptilian, like a lizard freezing and remaining stationary as it struggles to process signals of perceived danger.
Inserting memorized answers into rehearsed questions, as if the entire con was spontaneous, only reveals how his once episodic dementia has become chronic as he loses his prompt and place. It was understandable that his handlers saw opportunity in secluding Biden during Trump’s tweeting, alongside the contagion, the lockdown, the recession, and the rioting that in voters’ minds had equated fear of chaos with the culpability of the current commander in chief.
But there were always problems with placing Biden in suspended animation in his basement, even as he seemingly surged ahead of Trump in the early-summer polls.
One, seclusion, quiet, and the absence of intellectual stimuli often only enhance dementia, while travel, conversation, and new imagery and experiences tend to unclog for a bit the congested neuron pathways.
The more Biden “rests up,” the more he seems to be non compos mentis in his rare staged interviews. His brain is like a flabby muscle, and restful disuse does not make it firmer.
Two, in theory there should be a shelf life to a virtual presidential candidate. True, Biden has climbed in the polls, as the public never sees or hears him — in the manner that an unpopular lame-duck Obama disappeared to the golf courses and retreats in 2016 and yielded the media spotlight to the dog and cat fighting between Trump and Clinton. Obama then discovered that the more he retreated from the public eye, the more the public liked the old idea, rather than the current reality, of him.
So too the ghost model was supposed to work for Biden.
He is a cardboard candidate, but at least he’s not on the front lines of commentary on statue toppling and the contagion, and so he can be blamed for neither.
But by avoiding the campaign trail, Biden is only postponing the inevitable. He is compressing the campaign into an ever-shorter late-summer and autumn cycle. If he really agrees to three debates (he may not agree to any at all), and if he performs as he usually now acts and speaks, then he may end up reminding the American people in the eleventh hour of the campaign that they have a choice between a controversial president and a presidential candidate who simply cannot fulfill the office of presidency. And if Biden is a no-show, Trump will probably debate an empty, Clint Eastwood–prop mute chair.
Why, then, is Biden the nominee at all — other than that he leads in the delegate count and surged after Democrat back-roomers panicked when Bloomberg imploded and Bernie surged? As a result, politicos forced or enticed all the other primary candidates to vacate and unite around someone nominally not a socialist.
Is one consolation that Biden’s dementia offers a credible defense that he has “no recollection” that he was in on Obama’s efforts to surveil an oppositional campaign and abort a presidential transition?
While all Democrats know that the cat must be belled, no one wishes to step forward to do it and remove Biden — and indeed no one knows how to steal a nomination from an enfeebled winner and hand it off to an undeserving but cogent alternative. Take out Biden in August, and who knows what sort of candidate stampede might follow in today’s insane landscape?
So what are these strategies of dementia other than putting Biden on ice while redefining the election as Trump versus the media’s version of the virus, lockdown, and economic stagnation?
Pity is one pretext. The progressive media have put Biden’s blank stares and word searching off limits. We are not supposed to remember that Trump was hounded by progressive M.D.s, to the point that he took — and aced — the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, an examination that no one in his right mind would suggest Biden now take, given that the results would be no surprise.
Dementia is also about the only valid reason one can legitimately say “I don’t remember.” So ask Joe Biden about those early January 2017 strategy sessions in which Obama, Biden, and their henchmen plotted the surveillance of the Trump campaign and the destruction of Michael Flynn — and he can honestly say, “What administration?” Ask Biden about his illiberal past statements, his associations with neo-Confederate senators, or his plagiarism, and without guile he can retort, “What? What plagiarism? What senators?” Burisma? Hunter Biden’s Chinese lucre? He will look dumbfounded and turn to an aide to ask, “What is Burisma and who is Hunter?”
Democrats also knew that they would lose with an Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, or Bernie Sanders as their masthead. The primaries, even heavily loaded to the left-wing base, taught them that well enough. The hard-left agenda of winter 2020 went nowhere, and it will go less than nowhere in the fall after months of televised arson, looting, and gratuitous violence.
In contrast, even a cardboard-cutout version of Biden offers them the veneer of the “moderation.” A Bill Clinton–style Biden phantom, if elected, can allow a passageway for a leftist surrogate into the presidency, the same way that Harry Truman, a centrist, was put on the ticket in 1944 to save the country from Vice President Henry Wallace’s Communism.
Translated, that means the Democratic donor class accepts that they cannot win while siding with the mobs on the street and their appeasers and apologists — and yet the latter leftists are needed to provide the missing 5 to 7 points for victory. With a wink and nod, the vice-presidential candidate will be seen as assuming the presidency and giving to the Left what they could not achieve through a presidential election — while old Joe Biden from Scranton stares at the TV screen a bit longer to prove he’s not a raving socialist.
Also expect the Democrats to push the following strategies harder and harder, as they square the circle of a demented candidate who nonetheless could prove enormously useful — if he can just get elected.
Expect more calls to cancel the debates as corrupt, fluff, reality-TV pizzazz and utterly unnecessary.
Anticipate that the virus lockdown will be prolonged nearly until Election Day and will de facto lead Democrats to call for a Zoom campaign: Biden talking to the camera with a teleprompted script behind the screen.
Election Day voting, we will be told, is merely an ossified construct. The key to our new electoral process is not Neanderthal driving into a COVID-infested polling booth, but rather voter-harvested mail-in ballots.
Expect the vote in November to be declared in advance warped, stolen, and invalid — and then declared valid and fair if Biden wins.
Expect blue states to remain economically mired in quarantines, in hopes of aborting a recovery. Democratic leaders will never really crack down on what heretofore have been blue-state rioting and looting; the chronic chaos and recession will be kept alive and geared to the November election.
Are there problems with such Biden basement strategies?
Lots.
A hard-left candidate for vice president will have to do the campaign messaging as a public auxiliary of, and in line with, Joe Biden. She will privately reassure her base that it’s all a moderate con, assuming that leftist voters are sophisticated and cynical enough to be willing to be lied to now for the sake of gaining power shortly.
It will also be problematic to assure the country that Joe Biden is 110 percent fit to be president in November but then to leak to the public by February 2021 that he’s crazy and it’s past time for his radical vice president, regrettably, to move him out.
Using Biden as an empty vessel also assumes that he is at least a vessel. But what if Biden, say, on October 25, 2020, has one of his blank-outs? Or what if he announces once again, but this time at his final rare press conference: “I am going to beat [be] Joe Biden!” What then? Do they call Christopher Steele out of retirement to do a hasty file on Joe Biden, the delusional nut, and use Yahoo or Mother Jones again to leak the dirt in order to switch the order of the Democratic ticket?
Given the current racial hysteria, how do Democratic handlers muzzle the not always latently bigoted Biden?
Often dementia is a cruel pathway to the truth, freed from normal self-censorship, politeness, and social awareness. Meaning: What if Biden has more “you ain’t black” moments, or Corn Pop storytelling, or he mimics a black accent to riff about chains, “clean” blacks, and such? And in the present climate, will people be forgiving when he brags that his home state of Delaware was once a “slave state”? One or two such outbursts could shrink his share of the black vote to 80 percent, which would lead to losses in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.
In the chaos of July, Biden’s handlers have been acclaimed geniuses for anesthetizing him. But in the different season of October, he may finally be forced out from his lockdown, in the wild manner that soon-to-be looters and arsonists at last emerged from quarantine in June — pent-up, angry, incoherent, and self-destructive.
———————— Victor Davis Hanson (@VDHanson) is a senior fellow, classicist and historian and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution where many of his articles are found; his focus is classics and military history. He has been a visiting professor at Hillsdale College since 2004. Hanson was awarded the National Humanities Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush. H/T McIntosh Enterprises.
Tags:Victor Davis Hanson, McIntosh Enterprises, Strategies of Dementia PoliticsTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by Garrett O’Leary: The gun-control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, one of the handful of groups funded by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, released its first round of endorsements for the U.S. Senate recently. Despite his failed presidential bid, Bloomberg is still using his fortune against the Second Amendment.
The group’s U.S. Senate endorsements includes 11 candidates, including Bloomberg’s fellow failed presidential candidate John Hickenlooper (D), and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who previously joined four other senators in openly threatening the U.S. Supreme Court last November.
One of the endorsees, North Carolina State Sen. Cal Cunningham (D), lists his intentions to “ban the sale of high-capacity magazines” and “pass extreme risk laws,” otherwise known as red-flag laws, as two of his priorities on his campaign website.
Another, MJ Hegar (D), who is running in Texas, lists her desires to “stop the sale of assault weapons,” to “pass red flag laws” and to “end open carry” on her website.
The reality is that each of these endorsees are in lockstep with Bloomberg’s agenda, who is throwing his massive fortune behind each of them to achieve his goals.
“Everytown is going all-in to flip the Senate,” Everytown President John Feinblatt said in a press release. “To the opponents of the incredible candidates we have endorsed today, your days of ignoring America’s gun violence crisis are numbered,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, an anti-freedom group absorbed by Bloomberg and his billions, in the same release.
Clearly, our Second Amendment freedoms are on the ballot this November, as anti-freedom groups like Everytown, which have pledged to spend a minimum of $60 million nationwide in this election cycle, seek to curtail your constitutional rights. Just a few weeks ago, Bloomberg’s group also released more than 50 endorsements for members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Everytown also endorsed, unsurprisingly, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has made no secret of his animus towards the Second Amendment.
Everytown spent at least $30 million during the 2018 midterms and, if the results in Virginia are any indicator of how these politicians treat your constitutional rights, they fully intend to come for your guns.
———————— Garrett O’Leary is assistant editor NRA America’s First Freedom
Tags:Garrett O’Leary, NRA, America’s First Freedom, Bloomberg-Backed Groups, Double Down on, Upcoming ElectionsTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
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Public opinion polls appear to portend a Biden victory in November, but the former Vice President will almost certainly succumb to the same affliction that brought about Hillary Clinton’s electoral demise — anemic enthusiasm among minorities. No Democrat can win without the robust backing of this bloc of voters, and Biden’s dubious record on racially sensitive issues combined with more recent blunders, has rendered this support noticeably tepid.
Liberalism is an experiment against common sense, a refusal to govern rationally. We are now witnessing the consequences of that experiment. Everywhere one looks common sense is on trial, from cops who practice self-defense to homeowners who do. In this climate, the St. Louis couple, the McCloskeys, who successfully defended their home from the mob, are of course cast as villains by the media.
No one likes a glum Gus in a foxhole. As the bullets fly in America’s cities, monuments get defaced, and property is destroyed, the pandemic living room is turning into a panic room. Americans, hunkered down and afraid, try to stop following social media or watching the news. It’s too terrible. Smidgeons of good news get lost in the cloud of COVID spores. How does one poke the eye of Satan and overcome this current evil? The way the war has always been won: with laughter and fun.
President Trump plans to hold a rally at Mount Rushmore this Friday with fireworks and celebrations in honor of Independence Day. In a saner age, one might have thought that the president of the United States could visit one of America’s most important symbols to celebrate our national holiday without too much controversy. But it is apparent that this president cannot do so without an endless barrage of criticism from the American media. From spreading the coronavirus to creating environmental risks, from endorsing racist statues to upsetting Native American tribes, Trump’s plan to commemorate the American Revolution is evidently the work of the devil himself.
The monuments the vandals leave standing shine as bright a light on their benightedness as the ones they topple. Several weeks back a San Francisco mob removed statues of Union General Ulysses S. Grant, California founding father St. Junipero Serra, and “Star Spangled Banner” lyricist Francis Scott Key but left the signs for Carlton B. Goodlett Place, the street that gives the iconic San Francisco city hall its address, untouched and intact.
Happy 4th of July eve. We’ve got the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, a heatwave hitting the country and a request for one NFL team to change its controversial name.
Here’s what you need to know before you head out to enjoy your weekend.
A heatwave and a pandemic: Scientists sound alarm as July 4 will kick off extreme summer across U.S.
A sustained blast of heat is expected to bake much of the United States with hotter-than-usual temperatures this holiday weekend. And forecasts say the hot weather could linger for several weeks.
The first major heat wave of the season comes as many states are scrambling to contain the rampant spread of the coronavirus — which has left resources strained.
One major fear is that in some cities, it will be a challenge to provide relief for vulnerable people in cooling centers because of social distancing guidelines.
Schools want to reopen safely. Without federal funds, many worry they can’t.
As educators across the country look to reopen schools in the fall and welcome at least a portion of their students back in-person, they find themselves in an impossible situation.
With their budgets decimated by the economic downturn, many school districts are wondering how they will payfor costly new cleaning procedures, health screenings and other safety measures.
The price tag is expected to be enormous: The average-size district could pay as much as $1.8 million to reopen all of its school buildings under the new safety guidelines, according to a joint analysis by the Association of School Business Officials International and AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
“They’re caught between a rock and a hard place, and the biggest fear is they’re going to be forced to open schools without the safety guidelines,” said Dan Domenech, executive director of AASA.
“The challenges that stand before schools are just Herculean,” said one school expert. (Image: Doris Liou / for NBC News)
FedEx asks Washington Redskins to change team’s name
FedEx owns the naming rights to the Maryland field where the team plays, and its chief executive, Fred Smith, owns a minority stake in the team.
The request comes a day after Adweek reported that 87 investment firms and shareholders worth $620 billion sent a letter urging FedEx, Nike and PepsiCo to stop doing business with the team until the name is changed.
Could business interests finally push a major NFL team to change its name? (Photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images file)
Was Ghislaine Maxwell hiding out at this $1 million home paid for in cash?
Before Jeffrey Epstein’s confidant Ghislaine Maxwell was arrestedThursday, she was hiding out at a 156-acre property in rural New Hampshire that was paid for in cash through a limited liability company, according to federal prosecutors.
The description matches a luxury home purchased last year for $1 million in a deal shrouded in secrecy, according to two people familiar with the transaction.
The previous owner did not know the identity of the buyer, and neither did the previous owner’s agent, according to people familiar with the transaction.
“If you’re looking for a place to hide, boy, you can’t find a better one,” a person familiar with the deal said.
The property where Ghislaine Maxwell may have been arrested by the FBI in Bradford, N.H., on Thursday. (Photo: NBC News)
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Just in time for an Independence Day weekend without the usual crowded throngs and baseball games, Lin-Manuel Miranda is bringing his multicultural story of the Founding Fathers to streaming TV.
“Hamilton” had originally been scheduled for a theatrical release in October 2021. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck, and the show’s debut was advanced and made available on streaming.
To some, the streaming debut couldn’t be better timed. Not only coming as the country celebrates the Fourth of July, but during this politically polarized moment.
The show’s diverse casting and contemporary sound, make the lessons of the past seem relevant and accessible, said Brian E. Herrera, associate professor of theater at Princeton University,
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REALCLEARPOLITICS MORNING NOTE
07/03/2020
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Carl Cannon’s Morning Note
Defiant Pack; Stone’s Hopes; Quote of the Week
By Carl M. Cannon on Jul 03, 2020 09:04 am
Good morning. It’s July 3, 2020 — a federal holiday — but also a Friday, the day of the week when I reprise a quotation intended to be instructive or inspirational. Today’s comes from Gerald R. Ford, whom I wrote about yesterday on the occasion of America’s bicentennial. In 1976, Ford made numerous speeches and statements in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of our nation’s founding. He’s not remembered as an exceptionally articulate president, but he had a good sense of humor about it: He referred to himself as “a Ford, not a Lincoln.”
But in these bicentennial speeches, Ford was often quite eloquent when discussing the meaning of America. He invoked Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson, another president known for felicity of expression, as we’ll see after I point you to RealClearPolitics’ front page. First, however, a quick order of business: Because I’ll be traveling, next week’s morning historical homilies will come from the vault — from previous years — so if one sounds familiar to you, that well may be the case. Happy Fourth!
In the meantime, here is today’s array original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors this morning:
* * *
Michael Pack Stands His Ground Amid D.C. Firestorm. Susan Crabtree interviewsthe new CEO of America’s broadcasting agency following bipartisan criticism of his recent leadership shakeup.
Roger Stone Pins His Hopes on Appeal — and Trump’s Mercy. Phil Wegmann interviewed the former Trump campaign adviser about his impending incarceraton for lying to Congress.
Facebook Boycott Reveals Triad Shaping the Public Square. Kalev Leetaru assesses the underpinnings and impact of advertisers targeting the social media platform.
When Politics Cancel Science, COVID Patients Lose. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a doctor, schools critics who mischaracterized his views on the virus’s heavy toll on African Americans.
What We Celebrate on the Fourth. Robert Curry writes that the holiday has to do with more than one nation’s independence: America’s founding upended the models of top-down governance in place throughout the world.
An Independence Day Message for Black Americans. Charles Love argues that the failures of the past are not indictments of the principles that undergird our republic.
Equality and the American Dream. C. Bradley Thompson reflects on how our nation’s founding documents enshrine the freedom necessary for human flourishing.
Reagan: Never Forget the “Great Truth” About July 4. Myra Adams points to a lesson about this holiday uttered four decades ago — one that bears repeating in our turbulent times.
Roberts Pruned the Administrative State. In RealClearPolicy, Adam Carrington assesses the chief justice’s rationale in a case reining in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Macron’s Helpful Defeat. In RealClearWorld, Ronald Tiersky argues that losses suffered by the French president’s party in local elections are less than meets the eye and may help reelect him in 2022.
* * *
On the evening of July 3, 1976, Gerald Ford spoke in the Concert Hall at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He was there to give opening remarks, actually. Yes, the president of the United States was the warm-up act. The man he handed the microphone over to was comedian Bob Hope, emcee of that night’s “Honor America” program.
“There are times for solemn ceremonies, and there will be many reverent thanksgivings all over America this week and next,” Ford began. “But we Americans are uncomfortable with too much solemnity. We like to make a joyful noise unto the Lord, to sing our country’s praise with grateful hearts. Laughter and liberty go well together.
“Ragtime and jazz, marches as well as hymns and spirituals set the beat of the American adventure,” Ford continued. “We have exported America’s happiness to the world with our gramophones, our movies, and our own talented performers. Americans sang on riverboats, danced around the wagon trains, joked as they marched into battle. We took all of the arts of those who came to join the American adventure and made new arts of our own.
“No nation has a richer heritage than we do, for America has it all. The United States is probably the only country on Earth that puts the pursuit of happiness right after life and liberty among the God-given rights of every human being.”
Ford added that Thomas Jefferson and America’s other Founders had pulled off a defining rhetorical sleight-of-hand in replacing the common British guarantee of a right to “life, liberty, and property” with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
But the 38th U.S. president also noted that our third president never explained precisely what he meant by “pursuit of happiness.” So Ford took a stab at it himself.
“If we have liberty, how each of us pursues happiness is up to us,” he said. “However you define it, the United States of America has been a happy nation over the past 200 years. Nobody is happy all the time, but most of the people have been happy most of the time. Even in our darkest hours, we have managed a little fun.”
Below is a sneak peek of this content! Welcome to this week’s Premium Q&A session for Premium Interactive members. I appreciate you all signing up and joining me. Thank you. Editor’s note: If you enjoy these sessions (along with the weekly columns and audio commentaries), please use the Facebook and… CONTINUE Read More »
Bernard Goldberg, the television news reporter and author of Bias, a New York Times number one bestseller about how the media distort the news, is widely seen as one of the most original writers and thinkers in broadcast journalism. He has covered stories all over the world for CBS News and has won 13 Emmy awards for excellence in journalism. He won six Emmys at CBS, and seven at HBO, where he now reports for the widely acclaimed broadcast Real Sports. [Read More…]
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Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth has put a blanket hold on 1,100 military promotions until Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper assures her in writing that impeachment witness Lt. Col. Alex Vindman will not be punished for his testimony. Read More…
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From confusion on the Senate floor over just-passed bills to mask-related small talk and petty squabbling, lawmakers were clearly ready to get out of Washington for the Fourth of July recess as this week’s Congressional Hits and Misses attests. Read More…
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