Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Friday July 10, 2020
THE DAILY SIGNAL
Jul 10, 2020
Happy Friday from Washington, where Heritage Foundation President Kay C. James wonders why corporations are donating to a Black Lives Matter organization with Marxist goals. Which black lives does the movement care about? Ben Shapiro asks. On the podcast, a physician assesses the spike in COVID-19 cases. Plus: Anthony Fauci’s thoughts on America’s going back to school; details on a double-voting scandal; and the left targets our history. Eighty years ago today, Nazi Germany begins a long series of bombing raids against Great Britain, as the 14-week Battle of Britain begins. Enjoy the weekend.
Why are coronavirus cases surging in some states? What have doctors learned about treating COVID-19 in the past few months? Are masks actually effective? Dr. Kevin Pham answers all these questions and more.
It turns out that the agenda of Black Lives Matter, which includes fighting against the prevalence of police—a call taken up by Democratic mayors and city councils around the United States—endangers black lives far more than the presence of police.
Kay C. James, president of The Heritage Foundation, strongly discourages corporate donations to a radical Black Lives Matter organization, noting its Marxist origins, and suggests instead that companies “fund the good guys and defund the bad guys.”
“If you keep children out of school, the unintended negative ripple-effect consequences can be profound with regard to what the parents do,” says Anthony Fauci.
In woke America’s rapidly evolving hierarchy of who gets to claim they’re oppressed, being gay isn’t enough for today’s activists and their media allies. So they’re perpetuating myths about the involvement of “trans women of color” at Stonewall.
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“Difficulties are things that show a person what they are.”
EPICTETUS
Good morning,
The Supreme Court ruled that a New York grand jury may continue to seek the tax returns of President Donald Trump. The court rejected efforts by Congress to obtain the documents.
Trump said he would continue to fight the release of the documents in the lower courts in New York.
You may have read our articles on our website, but did you know we have a print edition as well?
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Senior Citizens Will Be the ‘Deciding Factor’ in 2020 Election
By Salena Zito
The ad shows a drive-by of a rural, post-industrial unnamed town in this western Pennsylvania county. The woman in the ad says her name is Janie. Read more
Fired for Speaking Truth
By John Stossel
The online mob came for Harald Uhlig. What terrible thing had he done? As I show in my new video, he tweeted that Black Lives Matter “torpedoed itself, with its full-fledged support of #defundthepolice.” Read more
Cyberattack Can’t Be Ruled Out for New York Stock Exchange Outage, Say Analysts
By Joshua Philipp
(July 8, 2015)
Trading in securities was suspended on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday at 11:32 a.m. “All open orders will be canceled. Additional information will follow as soon as possible,” stated a brief message on its website. Read more
In Hubei province of China, close to 29,000 citizens were evacuated as a nearby reservoir dam is showing signs of deformation, and began to slide.
Democrat Nancy Pelosi Shrugs Off Vandals Destroying Monuments
When asked about vandals ripping down a Columbus statue, the Speaker of the House shrugged and said “People will do what they do” (Twitter). From Tom Cotton: When it comes to destroying statues, “people will do what they do” only if feckless liberal leaders allow them to. If we enforce the law and arrest the vandals knocking over statues, the destruction will stop (Twitter). From Steve Scalise: The Speaker of the House is now condoning violent far-left mobs destroying cities. Will the media ask every House Democrat if they agree with their Speaker saying violent mob rule is now acceptable in America? (Twitter). From Ted Cruz: Shameful. Speaker of the House stands with the mob (Twitter).
2.
Supreme Court Appears to Rule Against Trump in Pair of Cases
Though once you dig into it, it doesn’t look so clear. From the story: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that President Trump is not immune to a subpoena from Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. over his financial and tax records and declined in a separate case to issue a definitive ruling on whether congressional committees can have access to Trump’s financial records, throwing both issues back to lower courts (Fox News). From Andrew McCarthy: As a practical matter, although these cases go down as legal losses for the presidency, the Court’s remand back to lower courts ensures that the wrangling will go on for months — until long after Election Day. That’s a big political win for the president (National Review). From Kimberly Strassel: House Democrats are going to have to work much harder to pry information from this administration. Should Democrats go to the courts, their subpoenas will be subjected to new scrutiny. Should they attempt to return to a tradition of negotiation, the administration may now prove less willing to play ball, knowing that it has some shot of victory in the judiciary (WSJ).
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3.
Hewitt: SCOTUS Gave Believers Much to Celebrate
He explains “the Supreme Court’s trio of decisions in recent days buttressing that right to “free exercise” of faith will define the Roberts court’s just-completed year as one of enormous significance and success” (Washington Post). From David Harsanyi: It’s been clear for some time that the Constitution — as written — is incompatible with a progressive agenda. This is the reality that drives the hysterics over Federalist Society–endorsed judicial appointments, over the Electoral College, and over other counter-majoritarian institutions. It’s why Pfeiffer and others advocate expanding, really neutering, the Supreme Court. It’s why a growing number of left-wingers argue that the Senate is a fundamentally unfair institution (National Review). Biden has promised to undo the decisions favoring religious institutions (Fox News).
4.
Seattle City Council Says They Will Cut 50 Percent from Police Budget
The mayor wants them to slow down, but they have a veto-proof majority now.
CNN Anchor Declares Jesus “Admittedly Was Not Perfect”
Don Lemon, speaking to fellow CNN host Chris Cuomo, said “Here is the thing: Jesus Christ, if that’s who you believe in, Jesus Christ, admittedly was not perfect when He was here on this earth. So why are we deifying the founders of this country, many of whom owned slaves?” Cuomo appeared clueless to the bad theology (Washington Examiner). From Tony Dungy: I’m sorry Mr Lemon but just who “admitted” that Jesus Christ was not perfect here on earth? Not anyone who believes the Bible. Not anyone who trusts in Jesus as their savior. I’m not sure the point you’re making but your premise is dead wrong. That was the point in Jesus coming! (Twitter).
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6.
Judge Blocks Removal of Confederate Monuments in Richmond
Mayor Levar Stoney bypassed the law to order them removed. From the story: Stoney said he was invoking his emergency powers to immediately remove the statues instead of following a lengthy process outlined in the law. He said he was concerned about public safety amid continuing protests and fears that protesters could get hurt if they tried to bring down the enormous statues themselves.
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Even as the Florida Democratic Party promised late Wednesday night to return at least $780,000 in federal coronavirus crisis bailout money, more questions emerged Thursday.
Which party officials signed off on the loan? Did the Democratic National Committee know about it? How much was the loan for in the first place?
Records obtained by Florida Politics give some clues to the answers to the latter two questions.
An email exchange with Juan Peñalosa, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party, shows the FDP got the green light to apply for PPP funds, impermissible by federal law.
Filings with the Federal Election Commission show that in April, the Democratic Executive Committee of Florida, the federal entity for the Florida Democratic Party, received transfers of $815,641 in loan money obtained through the CARES Act. That is more than the at least $780,000 the Florida Democratic Party vowed late Wednesday night it would return to the PPP program.
But that only raises more questions, including whether the party’s building fund used as a pass-through company to provide money to the Florida Democratic Party, and whether the building fund’s PPP application had referenced the party’s staff as its own in the loan application. Neither would be permissible under federal law.
As for whether the DNC knew about it, a Wednesday afternoon email exchange obtained by Florida Politics points to yes.
The exchange, purportedly between FDP Executive Director Juan Peñalosa and Vice-Chair Judy Mount, shows Peñalosa stating, “We applied for the funding after consulting our lawyers and informing folks at the DNC.”
The party has not confirmed the authenticity of the email exchange provided Florida Politics, however, the national party said it was clear, telling state and local parties to not apply for PPP.
“The DNC did not authorize this, and we agree with the decision to return the money,” said David Bergstein, the DNC’s director of battleground state communications.
___
“Personnel note: Allison Kinney named VP of Government Relations at HCA Healthcare” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Longtime lobbyist Kinney is joining HCA Healthcare — Florida. Effective July 13, Kinney will take over as Vice President of Government Relations at the state’s largest health care provider. Kinney succeeds Bryan Anderson, who served in that role from 2004-2019 before his promotion to Corporate Vice President. “We are thrilled to have someone with Allison’s background and experience join the HCA Healthcare team,” Anderson said in a news release announcing the hire. “Not only is she a fierce advocate with rare political skills, she is also a trusted adviser to numerous elected officials across the state.”
Congratulations to Allison Kinney for her new gig as VP of Government Relations at HCA Healthcare.
Facebook post of the day
Situational awareness
—@marcorubio: I supported first “shutdown” to flatten the curve. But we are in a very different place now. Must weigh cost versus benefit. Social, economic & enforcement costs are significant. Benefits are questionable, govt can’t shutdown private gatherings & most businesses already restricted.
—@scontorno: [Ron] DeSantis: “If you can do Home Depot, if you can do Walmart, you can definitely do the schools.”
Tweet, tweet:
—@JoseJavierJJR: With views like this, we are thankful that we have locally run school districts making difficult decisions/plans for our children’s safety and education and not Gov. @GovRonDeSantis who seems incapable of taking this pandemic and its challenges seriously.
—@nikkifried: 120 Floridians have died in the last 24 hours from #COVID19. Up from 48 deaths the day before. Instead of asking for congratulations on a low death toll and blaming the media, @GovRonDeSantis should be offering extra resources to our overwhelmed hospitals.
Tweet, tweet:
Tweet, tweet:
—@ShevrinJones: If I’m the only legislator in Florida who have #Covid, I’m going to damn sure use this platform to sound the alarm for the over 200,000 people that’s fighting this virus with me. COVID won’t win!
—@Passantino: LA Mayor [Eric] Garcetti is holding a news conference on the surge of coronavirus infections and a Breitbart reporter has called in to ask his opinion on “cancel culture”
—@Rodgers: Allowing a 60-minute full-contact football game but saying you’re taking precautions because you ban handshakes and jersey swaps is like eating 34 wings and then eating 2 pieces of celery and saying it was a healthy meal because you ate vegetables
Tweet, tweet:
Days until
Disney World Magic Kingdom & Animal Kingdom to reopen — 1; Disney World Epcot and Hollywood Studios to reopen — 5; Federal taxes due — 5; MLB starts — 13; WNBA starts — 14; PLL starts — 15; TED conference rescheduled — 16; Florida Bar exams begin in Tampa — 18; NBA season restart in Orlando — 21; Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” premieres (rescheduled) — 21; NHL resumes — 22; Florida primaries for 2020 state legislative/congressional races — 39; Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee begins — 40; “Mulan” premieres (rescheduled) — 42; Indy 500 rescheduled — 44; Republican National Convention begins in Charlotte — 45; NBA draft lottery — 46; Rev. Al Sharpton’s D.C. March — 49; U.S. Open begins — 52; “A Quiet Place Part II” premieres — 56; Rescheduled running of the Kentucky Derby — 57; Rescheduled date for French Open — 72; First presidential debate in Indiana — 81; “Wonder Woman” premieres — 84; Preakness Stakes rescheduled — 85; First vice presidential debate at the University of Utah — 88; NBA season ends (last possible date) — 94; Second presidential debate scheduled at Miami — 97; NBA draft — 98; Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” premieres — 98; NBA free agency — 101; Third presidential debate at Belmont — 104; 2020 General Election — 116; “Black Widow” premieres — 121; NBA 2020-21 training camp — 125; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 133; “No Time to Die” premieres — 133; NBA 2020-21 opening night — 144; “Top Gun: Maverick” premieres — 166; Super Bowl LV in Tampa — 212; New start date for 2021 Olympics — 378; “Jungle Cruise” premieres — 386; “Spider-Man Far From Home” sequel premieres — 483; “Thor: Love and Thunder” premieres — 581; “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premieres — 623; “Black Panther 2” premieres — 665; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” sequel premieres — 819.
Corona Florida
“Ron DeSantis says he would have ‘zero concern’ sending his own kids back to school” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — DeSantis defended his controversial decision to send students back to school this August by telling conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh that he would have “zero concern” sending his own kids back into a classroom. “My kids aren’t school-age yet,” DeSantis said. “I got a 3-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son and a newborn daughter. And I can tell you if they were school-age, I would have zero concern sending them.” The remark came Wednesday during an interview on the nationally syndicated Rush Limbaugh Show. There, DeSantis detailed his rationale for reopening schools despite the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Florida. “With respect to the schools,” DeSantis said. “Walmart, essential service. Home Depot, essential service. Fast food, essential service. “How is it that the schools for our kids would not be considered an essential service? And I think it’s vital. I think that they’ve fallen way behind.”
Ron DeSantis says he would have no problem sending his kids to school this year. Image via Colin Hackley.
“Gov. DeSantis touts economic recovery as state’s unemployment claims drop” via David Lyons of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — DeSantis urged Floridians to capitalize on what he called a modest economic recovery, even as the state recorded its highest number of COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours. “At the end of the day, we need our society to function,” DeSantis said Thursday at a news conference with U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia in Jacksonville. “We need our society to move forward.” Florida’s first-time unemployment claims trended downward for the second straight week as the private sector continued to add back jobs, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The state had 67,070 claims for the week ended July 4, a decline of 17,300 for the previous week. No claims were processed on the Fourth of July holiday.
“Amid bad COVID-19 news, DeSantis, U.S. labor chief talk about economic rebound in Jacksonville” of Steve Patterson of The Florida Times-Union — U.S. Secretary of Labor Scalia and DeSantis stumped to restore Florida’s economic vitality during a visit to Jacksonville overshadowed by a continued surge in the state’s toll of coronavirus cases. “We are reopening. We’re rebounding. And we’re going to restore that momentum” America’s economy felt before the pandemic, Scalia said Thursday before a roundtable talk with business executives at the Jacksonville Port Authority’s Talleyrand offices. Scalia said he had never seen businesses as focused on employee health and safety as he has in the weeks that many states have launched efforts to resume routine business life.
“Coronavirus infects more than one in 100 Floridians as nearly 9,000 cases reported Thursday” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat — The coronavirus in Florida has set new single-day highs in fatalities, hospitalization of new patients, and the return of positive test results. State officials reported another 8,935 cases Thursday and 120 more deaths. The latest report counts 232,718 cases and 4,111 fatalities, with 102 of the deaths being non-Florida residents. Overnight Wednesday another 409 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 bringing the total to 17,167. And test results returned Thursday showed a positivity rate of 18.3%, more than triple the rate recorded in May. Since the first infection was confirmed March 1, the virus has spread to about 1.8% of the state population of 21.4 million. After the number of infections appeared to hit a plateau in May, the rate of infections has spiked and created clusters in all of the state’s major cities.
“Florida’s coronavirus death rate is trending up again after rising hospitalizations” via Ben Conarck of the Miami Herald — The rate of daily coronavirus deaths reported by the state of Florida has begun to tick up again, a trend that was apparent even before Thursday’s announcement of a record 120 deaths. Public health experts and coronavirus data researchers say it’s still too early to tell just how bad it will get. But the increase was predictable, said Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in San Diego. “Florida is running away with new cases, so you’d expect this to happen,” Topol said. “There are the denialists who say these people are younger … and all these theories, but if [the rise in deaths] didn’t happen, you’d start to wonder what’s going on regarding how the deaths are being tallied.”
“COVID-19 cases in juvenile system escalate” via News Service of Florida — The number of COVID-19 cases in Florida’s juvenile justice system continued to increase Thursday, with the state reporting that 136 youths and 134 workers have tested positive. That was up from 119 youths and 120 workers in a Tuesday count. Also, it was an increase from 97 youths and 106 workers on July 2. Three facilities have accounted for the largest numbers of youth cases — Palm Beach Youth Academy with 21 cases and Okeechobee Youth Development Center and Redwood Youth Academy, each with 16 cases, according to the state Department of Juvenile Justice. The Department of Juvenile Justice has taken a series of steps to try to prevent the spread of the disease, including suspending visitation.
“State sending $138 million to health departments” via News Service of Florida — The Florida Department of Health announced Thursday that it is sending $138 million in federal pandemic funds to county health departments to hire epidemiologists, nurses and contact tracers. Nearly 70% of the funding will be directed to 12 counties — including Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach — with high COVID-19 caseloads, based on a June survey of county officials. Department of Health spokesman Alberto Moscoso said distribution of the funds is based on the results of a June county-health department survey that was designed to assess additional staffing needs amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Moscoso said the amount of money the counties receive could change, based on community spread of COVID-19.
“State mulls more COVID-19 testing at homes for disabled” via Christine Sexton of News Service of Florida — DeSantis’ administration appears poised to address rising criticism over its handling of COVID-19 in group homes that take care of residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The deadly respiratory disease has shown itself to be efficient at moving rapidly through prisons, jails, nursing homes and assisted living facilities. But it also can be a problem for group homes. One of the ongoing complaints is a lack of testing in group homes. In response, the DeSantis administration said this week it is “evaluating options” to expand testing for staff members and residents at the facilities. The administration also announced that the state will start providing the names of group homes where residents and staff members have tested positive.
“Parents, teachers question plan to reopen schools” via Ana Ceballos of the News Service of Florida — Local education officials and parents are grappling with a statewide mandate to reopen schools in August. “The requirement has thrown a wrench into the plans that districts were making,” Florida School Boards Association Executive Director Andrea Messina said. “I think people were surprised. I think there was somewhat of an expectation that more flexibility would be acknowledged. Make no mistake, schools would love to be able to open back up with their full, normal schedule,” Messina said. “But with community concerns and parent concerns and staff concerns, we needed to recognize it was going to be a real challenge to meet that goal.”
Parents and teachers are skeptical of the plan to reopen schools in August.
“Department of Health to medical schools: No COVID-19 data sharing, apply individually” via Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon of the Pensacola News Journal — After months of negotiation, the Department of Health has told researchers at Florida’s medical schools trying to access the state’s raw COVID-19 data: You can’t have it as a group. Instead, research teams at medical schools must individually apply for access. The data, collected by hospitals, state and private labs as well as clinics across the Sunshine State on COVID-19 cases and patients, are essential in informing the response to the pandemic and provide researchers the ability to independently verify official numbers. The DOH refused broad access to the data Monday, sending instead the Council of Florida Medical School Deans a template that only allows individual research teams to apply for access to the data.
Corona local
“DeSantis sends more hospital staff to South Florida; HHS refutes claim DeSantis submitted formal request” via Ryan Dailey of WFSU — DeSantis says he’s requested additional health care personnel to help Florida hospitals deal with a growing number of COVID-19 patients, but the federal agency DeSantis says he petitioned denies it received a formal request. DeSantis earlier in the week told media he’s called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to send nurses to Florida hospitals, particularly Jackson Health System in Miami. DeSantis’ communications director, Helen Ferre, tweeted the request DeSantis referenced Tuesday was actually filed with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Per Ferre, it asks the Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA, to send 1,500 nurses to Florida.
Ron DeSantis sends more health care personnel to South Florida.
“DeSantis wants to speed up COVID testing in Broward, Miami-Dade, and says schools need to open” via Richard Tribou and Steven Lemongello of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — DeSantis said Thursday he is asking the federal government for more medicine and will create designated drive-thru lanes at testing sites in Broward and Miami-Dade counties for people with coronavirus symptoms to speed up results. DeSantis also said Florida schools need to reopen as soon as possible. DeSantis said designated testing lanes for Broward, Miami-Dade and Orange, three of the counties with the highest volume of testing, are needed because the turnaround on results has been slower than he expected. The Governor said the state will try to get contracts with labs that can turn around results in 48 to 72 hours.
“11-year-old Broward girl dies from COVID-19” via Andrew Boryga and Karina Elwood of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — An 11-year-old girl from Broward has died from coronavirus-related complications, becoming one of the state’s youngest victims, according to data released Thursday by the state Department of Health. Yansi Ayala died Wednesday at Broward Health Medical Center, according to the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office. The child had existing health conditions, including trisomy 13, a genetic condition, with cardiomyopathy, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and asthma, the medical examiner’s office said. Thursday’s news comes on the heels of a pandemic-high day for new coronavirus deaths in Florida: 120. The child is the second 11-year-old to die from the virus. Last week it was confirmed that an 11-year-old boy from Miami-Dade County died from COVID-19, becoming the state’s youngest known fatality from the disease.
“State to add 250 contact tracers in Miami-Dade, but Mayors say it is not enough” via Martin Vassolo, Daniel Chang and Joey Flechas of the Miami Herald — Tension among local, county and state officials over the spread of COVID-19 in Florida’s biggest hot spot reached a peak Thursday when the Mayors from some of Miami-Dade County’s most prominent cities called attention to the state’s shortage of contact tracing investigators. Not even a “happy” announcement from the county Mayor — the hiring of 250 additional contact tracers, state health department employees who contact coronavirus patients to contain the spread of the virus — could blunt the sharpness of the attacks from local Mayors, who took aim at Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez and DeSantis. The current team of 300 contact tracers in Miami-Dade is still insufficient to stem the spread of the virus in, the Mayors said. They requested an additional 500 tracers.
“Miami-Dade Mayor claims without evidence that protests caused COVID-19 spike” via Alex Deluca of Miami New Times — During a July 3 appearance on PBS NewsHour, Miami-Dade Mayor Giménez blamed the county’s recent flare-up in COVID-19 cases on the Black Lives Matter protesters who took to the streets in the weeks prior. The Republican Mayor and congressional candidate, who allowed many Miami-Dade businesses to reopen in May, said that despite the fact that the county had imposed a mask order, many young people had gathered without face masks at a number of protests. “It wasn’t a coincidence that, about two weeks after these demonstrations started, we started seeing these spikes,” Giménez told reporter Judy Woodruff. “That probably was the main cause of why this virus went up.” So far, experts say, Giménez’s claim isn’t backed up by the data.
“Miami-Dade gets its first affordable housing plan that includes COVID-19 recovery” via Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald — An ambitious new plan to address Miami-Dade’s growing housing affordability crisis is the first of its kind to incorporate the COVID-19 pandemic in its projections and solutions. The Miami-Dade Affordable Housing Framework, which was unveiled July 2, lays out a detailed plan of action to stave off the ballooning shortage of rentals and homes priced within reach of the 300,000 households — 35% of the county’s total households — that earn $35,000 or less per year. Prepared by the nonprofit Miami Homes For All advocacy group and funded by JPMorgan Chase & Co., the plan uses data gathered by the UF’s Shimberg Center for Housing Studies and input from community outreach efforts and meetings with stakeholders conducted over the last two years.
“PBC school campuses will remain closed to students, board members decide” via Andrew Marra of The Palm Beach Post —Students in Palm Beach County public schools will continue learning from home when classes resume next month after school board members concluded Wednesday the risks of reopening classrooms were too great. Under increasing pressure from teachers and local health experts, the seven board members unanimously agreed to keep classes online-only for the district’s 174,000 students until the coronavirus pandemic improves. “We’re truly not ready,” board member Marcia Andrews said. “We’re not ready from a health standpoint. And we’re not ready from a planning standpoint.”
“Wellington village manager tests positive for coronavirus” via Kristina Webb of The Palm Beach Post — A key Wellington official tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the village confirmed Thursday. Village Manager Paul Schofield received his test results Thursday after being tested June 29 for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Wellington said. Schofield, 65, has discussed at council meetings his concerns about the virus’ spread while encouraging residents to practice social distancing — staying 6 feet apart, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control — and wear masks. Those are themes Schofield repeated in a statement released Thursday by Wellington, where he said he began feeling “flu-like symptoms” on June 29, and he was tested that same day. Schofield has not been to Village Hall since June 25.
Wellington Village Manager Paul Schofield tests positive for COVID-19.
“Companies were planning on moving to South Florida. Then COVID hit” via Rob Wile of the Miami Herald — For a moment, South Florida was sitting pretty: Out-of-town real estate deal hunters were coming to the region seeking refuge from the coronavirus pandemic. As the MIAMI Association of Realtors put it in its May release, “The COVID-19 situation has accelerated the trend of homebuyers from New York and cold weather and tax-burdened Northeastern states searching and purchasing homes in South Florida. Now, real estate experts say, Florida’s surging coronavirus outbreak has halted the trend in its tracks. “[It] seems like much has frozen in the process since the numbers started spiking a week or two ago,” said Philippe Houdard, founder and CEO of Pipeline, a Miami-based coworking space provider.
“Will COVID-19 force cancellation of Art Basel Miami Beach? A lot is riding on it” via Andres Viglucci of the Miami Herald — For 19 years, Art Basel Miami Beach has injected a jet-fueled blast into the local cultural and tourism calendar. The fair doesn’t just put a massive trove of world-class art on public display, but also draws mobs of some of the world’s richest people, fills hotels and restaurants and, not incidentally, helps sustain Miami’s ongoing maturation as a global center for culture and commerce. The contemporary-art fair has been canceled only once. What would have been the inaugural show was called off following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. But, with five months to go, a big question hangs over the 2020 editions of Art Basel Miami Beach and its companion Design Miami fair: Will the show go on?
“Key West’s Fantasy Fest is canceled due to COVID-19” via Gwen Filosa of the Miami Herald — Fantasy Fest, Key West’s annual 10-day celebration of the scantily clad and the silly, won’t happen this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s the first time a Fantasy Fest has been canceled. In 2005, after Hurricane Wilma, the event was postponed. The theme for 2020 was going to be “Roaring 2020s and Future Fictions,” and it had been scheduled for Oct. 16-25. Organizers confirmed the cancellation on Facebook, ending speculation that the city would possibly host the huge event that pours cash into workers’ hands and company wallets at a time when South Florida is suffering through the COVID-19 crisis.
More local
“Disney World will reopen Saturday, despite worsening Florida outbreak” via Antonia Farzan of The Washington Post — Florida may be in the throes of a coronavirus outbreak that is crowding hospitals and overtaxing health care workers, but that won’t stop some Disney World enthusiasts from “Returning to a World of Magic,” as the theme park’s website puts it. Despite worsening indicators statewide, including a sustained increase in deaths, the Orlando park still plans to reopen Saturday. Disney says that instituting an aggressive cleaning schedule and a slew of new health protocols while dramatically cutting down on the number of visitors allowed in per day means that it can do so safely and responsibly. Guests will have to pre-book tickets online, wear masks and have their temperatures taken before entering. Social distancing will be enforced while waiting in line for rides or interacting with characters, and fireworks displays and other events that draw large crowds are off the table.
The time has come. Image via AP.
“No, that Clay County schools coronavirus waiver isn’t for students” via Emily Bloch of The Florida Times-Union — The Clay County School Board published a liability waiver in case a soccer club or church wanted to rent out its facilities and someone caught COVID-19. The document, which does waive the school district’s liability if someone contracts the coronavirus on campus, is part of a temporary Facilities and Grounds Manual the School Board voted on at its June 25 meeting. The manual includes rental fees for different groups including booster clubs, youth organizations, church groups and more. Without additional context or the rest of the eight-page manual, the post has been shared at least 20 times within five hours on Facebook and additionally on Twitter. The inconsistency was originally noted by Duval County Public Schools teacher and education blogger Chris Guerrieri, who said he’s been trying to correct people on Facebook who are saying it’s for the entire student population.
“St. Johns County commissioner in ‘most critical’ condition because of COVID-19” via Sheldon Gardner of The Florida Times-Union — St. Johns County Commissioner Paul Waldron has been hospitalized and is in critical condition because of the coronavirus, according to his daughter. Ashley Waldron Zapata shared the information on Facebook, which appeared on Waldron’s Facebook page on Thursday. “My daddy, Paul Waldron, was diagnosed with the COVID virus,” she wrote. “Due to complications from the virus, he went into septic shock and has many organs struggling. He is currently in the most critical of conditions. … Please keep your family safe and pray for mine.” Commissioner Henry Dean said he has been praying for Waldron. “I’m terribly worried about … the condition he’s in and I’m praying for him. I consider him a close personal friend as well as a fellow commissioner,” Dean said. Commissioner Jeremiah Blocker said he’s also become close to Waldron and is praying for his recovery.
“Mask mandates spark political debate in St. Johns County” via Sheldon Gardner of The Florida Times-Union — Coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in St. Johns County over the past month, and local officials have turned to mask mandates as a way to help stop the spread. But the public health crisis has also spawned a political debate about forcing people to wear masks. The county had 260 cases on June 1. This week, the total number of St. Johns County cases had risen to 1,632 with nine deaths. Public health officials, including the county’s director of the Florida Department of Health, urge mask-wearing as a way to help curb the spread of the virus. But urging didn’t seem to be enough in St. Augustine. It was clear that few people were wearing masks downtown months into the pandemic.
“38 inmates test positive for coronavirus at Walton County Jail” via Wendy Victoria of NWF Daily News — Results have returned for inmates tested for COVID-19 at the Walton County Jail. Jail administrators have received the first round of test results for 58 inmates. Those results revealed 38 positive cases and 20 negative results. Of those 38 positive cases, 19 are Walton County inmates, 18 are Escambia County housed inmates, and one is a Holmes County inmate. At this time, 38 test results are still pending results from the Florida Department of Health. This morning, based on previous health conditions and symptoms exhibited at the jail, the Chief Health Officer made the decision to have one inmate transported to a local hospital.
“Randy Henderson helps shoot down Fort Myers mask mandate” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Henderson cast a vote against a mask mandate because individuals must take personal responsibility, he said. The Fort Myers City Council shot down a mandate at a special meeting. Instead, city officials encouraged private businesses to encourage the use of face coverings indoors. The CDC strongly recommends the use of masks in public spaces when social distancing is not possible in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. Henderson quickly took to social media to explain his vote. A candidate for Congress, he tied his justification to Donald Trump. He shared a meme with the words “No mandatory masks” and the logo for his Congressional campaign.
Randy Henderson’s ‘no’ vote for a Fort Myers mask ordinance was tied to Donald Trump. Image via Randy Henderson for Congress.
“Oakes Farms sues Lee school district over canceled contract after CEO’s comments about COVID-19, Black Lives Matter” via Phil Fernandez of the Naples Daily News — Oakes Farms filed a federal suit Thursday against the Lee County school district, which had dumped its multimillion-dollar deal with the firm after the CEO called George Floyd a “disgraceful career criminal.” Alfie Oakes also had declared that COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement are “hoaxes.” After that, the school district “severed ties” with Oakes and his company, which had been providing products for students, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. The district was in a three-year contract with the Naples-based supplier and had an annual renewal option to continue services through 2024. Services during the first year of the contract, from July 2018 to June 2019, were estimated to cost $4.9 million, according to school board documents.
“Sebastian City Council to huddle behind closed doors to decide next move in annexation issue” via Janet Begley of the TCPalm — The City Council is to meet in a closed-door session at 5 p.m. Monday to decide whether to appeal a court decision nullifying the city’s annexation of 1,100-acres of citrus land. A court quashed the annexation, finding the city did not publish a complete map of the annexation area in its public notice. The city must decide its next move before Wednesday. If the city files for a rehearing within 15 days of the June 30 decision, the case can be reheard by the same 19th Circuit Appellate Court panel. The city has up to 30-days to file an appeal with the 4th District Court of Appeal.
Corona nation
“States that raced to reopen let businesses write their own rules, documents show” via Isaac Stanley-Becker of The Washington Post — Five days after Georgia’s stay-at-home order expired, setting gyms, restaurants, hair and nail salons and other businesses on a quick course to reopen, a lobbyist for the state’s Chamber of Commerce emailed top aides to Brian Kemp, the Republican Governor. The email correspondence, released through a public records request, shows how business networks and industry organizations helped write the rules of the pandemic response in some of the places that were the last to impose restrictions and the first to ease them. Moves to throw open the doors with the virus still raging help explain recent surges in these states, epidemiologists say.
Brian Kemp’s decision to reopen Georgia was left mostly with the Chamber of Commerce. Image via AP.
“HHS launches ‘surge’ COVID-19 testing in hotspot jurisdictions in Florida, Louisiana and Texas” via the Department of Health and Human Services — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is announcing free COVID-19 testing in Jacksonville, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Edinburg, Texas. Surge testing efforts will temporarily increase federal support to communities where there has been a recent and intense level of new cases and hospitalizations related to the ongoing outbreak. The three jurisdictions identified are seeing significant increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and could potentially benefit from additional opportunities to identify new cases, especially for people who are asymptomatic. HHS, in partnership with eTrueNorth and each of the local communities, will perform surge testing by offering 5,000 tests per-city per-day, at no charge to those tested.
“Grim projection: 200,000 dead by Election Day” via Dan Goldberg and Adam Cancryn of POLITICO — As the United States surpasses 3 million coronavirus infections, forecasters are updating their models to account for the recent resurgence and reaching a grim consensus: the next few months are going to be bad. The national death toll is now expected to eclipse 200,000 by Election Day. It took just four weeks for the U.S. to jump from 2 million coronavirus infections to the 3 million mark. Most forecasters now say that, as case counts accelerate at a record pace, it will likely take even less time to surpass 4 million. Vice President Mike Pence acknowledged the severe spikes across the South and West but nevertheless offered an optimistic view of the weeks to come.
“Who gets a vaccine first? U.S. considers race in coronavirus plans” via Megan Twohey of The New York Times — Federal health officials are already trying to decide who will get the first doses of any effective coronavirus vaccines, which could be on the market this winter but could require many additional months to become widely available to Americans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an advisory committee of outside health experts in April began working on a ranking system for what may be an extended rollout in the United States. According to a preliminary plan, any approved vaccines would be offered to vital medical and national security officials first, and then to other essential workers and those considered at high risk, the elderly instead of children, people with existing health conditions instead of the relatively healthy. Agency officials and the advisers are also considering what has become a contentious option: putting Black and Latino people, who have disproportionately fallen victim to COVID-19, ahead of others in the population.
“Telemedicine is booming during the pandemic. But it’s leaving people behind.” via Daniel Horn of The Washington Post — Recent headlines have touted the expansion of telehealth as an unexpected “benefit” of the coronavirus pandemic, and policymakers are examining ways to keep it in play after the virus retreats. However, the widely hailed telehealth revolution is leaving our most vulnerable patients behind. Unless health care systems commit to deploying video technology that is explicitly designed to provide care for our most vulnerable patients, telehealth will further entrench health disparities. Early data show that adoption of telehealth in our community health centers has paled in comparison to practices caring for more affluent patients. The two dominant modes of telehealth delivery are telephone visits and video visits, and early data on video versus telephone care also points to a digital divide.
A patient sits in the living room of her apartment during a telemedicine video conference. Telemedicine has been good for some, leaving others behind. Image via AP.
“As sports leagues prepare to resume, ‘I can’t wait’ has turned to ‘We sure about this?’” via Jerry Brewer of The Washington Post — Anticipation fuels sports. You are constantly expecting something to stir your emotions: a superb matchup, a playoff run, the chase of a record, the dawn of a new season, the debut of a potential superstar. Unless you prefer to pretend the virus is losing strength and will vanish on its own, you have a basic comprehension of the inherent conflict. It makes the usual “I can’t wait” expectation of sports’ arrival collide with, “Wait, what if this is a disaster?” consternation. Seldom does the craving of this joy come with so much legitimate fear. We aren’t built to persist with collectivism, not even when the opponent causes great suffering.
Corona economics
“Layoffs stuck at high level as 1.3 million seek jobless aid” via The Associated Press — More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a historically high pace that shows that many employers are still laying people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. The persistently elevated level of layoffs are occurring as a spike in virus cases has forced six states to reverse their move to reopen businesses. Those six, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan and Texas, make up one-third of the U.S. economy. Fifteen other states have suspended their reopenings. Collectively, the pullback has stalled a tentative recovery in the job market and is likely triggering additional layoffs. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the number of applications for unemployment aid fell from 1.4 million in the previous week.
A woman shops for clothing in a Gap store during the coronavirus pandemic, in New York. The pandemic could be stalling out the U.S. economy. Image via AP.
“U.S. initial unemployment claims edged lower in latest week” via Eric Morath of The Wall Street Journal — New applications for unemployment benefits edged down last week and the number receiving payments fell to the lowest level since mid-April, signs the labor market is healing and so far not significantly affected by a rising number of COVID-19 cases in several states. Initial unemployment claims fell by a seasonally adjusted 99,000 to 1.3 million for the week ended July 4, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That extends a trend of gradual declines from a peak of 6.9 million in mid-March, when the coronavirus pandemic and mandated business closures shut down swathes of the U.S. economy.
“Jobless claims hit 50 million nationwide as Florida layoffs decline” via Jay Cridlin of the Tampa Bay Times — Fifty million claims. That’s the latest unemployment milestone surpassed by the American workforce during the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday. Another 1.31 million workers filed new unemployment claims for the week ending on Independence Day. That’s a decrease of 7% from the previous week that nevertheless brings the national total to 50.2 million, out of a workforce of 164.5 million, since mid-March. In Florida, workers filed 67,070 new jobless claims — a 20.5% decrease from the week before, and the state’s lowest overall number since the pandemic began. But Florida this week hit another round number of its own, as state and federal unemployment payouts passed the $9 billion mark.
“Are the million-dollar PPP loans some Palm Beach County golf communities collected justified?” via Mike Diamond of The Palm Beach Post — Six golf course communities are among the more than 3,000 businesses in Palm Beach County that received Payroll Protection Program loans through the Small Business Administration. An analysis of the loans released this week by the SBA shows that the six clubs may have received as much as $18 million. The SBA had been sued by a number of newspaper organizations over the identity of the loan recipients. When the applicants applied, they were told the loans would be public record. The program was designed to keep employees on the payroll. If employers do that and comply with the loan conditions, the loans become grants and do not have to be repaid. The SBA agreed to identify all recipients of loans in excess of $150,000 but only provided ranges of funds received, refusing to reveal the exact amount.
More corona
“Two COVID-19 ravaged churches take different recovery paths” via David Crary and Luis Andres Henao of The Associated Press — The paths of two New York City churches diverged this week, one reopened and one stayed closed. But they have shared a tragic fate, together losing at least 134 members of their mostly Hispanic congregations to the coronavirus. Saint Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in Queens, where at least 74 parishioners have died from COVID-19, on Monday hosted its first large-scale in-person services since mid-March: an English-language midday Mass and a Spanish one in the evening. At Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan, with a death toll nearly as high, the pastors say it’s too risky to open any time soon.
Parishioners attend Spanish-language Mass at Saint Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in the Queens borough of New York. Image via AP.
“Retail workers are being pulled into the latest culture war: Getting customers to wear masks” via Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post — Millions of retail and service workers have been pulled into the front lines of a growing culture war between those who are willing to wear masks and those who aren’t. Mixed messaging and politicization have turned a public health safeguard into a lightning-rod issue. As a result, workers have been berated, even assaulted, by aggressive anti-maskers. As the pandemic intensifies, more states and cities are mandating face coverings in public to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The CDC, which originally downplayed the importance of masks, now calls them “a critical preventive measure” and says they should be worn in public.
“On some planes, empty rows while passengers crowd together” via Elaine Glusac of The New York Times — After the coronavirus pandemic hit, airlines vowed to bring social distancing to the air, even if it wasn’t the full 6 feet recommended by the CDC, by reducing capacity and blocking many middle seats. Now as air travel builds, freeing up that kind of space is plainly at odds with the airlines’ profit motive, and passengers are finding they may be confined to a cramped seat if they don’t pay for a premium one, though American denies this is their policy. Since April, American Airlines has capped capacity at 85%. As of July 1, according to new guidelines, it began filling its planes. Capacity flights now have the green light from American and United. Both have announced they will inform travelers when their flights are reaching capacity and allow passengers to rebook on less crowded flights if available without penalty.
“Farm to parking lot to table: The pandemic is inspiring creative efforts to get locally sourced food” via Heather Kelly of The Washington Post — The pandemic has brought more attention to where food comes from and the role of local providers. Farms are scrambling to connect directly with customers, after a loss of business from restaurants and with some even being pushed out of farmers markets for social distancing reasons. Dairy farmers are delivering milk to individual doorsteps again. Vegetable growers are distributing produce from homes, and farmers market mainstays are doing preorders. A seafood company is giving discounts to volunteers who handle fish pickups.
Smoldering
“Facebook’s own civil rights auditors say its policy decisions are a ‘tremendous setback’” via Elizabeth Dwoskin and Cat Zakrzewski of The Washington Post — The civil rights auditors Facebook hired to scrutinize its record delivered a long-awaited and scathing indictment of the social media giant’s decisions to prioritize free speech above other values, which they called a “tremendous setback” that opened the door for abuse by politicians. The report criticized Facebook’s choice to leave several posts by Trump untouched, including three in May that the auditors said “clearly violated” the company’s policies prohibiting voter suppression, hate speech and incitement of violence. The report also found that Facebook provides a forum for white supremacy and white nationalism.
Ads for more than 400 brands including Coca-Cola and Starbucks vanished from Facebook on July 1, after talks to avoid a boycott failed.
“Mayor helps paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ outside Trump Tower” via Karen Matthews of The Associated Press — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio grabbed a roller to paint “Black Lives Matter” in front of the namesake Manhattan tower of Trump, who tweeted last week that the street mural would be “a symbol of hate.” De Blasio was flanked by his wife, Chirlane McCray and the Rev. Sharpton as he helped paint the racial justice rallying cry in giant yellow letters on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. Activists watching chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!” The Mayor announced the plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” in front of Trump Tower last month after earlier saying the slogan would be painted on streets at several locations around the city.
“Fort Lauderdale chief ousted after criticizing victim and defending officer misconduct” via Nicholas Nehamas and Sarah Blaskey of the Miami Herald — Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Rick Maglione has been removed from his position, nearly six weeks after a member of his SWAT team shot a peaceful Black Lives Matter protester in the face with a foam rubber bullet as other officers laughed and joked about firing potentially lethal weapons at civilians. “The city manager made a decision this morning to make a change in leadership,” Major Frank Sousa said. “The chief is not relieved of duty. He will remain a member of our organization in a position to be determined.” LaToya Ratlieff, the protester who was shot in the face, spoke at a congressional subcommittee briefing on police brutality late last month, bringing national attention to her ordeal.
“Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office calls for rejection of Jacksonville protesters’ lawsuit” via Andrew Pantazi of The Florida Times-Union — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a federal judge should not put restrictions on its ability to use force or arrest peaceful protesters in the future, a response to a request made last month by arrested protesters. District Judge Brian Davis, himself a former state prosecutor, has yet to decide whether or not to enjoin the Sheriff’s Office. A hearing is scheduled for next week. Individual officers sued for allegedly making illegal arrests also filed a motion to dismiss against the lawsuit, arguing that they had no reason to question orders given to them by their superiors to make arrests and that there was probable cause for those arrests, even if charges were later dropped. The protesters’ suit called their arrests illegal and violent, pointing to a mountain of video footage that showed police using aggressive tactics.
“St. Pete to repurpose new police officer funding for social services response team” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — The St. Petersburg Police Department is abandoning plans to hire 25 new officers and using the funding instead to establish a dedicated response team for noncriminal calls for service. The new team will cost $3.8 million. Most of that will be funded with a $3.1 million federal grant that had been earmarked for new officers. The city will cover the rest of the tab. The CAL team will consist of 18-20 mental health and social service professionals to respond to calls related to mental health crises or nonviolent family disputes, calls that under the city’s current law enforcement structure, often lead to unnecessary Baker Acts or arrests. “These are nonviolent calls,” Police Chief Anthony Holloway said. “These are calls that people are asking for help.”
A protester holds up his hands in front of the St. Petersburg Police Department. Image via AP.
“Police in St. Petersburg to step back from nonviolent emergency calls” via Josh Solomon of the Tampa Bay Times — Amid national and local calls for police reform, city and police leaders announced on Thursday that some nonviolent calls to police will soon be handled by social workers rather than uniformed officers. Social workers will respond to calls in St. Petersburg about people who are intoxicated or have overdosed, people who are in mental health crises or are suicidal, homelessness, neighbor disputes and disorderly kids or truants. The social workers will be in regular clothes and will not armed. The change, which could go into effect by Oct. 1, comes after protesters have assembled daily since May 31.
D.C. matters
“Supreme Court says Manhattan prosecutor may pursue Donald Trump’s financial records, denies Congress access for now” via Robert Barnes of The Washington Post — The Supreme Court rejected Trump’s assertion that he enjoys absolute immunity from investigation while in office, allowing a New York prosecutor to pursue a subpoena of the president’s private and business financial records. In a separate case, the court sent a fight over congressional subpoenas for the material back to lower courts because of “significant separation of powers concerns.” Since both cases involve more work at the lower level, it seems unlikely the records would be available to the public before the election. Both decisions saw a 7-2 vote. The court seemed to avoid some tough questions in an attempt to achieve greater agreement.
Donald Trump has to give up records to Manhattan prosecutors, but not Congress.
“Trump reaches crunchtime to decide Roger Stone’s fate” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO — Stone is headed to prison next week unless Trump intervenes. And a chorus of outside allies is pressing the President to do just that — over the wishes of White House and campaign aides who don’t like Stone and think Trump has nothing to gain by helping him. Both camps expect Trump will at least split the difference by commuting Stone’s sentence, according to interviews with nine sources familiar with the discussions. A commutation would keep Stone from behind bars without wiping his record clean. But Trump being Trump, no one knows where he’ll land ahead of Stone’s Tuesday commitment date.
“Why conservative justices are more likely to defect” via Adrian Vermeule of The Washington Post — The end of a Supreme Court term almost always sees one or more conservative justices vote to hand the liberal justices a narrow but important victory. In case after case, conservative swing justices appear irresistibly drawn to join the liberals. Chief Justice John Roberts defected to strike down admitting-privileges regulations for abortion providers and keep in place protection for immigrants brought to this country as children. The chief justice and Justice Neil Gorsuch joined their liberal colleagues to create new anti-discrimination prohibitions for sexual orientation and gender identity. One view is that conservative defections occur because swing justices are not following the written law but their own personal preferences or individual self-interest.
“Cuba broadcaster confronts budget calamity amid fight with lawmakers” via Daniel Lippman of POLITICO — The U.S. government’s Cuba broadcasting office is quickly running out of money and could be forced to furlough some of its employees and fire contractors, according to three people familiar with the matter. The office, which is responsible for beaming radio and television broadcasts into communist-run Cuba, falls under the umbrella of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. That agency is in turmoil over the recent arrival of Michael Pack, a Steve Bannon ally. Pack, a veteran documentary filmmaker whose films have appeared on PBS, said that it was necessary to fire some of his new colleagues because it would better help him reform the organization to align more clearly with its original mission. Pack’s problems with the Hill compounded on July 1, when a bipartisan group of seven U.S. Senators, led by Sen. Marco Rubio, wrote a letter informing him they were planning on doing a “thorough review” of the agency’s funding.
The U.S. government’s Cuba broadcasting office is running out of money after the arrival of Michael Pack, a Donald Trump appointee.
“Joy Reid takes nightly anchor slot at MSNBC” via Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times — Reid, who rose to television fame as a sharp critic of Trump and commentator on liberal politics and race, will become the host of a new nightly show on MSNBC, the network announced, placing her among a handful of Black women to anchor an American evening news program. Reid, who has hosted the MSNBC weekend talk show “AM Joy” since 2016, will move to the 7 p.m. hour on July 20. Her show, “The ReidOut,” succeeds “Hardball” and its host, Chris Matthews, who was forced to resign in March after a series of on-air gaffes and accusations of sexist behavior in the workplace.
Statewide
“‘A $5 billion Band-Aid’: Community groups push back on Army Corps plan for Miami-Dade” via Alex Harris of the Miami Herald — In the past decade or so, the Miami-Dade area has come up with plenty of ideas to address sea-level rise and storm surge flooding. None of them involved a wall down the coast of the county until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers unveiled its draft plan to protect the region. The $4.6 billion plan calls for 6 miles of walls along the coast, barriers at the mouths of three waterways, planting mangroves in Cutler Bay and elevating thousands of properties across the county. The potential for billions of dollars of investment in Miami-Dade is welcome. But residents and community groups are pushing back on parts of the plan they see doing more harm than help.
“Deputy arrested and accused of claiming to work when he was at home” via Eileen Kelley and Brooke Battinger of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy is accused of taking more than $15,000 from taxpayers during the final four months of last year, when he claimed to be working, but was really at home. Luis Silberberg, who worked in the robbery unit, was suspended without pay and arrested at the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, charged with a count each of grand theft, official misconduct and obtaining property under $20,000 by fraud. Silberberg was hired in 2006. In 2019, his base pay was $97,940. Last year, Silberberg also earned $47,342 in overtime according to his personnel file. Silberberg had previously been in trouble for abusing the Sheriff’s Office sick-pay policy.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony announces the arrest of a longtime deputy who claimed to be working when he was home. Image via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“Who is Karen Dietrich, Fort Lauderdale’s new interim police chief?” via Mario Ariza of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Dietrich, 50, was chosen by Fort Lauderdale City Manager Carl Lagerbloom to lead the department as interim chief after Lagerbloom asked former chief Rick Maglione to step aside. Dietrich comes from a law enforcement family. She is the daughter of a Miami police captain. She’s married to a Fort Lauderdale police captain, Robert Dietrich. Her sister-in-law, Maggie Dietrich, is a sergeant on the force. Her biography says that she’s long been in charge of training both junior and veteran officers on police tactics and procedures, and was the first woman to become a motorcycle officer in the department’s history.
Lobby regs
New and renewed lobbying registrations:
Jason Allison, Foley & Lardner: Guard911, Validas Corporation
Douglas Darling, DDarling Consulting: Microbemauraders
Jonathan Menendez, Kaleo Partners: Informatica, New Relic, UiPath
Richard Pinsky, Akerman: Element Fleet Leasing
Douglas Russell, D. Russell & Associates: Advanced Biomedical Incorporated
Jonathan Setzer, Florida Alliance Consulting: alternative claims management
2020
“Trump’s Tulsa rally, protests ‘more than likely’ linked to coronavirus surge, health official says” via Allyson Chiu of The Washington Post — The sight that greeted Trump when he took the stage last month in Tulsa for his first political rally since the novel coronavirus outbreak halted American life was one that health officials and critics had worried about in the days leading up to the June 20 event. While the crowd of supporters inside the 19,000-seat indoor arena was significantly smaller than expected, a majority of attendees didn’t wear masks. Now, just over two weeks later, Tulsa County is experiencing a surge of coronavirus cases, and a top local health official has suggested Trump’s rally and other large events, including protests, “more than likely” contributed to the recent spike.
Donald Trump’s Tulsa rally could be responsible for a COVID-19 outbreak.
“What will Trump’s rally in New Hampshire be like? It’s anyone’s guess” via Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni of The New York Times — Three days before Trump’s latest rally, in a state that Hillary Clinton narrowly won in 2016, the only thing that seems clear is that the president’s team has no idea what to expect. Trump’s campaign is planning an event at an airport hangar in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. But the state’s Governor, Chris Sununu, a Republican, has said he will not be attending. It isn’t clear how many other Republican elected officials will come. The number of attendees could be low or it could be expansive. Sununu, in particular, is threading a needle in a year when he is up for reelection in a swing state, and has gotten praise for how he has handled the coronavirus crisis.
“Trump will be in South Florida Friday. On the agenda: a $580,600-per-couple Broward fundraiser” via Skyler Swisher of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Trump will be in South Florida on Friday to preview a counternarcotics operation in Doral and attend a high-dollar fundraiser in Hillsboro Beach. Air Force One is due in the early afternoon in Miami-Dade County and late in the afternoon in Broward County, and traffic delays can be expected as the President travels via motorcade. Trump will visit U.S. Southern Command, where he will get a preview of an operation targeting drug trafficking in the Caribbean, White House officials say. In the tiny Broward County enclave of Hillsboro Beach, Trump will mingle with donors at a pricey and private fundraiser. The Washington Post, which obtained an invitation to the event, reported it costs $580,600 per couple.
“Joe Biden releases U.S.-centered economic plan, challenging Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda” via Sean Sullivan and Jeff Stein of The Washington Post — Biden unveiled a proposal Thursday to spend $700 billion on American products and research, challenging Trump’s “America First” agenda with a competing brand of economic nationalism and setting the stage for an election-year showdown over the country’s financial future. The Biden campaign plan for manufacturing and innovation aims to bring back jobs lost this year and create at least 5 million more with sweeping investments in domestic technology; reduce dependence on foreign countries to supply critical goods; and implement trade and tax policies that empower U.S. workers.
Joe Biden announced his ‘Buy American’ program.
“Biden hires new aides to boost outreach to people of color” via Sean Sullivan of The Washington Post — Biden has hired a trio of communications aides who will work to boost outreach to people of color and add more diversity to his team, two areas where his campaign has drawn criticism from allies. Pili Tobar has joined the campaign as communications director for coalitions, Ramzey Smith is serving as African American media director, and Jennifer Molina is Latino media director. The new aides, all people of color, are part of a broader strategy of engaging core constituencies not just “through one lens but through every aspect of the campaign,” said Biden campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon. The new aides will be part of the communications team and will also work with the campaign’s coalitions department, which is an initiative modeled on a unit in the Barack Obama 2012 campaign.
“Ex-Bernie Sanders aides launch pro-Joe Biden ad targeting Latino voters” via Holly Otterbein of POLITICO — A pair of super PACs launched by top aides to Sanders’ 2020 campaign is rolling out its first presidential campaign ad. The spot targets Latino voters and attacks Trump over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is part of a seven-figure buy that will appear on TV and digitally in Arizona, Michigan and North Carolina, in Spanish as well as English. Operatives are looking to persuade Sanders supporters, particularly Latino voters, young people and progressives, to back Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. Surveys have found that Biden is polling behind Hillary Clinton‘s 2016 performance with Latino voters, even as Trump has been in free-fall among many other voting blocs.
“Timothy Mellon Leads 2020 GOP donors, defends use of racial stereotypes” via Bill Allison of Bloomberg Businessweek — Mellon, the great-grandson of Mellon Bank founder Thomas Mellon and grandson of Andrew Mellon, the U.S. Treasury secretary during the initial years of the Great Depression, has given $30 million in this cycle to super PACs backing Republican candidates. That includes $10 million, one of the year’s single biggest donations, to America First Action, the group backing Trump’s reelection. Unlike better-known donors, Mellon has largely avoided public prominence, spending much of his time on his Wyoming ranch. He might have stayed out of view if it weren’t for his use of racial stereotypes about Black Americans in his 2015 self-published autobiography.
“Elections offices start sending ballots amid rise in vote-by-mail for Florida primary” via Erin Doherty of the Miami Herald — Elections offices across Florida mailed out hundreds of thousands of ballots Thursday, kicking off a five-week run to an Aug. 18 primary that is expected to be dominated by mail-in voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. With the first votes of the election already trickling in from overseas, the Broward County Supervisor of Elections sent close to a quarter-million ballots to domestic addresses through the U.S. Postal Service. In Hillsborough County, another 290,000 ballots were sent in the mail. Miami-Dade’s elections office plans to send approximately 334,000 mail ballots on July 16, the last day for supervisors to send out their initial batches. The numbers all reflect increases from the primary election in 2018.
“Elections supervisor confident despite early loss of 13 polling places” via Wayne Washington of The Palm Beach Post — Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Wendy Sartory Link has seen electoral horror shows play out in Wisconsin, Atlanta and South Carolina, where voters waited in long lines for hours to cast primary election ballots. Link, who is on the ballot herself in August, is determined the problems that plagued those places will not happen here. Already, officials in charge of 13 polling places, including churches and condo clubhouses, have said they no longer want their facilities to serve as polling places in the August primary. Link is trying to find new polling places, determining whether to add more precincts to existing locations and hoping officials who control some of the 13 polling stations change their minds.
Convention countdown
“Republicans look into holding their convention outdoors” via Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post — The Republican convention in Jacksonville, next month could be moved to an outdoor stadium as cases of the novel coronavirus in the state increase, according to several officials with knowledge of the plans. While no decision has been made, Republican officials are studying two outdoor professional sports stadiums near the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena where the convention is currently slated to be held. They are also looking more broadly into the logistics of pulling off an outdoor convention. Trump was recently briefed on the options of moving the convention away from the indoor arena, officials said, and is expected to make a final decision in upcoming days.
“Jacksonville’s urban neighborhoods seek financial bump from RNC” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics — While the Republican National Convention remains trained on Jacksonville for Aug. 24-27, some urban neighborhoods immediately surrounding downtown near the convention venue are gearing up for a financial windfall when thousands of GOP faithful arrive in town. “I do know some people who had their properties listed [for tourist rentals who] already rented their rooms beforehand,” said Kelly Rich, executive director for the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization community development organization in Jacksonville. Springfield is a historic neighborhood with some 5,000 residents about 1 mile north of the VyStar Credit Union Veterans Memorial Arena where the convention will take place as Trump is formally nominated for another term as President.
More from the trail
“Judson Sapp releases new ad in packed CD 3 primary” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Sapp is out with a new commercial in the race to succeed Ted Yoho in Florida’s 3rd Congressional District. Versions of the ad, titled “stand” will air on TV and radio. The video ad opens by touting Sapp as a conservative, pro-choice business owner who supports Trump. It then transitions from scenes of Sapp with his family to clips of social unrest. “Like you, Judson Sapp is tired of liberal political correctness and he’s had enough of rioters destroying small businesses, defacing property and assaulting our law enforcement,” the ad narrator says. “Judson Sapp will stand up to liberals, stop the lawlessness and support our President.” The ad drops less than six weeks ahead of the Aug. 18 primary election, where Sapp will be one of 10 Republicans on the CD 3 ballot.
“Should Margaret Good really be trashing companies for taking PPP loans?” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics — Good is predictably attacking Vern Buchanan for the fact companies to which he’s tied to applied for and received money through the Paycheck Protection Program. Heaven forbid anyone working in a Buchanan car dealership keep their jobs with the help of a federal program. But now it turns out Good’s household benefited directly through the program as well. Both Good and her husband, Richard, work for companies that received big payouts from the coronavirus bailout. We already knew Good was among several Southwest Florida lawmakers who work at law firms that applied for and got big loans through PPP. She’s an attorney at Matthews Eastmore, a Sarasota firm that banked between $150,000-$300,000.
“Fred Hawkins picks up Florida Medical Association endorsement in HD 42” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — The political arm of the Florida Medical Association on Tuesday endorsed Republican Fred Hawkins in the race to succeed Rep. Mike La Rosa in House District 42. “The FMA PAC is proud to endorse Osceola County Commissioner Fred Hawkins in his campaign to represent House District 42 in the Florida Legislature. His longtime civic and community service allows for a seamless transition to address statewide issues and challenges in our state Capitol,” said FMA PAC President Dr. Doug Murphy. Hawkins is one of four Republicans running for the seat, which covers much of Osceola County and a piece of northeastern Polk County.
“Broward County Commissioner Nan Rich endorses Maureen Porras in 105” via Ryan ijNicol of Florida Politics — Rich, who also served 12 years in the Florida Legislature, is backing Porras in the House District 105 Democratic primary. “It takes a strong and thoughtful leader to make a real difference and Maureen has the necessary skills, experience, and background to represent us all in Tallahassee,” Rich said. “She has shown a commitment to helping families and understands the issues so many Floridians are facing. I am proud to stand with Maureen Porras for District 105.” Rich’s tenure in the Florida House ran from 2000-2004. She then moved over to the Senate, serving eight years until being term-limited out of that body in 2012.
“State attorney candidate Monique Worrell gets boost from Kamala Harris, John Legend — and Aramis Ayala” via Monivette Cordeiro of the Orlando Sentinel — Worrell scored high-profile endorsements this week from Harris and Legend in the race to replace the region’s top prosecutor, and drew a statement of support from Ayala, who had earlier endorsed one of Worrell’s opponents. Ayala backed her second-in-command, Chief Assistant State Attorney Deborah Barra when Barra launched her campaign more than a year ago. But in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Ayala celebrated Legend endorsing Worrell, saying she was “glad” the singer agreed with her. Worrell, the former director of Ayala’s Conviction Integrity Unit, left the office in 2019 to work as chief legal officer for Reform Alliance, a national criminal justice reform organization.
Monique Worrell gets some very high-profile endorsements.
“Former gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink endorses Daniella Levine Cava for Miami-Dade County Mayor” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Sink, the 2010 Democratic candidate for Governor, is endorsing Levine Cava in the Miami-Dade County mayoral race. “My first home in Florida was in Coconut Grove and I’ve never lost my love for the community that is rich in cultural diversity,” Sink said. “I also saw the complexity of managing a large county government like Miami-Dade, which is why I know there is no one better equipped to lead it into the future than Daniella Levine Cava.” Sink also served as the state’s Chief Financial Officer after first winning election in 2006. She turned that victory into a 2010 gubernatorial bid but narrowly lost to Republican candidate Rick Scott.
Top opinion
“A President who makes us puke: Just like he was hired to do” via John F. Harris of POLITICO — It is not intended as an insult to Trump to observe that he is the political equivalent of ipecac syrup. Looked at in a certain light, it is closer to a compliment. His supporters gave him power in 2016 because they believed the body politic was beset with toxins, an overdose of fecklessness and hypocrisy, and in need of a purge. Trump vowed to channel the contempt his supporters felt toward the established order and pledged plausibly to send the old order into a state of convulsive disarray. If the promise of disruption, carried out in language and gestures of pervasive contempt, was why he won the job, then Trump is as entitled as any recent president to stand beneath a “Mission Accomplished” banner.
Opinions
“If we want to beat COVID-19, we need to get a lot better at vaccinating people” via Anupam B. Jena and Christopher M. Worsham of The Washington Post — While many of the challenges of this pandemic are unique to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, one of them is not: rapidly administering a vaccine, should one become available, to the entire population. We have some experience with a challenge of this magnitude, given that the CDC recommends every person older than six months receive the latest influenza vaccine. But we have never come close to that recommended vaccination rate. The CDC’s most recent estimates of vaccination rates in the 2018-2019 season are the highest on record, yet only 45.3% of adults and 62.6% of children received vaccines. Fear of vaccination, fueled by inadequate education, faulty research, and deliberate misinformation, is part of the problem.
“Staycation” via Sergio Peçanha of The Washington Post — I miss going somewhere, anywhere, far away. The packing and carrying stuff to the airport and the long lines at the check-in, the frustration with the check-in machine, the impatience of the airline helper guy, the slowness of it all. And then the rush to the security line, the long, boring, slow-moving security line and the big families with double strollers. How is it possible that some people have so many kids and travel with them? And the stupid taking off my shoes, and my belt, and the emptying of my pockets, and the trashing of a perfectly fine water bottle, and the X-ray puff followed by a security officer who looks bored by it all, too.
Today’s Sunrise
Florida Democrats are returning the interest-free loan they obtained from the federal government under the Paycheck Protection Plan. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says it wasn’t supposed to go to political organizations like the Florida Democratic Party.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— On the other hand, several Republicans had no qualms about applying for the federal loans, including the incoming president of the Florida Senate, Wilton Simpson.
— As COVID-19 spiked over the past two weeks, Gov. DeSantis responded by saying don’t look at new cases … look at the small number of fatalities compared to other states. Well, the Sunshine State just set a record Thursday — 120 fatalities reported in a single day. It puts Florida’s COVID-19 death toll is at least 4,111.
— Dr. Anthony Fauci says states with a serious COVID-19 problem should consider shutting down again. Fauci insists he’s not picking on Florida.
— U.S. Labor Secretary Scalia says the economy is coming back … but not until kids are back in the classroom.
— An in-depth look at a new program to help feed Floridians in rural areas who face all manner of financial hardships during the pandemic.
— And the latest with a Florida Woman — who is in jail for cooking a snack … in the wrong kitchen.
Dishonorable Mention: Rep. Chris Latvala, activist Becca Tieder, Ernest Hooper and communications expert Dr. Karla Mastracchio discuss politics and culture. Longtime friend UCFKent (Kent Mullens) talks politics, Disney challenges and his friendship with Latvala. Is a messy car a deal-breaker for a prospective date, and other inquiries about early dating. They play their favorite game — we tell Mullens the #1 song on his 14th birthday and he discusses his experiences at the parks upon reopening.
Inside Florida Politics from GateHouse Florida: Even as Florida’s coronavirus outbreak has reached alarming new levels, state leaders are ordering every school in the state to reopen for the 2020-2021 school year. Reporters John Kennedy, Antonio Fins and Zac Anderson discuss the reopening push, the ongoing debate about what measures to take to contain the coronavirus in Florida as cases spike and a shake-up within Trump’s Florida campaign team.
podcastED: Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill talks with Tom Arnett, a senior research fellow in education for the Christensen Institute whose work focuses on studying innovations that amplify educator capacity, documenting barriers to K-12 innovation, and identifying disruptive innovations in education. Tuthill and Arnett discuss the future of public education and the various “blended learning” models available for students today that leverage technology to customize education based individual needs.
The New Abnormal from host Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast: Mary Trump legal battles against her uncle might seem like a fun little political soap opera. It’s way more than that, Mary’s lawyer Ted Boutrous explains. The attempt to stop her tell-all book before publication — “I think it’s really an effort to intimidate people from speaking, to intimidate the press. But also, it’s a political tool. It’s a fundraising tool. It seems to excite people who support Trump,” he tells Jong-Fast and Wilson. The Beast’s Kate Briquelet — who has broken some of the biggest stories about Jeffrey Epstein’s cabal — talks about the arrest of Epstein ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell. “There are power players in New York,” she explains “who are very nervous that Ghislaine is going to spill the secrets.” Does Trump know how to listen to a podcast? Could Kanye West’s “run for President” could really, really backfire? How is Ye like Vermin Supreme? And what the hell is “the McKinsey of grift?”
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 Sen. Joe Gruters; Rep. Fentrice Driskell; Dr. Jay Wolfson, Senior Associate Dean at Morsani College of Medicine and Associate VP of USF Health and Tampa Bay Times columnist-reporter John Romano.
Political Connections on CF 13 in Orlando and Bay News 9 in Tampa/St. Pete: Trump makes a stop in Florida as coronavirus cases rise; an interview with presidential candidate Biden’s National press secretary TJ Ducklo on policy and campaign plans; and U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz will discuss the benefits of having the RNC in Florida.
This Week in Jacksonville with Kent Justice on Channel 4 WJXT: Waltz, St. Johns County School Board Chair Beverly Slough and Michelle Cook, a former Atlantic Beach Police Chief and candidate for Clay County Sheriff.
Instagram of the day
Aloe
“Disney firing up ticket sales, hotel booking for 2020 again” via Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel — Walt Disney World will resume selling theme-park tickets and making hotel reservations for dates in 2020 as of Thursday, the resort announced Wednesday evening. Disney had suspended these sales as it reset in preparation for a phased reopening. Its first parks to reopen will be the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Saturday. Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot will open Wednesday, July 15. The new ticket sales also will be tied to Disney’s new park pass system. Visitors must have made a reservation to go to a specific park on a specific date, along with a ticket or annual pass, to get into the attraction.
Ahead of reopening this week, Walt Disney World fires up ticket sales, hotel bookings.
“ACC expected to limit football schedule to only conference games in 2020” via Curt Weiler of the Tallahassee Democrat — If the 2020 college football season happens, it’s reportedly going to look a lot different. This stems from a report by Brett McMurphy of Stadium that the ACC is expected to follow suit with a few other major conferences and play only conference games over its teams’ 2020 football schedules due to concern that remains surrounding the coronavirus. The Big 10 became the first Power-Five conference to announce it would be going to only conference games for the 2020 season in a news release. A report followed shortly after the Big 10 news that the Pac-12 is expected to follow suit and play only conference games.
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, former Sen. Rene Garcia, former Rep. Gary Aubuchon, and Beth Gosnell.
On Thursday, “the Supreme Court issued its long-awaited rulings in the battle over efforts to obtain financial records belonging to President Donald Trump. By a vote of 7-2, the justices sent a pair of cases challenging congressional subpoenas for the records back to the lower courts for another look, holding that subpoenas involving the president must be subject to a tougher standard than the courts had applied. In a third case, in which the president challenged a subpoena by a Manhattan district attorney, the justices – again by a vote of 7-2 – rejected the president’s claim that he is always immune from state grand jury proceedings while he is in office… The court sent the case back to the trial court and agreed that the president could still argue that complying with this subpoena would interfere with his ability to do his job.” SCOTUSblog
From the Left
The left is generally supportive of the decisions but dismayed that Trump may be able to delay releasing documents until after the election.
“Trump is the most financially conflicted president of the modern era, and his tenure has shown the inadequacy of voluntary disclosure. He hasn’t released his tax returns, and the trust controlling his business interests, overseen by his two eldest sons and his longtime accountant, is anything but blind. Litigants typically don’t withhold information that speaks well of themselves so it’s natural to wonder about what it is in Trump’s financial records that he has been so determined to hide…
“In the meantime, the Supreme Court has removed Team Trump’s ability to argue that the president resides atop Olympus, untouched by the rules that govern the rest of us.” Timothy L. O’Brien, Bloomberg
“When Congress subpoenas the President, the Court found, issues relating to the separation of powers come into play in a way that they don’t when a President is asked to give evidence in a criminal proceeding. The middle way the Court offered was a four-step test: Did the legislative purpose really warrant a subpoena? Was the demand for documents broader than it had to be? Did courts think that there was good evidence establishing that the purpose Congress claimed was, indeed, its purpose? And how much of a burden did it place on the President?…
“This obviously makes for a longer path toward revealing Trump’s financial entanglements than if the Court had simply ordered the President to open his files today. But… The rulings were a reminder that this country still has laws.” Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker
Others argue that “[The Intelligence Committee’s investigation] concerns nothing less than whether foreign actors have financial leverage over the president. That raises the possibility of truly monumental, and potentially treasonous, acts on the part of the man residing in the White House and seeking re-election. That the chief justice of the Supreme Court is content to let even this investigation languish in lower courts as the president raises objection after objection to allowing Congress to proceed with its work is a remarkable statement of the court’s deference to the presidency, regardless of the character and actions of the man who holds the office…
“Don’t be fooled by the sweeping principles annunciated on Thursday… Roberts and several of his colleagues are content to wash their hands of the potentially very dirty details on the presumption that presidents in general should be given the benefit of just about every doubt.” Damon Linker, The Week
“From the day he took office, Mr. Trump has governed as though democratic checks and balances are optional. ‘I can do whatever I want,’ he has said, more than once. This includes intervening in federal prosecutions to protect his friends, soliciting foreign interference in American elections and tear-gassing peaceful protesters for a photo op…
“Whether he was breaking fair-housing laws and cheating on taxes as a real estate developer, or interfering with federal investigations into his own abuses of power as an elected official, Mr. Trump has always staked his survival on the fact that the wheels of justice grind slowly…
“The court’s rulings hold the line, at least — ensuring that presidents cannot simply disregard congressional oversight or criminal investigation. But the fact that it took nearly a full term in office for the courts to articulate such a fundamental constitutional truth, and that still Congress and the American people will be left wondering, is damning evidence that justice delayed is justice denied.” Editorial Board, New York Times
“The slow pace of judicial action to vindicate legitimate congressional subpoenas, which will not be helped by these decisions, serves the interests of a president like Trump who consistently seeks to expand his power and get away with ever more misconduct by testing which laws and norms are truly enforceable. That is why one of the bipartisan reforms the American people must demand is a faster process for resolving legal disputes between Congress and the executive branch. In the post-Trump era, we need our courts not merely to say what the law is — but also to do so quickly. Ultimately, the scale of reform and accountability our country desperately needs is much bigger than a victory in a Supreme Court case or two, even consequential ones like these.” Noah Bookbinder, USA Today
From the Right
The right is generally supportive of the decisions but worries that Vance will erode the power of the Presidency.
“Departing from the practice (universal, I think) of modern presidential candidates, Donald Trump refused to make public his tax records. Not good. Trump’s political enemies contrived to use congressional and prosecutorial authority to force the disclosure of Trump’s financial records. Not good…
“Both sets of enemies went to town. They subpoenaed not just President Trump’s records but also those of Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump. Not good. In judicial proceedings challenging various subpoenas, lawyers asserted that the president has absolute immunity from state criminal proceedings. Not good…
“Many partisans have never grasped that wanting to see the returns was one thing, but having the legal right to obtain them was quite another. Absent a law mandating that a candidate produce them, one can only obtain them pursuant to a valid investigation for which they are relevant evidence. That was the question the two cases presented to the court…
“This ruling will surely disappoint anti-Trump partisans, but courts ought not to become the hit men in a political hatchet job. The 7-to-2 majority, which included all four of the court’s Democrats, clearly saw what they were being asked to do and declined. All who sincerely desire the rule of law should be glad they did.” Henry Olsen, Washington Post
“Forget about Mr. Trump. The real import of the rulings is that the Supreme Court has weakened the Presidency by opening the gates to harassment by Congress and especially local prosecutors… Congress now has an invitation to seek a President’s personal records as long as it builds a remotely plausible legislative purpose and without the political accountability of an impeachment proceeding…
“[And] As Justice Alito notes, the Court has recognized ‘a President is ‘an easily identifiable target’’ and ‘there are more than 2,300 local prosecutors and district attorneys in the country. Many local prosecutors are elected, and many prosecutors have ambitions for higher elected office.’ The Chief says judges will police local prosecutors, but this is optimism approaching political naiveté…
“Mr. Trump won’t occupy the Oval Office forever, maybe not past January. Rest assured that Republican partisans will interpret the Court’s rulings on Thursday as a license to harass a Democratic President as long as they put forward a plausible legal cover. Joe and Hunter Biden had better prepare for the subpoenas of their personal and business records.” Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal
“In 1974, the Court had enforced a subpoena against President Richard Nixon for the Watergate tapes. In 1997, the Court held that Paula Jones could pursue her federal civil lawsuit against President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment that occurred before he took office. But then the Court went awry. Unlike these earlier cases, today’s case involved a probe launched by a state official…
“The President cannot remove or delay state investigations, as he can with federal prosecutors. Vance undermines the Supremacy Clause, which prohibits state governments from standing in the way of the federal government’s performance of its duties… Vance virtually adds 2,300 state prosecutors as a fourth branch of government. They will have a powerful ability to interfere with a president’s ability to carry out his constitutional functions… Imagine what will happen in a Trump second term.” John Yoo, Fox News
“As a practical matter, although these cases go down as legal losses for the presidency, the Court’s remand back to lower courts ensures that the wrangling will go on for months — until long after Election Day. That’s a big political win for the president… President Trump’s personal financial information is not going to be an issue in the 2020 campaign. In fact, it will probably be even less of an issue than it was in the 2016 campaign, since the president can now say that the Supreme Court recognized the dangers of interference in his daunting duties.” Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review
A libertarian’s take
“I doubt there is anything in the relevant records that would affect the November election, as I doubt they contain anything that would dissuade anyone voting for Trump who is otherwise inclined to support his reelection… But these cases may matter in a different way. By rendering 7-2 judgments in these two cases, and eschewing the partisan divisions that we see throughout our other institutions, the Court has demonstrated an ability to reach careful, balanced judgments on important separation of powers questions with deep political significance.” Jonathan H. Adler, Volokh Conspiracy
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Happy Friday! 🎧 Hope you’ve tried our 10-minute Smart Brevity™ morning podcast, “Axios Today” with Niala Boodhoo. Hear it here.
1 big thing: John Roberts’ long game
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is not the revolutionary that conservative activists want him to be, Axios’ Sam Baker writes:
He moves slower than they want, sides with liberals more than they want, and trims his sails in ways they find maddening.
But he is still deeply and unmistakably conservative, pulling the law to the right — at his own pace and in his own image.
Why it matters: The idiosyncrasies that shape Roberts’ approach to high-profile cases are becoming more clear over time. And because the Supreme Court has the final say on almost every political issue of any consequence, those idiosyncrasies often become the law of the land.
Driving the news: Over the past few weeks, Roberts sided with the court’s liberal bloc on abortion, LGBTQ discrimination and DACA. And he wrote Thursday’s 7-2 ruling that said Manhattan prosecutors can subpoena Trump’s taxes and other financial records.
Most of those rulingswere foreseeable, and left conservatives with the same bitter aftertaste they’ve felt before — when Roberts upheld the Affordable Care Act, for example, or blocked a citizenship question from the 2020 census.
The big picture: Roberts is not turning into a liberal. The law either stays put or moves to the right almost every time he is in the majority, even when it’s a majority with the more liberal justices.
But he has a lifetime appointment, a strong sense that it’s his duty to preserve public trust in the court, and his own ideas about how to do that.
Roberts’ position as the court’s only real potential swing vote gives him the power to dictate not just bottom-line outcomes, but also how the court gets there.
“He’s a conservative minimalist,” said Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University and a prominent conservative legal expert.
By letting the coronavirus surge through the population with only minimal social-distancing measures in place, the U.S. has accidentally become the world’s largest experiment in herd immunity, Axios’ Caitlin Owens writes.
Why it matters: Letting the virus spread while minimizing human loss is doable, in theory. But it requires very strict protections for vulnerable people, almost none of which the U.S. has established.
Separating older, sicker people from younger, healthier ones while the virus burns through the latter group could be a way to achieve herd immunity — assuming immunity exists — without hundreds of thousands of people dying.
But the U.S. hasn’t adopted such a strategy with any planning or foresight. Although younger people make up a larger portion of coronavirus cases now than they did earlier in the pandemic, vulnerable people still go to work or live with non-vulnerable people.
A bartender mixes a drink in Santa Clarita, Calif. Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
The N.Y. Times’ Laz Gamio visualized the percent change in average daily cases since states reopened (7-day rolling average):
Florida: up 1,393%
S.C.: up 999%
Arizona: up 858%
Texas: up 680%
Georgia: up 245%
New York: down 52%
4. Pic du jour
Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Rev. Al Sharpton and others joined in painting “Black Lives Matter” on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower yesterday.
President Trump told Sean Hannity during a phone interview on Fox News last night: “All the merchants along Fifth Avenue are furious. … New York is not the place that it was. Everyone’s leaving — they’re moving to Florida.”
5. Biden goes big on Trump’s former strength
Joe Biden introduced a New Deal-like economic agenda, “Build Back Better,” that he touted as the most aggressive government investment in the U.S. economy since World War II, AP writes from Dunmore (get it?), Pa.
Why it matters: Biden’s shift to the economy meets Trump on turf the president had seen as his strength before the pandemic.
Now, Biden and his aides believe the issue is an all-encompassing opening that gives Democrats avenues to attack Trump on multiple fronts while explaining their own governing vision for the country.
Biden called for a $400 billion, four-year increase in government purchasing of U.S.-based goods and services, plus $300 billion in new research and development in U.S. technology firms.
He proposed tightening current “Buy American” laws that are intended to benefit U.S. firms but that government agencies can circumvent.
The procurement overhaul is based on ideas Biden has discussed with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who offered similar proposals during the Democratic primary. Those moves would create 5 million new jobs, Biden said.
🎧Go inside the Biden plan on Dan Primack’s afternoon podcast, “Axios Re:Cap.”
6. Trump threatens Chicago intervention
After Chicago endured one of the deadliest holiday weekends in local memory, President Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity during a live phone interview last night that the federal government may intervene “sooner rather than later.”
“We are looking at it very seriously, because we’re going to have to do something,” Trump said during the 39-minute interview. “[W]e can solve it.”
“We’re supposed to be asked. So the mayor or the governor of Illinois should be asking, but they don’t want to ask. … So we’re ready to act, and at some point, we may have to act anyway.”
P.S. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany ended her news briefing yesterday by displaying the faces of eight young victims of gun violence, ages 1 to 14, six of whom died in Chicago this summer. —Chicago Tribune
7. From wine to whine
Michael Cohen went back to prison yesterday after the N.Y. Post photographed him dining alfresco last week, and he refused to submit to the terms of his home confinement.
The former Trump fixer pleaded not to be hauled after U.S. marshals broke out the shackles yesterday, the Post reports.
“I’ll sign exactly what you want me to sign, so I don’t have to go back to jail,” Cohen whined to the lawmen who proceeded to chain him and take him into their custody, his former lawyer and friend Lanny Davis told the Post.
But it was too late.
8. College football in danger
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The Big Ten’s decisionto play fall sports only in-conference could force all major conferences to follow suit, resulting in what would essentially be a regionalized college sports season, Axios Sports editor Kendall Baker writes.
The Midwest-centered conference cited medical advice in making its decision, and added ominously that the plan would be applied only “if the conference is able to participate in fall sports,” AP reports.
More than a dozen schools have reported positive tests for the virus among athletes in the past month. The Ivy League canceled all fall sports this week, and Stanford announced it was cutting 11 varsity sports.
Sign up for Kendall Baker’s daily newsletter, Axios Sports.
9. TikTok-tivists target Trump
TikTok users have again tried to prank President Trump, flooding his official campaign app with thousands of one-star reviews, Bloomberg’s Shelly Banjo and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou report.
Why it matters: Generation Zers are retaliating against the president after his administration has floated banning the Chinese-owned app — a favorite among their cohort — in recent days over data privacy concerns, which TikTok denies.
The app now has an overall rating of 1.2 stars — and more than 103,000 one-star reviews.
🥊 “TikTok users don’t affect anything we do. What we do know is that the Chinese use TikTok to spy on its users,” Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said.
The debate over mask-wearing has received the Hamilton treatment, with YouTube’s Holderness Family pitting both sides against each other to the tune of some of the musical’s biggest songs.
It ends with a plea echoed by many parents around the country: “I need school to open in the fall / So the one thing I ask / Can we maybe just all agree to wear a tiny flipping mask?”
The Supreme Court decisions could give Democrats, including Joe Biden, more ammunition in their attempts to raise ethical questions about a president who has fought relentlessly to keep his financial records out of the public eye.
By Toluse Olorunnipa and John Wagner ● Read more »
Governors are facing growing pressure from public health experts and local leaders to reimpose stay-at-home orders as the only way to regain control of outbreaks that threaten to overwhelm hospitals and send the death count rocketing.
Retailers are trying to re-create the in-store experience while avoiding interaction, but privacy experts warn the technology could also expose valuable personal and biometric data.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, proposed spending on American products and research, offering his own brand of economic nationalism to compete with President Trump’s and setting the stage for an election-year showdown over the economy.
Election 2020 ● By Sean Sullivan and Jeff Stein ● Read more »
Nearly all the workers who have tested positive are front-line security officers who have continued to work screening passengers at airport checkpoints throughout the pandemic.
The Supreme Court ruled that a New York prosecutor can subpoena Trump’s tax records — but will the public ever see them? Plus, how a nursing home administered a cocktail of unapproved drugs to its residents. And a music critic ventures out to hear live music.
Post Reports | Listen Now ● By The Washington Post ● Read more »
Convalescent plasma therapy has given doctors hope that an effective treatment for the coronavirus is already here, even if the evidence of its successes is anecdotal.
The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the closing of malls as people fear venturing into enclosed spaces and touching merchandise that has likely been handled by hundreds of other shoppers, according to an industry expert.
Cynthia Lummis, the only female member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is pursuing a return to Congress as a senator representing Wyoming to secure a future for fossil fuels.
The revelation that wealthy businesses and nonprofit organizations received small-business relief loans is putting pressure on Congress to put new restrictions and limits on aid in the next relief bill for companies and employees.
As has become his way, Vice President Mike Pence opened his coronavirus task force briefing with a dose of good news — this time on the day the country passed 3 million cases recorded nationwide.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson urged people to stand up to the racial hatred he sees in Seattle’s new training session held for white employees to “undo” their whiteness as it relates to certain privileges.
When Michael Pack’s long-stalled nomination to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media finally cleared the Senate on a 53-38 party-line vote last month, the conservative documentary filmmaker tackled his job with the zeal any new CEO might apply to a struggling company: clearing out what he considered to be the deadwood and refocusing on the agency’s core mission.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It is Friday (thankfully). We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the daily co-creators, so find us @asimendinger and @alweaver22 on Twitter and recommend the Morning Report to your friends. CLICK HERE to subscribe!
Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 129,947. Tuesday, 130,306. Wednesday, 131,480. Thursday, 132,309. Friday, 133,291.
In a pair of decisions on the final day of its term, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that President Trump must turn over his financial records to a Manhattan grand jury but the court said Congress’s subpoenas for those documents, which the president tried to block, head back to lower courts.
The upshot is that voters are unlikely to learn more before Election Day about the president’s opaque business operations, but the court rejected Trump’s claim that he’s exempt from cooperating (The Hill).
The justices ruled in a 7-2 decision that the Manhattan district attorney can gain access to eight years of Trump’s financial documents, including his personal and corporate tax returns. But in another 7-2 ruling, the justices tossed questions about subpoenas issued for similar records by three House committees to lower courts. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote both majority opinions and the dissenters in both rulings were Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.
Although the president’s White House spokeswoman argued the decisions were a victory for the president, Trump appeared to think otherwise. He fumed on Twitter about “political prosecution” by the Supreme Court and agitated about an investigation by New York City District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., a Democrat, who is probing payouts through Trump’s former personal attorney to two women with whom Trump allegedly had affairs and sought to silence ahead of the 2016 election. Trump has denied having affairs with the women but admitted the payments.
“It’s a pure witch hunt, a hoax,” Trump said on Thursday, “a political witch hunt.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the decisions were “not good news” for the president and she praised the court for supporting Congress’s oversight role. But Democrats conceded the justices’ ruling posed a delay in House investigations in an election year. Pelosi said the House would pursue all subpoena challenges related to Trump’s finances through the lower courts. “The Supreme Court today upheld a fundamental tenet of our democracy that no one is above the law,” she said.
CNBC: Trump rages at the Supreme Court over the tax records case.
The Washington Post analysis: The Supreme Court issued a unanimous and biting rebuke of one of Trump’s “absolute” claims. Roberts reminded the president and his legal team: “We have twice denied absolute immunity claims by Presidents in cases involving allegations of serious misconduct.”
The Hill: Five takeaways from the Supreme Court’s rulings on Trump’s tax returns.
The Hill: Trump calls New York City a “hellhole” after the court rulings.
The Washington Post analysis: The long political fight over Trump’s tax returns is likely to be over. Trump may have won.
NBC News analysis: The Supreme Court rejects Trump again. This time it’s personal.
The Hill: Separately on Thursday, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision ruled that a large swath of Oklahoma belongs to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The decision could upend the state’s authority over much of the land and restrict it from taxing or prosecuting tribal members on the reservation.
Report: Facebook leads industry on removal of hate speech
At 35,000 people, our safety & security teams work to keep our platforms safe 24/7. A recent EU report found we remove more reported hate speech than other major platforms. But any hate speech is too much — there’s more work to do.
CORONAVIRUS: The president’s top infectious disease expert told The Hill on Thursday that regions of the country experiencing the worst COVID-19 infection rates should “pause” business reopenings and figure out how and why the disease is spreading.
Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stopped short of repeating his Wednesday statement that the worst-hit parts of the country should reimpose shutdowns.
“I would think we need to get the states pausing in their opening process, looking at what did not work well and try to mitigate that,” Fauci, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, said during a virtual event hosted by The Hill. “I don’t think we need to go back to an extreme of shutting down” (The Hill).
As Fauci was speaking, evidence piled up that some states experiencing the most dire outbreaks this week, including Florida, Texas, Arizona and South Carolina, opted to reopen for business early and without waiting long enough to meet the recommended federal public health benchmarks (The New York Times).
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who also spoke with The Hill at Thursday’s event, dismissed that idea. He said the outbreaks were not the result of decisions by state governments to allow businesses to open, but the result of people’s decisions to not wear masks and not practice social distancing as precautions against spread of the coronavirus.
“We don’t believe it’s about the fact of reopening in terms of a legal or regulatory structure,” Azar said. “It’s rather, how are we behaving within that context? Are we practicing appropriate social distancing, are we wearing facial coverings, especially in circumstances where we can’t social distance?” (The Hill).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield, whose agency was pummeled by Trump this week over what the president says are excessively “tough” voluntary federal guidelines for the safe reopening of schools, said on Thursday that children are better off if they get back to classrooms and instruction, one way or another.
Speaking at the same event organized by The Hill, Redfield said the CDC next week will clarify rather than replace previous guidance first issued in May and amended in June — and frowned on by Trump.
“I’m of the point of view as a public health leader in this nation, that having the schools actually closed is a greater public health threat to the children than having the schools reopen,” Redfield said.
👉The New York Times: The United States hit another single-day record on Thursday for new coronavirus cases, its sixth in 10 days.
> Sunshine State: The COVID-19 contagion in Florida has broken infection records and set a new record for fatalities on Wednesday (The Hill). The situation looks bad enough to prompt conservatives to rethink a massive indoor Republican National Convention next month in Jacksonville, Fla. Yet, Disney World reopens on Saturday.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wants schools to reopen for in-person classes and he told parents on Thursday that if they think they’re safe to visit Home Depot, their children are safe to attend school (Business Insider).
Disney World believes tourists are ready for theme parks again, and the location near Orlando began selling tickets and hotel bookings on Thursday for the first time in months. Disney World reopens this weekend to hundreds if not thousands of tourists with children, all of whom are assured by corporate representatives that the make-believe mecca to Minnie and Mickey will be safe (WESH2 TV).
“The world is changing around us, but we strongly believe that we can open safely and responsibly,” Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s theme park chairman, told The New York Times. “For those that might have questions or concerns, when they see how we are operating and the aggressive protocols that we have put in place, they will understand.”
“This is our new normal. Our new reality,” he continued. “COVID is here, and we have a responsibility to figure out the best approach to safely operate in this new normal.”
> Arizona: Republican Gov. Doug Ducey urged people in his state to voluntarily “stay home” because of the dramatic rise in coronavirus infections. He instituted a restaurant dining restriction of 50 percent of seating capacity indoors, but critics say the governor is not doing enough to halt the spread of COVID-19. Dozens of Arizona school board members on Thursday urged the governor in writing to delay until October the reopening of schools, which he had set for Aug. 17 (Arizona Central). Ducey suggested to reporters that the start of the new school year will depend on the trajectory of the contagion, but he was not specific. “It’s going to happen when it’s safe,” he said.
> Community spread: U.S. medical centers have reported that more than 5,000 cases of COVID-19 were likely contracted by patients in facilities while seeking care for other conditions, adding to the spread of the coronavirus (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).
> Masks: Starbucks announced Thursday that beginning July 15 it will require all customers to wear facial coverings while visiting any of its 9,000 U.S. locations. Customers who do not want to wear masks will be allowed to use Starbucks drive-thrus or use curbside pickup and delivery services. The Starbucks policy may supersede local ordinances in states and cities that do not require mask wearing in public (The New York Times). … Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced that beginning on Friday, the state will require all residents to wear masks in public for 30 days, citing an “explosion” of cases of COVID-19 (The Hill).
> Taxpayer rescue?: After some vigorous lobbying, the U.S. Catholic Church received at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed funds aimed at corornavirus relief, with many millions of dollars going to dioceses that have paid huge settlements or sought bankruptcy protection because of clergy sexual abuse cover-ups. The church’s haul may have reached or even exceeded $3.5 billion, making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts, an Associated Press analysis of federal data released this week found.
2020 POLITICS: Pennsylvania was the center of the political universe on Thursday as former Vice President Joe Biden and Vice President Pence made appearances in the eastern half of the commonwealth with less than four months until Election Day.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, appeared in Dunmore, Pa., which neighbors Scranton — Biden’s birthplace — to unveil his $700 billion jobs plan and issue a stinging rebuke of the president’s economic policies. The former VP struck a populist tone during the address, according to The Hill’s Jonathan Easley, saying that he would crack down on Wall Street and corporations he said have benefited at the expense of average workers.
“When we spend taxpayers’ money, when the federal government spends taxpayers’ money, we should use it to buy American products and support American jobs,” Biden said at a metal works plant, adding that it’s “time that corporate American pays their fair share of taxes” (The Washington Post).
The speech represented the first major part of a four-part agenda to revive the economy from the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Pence headlined three events in the Keystone State: a luncheon with supporters outside Lancaster, Pa., and two events in the Philadelphia area, including one with the Fraternal Order of Police. The events come as Biden has seen his lead increase over Trump in the battleground state. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, the former vice president leads by 6.5 percentage points.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Campaigning in Pennsylvania, Joe Biden and Mike Pence clash over how to fix America.
While the pair were on the ground on Thursday, the president will make his return to the campaign trail on Saturday night in New Hampshire three weeks after he headlined a debacle-riddled rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20.
The rally will feature multiple changes, including one major one: It will be outside. The campaign is also stepping up its push to hold a safe event, including plans to provide hand sanitizer and masks to all attendees, as well as check temperature upon entrance. The campaign is encouraging attendees to wear masks, stopping short of a mandate to do so. The event is expected to start at 8 p.m.
NBC News: Trump camp eyes course correction for rallies: “We can’t have a repeat of Tulsa.”
> Convention prep: With the Democratic National Convention almost a month away, officials are trying to iron out how to make the biggest splash with a gathering that will be largely virtual.
While convention planners told delegates not to attend the convention because of COVID-19 concerns, they are sorting out everything from how delegations will vote to how principal speakers will give speeches without roaring crowds, according to The Hill’s Amie Parnes.
“It’s a clusterf—,” said one ally to Joe Biden who is familiar with some of the discussions. “It will all come together I’m sure but there aren’t many answers right now.”
However, convention questions are a bipartisan issue these days as Republicans wonder who is actually going to show up to their event in Jacksonville, and whether it will be held inside or outside.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Thursday while in Kentucky that convention planning has been thrown for a loop as there remain many unknowns about how it will take place, calling it a “challenging situation.”
“We’ll have to wait and see how things look in late August to determine whether or not you can safely convene that many people,” McConnell, 78, said when asked if he would be in attendance.
According to a McConnell spokesperson earlier this week, McConnell has “every intention” of attending. On Thursday, a sixth Republican — Sen. Pat Roberts (Kan.), 84 — indicated that he will not attend (The Hill).
> Senate fight: Republican senators are brushing off signs they may not hold the majority after the November elections. While some agree it’s a fight and the situation appears bleak this month, others are upbeat, despite sagging polls and strong Democratic fundraising totals (The Hill).
The Washington Post: Trump who? Senate GOP candidates in tight races avoid any mention of the president in campaign ads.
The Hill: Democrats hope for tidal moment in Georgia with two Senate seats in play.
OPINION
Trump’s America Is slipping away, by Ronald Brownstein, senior editor, The Atlantic. https://bit.ly/3gCSXJg
What Beijing lost with its border clash blunder, by Sadanand Dhume, columnist, The Wall Street Journal. https://on.wsj.com/2ZYnFpu
A MESSAGE FROM FACEBOOK
How Facebook is combating hate and voter suppression
Facebook is taking critical, new steps to protect its platforms and the upcoming election:
— Strengthening policies against hate
— Expanding voter interference policies
— Launching new Voting Information Center
The House meets on Monday at noon for a pro forma session and returns to legislative business on July 20.
The Senate meets on Monday at 5:30 p.m. for a pro forma session.
The president flies from Washington to Miami to receive a briefing about counter narcotics operations by personnel at U.S. Southern Command at 12:35 p.m. Trump will speak there at 1:40 p.m. before traveling to Doral, Fla., to the Iglesia Doral Jesus Worship Center for a roundtable discussion about U.S. help for the Venezuelan people. Trump will travel from Doral to a private residence at Hillsboro Beach, Fla., for a roundtable campaign fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. The president will fly back to Washington and return to the White House before 10 p.m. On Saturday, Trump will fly to New Hampshire to headline an outdoor reelection rally in Portsmouth. The president says he will this weekend visit soldiers and clinicians at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, adding he will wear a mask while inside the hospital (The Hill).
The Hill’s Coronavirus Report has updates and exclusive video interviews with policymakers emailed each day. Sign up HERE!
➔ Economic indicators: U.S. jobless claims filed during the week that ended July 4 numbered 1.3 million, down from 1.427 million the week before as states juggle reopenings and possible closings. The number of applications for help under the expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program also jumped, rising by 42,000 to more than 1 million claims (The Hill). … Bed Bath & Beyond announced this week that it will permanently close 200 of its stores within the next two years (The Hill). … Harley-Davidson announced on Thursday it will cut 700 jobs (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). … Wells Fargo will shed “thousands” of jobs beginning in 2020 (Bloomberg Law). … Kitchenware chain Sur la Table filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late on Wednesday and plans to close half of its 120 stores while it puts the 50-year-old business up for sale (CNN).
➔ International: Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead on Thursday, a day after he left his daughter a “will-like” message and was accused of sexual harassment on the job. According to police, his body was found in northern Seoul more than seven hours after authorities launched a massive search effort in South Korea. No cause of death was given (The Associated Press). … In the United Kingdom, members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet warn the government is not ready to implement Brexit (The Guardian).
➔ Emissions: Environmentalists are sounding the alarm over the number of companies that aren’t reporting pollution levels to the federal government during the pandemic. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently informed lawmakers that 300 facilities nationwide decided to take advantage of a new agency policy waiving a requirement to keep track of how much pollution companies discharge into bodies of water. Green groups say that while 300 is a small percentage of the facilities regulated by the Clean Water Act, the lack of monitoring poses long-term health and environmental risks, particularly since the reporting exemption won’t be lifted until Aug. 31 (The Hill).
THE CLOSER
And finally … 👏👏👏 A big round of applause for all the Morning Report Quiz masters who knew their stuff about former President George W. Bush (marking his birthday this week).
Here’s a list of those who went 4/4 this week: Ki Harvey, Patrick Kavanagh, Kathy Dobe-Call, Donna Nackers,John Donato, Randall S. Patrick, Tim Burrack, Phil Kirstein, Daniel Bachhuber, Candi Cee, Elspeth Fehn, and Mike Roberts.
They knew that “Big Time” was not among the nicknames Bush used for Karl Rove, his longtime top adviser. “Big Time” was one of his pet names for former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Bush had two chiefs of staff during his time in the White House (Andrew Card and Joshua Bolten… two fewer than Trump has had in four years).
In 2000, Bush jokingly lamented that his decision to sign off on a trade of Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox during his tenure as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers was his biggest mistake in life.
Finally, Bush handed former first lady Michelle Obama a cough drop during former President George H.W. Bush’s funeral, much to the joy of the internet (We also embraced those Quizzers who answered “Altoid,” because a cough drop and a mint are pretty darn similar).
The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@thehill.com and aweaver@thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!
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ANALYSIS — Democrats’ near-term opportunities shouldn’t obscure the longer-term problems the party faces. From the time of his likely election in November and his inauguration in January, President Joe Biden will find himself under attack not only from the GOP but also from elements within his own party. Read More…
The Supreme Court emerged from its term Thursday as a steadying force for a country deeply split along partisan lines and rocked by a pandemic, with conservative Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.’s fingerprints on almost all the moves. That wasn’t expected. Read More…
After a lengthy push from advocacy groups, House Democrats on Thursday published their caucus rules online for the public to access. The caucus had been working to publicize the rules but first had to update a number of items to ensure consistent and accurate style and language. Read More…
Click here to subscribe to Fintech Beat for the latest market and regulatory developmentsin finance and financial technology.
For candidates like Texas Republican Wesley Hunt, keeping volunteers and interns, the forces behind the all-important voter outreach, engaged is crucial, especially as campaigns have shifted to operating virtually. Read More…
House appropriators approved a $115.5 billion Military Construction-VA spending bill Thursday on a 30-20 vote, with Texas Republican Will Hurd joining Democrats to advance the legislation to the floor. Read More…
A House panel report accompanying the latest Pentagon spending bill reveals enormous ill will between defense appropriators and the department they fund, and it underscores the contempt that’s been simmering since the administration tapped appropriated military construction dollars for the president’s border wall. Read More…
National calls for greater police accountability have hit home for House appropriators, who are looking to open up the secretive department that protects Congress: the Capitol Police. Read More…
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POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: White House weighing another swing at DACA
Presented by
DRIVING THE DAY
THE BUZZ IN THE WHITE HOUSE is that, at some point over the next week or so, there is a plan in place to resubmit paperwork to do away with DACA. Remember: The Supreme Court said the administration repealed it incorrectly last time, and gave the White House a road map for a do-over.
OF COURSE, this will elicit head slaps from many corners of the Republican Party, but it follows in line with the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S consistent political belief that they are somehow at risk of losing their base.
— NEW … THE UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF MAYORS has sent the president a letter urging him to “fully maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program until Congress passes legislation that would enable Dreamers – people who have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here – to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship, if they meet certain criteria.” Full letter, led by Louisville, Ky., Mayor Greg Fischer
TAKE THREE!! … TRY TO PUT THIS ON A BUMPER STICKER! … SEAN HANNITY had President DONALD TRUMP on his show Thursday night, and again tried to get him to lay out his second-term agenda. REMEMBER:HANNITY has asked the president before, and so did ERIC BOLLING. Both times, the answer was panned as jumbled and underwhelming.
HANNITY: “I asked you a question in Wisconsin and you got criticized for the answer. I want to ask you again. You are now asking America in 117 days to give you a second term as president of the United States. Let’s — what is your second-term agenda?”
TRUMP: “First of all, I didn’t know it was criticized for that answer because it’s a simple question. First of all, we’re going to defeat the invisible enemy, and we are well on our way. And again, I told you, the mortality rate is tenfold down. We’re going to rebuild the economy, we’re going to bring back jobs from all of these foreign lands that have stolen our jobs on horrible trade deals. We are going to continue to make great trade deals.
“We’re going to finish rebuilding our wall. We’re going to finish, we’re going to have that — it’s going to be almost complete by the end of this year, shortly thereafter it’s finished. It’s made a tremendous difference. You see, we’re doing record numbers on the border. Very few people are able to get through. We’re rebuilding with our military. We’ve rebuilt the military. $2.5 trillion. We are fixing up the VA for our vets. The job we’ve done there, between choice and accountability.
“We have choice, where they go out and get a doctor. If they are sick, they don’t have to wait for five weeks, six weeks, two weeks. So we are doing great with the vets, and the vets are loving Trump. We are protecting our Second Amendment, so. We need more judges and more justices. You see that now with the Supreme Court more than ever. And the next president, I’ve had two, the next president is going to be able to pick two or three or one or whatever, but a lot of justices. And that means everything, whether it’s for life or other things, I mean it means so much.
“But protecting the Second Amendment, getting more judges. All of the things that we’ve done, nobody’s done what this administration has done in the first three and a half years. Nobody’s even come close. When you look at everything that we’re doing. Now what we’re doing is working on lowering drug prices and knocking out special interests, because it’s not easy. We’re fighting for choice. We did it for the veterans and now we are doing it for school too. One choice in school so a parent can take their child to a school of their choice, and that’s happening — very good, very, very well.
“And we have many things we are doing and many things that we have already completed, and you can’t do more than what we’ve done. I think we’ve set records. We actually set a record on judges. We are going to be, by the time of the end of this year, we will be up to almost 300 federal judges, and that’s a record. That’s incredible, including D.C.”
THE FOLKS AT THE RNC ARE QUITE SENSITIVE to the notion that their convention this summer in Jacksonville, Fla., may be in trouble. But all publicly available evidence would suggest that, in fact, it is in trouble, and to think otherwise would be burying your head in the sand.
ABOUT A HALF DOZEN SENATE REPUBLICANS have suggested they won’t go, and even more have cast doubt on the convention or said that they haven’t made their mind up. RNC-ALIGNED REPUBLICANS say it’s two months away, and it’s too early to make any determinations about the prospect of a large-scale gathering in hard-hit Florida. There are reports of efforts to study holding it outdoors. In August. In Florida.
ON THURSDAY, THE RNC and TRUMP were dealt another blow. APPEARING IN KENTUCKY, Senate Majority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL was asked if he would be attending the convention in Jacksonville this summer. He said he didn’t have any idea whether the event would even be happening.
— MCCONNELL: “Well, I think the convention is a challenging situation. And a number of my colleagues have announced that they’re not going to attend, and we’ll have to wait and see how things look in late August and determine whether or not you can safely convene that many people.” The clip
AND THEN THERE’S THIS GREAT ANNIE KARNI and PATRICIA MAZZEI story on A15 of the NYT today, which suggests the Republican governor of Florida is trying to sabotage the convention because of a beef he has with a consultant!
— NYT: “DeSantis Is Said to Quietly Hinder Fund-Raising for Trump Convention”: “[Gov. Ron] DeSantis, a Republican, has directed his top fund-raiser, Heather Barker, to tell donors not to give to the convention because of a personal dispute between the governor and Susie Wiles, his former campaign manager who is serving as an informal adviser to the convention planners, according to multiple people familiar with his actions.
“Ms. Wiles is a veteran Republican operative who led Mr. Trump’s Florida team in 2016 and who ran Mr. DeSantis’s 2018 campaign for governor. Mr. DeSantis’s relationship with Ms. Wiles soured over his suspicion that she had leaked embarrassing information.”
NEW … THE WHITE HOUSE is launching a rapid-response Twitter account to try to drive messages and make announcements. @WHRapidResponse is now live, and will be manned by the White House communications shop, under the direction of KAYLEIGH MCENANY and ALYSSA FARAH.
— FIRST TWEET: @WHRapidResponse at 12:01 a.m.:“Follow @WHRapidResponse as we cut through the bias and provide real-time updates on the historic accomplishments of President @realDonaldTrump’s administration!”
MERIDITH MCGRAW: “The White House’s new briefing strategy: Short, with lots of commentary”: “The White House’s ever-mutating press conferences have found a new form. They’re short, with frequent prepared commentary and press critiques.
“It’s a format that has taken shape under new White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who took over her role in April. McEnany initially chose to resurrect the concept of semi-regular briefings in the White House’s press room — which had sat unused for over a year under her predecessors. But her briefings, often announced at the last minute, have since clocked in, on average, 25 minutes. And on occasion, they have been scheduled right before President Donald Trump’s official events, giving McEnany a pre-planned stopping point.
“The strategy has extended to President Donald Trump himself. The president has, in recent weeks, cut back his own free-for-all press conferences from early 2020 — taking questions just five times in June from a group of reporters. Instead, Trump has been gathering reporters for a self-described ‘press conference’ or ‘news conference,’ only to make long speeches straight into the TV camera before walking off without taking any questions. …
“For the White House, the tactic has given the administration the opportunity to use the cameras in the room to project its message, surrounded by reporters who aren’t able to ask many follow-up questions. And it has changed how the White House has conveyed information during two ongoing crises — the coronavirus pandemic and the protests against police brutality and racial injustice.” POLITICO
CANDACE OWENS RAISING MONEY FOR … HERSELF! OWENS — a conservative activist — is sending text message solicitations to raise money for herself, through an LLC called Candace Owens LLC. The solicitation says: “Hi it’s Candace Owens. The Black Lives Matter movement is getting more power by the day and we must stop them. Stand with me.” That directs to this page, which raises money for the LLC. “Paid for by Candace Owens LLC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee,” the page reads.
— WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE is it looks like a campaign advertisement, but it’s not. It’s directing money not to a campaign committee, but rather to a corporation.
— NYT: “U.S. Hits Another Record for New Coronavirus Cases”: “Officials across the United States reported more than 59,880 cases on Thursday, setting a single-day record for the sixth time in 10 days, according to a New York Times database. The surge has been driven largely by states in the South and the West that were among the first to ease restrictions established during the virus’s initial wave in the spring. At least six states set single-day case records on Thursday: Alabama, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon and Texas.
“The numbers were especially striking in Texas, which set a record for the fourth consecutive day with more than 10,900 cases. Nearly one in 10 of them were in Hidalgo County, which consists of over a thousand square miles of scrub and urban sprawl on the Mexico border.”
— WAPO: “CDC feels pressure from Trump as rift grows over coronavirus response,”by Lena Sun and Josh Dawsey: “The June 28 email to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was ominous: A senior adviser to a top Health and Human Services Department official accused the CDC of ‘undermining the President’ by putting out a report about the potential risks of the coronavirus to pregnant women.
“The adviser, Paul Alexander, criticized the agency’s methods and said its warning to pregnant women ‘reads in a way to frighten women … as if the President and his administration can’t fix this and it is getting worse.’
“As the country enters a frightening phase of the pandemic with new daily cases surpassing 57,000 on Thursday, the CDC, the nation’s top public health agency, is coming under intense pressure from President Trump and his allies, who are downplaying the dangers in a bid to revive the economy ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election. In a White House guided by the president’s instincts, rather than by evidence-based policy, the CDC finds itself forced constantly to backtrack or sidelined from pivotal decisions.”
— LAT: “Coronavirus hospitalizations jump 97% in Orange County in less than a month,”by Hannah Fry: “The number of patients hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections reached new heights Thursday in Orange County — jumping 97% over the past three weeks — an indicator that health experts say makes it clear the virus is spreading more rapidly in the region.
“County health officials on Thursday reported that 691 patients were being hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections. Seven days earlier, 556 people were hospitalized. A week prior there were 437 people in hospitals, and a week before that there were 351. The spike has prompted hospitals countywide to begin to prepare for a surge of sick patients, said Orange County Health Care Agency Director Dr. Clayton Chau.”
MARC CAPUTO: “Trump advisers fracture over Roger Stone pardon”: “Roger Stone is headed to prison next week unless Donald Trump intervenes. And a chorus of outside allies is pressing the president to do just that — over the wishes of White House and campaign aides who don’t like Stone and think Trump has nothing to gain by helping him.
“Both camps expect Trump will at least split the difference by commuting Stone’s sentence, according to interviews with nine sources familiar with the discussions. A commutation would keep Stone from behind bars without wiping his record clean.”
KNOWING ELISSA SLOTKIN … TIM ALBERTA: “Elissa Slotkin’s Reluctant War with Donald Trump”: “She cannot hope to win reelection this fall without persuading a significant number of voters in Michigan’s 8th Congressional District to split their tickets — four more years for Trump, two more years for her — and every feud with the White House is equivalent to a few more straight-party ballots being punched.
“Whether Slotkin can have it both ways, speaking her mind about the president and winning over some of his supporters, may well determine not only her fate but the fate of Democrats in swing districts and battleground states across the country.
“Slotkin didn’t want it to be this way. She envisioned another hyperlocal campaign, like the one she ran in 2018, building consensus around kitchen-table issues and eluding perceptions of partisanship. But if her first two years in Congress taught her anything, it’s that sooner or later, everyone has to pick a side. There is no middle ground when it comes to Donald Trump.
“‘He’s forcing my hand,’ Slotkin tells me a day after the tweetstorm, resignation dripping from her voice. ‘He’s doing things and saying things that call upon me to think about my fundamental oath of office.’”
TRUMP’S FRIDAY — The president will depart the White House at 9:30 a.m. en route to Miami. He will head to U.S. Southern Command in Doral, where he’ll receive a briefing on enhanced counternarcotics operations at 12:35 p.m. and deliver remarks. Afterward, he will head to Iglesia Doral Jesus Worship Center for a roundtable on supporting Venezuelans.
TRUMP will leave at 3:20 p.m. and fly to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for an event at a private residence in Hillsboro Beach, Fla. He will depart at 6:35 p.m. and return to Washington, arriving back at the White House at 9:45 p.m.
TV TONIGHT — PBS’ “Washington Week” with Bob Costa: Yamiche Alcindor, Cleve Wootson Jr., Eamon Javers and Paula Reid … Joan Biskupic.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
Gray TV
“Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren”: President Donald Trump.
NBC
“Meet the Press”: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. Panel: Anna Palmer, Kristen Welker and George Will.
ABC
“This Week”: Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Amanda Carpenter and Zerlina Maxwell.
CBS
“Face the Nation”: Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego … Terry Shaw … Scott Gottlieb … Tom Wyatt … New battleground tracker for Texas, Florida and Arizona.
FOX
“Fox News Sunday”: Thomas Inglesby. Panel: Karl Rove, Jane Harman and Josh Holmes. Power Player: Vanilla Beane.
Sinclair
“America This Week With Eric Bolling”: Horace Lorenzo Anderson Sr. … HUD Secretary Ben Carson … Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) … Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas). Panel: Ameshia Cross and Sebastian Gorka.
JOSH GERSTEIN: “Trump poised to run out political clock on emoluments suits”: “A key lawsuit over spending by foreign entities at President Donald Trump’s businesses appears likely to remain on hold until the fall, effectively blocking what appeared to be the best vehicle for the president’s critics to demand details of such spending in advance of the November election.
“A federal appeals court Thursday extended a stay on fact-finding in the lawsuit so the Justice Department can ask the Supreme Court to order dismissal of the suit, filed in 2017 by the State of Maryland and the Washington, D.C., government.”
VALLEY TALK … LEAH NYLEN: “California investigating Google for potential antitrust violations”: “California has opened its own antitrust probe into Google, intensifying the pressure on the search giant already in the middle of investigations by the Justice Department and a host of other states, according to three people with knowledge of the inquiry.
“The move by California’s attorney general comes as Google has come under increasing scrutiny from both Congress and foreign regulators for its market conduct and acquisitions that have turned it into the world’s top search engine and the most profitable online advertising company.
“In September, attorneys general from 48 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia announced an antitrust investigation into Google focused on the company’s dominance of the advertising technology market. Over the past 10 months, that investigation — led by Texas — has expanded into other aspects of the company’s business, including its conduct in the search market.
“California — which houses Google’s headquarters in Mountain View — was the most notable holdout in the multi-state group, and Democratic Attorney General Xavier Becerra has repeatedly declined to answer questions about why the state wasn’t a participant. The California antitrust probe is a separate investigation from the multi-state effort, two of the individuals said. All of the individuals spoke on condition of anonymity to talk openly about a confidential probe. Alabama is now the only state that is not investigating the company.” POLITICO
ON THE BORDER — “Arrests at U.S. Border With Mexico Jumped 40% in June,”by WSJ’s Michelle Hackman: “The number of migrants arrested at the southern border jumped by 40% in June from the prior month, according to figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The jump in numbers came at a time when the Trump administration is immediately turning back most migrants at the border for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. Arrests of migrants surged to 30,300 last month, including about 27,000 people who were turned back under the new policy.”
MEDIAWATCH — “Trump Appointee Might Not Extend Visas for Foreign Journalists at V.O.A.,” by NYT’s Pranshu Verma and Edward Wong: “As many as 100 foreign citizens working in the United States as journalists for the Voice of America, a government-funded news outlet, might not have their visas extended once they expire, according to people familiar with the planning.
“Michael Pack, the new chief executive for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has indicated he may not approve extensions for any journalist holding a J-1 visa, which allows foreign citizens to temporarily work in the United States in ways that promote cultural exchanges.
“The decision could be a blow to the news-gathering and global-broadcasting abilities of the V.O.A., which operates independently but is funded by the government. Foreign journalists on the specialty visa are often recruited to work there because they are able to translate American news reports into difficult languages like Swahili or Mandarin and can do reporting using those languages.” NYT
TRANSITIONS — Gina Reis is now video director for Mark Kelly’s Senate campaign in Arizona. She previously was a video producer/editor for Pete Buttigieg’s campaign. … Mikka Kei Macdonald is joining Community Change as a senior digital organizer. She previously was associate director for campaigns at the Hub Project.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Eduardo Lerma, COS for Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), and Johanna Lerma, a registered nurse at MedStar Georgetown Hospital, welcomed Noemi Soledad Lerma early Thursday morning. Pic
BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Kyle Griffin, senior producer for MSNBC’s “The Last Word.” What he’s been reading: “I’m reading ‘Station Eleven’ by Emily St. John Mandel. It’s not for the faint of heart. It’s about a fictional flu pandemic. I’m a glutton for punishment when it comes to extracurriculars, but it’s interesting to compare the book to our real-world experiences. Her writing is clear and vivid — she knows how to paint a bleak picture. And as a TV news writer, I’m a sucker for the teases she writes at the end of each chapter.” Playbook Q&A
BIRTHDAYS: CDC Director Robert Redfield is 69 … Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) is 44 … Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) is 64 … Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) is 4-0 … Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) is 65 … State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus (h/t Katie Martin) … Megan Ortagus (h/ts Sam Vinograd) … Sam Stein of The Daily Beast and MSNBC … Sarah Boxer … Alex Angelson of Michael Best Strategies … Ben Napier is 3-0 … Katie Pavlich is 32 … POLITICO’s Chris Cadelago, Matt Daily, Catherine Boudreau, John Appezzato and Ashley Afranie-Sakyi … Melanie Seitz … David Dinkins is 93 … Julianna Smoot,co-founder of WaterWorks (h/t Jon Haber) … Rena Shapiro, head of politics and public affairs at a4 Media … Sam Harper, VP of comms at SoundExchange … Eli Yokley, Morning Consult political reporter … Quibi’s Shawna Thomas … Karen Hinton …
… Kenny Day (h/t Tim Burger)… former Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), now chair of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, is 63 … former Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) is 62 (h/t Mitchell Rivard) … former Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) is 78 … Hazel Rosenblum-Sellers, who just accepted a job at NEWCO Strategies, is 23 (h/t Claire Goldberg) … Emil Caillaux … Rob Bogart … White & Case’s Keir Whitson is 51 … Kayla Maree Sanders … Remley Johnson is 29 … WSJ’s Heather Haddon … Phillip Hedayatnia … Jamie Lockhart … Peter Bondi … Barbara Goldberg Goldman is 71 … Christine Turner … Caroline Ciccone … CUNY Board Chairman Bill Thompson … Ian Rivera … Amanda Woloshen Glass … Kevin Call … Bill Roberts … Sarah Hodgkins … Caroline Gransee … Clay Haynes … Chris Terris … Finlay Lewis is 82 … Elie Jacobs … Monty Warner … Elizabeth Bartz … Chuck Lewis … Jeff Mitchell
By Shane Vander Hart on Jul 09, 2020 03:00 pm
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Republican Party of Iowa released a video touting a recent fact check confirming that a National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) attacking Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield’s real estate record.
A fact check by KCRG TV 9, the ABC affiliate in Cedar Rapids found that the NRSC ad’s claims about Greenfield were true, but lacked context.
Watch the NRSC ad below:
KCRG noted that Rottlund Homes, where Greenfield served as the CEO of their Iowa division, went bankrupt and faced lawsuits claiming that the business owed $29 million, but that it was during a recession. They also stated that the company had been sued 60 times since 1995, but she did not join the company until 2005. Rottlund Homes in Iowa was sued ten times while she served as the division CEO.
Iowa GOP notes that while Greenfield touts her record as a small business owner”in reality, she was a real estate executive with a disastrous record.”
“Iowans are beginning to see the real Theresa Greenfield, and it’s a rude awakening,” said Aaron Britt, Communications Director for the Republican Party of Iowa. “The truth is, Greenfield’s company was repeatedly sued and didn’t pay its bills. Iowans value hard work, responsibility, and accountability, but Greenfield’s dismal record proves she puts her own interests above Iowans. She couldn’t even successfully run her’ small business;’ she certainly can’t be trusted to serve Iowans in the U.S. Senate.”
By Caffeinated Thoughts on Jul 09, 2020 02:03 pm
DES MOINES, Iowa – On Thursday, Test Iowa has hit 100,000 tests conducted since the first test site opened on April 25th, and it is currently the number one source of testing in the state of Iowa.
“In the face of a global pandemic, we had to be bold, ambitious, and move quickly to launch a comprehensive initiative to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa and protect the lives and livelihoods of Iowans,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “Test Iowa has not only provided our state with critical testing capacity, but realtime, in-depth data and analysis to inform our response to the pandemic.”
She explained why this milestone is important in a released video:
Through Test Iowa, the state is currently testing more than 3,000 people a day, across 20 Test Iowa drive-up and clinic sites. Approximately 28 percent of all COVID-19 tests in Iowa have been through Test Iowa, and the program is open to every Iowan who wants to be tested. This statewide effort involves the Iowa Department of Public Health, State Hygienic Lab, Iowa National Guard, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Department of Human Services, Department of Transportation, and local public health officials, emergency managers, and health care providers across the state.
“Reaching today’s milestone could not have happened without unprecedented collaboration between state and local government as well as local health care providers,” Reynolds continued. “Test Iowa’s success puts us in a strong position to continue slowing the spread of COVID19, allowing us to reopen safely and responsibly.”
In total, 354,237 tests have been conducted among Iowans for a per capita total of one in nine Iowans. Almost 864,000 assessments have been completed on the Test Iowa site.
Individuals who wish to get tested for COVID-19 at any site must first complete the online assessment at testiowa.com. They will then be directed to schedule an appointment.
Test Iowa is a statewide initiative to expand COVID-19 testing. Locations and hours of operation for all test sites can be found at testiowa.com or coronavirus.iowa.gov.
By Joni Ernst on Jul 09, 2020 01:36 pm
The COVID-19 pandemic has been what I call a great awakening when it comes to the vulnerabilities in our supply chain. It’s clear now, maybe more than ever, that the United States has become too dependent on Communist China for items like personal protective equipment, prescription drugs, and other essential medical supplies. We need to fix that.
While China is a trade partner for many of Iowa’s farmers and producers, there is no doubt we can find ways to make and manufacture goods and supplies right here in the United States. And that’s what I’m working to do: bring manufacturing home and help create even more jobs for hardworking Iowans.
One way to do this is by cutting red tape for businesses that want to relocate from a foreign country, like China, to the United States. Right now, I’m working on a bill that will waive the tax penalties for manufacturing and medical supply companies that choose to move to America in order to create more jobs here. I have also demanded the Treasury Department investigate how Chinese companies are avoiding taxes that U.S. businesses have to pay. If we can incentivize folks to create products and manufacture critical goods at home instead of in China, then we can better ensure the security of our supply chains.
During my military service, including as a logistics battalion commander in the Iowa Army National Guard, I learned firsthand the importance of securing the defense supply chain. We cannot continue to rely on our adversaries, like China, for critically important national security materials. That’s why in this year’s annual defense bill I made it a priority to boost support for university research in places like Iowa to ensure we can make and manufacture metals and materials here at home. This will help make sure China doesn’t corner the world market on key materials, and gives our allies options to buy metals and materials from the United States, instead of the communist regime. And a great bonus, it saves your hard-earned tax dollars.
Iowans know that China will do anything to get a leg up on their competition. Folks from all corners of the state have long told me their concerns with China stealing our intellectual property and reneging on their trade commitments. It’s only been in recent years, under this administration, that we’ve finally seen someone stand up and fight back. At nearly every farmer roundtable or discussion with Iowa’s producers and manufacturers, Iowans have told me how much they appreciate this president standing up for them and pushing back on the years of bad actions by the Communist Party.
At this crucial juncture, we cannot let up.
During COVID-19 we’ve seen things escalate, to the level of China withholding information about the pandemic and blatant theft of our technology with intent to erode our nation’s military leadership. Earlier this year, the leader of U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Davidson, testified before Congress that he believed China was “stealing technology in just about every domain and trying to use it to their advantage.” Folks, the fight against China is far from over.
Whether they’re stealing sensitive military secrets or letting people die to avoid taking responsibility for the spread of COVID-19, China continues to disrespect the rule of law. Why then, would we reward them by manufacturing medical supplies and defense materials in their country, only to boost their economy at our expense?
Iowans across the state have told me that they agree: the United States needs to decrease our dependence on the Chinese Communist Party. Yes, we can and should continue trading important agriculture products like pork and soybeans. But, at the same time, we should bring jobs back to Iowa, and across the United States, and ensure our medical and defense supply chains remain strong and secure. This will only serve to help our economy and improve our national security.
By Shane Vander Hart on Jul 09, 2020 11:50 am
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Small Business Administration (SBA) and U.S. Treasury Department released data for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans. The data provides a list of businesses and organizations that received a loan.
Over 58,000 businesses and organizations received $5.1 billion in PPP loans. Almost 6,000 businesses and organizations received loans of more than $150,000 were identified. Among that number were 69 individual churches, nine denominational offices, 32 faith-based K-12 schools, and seven faith-based organizations. The data for entities receiving less than $150,000 did not identify borrowers.
PPP was meant to help businesses and organizations survived the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 and subsequent shutdown. Faith-based organizations during the COVID-19 shut-down also faced a significant drop in donations as members and donors faced unemployment. Also, many states banned mass gatherings that also included churches which also had the potential to severely impact donations. Christian and Catholic K-12 schools faced a drop in families able to pay tuition. These organizations, like businesses, also have employees who faced the potential lay-offs and some churches and faith-based organizations, like businesses, also faced closing for good.
The SBA did not provide the loans, but guaranteed loans that were applied for through different banks in the state. Borrowers who meet specific criteria are eligible for loan forgiveness, one of the primary reasons the program was popular. Numerous churches applied when the Trump Administration announced faith-based organizations that are 501(c)3 were eligible to apply.
“A faith-based organization that receives a loan will retain its independence, autonomy, right of expression, religious character, and authority over its governance, and no faith-based organization will be excluded from receiving funding because leadership with, membership in, or employment by that organization is limited to persons who share its religious faith and practice,” the wrote.
Even so, thereisdisagreement over whether faith-based organizations, especially churches, should participate. The exact number of churches that participated in Iowa is unknown since entities receiving less than $150,000 were not identified.
Here’s the list of 69 Iowa churches receiving loans of more than $150,000:
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (West Des Moines) – $1-2 million
Cornerstone Church – Ames $350K-1 million
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Des Moines) – $350K-1 million
Our Lady of Lourdes Church of Bettendorf – $350K-1 million
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church of Davenport – $350K-1 million
Parkview Evangelical Free Church – Iowa City – $350K-1 million
Prairie Lakes Church – Cedar Falls – $350K-1 million
Sacred Heart Church of Valley Junction (West Des Moines) – $350K-1 million
St. Augustin Catholic Church (Des Moines) – $350K-1 million
St. Paul Lutheran Church (Davenport) – $350K-1 million
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church (Davenport) – $350K-1 million
St. Pius X Catholic Church (Urbandale) – $350K-1 million
St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Storm Lake) – $350K-1 million
St. Matthew’s Catholic Church (Cedar Rapids) – $350K-1 million
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (Cedar Falls) – $350K-1 million
St. Theresa Catholic Church (Des Moines) – $350K-1 million
Valley Evangelical Free Church (West Des Moines) – $350K-1 million
All Saints Catholic Church (Cedar Rapids) – $150K-$350K
Ankeny First United Methodist Church – $150K-350K
Antioch Christian Church (Marion) – $150K-350K
Bettendorf Christian Church – $150K-350K
Candeo Church (Cedar Falls) – $150K-350K
Cedar Valley Bible Church (Cedar Rapids) – $150K-350K
Christ Community Church (Ames) – $150K-350K
Christ the King Roman Catholic Church (Ft. Dodge) – $150K-350K
Church of the Sacred Heart (Boone) – $150-350K
Coram Deo Bible Church (Davenport) – $150-350K
Falls Avenue Wesleyan Church (Waterloo) – $150-350K
First Evangelical Lutheran Church (Cedar Rapids) – $150K-350K
First Presbyterian Church (Fort Dodge) – $150K-350K
Grand View United Methodist Church (Dubuque) – $150K-350K
The FAMiLY Leader Foundation (Urbandale) – $150K-350K
The Gospel Mission (Sioux City) – $150K-350K
Caffeinated Thoughts also found 32 Christian or Catholic K-12 schools that received loans of over $150,000.
Des Moines Christian School (Urbandale) – $1-2 million
Kuemper Catholic School System (Carroll) – $1-2 million
Beckman Catholic High School (Dyersville) – $350K-1 million
Bosco Catholic School System (Gilbertsville) – $350K-1million
Council Bluffs Area Catholic Education System – $350K-1 million
Gehlen Catholic School (LeMars) – $350K-1 million
Grand View Christian School (Des Moines) – $350K-1 Million
Holy Trinity Catholic Schools (West Point) – $350K-1 Million
Newman Catholic School System (Mason City) – $350K-1 Million
Pella Christian Grade School – $350K-1 million
Pella Christian High School – $350K-1 million
St. Edmond Catholic School (Ft. Dodge) – $350K-1 million
Sioux Center Christian School – $350K-1 million
Unity Christian High School Association (Orange City) – $350K-1 million
Xavier High School (Cedar Rapids) – $350K-1 million
Ankeny Christian Academy – $150K-350K
Heritage Christian School Association (North Liberty) – $150K-350K
Holy Family School (Des Moines) – $150K-350K
Hull Christian School – $150K-350K
Iowa Mennonite School (Kalona) – $150K-350K
Linn Christian Education Association (Cedar Rapids) – $150K-350K
Orange City Christian School ($150K-350K)
Prince of Peace Catholic Church Education System (Clinton) – $150K-350K
Regis Middle School (Cedar Rapids) – $150K-350K
Scott County Catholic Education (Davenport) – $150K-350K
Seton Catholic School (Farley) – $150K-350K
Siouxland Community Christian School (Sioux City) – $150K-350K
Society of Protestant Reformed Education (Hull) – $150K-350K
Society of Christian Instruction of Rock Valley Christian – $150K-350K
St. Francis Xavier School (Dyersville) – $150K-350K
St. Malachy School (Creston) – $150K-350K
St. Pius & St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Schools (Cedar Rapids) – $150K-350K
Caffeinated Thoughts also found every Christian college in the state received a PPP loan, but all of those institutions also receive federal financial aid.
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.
Starbucks announced Thursday that beginning July 15, it will require customers to wear facial coverings while visiting all company-owned stores in the U.S. “The company is committed to playing a constructive role in supporting health and government officials as they work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Starbucks said in …
Shortly after President Trump delivered a historic speech in front of Mount Rushmore on Friday night, presidential hopeful Joe Biden released an Independence Day video message of his own focusing, in part, on racial issues. In his message, Biden pledged to end systemic racism and blamed the president for the …
It is hard to write about Don Lemon and not insult the man. He is self-righteous, hypocritical, deluded, and the pained look on his face when guests state factual comments … there I go again. I simply cannot write an article referencing Don without getting away from myself. I ask …
A rheumatology professor and researcher with strong ties to China has been ordered held without bond to face a charge of grant fraud for not disclosing that he was engaged in a sophisticated scheme to use approximately $4.1 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop …
President Donald Trump will Florida where he will visit the U.S. Southern Command then attend a fund raising event. Keep up with Trump on Our President’s Schedule Page. President Trump’s Itinerary for 7/10/20 – note: this page will be updated during the day if events warrant Keep up with Trump …
The mayor of a Massachusetts town apologized Wednesday for an electronic road sign saying “all lives matter” and vowed to find out why the message was displayed. Melrose Mayor Paul Brodeur ordered the message, which said “the safety of all lives matter,” to be taken down immediately, he tweeted Wednesday. …
While everyone is busy with all the mayhem throughout the country along with all the misinformation regarding Covid-19, there is news on the Epstein case. As you probably already know Jeff Epstein’s autopsy suggests his death was not a suicide. First and foremost, an inmate would not have a pen …
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany holds a briefing Thursday to update the nation on recent events. The briefing is set to begin at 1:30 p.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 …
Former Vice President Joe Biden is rolling out an economic plan that includes a pitch to boost American manufacturing and technology firms months after White House advisers reportedly held off on an executive order that sought similar ends. Biden is reportedly expected to announce the new plan Thursday. The plan …
President Donald Trump signs and Executive Order on Thursday that begins work on the White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative. The event is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.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 …
Attorney General Bill Barr said in a Thursday interview that he was “livid” when he discovered that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was found dead, promising that nothing like that will happen to Epstein’s cohort Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell, who has been accused of involvement in Epstein’s crimes against young women, …
PHARR, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted $3,704,000 worth of alleged methamphetamine that was hidden within a commercial shipment of fresh produce. “Our officers at the cargo facility are committed to upholding our border security mission while ensuring …
Oh the hypocrisy! Democrats have no shame or morals and the Fake Noose Media will never call them out! But we will! Rep. Ilhan Omar called for the dismantling of not just our nation’s economy, but the entire political system. Add to that her support of “defunding the Police” and …
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, alongside the New Jersey and Connecticut governors, announced Tuesday that visitors from three more hotspot states would need to quarantine when traveling to their states. Delaware, Kansas and Oklahoma were added to the list first created in June, bringing the total number of states under the order …
Supporters of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have rallied their support for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a united front against President Trump, according to polls conducted in six battleground states by The New York Times and Siena College. When asked whether they would vote for Biden or …
PORTLAND — Seven people have been arrested and face federal charges for their roles in weekend riots at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, according to Acting Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Eben Roberts. According to court documents, since May 26, 2020, protests in downtown …
While 2020 has been a thoroughly awful slog of a year, making most of us want to scream at one time or another, there have been a few upsides. We’ve gotten to reconnect with a lot of friends and relatives during quarantine while discovering the joys of Zoom happy hours. The plague and riots have forced a lot of good dark humor out of us, especially in the form of memes. Now, this most ridiculous of years has given us a line I think a lot of us will be using for sometime to come.
We continue to be worried about how the coronavirus is transmitted. We also continue to not be sure. After months of washing packages and groceries down we learned that it probably didn’t linger on surfaces for very long. We are all still being implored to wear masks, even thought there is a lot of debate about how much the cloth masks are actually helping.
Now, a Japanese theme park is worried about the plague being spread via screaming roller coaster riders and has come up with a most polite request help prevent that. Rick wrote about it yesterday:
The advice is being given to customers visiting the Fuji-Q Highland theme park and riding the two-kilometer-long Fujiyama rollercoaster. Apparently, even wearing a mask can’t protect your fellow riders if you inadvertently let out a hearty scream while careening around the track. So the company is advising riders not to scream out loud but rather to do it “inside your heart.”
Happy Friday! And good morning to all of our eastern Oklahoma readers who found out yesterday they’ve been living a lie. Boomer Sooner!
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Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
As of Thursday night, 3,112,252 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States (an increase of 57,602 from yesterday) and 133,228 deaths have been attributed to the virus (an increase of 930 from yesterday), according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard, leading to a mortality rate among confirmed cases of 4.3 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 38,032,966 coronavirus tests conducted in the United States (601,300 conducted since yesterday), 8.2 percent have come back positive.
On the final day of the term, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that, based on 19th-century land treaties, a large part of the state of Oklahoma is actually within a Native American reservation. The court also issued two rulings related to President Trump’s financial records, sending both cases back to the lower courts to decide whether House Democrats or the Manhattan district attorney are entitled to the records. Neither case is now expected to be resolved before the November election.
The number of Americans filing initial unemployment insurance claims fell by 99,000 week-over-week to 1.3 million last week. It was the 16th straight week more than 1 million Americans filed initial claims. The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits during the week ending on June 27 fell by 698,000 to 18.1 million.
New CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media Michael Pack is planning to deny visa extensions for dozens of foreign journalists working in the United States for Voice of America. A former board member of the agency called the decision “horrible,” adding that many of the journalists are likely to face “severe” repercussions if they return to their home countries after working for the U.S.
Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman testified before the House Judiciary Committee yesterday behind closed doors, reportedly telling lawmakers Attorney General William Barr urged him to accept another job overseeing the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Berman allegedly said he told Barr “there were important investigations in the Office that I wanted to see through to completion.”
The Trump administration appears to be walking back earlier threats to withhold federal funding from schools that do not fully reopen. “We are not suggesting pulling funding from education,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Thursday morning, “but instead allowing families, take that money and figure out where their kids can get educated if their schools refuse to open.”
In a speech in Pennsylvania on Thursday, Joe Biden laid out a populist and nationalist economic vision for his potential presidency. Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan would, according to a press release, “ensure that the future is made in America” and “build a modern infrastructure and an equitable, clean energy future.”
The Treasury Department sanctioned one Chinese government entity and four Chinese government officials yesterday for their involvement in “serious rights abuses against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.”
In response to China’s new national security law in Hong Kong, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that his country was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and extending visas for Hong Kong residents.
The Big Ten announced Thursday its teams will move to a conference-only schedule for all fall sports, including football, so that the conference can maintain “flexibility to adjust its own operations … and make quick decisions in real-time.”
The End of the SCOTUS Term
In perhaps the most highly anticipated decisions of the season, the Supreme Court was set to decide whether Trump must turn over his financial records to Congress and the New York County District Attorney’s grand jury. In the end, the court sent both cases back to the district court for further arguments, which means Trump won’t be turning over his financial records anytime soon—if he ever does.
Both sides were able to claim some partial victories. The court rejected the arguments from Trump’s attorneys that the president enjoys “absolute immunity from state criminal subpoenas because compliance with those subpoenas would categorically impair a President’s performance of his Article II functions.” But it also also dismissed House Democrats’ arguments, finding that their “approach fails to take adequate account of the significant separation of powers issues raised by congressional subpoenas for the President’s information.”
A constitutional law professor helped break it all down for us. “The court held that Trump was wrong and that [state prosecutors] can request [the president’s personal records], but there might be reasons to withhold them in certain cases,” said Josh Blackman of the South Texas College of Law. “So instead of having this sort of 100 percent prohibition, we’ll consider each request from the states on a case by case basis.”
Does the Republican Party have a QAnon problem? Or a conspiracy problem more generally? In a partisan political climate that has sown the seeds for fringe candidates to win elections, the GOP is struggling to distance itself from conspiracy-mongering nominees without surrendering key districts to Democratic opponents. And sometimes choosing not to distance itself at all.
Audrey Fahlberg profiles a handful of candidates who believe in QAnon or other fringe theories, some of whom could end up in Congress next January.
Back in 2016, “Pizzagate” gained national attention when a man who believed that Hillary Clinton and John Podesta were running a child-trafficking ring out of the Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C., went into the establishment and fired a rifle.
No one was hurt, and the outlandish claims were quickly debunked. But the vile conspiracy theory didn’t totally die. It lingered in dark corners of the internet. And in 2017, an anonymous user named Q—self-dubbed for his alleged Q level security clearance—took the reins and began posting claims that Clinton would be arrested, adding other allegedly classified intel about her on a public messaging board called “4chan.” Mesmerized by Q’s cryptic clues (which were, in reality, baseless rumors), anonymous users began obsessively tracking his posts and the QAnon movement took hold.
QAnon support is rare—a Pew Research poll from March 2020 found only 3 percent of Americans know “a lot” about the theory while 76 percent know “nothing at all”—but those who do support it are deeply invested.
And some of those 3 percent are running for Congress.
GOP primary candidates Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Greene and Jo Rae Perkins have won the hearts of Republican voters in their states. While Perkins secured a Senate primary victory in Oregon and Boebert ousted a Trump-backed incumbent in Colorado’s 3rd District primary, Greene is well on her way to win a House GOP primary runoff in Georgia.
QAnon’s Oregon contender, Jo Rae Perkins, has no realistic shot at beating her Democratic incumbent, Sen. Jeff Merkley. But she won nearly 200,000 votes in her GOP primary—earning almost 50 percent of the vote in a four-person race—and she has garnered national headlines for some of her bolder proclamations. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Greene, however, have a real chance at winning the general election in each of their districts.
If you looked at the COVID charts in any recent TMD, you will notice a widening gulf between the trend in new cases and the trend in daily deaths. The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson wrote quite possibly the best piece we’ve read on the subject, explaining what we know about this divergence—and what we don’t. “In the fog of pandemic, every statistic tells a story, but no one statistic tells the whole truth.”
Brad Polumbo wrote a piece for the Foundation for Economic Education that zeroes in on two Joe Biden policy positions—his support for AB 5 in California and his desire to repeal Section 230—that could dramatically damage the economic landscape for millions of Americans. President Trump has signaled a desire to limit Section 230 protections for tech companies as well, but AB 5, if nationalized, could essentially eliminate independent-contracting as we know it today. “From artists to musicians to freelance journalists to Uber drivers, thousands of California workers saw their livelihoods snuffed out by this bill,” Brad writes. “Even the original sponsor of the law, state Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, admitted she was ‘wrong’ in response to angry freelancers who lost work.”
Atlanta rapper Michael Render—Killer Mike—went viral last month for a speech he gave during the protests that erupted in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. But that moment was far from his first foray into politics. Donovan Ramsey went to Atlanta to profile Render for GQ, and came back fascinated by the contradictions. Killer Mike “is a proud ‘compassionate capitalist,’” Ramsey writes. “A small-business owner and landlord with multiple barbershops, a restaurant, and about $2 million in property across Atlanta. But he’s also backed democratic socialist candidates like Bernie Sanders, who, Mike has said, operates in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum, files lawsuit against blues singer Anita White who goes by the name Lady A https://t.co/vjA0ySmCpb
Toeing the Company Line
David and Sarah are going to need a breather after all these emergency pods. But they managed to muster one more episode of Advisory Opinions this week, and you’re not going to want to miss it. The duo talked about how many in the media misinterpreted the court’s decisions on Trump’s financial records.
This was a good week for small-L liberalism, David writes in his most recent French Press (🔒). An open letter published in Harper’s Magazine set the internet ablaze earlier this week. Even though some of its signatories have “hardly been stalwart defenders of free speech (especially from conservatives) in the past,” David argues the fact that so many are seeing the light now is a very positive development. “The cynic responds, ‘Oh, so now they’re worried, when their ox is finally gored.’ The better response is to say, ‘Welcome to the struggle, friend. This is exactly how things change.’”
On the site today, Andrew explains the state of play on COVID testing, and he notes the strain on the system. “First, there’s the test positivity rate, which tracks what percentage of COVID tests come back positive and thus helps us gauge the strength of our testing apparatus relative to the strength of the virus. Second, there’s the test turnaround time, which gives a sense of how backlogged the labs processing the tests are getting.”
“Today, the nostrum goes, it is not enough for Americans to be not racist. They must be “anti-racist.” … What, pray tell, is the difference between being against racism and being anti-racist?….”
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The Left Hands Over Their Cultural Playbook
First, thank you all for the many wonderful comments I received after sharing my thoughts and feelings on Independence Day. It was a pleasure to write and I’m so glad that BRIGHT readers so enthusiastically shared my love of this country; it really is the greatest in the world.
This week, the news seemed to shift around from ugly to depressing, as my fellow BRIGHT editors have pointed out in their editions. It can feel almost like we’re coming up short on wins as statues fall, band names change, and President Trump’s SCOTUS nominees rule against him.
But something has shifted, and I think it’s an important moment for us in our fight for continued liberty and for our history.
After President Trump’s speech from Mount Rushmore on Friday evening, we saw just how willing the media is to blatantly lie about reality just to further the narrative of the hardline progressive left. We also saw an attempt by leftist academics and writers to speak out against cancel culture thwarted so badly that it transformed into a circular firing squad. Further, we saw a prime-time anchor on CNN explain that no, in fact, the lives of Black children don’t matter as much as the ones with Marxist political weight.
“Start your own movement,” Don Lemon actually said when Terry Crews dared to criticize Black Lives Matter for not including the rampant deaths on the streets of American cities. That’s shocking, of course but what the media, academia, and Don Lemon accomplished was to draw a clear outline of their position and how far they are willing to go to achieve what they want. That’s actually helpful. What they did, by way of sheer greed and idiocy, was hand over their battle plans to us.
We can win the cultural war, no matter how tough it seems, because we now know exactly how ugly of a beast we’re up against. Make no mistake, we must win the cultural war because the ultimate goal of the Black Lives Matter organization, the Marxist activists, and the Democrats who support them is to make America a much worse place to live; they want a place where children who are murdered in the street are not mourned by communities and their killers aren’t prosecuted. They want most of the country to feel guilty for crimes and misdeeds they never even imagined committing, and they want that to continue indefinitely.
And right now, they are very much winning. Take even a cursory glance at your email inbox and you will find statement after statement about commercial America bowing down to this mob of dangerous lunatics. They have control over media, entertainment, technology, and academia. We are the silent majority that will have to break our silence. But we can prevail. Rock on.
The Progressive Left Is Becoming Blatantly Racist
Dave Marcus said something in the Federalist yesterday that some have been afraid to say, but we all know it to be incredibly true:
“Progressives have no trouble at all saying that people who reject their newspeak version of racism are in fact racist. Up until now conservatives have largely resisted reaching the logical conclusion of their definition of racism, which is essentially discrimination based on skin color. That has to change now. The blatant racial bigotry of the left must be called out. It is no longer an esoteric academic debate; it is a crisis that threatens to tear the country apart.
Take this tweet from Farnaz Fassihi, a journalist at the New York Times, in reaction to a letter calling for an end to cancel culture:
Allow me to be blunt. This tweet is patently, obviously and indisputably racist. The content of the letter is irrelevant to Fassihi. All she needs to know is the color of the skin of the people who spearheaded it to know that she not only disagrees with it, but must call it out. Refusing to engage with someone’s ideas because of their skin color is racist. All the post-modern and critical race theory mumbo jumbo in the world cannot change that basic fact.”
SCOTUS Cancels Part of Oklahoma, Decides It’s Still an Indian Reservation
This story is almost too wild to be true. But no, Gorsuch joined the leftist faction of the Court again yesterday and ruled in favor of a child rapist to effectively cancel an enormous portion of the state of Oklahoma. State officials now fear that thousands of inmates could be released because of the decision. More on this from my colleague Bronson Stocking at Townhall:
“A large part of Oklahoma was just canceled. The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that millions of acres in eastern Oklahoma — including Tulsa, the state’s second-largest city — are still part of an American Indian reservation.
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court agreed with a convicted rapist who argued that his 1997 rape conviction should be overturned because the state of Oklahoma lacked jurisdiction. Neil Gorsuch sided with the liberal wing, ruling that Congress failed to disestablish the 1866 boundaries of the reservation. The decision is a can of worms, raising far more questions than it answers regarding the status of other criminal convictions, the state’s ability to enforce regulations, and millions of U.S. citizens who now find themselves on tribal lands and possibly subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
More Links for the Weekend
Democrats Saying ‘No One Is Above the Law’ Is Hypocritical Hogwash (Townhall)
‘We Are Not Going to Take This Crap Anymore’: LAPD Scorns Nationwide Effort to Bring Them Down (Townhall)
One of my favorite NYC moms, Karol Markowicz, details how absurd and terrible Bill de Blasio’s plan for NYC schools is (New York Post)
To Save America, We Must Reject Racial Politics For ‘All Men Are Created Equal’ (The Federalist)
Here’s What This Liberal University Did When an Incoming Student Dared to Say She Supported Trump (Townhall)
And finally, this week I voiced my belief that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio must resign if the city has any hope of recovery. Watching him paint on the street with Al Sharpton on Thursday while businesses closed, and a man was gunned down just three miles from where he stood only solidified my concern. He’s got to go.
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 10, 2020 01:00 am
Could a good employment lawyer argue that an employer’s or university’s support for BLM constitutes an actionable hostile work environment or hostile learning environment? Read More…
Jul 10, 2020 01:00 am
We all know that the worst racism is far behind us, and now it is safe to make race the smokescreen because other issues won’t galvanize the people. Read More…
Jul 10, 2020 01:00 am
No one has spoken more forcefully about the social and psychological conditions that generate and sustain ideological tyranny than Nadezhda Mandelstam. Read More…
Virginia circling the Green New Drain
Jul 10, 2020 01:00 am
It took the newly empowered Virginia Dems less than six months, but the state is now paying a heavy price for the last election. Read more…
LO needs Trump ‘mucho mucho’
Jul 10, 2020 01:00 am
President Lopez-Obrador of Mexico really needs a strong U.S. economic recovery and lots of help on the border. Read more…
The SPLC and transgender
Jul 10, 2020 01:00 am
Parents don’t let children destroy their growth patterns unless they are very, very confused about what constitutes being a parent. Read more…
Beating Trump will not go well for Democrats
Jul 10, 2020 01:00 am
Regular Joe and Jane Schmo, deplorables with bad habits like food, family, and shelter, will teach them a little about American ingenuity. Read more…
Kanye West pulverizes the Democrats
Jul 09, 2020 01:00 am
Pretty well explains why Kanye’s candidacy is drawing rage-filled threats from the Democrats and some … curious encouragement from President Trump Read more…
Police in West Vancouver, British Columbia, called a tire mark on a rainbow pride crosswalk a “gesture of hate,” City News reported. What are the details? The rainbow pride crosswalk at the intersection of 16th Street and Esquimalt Avenue was unveiled June 30: A big Thank You to everyone who joined us today, for the official unveiling of our new … Read more
Supposedly conservative Supreme Court defies Trump . . . The conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court, with Chief Justice Roberts leading the way, has distinctly staked out its independence from President Donald Trump by delivering a series of setbacks to him and his administration in pivotal cases. The court ended its nine-month term on Thursday by rejecting Trump’s sweeping assertions of presidential immunity in a ruling that paves the way for a New York prosecutor to obtain the president’s financial records, which he has sought to conceal. The court also rejected Trump’s broad arguments for preventing Congress from obtaining similar records and sent the matter back to lower courts for further consideration. Those rulings were only the latest setbacks for the Republican president in the past month from a nine-member court that until this term generally backed him in big cases. The court also ruled against Trump in blocking him from rescinding an immigration program created by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, in expanding LGBT rights and in striking down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law defended by his administration. Roberts was in the majority in all of those rulings. Reuters
Coronavirus
Schools are hoping to reopen, but science is uncertain . . . Children are clearly at low risk of serious illness from covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. Research suggests they’re also less likely to get infected to begin with. But it’s unclear to what extent they can still transmit it to each other and to vulnerable adults — such as their teachers or family members. “The data that is clear is that children do not get serious consequences of infection compared to adults,” Anthony Fauci said. The anecdotal evidence, he said, is that children do not transmit the coronavirus to adults as readily as adults infect one another. But, he acknowledged, “the definitive study has not been done.” Washington Post
Plasma therapy offers hope . . . Convalescent plasma therapy has given doctors hope that an effective treatment for the coronavirus is already here, even if the evidence of its successes is anecdotal. “It is a very safe procedure, and it is also very effective because we have seen patients who we were able to get them off the ventilator fairly quickly,” said Dr. Sohail Rao, executive vice president of the DHR Health system in Texas. Convalescent plasma therapy is an experimental treatment in which doctors take blood from a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 and whose body has antibodies that it created to fight the virus. Doctors then take the liquid part of the blood, called plasma, and transfuse it into the patient’s blood. Washington Examiner
Maryland man could be among first successfully vaccinated against COVID-19 . . . A Maryland man believes he could be one of the first people successfully vaccinated against coronavirus after his body produced antibodies in response to a trial. David Rach hailed the ‘promising’ results from a trial at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, where US drugs giant Pfizer and German firm BioNTech are gearing up to mass-produce the vaccine if it proves effective.
Rach, a graduate immunology student at the university, said his body was generating more antibodies than the levels seen in recovering virus patients after he was the first person injected in the trial. Daily Mail
China finds virus in shrimp . . . China said samples of imported shrimp tested positive for the coronavirus, raising questions again over whether the pathogen can spread through food or frozen products. The virus tested positive on both the inside and outside of the shrimp packaging, said China’s General Administration of Customs. The samples were from three Ecuadorian plants, and imports from those processors will be halted, it said.
“The test result doesn’t mean the virus is contagious, but reflects the loopholes in companies’ food safety regulations,” said Bi Kexin, director of the food import and export safety bureau in the customs department. Bloomberg
Et tu, shrimp?
Politics
Poll finds Biden leading by just four points . . .A new Hill-HarrisX general election poll has some encouraging news for President Trump. Joe Biden’s lead over Mr. Trump has dropped in recent weeks. “The poll found Biden’s lead has narrowed from last month’s bump, where Trump was trailing the former Vice President by 10 percentage points,” the poll analysis said. Mr. Biden’s lead is now down to four percentage points in the poll of 933 registered U.S. voters conducted July 3-4. “Forty-three percent of registered voters said they would support Biden for president if the election were held today. By contrast, 39% of voters said the same of Trump,” the analysis said. Washington Times
It’s amazing, and it happens all the time. Our political pundits see something happening, and they think that’s the way things will be months down the road. And then they’re shocked when things change. Even though things always change. Trump can still easily win reelection.
Video || Pelosi thinks it’s fine if mobs tear down statues . . . This is perhaps the worst part of the problem we face today. Our leaders are afraid to stand up to the mob. “People will do what they do,” Pelosi said when asked if statues should be taken down as the result of a vote by a commission rather than toppled by a mob raging in the night. Thoroughly disgusting. The Speaker of the House approves of rank lawlessness. We are in a bad place. White House Dossier
Two thirds disapprove of Trump’s handling of coronavirus . . . President Donald Trump is facing broad disapproval for his management of the two major crises gripping the nation, with two-thirds of Americans giving him low marks for both his response to the coronavirus pandemic and his handling of race relations, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday. Evaluation of Trump’s oversight of the COVID-19 crisis reached a new low since ABC News/Ipsos began surveying on the coronavirus in March, with 67% disapproving of his efforts. One-third of the country approves of the president’s oversight of the pandemic. ABC News
Supreme Court rules Democratic prosecutor can see Trump tax returns . . . The Supreme Court Thursday rules Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., a liberal Democrat, has the authority to subpoena the records from Trump’s private accounting firm.But in a ruling that may help keep the returns private, at least through Election Day, the Court said Congress can’t have them.
According to the Washington Examiner: President Trump’s accountants will have to hand over years of financial records and tax returns after the Supreme Court ruled that he did not have immunity from a grand jury investigation in New York. The justices voted 7-2. White House Dossier Biden would force religious groups to pay for abortions
De Blasio cancels all large events — except Black Lives Matter protests . . . Mayor Bill de Blasio is permitting Black Lives Matter protesters to continue marching through city streets while canceling all large events through September. Speaking on CNN Thursday night, de Blasio said the demonstrators’ calls for social justice were too important to stop after more than a month of demonstrations have not led to an outbreak of coronavirus cases. “This is a historic moment of change. We have to respect that but also say to people the kinds of gatherings we’re used to, the parades, the fairs — we just can’t have that while we’re focusing on health right now,” de Blasio told host Wolf Blitzer. New York Post
Sorry, New York. You voted for this guy.
National Security
China will retaliate against US sanctions over Xinjiang as feud escalates . . . China said Friday it will retaliate against U.S. officials and institutions following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on three local officials of the ruling Communist Party over human rights abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. China “strongly opposes and condemns” the Trump administration’s decision to bar the three officials from entering the U.S., the latest in a series moves taken against China as relations deteriorate over the coronavirus pandemic, human rights, Hong Kong and trade. CNBC
International
Seoul mayor kills self after sexual harassment charges . . . Park Won-soon, 64, was found dead in the woods of Mount Bugak near his official residence in central Seoul, shortly after midnight. He was first reported missing by his daughter Thursday evening, who said he left a message “sounding like a will” before he vanished. Park said he is “sorry” to everyone and specifically mentioned that he is sorry to his family for “causing only pain.” The mayor was reportedly facing a probe into the allegations after a female former secretary filed a criminal complaint on Wednesday over unwanted “physical contact” and “inappropriate” messages. In accordance with the law, the case was automatically terminated upon the mayor’s death. Yonhap News Agency
Pneumonia deadlier than coronavirus said to be seeping across Kazakhstan . . . Kazakhstan is facing a deadly ‘unknown pneumonia’ more dangerous than coronavirus, China has claimed. The alert comes as the Kazakh authorities have admitted both a ‘second wave’ spike in Covid-19 but also a sharp rise in pneumonia cases. The Kazakh health ministry insisted on Friday the Chinese pneumonia claim was ‘not true’ despite an apparent surge in cases not confirmed as coronavirus. Daily Mail
Money
AOC, Julian Castro lead call to boycott Goya foods after CEO praises Trump . . . The CEO of Goya Foods, which bills itself as the country’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, praised President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House on Thursday. Social backlash followed. The hashtags #Goyaway and #BoycottGoya soon began trending on Twitter, while some Latinos also expressed disappointment with the CEO’s praise for a president who they say continuously attacks Latinos. “Oh look, it’s the sound of me Googling ‘how to make your own Adobo,'” U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter. USA Today
Hispanic “leaders” move to destroy a successful Hispanic company that provides authentic Hispanic food because of its chief’s political views. Next thing you know, they’ll say Amazon shouldn’t come to New York City and create tens of thousand of jobs.
You should also know
Supreme Court rules half of Oklahoma a Native American reservation . . . The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday recognized about half of Oklahoma as Native American reservation land and overturned a tribe member’s rape conviction because the location where the crime was committed should have been considered outside the reach of state criminal law. The justices ruled 5-4 in favor of a man named Jimcy McGirt and agreed that the site of the rape should have been recognized as part of a reservation based on the historical claim of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation – beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities.The decision means that much of eastern Oklahoma is legally considered reservation land. More than 1.8 million people live in the land at issue, including roughly 400,000 in Tulsa, Oklahoma’s second-largest city. Reuters
I don’t know. Given everything else, this almost seems normal.
Penn State faculty deletes a “disgusting” tweet stating that conservative views matter . . . After intense backlash, the Pennsylvania State University liberal arts department deleted a tweet ensuring conservative students that their voices matter. The original tweet was a picture with the title “Dear Students: You Belong Here” followed by various affirmations of black, Muslim, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ students. It also had a message for conservatives: “Dear conservative students, your viewpoints are important.” Campus Reform
Guilty Pleasures
Students ask Satan for help ridding campus of conservative group . . . Student activists are demanding that a Texas public university remove a conservative group from campus and have even invoked satanic witch rituals to aid the campaign. Students at the University of North Texas created a petition calling for the removal of the school’s Young Conservatives of Texas chapter for “hateful actions.” The petition, signed by the UNT College Democrats, the multicultural group MUEVE, and the queer alliance group GLAD, claims the conservatives “harassed” LGBT groups and multicultural organizations. One activist took the campaign a step further by performing satanic witch rituals against the group’s female leader. Washington Free Beacon
I think Satan would be glad to help.
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When you encounter an entity that repeatedly lies to you, slanders you, mocks you, hides things from you, and actively tries to mislead you, should you conclude it is anything but your enemy?
Parents who object that trans bathroom policies endanger their daughters are dismissed as ‘transphobic.’ But parental warnings have been tragically borne out.
Nothing rationally related to the judicial appointment process explains such a wholesale repudiation of norms that had prevailed for more than two centuries.
Watching the news, you would never guess that the research found black officers were just as likely as white officers to shoot an unarmed black suspect.
These scientists are attempting to hide information that doesn’t conform to what roving violent mobs are attempting to impose at the blunt ends of bricks, sticks, and guns.
In light of such awful coverage of such an important time in our nation’s history, it’s absurd for the Post to prioritize virtue signaling over fixing its massive reporting failures.
The decision could radically change criminal justice in the state, cast doubt on thousands of convictions, and endanger protections for tribal children.
Since the media and Democrat governors won’t tell the American people the truth about the coronavirus, President Trump should level with the public instead.
The Transom is a daily email newsletter written by publisher of The Federalist Ben Domenech for political and media insiders, which arrives in your inbox each morning, collecting news, notes, and thoughts from around the web.
“You must read The Transom. With brilliant political analysis and insight into the news that matters most, it is essential to understanding this incredible moment in history. I read it every day!” – Newt Gingrich
Historically, elections have usually been a choice between two similar candidates, one campaigning slightly to the left and the other slightly to the right. Often times, our vote is seen as a “lesser of two evils” choice. This election is different.
In November, we’ll have the choice between a patriotic, American-loving president in Donald Trump who has a high value for the United States Constitution and a leftist candidate in Joe Biden who will surely enact big government, socialist laws.
However, here’s the biggest danger as Conservatives: If Donald Trump is not re-elected, we face the likely reality of America never being the same again. What do I mean by that? If Joe Biden becomes president, we are going to see illegal immigrants become citizens… that’s millions of votes for the Democrat Party. We’ll see felons getting the right to vote, which will be more votes for the Democrat Party. We’ll see mail-in ballots be expanded… again, this will expand the number of Democrat voters. We’ll see Washington DC become a state, which, again, will give the Dems two more Senators. We have to understand the ramifications of a Biden presidency, and it’s more than just the next four years.
If Joe Biden becomes president, it may be decades before we see another Republican president, if we ever see one again at all. You may think that this is too strong of a stance, but I’m simply looking at the numbers, what the Democrats are trying to accomplish, and I don’t see any positives coming out of a Biden presidency or virtually any chance of coming back from it.
So what does that mean for us today? Let’s do everything we can to elect President Trump! Even if you don’t like him, he’s our only chance at preserving freedom and liberty in the United States of America. Think about it, he’ll definitely be more conservative and more Constitutional than Joe Biden. On top of that, if he wins, we have a chance of winning in 2024, simply because of the fact that amnesty won’t happen, DC won’t become a state and felons won’t get the right to vote. If we want to preserve America, President Trump has to get re-elected.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
Kanye West has thrown his hat into the ring of presidential candidates for the 2020 election, running as a candidate from “The Birthday Party”. At first, everyone thought that this was just a big joke. But then, he began giving interviews and talking about his campaign, and it seems as if there’s a chance that he’s being serious, even going so far as to state his platform.
During this episode of Freedom One-On-One with Jeff Dornik, Ginger (co-host of the show Fighting the Void) actually shared that he believes that Kanye poses an interesting twist into the 2020 election: Kanye West might be the most Conservative candidate in the race.
Now, the interesting thing is that many have been saying, including myself, that Kanye West running for president isn’t going to take votes away from President Trump, but away from Joe Biden. The MAGA crowd that likes Kanye do so because of his support for Trump. So he’s not going to take votes away from that angle. However, he will probably take votes away from Joe Biden in regards to the Black Vote.
The variable is whether Kanye can steal some votes away from the conservative side of the aisle in the form of the Evangelical vote. You may remember that Kanye has appeared to give his life over to God, and has been releasing Christian music now. Additionally, his stated platform is an extremely socially conservative platform, even going so far as to say that he is pro-life because that’s what he reads in the Bible.
So the question becomes, who will conservatives vote for in November? President Trump, who has the best chance of winning and has been a surprisingly conservative president in regards to how he governs, or Kanye West, who’s platform is more in line with traditional Evangelical beliefs?
No matter what happens with Kanye West’s campaign, it’s going to be an interesting campaign. I’m just looking forward to watching a Trump, Biden & Kanye debate! Now, THAT will be entertaining!
Subscribe to Freedom One-On-One with Jeff Dornik on Apple Podcasts.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
Conservatives are well aware that many of the various local and national organizations we support are under attack from the left. Democrats in major universities are using the clout bestowed on them by the Youth Indoctrination Centers (also known as “universities”) they attend to try to take down chapters of organizations, but the Young Conservatives of Texas chapter at the University of North Texas is under attack from a different group: Witches.
In addition to this petition, YCT at UNT and Neidert have had threats of violence leveled against them, and they claim their account was recently hacked.
Neidert has been the target of doxxing (attempts to publish her private and identifying information on the internet) by a member of antifa, as well as hexes.
“As the executive director for the Young Conservatives of Texas, a petition by left-wing radicals to kick a chapter off campus for doing standard conservative activism is nothing new,” Manfred Wendt told Texas Scorecard. He said he wished to remind Smatresk that censoring students’ First Amendment rights “will reflect poorly on the university” and challenged him to use this as a teachable moment to educate students on free speech.
The fight is real, folks. Many conservatives may laugh at threats of hexes and spells, but there is a legitimate and dangerous evil motivating this behavior. We need to continue to call out the far left for their antics.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
The Neal Sutz story is definitely one that is terrifying. To think that the government could take away your children and not give them back without a justifiable reason should scare the socks right off of you!
Neal joined Freedom One-On-One with Jeff Dornik on the Freedom First Network to share his account of what has transpired in the custody fight of his live. He’s trying to get his children back from the government of Switzerland, and the ins-and-outs of his story are quite shocking.
According to Neal, many of the world’s big players are tied to this case, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CPS and even Judge Amy Berman Jackson (the judge overseeing the trial of both Paul Manafort and Roger Stone).
One of the key aspects of this story is that Neal is facing a battle against a government that doesn’t hold to American values. For example, we often times take for granted our freedom of speech and due process. For Neal, he explains that he’s actually quite limited in his fight to get his children back due to the repercussions he could face for speaking out and the limitations within the trial process.
The other important factor with Neal’s case is that he and his children are American citizens. Yet, the American government isn’t stepping in to reunite these American children with their father. It’s also surprising that our government isn’t even simply demanding that they be sent back to the US since they are citizens of America.
There’s a lot of information to digest when it comes to this Neal Sutz case… so much more than can be discussed in a single podcast. The important thing is to do what’s best for those children and to protect our Constitutional Rights as Americans. Let’s definitely keep an eye on this case and I hope that the truth will prevail.
Subscribe to Freedom One-On-One with Jeff Dornik on Apple Podcasts.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – Many Texas parents who are concerned about sending children back to school in August are switching to homeschooling.
Following the release of the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) school reopening guidelines on July 7, Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) saw an immediate increase in calls and emails from new families, with parents asking how they can start homeschooling.
On July 7, the TEA announced that public schools would be reopening for the fall semester beginning in August. Concern from parents over the health risks and logistical problems involved with returning to public schools during the pandemic may lead to historically high numbers of families choosing to homeschool.
Over the last 20 years in Texas, homeschooling has increased an average of seven percent each year. In 2018, nearly 25,000 students withdrew from public school to homeschool in Texas.
Before the pandemic, the leading reason for homeschooling cited by parents was concern about safety and the environment at public schools. This concern may only increase because of new risks created from COVID-19.
Under the TEA’s new guidelines, students over age 10 will be required to wear masks at school. Parents could be required to choose between either online or in-person instruction. They would not be allowed to switch their student from one to the other for a six-week grading period.
The potential for their children’s school to be shut down partially during the school year if coronavirus case numbers rise is also a concern for parents. A poll from Real Clear Opinion Research in May showed that 40 percent of parents indicate they may switch to virtual school or homeschooling.
Schools in the Houston area have reported that as many as 50 percent of their parents may not be sending their children back to the school campus.
THSC has developed an online tool to assist families who choose to withdraw from the public school system, as well as a first steps to homeschooling packet that families can use to get started.
With so many homeschool resources currently available, families have options for structure and consistency in their children’s education despite the current upheaval in the public education system.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
We’re back with another exciting episode of Zone Authority, with your congenial—and sometimes pleasantly imbibed—host, Marc Giller. Today we continue our quest sticking it to the Man with possibly the biggest Man ever to get stuck, the global(ist) trotter Thomas Friedman, who comes on the scene today with a column on how Joe Biden should duck debates with Donald Trump unless certain, shall we say, conditions are met. Surprisingly, his demands don’t include Trump confessing to pulling the D.B. Cooper job and leading the NYT gang to where he stashed the loot, but we can see where this is headed.
The Democrats want Americans to elect Biden leader of the free world—they just don’t want to give us the chance to notice that he’s a few clucks short of a dozen, if ya know what I mean.
After that, we talk schools opening this fall. . .or closing. . .or partially reopening. . .or whatever, it’s getting too hard to keep up with what the leftist educational establishment is more afraid of: catching the ‘rona to Trump getting re-elected. Any any rate, it’s the civil rights issue of our time—and Republicans better treat it as such if they want to win this November.
And even though it seems like it’s an easy target, who can resist the story of Lady Antebellum, who got so woke they changed their name to the same moniker used by an actual African-American blues singer and are now suing her for their trouble.
It’s all in a day’s work for your Zone Authoritarian.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
Despite the best combined efforts of leftist Democrats and their Fake News minions to keep America in a total panic throughout the spring, the political manipulations of the Wuhan Flu “Pandemic” eventually became evident, as people began to notice that the streets across America were not littered with the bodies of the dead. As the days dragged on and the weather warmed, the devastating effects of everything except the virus began to take their collective toll on the nation.
The economy was in a shambles, domestic abuse and suicide rates skyrocketed, and the general health and wellbeing of Americans who had never been touched by the virus had nonetheless taken a huge hit. So, in defiance of the “experts” whose dire prognostications had been completely wrong, doors opened and people stepped cautiously out into the daylight. To their amazement, they lived to tell of the experience.
With Memorial Weekend approaching, the rebound across the nation was rapid and profound. Unemployment rates plummeted as Americans happily went back to work. Summer tourism began to recover, and Americans were once again making plans to get their lives back to the flourishing prosperity that they had been enjoying only a few months prior. But that which is good for America is, by definition, bad for the leftist Democrats and their strategy of maximizing the crisis to seize political power.
So it was that on May 25, when George Floyd was cruelly murdered in Minneapolis by a policeman who had a long history of abuses and excesses, leftists had their new “cause” on which they could exuberantly pounce, in order to continue their manipulations of the American people through crisis and pandemonium. Protests against the horrendous event quickly escalated into riots, with leftist Democrat politicians once again given center stage on the nightly news to raise racial discord and stoke the anger to a horrific crescendo.
Suddenly, the Wuhan virus pandemic was passé. Leftist Fake News minions completely reversed their opposition to public gatherings, virtually claiming that the “worthiness” of the cause of rioters and looters rendered them immune to any contagious disease. Leftists’ biggest fear, that the nation might be returning to normality just in time for the November election, were relieved. With George Floyd’s fate disappearing into the dust and smoke of looted and burning cities, leftists could now climb on to their phony “moral high ground” with almost unassailable clout.
Citing one contrived example after another, they decried “white privilege” and “systemic racism,” insisting that every vestige of American history be erased and replaced with leftist dogma and leftist icons. George Washington and Christopher Columbus were verboten, but Karl Marx remained. Somehow, violent assaults, vandalism, arson, and the destruction of small urban businesses (many of which were black owned), became a worthy tribute to George Floyd and all those other victims of a universally discredited white America.
Still, like all purely emotional movements, the energy of this manipulation has been fading, and order is increasingly being restored. The Department of Justice is steadily identifying BLM and antifa criminals who perpetrated the destruction and harm, and is diligently apprehending them. So of course the left was forced to change the subject in order to continue the turmoil.
On cue came the “second wave” of the conveniently dormant pandemic. And with it, a newly aggressive demand that Americans show their deference to “Pandemic Version 2.0” by wearing those masks. And this time, leftists are even more brazen in their actual purpose of this manipulative effort. The masks are not really about stopping the “spread of the disease” or “saving lives.” In truth they are quite useless in that regard. Rather, they are a public display of fealty to the leftist Democrat overseers, ominously reminiscent of the deferential and mandatory “Sieg Heil” at every greeting of the Nazi faithful, during the Reich.
Every prominent “expert” from Dr. Fauci to Tom Hanks vehemently stipulates that Americans have a duty to wear them. But in both cases, they tip their hands, proving that the masks are only about teaching Americans to blindly submit to the edicts of the left. Hanks explains that his esteemed “respect” is only given to those who wear masks.
Fauci is even more transparent, claiming that they are needed not for any medical purpose, but to “show support” to others who drank the leftist Kool-Aid and are wearing theirs. Fauci’s hypocrisy is on record, having early on admitted that they serve no useful medical purpose. He is also seen in a covert video, removing his, the instant he thinks the cameras are off.
First prize for the most transparent and shameless leftist Democrat liar goes to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo, who on June 7 proudly posted this on Twitter: “If you’re traveling to New York from the following states you must self-quarantine for 14 days. The states are: AL, AR, AZ, CA, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, KS, LA, MS, NC, NV, OK, SC, TN, TX, UT.” New York, with the absolute worst record for mishandling the situation and the highest death tolls to prove it, wants to tell nineteen other states that they should still follow Cuomo’s lead!
Despite all of the truly disgraceful leftist Democrat grandstanding. Americans are indeed waking up to the abominable pandemic and race scams. The supposed renewal of skyrocketing cases is clearly not translating to a concurrent rise in fatalities. Those rates are plummeting. Alarmist proclamations across the entire lockstep Fake News apparatus cause brief dips in the markets, followed quickly by rebounds. And outside of leftist Democrat states, with their increasing resemblance to third world hell-holes, the nation is showing signs of inoculation against the disease of left-wing ideology.
The despicable scam just isn’t working like it did back in the spring. Each new cry of “wolf” is more shrill than anything previous, but less effective. The masks go on among the fearful, but the rest of America is seeing through all of it and refusing to take the bait.
So it is indeed time to celebrate, but also to be on high alert. With November approaching, it is absolutely assured that leftist Democrats have no intention of seeing a national rebound. They are planning something very big and very sinister, in hopes of taking America down once again. Our best defense against their vile scheme is to warn everyone that it is coming, and that despite claims that we are facing some new apocalypse, it’s all just more of the same leftist lies and manipulations.
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
The other night Tucker Carlson led off with an opening monologue that went straight to what is at stake in the upcoming election. One can always tell when he’s properly skewered the liberty hating left when his name trends on twitter. As the saying should go – you only catch FLAK when you’re approaching the target [that’s a matter of physics and evasive maneuvers].
He showed some clips of the President’s superb speech at mount Rushmore and summarized the issues we are facing in the fall. We’ve already provided a thumbnail sketch on the sheer insanity of voting Democrat. But this is much larger than just a few issues of the left’s socialist national agenda.
“It’s been considered out-of-bounds to question a person’s patriotism. It’s a very strong charge and we try not to make it, but in the face of all of this, the conclusion can’t be avoided,” Carlson said during his opening monologue of “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“These people actually hate America. There’s no longer a question about that. And yet, at the same time, they desperately want to control America more than anything, and that leads to the most basic of all questions: Can you really lead a country that you hate?” the host asked.
We cannot do justice to Mr. Tucker’s monologue, or the President’s speech. Both are well worth watching in full. Nor can we address all the lies that the left promulgated with regard to the speech. Some of those articles are also well worth reading in the context of having actually viewing the speech.
We would like to echo the comments of video journalist Tim Pool in noting the outright lie from the left that this was about Confederate statues when he didn’t even mention Confederate statues.
The national socialist left hates the very ideas on which this country is founded upon.
This goes way beyond the left’s unhinged hatred of certain symbols to the very ideals on which this nation was founded. They’ve tried to maintain the patriotism pretense, but the stress is getting to them. There was a time when they would just let the mask slip ever so slightly. However, for various reasons they’ve ripped off the mask and thrown it away.
This nation was founded on what was a brand new idea. That government derived it’s ‘just powers from the consent of the governed’ and that individuals had certain unalienable rights endowed by their Creator; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, and the purpose of government was to secure these Rights.
The left is based on collectivist ideals.
These ideas run counter to the left’s ancient playbook that maintains a collectivist viewpoint towards society. This is the basis of their socialist national agenda and the reason they cannot deal with our history of introducing these ideas to the rest of the world.
Try as they might, they have to erase the discussion of these ideas because it holds up a mirror and illustrates the inherent immorality of their agenda.
Collectivism and slavery are based on the same evil ideals.
Their viewpoint is based on collective ‘rights’ whereby everyone is merely a cog in a machine meant to produce for others to consume. Where one’s claim on societal ‘wealth’ is predicated on certain arbitrary factors instead of personal productivity, with their control of society based on their control of these arbitrary factors.
The left’s ideology is based on a collective claim on everyone’s productivity. An inherent claim on someone’s productivity is also called slavery. They prefer to dress up their inherent predilection towards slavery with fancy sayings such as “Common Good Before Individual Good” or “Gemeinnutz vor Eigennutz” in the original German. But it’s slavery none the less.
That is why they are attacking the history of abolitionism and the statues of Abraham Lincoln and Frederic Douglas. They have to create a smokescreen of chaos to avoid the real issues at stake in November.
The Bottom-Line: What is truly at stake in November.
Their base ideology is set in concepts that are truly evil. That is the truth they must keep hidden under a pile of garbage covered with ‘Antifa’ graffiti. We have a stark choice in November between individual liberty and collectivist slavery.
The nation’s socialist left cannot allow the discussion to verge into the foundational ideas of the country. That is why they spend so much time highlighting irrelevant bovine excreta, pandemic panic, and racial division.
They aren’t hypersensitive to the discussions of certain topics because it would hurt their feelings. The left has to avoid these topics because it shows them in the wrong. Their ancient ideology is inherently immoral, that is why discussion of it is verboten.
Mr. Carlson’s concluding words in the video succinctly summarized why the nation’s socialist left should never be close to the levers of power:
The leaders of today’s Democratic Party do not [Love this country]. They despise this country. They have said so. They continue to do so, that is shocking, but it is also disqualifying.
We cannot let them run this nation, because they hate it…
Join fellow patriots as we form a grassroots movement to advance the cause of conservatism. The coronavirus crisis has prompted many, even some conservatives, to promote authoritarianism. It’s understandable to some extent now, but it must not be allowed to embed itself in American life. We currently have 8000+ patriots with us in a very short time. If you are interested, please join us to receive updates.
by Tony Perkins: Wednesday, the Supreme Court delivered two noteworthy victories for religious liberty. In Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania, the court upheld a Trump administration policy protecting conscience and religious freedom in the context of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). In Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, the court robustly defined the First Amendment rights of religious schools and institutions to determine who will teach and defend the tenets of their faith.
The first case is a saga that stretches back nearly a decade. Under the ACA, employers had been required to provide “preventative care and screening,” which had been interpreted by the Obama administration to include some abortion-causing drugs and services. As a religious organization, the Little Sisters of the Poor raised a conscientious objection to this mandate on the grounds that it contradicted the religious beliefs of the group. Threatened by tens of millions of crushing fines and harassed by those who desired to destroy the right to freely live out one’s faith and moral beliefs, the group received a victory in 2017 when the Trump administration decided that it would reverse the oppressive policies of the previous administration and not force entities to cover abortion-causing drugs and related services in violation of their consciences.
As the court observed, “for the past seven years,” the Little Sisters, “like many other religious objectors who have participated in the litigation and rulemakings leading up to [this] decision — have had to fight for the ability to continue in their noble work without violating their sincerely held religious beliefs.” Wednesday, the court vindicated their fight.
In the 7-2 opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas, the majority ruled that, “[…] the plain language of the statute clearly allows” the Trump administration to do this and promulgate protections under “religious and moral exemptions.” As FRC’s Travis Weber told me on Washington Watch, the “opinion said basically the government had the statutory authority to issue this rule under the Affordable Care Act and related regulations and related laws.” Further, the administration properly followed the Administrative Procedure Act. In addition to delivering a substantial win for religious liberty, the fact that seven justices agreed the administration acted properly affirms the legitimacy of the religious freedom policies the administration had advanced here.
In Our Lady of Guadalupe School, the court outlined First Amendment protections for religious liberty that will have important implications in the years ahead. The case arose because a teacher claimed she was improperly fired from a religious school. Yet as the court noted in an opinion joined by seven justices, religious entities must be the ones to determine who transmits their religious beliefs — the government cannot meddle here. As Justice Samuel Alito wrote, “[s]tate interference in that sphere would obviously violate the free exercise of religion, and any attempt by government to dictate or even to influence such matters would constitute one of the central attributes of an establishment of religion. The First Amendment outlaws such intrusion.”
But which employees carry on the faith of such institutions? As Travis observed, rather than just look at their titles, “the court quite rightly digs down deep, more deeply and says you have to look at what the person does, what the employee does for the institution, whether their role is one in which they’re entrusted with carrying forth the doctrines of the institution or the school and says, look, if they are, the school can determine or the religious institution can determine to fire them.”
Exactly right. More of such protections will be needed in the years ahead. In this case, as well as the first, the Trump administration’s policies and positions advanced through the Department of Justice were vindicated at the court. Both of President Trump’s appointments to the court were on the right side of the cases, and Justice Gorsuch joined strong concurrences in both cases (one authored by Justice Alito and the other by Justice Thomas). Alarmingly, Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor offered words of disdain and hostility to religious belief and dissented in both cases.
Even in the courts, religious liberty hangs in the balance. For those who say elections don’t matter in such cases, they need to think again.
Tags:Tony Perkins, Family Research Center, FRC, Family Research Council, SCOTUS, Delivers Wins, for Religious LibertyTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: Sanders Says. . .
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders ran against the entire Democrat establishment, and he was adamant about it. The avowed socialist was unapologetic about his far-left policies no matter how many times he was called out for his bizarre stands and unaffordable programs.
As we told you yesterday, members of his staff are now helping to craft Joe Biden’s policy agenda. In fact, many sections of Biden’s so-called “unity platform” appear to be lifted literally word-for-word from Bernie’s platform. (I guess Joe still has a plagiarism problem!)
And Sanders can barely hide his glee. He declared that the unity platform, “if implemented, will make Biden the most progressive president since FDR.” And by “progressive” he means socialist. Not surprisingly, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is cheering too.
By the way, I’m not sure how many statues there are of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but today’s woke mobs would surely tear them all down.
FDR would not recognize today’s Democrat Party. He led the nation in prayer during World War II, and many progressives today are extremely hostile to faith. They are also hostile to the country Roosevelt defended, relentlessly attacking our history and institutions.
But here’s the bottom line: Joe Biden is no moderate. He’s no centrist. And you don’t have to take my word for it especially when socialist Bernie Sanders is the one saying so!
At A Tipping Point
The November election is just four months away. And with so much at stake and so much uncertainty, there’s a lot of speculation about the state of the presidential contest.
On the one hand, Stony Brook University Professor Helmut Norpoth, who correctly predicted Trump’s 2016 victory, says there’s a 91% chance the president will be reelected. And perhaps by an even bigger margin than last time. It’s worth noting that Norpoth’s model has correctly predicted presidential elections in 25 of 27 elections dating back to 1912.
On the other hand, the RealClearPolitics <average of polls shows Biden is leading Trump by 3.5 points in Arizona, 5 points in Florida, 7.5 points in Michigan, 3 points in North Carolina, and 6.5 points in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. There is virtually no scenario in which Trump wins the White House without carrying at least four of those six states.
Obviously, either the professor is wrong or these big media polls are wrong.
My point is this: America is at a tipping point and nothing is baked in.
Do not put your faith in models and do not believe the polls!
The election will be decided based on which side brings the most passion, the most organization and the most resources.
That’s why we’re working long hours here to expose Joe Biden’s extreme agenda, to support the Trump/Pence team and to help elect more pro-family, pro-life, pro-Trump conservatives to Congress.
Supremes Split
The Supreme Court ended its term today, and so the justices will soon split town until they reconvene in October. But before they wrapped up the 2019-2020 term, they issued split decisions in two cases involving demands for the president’s tax records.
In one case where a New York grand jury had issued a subpoena for Trump’s financial records, the justices rejected the president’s defense that he had absolute immunity from investigation by state officials. In the second case, the justices rejected a similar demand by House Democrats to subpoena the president’s banking records.
There is some logic to the rulings. The court declared that no one is above the law, and if state authorities have reasonable cause to investigate, then even the president must comply or at least go through the same legal process as every other citizen would.
That said, I do not believe that the left-wing bureaucrats in New York have anything remotely close to a reasonable cause for demanding the president’s tax records. It is, as he called it, “a political prosecution.”
At the same time, the court prevented House Democrats from launching yet another fishing expedition without probable cause. Had they prevailed in that case, it would have set a terrible precedent, subjecting every future president to endless harassment by partisan enemies.
Moreover, if Congress can compel the president to produce personal tax records from when he was a private citizen, then what’s to stop the president from demanding the same from every member of Congress?
The short-term result is that no one is likely to see the president’s tax records anytime soon as both cases are headed back to lower courts for additional legal wrangling.
Defending Faith
We’re still celebrating yesterday’s two great Supreme Court decisions on religious liberty. We won three out of our four this term on issues related to school choice, Obamacare’s contraception mandate and the right of religious schools to determine their own employment policies.
Of course, we lost a big one related to the definition of sex and gender under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which is in its own way a religious liberty issue.
You understand the important nature of these cases because we and others have been educating conservatives for decades about what is at stake in these critical court battles. Sadly, the average American does not understand the issues as well.
For example, the case against the Little Sisters of the Poor was a marker of just how far the left will go to destroy anyone who stands in its way. Progressives were willing to bring the full weight and power of the federal government down on the heads of nuns who care for the poor and the needy.
I have no doubt that most Americans would be outraged if they properly understood that. But that is not what the people are being told. Almost every article in the secular media is describing the case as the Trump Administration authorizing virtually every employer to deny contraception to their female employees. That is a complete lie.
This NBC News headline is a perfect example of the media’s deliberate distortion: “Supreme Court Ruling On Birth Control Has Some ‘Terrified’ About Potential Harm To Women.” If that is what most young women think the case is about, it’s not hard to understand why there might be a gender gap.
Any fair reporting would have noted that an iconic Catholic organization that serves the poor was saved from being forced to close if nuns did not provide abortifacient drugs. That’s an easy case to make in any truly tolerant society.
But the left isn’t interested in tolerance. It intends to force you to compromise your deeply held religious values no matter the cost.
Again, you don’t have to take my word for it. Joe Biden is vowing to repeal all of Trump’s religious liberty protections and fully reimpose Obamacare’s onerous contraception mandate. If given the opportunity, Biden will bankrupt the Little Sisters of the Poor, destroying their ministry and thousands of other faith-based ministries in the process.
Those are the stakes, my friends. Remember that in November.
——————- Gary Bauer (@GaryLBauer) is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families
Tags:Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families, Sanders Says, At A Tipping Point, Supremes SplitTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by John Porter, Contributing Author: First, please let me be very clear, what I have written here for your consideration is not about the Republican Party, Democrat Party, Independent Party, Libertarian Party, Tea Party or any other Party. It is about an idea conceived over two centuries ago, a country, a people, a document.
Two hundred and thirty three years ago (1787) a group of men whom we now refer to as the “founding fathers,” following a long and bloody battle for their independence from a dictatorial Monarchy, assembled themselves together in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and did their best to establish a country governed in a God-fearing way by representatives who were selected by the people who were to be governed.
No where in the history of all mankind were there any examples or even political theory in existence that offered them any hope that a republican form of government based on the new concept of consent of the governed, could succeed on a wilderness continent which was much larger than any European state.
These men met there on the world stage to carry out the first of three acts in this epic political drama, the drafting of the United States Constitution. The final document was the culmination of a fierce political struggle that had been waged for four sweltering summer months in secret behind guarded closed doors. The document sought to reconcile individual personal liberty with the perceived need for a central government with powers to forge a political and economic common market among thirteen separate and sovereign states.
The next two acts to be performed on this world stage were the ratification of the document and the translation from words on parchment paper to institutional form and structure. In 1789 the first congress approved and sent to the states for ratification, a bill of rights of individual liberty, and additional rights reserved to the states. Those ten amendments, ratified on December 15, 1791, became an extremely vital part of the Constitution and crucial to greatly limiting the power of the Federal Government over both that of the people and separate states. The Republic of the United States of America, an experiment in people governing themselves was now a reality for the first time in the history of man. Newcomers from other countries, willing to be governed by it’s Constitution and Bill of Rights, and themselves, came in droves through the established legal immigration process, to this new land of government by the governed.
I here bring to your attention that the United States of America was formed as a Republic and not a Democracy. All our lives you and I have been conditioned to believe we are a Democracy in America. How long has it been since you have heard of America referred to as a Republic? You see, there was purpose behind the words in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag referring to our country as, “the Republic for which it stands.” Ladies and gentlemen rest assured there is a very good reason the term “democracy” does not exist either in our Constitution or the Declaration of our Independence. A true Democracy is mob rule. Any government set up as a Democracy is the same government we would have if we were set up as a Socialist, Communist, or Marxist government. In these forms the government is a mob ruling over the people with absolutely no rights for individuals or minorities.
It has been written, “The Founders were extremely knowledgeable about the issue of democracy and feared democracy as much as a monarchy. They understood that the only entity that can take away the people’s freedom is their own government, either by being too weak to protect them from external threats or by becoming too powerful and taking over every aspect of life.” Democracy and/or Socialism is mob rule by government. The founders of America were all too familiar with democracies/socialism, and deliberately did everything in their power to prevent a Democracy. It has been written, “In a Republic, the sovereignty resides with the people themselves. In a Republic, one may act on his own or through his representatives when he chooses to solve a problem.” The people have no obligation to the government; the government is a servant of the people, and obliged to them, for they are its owner. Not only have many politicians, Republican and Democrat, lost sight of this fact, but a great many of the American people.
A Constitutional Republic has a Constitution that limits the powers of the government. The goal of our founding fathers in forming a Constitutional Republic was to avoid the disastrous extremes of either tyranny (absolute ruler) or “mobocracy.” (government mob). I borrowed the following from Darrell Huckaby: “I am tired of hearing about our democracy and the popular vote. We are not a democracy, and a whole lot of people should be really glad about that, too, because in a democracy, mob rule applies. The majority is the boss of everybody, and if we had been a democracy in 1865 slavery would have never been abolished. If we had been a democracy in 1920, the women would have never gotten the vote. If we had been a democracy in 1964 and 1965, those historic pieces of civil rights legislation would never have been approved. In fact, if we had been a democracy in 1776, the Declaration of Independence would never have been adopted because the majority of the colonists were afraid to pursue independence, just like a majority of Americans opposed women’s suffrage and abolition and sweeping civil rights reform.
For the record, Abraham Lincoln did not get a majority of the popular vote in 1860, and Bill Clinton did not get a majority of the popular vote in 1992 or 1996. “Oh, yes he did!” screamed one of my Facebook friends this week. “I know Lincoln got the most votes and so did Clinton.” Most means plurality, y’all. A majority is 50 percent plus one. And while we are on the subject, we are not a democratic republic, either, no matter what the revisionist history books might claim. That’s just a term Andrew Jackson coined for political purposes in the 1820s and it stuck with some people. We are a republic, period. We have a federalist form of government where the power is to be divided between the states and the central government and neither is subservient to the other. Both are to receive their powers directly from the people.”
Article IV Section 4 of the Constitution states: “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government”…If we the American people don’t stop this and start a reversal of the present trend, the free Republic of America will be lost for generations to come to a Socialist, tyrannical government mob. It begs the question, “Do we really care enough?” There seems to be a great awakening of all freedom loving Americans to the fact, that a people can become slaves to the government, as well as a plantation owner. Do you really care enough? I believe we said yes to that question on November 8th, 2016 by electing Donald Trump to start a reversal of the present trend toward government rule, and returning this country to people rule. Do we still care enough to keep him there for four more years. November 3, 2020 will will have the opportunity to do that or we can trade him for Joe Biden and a people run by government instead of a government run by a people. It is up to us!!
I urge you to forward this to your entire email list. WE CAN NOT SIT THIS OUT! November 3 is our chance to keep our Constitutional Republic, or lose it to Mob Rule.
————————————- John Porter is an Americans first, constitutional conservatives second. His allegiance is to the Constitution. He seeks to help save America from the grips of socialism and an all powerful, intrusive government, and from the evil of Islam. He is a contributing author to the ARRA News Service.
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. . . History’s ingredients of riot and revolution
Protestors attempt to pull down the statue of President Andrew Jackson in
Lafayette Park during a protest in Washington, D.C., June 22, 2020.
by Dr. Victor Davis Hanson: A TikTok video that recently went viral on social media showed a recent Harvard graduate threatening to stab anyone who said “all lives matter.” In her melodrama, she tried to sound intimidating with her histrionics.
She won a huge audience, as she intended. But her video also came to the attention of the company that was going to give her an internship later this summer, Deloitte, which decided it didn’t want to add an intern who threatened to kill strangers who said something she didn’t like.
This wouldn’t have been much of a story. But then the narcissistic Harvard alum posted a very different video — one that showed her weeping in a near-fetal position.
She fought back tears while complaining about how unfair the world had been to her. Her initial TikTok post had earned cruel pushback from the social-media jungle she had courted. Deloitte, she sobbed, was mean and hurtful. And she wanted the world to share her pain.
The Harvard grad instantly became an unwitting poster girl for the current protest movement and the violence that has accompanied it.
What turns off millions of Americans about the statue toppling, the looting, the threats, and the screaming in the face of police is the schizophrenic behavior of so many of the would-be revolutionaries.
On one hand, those toppling statues or canceling their own careers on the Internet pose as vicious Maoists — the hard-core shock troops of the revolution. Their brand is vile profanity, taunts to police, firebombs, and spray paint.
In homage to Italy’s Blackshirts of the past, they wear black hoodies, don makeshift helmets, and strap on ad hoc protective padding — part lacrosse attire, part cinematic Road Warrior costume.
The televised stereotype of the Antifa activist is a physically unimpressive but violent-talking revolutionary. He seems to strut in laid-back, blue-city Minneapolis but wisely avoids the suburbs and small towns of the nation’s red states. He spits at police when standing beside fellow agitators but would never do that when alone confronting an autoworker or welder.
When police march against the Antifa crowd and their appendages in order to clear the streets, they often scream like preteens, objecting to mean officers who dare to cross them.
When arrested, the trash talkers are usually terrified of being jailed or of having an arrest on their records.
Federal authorities are currently searching thousands of videos to ferret out looters, arsonists, and assailants. Perpetrators who are caught are shocked that the evidence that they once posted online in triumphant braggadocio is now being used to charge them with felonies.
What is going on?
Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and their large numbers of imitators and loosely organized wannabes are mostly made up of middle-class youth, often either students or graduates. They deem themselves the brains of the rioting, the most woke of the demonstrators, the most sophisticated of the iconoclasts. In truth, they are also the most paranoid about being charged or being hurt.
What explains the passive-aggressive nature of these protesters and rioters?
Many no doubt are indebted, with large, unpaid student loans. Few seem in a hurry to get up at 6 a.m. each day to go to work to service loans that would take years to pay in full.
While some of those arrested are professionals, many are not. Few seem to be earning the sort of incomes that would allow them to marry, have children, pay off student-loan debt, buy a home, and purchase a new car.
Historically, the tips of the spears of cultural revolutions are accustomed to comfort. But they grow angry when they realize that they will never become securely comfortable.
In today’s high-priced American cities, especially on the globalized coasts, it’s increasingly difficult for recent college graduates to find a job that will allow for upward mobility.
The protestors are especially cognizant that their 20s are nothing like what they believe to have been the salad days of their parents and grandparents — who did not incur much debt, bought affordable homes, had families, and were able to save money.
Earlier generations went to college mainly to become educated and develop marketable skills. They weren’t very interested in ethnic and gender “studies” courses, ranting professors, and woke administrators. For the students of the 1960s who were, protesting was a side dish to a good investment in an affordable college degree that would pay off later.
But when such pathways are blocked, beware.
The woke but godless, the arrogant but ignorant, the violent but physically unimpressive, the degreed but poorly educated, the broke but acquisitive, the ambitious but stalled — these are history’s ingredients of riot and revolution.
———————— 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 National Review
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. . . The deep-state operative collaborated with the anti-Trump Left.
by Harold Hutchison: The news that Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman is retiring from the Army after 21 years of service is good news all around. It’s good for Vindman. It’s good for the officers whose promotions Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) was holding hostage. It’s good for the Army and the military as a whole. And it’s good for the sake of the constitutional principles involved as well.
We’ll start with the Constitution. Back in November, we pointed out that while many foreign-policy decisions could be debated by Americans, the Constitution clearly put foreign policy in the hands of the duly elected president and Congress, subject to the checks and balances in that document. We also noted that, based on his own testimony, Vindman had crossed a significant line.
Back then, we noted that officers with far more distinguished careers than Vindman had been effectively cashiered for actions far less serious than Vindman’s. For starters, General Douglas MacArthur was removed from a combat command in Korea for openly defying President Truman over the conduct of the Korean War, which arguably exceeded Vindman’s actions. But MacArthur also had a distinguished combat career that spanned two World Wars and included the Medal of Honor.
But other distinguished officers were relieved for the mere perception of not being on board with their commander-in-chief’s policies. We can list three from the Obama years: Stanley McChrystal’s command in Afghanistan was taken from him over derisive comments made by his staff and quoted in Rolling Stone magazine; James Mattis was removed from the top post at Central Command for his perceived aggressiveness; and Michael Flynn claimed he was removed as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency for raising the issue of radical Islamic terrorism. Obama administration officials claimed it was over management style, but either way, Obama had the right to make these calls.
Why? Because as foolhardy as Obama’s military and foreign-policy agenda was, by winning the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, he earned the right to try to advance that agenda within the Constitution’s framework. That same right was earned by President Trump by virtue of winning the 2016 election. By his own admission, Vindman tried to deny Trump that right.
By extension, the Army and the military will benefit by seeing this principle upheld. In far too many instances elsewhere in the world, military leaders have toppled governments for various reasons. That’s not supposed to happen in America, though, and even the perception of a politicized military would be damaging to both our society and our national security. Promoting Vindman after the admissions within his testimony would have created that very perception among a significant portion of the American public.
Vindman’s retirement will also be good for him on a personal level. Clearly, he had serious problems with President Trump’s foreign-policy agenda, and his issues with that agenda drove him to cross a serious line. By retiring, he can now freely advocate for the policies he feels should be in place and can do his best to convince his fellow Americans to make a course change without dragging the military into a policy dispute. He also won’t have to deal with seeing fellow officers have their promotions held up on his account.
Given his celebrity, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him with a gig on CNN or MSNBC and a handsome book deal. But Vindman’s retirement from the Army was for the good of the country.
————————– Harold Hutchison has 15 years of experience covering military issues for a number of outlets, and two decades of professional involvement with Second Amendment issues
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by Daniel Greenfield: Coca-Cola would like you to know that it cares about oppression and believes America is evil.
In a rambling statement by CEO James Quincey, titled, “Where We Stand on Social Justice”, the head of the obesity conglomerate declared that he is, “outraged, sad, frustrated, angry.”
It’s hard that out there for a guy in a racist country who is only making an $18 million salary.
The Coke CEO then pledged to give money to the social justice usual suspects and the company joined a boycott of Facebook to pressure it into censoring Trump and conservatives.
“Companies like ours must speak up as allies to the Black Lives Matter movement,” Quincey ranted. “I’ve been reflecting on our duty to Black people in America. Simply put, America hasn’t made enough progress, corporate America hasn’t made enough progress and nor has The Coca-Cola Company.”
While Coca-Cola pounds the Black Lives Matter pulpit, it’s got a present-day slavery problem.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China had released a report in March on China’s forced labor practices. The CECC is a bipartisan group that includes a wide range of national politicians from Senator Tom Cotton and Senator Marco Rubio to Senator Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Marcy Kaptur.
That report led to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which, among others, named Coca Cola and Nike. Why did the media bury the story? Because it had bad things to say about its advertisers.
The CECC report and the accompanying legislation noted that Coca-Cola, Adidas, Calvin Klein, the Campbell Soup Company, Costco, Esprit, H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, Patagonia, and Nike were among those companies suspected of complicity in China’s forced labor camps.
Coke and some of the other companies involved denied everything, but a Wall Street Journal article noted that COFCO Tunhe supplies sugar to Coca-Cola and tomatoes to Heinz and Campbell. The Chinese state-owned company is the country’s largest food processor, the world’s second largest tomato processor, and one of the largest sugar processors in the world, with vast networks of plantations.
The corporations that decry racism in America allegedly benefit from the new Communist plantations.
“All the international brands trust us and buy our tomato purée: Heinz, Kraft, Unilever, Nestlé,” Cofco Tunhe Vice-President Yu Tianchi had once boasted.
Unilever, the British-Dutch conglomerate whose brands include Dove and Breyers, has been a loud voice in the social justice movement, and has joined the boycott to force Facebook to censor conservatives.
“We have a responsibility for racial justice,” Unilever declared.
But does that racial justice include the slaves of China’s Communist regime?
Kraft-Heinz’s CEO Miguel Patricio had issued a hysterical rant about “systemic racism against African-Americans”.
“We at Kraft Heinz say BLACK LIVES MATTER,” Patrico declared in a badly spelled and punctuated rant. “This week, we are talking with employees about one of our new Values, We demand diversity.”
But how exactly will Heinz-Kraft’s promise to expand “supplier diversity guidelines” play out in the tomato fields of Xinyang and its slave labor forces? Heinz-Kraft has been steadily cutting American jobs and outsourcing them abroad to reward the greed of big investors like Democrat donor Warren Buffett.
Slave labor is the cheapest labor of them all.
As China dominates tomato processing, all the social justice promises are obvious lies. The reality is toiling in the fields, men, women, and children, to do the hard work while execs preach social justice.
Coca-Cola meanwhile insisted that the COFCO facility the company used had passed an “internal audit”.
But what is COFCO?
Xinyang’s agriculture is dominated by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). The XPCC is a paramilitary Communist organization set up under Mao to colonize and control the region using soldiers and convict labor. Its commercial arm is the China Xinjian Group which turns the colonial production of the XPCC commissars into commercial products. COFCO is an affiliate of the XPCC and dominates the tomato and sugar export trade for western companies.
Ning Gaoning, the COCFO boss, touted production as a vital part of “the ‘New Socialistic Countryside.’
In China’s new economic boom, the XPCC is less able to depend on Han soldiers or volunteers, and has been accused of shifting to forced labor in Xinyang and using Xinyang Aid to move slave laborers around.
Even while Coke’s boss blathers about racism in America, he’s getting his sugar processed by a Communist paramilitary colonization enterprise that has been accused of using slave labor.
“The vast majority of them ran back within a few days.” COFCO executives were quoted as complaining about their workforce.
Xinyang Aid has been trying to avoid the problem by moving slave laborers so far away that there’s nowhere for them to run.
A description of tomato harvests in Xinyang by another XPCC company tells a familiar story. “the harvest is still done by hand, with workers earning one euro cent per kilo of harvested tomatoes. Children often go with their parents and work alongside them in the fields.”
A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute cast an even wider net, tying Apple, BMW Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, GM, LL Bean, North Face, Gap, Volkswagen, and Nike, among others, to supply chains based around workers laboring “under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour.”
A factory making shoes for Nike was “equipped with watchtowers, barbed-wire fences and police
guard boxes.” Nike Shox were discovered being made in another factory by slave laborers shipped far from home to produce shoes for the sportswear giant. Too far for them to run away.
“We can walk around, but we can’t go back,” one worker said.
The same company that holds up Colin Kaepernick, a millionaire anti-American activist, as an icon of social justice, also profits from an alleged slave labor facility that moved to be closer to “the region’s cotton fields”. The millionaire victims of imaginary racism that Nike wants us to care about are on their billboards while modern day slaves still toil in the cotton fields because their lives don’t matter.
The dirty secret of the big Corporate Left brands is that behind the familiar names and commercials, are huge conglomerates and financial investors who cut costs by outsourcing their production to China. The Americans design and market, but the real work is done by huge Communist enterprises, either owned directly by the state or by oligarchs tied to the Communist leadership, whose names you don’t know.
All this leaves the executives with plenty of time to come up with new social justice initiatives and call the country and the American people whose wealth, future, and hopes they’ve stolen, racists.
Throwing millions at lefty organizations, announcing more diversity initiatives, firing qualified people and replacing them with activists, is cheap and doesn’t touch the real source of the wealth flowing from plantations in the People’s Republic of China. And it’s those plantations that are the new slavery.
The Black Lives Matter rhetoric doesn’t affect the root injustice at conglomerates wiping out American jobs, including black jobs, and replacing them with minorities laboring in the fields in Communist China.
Foreign plantations, slave labor forces doing the dirty work in the cotton fields, aren’t in America, but they are the source of the wealth of a new class of politically correct plutocrats who subsidize the Democrat Party and the Left, preaching about social justice from their mansions, while their slaves are kept out of sight thousands of miles away by the commissars of the Communist slave trade.
The Corporate Left has made a dirty deal with Communist China to divide and conquer America.
The repetition of the black nationalist slogan, Black Lives Matter, is convenient because it deliberately excludes the non-black slave labor on whose backs the Corporate Left has built its endless billions.
While Americans are endlessly lectured about a brief period of African slavery, China had imported African slaves for some six centuries. Much like the Middle Eastern trade in African slaves, this fact is generally buried in order to perpetuate the leftist myth that African slavery in America was unique.
Or, as Senator Tim Kaine falsely claimed, “The United States didn’t inherit slavery from anybody. We created it.”
Of course, we didn’t.
Slavery existed throughout history. The 1619 Project is a lie, but China, unlike America, was built on slave labor. And China is expanding its colonial presence into Africa, building factories, and abusing the native population in a search of cheap labor. The products of that new black slavery in Africa, like the trade in slaves in Asia, will be sold by all the familiar brands now declaring that Black Lives Matter.
————————- Daniel Greenfield (@Sultanknish) is Shillman Journalism Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an investigative journalist and writer focusing on radical Left and Islamic terrorism.
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by Sen. Rick Scott: Throughout history, nations have gone to great lengths to achieve their version of peace.
The United States, along with our many allies, respects democracy and the will of the people. We uphold individual and human rights. We value freedom above all else.
While our view of peace has led to a dramatic reduction in international conflict, we still have work to do. Our worldview constantly is being challenged, and the peace of the United States and our allies constantly is being threatened.
We have men and women in uniform overseas right now working tirelessly to defend our freedom and the national security of the United States and our allies from those who wish to harm us.
The United States continues to face increasing threats from dictatorships around the world that are violating human rights, stamping out freedom, and building their militaries in an effort to dominate the world stage. With numerous adversaries spanning the globe, including communist China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba, there is only one way our great nation can maintain peace—through unwavering strength.
As President Ronald Reagan said in 1980, at the height of the Cold War: “We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong, but when they are weak. It is then that tyrants are tempted.”
The United States cannot cave to the will of our enemies. We must be clear-eyed and see our adversaries for what they are. We must be vigilant and we must be aggressive.
But we can do so only if we can explain to fellow Americans and freedom-loving people around the world what we’re fighting for and what we’re fighting against.
I want to be very clear: We are fighting for freedom and we are fighting against oppressive socialist and communist dictatorships.
My goal in the U.S. Senate is to shine light on these threats to the strength and security of the United States and our allies. We have to understand what we are up against, whether it is Iran’s aggression and hatred of Israel; Venezuela’s ruthless dictator committing genocide against his people; or communist China’s efforts to steal our technology, suppress individual freedoms—especially in Hong Kong and Taiwan—and detain more than 1 million Uighurs in internment camps because of their religion.
And we have to recognize that the freedoms we hold dear are worth fighting for.
It is my hope that freedom-loving countries around the world will stand up and defend peace as we know it, the right for commerce to flow freely and without intrusion, and the absolute need for the world’s democracies to defend freedom and human rights around the globe.
That starts with leaders in Washington who are committed to public service, committed to solutions, and committed to a prosperous and peaceful future for our country and for the world.
Over the past few years, we’ve taken significant steps to bolster defense spending.
We’ve invested record funding for our military and are well on our way to a 400-ship Navy.
We’ve recalibrated the relationship with communist China so the political class in Washington and the American people see that regime for what it is—an existential threat to the United States and our allies.
We’ve taken significant steps to reduce China’s influence in technology, infrastructure, and telecommunications in the United States and across the globe.
And we’ve shown terrorists around the world intent on violence that there will be no safe harbor, no cave that you can hide in, no respite from the watchful eye of the strongest military in the world. Qassim Suleimani would attest to that, if he could.
I won’t stop fighting until America’s economic and political future is secure from the threat of Chinese influence.
I won’t stop fighting for freedom and democracy in Latin America.
I won’t stop fighting to protect Israel, and I will continue to do all that I can to stop attempts by liberals to weaken the country by defunding critical security efforts with our greatest ally in the Middle East.
We have to stand together to make sure future generations have every opportunity to live in an America that stands for freedom and liberty here and around the globe.
We can’t forget that there is evil in this world, and it is incumbent upon all of us to stand strong and remember why it is so important that we invest in our military, stop buying products made in China, and stop trying to make nice with our enemies as politicians in Washington have done for decades.
Our safety, national security, and peace depend on our commitment to what Reagan called “our prime responsibility”—world peace.
———————— Rick Scott is a U.S. senator from Florida. He serves on the Armed Forces Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and shared this article. Learn more about the state of our military in the 2020 Index of U.S. Military Strength.
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. . . Pelosi puppet Gavin Newsom gags Golden State Christians.
No Singing In Churches
by Lloyd Billingsley: The National Football League urges fans to “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” at the outset of football games. The state of California, by contrast, forbids Christians to sing in their own churches.
“Californians are still free to attend their house of worship,” the Sacramento Bee reports, “but they’re forbidden from singing or chanting.” The ban came last week as Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down restaurants, bars, movie theatres, museums and other venues.
Places of worship, according to a July 1 order from the California Department of Public Health, “must therefore discontinue singing and chanting activities and limit indoor attendance to 25% of building capacity or a maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.” California references the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which warns that “shouting, chanting or singing” can spread COVID-19 through droplets.
The CDC is not eager to explain how its vaunted Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), despite a presence in China, failed to prevent the coronavirus from spreading to the United States and countries around the world. The CDC also failed to prevent the spread of the virus within the United States.
EIS veterans include Dr. Nancy Messonier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). In February, when reporters asked if China was leveling with the United States, Messonnier deferred to the World Health Organization (WHO), headed by the China-compliant Dr. Tedros, who is not a medical doctor. This same CDC is now dead set against singing and chanting.
The CDC-compliant Gov. Newsom didn’t have much to say about the singing ban. African American churches tend to ring with joyous singing. It’s not clear whether black Christian pastors and their congregations will take a knee to a white San Francisco Democrat eager to showcase his authoritarian side.
On March 4, Newsom in effect seized autocratic power by declaring a state of emergency. As the California Globe notes, the governor has since issued 40 executive orders unilaterally changing 200 laws. When he announced the lockdown later in March Newsom proclaimed
“I want to thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We had a very long conversation today. Talk about meeting the moment. We are so blessed to have her leadership in California.”
In April, Newsom announced a $1 billion deal for some 200 million masks with the Chinese company Build Your Dreams. BYD was not known for making protective equipment and held troubling ties to the Chinese military and Communist Party. That did not trouble Newsom, who withheld details of the deal from fellow Democrats. Newsom handed BYD $500 million up front, and as John Myers of the Los Angeles Times noted, the deal cost taxpayers 30 percent more than the state budget allotted for infectious diseases for the entire fiscal year.
The governor’s autocratic, spendthrift style did not sit well with Californians, but Newsom quickly banned demonstrations at the state capitol, ringed with black-shirted CHP officers in full riot gear. When actual riots took place in California cities, Newsom stayed on the quiet side, both about the crime spree and the dangers of violent criminals spreading the virus.
As CalMatters reported in May, the state budget deficit ballooned to $54 billion, bigger that during the Great Recession and obliterating state reserves. Unemployment was projected at 18 percent for the year, with a 21 percent drop in housing permits and a decline of nearly nine percent in personal income. In June Newsom began to open up the state but as Californians geared up for the Fourth of July weekend the governor pulled a fast one.
Gov. Newsom ordered closures of restaurants, bars, winery tasting rooms, movie theatres, zoos, museums and card rooms in 19 counties. Kern County, on the shutdown list, showed 77 deaths from COVID-19. Alameda County, not on the list, had 138 deaths from COVID-19. Missing from the shutdown list is upscale Napa County, where Newsom owns the PlumpJack Winery, a favorite of the local gentry. This year, the California Globe reported, PlumpJack received a federal COVID-19 relief loan for as much as $350,000.
Newsom also shut down state beaches in Southern California and the Bay Area and deployed multi-agency “strike teams” to crack down on those who disregard regulations. No specific regulation targeted rioters, arsonists and looters, but those who attend church are forbidden to sing or chant. Christians could be forgiven for thinking the governor was targeting them but Newsom has a problem with all those who celebrate their rights and freedoms on Independence Day.
Gavin Newsom is a crony of hereditary governor Jerry Brown, who appointed Gavin Newsom’s father to a judgeship. True to form, Newsom postures like a 19th century grandee and issues edicts in the raspy tones of a mafia boss. On the other hand, Gavin Newsom knows his one-time aunt Nancy Pelosi is really calling the shots.
“We are so blessed to have her leadership in California,” the governor said. As at the end of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Californians look from Newsom to Pelosi and Pelosi to Newsom and it’s impossible to say which is which.
————————- Lloyd Billingsley writes for FrontPage Mag.
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Tags:AF Branco, editorial cartoon, News Makeover,The Marxist-stream media, continue to cover-up the truth, with fake news, fake deflectionTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by Robert Romano: Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is concerned that Attorney General William Barr and U.S. Attorney John Durham will not bring any prosecutions against members of either the Justice Department or intelligence agencies for spying on the Trump campaign, transition and administration in 2016 and 2017. The investigation falsely accused President Donald Trump and members of his campaign of being Russian agents until after the 2020 election so as to not unduly influence American politics.
Grassley wrote on Twitter, “IF NO PROSECUTIONS TIL AFTER ELECTIONS SAD SAD //just think Flynn Mueller Impeachment/ The deep state is so deep that [people] get away [with] political crimes/Durham [should] be producing some fruit of his labor…”
Grassley’s frustration is well placed. The Obama administration launched its investigation of the Trump campaign in 2016 and then secretly carried that investigation over into the Trump administration after the President was elected. Within months Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed, but it would not be until July 2019 that he would finally produce a report that found the central premise of the entire investigation was false.
In 2019 Mueller and his team reported, “[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” and “the evidence does not establish that the President was involved in an underlying crime related to Russian election interference.”
Afterward it took Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz six more months before his review of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation would be complete in Dec. 2019.
Surely, it contained bombshells, including the fact that the primary source used by former British spy Christopher Steele was not questioned by the FBI until Jan. 2017 after the dossier had been published by Buzzfeed, and then he contradicted Steele’s allegations about Trump being a Russian agent.
Also, the FBI knew Carter Page was a CIA agent reporting on Russians in Aug. 2016, but hid it from the FISA court in order to get the spying warrant against the Trump campaign.
Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has since stated that had he known then what he knew now, he “would not” have renewed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants in 2017.
Astonishingly, none of these revelations were ever included in the Mueller report, nor did they cause Mueller to conclude and dismiss the investigation at a much earlier time.
Mueller’s delay is what makes today’s investigation and potential prosecutions now exceedingly problematic, especially now that we are into the heart of the 2020 election season. If prosecutions happen now they will be viewed politically.
But here’s why now may be better than later.
No matter when Barr and Durham bring charges, they will be viewed politically. Moreover, if they are brought after the election, in the event Trump loses, they will be leaving the Justice Department in precisely the same position the Obama Justice Department left it — with an ongoing major national security investigation into ostensible political opponents being carried over into the new administration.
One presumes former Vice President Joe Biden has already discounted such an investigation. Heck, he’s called on Barr to resign. While there was a lot of pressure on the Trump administration to allow the Justice Department and then Mueller to fully investigate Russian election interference, would the same thing really happen in a Biden administration? C’mon.
The American people are already losing faith in the justice system. Even when the Justice Department opts to dismiss the case against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, and the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals orders to the case to be dismissed, Judge Emmet Sullivan drags his heels.
It’s a two-tiered justice system, plain as day. One set of rules for Republicans complete with kangaroo courts and false charges, and another set of rules for Democrats that makes them all but untouchable. We elect presidents to faithfully execute the laws, and it can be said that President Trump did not really have the chance to hold these bad actors to account, and now he might never have that chance.
This is a level of corruption that must not be allowed to stand and must never happen again.
The American people have a right to know what happened in 2016, and to know it before they vote, precisely because it could prove determinative politically. Was the investigation into Trump by Obama-Biden well predicated or was it not?
If nothing else Durham should produce a report akin to the Mueller report that lays out the facts of what has been discovered based on grand jury testimony and other documents that have been discovered.
There is the possibility that the nation’s surveillance laws were not even violated, and that what took place was fully authorized because it occurred with the FISA court’s approval. If so, we need to know that so we can debate reforms now — while there’s an opportunity to hold candidates not only for President but critically Congress who also stand for election to account.
Voters need to know how and why the Obama-Biden administration was spying on its political opponents, the opposition party, the Trump campaign, in the days before the election on false charges of being foreign agents, and why the investigation was secretly carried over into the Trump administration afterward on the most specious of grounds.
This is not merely a sad state of affairs, as Sen. Grassley stated. This a mortal danger to our constitutional republic and the two-party system and appears the tip of the spear in a bid for one-party rule and to deny the American people their choice in 2016. The peaceful transfer of power was anything but. If there is no accountability now, these false charges against political opponents will happen again — only it will be worse next time.
——————— Robert Romano is the Vice President of Public Policy at Americans for Limited Government.
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by Bobby Eberle: Ilhan Omar called for the “dismantling” of America’s political and economic system. Omar said this “system of oppression” must be replaced, and her remedies come straight from the Black Lives Matter and far left playbook. During a press conference, Omar talked about police reform, but that was just her opening to push for her true agenda. Isn’t she supposed to uphold the Constitution… not destroy it?
Ilhan Omar isn’t the only “Squad” member making noise this week. Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley are touting a bill to defund the police and legalize illegal immigration.
Plus, CNN’s Don Lemon is actually defending the destruction of statues and monuments of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Please add your comments below and also please add them to the comments on the YouTube video.
———————- Dr. Bobby Eberle is a conservative political analyst, writer, commentator and founder of GOPUSA.com. Dr. Eberle has served in conservative, Republican leadership roles at the county, state, and national levels. He was a delegate to the 2000 Republican National Convention and covered the 2004 Republican National Convention as a member of the Internet media. He served as the State Chairman for the Texas Young Republican Federation and as the Vice Chairman at Large for their National Federation. As a fellow conservative activists, and noted online author, the ARRA News Service occasionally promotes his articles.
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by Ellie Borst: A White House panel of parents, teachers and school administrators said Tuesday that reopening schools this fall should be the nation’s top priority, for the wellbeing of students and parents and as a move to “stabilize our society.”
But while the panel pushed for schools reopening “quickly and beautifully in the fall,” as President Donald Trump put it, some teachers and parents in Arizona said they worry that schools here will not be able to find safe ways to do it.
“As a mom and as a teacher, I want my kids to be with their friends. I know that in-person is better for them,” said Dawn Penich-Thacker, communications director for Save Our Schools Arizona.
“But they (Arizona schools) can’t afford to keep my kids safe,” said Penich-Thacker, who worries that Arizona schools do not have the tools to make a safe return. “I see it from the inside that there are not enough resources.”
Gov. Doug Ducey last week ordered the start of in-person classes in Arizona pushed back to Aug. 17, one of several steps he took in the face of spiraling increases in the state’s COVID-19 cases. While the delay gives schools more time to prepare for schooling in the face of the coronavirus, it also means that schoolkids will have spent more than five months away from a classroom.
That’s five months of teachers and students adjusting to online education, five months of school systems scrambling for resources and five months of harried parents juggling jobs, housework and their kids’ educations.
“As a single mom, this situation is ripping me to shreds,” Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots and one of the White House panelists.
“I’m doing the very best I can to take care of them (my two children) … and run a company and work,” said Martin, a Georgia resident. “It’s impossible.”
Martin said the return to school could “stabilize our society.” But she and others at the panel worried that continued absence from school will make the traditional “summer slide” in schoolkids’ learning even worse.
Lynette Stant, a third-grade teacher at Salt River Elementary School and Arizona’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, said she is eager to see her students again after leaving them in March and going months without seeing them. But she said student safety needs to be a priority.
“The health of our state is really critical,” she said. “And even though my teacher heart is broken, we all need to get healthy.”
As a member of the Navajo Nation and teacher in an Indigenous community, Stant has seen how COVID-19 has “infected communities like wildfire.”
Arizona Parent Teacher Association President Sergio Chavez agreed, saying that the safety of the students is the PTA’s “no. 1 priority.” And right now, Chavez said, schools are not equipped to ensure a safe return.
“There is no way to actually have them secure. There is no magic wand to wave and say, ‘OK, this is going to be safe,’” Chavez said. “Sending them to school, you’re endangering everybody.”
Penich-Thacker, who is a substitute teacher for special education students in the East Valley, said she plans to keep her own children, ages 9 and 11, out of school and taking their classes online for the year.
“I’m heartbroken over it,” she said. “They’re disappointed, I’m disappointed and I know it’s not going to be the education that they would get in-person. But I also know that any public school in Arizona is incapable of meeting CDC guidelines. We simply can’t afford it.”
In ordering a delay to the school year, Ducey also said the state would direct $270 million in coronavirus relief funds to schools, with the bulk of that money, $200 million, going to support school budgets in the face of dwindling enrollment.
But Chavez and Penich-Thacker both think it will not be enough. The funding only “helps stop the bleed,” Penich-Thacker said.
“It doesn’t allow for anything extra,” she said, pointing to the cost of personal protective equipment, proper staffing and creating space to ensure social distancing in already packed classrooms if schools want to meet Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Penich-Thacker said she knows she is one of the lucky ones, as she has a flexible job that will let her keep her kids at home. “If keeping my kids out of the classroom means there’s two more seats for kids to be spread out who have to be there, that’s good,” she said.
But not everyone can – or will want to, Stant said.
“I’ve heard from some families and students saying, ‘I’m not ready to go back. I’m scared,’” she said. “But I’ve also heard from families that say, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do about childcare.’”
Even though Stant said she is excited by the thought of reuniting with her students this fall, she said she would support pushing back the Aug. 17 in-person start date and continue with online learning if Arizona does not get the virus under control by then.
“Let’s move cautiously. Let’s continue to remain fluid. Let’s continue to put the health and safety of our students and our families and our educators at the forefront,” she said.
———————- Ellie Borst (@ellieeborstt) is a News Reporter, Washington, D.C., for Cronkite News.
Tags:White House Calls For, Quick Return To School, Some Arizona Parents, Educators Balk, Ellie Borst, Cronkite NewsTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
That’s a question we all should be asking as we celebrate Wednesday’s Supreme Court victory for the Little Sisters. Regrettably, Wednesday’s victory is unlikely to be the end of the government harassment of the nuns.
The Little Sisters of the Poor — a religious organization run by an order of Catholic nuns dedicated to serving the sick and elderly—have spent nearly a decade locked in a battle for religious liberty.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday handed down a victory for the Little Sisters by holding that the Trump administration had the authority to exempt them and similar organizations from the Department of Health and Human Services mandate requiring them to provide contraceptive coverage to employees, and that it did so in a proper manner.
Unfortunately for the nuns, this victory might not mean the end of their legal battles. The case is likely to come before the Supreme Court again.
How Did We Get Here?
The backstory is long and winding, spanning more than seven years of complicated litigation. But it’s certainly worth reviewing.
In 2011, after Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, federal agencies charged with implementing the law enacted regulations requiring employers who offer health insurance to provide coverage for Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptives. They ultimately included four that the FDA label says could cause an early abortion and which were opposed by some groups on religious or moral grounds.
Those regulations came to be known as the “contraceptive mandate.”
The contraceptive mandate initially included exemptions for churches and an “accommodation” for certain religious organizations, but still required many others with sincere religious objections to provide coverage.
In the 2014 case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court ruled that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act required the government to at the very least offer the accommodation offered to religious nonprofits to closely held businesses with similar religious or moral objections to the coverage.
But then there was the question of whether the “accommodation” actually protected the religious liberty of objecting groups. A number of the religious employers—including the Little Sisters of the Poor — argued that it required them to actively participate in providing the objectionable contraceptives.
In 2016, the Supreme Court in Zubik v. Burwell (the Little Sisters case) basically told both the religious organizations and the federal government to work out their disagreements and find a solution. In doing so, the court did not rule on the merits of whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act required the organizations to be exempted from the mandate.
Subsequently, the Trump administration came into office and, in 2017, issued new regulations that significantly expanded the exemptions to the contraceptive mandate. The exemptions would now cover “not only churches and their integrated auxiliaries, but also other not-for-profit, education, and for-profit entities that have sincere religious or moral objections to providing contraceptive coverage.”
The Little Sisters of the Poor and similar groups would not have to provide the objectionable contraceptive coverage. It seemed as though the poor nuns would finally be left to their work of caring for “the least of these.”
But alas, Pennsylvania and New Jersey sued the Trump administration, contending that the federal agencies that issued the new exemptions didn’t have the authority to protect the Little Sisters, and that the agencies didn’t follow the correct rules.
Moreover, the plaintiffs said, the new rules were not justified by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (and were, therefore, “arbitrary and capricious”). The lower courts agreed with Pennsylvania and New Jersey, stopping the new rules from going into effect. They did not, however, answer the question about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The Little Sisters of the Poor found themselves back before the Supreme Court, intervening to protect the new rules and the religious accommodations they received under them.
Justices Uphold Religious Liberty Exemption
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court reversed the lower courts and held that the Trump administration had the authority to broaden religious exemptions to the contraceptive mandate. Additionally, the applicable agencies had clearly followed the proper process for issuing the new rules.
In the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the majority opinion, the same provisions of the Affordable Care Act that granted the federal agencies sweeping authority to create the contraceptive mandate also “[empower them] to identify and create exemptions” to it.
It’s not the court’s job to impose limits on an agency’s discretion to exempt religious organizations when the statute itself does not impose limits.
The closing paragraphs of Thomas’ opinion aptly summarized both the court’s decision and the arduous nature of the Little Sisters’ fight to protect their rights of conscience:
For over 150 years, the Little Sisters have engaged in faithful service and sacrifice, motivated by a religious calling to surrender all for the sake of their brother.[T]hey commit to constantly living out a witness that proclaims the unique, inviolable dignity of every person, particularly those whom others regard as weak or worthless.
… But for the past seven years, they—like many other religious objectors who have participated in the litigation and rulemakings leading up to today’s decision—have had to fight for the ability to continue in their noble work without violating their sincerely held religious beliefs.
After two decisions from this Court and multiple failed regulatory attempts, the Federal Government has arrived at a solution that exempts the Little Sisters from the source of their complicity-based concerns—the administratively imposed contraceptive mandate.
We hold today that the Departments had the statutory authority to craft that exemption, as well as the contemporaneously issued moral exemption. We further hold that the rules promulgating these exemptions are free from procedural defects.The court did not, however, decide the question of whether these new exemptions were compelled by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or whether they were “arbitrary and capricious,” as Pennsylvania and New Jersey had argued.
Legal Battles Likely Still to Come
The unfortunate reality is that the saga of the Little Sisters of the Poor is likely still not over.
As Justice Samuel Alito noted in his concurring opinion, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are “all but certain” to immediately pursue the arguments the court declined to decide in this case; namely, whether the new rule is “arbitrary and capricious.”
For that reason, Alito would have saved the Little Sisters of the Poor a future legal battle by deciding that the new rule is compelled by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and therefore cannot be arbitrary and capricious. But, as it now stands, the majority did not rule on that issue, and it will now be litigated in the lower courts.
When that question inevitably comes back before the Supreme Court in the future, the court may be more divided than it was in this case. Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer indicated in their concurrence that they think the new rules “give every appearance of coming up short” of the standard of “reasonableness.”
Even worse, if a hostile administration comes to Washington, D.C., we can expect the Trump administration protections for the Little Sisters to be watered down or eliminated.
That highlights the need for legislation, not just regulation, to permanently protect the nuns.
It also reminds us of yet another problem with the Affordable Care Act.
Regardless, the court’s ruling is no doubt good news for the Little Sisters and others who have fought so long and hard to ensure their religious liberty rights are protected.
As Kay Coles James, president of The Heritage Foundation, noted: “This ruling preserves fundamental religious liberties and is good news for all Americans, regardless of faith.”
The war to protect religious liberty might still be ongoing, but at least this particular battle has been won. Wouldn’t it be nice if those in positions of government authority stopped their meddling with these nuns?
————————- Zack Smith (@tzsmith) is a legal fellow in the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Amy Swearer (@ AmySwearer) is a senior legal policy analyst at the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., (@RyanTAnd) is the William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow in American Principles and Public Policy at The Heritage Foundation. H/T The Daily Signal.
Tags:Little Sisters of Poor, Win Big, at Supreme Court, but Fight, Isn’t OverTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
by Gary Gindler: Let’s start with a series of rhetorical questions related to the upcoming presidential elections:
– Does a broken storefront add votes to the Democrats?
– Does a burning car add votes to the Democrats?
– Does a killed or wounded policeman add votes to the Democrats?
– Does a toppled statue add votes to the Democrats?
– Does an “autonomous zone” add votes to the Democrats?
– Does a demolished synagogue or a destroyed church add votes to the Democrats?
Simple human logic suggests that the answers to all these questions are negative. Why do Democrats do all of this? Currently, the majority opinion is solidly against the rioters. Why did Democrats move from ideological gangsterism to a real one? After all, this is silly, just silly. Democrats have brought America into a post-Orwellian world, in which they demanded the presence of the police at a protest rally dedicated to defunding of police. So many police officers, abandoned by their Democrat mayors, decided to go Galt. Are Democrats complete blockheads or political duffers? What is prevailing here — (D)egeneratism or (D)ementia?
I belong to the camp of those who don’t consider Democrats idiots. This raises the question: why, then, are they slipping into this criminal quagmire? To answer this question, we need to understand how the mass disinformation media work.
As an example, consider the analogy with the stock market. Many believe that the stock market instantly responds to the latest economic news. This is far from the case.
The stock market does not respond to news as such. It responds to the expectation of how the news can affect the state of an already established portfolio in about six months. Therefore, for example, sometimes bad news leads to higher stock prices, and sometimes the opposite occurs. Occasionally, good news can also lead to an increase or decrease in stock prices. It all depends on how the Wall Street bigwigs have positioned their current portfolios, whether they are focused bullish or bearish, and what they foresee about six months out.
In parallel with the real exchange market, there is virtual, informational reality. In this domain, there is always some news to rationalize the minute price movements. From the entire cacophony of news, only the news that is selling the best, and that authoritatively “explains” why values went up or down today, penetrates the front pages. It applies not only to economic news, but also to all pertinent political news.
In other words, political and economic news per se does not matter. From a political standpoint, the only news that is relevant is what is consistent with the point of view of existing political positions, what is in an already formed political portfolio. It must be suited within a previously approved political platform. That explains, inter alia, why the majority of mass disinformation media eventually morph into propaganda machines, and the audience of news channels is polarized very quickly.
Just as today’s events in the stock market are designed to maximize the value of the portfolio in about six months, the current actions of the Democrats are aimed at maximizing their political portfolio in the post-election period.
The Pan-American pogrom is happening because it looks as if the Democrats know that Trump has already won the 2020 election.
The elections will be held on November 3, but Democrats, probably, already know the name of the winner, and they act accordingly. At the same time, President Trump does not attack the feeble-minded Marxist blackshirts with the help of the Army, although he has the authority. His team focuses on election issues. So while riots concentrate in heavily Democratic states, nobody should expect any reckless movement from the White House. Stopping vandalism in the states that traditionally vote for Democrats will not offer Trump a single electoral vote. In a simple Machiavellian way, Trump forces the electorate in such states to enjoy the preview of socialism they dream of.
President Trump knows that Democratic vandalism is not a response to his actions or his policies — the destruction and pillage are a response to his victory. Democrat Party bosses, like Wall Street bosses, do not look to the past, not to the present, but into the future. Leftist gangsters and leftist bankers are acting alike.
The riots of the Democrats are today’s answer to Trump’s future victory.
If the current stock market movements reflect the expectations of the future monetary level of existing portfolios, the pogroms reflect the expectations of the dwellers of the Democrats’ swamp on the value of their political positions after losing in November.
The gangsterization of the Democrat Party is the last effort, the last reserve, the last straw for the Democrats drowning in their leftist racist filth to maintain morale in the losing camp. They know that Trump has accumulated sufficient political capital, and his campaign has collected impressive cash reserves.
Democrats are pushing Trump to waste his political and monetary capital on the fight against the Democrat rioters in the Democrat states and squander all the political ammunition before the official start of the presidential race.
So far, Donald Trump has not taken the bait.
In addition, Democrats are aware of Baader-Meinhof syndrome — those obsessed with an idea need to nourish their faith in this idea continually. Those who want to see America in the fire of pogroms and vandalism will always find suitable sources. Those who see God’s business everywhere and in everything will always find confirmation of this. If someone is looking for evidence that the United States of America has become the United States of Anarchists, he will always find evidence on CNN, MSNBC, and other left-wing media. In conclusion, the propaganda of the gangsterization of the Democrat Party is fascinating to those who, in fact, are enthralled with the gangsterization of the Democrat Party.
The stage of Jewish pogroms in America seems to have passed. Democrats will soon take on Christian saints and churches. However, in America, the stance toward Christianity is significantly different from that of Europe. In America, there has never been Bartholomew’s night or the Inquisition, and the attitude toward Christianity in its entirety is positive. When the statues of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other symbols of Christianity begin to fall, this will mean that the Democrat Party has finished digging its own grave.
The very first desecrated statue of the Virgin Mary will lead to a powerful rebuff the likes of which the Democrat Party — the party of former slave-owners and the KKK — has not experienced since the Civil War. The Democrats’ swan song will be the overthrow of the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, a peaceful black Republican preacher.
There will be no socialist revolution in America. In fact, all left-wing revolutions in world history took place in countries where people did not have the opportunity to defend their rights with firearms. Right-wing revolutions in world history took place in countries where the people not only had the right, but also possessed enough weapons. Examples of this are well known — the left revolutions in France (1789) and Russia (1917) and the right revolution in America (1776).
Therefore, if the next revolution threatens America, then it will, like the Revolution of the 18th century, be right-wing. (Trump’s conservative revolution in America may already be taking place. If you haven’t noticed it, you should turn off the TV.) Law and order will eventually be restored — political gangsters in America will be quickly and efficiently disposed of after the 2020 elections.
———————- Gary Gindler, Ph.D., Gary Gindler Chronicals is a conservative columnist at (Gary Gindler Chronicles and the founder of a new science: politiphysics. Follow him on (Twitter).
Tags:Gary Ginder, Gangsterization of, Democrat PartyTo share or post to your site, click on “Post Link”. Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and “Like” Facebook Page – Thanks!
. . . ‘I remained quiet about the climate disinformation campaign because I was afraid of losing friends and funding…’
by Michael Barnes: After an opinion piece it published Sunday drew the wrath of militant eco-warriors, Forbes appeared to have doubled back on it only a day later, pulling from its online platform the shocking apology by reformed climate-alarmist Michael Shellenberger.
Shellenberger is a devout environmentalist and political progressive, and he’s blowing the whistle on the climate changemovement starting with a simple message: Sorry.
“On behalf of environmentalists everywhere, I would like to formally apologize for the climate scare we created over the last 30 years,” he wrote in a Sunday Forbes op-ed.
As of Monday, however, only a faint trace of the original article was visible on the site.
A tersely-worded editor’s note opaquely explained to the unobservant: “This page is no longer active. We regret any inconvenience.”
However, a version of the original page was archived prior to its removal.
Now, the shocking admissions in the piece carry the weight of even more intrigue. A noted climate-change skeptic group, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, asked the burning question: “Who pressured Forbes to kill the story and why did they cave?”
According to the original article, Shellenberger believes climate change is real but not nearly the problem his political and environmental colleagues have been threatening.
“Climate change is happening. It’s just not the end of the world. It’s not even our most serious environmental problem,” he said.
Climate skeptics—and those weary of political charlatans who use the issue to profit and amass power—may have long since arrived at the same conclusion. But for Shellenberger to undermine climate alarmism from within is a potential game-changer.
Few people on the environmental left can match his credentials.
Shellenberger has been a climate activist for two decades, and his roots in the modern environmental movement date back to the 1980s.
He was once named Time magazine’s “Hero of the Environment” and has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and other major publications.
He is a “Green Book” award winner, and his TED talks have been viewed over 5 million times. He founded the influential group Environmental Progress.
Shellenberger even ran for governor of California in 2018 but lost in the Democrat primary to the state’s progressive incumbent, Gov. Gavin Newsom.
If anyone had an incentive to capitalize on the climate change status quo, it’s Shellenberger. But he’s coming clean instead
“I feel an obligation to apologize for how badly we environmentalists have misled the public,” he said.
“Some people will, when they read this imagine that I’m some right-wing anti-environmentalist. I’m not,” he added, noting that an honest rendering of facts obtained from even the most pro-climate change organizations like the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change proves that climate-change alarmism—as presented by the mainstream media and left-leaning politicians—is fraudulent.
Shellenberger listed a dozen facts that debunk the global climate-change lobby’s most dire assertions.
All of the evidence he cites is pulled from leading pro-climate change scientific organizations, such as the IPCC, the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Humans are not causing a “sixth mass extinction,” he explained. The Amazon is not “the lungs of the world,” he continued.
He further noted: Climate change is not making natural disasters worse; fires have declined 25 percent around the world since 2003; the amount of land we use for meat—humankind’s biggest use of land—has declined by an area nearly as large as Alaska; air pollution and carbon emissions have been declining in rich nations for 50 years.
“I know that the above facts will sound like ‘climate denialism’ to many people. But that just shows the power of climate alarmism,” he said.
Why would someone of Shellenberger’s stature turn on everything he’d worked for, including the high-powered connections and lucrative opportunities that come with exploiting the issue?
By his own admission, Shellenberger helped persuade the Obama administration to spend $90 billion of taxpayer money on wasteful renewable energy initiatives, much of it going to progressive allies in California.
“Until last year, I mostly avoided speaking out against the climate scare. Partly that’s because I was embarrassed. After all, I am as guilty of alarmism as any other environmentalist. For years, I referred to climate change as an ‘existential’ threat to human civilization, and called it a ‘crisis,’” he said.
“But mostly I was scared. I remained quiet about the climate disinformation campaign because I was afraid of losing friends and funding,” he continued.
The first few times he defended scientific data that contradicted the politically engineered climate movement, Shellenberger said he was met with swift consequences.
Then, he stood by while the Obama White House and the news media destroyed honest scientists, some of whom were his friends.
“But then, last year, things spiraled out of control,” he said.“Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez said, ‘The world is going to end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.’ Britain’s most high-profile environmental group claimed, ‘Climate Change Kills Children,’” he added.
Not only did the radically false statements signify the cravenness of the left-wing climate-change movement, but the claims were purposely meant to scare people into supporting socialist takeovers of sovereign economies. And none of it can be openly challenged without being labeled a climate denier.
In past articles, Shellengberger challenged Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and the socialist Green New Deal, saying the plan “would raise energy prices, slow economic growth, and reduce wages.”
“Why did anyone ever imagine it to be ‘progressive’?” he wrote.
“Nuclear energy and natural gas have reduced carbon emissions far more than solar and wind,” he wrote. “Why, then, are the people so apocalyptic about climate change so opposed to them?”
An article from December explains why climate scaremongering is so harmful, especially for children, and points to perhaps the most ironic consequence of the entire climate fraud: that it hurts the environment.
Shellenberger closed his Sunday op-ed with a final mea culpa.
“If you’ve made it this far, I hope you’ll agree that it’s perhaps not as strange as it seems that a lifelong environmentalist, progressive, and climate activist felt the need to speak out against the alarmism.”
“I further hope that you’ll accept my apology,” he said.
———————– Michael Barnes blogs at Liberty Headlines USA
Tags:Michael Barnes, Climate Activist Recants His Alarmism, Then is Victimized by Cancel CultureTo 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: There is much we don’t understand about the Chinese coronavirus. This includes public health experts, like the basketball player and scarf queen, as well as elected officials and non-elected bureaucrats. One hopes they are recommending and acting based on a desire to do good and an avoidance of harm.
Yet looking beyond cable news sound bites, the motives of many are sinister and in service to their political agenda rather than the public good. Looking back at how COVID events unfolded this year, one can reasonably conclude that reactions to the virus are more about politics and an upcoming election than a viral pandemic. The DNC media is cheerleading any and all bad news while they bury good news such as the success of hydroxychloroquine in cutting the death rate from COVID in half.
Infection data is of utmost importance in guiding decisions about stay-at-home orders, masks, businesses opening and Americans peacefully assembling. Case fatality rates and R-naughts are more of interest to epidemiologists and don’t lend themselves to newspaper headlines and cable news banners.
Recall in April during the peak of the Wuhan virus pandemic how Fox News constantly ran a sidebar showing death totals. Total cases were less important at that time as few could get tested.
At that time, testing for active disease was limited primarily to those admitted to the hospital. Antibody testing was not yet available. Today virtually anyone can get tested at a commercial laboratory for either antigen (active disease) or antibody (previous disease).
Cable news breathlessly reported fatalities, warning of millions of U.S. deaths based on the faulty predictions of disease models relied upon by President Trump and his task force to justify shutting down the country.
Now attention has turned to new cases, suddenly pivoting away from deaths, as the metric of interest. Perhaps because one metric is rising rapidly and the other is flat. Can you guess which is which?
Daily deaths have been declining after peaking in mid-April, and while not zero, have flattened to about 600 per day in the U.S. For comparison, 7,755 people die each day in the U.S. of all causes. If the media spoke of a declining and then flattened death rate, it might create optimism that things are improving in America and that the past four months of hardship was worth it.
Ahead of an election where optimism favors the incumbent, this is not a message the DNC media dares convey to the nation. Instead the focus is on new cases.
CNN reported, “Hospitals face an explosion of COVID and signs of another surge as coronavirus case numbers climb.” The New York Times echoed with, “U.S. reports nearly 50,000 new coronavirus cases, another single-day record.”
Little detail is provided about these “new” cases. Are they sick? Hospitalized? In the ICU on a ventilator? Have they even been tested for the Wuhan virus or are these “presumed” cases?
Scarf queen Dr. Deborah Birx took note in May of “presumed” COVID deaths, based on an assumption of COVID but without a positive test, falsely inflating the death count, “by up to 25 percent.”
COVID deaths had been falsely attributed to those who died of alcohol poisoning and gunshot wounds. By that logic, George Floyd died not from a policeman’s knee on his neck but from COVID as he happened to test positive at autopsy.
How much of the current surge is due to presumed, rather than actual, positive tests? Collin County, Texas may offer a peak behind the suspicious surge curtain.
Their health department changed the rules on May 11, 2020. Was that because states were reopening without ill effect? Or because President Trump hadn’t resigned or been impeached again?
Previously the definition of a confirmed case of COVID-19 was that a person MUST have a positive PCR lab result. Contacts of the confirmed case, regardless of symptoms, were not counted as a case. One positive lab result meant only one confirmed case.
Now the rules have changed with a new “probable case” definition of those in contact with a confirmed or probable case, with symptoms.
Suppose my neighbor tested positive for COVID, perhaps tested so he could return to work after having cold symptoms. If I have a new cough at the same time, I am a presumed positive case. If my kids have a sore throat, they are also presumed positive cases.
What if I only see my neighbor through a car window as we drive past each other? That doesn’t matter.
That would be like saying a well-thrown pass counts as a touchdown even if the receiver didn’t catch it or caught it short of the end zone. A well stroked putt that could have gone in, but didn’t, is considered good. Anyone can now “presume” to be Tom Brady or Tiger Woods.
They also define new cases as those with a positive antibody test, even without symptoms. Someone exposed to the Wuhan virus in March, with a positive antibody test in July, is now a “new case,” inflating current numbers.
One simple reason for this so-called surge is more tests means more positive results. Tens of thousands of young people have been protesting and rioting, many without masks or distancing, receiving free COVID tests provided by the same cities they just looted. Of course, this will lead to more positive tests.
Lastly, health departments have changed the rules for defining positive cases in the middle of the game to falsely inflate the case counts. Why would they do this?
The ruling class, including federal, state, and local health departments, are desperate to prevent a second Trump term. They are banking on the weakest presidential candidate, likely suffering from dementia, winning the presidency, and are doing everything they can to drag him across the finish line. The great Democrat hope is a guy who said, “I’m Joe Biden’s husband, Joe Biden.”
Rising case counts are a great excuse to shut down the country again, as many states are doing, throwing water on a reignited economy. This also stops Trump rallies and keeps Dementia Joe safely in his basement, away from his sparsely attended rallies and the debate stage where he will look like Pee Wee Herman going 15 rounds with Mike Tyson.
It was never about the virus but instead the election. The so-called surge in cases is more fake news pushed by media cheerleaders eager to destroy the U.S. economy and culture if it makes Trump a one-term president. Evil knows no bounds.
——————— Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a Denver-based physician and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in American Thinker, Daily Caller, Rasmussen Reports, and other publications.
Tags:Brian C. Joondeph, COVID Cheerleaders, Change the Rules, in the Middle of the GameTo 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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Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders Deepen Their Cooperation,” reports the New York Times this week. The story underlines what a puppet of the far left Joe Biden has become. He is taking his policy cues from a socialist and his supporters.
“Allies of Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Senator Bernie Sanders unveiled a sweeping set of joint policy recommendations on Wednesday, a significant if tentative sign of cooperation among Democrats as Mr. Biden’s campaign continues its appeals to the progressive left,” says the Times. “Mr. Biden is expected to adopt many of the recommendations, which were submitted by six policy task forces and cover a wide range of issues including health care, criminal justice, education and climate change.”
It’s important to understand that this is a revolutionary moment in American history, and it isn’t a bad idea to act in ways that would fall under the traditional description of “accordingly.”
But it’s also important to understand that the revolution taking place in America is not yet a “kinetic” one. That may come soon, or it may not. The battle taking place presently is a war of information — or disinformation, as the case may be.
Planned Parenthoods have been placed inside cities by white supremacists to do the devil’s work,” rapper Kanye West opined in a wide-ranging interview with Forbes.
Planned Parenthood, and its journalistic votaries, struck back. Bustle.comcalled his words “utterly false,” claiming that “if Planned Parenthood clinics were planted by anyone, it definitely wasn’t by white supremacists.” Billboard.comdismissed West’s charges by pointing to Politifact’s “pants on fire” rating given to the idea that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger wanted black genocide (which does not directly speak to West’s point about “white supremacists”).
So in the middle of the Stalin-esque purges of American history, Princeton University dropped the name of Woodrow Wilson from the university’s public policy school and one of its colleges. Wilson, of course, had been not merely a two-term President of the United States and the leader of both the Democratic Party and the progressive movement. Wilson had also been the president of Princeton itself, which in turn launched him into the governorship of New Jersey.
An iconic American brand has just entered Chapter 11. On July 8, the venerable Brooks Brothers enterprise filed for bankruptcy protection, principally a victim of COVID-19, according to the Italian investor that owns the company. Evidently, the company was unable to cover its fixed costs and contractual liabilities during the lockdown.
We often hear that it is important to lead by example. Lately, the example set by Seattle’s elected leaders has been one of lawlessness, civic breakdown, and broken governance. City leaders ordered police to evacuate a police station and abandon a six-block neighborhood to radical left-wing groups, who set up a Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), later re-labeled an Occupied Protest (CHOP). Authorities retreated after they had failed to stop widespread looting and arson in Seattle’s once-prestigious downtown core.
In his brilliant book on the culture, The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, British journalist Douglas Murray references a liberal lunacy that to me explains modern Hollywood — the “St. George in retirement” syndrome. Murray wrote, “After slaying the dragon the brave warrior finds himself stalking the land looking for still more glorious fights. He needs his dragons. Eventually, after tiring himself out in pursuit of ever-smaller dragons he may eventually even be found swinging his sword at thin air, imagining it to contain dragons.” Just when we thought Hollywood couldn’t diminish itself any further, the latest cringeworthy virtue-signaling apology from a movie star proves us wrong.
Fauci says US isn’t ‘doing great’: Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, spoke with ABC News’ FiveThirtyEight about the current state of the pandemic in the United States, and said that as a country, “I don’t think you can say we’re doing great. I mean we’re just not.” American partisanship has negatively influenced recovery efforts, Fauci added. “You’d have to make the assumption that if there wasn’t such divisiveness, that we would have a more coordinated approach,” he said. The U.S. has become the worst-affected country, with more than 3 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 and at least 133,291 deaths. In Florida, 56 hospitals have reported zero ICU beds available, according to an internal FEMA memo. Another 35 hospitals in the state reported that ICU capacity was at 10% or less. In addition, FEMA noted that in Tennessee, where the number of new cases is on the rise, people ages 21 to 40 are accounting for the majority of new and total cases. On Thursday, Texas also reported a new one-day record of 105 deaths. Fauci said the surge in cases is linked to states that opened too quickly. “There are some governors and mayors that did it perfectly correctly,” said Fauci. “Then there are some times when despite the guidelines and the recommendations to open up carefully and prudently, some states skipped over those and just opened up too quickly.” Now, with the surge in cases, issues with testing availability and access have echoed the shortages that plagued the nation’s initial response to the virus months ago. Get the latest mobile updates about the coronavirus here.
Supreme Court rejects Trump claim of ‘absolute immunity’ from grand jury subpoena for tax returns: In a history-making decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump cannot claim “absolute immunity” from criminal investigation while in office and may need to comply with a New York grand jury subpoena seeking his personal financial records. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the 7-2 majority opinion and concluded that “no citizen, not even the President, is categorically above the common duty to produce evidence when called upon in a criminal proceeding.” However, Roberts returned the case to a lower court to allow Trump to “raise further arguments as appropriate,” such as claims about the subpoenas’ burden on his official duties. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is seeking 10 years of tax returns for Trump and his businesses as part of a probe into possible state tax fraud. Trump is the only modern-day American president to have refused to publicly release tax returns and divest from major business interests while in office. While the decision is a major legal defeat for Trump, it remains highly unlikely that the public will see the president’s tax returns or financial records before Election Day. If the records are turned over in the grand jury probe, by law they must remain secret.
Fridges filled with free food are popping up around NYC: In New York City, where food insecurity is a reality for many, refrigerators full of free food have been popping up on sidewalks all over town. The “help-yourself pantry” concept began when Selma Raven saw on Instagram a community refrigerator filled with crisp apples and butter lettuce underneath a simple sign reading, “free food.” Raven and her partner, Sara Allen, bought a refrigerator together and set it up outside a local storefront. Daily for the past six weeks, they’ve stocked the fridge with everything from donated eggs to potatoes and spinach. “We see a lot more need at the end of the month,” Allen told “GMA.” “Sometimes it goes so quickly, the fridge is emptied by 3 p.m.” According to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, an estimated 2 million or more people are food insecure amid the coronavirus pandemic. Now, after setting up their first fridge, there are at least 15 spread out among the five boroughs. Community fridges have also been established in Oakland and Los Angeles, California.
Mom adopts 3rd sibling after learning she was fostering son’s biological sister: A mother who gained viral attention in 2019 after discovering the baby girl she was fostering shared the same biological mother as her newly adopted son has now adopted a third sibling. On June 25, Katie Page of Castle Rock, Colorado, officially adopted 1-year-old Jackson, the younger brother of Grayson, 4, and Hannah, 3. “The minute I held him, I was so overjoyed,” Page told “GMA” of her new son. “I said, ‘This is their brother, this is their family.’” A month after Page adopted Grayson in 2017, she received a call about a newborn girl, Hannah, who needed a home. At the time, she didn’t know they were related, until she saw Hannah’s hospital bracelet, which had the same name of Grayson’s biological mother. A DNA test confirmed they were siblings. The adoption ceremony of Jackson, which was done over video conference, was a special one. Thirty loved ones were present, including the adopted parents of Grayson, Hannah and Jackson’s older sisters.
GMA Must-Watch
This morning on “GMA,” Shaggy performs the summer hit “Banana” with Conkarah and “Angel” with Sting. Plus, surfer Kelly Slater joins us to talk about his episode of the new Apple TV docuseries, “The Greatness Code.” And Becky Worley shares tips to find the right bathing suit for your body and the smart ways to buy them online for a deal. All this and more only on “GMA.”
More COVID-19 guidance from WHO, President Donald Trump hits the campaign trail again and Goya faces a backlash after CEO says U.S. “blessed” to have Trump as a leader.
Here’s what we’re watching this Friday morning.
WHO expands coronavirus guidance after pressure over airborne spread
The World Health Organization has expanded its coronavirus guidanceto include the possibility in certain circumstances of airborne transmission, in which the virus could be spread through tiny droplets that linger in the air among people in crowded, indoor settings for prolonged periods of time.
Though the expanded guidance is notable, experts maintain that airborne transmission is likely just a small part of how the coronavirus spreads and that close contact with an infected person is still the most common source of transmission.
Dr. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, said that aerosol transmission is likely to be a risk in certain conditions but that the WHO’s updates don’t represent a drastic departure from what was already known.
Regardless, people should wear masks in public, del Rio said.
“Everyone should wear a mask,” he said. “We have to get it across to people that this is not an option.”
In a series of rambling tweets, Trump attacked Democrats and former President Barack Obama, arguing that he is being unfairly targeted while others don’t face scrutiny.
The decisions weren’t a clear-cut loss for Trump, who is unlikely to be forced to disclose his tax returns before voters weigh his re-election bid in November, but the court also refused to side with his argument that the presidency protects him from investigation.
‘We can’t have a repeat of Tulsa’: Trump camp eyes course correction for rallies
President Donald Trump’s return to the campaign trail in Oklahoma last month was viewed as such a debaclethat his re-election effort is working to avoid future underwhelming crowds while also considering new safety measures for all large events this summer, including the GOP convention, according to multiple people familiar with the decision-making.
“We can’t have a repeat of Tulsa,” a campaign official said, bluntly conceding that a rally on Saturday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, must be approached differently as the coronavirus pandemic sets daily case records and creates havoc for political planners.
Instead of opting for an indoor venue, as it did in Tulsa, the Trump campaign selected an open-air airport tarmac hangar to minimize its footprint Saturday and to appease health experts who stress that outdoor events are safer, although mass gatherings are still considered risky.
The crowd at Trump’s Tulsa rally did not meet the campaign’s expectations.
‘GOYAWAY’: Calls for boycott after Goya Foods CEO says U.S. ‘blessed’ to have Trump as a leader
Goya, which claims to be the nation’s largest Hispanic-owned food brand, is facing a backlash after its chief executive heaped praise on Trump at the White House on Thursday.
“We’re all truly blessed at the same time to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder,” Goya CEO Robert Unanue said at a White House meeting.
The remark immediately set off a wave of criticism of Goya. On Twitter, #BoycottGoya and #GoyaFoods were trending in the United States, and some Latinos were also using the hashtag #goyaway.
Many Latinos feel Trump has dehumanized and attacked south-of-the-border immigrants for political gain starting with the 2015 launch of his presidential campaign, when he suggested that Mexican newcomers were criminals and rapists.
“Americans should think twice before buying their products,” former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro tweeted about Goya after Robert Unanue’s meeting with Trump on Thursday. (Photo: Evan Vucci / AP)
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Plus
Could be a wet weekend: Tropical Storm Faysets sights on mid-Atlantic coast, New England.
Here’s why Apple AirPods are the best wireless earbuds, according to health and fitness expert Stephanie Mansour.
One amazing thing
Doctors at the Vatican’s pediatric hospital say they have successfully separated conjoined twins, Ervina and Prefina Bangalo, whose skulls were fused back-to-back.
A team worked for nearly two years to plan the surgery. Video showsthe toddlers responding cheerfully and recovering well.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — drop me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com
If you’re a fan, please forward it to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.
Thanks, Petra Cahill
NBC FIRST READ
From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Carrie Dann and Melissa Holzberg
FIRST READ: Trump could still bounce back, but it looks less likely ever
If you’re a Republican, there are two possibilities for what happens between now and November, given the rough poll numbers and gloomy overall political environment.
One, President Trump will inevitably claw his way back into contention, rallying Republicans who don’t want to lose power and softening Joe Biden’s support – a la what happened in the weeks after that disastrous “Access Hollywood” video in 2016.
Or two, the numbers will either stay the same or even get worse for the GOP – since Trump is now the incumbent, not the challenger, amid a pandemic that has now killed almost 135,000 Americans and brought the U.S. unemployment rate into the double digits.
REUTERS/Cheney Orr
It’s that second scenario that should scare the heck out of GOP strategists: What if a majority of the electorate already has given up on Trump, like what happened to George W. Bush after Hurricane Katrina and Iraq, or Jimmy Carter after the Iran-hostage crisis?
“As one strategist who has been doing extensive focus group work with suburban voters tells us, ‘they are mostly done with Trump,’” the Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter wrote earlier this week.
Even the GOP messaging isn’t breaking through. A Monmouth poll out this week found that 77 percent of American adults believe the phrase “defund the police” means to change the way police departments operate – not eliminate them entirely, as Team Trump has been messaging.
And here are the latest poll numbers out this morning: 67 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus and race relations, per an ABC/Ipsos survey.
If the 2020 presidential contest doesn’t end up changing, we may look back at the last two months – Trump suggesting ingesting bleach; the president holding the Bible at St. John’s church; the Tulsa rally; and the spike in cases in Arizona, Florida and Texas – as being the beginning of the end of this race.
Et tu, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh?
Indeed, one way to view yesterday’s Supreme Court rulings on Trump’s taxes is that the justices – including those Trump appointed to the bench – aren’t acting like Trump will win in November.
“The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday gave President Donald Trump a chance to beat back House Democrats’ efforts to obtain his financial records but ruled he is not immune from the Manhattan district attorney’s attempt to get his taxes,” NBC’s Pete Williams writes.
And you had two Trump appointees – Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – dismissing Trump’s claim to absolute immunity from having to release his income taxes, says the New York Times’ Peter Baker.
“My guess is their feeling about him is, ‘We intend to be on this court long after he is a bad memory, and if his administration is about to come crashing down, we might as well have been people who weren’t willing to completely blow up the Constitution for him,’” Richard Primus, a constitutional scholar at the University of Michigan Law School, tells Baker.
DATA DOWNLOAD: The numbers that you need to know today
134,164: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far. (That’s 882 more than yesterday morning.)
38.03 million: The number of coronavirus TESTS that have been administered in the United States so far, according to researchers at The COVID Tracking Project.
67 percent: The share of Americans who disapprove of the president’s handling of COVID-19, per a new ABC News/Ipsos poll.
TWEET OF THE DAY: Acing it
2020 VISION: Biden lays out his economic agenda
Speaking in Dunmore, Pa., on Thursday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden unveiled his “Build Back Better” economic agenda, per NBC’s Marianna Sotomayor.
“Let’s use this opportunity to take bold investments in American industry and innovation so the future is made in America, all in America,” Biden said.
He added, “When we spend taxpayers’ money, when the federal government spends taxpayers’ money, we should use it to buy American products and support American jobs.”
And: “Let’s get prepared to meet the challenges of the climate crisis. That means investing in infrastructure, clean energy, creating millions of good paying union jobs in the process.”
McConnell calls GOP convention ‘a challenging situation’
Republican senators are starting to waiver on if they’ll attend the Republican convention next month – and that list now might include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“Well, I think the convention, it’s a challenging situation, and a number of my colleagues have announced that they are not going to attend, and we’ll have to wait and see how things look in late August to determine whether or not you can safely convene that many people,” McConnell said.
That’s a departure from earlier this week when McConnell’s office told NBC’s Hill team that, “the leader has every intention of attending.”
While Republicans are still planning an in-person convention in Jacksonville, Fla., the president hinted earlier this week that he might be flexible: “It really depends on the timing,” he said. “Look, we’re very flexible, we can do a lot of things, but we’re very flexible.”
THE LID: Money, honey
Don’t miss the pod from yesterday, when we checked in with some of the latest eye-popping Democratic Senate fundraising totals.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world?
Some Republicans view generous unemployment benefits as a “disincentive to work.” But is the economy strong enough to end them?
The Trump campaign is trying to find a new strategy for rallies after the Tulsa debacle.
Steve Bannon says Joe Biden is getting it right with his “Buy American” plan.
The president isn’t happy about his defeat in the Supreme Court yesterday on his financial records case.
The Washington Post reports that the president privately complains about how the coronavirus is affecting his presidency, casting himself as the virus’s chief victim.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called the Confederacy “treasonous” in a Capitol Hill hearing yesterday.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a fellow veteran, is the latest conservative to question Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s values.
The U.S. set another daily record for coronavirus cases as President Trump continues to push for reopening schools. Also, Tropical Storm Fay will continue to move north this weekend, bringing heavy rain and flood alerts to some areas. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds. (Photos courtesy: Christopher Sadowski)
Watch Video +
U.S. coronavirus cases surge as Trump pushes for reopening
Watch Video +
Scientists race to explain why COVID kills a lot more men than women
On July 9, the Manhattan Institute hosted a conversation with Upwork’s Adam Ozimek on the implications of remote work for the future of cities and the American workforce.
On July 8, the Manhattan Institute hosted a discussion with health-care policy and industry experts about telehealth’s promises and challenges, and what implications this innovation has for public policy and medicine in the United States.
Manhattan Institute senior fellow Andy Smarick on why states should use competitive-grant programs to change the direction of their public schools in a paper for AEI’s new series, Sketching a New Conservative Education Agenda.
A new executive order requires more vigorous data collection for identifying families most likely to take in unwanted children.
By Naomi Schaefer Riley City Journal Online
July 9, 2020
On Monday, join the Manhattan Institute’s Nicole Gelinas for a conversation with Janno Lieber, the MTA’s Chief Development Officer and President of MTA Construction & Development on the state of the agency’s infrastructure projects and the future of its long-term capital projects.
On Tuesday, the Manhattan Institute will host a virtual discussion with senior fellow Chris Pope and City Journal senior editor Steven Malanga on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. The conversation will be moderated by City Journal editor Brian Anderson.
On July 20, join us for a discussion between Senator Tom Cotton and Manhattan Institute president Reihan Salam on the future of policing in America and the challenges of public debate in an age of polarization.
“Skeptics might dismiss Seattle’s ‘interrupting-whiteness’ training as a West Coast oddity, but it is part of a nationwide movement…”
By Christopher F. Rufo New York Post
July 10, 2020
Adapted from City Journal
As some policymakers push to include “green energy” initiatives as a key feature of economic recovery, a new report by Mark Mills offers a sobering reality check. Any large-scale shift to using so-called green energy technologies instead of oil and gas as primary energy sources would require an unprecedented increase in the mining of key minerals across the globe.
Rafael Mangual joins Seth Barron to discuss the surge in gun violence in New York City and other American cities, the impact of newly enacted criminal-justice reforms on policing, and the connection between “low-level” enforcement and major-crime prevention.
With America and its cities still reeling from the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent civil unrest, Manhattan Institute scholars are charting a path forward at the federal, state, and local levels. Read more in the Summer 2020 update from president Reihan Salam.
Manhattan Institute is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.
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REALCLEARPOLITICS MORNING NOTE
07/10/2020
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Carl Cannon’s Morning Note
Presented by Author Steven Shafarman: Failed Test; Stone Pardon; Quote of the Week
By Carl M. Cannon on Jul 10, 2020 07:38 am
Good morning. It’s Friday, July 10, 2020, the day of the week when I reprise a quotation intended to be instructive or inspirational. I wrote yesterday about U.S. presidents who died before their time — died in office, actually– and had intended to quote John F. Kennedy today.
Instead, I’ll quote a Texas woman who worked on Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign. A preacher’s kid from Houston’s nearly all-black 5th Ward, she knew nothing but segregated schools until she attended law school at Boston University. Afterwards, she went back home and entered politics. Her name was Barbara Jordan.
A week ago in honor of July 4, my colleague Mike Sabo assembled an array of voices speaking about equality. One of them belonged to Ms. Jordan. I’ll have another quote from her in a moment. First, I’d point you to RealClearPolitics’ front page, which presents our poll averages, videos, breaking news stories, and aggregated opinion pieces spanning the political spectrum. We also offer a nice array original material from our own reporters, columnists, and contributors this morning, including the following:
* * *
Liberal Newsrooms Fail the True Black Lives Matter Test. Mark Hemingway reflects on the scant media attention paid to the upswing in gun violence claiming scores of black lives each week across the nation.
As Clock Ticks, Trump Hints at Roger Stone Pardon. D.C. is abuzz with speculation that the former adviser may be spared prison, where he is to report in just days, Phil Wegmann reports.
FBI Man at Heart of Surveillance Abuses Teaches Spy Ethics Course. Paul Sperry has the story in RealClearInvestigations.
What You’re Not Being Told About Biden’s Fundraising. Kimberly Guilfoyle argues the presumptive Democratic nominee’s recent campaign hauls in fact reflect a big enthusiasm gap.
Multi-Employer Pension Reform Critical for GOP to Keep Senate. Scott Reed and Matt Rhoades urge Republicans to address a funding shortfall or face defeat in key states and the loss of their majority.
For Investing Edge, Analyze Data Devotees, Not the Data. At RealClearMarkets, Ken Fisher explains that with the data fully priced, the trick is to decipher the biases of those analyzing the data.
SCOTUS Affirms Role of Religion in Public Life. In RealClearPolicy, Adam Carrington writes that a recent court ruling acknowledges that garnering the great benefits of religion, morality, and knowledge requires education.
A Better Solution for Student Loan Defaults. In RealClearEducation, Andrew Gillen touts the advantages of income share agreements and income contingent lending.
Going Where the Carbon Is. In RealClearEnergy, Shannon Heyck-Williams advocates boosting incentives the most for carbon-intensive states.
Time to Make Net Metering a Net Positive. Also in RCE, Jakob Puckett seeks a fairer and more competitive solar policy.
* * *
For those of us old enough to remember, Florida Democratic Rep. Val Demings’ role as an impeachment manager last year brought to mind a woman who impressed Americans of many political persuasions during Richard Nixon’s impeachment fight.
Until then, few Americans outside her home state had heard of Barbara C. Jordan. She had been an effective force in the Texas state legislature in Austin but was still in her first term in Washington when the Watergate scandal came to the fore. In 1972, she had run against another black legislator in the Democratic primary for an open congressional seat. When her male opponent told his supporters that she’d been too cozy with Austin’s white establishment, Jordan had the perfect rejoinder. “I’m not going to Washington and turn things upside down in a day,” she told her supporters at a rally. “I’ll only be one of 435. But the 434 will know I’m there.”
It was a prophetic promise.
Jordan won that primary in a landslide and went on to become the first African American woman ever elected to Congress from the Deep South. Politics was in her blood — one of her great grandfathers served in Congress during Reconstruction — but Jordan said she was inspired to believe her gender was no barrier to advancement after hearing Edith Sampson speak on career day at her (segregated) high school.
Sampson was a prominent Chicago lawyer whom Harry Truman made the first African American to officially represent the United States at the U.N. In India during a global trip in 1949, she was asked whether blacks had equal rights in the U.S. Sampson candidly answered no; but she pointed to significant progress being made outside the South. “I would rather be a Negro in America,” she said, “than a citizen in any other land.”
Twenty-five years later, while the House Judiciary Committee was considering the impeachment of President Nixon, Rep. Jordan’s rich voice was carried on the airwaves to the entire nation.
“Earlier today we heard the beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. ‘We the people…'” she said. “It is a very eloquent beginning. But, when that document was completed on the 17th of September in 1787, I was not included in that ‘We, the people.’ I felt somehow for many years that George Washington and Alexander Hamilton just left me out by mistake. But, through the process of amendment, interpretation, and court decision, I have finally been included in ‘We, the people.'”
American taxpayers invest huge sums to develop the world’s leading capabilities in the field of cyberwarfare. Are we to believe that there should be no regulation for sophisticated intelligence techniques and cyberwarfare capabilities?
Shadowy American military and intelligence contractors going rogue—using sophisticated spying technologies and techniques honed over years of government service for personal gain—is the stuff of James Bond films.
On July 8th 2020, George Cotter, a veteran cryptologist and former Chief Information Officer of the National Security Agency, joined the Center’s Director of Infrastructure, Tommy Waller, to discuss the cyber threat landscape to America’s critical infrastructures – a topic Mr. Cotter characterized as “ominous with respect to anything of value to this country: critical infrastructures, our elections, and our grid.”
To his credit, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday announced sanctions the U.S. government is taking to punish the Chinese Communist Party for what Mr. Pompeo called its “horrific and systematic abuses” of Uighur Muslims and other minorities in the western region called Xinjiang.
What is being done to the Uighurs, however, is but an extreme example of the CCP’s abuse of vast numbers of other Chinese – including Christians, Tibetans, Falun Gong, political dissidents, etc. That fate is now impending for the people of Hong Kong, too.
This level of repression is being enabled by Beijing’s so-called “social credit system.” This Orwellian, real-time surveillance apparatus combines cameras everywhere, facial recognition and data mining. It’s made possible by a “Communist Chinese military company” called Hikvision that is currently allowed to do business and raise capital in this country.
That must end, too.
This is Frank Gaffney.
PETER HUESSY, Director for Strategic Deterrent Studies at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, Former Senior Defense Consultant at the National Defense University Foundation, Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council:
A recent satellite launch by the Iranians
The nuclear capability of the Iranians
How is the Trump administration imposing sanctions on Iran’s regime?
DAVID WURMSER, Director of CSP’s new program on fighting global anti-Semitism and defending the US-Israel relationship, Served as Middle East Adviser to Dick Cheney, as Special Assistant to John Bolton and as a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Served in the US Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander:
What has happened in Iran in the past 12 days?
Various explosions at power plants throughout Iran
How will these events impact the Iranian nuclear weapons program?
JEFF NYQUIST, Author of the book Origins of the Fourth World War and The New Tactics of Global War:
The various organizations that make up Black Lives Matter
What is the “solar minimum?”
Could Chinese flooding impact the Three Gorges Dam?
ROBERT CHARLES, Former Assistant Secretary of State at the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in the Bush Administration, Author of Eagles and Evergreens:
The speed with which socialism spreads
How are police officers feeling due to the protests in the US?
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Closing out the week: The Harper’s letter calling for freedom of expression demonstrates that no one is ever “woke” enough, and that any institution that tries to make peace with the perpetually aggrieved eventually becomes dysfunctional; the value of Hamilton as a litmus test of the limits of cancel culture; Colin Powell throws a lot of cold water onto the “Russian bounty” story; and a warning about whether we are staying on top of the potential threat of terrorism.
it is now all too common to hear calls for swift and severe retribution in response to perceived transgressions of speech and thought. More troubling still, institutional leaders, in a spirit of panicked damage control, are delivering hasty and disproportionate punishments instead of considered reforms. Editors are fired … READ MORE
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Report: Facebook leads industry on removal of hate speech
At 35,000 people, our safety & security teams work to keep our platforms safe 24/7. A recent EU report found we remove more reported hate speech than other major platforms. But any hate speech is too much — there’s more work to do.
“Makes an original and compelling case for nationalism . . . A fascinating, erudite—and much-needed—defense of a hallowed idea unfairly under current attack.” — Victor Davis Hanson
SENATE POLLING ROUNDUP: In North Carolina, a poll from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling (Jul. 7-8; 818 RVs) found former state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D) led Sen. Thom Tillis (R), 47%-39%. (release) In Texas, an internal poll for Sen. John Cornyn’s (R) campaign of the Democratic primary (Jul. 8; 830 LVs; +/-3.2%) found 2018 TX-31 nominee MJ Hegar (D) led state Sen. Royce West (D), 39%-35%. The poll was conducted by Target Point. (release)
HOUSE FUNDRAISING ROUNDUP: Pennsylvania state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (D) raised $630,000 in Q2 and reported $980,000 cash on hand in PA-10, according to totals first shared with National Journal. (Hotline reporting) 2016 Lt. Gov. nominee Christina Hale (D) raised $541,000 in Q2 and reported $726,000 cash on hand in IN-05. (Importantville) In TX-21, 2014 GOV nominee Wendy Davis (D) raised $1.4 million in Q2 and reported $2.8 million cash on hand. (Texas Tribune)
MI SEN: Sen. Gary Peters (D) raised $5.2 million in Q2, his biggest fundraising haul yet. Peters’ campaign said he had more than $12 million cash on hand. (release) 2018 nominee John James (R) raised $6.4 million, marking the fourth quarter in a row that James has outraised Peters. (release)
PRESIDENTIAL POLLING ROUNDUP: The PPP poll found Joe Biden led President Trump in North Carolina, 50%-46%. (release)
BIDEN: Biden’s campaign hired three communications aides to boost its outreach to communities of color. Pili Tobar will serve as communications director for coalitions; Ramzey Smith will serve as African American media director; and Jennifer Molina will serve as Latino media director. (Washington Post) Biden also hired two senior staffers in Iowa. Jackie Norris will serve as senior adviser, and Lauren Dillon will serve as state director. (AP)
GA SEN: Majority Forward, an outside group aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, launched a TV ad Thursday targeting Sen. David Perdue (R). The spot hits Perdue on his record on health care and says he’s “looking out for the insurance companies.” It’s part of a $3 million spend that will air statewide. (release)
TX SEN: Cornyn’s campaign launched a TV ad Friday that takes aim at West. The spot calls West “a liberal politician” and criticizes his record on supporting abortion rights and taxes, and claims he “votes against our Second Amendment rights.” (Texas Tribune) The Democratic runoff is July 14.
CALIFORNIA: Former Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) dropped his lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) over an executive order which requires county officials to send absentee ballots to all registered voters. (Times of San Diego)
IA-02: The open IA-02 could be “Republicans’ best chance to flip a House seat in the state,” and “some see it as a must-win on the path to the majority,” thanks to the demographic breakdown of the district. State Sen. Rita Hart (D) sailed through the primary and will face fellow state Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R), who had to contend with a primary against former Rep. Bobby Schilling (R-IL). The bruising primary might be the reason she “has not garnered as much national attention,” according to one state GOP operative. (Hotline reporting)
New York’s primaries are now more than two weeks behind us, although several races remain uncalled. This week, in NY-16, calling one of those races became more complicated when Rep. Eliot Engel, who trails challenger Jamaal Bowman, sued two local boards of elections. Engel wants the court to review the validity of the votes; Bowman’s campaign deemed the suit “unnecessary” and said it had the potential to disenfranchise voters. The incident could prove instructive in how we think about elections this fall, including the presidential race. It’s true that delays in tallying up absentee ballots may force Americans to wait days or weeks for results anyway. But as the situation in New York demonstrates, that’s not all; with a ballot-counting process that’s almost certain to get political, legal action and recounts may leave the nation in limbo for a good deal longer. — Mini Racker
Fresh Brewed Buzz
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “has directed his top fund-raiser, Heather Barker, to tell donors not to give to the” Republican convention “because of a personal dispute between the governor and Susie Wiles, his former campaign manager who is serving as an informal adviser to the convention planners, according to multiple people familiar with his actions.” (New York Times)
“The June 28 email to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was ominous:” Paul Alexander, a “senior adviser to a top Health and Human Services Department official accused the CDC of ‘undermining’” Trump “by putting out a report about the potential risks of the coronavirus to pregnant women.” (Washington Post)
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said “Mexico paying for the wall didn’t come up during the Mexican president’s visit” with Trump “yesterday, which lasted several hours.” (CNN)
Communications agency founder Tonya Veasey has been selected as the new president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She is the wife of Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX 33).
“A state judge on Thursday declined to reverse Houston’s decision to cancel the Texas Republican convention’s in-person events because of the coronavirus pandemic.” (AP)
“A political ad running on television for” Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS 02) “is missing an element that the Federal Election Commission requires candidates to include.” (Topeka Capital-Journal)
“Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was taken back into custody Thursday morning and is now at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after the Federal Bureau of Prisons said Cohen violated ‘the conditions of his home confinement.’” (Fox News)
“The Montpelier City Council has unanimously voted against a street mural proposed by” attorney John Klar (R). “Klar, who is taking on” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) “in the Aug. 11 primary, said last week that he had submitted a proposal to close State Street to paint ‘Liberty and Justice for All’ in red, white and blue, next to an existing ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural.” (VTDigger)
“Financial records related to … Trump’s Washington hotel can be kept on hold, a federal appeals court said Thursday. … [T]he records sought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia will likely not be released until after the November election. The two jurisdictions filed a lawsuit in 2017, alleging that Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel.” (AP)
“The Office of Congressional Ethics has terminated its review of” Rep. Matt Gaetz‘s (R-FL 01) “decision to use taxpayer money to lease an office from a friend, donor and political ally in Florida.” (Politico)
Rooster’s Crow
The House and Senate are out.
Trump delivers remarks on SOUTHCOM’s enhanced counternarcotics operations at 1:40 p.m. in Doral, FL. He participates in a roundtable on supporting the people of Venezuela at 2:15 p.m. and joins a roundtable with supporters at 5:30 p.m. in Hillsboro Beach, FL.
Swizzle Challenge
Lyndon B. Johnson and Texas Gov. Coke R. Stevenson (D) competed in a primary decided by just 87 votes.
James Molina won yesterday’s challenge. Here’s his challenge: When then-Sen. Robert Kennedy (D-NY) lost the 1968 Oregon presidential primary to Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D), McCarthy claimed that Kennedy “tried to beat me with a dog and an astronaut.” What was the name of RFK’s dog, and who was the astronaut?
A Wisconsin man was charged on Thursday with a hate crime killing after he swerved his pickup truck to purposely hit a retired police officer… Read more…
Hillary Clinton accused President Trump of being a Russian puppet in their 3rd Presidential debate in October 2016. Now we know that she constructed this… Read more…
Biden on Thursday spoke to a handful of people (reporters) sitting in social distancing circles. China Joe unveiled his so-called economic recovery plan at a… Read more…
Biden on Thursday visited his childhood home in Scranton, Pennsylvania. As usual, Biden refused to answer questions from reporters. REPORTER: “Time for a few questions?”… Read more…
Guest post by Larry C. Johnson The vitriol and obsessive hatred consuming Democrat leaders and their sycophantic supporters is driving them to pursue policies intended… Read more…
John Durham John Durham, the US Attorney from Connecticut appointed to investigate the origins of Spygate, is reportedly under pressure to wrap up his probe… Read more…
Ami Horowitz put together another excellent video where he contrasts the radical individuals who want to abolish the police and compares their ideals with black… Read more…
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