Donald Trump has broken his silence on the passing of John Lewis with a tweet posted moments ago.
“Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing,” he wrote. “Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family.
The US president finally commented on the civil rights hero and longtime Democratic congressman shortly after his motorcade departed Trump National Golf Course at 1.45pm following a four-and-a-half-hour visit to hit the links, according to the White House press pool.
Trump did issue a boilerplate proclamation for flags to be flown at half-mast at the White House and public buildings earlier Saturday but had otherwise yet to comment on Lewis’s passing.
Joe Biden will run campaign ads during Donald Trump’s eagerly awaited interview with Fox News Sunday tomorrow – to go a bit Friends for a second, that being The One In Which Trump Says Biden Wants To Defund The Police And Chris Wallace Says Hang On A Minute, Not So, And Trump Gets A Little Testy.
The Biden ad, entitled “Tough”, will run during broadcast of the interview in six battleground states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and North Carolina.
The realclearpolitics.com polling average puts Biden ahead in all six, by margins ranging from 7.8% in Pennsylvania to 2% in North Carolina.
The move could provoke a president notoriously susceptible to what he sees on television: anti-Trump groups such as the Lincoln Project have thrived by placing brutal ads where the president will see them.
Biden’s ad is more subtle. Without mentioning Trump, it aims to present its candidate as a leader capable of handling the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m thinking of all of you today,” Biden says, mentioning “rising case numbers causing fear and apprehension”.
“This virus is tough but we can stop the spread. It’s up to all of us to do it.”
Biden advises Americans to “wear a mask, wash your hands, stay home if you can and socially distance when you go out”, public health measures advocated by White House experts but which Trump and many Republicans in elected office have been reluctant to forcefully endorse.
As cases surge in states across the US, with nearly 140,000 dead, as experts warn of a bleak fall to come and as Trump is widely accused of an abdication of responsibility, Biden’s implication is clear.
“I will not abandon you,” he says. “We’re all in this together. We’ll fight this together. And, together, we’ll emerge from this stronger than we were before we began.”
Here’s Tom McCarthy again on what experts think is going to hit the US in the fall. It’s not at all good, but it bears repeated linking:
Oprah Winfrey interviewed John Lewis last week, shortly before his death. She has posted a video of the conversation on Twitter.
In early June, the United States awoke from a months-long nightmare.
Coronavirus had brutalized the north-east, with New York City alone recording more than 20,000 deaths, the bodies piling up in refrigerated trucks. Thousands sheltered at home. Rice, flour and toilet paper ran out. Millions of jobs disappeared.
But then the national curve flattened, governors declared success and patrons returned to restaurants, bars and beaches. “We are winning the fight against the invisible enemy,” vice-president Mike Pence wrote in a 16 June op-ed, titled, “There isn’t a coronavirus ‘second wave’.”
Except, in truth, the nightmare was not over – the country was not awake – and a new wave of cases was gathering with terrifying force.
As Pence was writing, the virus was spreading across the American south and interior, finding thousands of untouched communities and infecting millions of new bodies. Except for the precipitous drop in New York cases, the curve was not flat at all. It was surging, in line with epidemiological predictions.
Now, four months into the pandemic, with test results delayed, contact tracing scarce, protective equipment dwindling and emergency rooms once again filling, the United States finds itself in a fight for its life: swamped by partisanship, mistrustful of science, engulfed in mask wars and led by a president whose incompetence is rivaled only by his indifference to Americans’ suffering.
With flu season on the horizon and Donald Trump demanding that millions of students return to school in the fall – not to mention a presidential election quickly approaching – the country appears at risk of being torn apart.
“I feel like it’s March all over again,” said William Hanage, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. “There is no way in which a large number of cases of disease, and indeed a large number of deaths, are going to be avoided.”
The problem facing the United States is plain. New cases nationally are up a remarkable 50% over the last two weeks and the daily death toll is up 42% over the same period. Cases are on the rise in 40 out of 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico. Last week America recorded more than 75,000 new cases daily – five times the rate of all Europe.
“We are unfortunately seeing more higher daily case numbers than we’ve ever seen, even exceeding pre-lockdown times,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “The number of new cases that occur each day in the US are greater than we’ve yet experienced. So this is obviously a very worrisome direction that we’re headed in.”
You can read the full article below:
The Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers met John Lewis several times, and said on Saturday morning that many of the issues the congressman fought for still need to be addressed.
“Really sad day for our country,” Rivers said before his team’s practice on Saturday. “What is amazing is when you think of right now, some of the stuff that John Lewis was fighting for, we’re still fighting for. Voter suppression right now is at an all-time high.
“It’s amazing how hard we have a group of people who are trying to get people not to vote. Latinos, Blacks and young people are the targets. That’s what they are trying to get not to vote. It’s amazing when you think about how long ago that was and yet we are still fighting that fight.”
The Cato Institute, a rightwing, libertarian thinktank, has pushed things a little by calling John Lewis “a Libertarian Hero”.
Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence has called Lewis “a friend” in a statement.
“While John Lewis will be rightly remembered as an icon of the civil rights movement, for me he was also a colleague and a friend,” wrote Pence. “Even when we differed, John was always unfailingly kind and my family and I will never forget the privilege of crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge at his side on the 45th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.”
Still no words from the president, aside from his pronouncement that flags will be flown at half-staff. Then again, Trump has shown little regard for civil rights during his presidency so, if you’re being kind, you could say he’s not a hypocrite. I suspect he will wait a few hours so that, on one hand, he can say to critics that he has acknowledged Lewis’s death, but on the other he can signal to his base that he is his own man.
Some news from the Associated Press on Kanye West’s presidential bid:
Kanye West has asked fans to sign a petition calling for him to be added to the presidential election ballot in South Carolina.
The rap superstar announced he was running for the White House on 4 July, tweeting: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States.”
But doubts persist over how seriously to take his bid.
West, who has both expressed support for Donald Trump and said he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, has said he will model his White House on a fictional land in the Black Panther superhero film, saying: “Let’s get back to Wakanda.”
This week it emerged he has qualified to appear on the presidential ballot in Oklahoma after making Wednesday’s deadline to register as an independent candidate. But it appears he missed the cut-off to run in South Carolina. According to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), that state also had a deadline of Wednesday.
Apparently hoping public opinion can sway officials, he tweeted: “If you’re a voter in South Carolina, please sign this petition to place me on the ballot Sponsored by Ye 2020.”
Various athletes and entertainers have paid tribute to John Lewis.
NBA hall of famer, civil rights activist and Guardian columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said he was “emotional” the first time he met Lewis, such was his stature.
Abdul-Jabbar’s fellow NBA superstar, LeBron James, wrote: “Rest. In. Paradise John Lewis. #CivilRightsICON THANK YOU!!”
Hollywood director Ava DuVernay wrote: “Will never forget what you taught me and what you challenged me to be. Better. Stronger. Bolder. Braver.”
Samuel L Jackson wrote “Sometimes it’s Good to meet a Hero… I was blessed every time we met. RI POWER, Sir.#thestrugglecontinues#BLM#VOTE.”
And from the world of music, Mariah Carey wrote on Twitter: “Today we have lost a heroes’ Hero.. Thank you God for John Lewis’s life of service. Let us continue to try to walk his walk of truth. Rest in Power.”
The president’s silence on Twitter over the death of John Lewis has won support from California congresswoman Karen Bass, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Although, one suspects she is not quite complimenting Donald Trump in her tweet.
“.@realDonaldTrump while the nation mourns the passing of a national hero, please say nothing,” wrote Bass on Twitter. “Please don’t comment on the life of Congressman Lewis. Your press secretary released a statement, leave it at that. Please let us mourn in peace.”
John Lewis represented Georgia in Congress for 33 years, and prominent figures in the state have paid tribute after his death.
“A civil rights icon, freedom fighter, and beloved Georgian, @repjohnlewis lost his battle with cancer today,” wrote Georgia’s Republican governor, Brian Kemp. “Our nation will never be the same without him. There are no words to adequately express the sadness that countless Americans are feeling upon learning this news.”
Atlanta’s mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, called Lewis “the most brave of giants” in her own tribute on Twitter.
“The most humble of heroes, the most brave of giants. @repjohnlewis loved unconditionally and called upon us all to be a better version of ourselves. He was my Congressman and my best example of true servant leadership. I am grateful for his life and the joy of having known him,” she wrote.
The Florida department of health reported 10,328 new cases of Covid-19 and 90 new deaths on Saturday. Those figures are, mercifully, down from earlier in the week (14,000 new cases were reported on Thursday and 132 new deaths on Tuesday) but are still worryingly high in a state that has become a hotspot for the virus.
Daniel Strauss has more on how Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, who some have dubbed a “mini Trump”, has handled the crisis:
Donald Trump has yet to comment on the death of John Lewis, but he has issued an order for flags to be flown at half-staff “as a mark of respect for the memory and long-standing service” of the congressman.
New York hospitalizations from Covid-19 are at their lowest rate since 18 March. The state, which was at one point the worst affected region in the world by the virus, reported 743 hospitalizations from the virus on Saturday. It also reported 11 new deaths, two of which were in New York City.
The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, said the state could act as an example to the rest of the US in how to lower infections.
“We remain alarmed by spikes in much of the country and the risk of a lack of compliance at home as the state pursues a phased, data-driven reopening,” Cuomo said in a press briefing on Saturday.
“New Yorkers’ vigilance, courage and adoption of basic behaviors – mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing – has driven our ability to control the virus, and we have to continue on that path to success.”
Two prominent Republicans have tweeted their tributes to John Lewis. Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator, said his “good friend” had helped welcome him when he first made his entry into Washington politics as a congressman.
“He was a giant among men; his life and legacy will continue to serve as an example for the generations to come,” the South Carolina senator wrote on Twitter. “I am encouraged by his courage, determination, and perseverance, characteristics that we can all try to emulate – especially in the wake of current events.”
Meanwhile, former presidential candidate and Republican senator for Utah, Mitt Romney, praised Lewis’s “unwavering principle”.
“With the passing of John Lewis, America has lost not only a man of history, but a man for our season; O how we need such men of unwavering principle, unassailable character, penetrating purpose, and heartfelt compassion,” wrote Romney on Twitter.
Bernie Sanders says “John Lewis inspired millions to fight for justice” in his tribute to the congressman on Twitter.
“His courage helped transform this country. He won’t ever be forgotten by those who believe America can change when the people stand together and demand it. Our thoughts are with his loved ones,” wrote the senator for Vermont.
Sanders and Lewis were involved in a minor controversy during Sanders’ run for president in 2016. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) political action committee endorsed Sanders’ rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton. Lewis also appeared to play down Sanders’ involvement in the 1960s civil rights movement saying: “I never saw him. I never met him.”
Lewis later clarified that he was not disparaging Sanders’ record in the civil rights movement.
“I was responding to a reporter’s question who asked me to assess Senator Sanders’ civil rights record. I said that when I was leading and was at the center of pivotal actions within the civil rights movement, I did not meet Senator Bernie Sanders at any time,” he said in February 2016.
“The fact that I did not meet him in the movement does not mean I doubted that Senator Sanders participated in the civil rights movement, neither was I attempting to disparage his activism. Thousands sacrificed in the 1960s whose names we will never know, and I have always given honor to their contribution.”
Read the original article at The Guardian
