Trump to resume daily coronavirus briefings on Tuesday – live
A day after Kanye West held his first “campaign” event in North Charleston, electoral authorities in South Carolina have confirmed that the rapper will not appear on the ballot there in November’s presidential election.
Whether or not West is serious about running for the White House, predictably enough he is attracting attention.
As the AP reported it, at his event on Sunday, held during an effort to attract signatures to a petition to be on the ballot, West “ranted against historical figure Harriet Tubman, saying the Underground Railroad conductor ‘never actually freed the slaves, she just had them work for other white people’, comments that drew shouts of opposition from some in the crowd.”
Here’s some more serious words on Harriet Tubman:
Republican senator Rand Paul voiced opposition to Trump’s efforts to send federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-controlled cities.
“We cannot give up liberty for security,” Paul said in a tweet. “Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will.”
Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul)
We cannot give up liberty for security. Local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities but there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will. t.co/vkSHmlOzDW
July 20, 2020
Paul’s comments marked quite a contrast from one of his Republican colleagues, senator Lindsey Graham, who said Trump is “right to demand that law and order be restored in American cities.”
Activists in Portland, Oregon, have warned federal agents are using unmarked cars to detain peaceful protesters, and the Chicago Tribune reported today that the department of homeland security intends to send 150 agents to Chicago.
Teachers are suing the state of Florida over a mandate to return to in-person classes. Florida Education Association President Fedrick Ingram said Republican Governor Ron DeSantis needs “a reality check” about the state of Covid-19 in his state.
“The governor needs to accept the reality of the situation here in Florida, where the virus is surging out of control. He needs to accept the evolving science. It now appears that kids 10 and older may pass along the coronavirus as easily as adults,” Ingram said.
“Everyone wants schools to reopen, but we don’t want to begin in-person teaching, face an explosion of cases and sickness, then be forced to return to distance learning. Florida’s Constitution demands that public schools be safe. Teachers and parents want our schools to meet that basic standard.”
This being America in the Fourth Year of Trump, there has been a lot of news this morning, political and otherwise, so much so that the following chunk or nugget of pure news may have slipped out of the pan and back into the chilly information stream in which news gold is so avidly sought. Or similar.
The supreme court has turned down a request from House Democrats to accelerate appeals hearings in their attempt to get hold of Donald Trump’s financial records.
Democrats had asked the justices to issue their formal judgement faster than the customary 25 days after their 9 July ruling on the matter, which sent it back to the lower courts. Trump opposed the request. The justices have said no.
Many observers counted the original ruling as a political win for Trump, as Democrats are not likely to see his records before the election in November or even the end of the current Congress in January, by which time Trump will either be a lame duck waiting to leave the White House – or not – or a triumphant eagle, ready for a second soaring term.
It’s not all good news for Trump. As Bloomberg News reports, “Chief Justice John Roberts last week granted a similar request from Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance, clearing lower courts to move ahead in a separate clash over a grand jury subpoena for Trump’s records.”
However, “Trump had agreed to that request, and Roberts indicated his decision was based at least in part on the president’s consent.”
The New York case concerns hush money payments to women who claim affairs with Trump and with them campaign finance laws. Like the congressional case, it is not likely to produce Trump’s financial records for the public to see any time soon.
Republican senator Lindsey Graham voiced support for Trump’s efforts to send federal law enforcement agents to Democratic-led cities to crack down on protests against racism and police brutality.
Graham, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said in a tweet, “President Trump is right to demand that law and order be restored in American cities. These protests and riots are getting out of hand, jeopardizing public safety and economic recovery.”
The South Carolina Republican added, “If federal law enforcement officials are necessary to do the job and President Trump chooses to go down this path, I completely support him.”
Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC)
If federal law enforcement officials are necessary to do the job and President Trump chooses to go down this path, I completely support him.
July 20, 2020
Graham’s comments come as activists in Portland, Oregon, express alarm over reports of federal agents using unmarked cars to detain peaceful protesters. The department of homeland security also reportedly plans to send 150 federal agents to Chicago.
When Trump was asked this morning about how he plans to act against cities that have seen protests in recent weeks, he replied, “We’re going to have more federal law enforcement, that I can tell you.”
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Trump said he would resume his coronavirus briefings, likely starting tomorrow. Trump held daily briefings at the start of the coronavirus crisis, but the briefings attracted widespread criticism because of the president’s frequent false and misleading claims about the pandemic.
The department of homeland security reportedly intends to send 150 federal agents to Chicago. The report from the Chicago Tribune comes as activists in Portland, Oregon, have expressed severe alarm over incidents involving federal agents using unmarked cars to detain peaceful protesters.
A coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University appears to be safe and prompts an immune response, raising hopes about the distribution of a vaccine in the coming months.The Oxford team published the results of its vaccine trials in the medical journal the Lancet today.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
A suspect in the fatal shooting of federal judge Esther Salas’ son has been found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to reports.
ABC News reports:
The suspect was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound near Campsite Road and Berry Brook Road in Sullivan County, the sources said. A municipal employee discovered the body in a car.
The deceased suspect was an attorney who, sources said, had a case before Judge Salas in 2015.
A FedEx package addressed to Judge Salas was discovered in the car, sources said.
Law enforcement officials previously said the suspect wore a FedEx uniform and a face covering to approach Salas’ house and shoot her son and husband. Salas was not injured.
Salas’ 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, died from his wounds, and her husband, Mark Anderl, is reportedly in critical but stable condition.
The House has just held a moment of silence in honor of the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis, who died on Friday.
House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress)
The House is observing a moment of silence to honor Representative John Lewis.
July 20, 2020
About 100 lawmakers gathered on the floor to honor their former colleague, and they broke into applause as the moment of silence ended.
It was a rather emotional moment, with the House clerk actually getting choked up as she read the resolution in honor of Lewis.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi also appeared to be holding back tears as she presided over the moment of silence, referring to Lewis as “the conscience of the Congress.”
Moments ago in the Oval Office, Trump spoke about the widely criticized actions taken by federal law enforcement officers against peaceful protesters in Portland, Oregon.
The president applauded the federal agents, saying they had done a “fantastic job” in Portland.
Asked whether he would send more federal agents to other cities, Trump replied, “We’re going to have more federal law enforcement, that I can tell you.” That comment comes as one report indicates the department of homeland security intends to send 150 federal agents to Chicago.
Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)
“We’re going to have more federal law enforcement … in Portland, they’ve done a fantastic job … no problem. They grab ’em, a lot of people in jail … these are people that hate our country” — Trump pic.twitter.com/giDdhP7GdY
July 20, 2020
He disparaged the protesters in Portland as “anarchists,” claiming lawmakers there are afraid of the demonstrators.
“These are anarchists; these are not protesters,” Trump said. “These are people that hate our country, and we’re not going to let it go forward.”
He went on to paint a picture of a country “going to hell” because of the recent protests against racism and police brutality.
“This is worse than Afghanistan, by far,” Trump said. “This is worse than anything anyone has ever seen. All run by the same liberal Democrats. And you know what? If Biden got in, that would be true for the country. The whole country would go to hell.”
The department of homeland security reportedly intends to send 150 federal agents to Chicago, a development that will likely intensify activists’ concerns about Trump attempting to circumvent local Democratic leaders to crack down on recent protests against racism and police brutality.
The Chicago Tribune reports:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is crafting plans to deploy about 150 federal agents to Chicago this week, the Chicago Tribune has learned, a move that would come amid growing controversy nationally about federal force being used in American cities.
The Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, agents are set to assist other federal law enforcement and Chicago police in crime-fighting efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter, though a specific plan on what the agents will be doing had not been made public.
Activists in Portland, Oregon, have expressed severe alarm over reports of federal agents using unmarked vehicles to detain peaceful protesters, and they have warned the administration may attempt to expand the strategy to other cities.
