thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Virginia Democrats Could Elect The First Black Physician To Congress

Dr. Cameron Webb For Congress Dr. Cameron Webb from Virginia could go down in history as the first Black physician elected to a full-fledged spot in Congress .
One of the four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination on June 23 to replace outgoing Rep. Denver Riggleman in the Old Dominion ’ s 5th Congressional District seems uniquely tailored for the times : He ’ s Black , he ’ s a doctor and he ’ s thrusting health care to the forefront of the election .
Dr. Cameron Webb is a fresh-faced , 36-year-old doctor from Charlottesville who could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black physician elected to a full-fledged spot in Congress .
It ’ s a prospect that carries particular weight now as Black communities are facing the worst of the coronavirus outbreak and as President Donald Trump works to undermine medical experts ’ advice on how to stop the virus .
“ Now more than ever we need leadership to fix our health care system , and I realized there ’ s a role for me to play here , ” Webb told HuffPost .
“ I say this all the time : This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any that I ’ ve seen before.
” The record number of unemployed Americans means that people are being dropped from their employer ’ s health insurance plans at a time when access to care is more critical than ever , Webb said .
It ’ s a crisis that could make his pitch for uncoupling health insurance from jobs potentially attractive to voters — even to the district ’ s mostly rural , conservative-leaning ones .
Webb takes a more conservative approach that aims to “ fix private insurance so we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he told The Roanoke Times in May .
His platform calls for a model that encourages employers to contribute to health insurance costs for workers but allows employees to choose between a public or private plan .
There ’ s no public polling data on the 5th Congressional District race , but Webb has racked up a suite of endorsements from national party heavyweights , including California Sen. Kamala Harris and New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries .
He has also won the backing of 314 Action , the science-based political action committee .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a tech startup founder , Marine Corps veteran Claire Russo and John Lesinski , a commercial real estate executive .
Webb , who is the Director of Health Policy and Equity at the University of Virginia School of Medicine , has been on the front lines of the pandemic treating COVID-19 patients as he juggles being a father , husband and political candidate .
He would be the first Black physician elected to Congress from a state .
( Delegate Donna Christensen , a Black physician from the Virgin Islands , served @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have voting powers . )
The Spotsylvania , Virginia , native received his medical and law degrees , and his wife , Dr. Leigh Ann Webb , is a practicing emergency room doctor .
He credits his time as a White House fellow — having been tapped by President Barack Obama to work on the White House Health Care Team and My Brother ’ s Keeper Initiative — with helping him to recognize the importance of policymaking in shaping health care .
“ Seeing that pendulum swing from Obama to Trump made me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government was and impacted health access and outcomes , ” Webb said .
“ Health doesn ’ t happen inside of hospitals or in clinics .
It truly does happen in communities.
” Virginia ’ s 5th Congressional District is a sprawling one , spanning from the southernmost border of North Carolina to outside Washington , D.C. Low voter turnout for next Tuesday ’ s primary , which Gov .
Ralph Northam delayed by two weeks , is to be expected because of COVID-19 .
Although the district is rated R+6 on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure of the jurisdiction ’ s party-leaning tendencies , the chances of a Democratic candidate capturing this historically right-leaning area is not far out of reach .
The last Democratic candidate to be elected was Tom Perriello in 2008 , as support for Obama that year led to a higher Black voter turnout in the district .
Perriello held the seat until 2010 , when Republican Robert Hurt won in the wave of GOP midterm victories .
Riggleman won in 2018 .
And while two of Virginia ’ s five pivot counties are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted for Obama in 2008 and then Trump in 2016 — Democrats like Webb could benefit from another wave of support for Biden this November .
Those chances are also looking increasingly likely since the incumbent Riggleman lost the party ’ s nomination on Saturday to Bob Good , a born-again Christian and former official at the Evangelical school Liberty University .
Despite an endorsement from Trump , who hailed him as a “ true conservative leader , ” Riggleman faced backlash from local party members who opposed a same-sex wedding he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , he ran as a moderate on health care and said he was going to protect the Affordable Care Act and build upon it , ” Webb said .
“ But instead , what he ’ s done is he ’ s voted against protecting people with preexisting conditions and voted against reducing the cost of prescription drugs .
”

Dr. Cameron Webb from Virginia could go down in history as the first Black physician elected to a full-fledged spot in Congress. Dr. Cameron Webb For Congress
Virginia’s largest district has been a Republican stronghold for a decade. But intraparty tensions and fallout over the coronavirus pandemic could finally break the GOP streak.
One of the four candidates vying for the Democratic nomination on June 23 to replace outgoing Rep. Denver Riggleman in the Old Dominion’s 5th Congressional District seems uniquely tailored for the times: He’s Black, he’s a doctor and he’s thrusting health care to the forefront of the election.
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Dr. Cameron Webb is a fresh-faced, 36-year-old doctor from Charlottesville who could go down in history as the first Black physician elected to a full-fledged spot in Congress. It’s a prospect that carries particular weight now as Black communities are facing the worst of the coronavirus outbreak and as President Donald Trump works to undermine medical experts’ advice on how to stop the virus.
“Now more than ever we need leadership to fix our health care system, and I realized there’s a role for me to play here,” Webb told HuffPost. “I say this all the time: This is the health care election, unlike any that I’ve seen before.”
The record number of unemployed Americans means that people are being dropped from their employer’s health insurance plans at a time when access to care is more critical than ever, Webb said. It’s a crisis that could make his pitch for uncoupling health insurance from jobs potentially attractive to voters — even to the district’s mostly rural, conservative-leaning ones.
“This is that moment for us to break that connection between employment and health insurance,” he added. “I call that the original sin of American health care.”
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But Webb still supports a private option, putting him more in line with presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden than Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the former vice president’s erstwhile rival and ideological opponent.
Over the past few years, Sanders and the Democratic Party’s resurgent left wing have popularized “Medicare for All,” a single-payer government program that would all but abolish private health insurance.
Webb takes a more conservative approach that aims to “fix private insurance so we’re putting people over profits,” he told The Roanoke Times in May. His platform calls for a model that encourages employers to contribute to health insurance costs for workers but allows employees to choose between a public or private plan.
He doesn’t sugarcoat the question that dogs most Democratic candidates seeking to reform health care: It’ll raise costs.
“It does increase the costs to have 100% of Americans covered,” Webb said. “But if everyone could have access, everybody would have had access to [COVID-19] testing.”
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Webb is also campaigning on mainstay Democratic issues. On climate change, he backs a 100% renewable electricity standard, a position that directly challenges Dominion Energy, a powerful fossil-fueled utility company in Virginia and a kingmaker in state politics. He also supports ending the cash bail system nationwide and legalizing marijuana.
There’s no public polling data on the 5th Congressional District race, but Webb has racked up a suite of endorsements from national party heavyweights, including California Sen. Kamala Harris and New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. He has also won the backing of 314 Action, the science-based political action committee. His primary opponents include Roger Dean Huffstetler, a tech startup founder, Marine Corps veteran Claire Russo and John Lesinski, a commercial real estate executive.
Webb, who is the Director of Health Policy and Equity at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, has been on the front lines of the pandemic treating COVID-19 patients as he juggles being a father, husband and political candidate. He would be the first Black physician elected to Congress from a state. (Delegate Donna Christensen, a Black physician from the Virgin Islands, served in Congress until 2015 but did not have voting powers.)
The Spotsylvania, Virginia, native received his medical and law degrees, and his wife, Dr. Leigh Ann Webb, is a practicing emergency room doctor. He credits his time as a White House fellow — having been tapped by President Barack Obama to work on the White House Health Care Team and My Brother’s Keeper Initiative — with helping him to recognize the importance of policymaking in shaping health care.
“Seeing that pendulum swing from Obama to Trump made me realize how powerful the space of the government was and impacted health access and outcomes,” Webb said. “Health doesn’t happen inside of hospitals or in clinics. It truly does happen in communities.”
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Webb teaches a health policy course at the University of Virginia. Dr. Cameron Webb For Congress
Virginia’s 5th Congressional District is a sprawling one, spanning from the southernmost border of North Carolina to outside Washington, D.C. Low voter turnout for next Tuesday’s primary, which Gov. Ralph Northam delayed by two weeks, is to be expected because of COVID-19. Although the district is rated R+6 on the Cook Partisan Voting Index, a polling-based measure of the jurisdiction’s party-leaning tendencies, the chances of a Democratic candidate capturing this historically right-leaning area is not far out of reach.
The last Democratic candidate to be elected was Tom Perriello in 2008, as support for Obama that year led to a higher Black voter turnout in the district. Perriello held the seat until 2010, when Republican Robert Hurt won in the wave of GOP midterm victories. Riggleman won in 2018. And while two of Virginia’s five pivot counties are located in the district — ones that voted for Obama in 2008 and then Trump in 2016 — Democrats like Webb could benefit from another wave of support for Biden this November.
Those chances are also looking increasingly likely since the incumbent Riggleman lost the party’s nomination on Saturday to Bob Good, a born-again Christian and former official at the Evangelical school Liberty University. Despite an endorsement from Trump, who hailed him as a “true conservative leader,” Riggleman faced backlash from local party members who opposed a same-sex wedding he had officiated.
Webb said Riggleman’s record on health care has also left a gap.
“When Riggleman ran in 2018, he ran as a moderate on health care and said he was going to protect the Affordable Care Act and build upon it,” Webb said. “But instead, what he’s done is he’s voted against protecting people with preexisting conditions and voted against reducing the cost of prescription drugs.”
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“He hasn’t done anything meaningful to help improve access or affordability to health care,” he added. “That’s why people are inclined to find leadership elsewhere.”
While Webb’s vision for health care might lean more moderate, the candidate said he is open to a single-payer system in the future.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Pence Says All 50 States Reopening In 'Responsible Manner.' Fauci Says Otherwise.

“ There certainly were states that did not strictly follow the guidelines that we put out about opening America again , ” Fauci said .
“ There were rather well-delineated gateway criteria followed by phase 1 , phase 2 and phase 3.
” He added : “ Clearly there were states that ― left to their own decision about that ― went ahead and opened to a varying degree ... certainly before they got to the benchmarks that they needed to get.
” The contradicting statements serve as an example of the distance between the propaganda pushed by the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Fauci and other public health experts .
“ We ’ ve slowed the spread , we ’ ve cared for the most vulnerable , we ’ ve saved lives , and we ’ ve created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future , ” the vice president wrote .
“ That ’ s a cause for celebration , not the media ’ s fear mongering.
” In fact , the U.S. has had more documented COVID-19 cases and deaths than any country in the world , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global population .
More than 2.1 million people have tested positive for the virus nationwide and over 116,000 have died .
During a campaign rally in late February , two days after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official sounded the alarm about the virus ’ s potential impact , the president accused the press of being in “ hysteria mode.
” “ So far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States .
Nobody , ” Trump said .
“ It doesn ’ t mean we won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve lost nobody , and you wonder , the press is in hysteria mode.
” “ Such panic is overblown , ” he wrote .
“ Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the courage and compassion of the American people , our public health system is far stronger than it was four months ago , and we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.
” At least 21 states saw an increase in their average daily new coronavirus cases last week compared to the week before , reported The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Greg Abbott ( R ) urged people to stay home as the state recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations yet .
While Fauci has said a so-called second wave of the virus isn ’ t “ inevitable ” if guidelines are followed , he ’ s also acknowledged that the crisis is far from over .
“ We ’ re seeing several states , as they try to reopen and get back to normal , starting to see early indications [ that ] infections are higher than previously , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The virus “ could go on for a couple of cycles , coming back and forth , ” he added .
“ I would hope to get to some degree of real normality within a year or so .
But I don ’ t think it ’ s this winter or fall , we ’ ll be seeing it for a bit more.
” Trump , of course , often undermines his own guidelines on social distancing .
He ’ s been seen numerous times in public without a mask surrounded by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wearing masks .
He voiced support for anti-lockdown protesters who stood side-by-side without masks to demand their states reopen despite not meeting federal guidelines for doing so .

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Vice President Mike Pence painted a rosy ― and misleading ― portrait of the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus and the current state of the crisis in an op-ed published Tuesday in The Wall Street Journal.
In one section, Pence, whom President Donald Trump appointed in late February to lead the White House’s coronavirus task force, praised all 50 states for beginning to reopen in a “safe and responsible manner.”
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But Dr. Anthony Fauci, the lead infectious disease expert on the task force, suggested that isn’t the case during an interview with NPR earlier Tuesday.
“There certainly were states that did not strictly follow the guidelines that we put out about opening America again,” Fauci said. “There were rather well-delineated gateway criteria followed by phase 1, phase 2 and phase 3.”
He added: “Clearly there were states that ― left to their own decision about that ― went ahead and opened to a varying degree ... certainly before they got to the benchmarks that they needed to get.”
The contradicting statements serve as an example of the distance between the propaganda pushed by the White House and some of the warnings raised by Fauci and other public health experts.
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In his nearly 800-word piece, Pence accused the press of “fear mongering” in its coverage of the pandemic and dubbed the nation’s response to the virus “a success.”
“We’ve slowed the spread, we’ve cared for the most vulnerable, we’ve saved lives, and we’ve created a solid foundation for whatever challenges we may face in the future,” the vice president wrote. “That’s a cause for celebration, not the media’s fear mongering.”
In fact, the U.S. has had more documented COVID-19 cases and deaths than any country in the world, despite having less than 5% of the global population. More than 2.1 million people have tested positive for the virus nationwide and over 116,000 have died.
Trump initially downplayed the threat of the virus as scientists warned that it would surely spread across the country with devastating consequences.
During a campaign rally in late February, two days after a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official sounded the alarm about the virus’s potential impact, the president accused the press of being in “hysteria mode.”
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“So far we have lost nobody to coronavirus in the United States. Nobody,” Trump said. “It doesn’t mean we won’t. But think of it ... we’ve lost nobody, and you wonder, the press is in hysteria mode.”
Researchers at Columbia University estimated last month that about 36,000 fewer people would have died of the virus if the U.S. had imposed social distancing measures one week earlier than it did in March.
In this April 13 file photo, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, listens as Vice President Mike Pence speaks about the coronavirus during a White House press briefing. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pence on Tuesday accused the media of trying to “scare” the American people about a potential second wave of the virus.
“Such panic is overblown,” he wrote. “Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the courage and compassion of the American people, our public health system is far stronger than it was four months ago, and we are winning the fight against the invisible enemy.”
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At least 21 states saw an increase in their average daily new coronavirus cases last week compared to the week before, reported The Washington Post. On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) urged people to stay home as the state recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 hospitalizations yet.
While Fauci has said a so-called second wave of the virus isn’t “inevitable” if guidelines are followed, he’s also acknowledged that the crisis is far from over.
“We’re seeing several states, as they try to reopen and get back to normal, starting to see early indications [that] infections are higher than previously,” Fauci told The Telegraph last week.
The virus “could go on for a couple of cycles, coming back and forth,” he added. “I would hope to get to some degree of real normality within a year or so. But I don’t think it’s this winter or fall, we’ll be seeing it for a bit more.”
Social distancing and wearing masks are key to curbing the contagion, Fauci and so many other scientists and medical professionals have stated over and over again.
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Pence, who has been photographed many times doing neither in situations that call for both, lauded the president for having “rallied the American people to embrace social-distancing guidelines.”
Trump, of course, often undermines his own guidelines on social distancing. He’s been seen numerous times in public without a mask surrounded by other administration officials who aren’t wearing masks. He voiced support for anti-lockdown protesters who stood side-by-side without masks to demand their states reopen despite not meeting federal guidelines for doing so.
Perhaps Trump’s most brazen disregard for his own administration’s guidelines is the rally his campaign has scheduled for Saturday at a 19,000-seat arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma ― an event one health expert called “extremely dangerous.”
In recognition of the risk, the Trump campaign posted waiver language on its registration website requiring all attendees to agree not to sue Trump if they contract the virus at the rally.
Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Bruce Dart said Sunday that the rally poses a “huge risk” for the region. He said he wished Trump would postpone it.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--'Woefully Inadequate': Trump Order Falls Short Of Broader Push To Curb Cop Abuse

SAUL LOEB via Getty Images Surrounded by law enforcement officials , President Donald Trump shows his signature on an Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities in the Rose Garden of the White House On Tuesday .
Trump , who previously endorsed the use of excessive force against handcuffed suspects in a speech before members of law enforcement , issued the edict three weeks after Minneapolis police killed a handcuffed George Floyd , setting off protests that have swayed public opinion on the need to reform police departments .
The biggest potential real-world impact of Trump ’ s directive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ database to “ coordinate the sharing of information between and among federal , state , local , tribal , and territorial law enforcement agencies concerning instances of excessive use of force related to law enforcement matters , accounting for applicable privacy and due process rights.
” The order also directs the Department of Justice o “ regularly and periodically ” make aggregated and anonymized data on such abuses available to the public .
( As experts have previously told HuffPost , the U.S. is in a “ total fog of ignorance ” about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the last major federal study of the handling of use-of-force complaints dates back nearly two decades , to 2002 . )
Creating a national database would take a Herculean effort by the federal government , and it ’ s not clear how well it would work without a legislative mandate .
The federal government ’ s prior efforts to track police use-of-force have faced significant delays .
Even federal data on inmates who die in custody is years behind and largely useless .
In comments on the order at the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crime and raising standards “ are not opposite goals , ” and that the policing standards would be “ as high and strong as there is on earth.
” Gupta said in a statement that Trump and his administration “ have taken every opportunity to dismantle federal police reform efforts , undercut accountability , and threaten the public with a militarized law enforcement response.
” She added , “ Let ’ s be clear : This is an attempt to shift focus from the dangerous rhetoric and policies he has previously promoted.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying that a “ very tiny ― I use the word tiny ― it ’ s a very small percentage ” of police who act inappropriately .
He also said that the vast majority of other officers want the bad apples removed from their departments .
Romero responded that contrary to Trump ’ s assertion , “ The crisis in American policing is not due to a ‘ tiny ’ number of ‘ bad ’ police officers .
The unlawful use of excessive force and the absence of any real accountability in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the wanton killing of Black men and women .
The only solution in the face of such systemic racism is a concerted effort to divest funding to police departments and shrink police presence in the everyday lives of communities of color.
” This executive order will do nothing to change policing on the ground , does not address accountability for police violence and lacks the meaningful changes we need for real reform .
Ben Jealous , president of People for the American Way “ This executive order will do nothing to change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ address accountability for police violence and lacks the meaningful changes we need for real reform , ” Jealous said .
“ It is a cynical effort to respond to overwhelming political pressure , coming from a president who called for the use of military force on peaceful protesters for a photo op , ” a reference to the June 1 incident across the street from the White House .
“ It seeks to elevate the accountability of the police to the local community by reallocating already-existing discretionary grant funds , thankfully not further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Further , the order seeks to incentivize police departments being more responsive and engaged with their local communities.
” In his Tuesday remarks , Trump claimed ― falsely ― that former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden , his presumed November challenger , “ never ” tried to fix issues of race and policing .
In fact , the Trump administration killed and rolled back the Obama administration ’ s police reform efforts .
The police practices group within the Justice Department ’ s civil rights division is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the Trump administration fought to end “ pattern-or-practice ” investigations that addressed broader problems in police departments .
More than five years ago , when Obama and Biden met with protesters and law enforcement leaders following the fatal shooting of a Black teenager by a white police officer in Ferguson , Missouri , to discuss issues of policing and race , Trump tweeted that Obama was “ community organizing from the Oval Office ” and suggested that discussing such issues at the White House would result in violence .
“ More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote .
Trump officials killed a collaborative police reform program run by the Justice Department ’ s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services ( COPS ) , leaving law enforcement and community leaders in several cities abandoned reform efforts .
The administration unsuccessfully tried to scuttle a police reform agreement between the Justice Department and Baltimore , and moved to block a similar deal between the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago after the Justice Department backed out of the largest ever federal probe of a police department .

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WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump, whose administration has been focused on ending efforts to reform law enforcement, signed an executive order on Tuesday meant to address police brutality.
Trump, who previously endorsed the use of excessive force against handcuffed suspects in a speech before members of law enforcement, issued the edict three weeks after Minneapolis police killed a handcuffed George Floyd, setting off protests that have swayed public opinion on the need to reform police departments.
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Reaction from prominent figures in the push for such reform was that Trump’s move fell far short of what is needed.
Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said that Trump “failed to acknowledge racism as a fundamental problem in American policing.”
Surrounded by law enforcement officials, President Donald Trump shows his signature on an executive order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities in the Rose Garden of the White House On Tuesday. SAUL LOEB via Getty Images
Vanita Gupta, who headed the attorney general’s civil rights division during the Obama administration, called Trump’s order “woefully inadequate” and a “piecemeal effort that won’t achieve the transformative change needed to heal America.”
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The biggest potential real-world impact of Trump’s directive might come from its creation of a database to “coordinate the sharing of information between and among federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies concerning instances of excessive use of force related to law enforcement matters, accounting for applicable privacy and due process rights.”
The order also directs the Department of Justice to “regularly and periodically” compile data on such abuses that would be available to the public but omits names. (As experts have previously told HuffPost, the U.S. is in a “total fog of ignorance” about how excessive force complaints are handled, and the last major federal study of the handling of use-of-force complaints dates back nearly two decades, to 2002.)
Creating a national database would take a Herculean effort by the federal government, and it’s not clear how well it would work without a legislative mandate. The federal government’s prior efforts to track police use-of-force have faced significant delays. Even federal data on inmates who die in custody is years behind and largely useless.
In comments on the order at the White House Rose Garden, Trump said that reducing crime and raising standards “are not opposite goals,” and that the policing standards would be “as high and strong as there is on earth.”
Gupta said in a statement that Trump and his administration “have taken every opportunity to dismantle federal police reform efforts, undercut accountability, and threaten the public with a militarized law enforcement response.” She added, “Let’s be clear: This is an attempt to shift focus from the dangerous rhetoric and policies he has previously promoted.”
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Trump insisted that police misconduct is rare, saying that a “very tiny ― I use the word tiny ― it’s a very small percentage” of police who act inappropriately. He also said that the vast majority of other officers want the bad apples removed from their departments.
Romero responded that contrary to Trump’s assertion, “The crisis in American policing is not due to a ‘tiny’ number of ‘bad’ police officers. The unlawful use of excessive force and the absence of any real accountability in police department after police department have led to the wanton killing of Black men and women. The only solution in the face of such systemic racism is a concerted effort to divest funding to police departments and shrink police presence in the everyday lives of communities of color.”
“This executive order will do nothing to change policing on the ground, does not address accountability for police violence and lacks the meaningful changes we need for real reform.” - Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way
Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way, called Trump’s speech “offensive, tone-deaf and inadequate.”
“This executive order will do nothing to change policing on the ground, does not address accountability for police violence and lacks the meaningful changes we need for real reform,” Jealous said. “It is a cynical effort to respond to overwhelming political pressure, coming from a president who called for the use of military force on peaceful protesters for a photo op,” a reference to the June 1 incident across the street from the White House.
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Some groups saw promise in the executive order.
The Justice Action Network called Trump’s order “a step in the right direction.” It urged Congress “to meet the moment, put people above partisanship, and agree on a broad package of reforms [lawmakers] can send to the president’s desk.”
Trump’s order also instructs Attorney General William Barr to allocate discretionary grants only to law enforcement entities that have sought or are seeking credentials from independent groups that review their protocols.
Randy Petersen, senior researcher at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, called the decree a “good opening move in police reform.”
“It seeks to elevate the accountability of the police to the local community by reallocating already-existing discretionary grant funds, thankfully not further increasing the budget,” he said. “Further, the order seeks to incentivize police departments being more responsive and engaged with their local communities.”
In his Tuesday remarks, Trump claimed ― falsely ― that former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden, his presumed November challenger, “never” tried to fix issues of race and policing. In fact, the Trump administration killed and rolled back the Obama administration’s police reform efforts. The police practices group within the Justice Department’s civil rights division is half the size it was under Obama, and the Trump administration fought to end “pattern-or-practice” investigations that addressed broader problems in police departments.
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More than five years ago, when Obama and Biden met with protesters and law enforcement leaders following the fatal shooting of a Black teenager by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, to discuss issues of policing and race, Trump tweeted that Obama was “community organizing from the Oval Office” and suggested that discussing such issues at the White House would result in violence. “More riots sure to follow,” Trump wrote.
During his 2016 campaign, Trump said he’d direct his attorney general to investigate the Black Lives Matter movement, which he called a “threat.” On the day of his inauguration, an administration statement vowed to “end” the “dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America.”
Trump officials killed a collaborative police reform program run by the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), leaving law enforcement and community leaders in several cities to abandon reform efforts. The administration unsuccessfully tried to scuttle a police reform agreement between the Justice Department and Baltimore, and moved to block a similar deal between the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago after the Justice Department backed out of the largest ever federal probe of a police department.
Although former Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted he hadn’t actually bothered to read any of the Justice Department’s investigations, he described them as anecdotal and worked to curtail the Justice Department’s police reform work throughout his entire tenure, including on the day he was forced the resign.
In spite of all of that history, the Trump campaign claimed that with his executive order, the president “did more in 40 minutes than Joe Biden did in 40 years.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Mississippi Set To Become The 13th State To Criminalize Fossil Fuel Protests

Mississippi is on the verge of becoming the 13th state in the past three years to slap new penalties on protests against fossil fuel infrastructure .
A bill that cleared the state Legislature earlier this week makes knowingly trespassing any property where oil , gas or petrochemical pipelines or tanks are located a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison and a $ 1,000 fine .
Individuals who cause damage or losses that total more than $ 1,000 ― for example , by halting production at a refinery or stopping the flow of fuel through a pipeline ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to seven years in prison and fines of up to $ 10,000 .
The bill also threatens any “ organization that aids , abets , solicits , compensates , hires , conspires with , commands or procures a person to commit the crime of impeding critical infrastructure ” with fines of up to $ 100,000 and civil action from companies to recoup “ damages for lost profits , whether or not any fine is imposed.
” The legislation passed 67-to-47 in the Magnolia State ’ s House of Representatives in March , just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus pandemic delayed the legislative session .
The state Senate voted 43-to-9 on Monday to approve it .
The measure , tracking with laws 12 other states have enacted since late 2017 , designates fossil fuel sites as “ critical infrastructure ” and ups the penalties for protests that take place near them .
It would be the latest of several to become law since the COVID-19 crisis began in March , according to a tally by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law and data from Greenpeace .
Kentucky , South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March .
A similar measure advanced in Alabama , but the Legislature failed to send it to the governor before its session ended .
Louisiana , which already has a critical infrastructure law on the books , passed new draconian measures at the end of May that would have established three-year mandatory minimum sentences with hard labor for peacefully trespassing on fossil fuel property during a state of emergency , but the governor vetoed the bill last week .
The bills started popping up in state legislatures following the end of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Access Pipeline under a sacred water source on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation .
The months-long standoff with militarized security forces left hundreds of indigenous activists and environmentalists injured .
After the Trump administration fast-tracked the project for completion , the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council ( ALEC ) began shopping around a model bill to ramp up penalties for participating in similar demonstrations in an effort to chill future protests .
“ Legislators in many states continue to pamper big polluters over constituents , under the double-cover of COVID-19 and a nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system , ” Connor Gibson , a senior researcher at Greenpeace who tracks anti-protest bills , told HuffPost .
“ Rather than protecting the life and liberty of Black people , or the needs of people who have lost work , politicians are helping fossil fuel interests subvert the fundamental right to protest.
” Last year , the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers , a refinery trade group , retained well-known Mississippi lobbyist Joe Sims to champion the legislation , according to an email published by the watchdog group Documented .
Sims said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide a definition of ‘ critical infrastructure ’ and to provide for criminal penalties for those who willfully and illegally trespass , disrupt , destroy , etc .
regarding such facilities.
” On Feb. 12 of this year , Sims took four Republican state lawmakers ― Reps. Becky Currie , Jansen Owen , Hank Zuber and Rob Roberson ― to a meal at an upscale steakhouse , according to lobbying disclosures published by Greenpeace ’ s Gibson .
Three of those lawmakers ― Owen , Roberson and Zuber ― serve on the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bill was introduced five days after the meal .
The trio voted to advance the bill out of the committee less than a month later .
And joined by Currie , they supported its final passage .

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Mississippi is on the verge of becoming the 13th state in the past three years to slap new penalties on protests against fossil fuel infrastructure.
A bill that cleared the state Legislature earlier this week makes knowingly trespassing any property where oil, gas or petrochemical pipelines or tanks are located a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
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Individuals who cause damage or losses that total more than $1,000 ― for example, by halting production at a refinery or stopping the flow of fuel through a pipeline ― could face felony charges punishable by up to seven years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
The bill also threatens any “organization that aids, abets, solicits, compensates, hires, conspires with, commands or procures a person to commit the crime of impeding critical infrastructure” with fines of up to $100,000 and civil action from companies to recoup “damages for lost profits, whether or not any fine is imposed.”
The legislation passed 67-to-47 in the Magnolia State’s House of Representatives in March, just before quarantine orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic delayed the legislative session. The state Senate voted 43-to-9 on Monday to approve it.
Gov. Tate Reeves (R) did not respond to a request for comment, but is expected to sign the legislation into law.
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President Donald Trump stands beside Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R). Leah Millis / Reuters
The measure, tracking with laws 12 other states have enacted since late 2017, designates fossil fuel sites as “critical infrastructure” and ups the penalties for protests that take place near them. It would be the latest of several to become law since the COVID-19 crisis began in March, according to a tally by the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law and data from Greenpeace.
Kentucky, South Dakota and West Virginia enacted the laws in March. A similar measure advanced in Alabama, but the Legislature failed to send it to the governor before its session ended. Louisiana, which already has a critical infrastructure law on the books, passed new draconian measures at the end of May that would have established three-year mandatory minimum sentences with hard labor for peacefully trespassing on fossil fuel property during a state of emergency, but the governor vetoed the bill last week.
The bills started popping up in state legislatures following the end of the protests to stop construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under a sacred water source on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. The months-long standoff with militarized security forces left hundreds of indigenous activists and environmentalists injured.
After the Trump administration fast-tracked the project for completion, the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) began shopping around a model bill to ramp up penalties for participating in similar demonstrations in an effort to chill future protests.
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“Legislators in many states continue to pamper big polluters over constituents, under the double-cover of COVID-19 and a nationwide uprising against a deadly, racist policing system,” Connor Gibson, a senior researcher at Greenpeace who tracks anti-protest bills, told HuffPost. “Rather than protecting the life and liberty of Black people, or the needs of people who have lost work, politicians are helping fossil fuel interests subvert the fundamental right to protest.”
The Industry Asks And Receives
While ALEC helped promote the bills, the oil and gas industry deployed its vast influence network to ensure their passage. Such was the case in Mississippi.
Last year, the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, a refinery trade group, retained well-known Mississippi lobbyist Joe Sims to champion the legislation, according to an email published by the watchdog group Documented. Sims said he was “working on legislation to provide a definition of ‘critical infrastructure’ and to provide for criminal penalties for those who willfully and illegally trespass, disrupt, destroy, etc. regarding such facilities.”
On Feb. 12 of this year, Sims took four Republican state lawmakers ― Reps. Becky Currie, Jansen Owen, Hank Zuber and Rob Roberson ― to a meal at an upscale steakhouse, according to lobbying disclosures published by Greenpeace’s Gibson. Three of those lawmakers ― Owen, Roberson and Zuber ― serve on the House committee, where the current version of the bill was introduced five days after the meal. The trio voted to advance the bill out of the committee less than a month later. And joined by Currie, they supported its final passage.
Mississippi’s disclosure don’t indicate the legislation on which companies lobby. But fossil fuel that actively lobbied in the state in 2019 and 2020, according to Gibson’s analysis, include petrochemical behemoth Koch Industries, utility giant Southern Company’s Mississippi Power division, pipe supplier Plains All-American Pipeline, and oil giant Chevron Corporation.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Congress Headed Toward Standoff On Police Reform

Republican senators are pushing forward with their own police reform proposal following the death of George Floyd , declaring the far-reaching legislation offered by Democrats dead on arrival in the Senate and setting up a clash with Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) .
McConnell seemingly dared Democrats to oppose the bill being drafted by Sen. Tim Scott ( R-S.C. ) .
It will need support from at least seven Democrats to advance on the floor .
But other Democrats have been vocal in their skepticism about the GOP measure because it does not include explicit bans on law enforcement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which were used by police in the deaths , respectively , of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky .
“ I worry in this moment that we will repeat history , that this is the movie ‘ Groundhog Day , ’ ” Sen. Cory Booker ( D-N.J. ) , a co-sponsor of his chamber ’ s Democratic proposal , lamented during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on police use of force on Tuesday .
“ That here we are again , in a nightmare , not a comedy , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more studies , as opposed to doing something , ” Booker added .
“ Will we meet this moment and actually do something real ?
” The GOP bill also would not end qualified immunity for law enforcement as Democratic lawmakers and the activists marching for change in nationwide protests have called for .
The legal doctrine gives police officers a broad liability shield in court , making it all but impossible to successfully sue them over claims of wrongdoing .
Conservative organizations and even some Republican lawmakers have also been vocal in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ qualified immunity .
Sen. Mike Braun ( R-Ind . )
told reporters on Tuesday that he was “ disappointed ” that qualified immunity reforms wouldn ’ t be in the GOP bill .
He added that he intended to introduce his own legislation on the matter .
“ It is hard to be a cop .
Let ’ s make sure that we don ’ t destroy the ability to be a cop in the process of trying to fix things that need to be fixed , ” Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said on Tuesday .
The divide in Congress over how big a role federal versus state levels of government should play in addressing police brutality echoes the debate over previous failed attempts to reach consensus on immigration reform , health care reform and gun control .
Still , there is room ― and significantly more public pressure ― for common ground this time around .
Both sides , for example , support increasing the number of body-worn cameras , de-escalation and anti-bias training , and the gathering of more data on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ momentum is clearly on the side of reform .
On Monday , in a rare reversal , Senate Republicans said they hoped to vote on a police reform bill before the chamber ’ s scheduled July 4 recess , after initially casting doubt on that timeline .
“ Hopefully , they ’ ll all get together and they ’ ll come up with a solution that goes even beyond what we are signing today , ” the president said moments before signing an executive order on policing .
Trump ’ s order seeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers with a history of using excessive force and to ban chokeholds “ except if an officer ’ s life is at risk , ” according to the president .
Democrats immediately panned the move as insufficient , calling for more extensive changes in law .
In a statement , Pelosi said the order lacked “ meaningful , mandatory accountability measures to end misconduct .
During this moment of national anguish , we must insist on bold change , not meekly surrender to the bare minimum .
”

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Republican senators are pushing forward with their own police reform proposal following the death of George Floyd, declaring the far-reaching legislation offered by Democrats dead on arrival in the Senate and setting up a clash with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“The House version is going nowhere in the Senate. ... We have no interest in that,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
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McConnell seemingly dared Democrats to oppose the bill being drafted by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). It will need support from at least seven Democrats to advance on the floor.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at another Tuesday press conference that it would be “premature” to comment before Scott officially unveils his bill on Wednesday.
But other Democrats have been vocal in their skepticism about the GOP measure because it does not include explicit bans on law enforcement techniques like chokeholds and no-knock warrants, which were used by police in the deaths, respectively, of George Floyd in Minnesota and Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
“I worry in this moment that we will repeat history, that this is the movie ‘Groundhog Day,’” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a co-sponsor of his chamber’s Democratic proposal, lamented during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on police use of force on Tuesday.
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“That here we are again, in a nightmare, not a comedy, with a reform package that talks about doing more studies, as opposed to doing something,” Booker added. “Will we meet this moment and actually do something real?”
The GOP bill also would not end qualified immunity for law enforcement as Democratic lawmakers and the activists marching for change in nationwide protests have called for. The legal doctrine gives police officers a broad liability shield in court, making it all but impossible to successfully sue them over claims of wrongdoing.
Conservative organizations and even some Republican lawmakers have also been vocal in calling for reforms to the doctrine of qualified immunity. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) told reporters on Tuesday that he was “disappointed” that qualified immunity reforms wouldn’t be in the GOP bill. He added that he intended to introduce his own legislation on the matter.
But other Republicans are warier about the idea.
“It is hard to be a cop. Let’s make sure that we don’t destroy the ability to be a cop in the process of trying to fix things that need to be fixed,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday.
The divide in Congress over how big a role federal versus state levels of government should play in addressing police brutality echoes the debate over previous failed attempts to reach consensus on immigration reform, health care reform and gun control.
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Still, there is room ― and significantly more public pressure ― for common ground this time around. Both sides, for example, support increasing the number of body-worn cameras, de-escalation and anti-bias training, and the gathering of more data on the use of force by officers.
The momentum is clearly on the side of reform. On Monday, in a rare reversal, Senate Republicans said they hoped to vote on a police reform bill before the chamber’s scheduled July 4 recess, after initially casting doubt on that timeline.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said during a Tuesday event at the White House that he was committed to working with Congress on police reform.
“Hopefully, they’ll all get together and they’ll come up with a solution that goes even beyond what we are signing today,” the president said moments before signing an executive order on policing.
Trump’s order seeks to create a federal database of police officers with a history of using excessive force and to ban chokeholds “except if an officer’s life is at risk,” according to the president.
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Democrats immediately panned the move as insufficient, calling for more extensive changes in law. In a statement, Pelosi said the order lacked “meaningful, mandatory accountability measures to end misconduct. During this moment of national anguish, we must insist on bold change, not meekly surrender to the bare minimum.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Dr. Sanjay Gupta: Trump Rally Is ‘Worst-Case Scenario’ For Spreading Coronavirus

CNN ’ s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explained why President Donald Trump ’ s planned indoor rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , this weekend is “ the worst-case scenario ” for spreading the coronavirus .
Gupta , appearing on Monday ’ s broadcast of “ The Lead , ” told host Jake Tapper the threat of spreading the virus increases in relation to crowd size , whether the location is indoors or outside , and whether attendees adhere to social distancing measures .
“ The highest risk sort of scenario would be sort of the situation we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said of Trump ’ s planned campaign event at the 19,000-capacity BOK Center , which multiple medical professionals and public health experts have warned against attending .
“ Indoors , attendees coming from all these various areas , difficult to practice physical distancing , and who knows about what the mask sort of wearing is going to be , ” Gupta continued .
“ There ’ s no question .
This is a contagious virus .
Indoors is going to be far worse than outdoors .
Not wearing masks a lot worse than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re filled to capacity , ” Gupta said .
“ There is no magic here .
There is no scientific proclamation where you ’ re going to have some sort of revelation about this .
That ’ s the worst-case scenario.
” “ If there is a person there who has the virus , the idea that it could be spread and turn into a super-spreading event would be a big concern , ” Gupta concluded .
Trump ’ s campaign claims more than 1 million people have registered to attend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign ’ s website advises those seeking tickets that they can not sue if they contract the virus at the event .
Attendees will have their temperatures checked and receive hand sanitizer and masks on entry , per Trump ’ s campaign manager Brad Parscale : Over 1M ticket requests for the @ realDonaldTrump # MAGA Rally in Tulsa on Saturday .
Before entering each guest will get : ✅Temperature check ✅Hand sanitizer ✅Mask There will be precautions for the heat and bottled water as well .
— Brad Parscale ( @ parscale @ @ @ @ @

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CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explained why President Donald Trump’s planned indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, this weekend is “the worst-case scenario” for spreading the coronavirus.
Gupta, appearing on Monday’s broadcast of “The Lead,” told host Jake Tapper the threat of spreading the virus increases in relation to crowd size, whether the location is indoors or outside, and whether attendees adhere to social distancing measures.
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“The highest risk sort of scenario would be sort of the situation we’re talking about here,” Gupta said of Trump’s planned campaign event at the 19,000-capacity BOK Center, which multiple medical professionals and public health experts have warned against attending.
“Indoors, attendees coming from all these various areas, difficult to practice physical distancing, and who knows about what the mask sort of wearing is going to be,” Gupta continued.
“There’s no question. This is a contagious virus. Indoors is going to be far worse than outdoors. Not wearing masks a lot worse than wearing masks. Not keeping distance if they’re filled to capacity,” Gupta said. “There is no magic here. There is no scientific proclamation where you’re going to have some sort of revelation about this. That’s the worst-case scenario.”
“If there is a person there who has the virus, the idea that it could be spread and turn into a super-spreading event would be a big concern,” Gupta concluded.
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Trump’s campaign claims more than 1 million people have registered to attend the rally. A waiver on the campaign’s website advises those seeking tickets that they cannot sue if they contract the virus at the event.
Attendees will have their temperatures checked and receive hand sanitizer and masks on entry, per Trump’s campaign manager Brad Parscale:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Ilhan Omar Isn't Done Fighting

Ilhan Omar Isn't Done Fighting

As the first Somali-American elected to Congress and one of the two first Muslim women elected to Congress , Omar knows firsthand the impact policies have on marginalized communities .
In her new memoir , “ This Is What America Looks Like : My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman , ” published on May 26 , Omar chronicles her life so far , including her time in Mogadishu , fleeing to a refugee camp , coming to the U.S. and , now , fighting for justice in Congress .
In Minnesota , we ’ re slowly transitioning back to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There were already a lot of people who were food insecure and now with the destruction of food places and many of the places where people would get their essential needs , we are doubling up our efforts and helping with food distribution and essential items .
We turned my campaign headquarters and our parking lot into a distribution center .
I really work hard to introduce legislation that has a 360-degree lens in solving social and economic problems .
The legislation we ’ ve introduced have all been comprehensive .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important for us to lay down the seeds today so we can eat the fruits tomorrow .
The ability to also build relationships and be courageous in the rooms that I ’ m in has allowed us to have the highest numbers of amendments in committee and on the floor as a freshman and as the Minnesota delegation in Congress .
It ’ s just an ability to think who should be there and when you ’ re confronted with something different , your brain struggles to recognize that this is like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for those people who struggled with seeing change , they are also struggling in having my presence in Congress .
I don ’ t know when a nation like ours that has gone through what it has been through would ever be ready to actually see a very visible Muslim woman , let alone one that comes from one of the countries that are on a Muslim ban and that the president describes as a “ shithole ” country .
In your memoir , you write that an individual can ’ t decide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an issue because it ’ s too controversial.
” In the wake of George Floyd ’ s death , there have been increased calls to tackle police brutality and racism in controversial and bold ways , including calls to defund the police .
What policing reforms and changes do you want to see ?
Do you think your state can lead the way with those changes ?
Now we have certain policies that we are going to review on a state level and a municipal level in Minneapolis .
We ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ departments because there is a crisis in confidence .
There is no amount of reform that will restore that .
This is our opportunity to reimagine what public safety looks like for our community and what the role of community-led initiatives should be in dealing with substance abuse and homelessness and crime prevention and gang violence prevention and domestic violence prevention .
This is our chance to really look at the kind of social and economic neglect at this moment , holistically .
I think the nation also has that opportunity .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give the nation the opportunity to have a vision for what is possible .
I ’ m actually really proud of many of the city council members here , who are who have the moral clarity and the courage to push for serious systematic change .
There ’ s always a disconnect in the way in which I operate and the way in which my voice gets sensationalized .
I ’ m a consensus-builder and someone who tries to find a place of agreement with people .
So I can have respect and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ share many of the progressive values that I have or the views that I have .
Internally , a lot of my colleagues have a closer relationship with me because of that , and that is the root of my success and in being able to have the legislative successes we ’ ve been able to have .

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As a Black Muslim woman, and one in the public eye, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is a frequent target of xenophobia, racism, and sexism ― sometimes all at once. She’s eager to do what she can to combat bigotry, and has turned her focus to police brutality since George Floyd, a Black man, died at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis last month.
Omar wants to see her state lead the way for systemic change, while she pushes to do the same through Congress. Last week, she introduced four bills that would address police accountability by establishing a new federal agency aimed to investigate police misconduct, limiting the president’s ability to deploy troops against American citizens, and providing economic relief to those impacted in the wake of Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests.
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As the first Somali-American elected to Congress and one of the two first Muslim women elected to Congress, Omar knows firsthand the impact policies have on marginalized communities. In her new memoir, “This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman,” published on May 26, Omar chronicles her life so far, including her time in Mogadishu, fleeing to a refugee camp, coming to the U.S. and, now, fighting for justice in Congress.
HuffPost spoke with Omar from Minnesota about her journey finding and fighting for a better America.
What has life been like for you, between the pandemic and the protests? (Note: On Monday, Omar said that her father died from complications of the coronavirus. This interview was conducted before her father’s death.)
It’s been really challenging. The public health crisis is still real. We’re still dealing with the coronavirus while still dealing with the economic crisis and pushing legislation to try to cancel rent and mortgages for people who are watching debt pile up as this pandemic continues.
In Minnesota, we’re slowly transitioning back to work and it’s a slow move. There were already a lot of people who were food insecure and now with the destruction of food places and many of the places where people would get their essential needs, we are doubling up our efforts and helping with food distribution and essential items. We turned my campaign headquarters and our parking lot into a distribution center.
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So the work is still happening. The pain and the hurt and the devastation has compounded. It’s a very challenging time for us here in Minneapolis.
You share stories about resilience, ranging from fleeing Somalia and being bullied at school once in America. In the memoir, you write, “Fighting didn’t feel like a choice. It was a part of me. Respect goes both ways.” How has being a fighter prepared you for your time in Congress?
I really work hard to introduce legislation that has a 360-degree lens in solving social and economic problems. The legislation we’ve introduced have all been comprehensive. The fighter aspect in me believes it is important for us to lay down the seeds today so we can eat the fruits tomorrow. The ability to also build relationships and be courageous in the rooms that I’m in has allowed us to have the highest numbers of amendments in committee and on the floor as a freshman and as the Minnesota delegation in Congress.
I’m someone who has always had trials and triumphs run in parallel. As many difficulties as I have had in walking in the halls of Congress, I’ve also had really unique successes for a freshman.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the scene on Capitol Hill before you were sworn in and a member of the Capitol police mistook Connor McNutt, your white male chief of staff, for the elected official and didn’t acknowledge you. Why do you think someone like you, a Black, Somali, hijab-wearing Muslim woman in Congress was so unfathomable for someone like him?
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Here is someone who is in charge of our safety. So you know he’s got pictures and supposed to have an actual understanding of who he’s supposed to be briefing but his subconscious has not allowed for him to recognize me as a congresswoman and that is strange cognitive dissonance.
It’s sort of like what our Black president used to experience and I’m sure that experience was also true for some of the first Black people or Latino people who were elected.
It’s just an ability to think who should be there and when you’re confronted with something different, your brain struggles to recognize that this is like the reality of the moment. I think for those people who struggled with seeing change, they are also struggling in having my presence in Congress.
I don’t know when a nation like ours that has gone through what it has been through would ever be ready to actually see a very visible Muslim woman, let alone one that comes from one of the countries that are on a Muslim ban and that the president describes as a “shithole” country.
In your memoir, you write that an individual can’t decide whether or not “to engage in an issue because it’s too controversial.” In the wake of George Floyd’s death, there have been increased calls to tackle police brutality and racism in controversial and bold ways, including calls to defund the police. What policing reforms and changes do you want to see? Do you think your state can lead the way with those changes?
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Certainly. I’ve always believed that when we have the opportunity to create transformative change we should. We find ourselves here in Minneapolis in a moment where that opportunity exists and we can push for transformative change.
“We’re going to have to work on dismantling police departments because there is a crisis in confidence. There is no amount of reform that will restore that.” - Rep. Ilhan Omar
Now we have certain policies that we are going to review on a state level and a municipal level in Minneapolis. We’re going to have to work on dismantling police departments because there is a crisis in confidence. There is no amount of reform that will restore that. This is our opportunity to reimagine what public safety looks like for our community and what the role of community-led initiatives should be in dealing with substance abuse and homelessness and crime prevention and gang violence prevention and domestic violence prevention. This is our chance to really look at the kind of social and economic neglect at this moment, holistically.
I think the nation also has that opportunity. But what we do here in Minnesota would give the nation the opportunity to have a vision for what is possible. I’m actually really proud of many of the city council members here, who are who have the moral clarity and the courage to push for serious systematic change.
You also mentioned in your book a moment where you asked yourself how to “maintain your ideals and outspokenness while remaining respectful to your colleagues.” Have you found an answer to that, especially in the Democratic party where the establishment and progressive often have very different views and ways of doing things as a party?
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I grew up in a large family and we encouraged discussion and debate. At a young age, I learned that’s really healthy. With my colleagues, I always can understand their point of view and how they find themselves in the positions that they are in when it comes to advocacy.
There’s always a disconnect in the way in which I operate and the way in which my voice gets sensationalized. I’m a consensus-builder and someone who tries to find a place of agreement with people. So I can have respect and admiration for people who don’t share many of the progressive values that I have or the views that I have. Internally, a lot of my colleagues have a closer relationship with me because of that, and that is the root of my success and in being able to have the legislative successes we’ve been able to have.
When you arrived in the U.S., you were shocked at the trash-filled NYC you landed in and your dad tried to reassure you by telling you, “This isn’t our America. We’ll get to our America,” as you share in your memoir. Did you find your America yet?
My worry throughout the years has been that the level of complacency that I’ve seen would lead to there only being incremental changes and not transformative change.
I’m inspired by historic demonstrations that are taking place in nearly all 50 states and I think we will see serious, serious policies that will address the economic and social neglect that will address the systematic racism that is codified in many of the policies that govern our country.
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I am hopeful because of the new voices that are emerging that are mainly young and diverse groups of people who are really good at creating coalitions across the country to fight for bold changes. I know the legislation we’ve been able to introduce and have hearings for in the last few weeks would not have been possible without them.
I also know that the kind of commitment we have from the Minneapolis City Council in dismantling our police department would not exist without them. I know that the transferring of the George Floyd case to Keith Ellison as the lead attorney general would not have happened without them


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--House Leadership Announces Upcoming Vote On D.C. Statehood

Democratic leaders in Congress announced Tuesday that the chamber will hold a vote next week to officially recognize Washington , D.C. , as a state , a move that will bring the district one step closer to representation in Congress and control over its local affairs .
Washington , D.C. , residents ’ lack of voting power and autonomy has been a matter of debate dating all the way back to the establishment of the District of Columbia in the late 18th century .
Activists and some local politicians have been calling for statehood ever since , but the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump deployed federal police to quell nonviolent anti-racism protests near the White House .
“ For more than two centuries , the residents of Washington , D.C. , the District of Columbia , have been denied their right to fully participate in their democracy , ” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) said at a press conference Tuesday .
“ And in recent days , we have seen a disturbing physical manifestation of that injustice when federal agents and out-of-state National Guard troops were deployed against peaceful protesters in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi continued .
After the bill passes in the House , it will require approval in the Senate , where Republicans in the majority have long voiced staunch opposition to D.C. statehood .
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer ( D-Md . )
said the vote for D.C. ’ s statehood is scheduled for June 26 .
Currently , the bill has enough Democratic co-sponsors to pass in the House , and a number of Democratic senators have signed on as co-sponsors , as well .
Washington , D.C. , Mayor Muriel Bowser , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s co-sponsors on Tuesday and said Trump ’ s recent deployment of federal police against protesters “ violated our principles of Americans being able to peacefully protest , and it violated our principles of local autonomy.
” “ There shouldn ’ t be troops from other states in Washington , D.C. ; there shouldn ’ t be federal forces advancing against Americans ; and there very definitely shouldn ’ t be soldiers stationed around our city waiting for the go to attack Americans in a local policing matter , ” Bowser said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ dogs ” and “ ominous weapons ” on local protesters , Bowser called his comments “ an attack on Black America.
” The majority of D.C. residents are Black and brown .
Almost unanimously , Republicans have vowed to oppose any measure giving political representation to the more than 700,000 residents of Washington , D.C. Several of those opposed have made clear their motives are strictly political .
In June of last year , Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) inexplicably referred to calls for D.C. statehood as “ full-bore socialism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two more new Democratic senators.
” Democrats ’ call for statehood do not guarantee the district will be represented by Democrats , but McConnell said the bill will go nowhere as long as he leads the Senate .
In May of this year , Trump told the New York Post that Washington , D.C. , will “ never ” become a state because of the potential it could elect Democrats to office .

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Democratic leaders in Congress announced Tuesday that the chamber will hold a vote next week to officially recognize Washington, D.C., as a state, a move that will bring the district one step closer to representation in Congress and control over its local affairs.
Washington, D.C., residents’ lack of voting power and autonomy has been a matter of debate dating all the way back to the establishment of the District of Columbia in the late 18th century. Activists and some local politicians have been calling for statehood ever since, but the issue was pushed to the forefront recently after President Donald Trump deployed federal police to quell nonviolent anti-racism protests near the White House.
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“For more than two centuries, the residents of Washington, D.C., the District of Columbia, have been denied their right to fully participate in their democracy,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at a press conference Tuesday.
“And in recent days, we have seen a disturbing physical manifestation of that injustice when federal agents and out-of-state National Guard troops were deployed against peaceful protesters in the District without residents’ approval,” Pelosi continued.
After the bill passes in the House, it will require approval in the Senate, where Republicans in the majority have long voiced staunch opposition to D.C. statehood.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said the vote for D.C.’s statehood is scheduled for June 26. Currently, the bill has enough Democratic co-sponsors to pass in the House, and a number of Democratic senators have signed on as co-sponsors, as well.
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Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, thanked the bill’s co-sponsors on Tuesday and said Trump’s recent deployment of federal police against protesters “violated our principles of Americans being able to peacefully protest, and it violated our principles of local autonomy.”
“There shouldn’t be troops from other states in Washington, D.C.; there shouldn’t be federal forces advancing against Americans; and there very definitely shouldn’t be soldiers stationed around our city waiting for the go to attack Americans in a local policing matter,” Bowser said.
After Trump threatened to sic “vicious dogs” and “ominous weapons” on local protesters, Bowser called his comments “an attack on Black America.” The majority of D.C. residents are Black and brown.
Almost unanimously, Republicans have vowed to oppose any measure giving political representation to the more than 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C. Several of those opposed have made clear their motives are strictly political.
In June of last year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) inexplicably referred to calls for D.C. statehood as “full-bore socialism” because it would “give them two more new Democratic senators.” Democrats’ call for statehood do not guarantee the district will be represented by Democrats, but McConnell said the bill will go nowhere as long as he leads the Senate.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Man Arrested In Shooting During Protest Of Spanish Conqueror Statue In Albuquerque

ASSOCIATED PRESS A confrontation erupted between protesters and a group of armed men who were trying to protect the statue of Juan de Oñate .
Albuquerque announced plans to remove the statue on Monday night .
The shooting occurred near a Monday night confrontation between protesters and a group of armed men to protect the statue of Juan de Oñate before protesters wrapped a chain around it and began tugging on it while chanting : “ Tear it down.
” One protester repeatedly swung a pickax at the base of the statue .
Police in a statement said detectives arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jailed on suspicion of aggravated battery .
Authorities had said earlier that several people were detained for questioning .
Online court records did not list an attorney for Baca who could comment on his behalf .
Officers during the confrontation used tear gas and flash bangs to protect the officers who intervened and detained those involved in the shooting , Gallegos said .
He said they were disarmed and taken into custody for questioning as police worked to secure the scene .
He said detectives were investigating with the help of the FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tragic , outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city , ” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement .
“ Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us .
Our hearts go out the victim , his family and witnesses whose lives were needlessly threatened tonight .
This sculpture has now become an urgent matter of public safety.
” Democrat Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement taking aim at the armed people , saying they were there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no room in New Mexico for any sort of escalation of what she called “ reckless , violent rhetoric.
” “ The instigators this evening will be rooted out , they will be investigated , and they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law , ” she said .
The violence came hours after activists in northern New Mexico celebrated the removal of another likeness of Oñate that was on public display at a cultural center in the community of Alcalde .
Rio Arriba County officials removed it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to avoid civil unrest ahead of a scheduled protest .
A forklift pried the massive bronze statue of Oñate on horseback from a concrete pedestal .
Cheers erupted among bystanders who viewed the memorial as an affront to indigenous people and an obstacle to greater racial harmony , though several people also arrived to defend the tribute to Oñate .
County Manager Tomas Campos said the statue was placed in storage for its own protection .
He expects the three-member county commission to solicit public comment on what to do next with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the early 1990s .
Oñate , who arrived in present-day New Mexico in 1598 , is celebrated as a cultural father figure in communities along the Upper Rio Grande that trace their ancestry to Spanish settlers .
But he ’ s also reviled for his brutality .
To Native Americans , Oñate is known for having ordered the right feet cut off of 24 captive tribal warriors that was precipitated by the killing of Oñate ’ s nephew .
In 1998 , someone sawed the right foot off the statue — an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stash away the statue .
Luis Peña of Espanola , an artist and computer network engineer , started a public petition last week to remove the statue in Alcalde .
He said he was heartened to see it taken off display .
Meanwhile , the scene in Albuquerque turned into chaos as people ran for cover .
Police in riot gear could be seen taking at least two people into custody following the shooting as some protesters heckled the officers .
It was more than two hours before the area was cleared .

A confrontation erupted between protesters and a group of armed men who were trying to protect the statue of Juan de Oñate. Albuquerque announced plans to remove the statue on Monday night. ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A 31-year-old man has been arrested in a shooting that happened as protesters in New Mexico’s largest city tried to tear down a bronze statue of a Spanish conquistador outside the Albuquerque Museum, police said Tuesday.
The shooting occurred near a Monday night confrontation between protesters and a group of armed men to protect the statue of Juan de Oñate before protesters wrapped a chain around it and began tugging on it while chanting: “Tear it down.” One protester repeatedly swung a pickax at the base of the statue.
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Moments later, a few gunshots rang out down the street and people yelled that someone had been shot.
The shooting prompted the city to announce that the statue would be removed until officials determine the next steps.
We just obtained video of the shooting. pic.twitter.com/yjB6NHdKe2 — Megan Abundis (@meganrabundis) June 16, 2020
Police in a statement said detectives arrested Stephen Ray Baca and that he was jailed on suspicion of aggravated battery. Authorities had said earlier that several people were detained for questioning. Online court records did not list an attorney for Baca who could comment on his behalf.
The man who was shot was taken to a hospital and was listed in critical but stable condition late Monday, said Albuquerque police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos.
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Officers during the confrontation used tear gas and flash bangs to protect the officers who intervened and detained those involved in the shooting, Gallegos said. He said they were disarmed and taken into custody for questioning as police worked to secure the scene. He said detectives were investigating with the help of the FBI.
“The shooting tonight was a tragic, outrageous and unacceptable act of violence and it has no place in our city,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement. “Our diverse community will not be deterred by acts meant to divide or silence us. Our hearts go out the victim, his family and witnesses whose lives were needlessly threatened tonight. This sculpture has now become an urgent matter of public safety.”
Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement taking aim at the armed people, saying they were there to menace protesters. She said there is no room in New Mexico for any sort of escalation of what she called “reckless, violent rhetoric.”
“The instigators this evening will be rooted out, they will be investigated, and they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.
My statement on the “militia” and violence in Albuquerque tonight: pic.twitter.com/BZISvyau3k — Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) June 16, 2020
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The violence came hours after activists in northern New Mexico celebrated the removal of another likeness of Oñate that was on public display at a cultural center in the community of Alcalde. Rio Arriba County officials removed it to safeguard it from possible damage and to avoid civil unrest ahead of a scheduled protest.
A forklift pried the massive bronze statue of Oñate on horseback from a concrete pedestal. Cheers erupted among bystanders who viewed the memorial as an affront to indigenous people and an obstacle to greater racial harmony, though several people also arrived to defend the tribute to Oñate.
County Manager Tomas Campos said the statue was placed in storage for its own protection. He expects the three-member county commission to solicit public comment on what to do next with the public works project commissioned by the state in the early 1990s.
“This is public property and I’m not going to allow it to be damaged,” Campos said. “Plus, I don’t feel like risking my sheriff’s deputies or state police to defend it.”
This is not who we are as New Mexicans. I’m horrified that anyone would take action with a deadly weapon against someone who disagrees with them. This is not the way. Let me be clear: white supremacy has no place here. https://t.co/qxTOW0UKMH — Rep. Deb Haaland (@RepDebHaaland) June 16, 2020
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The Oñate statues have been a source of criticism for decades.
Oñate, who arrived in present-day New Mexico in 1598, is celebrated as a cultural father figure in communities along the Upper Rio Grande that trace their ancestry to Spanish settlers. But he’s also reviled for his brutality.
To Native Americans, Oñate is known for having ordered the right feet cut off of 24 captive tribal warriors that was precipitated by the killing of Oñate’s nephew. In 1998, someone sawed the right foot off the statue — an incident that weighed in the decision to stash away the statue.
Luis Peña of Espanola, an artist and computer network engineer, started a public petition last week to remove the statue in Alcalde. He said he was heartened to see it taken off display.
Removal of the statue was followed by a few heated roadside discussions about local colonial history, under the gaze of a half-dozen sheriff’s deputies.
Tony Valerio, 65, rushed to the site after a neighbor alerted him that the statue was being taken down.
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“He’s my hero. He brought a lot of good things to New Mexico,” Valerio said of Oñate. “What’s next? The Statue of Liberty?”
Lujan Grisham, who has campaigned on her heritage as a 12th-generation New Mexican, called the statue’s removal a “step in the right direction” in an earlier Twitter post.
By Monday evening, dozens had joined a celebratory gathering with Native American dancing and drumming outside the cultural center where demonstrators left hand prints in red paint on the empty statue pedestal.
Meanwhile, the scene in Albuquerque turned into chaos as people ran for cover. Police in riot gear could be seen taking at least two people into custody following the shooting as some protesters heckled the officers. It was more than two hours before the area was cleared.
Monuments to European conquerors and colonists around the world are being pulled down amid an intense re-examination of racial injustices in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police.
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Albuquerque city officials have promised to convene a council of community leaders and artists to consider the concerns about the public art piece.
Titled “La Jornada,” the sculpture depicts Oñate leading a group of Spanish settlers to what was then the northern-most province of New Spain in 1598. The collection of statues includes an indigenous guide, a priest, women settlers and soldiers. The names of the families who accompanied Oñate are listed on plaques below as part of the “Wall of Spanish Ancestral Heritage.”
“Recent calls for altering ‘La Jornada’ remind us that works of art often challenge communities to debate ideas, pursue empathy, grapple with multiple perspectives, reconcile conflict and interrogate history,” said Shelle Sanchez, head of the city’s Cultural Services Department.
―
Lee reported from Santa Fe. Attanasio reported from Alcalde. Associated Press writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed to this report.
―
Attanasio is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Virginia Governor To Propose Juneteenth As State Holiday

RICHMOND , Va. ( AP ) — Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he will propose making Juneteenth — a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. — an official holiday in a state that was once home to the capital of the Confederacy .
Juneteenth , which is also called Emancipation Day and Freedom Day , is celebrated annually on June 19 .
Texas first made it a state holiday in 1980 .
“ It ’ s time we elevate this , ” Northam said of the June 19 commemoration .
“ Not just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but one acknowledged and celebrated by all of us.
” The holiday would be a paid day off for all state employees .
Northam said he thinks Virginia would be only the second state to do so .
Northam was joined Tuesday at his news conference by musician Pharrell Williams , who is from Virginia .
“ This is a very special moment , ” Williams said .
The holiday commemorates June 19 , 1865 , when news finally reached African Americans in Texas that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years earlier .
When Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to bring the news that slavery had been abolished , former slaves celebrated .
President Donald Trump announced last week that he has rescheduled a campaign rally that was planned in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on Juneteenth .
The announcement of the rally had sparked an outcry because Tulsa was the site of one of the worst instances of racial violence in U.S. history in 1921 , when hundreds of African Americans were massacred by a white mob that burned black-owned businesses and homes @

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday that he will propose making Juneteenth — a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. — an official holiday in a state that was once home to the capital of the Confederacy.
Juneteenth, which is also called Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is celebrated annually on June 19. Texas first made it a state holiday in 1980.
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“It’s time we elevate this,” Northam said of the June 19 commemoration. “Not just a celebration by and for some Virginians but one acknowledged and celebrated by all of us.”
The holiday would be a paid day off for all state employees. Northam said he thinks Virginia would be only the second state to do so.
Northam was joined Tuesday at his news conference by musician Pharrell Williams, who is from Virginia. “This is a very special moment,” Williams said.
The holiday commemorates June 19, 1865, when news finally reached African Americans in Texas that President Abraham Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves living in Confederate states two years earlier. When Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to bring the news that slavery had been abolished, former slaves celebrated.
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President Donald Trump announced last week that he has rescheduled a campaign rally that was planned in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Juneteenth. The announcement of the rally had sparked an outcry because Tulsa was the site of one of the worst instances of racial violence in U.S. history in 1921, when hundreds of African Americans were massacred by a white mob that burned black-owned businesses and homes.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-16--Republican Group Questions Trump’s Health: ‘It’s Time We Talk About This’

Some of President Donald Trump ’ s most persistent critics from the right are questioning his health after his unusual behavior over the weekend .
“ Something ’ s wrong with Donald Trump , ” the video from the anti-Trump GOP group The Lincoln Project states .
“ He ’ s shaky .
Weak .
Trouble speaking .
Trouble walking .
So why aren ’ t we talking about this ?
” The spot , which Fox News reports will run on TV in Washington , D.C. , comes after Trump appeared to struggle to lift a glass of water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday .
Then , when the event was over , he took an unusually long and deliberate walk down a ramp as he left the stage .
The Lincoln Project ― co-founded by several high-profile conservatives , including attorney George Conway , husband of counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway ― says this and other behavior raises serious questions about Trump ’ s fitness for office .
“ We ’ re not doctors , but we ’ re not blind , ” a voiceover in the spot states .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not well.
” The video recalls one of the ads the Trump campaign ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016 , which questioned the former secretary of state ’ s health , claiming “ she doesn ’ t have the fortitude , strength or stamina.
” This year , the Trump campaign has attacked Democratic rival Joe Biden over his age , making implications about his mental fitness as well .
In one online ad , the Trump campaign said “ geriatric mental health is no laughing matter.
” Trump himself has claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for the job .
But now questions are being raised over Trump ’ s health and fitness , including a sudden trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in November , referred to in The Lincoln Project ’ s ad .
Trump has insisted he ’ s healthy and said the slow and deliberate walk was because the ramp at West Point was “ very long & steep , had no handrail and , most importantly , was very slippery , ” despite it being a clear day .
He also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ten feet I ran down to level ground.
” The incident at West Point caused # TrumpIsNotWell to trend on Twitter over the weekend , and the new ad caused the hashtag to pop once again on Tuesday :

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Some of President Donald Trump’s most persistent critics from the right are questioning his health after his unusual behavior over the weekend.
“Something’s wrong with Donald Trump,” the video from the anti-Trump GOP group The Lincoln Project states. “He’s shaky. Weak. Trouble speaking. Trouble walking. So why aren’t we talking about this?”
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The spot, which Fox News reports will run on TV in Washington, D.C., comes after Trump appeared to struggle to lift a glass of water during a speech at West Point on Saturday.
Then, when the event was over, he took an unusually long and deliberate walk down a ramp as he left the stage.
The Lincoln Project ― co-founded by several high-profile conservatives, including attorney George Conway, husband of counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway ― says this and other behavior raises serious questions about Trump’s fitness for office.
“We’re not doctors, but we’re not blind,” a voiceover in the spot states. “It’s time we talk about this: Trump is not well.”
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The video recalls one of the ads the Trump campaign ran against Hillary Clinton in 2016, which questioned the former secretary of state’s health, claiming “she doesn’t have the fortitude, strength or stamina.”
This year, the Trump campaign has attacked Democratic rival Joe Biden over his age, making implications about his mental fitness as well. In one online ad, the Trump campaign said “geriatric mental health is no laughing matter.”
Trump himself has claimed Biden is “not mentally sharp enough” for the job.
But now questions are being raised over Trump’s health and fitness, including a sudden trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in November, referred to in The Lincoln Project’s ad.
His unusual behavior at West Point only adds to the questions.
Trump has insisted he’s healthy and said the slow and deliberate walk was because the ramp at West Point was “very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery,” despite it being a clear day.
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He also falsely claimed that in the “final ten feet I ran down to level ground.”
The incident at West Point caused #TrumpIsNotWell to trend on Twitter over the weekend, and the new ad caused the hashtag to pop once again on Tuesday:
Lincoln Project hits Trump right in his vain underbelly with #TrumpIsNotWell spot set to air on Fox News.
pic.twitter.com/S6gl7Dpj6G — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) June 16, 2020
Ohhhh shit.@ProjectLincoln's new ad running on Fox News.
"Why did Trump have a secretive, midnight run to Walter Reed Medical Center? It’s time we talk about it." #TrumpIsNotWell #ifdonaldtrumpisreelected pic.twitter.com/inbCuulg1j — Holly Figueroa O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) June 16, 2020
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Watch this!
Now, who in God’s name thought this man was healthy enough to walk down a ramp?!#TrumpIsNotWell pic.twitter.com/LiqpzDmHu0 — Ken Olin (@kenolin1) June 16, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-17--Book By Trump’s Niece To Reveal He ‘Derided’ Father’s Alzheimer’s Struggles

An upcoming book by President Donald Trump ’ s niece will detail his “ appalling ” treatment of his father , Fred Trump , during the years he battled Alzheimer ’ s disease .
Mary Trump , a clinical psychologist and the president ’ s only niece , has remained largely silent during her uncle ’ s rise to the presidency .
But her book , Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World ’ s Most Dangerous Man , is promising “ unsparing detail ” about the president and his relationship with his family when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ She explains how specific events and general family patterns created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office , including the strange and harmful relationship between Fred Trump and his two oldest sons , Fred Jr. and Donald.
” Mary Trump will also detail “ the appalling way Donald , Fred Trump ’ s favorite son , dismissed and derided him when he began to succumb to Alzheimer ’ s. ” Mary Trump is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr. , the president ’ s brother , who battled alcoholism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 42 .
Her grandfather , Fred Trump , is the president ’ s father , who died in 1999 at the age of 93 after suffering from Alzheimer ’ s disease .
His death triggered a bitter family legal battle over the will .
Earlier this week , The Daily Beast reported that Mary Trump was the source of a New York Times report on the financial tricks the president used during the 1990s to help his parents duck millions in taxes , which also benefitted him financially .
Trump is considering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the publication of the book , The Times reported .
“ [ Mary Trump ] alone can recount this fascinating , unnerving saga , not just because of her insider ’ s perspective but also because she is the only Trump willing to tell the truth about one of the world ’ s most powerful and dysfunctional families , ” the Simon & Schuster description stated .
Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World ’ s Most Dangerous Man is set for release on July 28 .

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An upcoming book by President Donald Trump’s niece will detail his “appalling” treatment of his father, Fred Trump, during the years he battled Alzheimer’s disease.
Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist and the president’s only niece, has remained largely silent during her uncle’s rise to the presidency. But her book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, is promising “unsparing detail” about the president and his relationship with his family when it’s released in this summer.
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A description posted online by publisher Simon & Schuster noted:
“She explains how specific events and general family patterns created the damaged man who currently occupies the Oval Office, including the strange and harmful relationship between Fred Trump and his two oldest sons, Fred Jr. and Donald.”
Mary Trump will also detail “the appalling way Donald, Fred Trump’s favorite son, dismissed and derided him when he began to succumb to Alzheimer’s.”
Mary Trump is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr., the president’s brother, who battled alcoholism and died in 1981 at the age of 42. Her grandfather, Fred Trump, is the president’s father, who died in 1999 at the age of 93 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. His death triggered a bitter family legal battle over the will.
Earlier this week, The Daily Beast reported that Mary Trump was the source of a New York Times report on the financial tricks the president used during the 1990s to help his parents duck millions in taxes, which also benefitted him financially.
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Trump is considering a lawsuit in an attempt to block the publication of the book, The Times reported.
“[Mary Trump] alone can recount this fascinating, unnerving saga, not just because of her insider’s perspective but also because she is the only Trump willing to tell the truth about one of the world’s most powerful and dysfunctional families,” the Simon & Schuster description stated.