thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Mary Trump's Book Takes A Scathing Look At The President's Behavior

NEW YORK ( AP ) — President Donald Trump ’ s niece offered a devastating portrayal of him in a book that credits a “ perfect storm of catastrophes ” for exposing the president at his worst .
Mary L. Trump , a psychologist , writes that the coronavirus pandemic , the possibility of an economic depression and deepening social divides have brought out the “ worst effects ” of Donald Trump ’ s pathologies , which were less evident when the country had a stable economy and the lack of serious crises .
Those factors , along with “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and uncertainty about our country ’ s future have created a perfect storm of catastrophes that no one is less equipped than my uncle to manage , ” she writes .
The president ’ s brother Robert tried to bar publication of the book .
Early copies of the book , slated for publication next week , became available on Tuesday .
It is titled : “ Too Much and Never Enough , How My Family Created The World ’ s Most Dangerous Man.
” Mary Trump is the daughter of Fred Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brother , who died in 1981 .
She has a doctorate in psychology .
Robert Trump had argued in legal papers that Mary Trump was subject to a 20-year-old agreement between family members that no one would publish accounts involving the core family members without their approval .
Simon & Schuster said it did not know about any alleged family agreement until a few weeks ago and was not a part of any deal .
It said that 75,000 first-run editions had already been sent to bookstores .
In the book , Mary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s usual tools for shielding himself from blame .
“ His ability to control unfavorable situations by lying , spinning , and obfuscating has diminished to the point of impotence in the midst of the tragedies we are currently facing , ” she said .
“ His egregious and arguably intentional mishandling of the current catastrophe has led to a level of pushback and scrutiny that he ’ s never experienced before , increasing his belligerence and need for petty revenge as he withholds vital funding , personal protective equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have paid for from states whose governors don ’ t kiss his ass sufficiently , ” Mary Trump wrote .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s niece offered a devastating portrayal of him in a book that credits a “perfect storm of catastrophes” for exposing the president at his worst.
Mary L. Trump, a psychologist, writes that the coronavirus pandemic, the possibility of an economic depression and deepening social divides have brought out the “worst effects” of Donald Trump’s pathologies, which were less evident when the country had a stable economy and the lack of serious crises.
Advertisement
Those factors, along with “Donald’s penchant for division, and uncertainty about our country’s future have created a perfect storm of catastrophes that no one is less equipped than my uncle to manage,” she writes.
The president’s brother Robert tried to bar publication of the book. Early copies of the book, slated for publication next week, became available on Tuesday. It is titled: “Too Much and Never Enough, How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man.”
A ruling briefly blocking its publication was lifted last week by a New York state appellate judge.
Mary Trump is the daughter of Fred Trump Jr., the president’s elder brother, who died in 1981. She has a doctorate in psychology.
Robert Trump had argued in legal papers that Mary Trump was subject to a 20-year-old agreement between family members that no one would publish accounts involving the core family members without their approval.
Advertisement
Simon & Schuster said it did not know about any alleged family agreement until a few weeks ago and was not a part of any deal. It said that 75,000 first-run editions had already been sent to bookstores.
In the book, Mary Trump writes that current challenges have weakened the president’s usual tools for shielding himself from blame.
“His ability to control unfavorable situations by lying, spinning, and obfuscating has diminished to the point of impotence in the midst of the tragedies we are currently facing,” she said.
“His egregious and arguably intentional mishandling of the current catastrophe has led to a level of pushback and scrutiny that he’s never experienced before, increasing his belligerence and need for petty revenge as he withholds vital funding, personal protective equipment, and ventilators that your tax dollars have paid for from states whose governors don’t kiss his ass sufficiently,” Mary Trump wrote.
The White House declined to comment.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Republicans Want To Make Sure You Can't Sue Your Boss If You Get Sick

“ Unless you were grossly negligent or intentionally engaging in harmful conduct , you should be protected from liability during this process , ” McConnell said at an event in Kentucky , claiming there has been a surge of lawsuits relating to the pandemic .
McConnell ’ s push to shield businesses from liability claims comes as Congress debates whether to continue expanded unemployment benefits that are set to expire at the end of the month , setting up a deadline for the next major piece of legislation ― and a huge contrast between Democratic and Republican priorities .
Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a liability shield could mean for workers facing dangerous conditions .
So far , the Trump administration has pretty much left it to employers to police themselves during the pandemic ; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued only one coronavirus-related citation against an employer .
Giving employers broad immunity in courts would make it even harder for employees to hold companies to account for flouting safety and social-distancing guidelines .
“ We ’ re talking about people who have experienced the worst crises in their lives due to these companies ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attorney for the Public Justice Food Project , which brought a high-profile lawsuit against the meatpacker Smithfield Foods .
“ The notion that the government will go out of its way to make sure those employers have less of a fear of lawsuits when they should be protecting employees is just unbelievable.
” McConnell and other Republicans have cast pandemic lawsuits as an obstacle to reopening the economy , saying employers and schools will be too afraid to resume business if they might get sued .
But worker advocates say the fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bar for proving in court that an employer has been negligent or a public nuisance .
Besides , most workplace safety cases are already funneled through the workers ’ compensation system rather than courts .
A COVID-19 complaint tracker from the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth shows more than 3,000 lawsuits related to the virus since March .
Of those , only 263 involved labor and employment issues .
More than 260 cases , meanwhile , appear to have been filed by businesses and other groups against government closure orders and “ nonessential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumer claims .
The lawsuit brought by Muraskin ’ s group on behalf of Smithfield workers was dismissed by a judge , though the workers have filed a request that the decision be reconsidered .
Workers at the Milan , Missouri , plant say the company failed to protect them from coronavirus , providing them with insufficient protective equipment and requiring them to work shoulder to shoulder .
Muraskin said he knows of only a handful of wrongful death suits in the entire meatpacking industry related to the pandemic .
If Republicans successfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trend of workers losing legal recourse against employers .
In recent years the Supreme Court has chipped away at the power of class-action lawsuits while giving companies the green light to force workers into arbitration .
The National Employment Law Project estimates that nearly two-thirds of workers earning less than $ 13 per hour must go through arbitration rather than bring a workplace claim in court .
Kevin Smartt , the CEO of Kwik Chek Convenience Stores , testified that his Texas-based chain has been proactive and conscientious about the pandemic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections when it can be impossible to know for sure where someone contracts the virus .
In addition to liability protection , McConnell said he wanted the next coronavirus bill to focus on getting kids back in schools this fall , as well as “ jobs and health care , ” though he did not elaborate on those priorities .
McConnell also suggested he could support another round of direct payments to lower-income households .
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy ( R-Calif. ) argued in a USA Today op-ed on Tuesday that reopening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against frivolous lawsuits.
” McCarthy did not mention the possibility of actually helping schools make sure they can open in a way that keeps kids safe , such as by providing extra space .
Randi Weingarten , president of the American Federation of Teachers , said the GOP liability plan would ” callously transfer virus risk from institutions to workers and students.
” In a statement to HuffPost , the union leader said lawmakers should be focused on providing more funding for safe reopenings , rather than working to shield employers and school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration for not providing enough guidance or money to help schools facing large budget shortfalls .
Sen. Ron Wyden ( D-Ore. ) blasted McConnell for omitting a continuation of increased unemployment insurance from his priorities for the next coronavirus bill .
In March , Congress boosted unemployment insurance by $ 600 per week , an unprecedented increase that Republicans have howled about from the start .
Economists have credited the extra money with helping prop up the virus-addled economy , but the boost expires at the end of the month .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
With millions of workers returning to their jobs amid a still-raging coronavirus pandemic, the top Republican priority for the next big coronavirus bill is preventing them from suing their employers if they get sick.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday that his “number one” policy for a bill sometime this month is to block “an epidemic of lawsuits” against businesses, schools and health care providers from employees, customers, students and patients.
Advertisement
“Unless you were grossly negligent or intentionally engaging in harmful conduct, you should be protected from liability during this process,” McConnell said at an event in Kentucky, claiming there has been a surge of lawsuits relating to the pandemic.
“There’s an army of trial lawyers out there ready to take advantage of the situation,” McConnel said. “We cannot get back to normal if we have an epidemic of lawsuits.”
McConnell’s push to shield businesses from liability claims comes as Congress debates whether to continue expanded unemployment benefits that are set to expire at the end of the month, setting up a deadline for the next major piece of legislation ― and a huge contrast between Democratic and Republican priorities. Democrats and labor groups are particularly worried what a liability shield could mean for workers facing dangerous conditions.
So far, the Trump administration has pretty much left it to employers to police themselves during the pandemic; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued only one coronavirus-related citation against an employer. Giving employers broad immunity in courts would make it even harder for employees to hold companies to account for flouting safety and social-distancing guidelines.
Advertisement
Pigs are weighed at the Smithfield Foods processing facility on Oct. 9, 2014, in Clinton, North Carolina. Workers at Smithfield's plant in Milan, Missouri, say the company failed to protect them from coronavirus. Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images
Labor groups and lawyers warned that blocking lawsuits would prevent workers from bringing dangerous conditions to light at a time of unprecedented workplace hazards.
“We’re talking about people who have experienced the worst crises in their lives due to these companies’ inaction,” said David Muraskin, an attorney for the Public Justice Food Project, which brought a high-profile lawsuit against the meatpacker Smithfield Foods. “The notion that the government will go out of its way to make sure those employers have less of a fear of lawsuits when they should be protecting employees is just unbelievable.”
McConnell and other Republicans have cast pandemic lawsuits as an obstacle to reopening the economy, saying employers and schools will be too afraid to resume business if they might get sued. But worker advocates say the fears are overblown, noting the already high bar for proving in court that an employer has been negligent or a public nuisance. Besides, most workplace safety cases are already funneled through the workers’ compensation system rather than courts.
A COVID-19 complaint tracker from the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth shows more than 3,000 lawsuits related to the virus since March. Of those, only 263 involved labor and employment issues. More than 260 cases, meanwhile, appear to have been filed by businesses and other groups against government closure orders and “nonessential” designations, and another 225 were consumer claims.
Advertisement
Nearly 3 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and more than 130,000 have died.
The lawsuit brought by Muraskin’s group on behalf of Smithfield workers was dismissed by a judge, though the workers have filed a request that the decision be reconsidered. Workers at the Milan, Missouri, plant say the company failed to protect them from coronavirus, providing them with insufficient protective equipment and requiring them to work shoulder to shoulder. Muraskin said he knows of only a handful of wrongful death suits in the entire meatpacking industry related to the pandemic.
If Republicans successfully limit COVID-19 lawsuits, it would continue a trend of workers losing legal recourse against employers. In recent years the Supreme Court has chipped away at the power of class-action lawsuits while giving companies the green light to force workers into arbitration. The National Employment Law Project estimates that nearly two-thirds of workers earning less than $13 per hour must go through arbitration rather than bring a workplace claim in court.
Rebecca Dixon, the Employment Law Project’s executive director, testified before a Senate committee in May against the idea of granting employers immunity related to coronavirus, saying “the courthouse doors have already been slammed shut” for many workers.
“Broad grants of immunity for unsafe conditions won’t just hurt workers, but they will further hinder any meaningful economic recovery because they will fail to stop the spread of disease and destroy consumer confidence,” Dixon told the Judiciary Committee.
Advertisement
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten speaks during a rally outside the Department of Education Feb. 8, 2018, in Washington. The union leader said GOP's plan to limit coronavirus liability would ”callously transfer virus risk from institutions to workers and students.” Alex Wong via Getty Images
Kevin Smartt, the CEO of Kwik Chek Convenience Stores, testified that his Texas-based chain has been proactive and conscientious about the pandemic and shouldn’t get blamed for coronavirus infections when it can be impossible to know for sure where someone contracts the virus.
“It would be unfair to subject businesses like mine, which have undertaken wide-ranging health and safety measures, to expend resources defending against claims that we are the source of someone’s infection,” Smartt said.
A blanket preemption of state liability laws would likely be unconstitutional, get challenged in court, and wind up being useless to businesses until judges can sort it out, said David Vladeck of Georgetown University Law Center.
In addition to liability protection, McConnell said he wanted the next coronavirus bill to focus on getting kids back in schools this fall, as well as “jobs and health care,” though he did not elaborate on those priorities. McConnell also suggested he could support another round of direct payments to lower-income households.
Advertisement
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) argued in a USA Today op-ed on Tuesday that reopening schools will require “providing liability protections against frivolous lawsuits.” McCarthy did not mention the possibility of actually helping schools make sure they can open in a way that keeps kids safe, such as by providing extra space.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the GOP liability plan would ”callously transfer virus risk from institutions to workers and students.” In a statement to HuffPost, the union leader said lawmakers should be focused on providing more funding for safe reopenings, rather than working to shield employers and school districts from liability. She criticized the Trump administration for not providing enough guidance or money to help schools facing large budget shortfalls.
“As a result, the responsibility has shifted to states, individual schools and educators themselves,” Weingarten said. “The bottom line is that a safe reopening is going to require more money, not less.”
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) blasted McConnell for omitting a continuation of increased unemployment insurance from his priorities for the next coronavirus bill. In March, Congress boosted unemployment insurance by $600 per week, an unprecedented increase that Republicans have howled about from the start. Economists have credited the extra money with helping prop up the virus-addled economy, but the boost expires at the end of the month.
“Under no circumstances should Congress consider legislation that tells unemployed workers to go pound sand while shielding Leader McConnell’s donors from accountability for putting their workers’ health at risk,” Wyden said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , who has been identified as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden , announced Monday that she and her family have tested positive for COVID-19 .
Bottoms later told MSNBC that she and her family decided to get tested for the coronavirus because her husband “ literally has been sleeping since Thursday , which is just not like him.
” She said she hadn ’ t had any symptoms .
“ We were tested two weeks ago , we were negative , and our results came back positive today , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her contracting the virus underscores just how contagious it is .
“ We ’ ve taken all of the precautions that you can possibly take , ” she said .
“ We wear masks , we ’ re very thoughtful about washing our hands .
I have no idea of when and where we were exposed.
” The mayor will have to isolate herself for 10 days following Monday ’ s positive test , as long as she continues to not have symptoms , according to the state ’ s coronavirus guidelines .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of her home office for the next two weeks due to her positive test result .
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her husband at an NBA game in February .
Bottoms said they both tested positive for coronavirus this week .
Bottoms ’ announcement comes as she addresses both the ongoing pandemic in her city , which has some of the highest numbers of cases in the state , and ongoing anti-racism and police brutality protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May .
She held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recent shootings in her city , including one that killed 8-year-old Secoriea Turner near where Atlanta police killed Rayshard Brooks in June .
“ This random wild , wild West , shoot ’ em up because you can ― it has got to stop , ” Bottoms said .
The mayor wore a mask during much of the presser , but she took off the facial covering while speaking about Secoriea ’ s death at a microphone that was later used by interim Police Chief Rodney Bryant , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has been identified as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, announced Monday that she and her family have tested positive for COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has literally hit home,” she tweeted.
Bottoms later told MSNBC that she and her family decided to get tested for the coronavirus because her husband “literally has been sleeping since Thursday, which is just not like him.” She said she hadn’t had any symptoms.
Advertisement
“We were tested two weeks ago, we were negative, and our results came back positive today,” she said.
Bottoms said she believes her contracting the virus underscores just how contagious it is.
“We’ve taken all of the precautions that you can possibly take,” she said. “We wear masks, we’re very thoughtful about washing our hands. I have no idea of when and where we were exposed.”
The mayor will have to isolate herself for 10 days following Monday’s positive test, as long as she continues to not have symptoms, according to the state’s coronavirus guidelines. She told MSNBC she’ll work out of her home office for the next two weeks due to her positive test result.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and her husband at an NBA game in February. Bottoms said they both tested positive for coronavirus this week. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Advertisement
Bottoms’ announcement comes as she addresses both the ongoing pandemic in her city, which has some of the highest numbers of cases in the state, and ongoing anti-racism and police brutality protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May.
She held a news conference on Sunday to address recent shootings in her city, including one that killed 8-year-old Secoriea Turner near where Atlanta police killed Rayshard Brooks in June.
“This random wild, wild West, shoot ’em up because you can ― it has got to stop,” Bottoms said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Democratic Senate Candidates Announce Massive Fundraising Hauls In Second Quarter

In South Carolina , Jaime Harrison reported raising a record-breaking $ 13.9 million in his race against Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) , one of Trump ’ s top allies on Capitol Hill .
The haul is almost double the record $ 7.3 million he reported for the first three months of 2020 .
It ’ s also more than any Senate candidate in South Carolina from either party raised for their entire campaign before this cycle .
In rural Montana , where a dollar will go a long way compared to more expensive urban political advertising markets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d raised a whopping $ 7.7 million , more than double his haul in the first quarter .
Bullock is hoping to oust Trump-friendly incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines .
In North Carolina , the relatively little-known Cal Cunningham , a military veteran and former state senator , said he ’ d raised $ 7.4 million in the second quarter .
He , too , topped his first-quarter haul by $ 3 million .
He will face Republican incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis , a staunch supporter of Trump , in the general @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state House Speaker Sara Gideon , a top Democratic target , revealed she raised a whopping $ 9 million in the second quarter .
Gideon , the most likely Democratic challenger to GOP Sen. Susan Collins , is set to receive an additional $ 3.5 million if she wins the Democratic primary later this month .
Amy McGrath , Mark Kelly , and John Hickenlooper ― the Democratic Senate candidates in Kentucky , Arizona and Colorado , respectively ― have not yet announced their second-quarter hauls , but they are also likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidates up for reelection have released their fundraising numbers yet , but they are expected to lag substantially behind their Democratic opponents .
“ These latest record-breaking numbers reflect the growing interest in these Senate battlegrounds and an unprecedented motivation to hold Republicans accountable , ” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Lauren Passalacqua said in a statement .
“ Republican incumbents in Washington are still trying to take away health care from their constituents in the middle of a pandemic and standing by while the president divides the nation and exacerbates a public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had enough.
” Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage in the Senate , and with Sen. Doug Jones ( D-Ala. ) facing a tough reelection fight , Democrats likely need to win at least four seats to reclaim the majority .
Trump ’ s steady slide in the polls , which can be attributed to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and racist appeals to white supporters , has only increased Democrats ’ chances of winning the upper chamber .
The state of the race for Senate control has alarmed top Republican lawmakers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president to change course .
“ Right now , obviously , Trump has a problem with the middle of the electorate , with independents , and they ’ re the people who are undecided in national elections , ” Senate Majority Whip John Thune ( R-S.D . )
told reporters last month .
“ I think he can win those back , but it ’ ll probably require not only a message that deals with substance and policy , but I think a message that conveys , perhaps , a different tone.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s most stalwart defenders ( at least after he lost his bid for the 2016 GOP presidential primary ) , broke with the president on Monday after he lashed out at Bubba Wallace , NASCAR ’ s only Black Cup Series driver , and criticized the auto racing league ’ s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its events .
“ I don ’ t think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize for , ” Graham said on Fox News radio .
“ You saw the best in NASCAR .
They all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would be looking to celebrate that kind of attitude rather than being worried it ’ s a hoax .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Democratic Senate candidates had another monster fundraising quarter, adding to their huge war chests despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that prompted fears of lackluster enthusiasm ahead of the November elections.
In Senate contests in key states like South Carolina, Maine, North Carolina and Montana, Democratic challengers announced eye-popping hauls that are largely thanks to a Trump-fueled wave of progressive energy and small-dollar donor cash.
Advertisement
In South Carolina, Jaime Harrison reported raising a record-breaking $13.9 million in his race against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s top allies on Capitol Hill. The haul is almost double the record $7.3 million he reported for the first three months of 2020. It’s also more than any Senate candidate in South Carolina from either party raised for their entire campaign before this cycle.
Democratic candidate Jaime Harrison, who is running to oust Republican Rep. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, revealed that he raised an eye-popping $13.9 million in the second quarter. Sean Rayford via Getty Images
In rural Montana, where a dollar will go a long way compared to more expensive urban political advertising markets, Gov. Steve Bullock announced that he’d raised a whopping $7.7 million, more than double his haul in the first quarter. Bullock is hoping to oust Trump-friendly incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines.
In North Carolina, the relatively little-known Cal Cunningham, a military veteran and former state senator, said he’d raised $7.4 million in the second quarter. He, too, topped his first-quarter haul by $3 million. He will face Republican incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis, a staunch supporter of Trump, in the general election.
Advertisement
And in Maine, former state House Speaker Sara Gideon, a top Democratic target, revealed she raised a whopping $9 million in the second quarter. Gideon, the most likely Democratic challenger to GOP Sen. Susan Collins, is set to receive an additional $3.5 million if she wins the Democratic primary later this month.
Amy McGrath, Mark Kelly, and John Hickenlooper ― the Democratic Senate candidates in Kentucky, Arizona and Colorado, respectively ― have not yet announced their second-quarter hauls, but they are also likely to exceed expectations.
None of the GOP candidates up for reelection have released their fundraising numbers yet, but they are expected to lag substantially behind their Democratic opponents.
“These latest record-breaking numbers reflect the growing interest in these Senate battlegrounds and an unprecedented motivation to hold Republicans accountable,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Lauren Passalacqua said in a statement. “Republican incumbents in Washington are still trying to take away health care from their constituents in the middle of a pandemic and standing by while the president divides the nation and exacerbates a public health and economic crisis. Voters have had enough.”
Republicans hold a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, and with Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) facing a tough reelection fight, Democrats likely need to win at least four seats to reclaim the majority.
Advertisement
Trump’s steady slide in the polls, which can be attributed to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and racist appeals to white supporters, has only increased Democrats’ chances of winning the upper chamber.
The state of the race for Senate control has alarmed top Republican lawmakers, who keep pleading without success for the president to change course.
“Right now, obviously, Trump has a problem with the middle of the electorate, with independents, and they’re the people who are undecided in national elections,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters last month. “I think he can win those back, but it’ll probably require not only a message that deals with substance and policy, but I think a message that conveys, perhaps, a different tone.”
Even Graham, one of Trump’s most stalwart defenders (at least after he lost his bid for the 2016 GOP presidential primary), broke with the president on Monday after he lashed out at Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only Black Cup Series driver, and criticized the auto racing league’s decision to ban the Confederate flag from its events.
“I don’t think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize for,” Graham said on Fox News radio. “You saw the best in NASCAR. They all rallied to Bubba’s side. I would be looking to celebrate that kind of attitude rather than being worried it’s a hoax.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--New TV Ad: Rep. Richie Neal Sold Out Patients For Wall Street Donor

The 30-second spot , set to air on network television in the Springfield , Massachusetts , media market for the remainder of July , tells the story of Neal ’ s last-minute decision to stall bipartisan legislation curbing “ surprise ” medical billing in December .
Surprise billing refers to a practice , widely derided by consumer and patient advocates , in which certain groups of doctors not participating in a hospital ’ s insurance agreements send insured patients eye-popping medical bills after surgery or another medical procedure .
Blackstone owns TeamHealth , which owns physician practices that profit from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calls the practices “ hospital monopolies ” ) .
And employees of Blackstone have given $ 48,600 to Neal this election cycle , making the firm his largest source of contributions from a single company .
“ The inconvenient truth for this dark money group is that the surprise billing measure they support would actually HURT hospitals and workers in Western and Central Mass , so Richie proposed his own bill , ” Norton said in a statement .
The group ’ s legal structure as a 501 ( c ) 4 nonprofit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as long as it spends just under half of its funds on political activities like the anti-Neal ad .
The same legal vehicle enables Fight Corporate Monopolies to raise and spend unlimited funds without having to disclose its donors , so long as it doesn ’ t coordinate with a candidate or campaign .
“ This is fundamentally one of the things that is holding back our economy from working for everyone , which is : politicians take this kind of money , facilitate the consolidation of corporate power and working people lose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consumer rights attorney and former Ohio congressional candidate who is a senior adviser to Fight Corporate Monopolies .
Faiz Shakir , who managed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ’ 2020 presidential campaign , is collaborating with Harper on the launch of Fight Corporate Monopolies , as well as helping the organization navigate the world of political vendors needed to produce ads and buy airtime .
Shakir ’ s wife , Sarah Miller , is executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project .
But the political context is unmistakable .
Neal , who took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ powerful House Ways and Means Committee , is facing a spirited challenge from Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse in the state ’ s Democratic primary on Sept. 1 .
Morse , who is 30 and openly gay , enjoys the backing of Justice Democrats , the left-wing group that powered Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ s successful primary challenges .
Morse has already seized on Neal ’ s handling of the “ surprise ” billing as an embodiment of what he sees as the congressman ’ s corrupt governing style .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corporate special interests over the wishes of Republicans and Democrats , ” Morse told HuffPost in April .
Now , in addition to disputing the ad ’ s characterization of Neal ’ s actions , the Neal campaign is criticizing Morse for receiving the support of a dark-money group .
“ It ’ s another hypocritical move that Morse hopes no one will notice , but if he was standing in his principles he would denounce ads like this , ” Neal campaign spokesperson Norton said .
Although it is impossible to prove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received from Blackstone played the deciding role in his efforts to stall reforms opposed by Blackstone , the evidence that he was swayed is strong .
Neal had not received donations from Blackstone in the previous three election cycles .
Then , in 2019 , he began receiving hefty donations from the firm ’ s top officers .
Blackstone President Jonathan Gray contributed $ 5,600 ― the combined maximum for the primary and general elections .
And Neil Simpkins , a senior executive who oversaw Blackstone ’ s acquisition of TeamHealth in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fall of 2019 , bipartisan “ surprise ” billing reform appeared to be the rare systemic policy change headed for passage under a divided federal government .
With President Donald Trump ’ s apparent blessing , Senate Republicans had signed off on a proposal to prohibit surprise billing , cap insurance payments to out-of-network doctors at $ 750 and force them into arbitration to haggle over money above that amount .
But Neal , whose taxes-and-spending-focused committee had only nominal jurisdiction over the billing regulations , ground the process to a halt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would give more leeway to hospitals and doctors .
A summary of the bill , which Neal introduced with his conservative Republican counterpart on the committee , Rep. Kevin Brady ( R-Texas ) , touted its deference to the “ private market dynamics between insurance plans and providers.
” “ There ’ s no question that Chairman Neal ’ s movement very late in the process to assert his very , very narrow jurisdiction over this issue created uncertainty and slowed things down at the end of the last session , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonpartisan patient advocacy group Families USA , told HuffPost in April .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The political arm of an anti-monopoly group is blasting Massachusetts Rep. Richie Neal (D) in a new TV advertisement for “killing a bill” that would have helped health care patients at the expense of a top donor’s bottom line.
The 30-second spot, set to air on network television in the Springfield, Massachusetts, media market for the remainder of July, tells the story of Neal’s last-minute decision to stall bipartisan legislation curbing “surprise” medical billing in December. Surprise billing refers to a practice, widely derided by consumer and patient advocates, in which certain groups of doctors not participating in a hospital’s insurance agreements send insured patients eye-popping medical bills after surgery or another medical procedure.
Advertisement
The ad, sponsored by Fight Corporate Monopolies, a political nonprofit created by the antimonopoly American Economic Liberties Project, alleges that Neal’s dependence on campaign donations from private equity titan Blackstone Group is the driving factor behind his resistance to reform.
Blackstone owns TeamHealth, which owns physician practices that profit from “surprise” billing (the ad calls the practices “hospital monopolies”). And employees of Blackstone have given $48,600 to Neal this election cycle, making the firm his largest source of contributions from a single company.
“Corporate power is corrupting democracy and Richie Neal is part of the problem,” the ad concludes.
Kate Norton, a spokesperson for Neal’s campaign, disputed the premise of the ad.
“The inconvenient truth for this dark money group is that the surprise billing measure they support would actually HURT hospitals and workers in Western and Central Mass, so Richie proposed his own bill,” Norton said in a statement.
Advertisement
Fight Corporate Monopolies is initially spending $150,000 to air the ad in Neal’s home district, but expects to invest $300,000 in total on its dissemination over the coming weeks.
The group’s legal structure as a 501(c)4 nonprofit means it can retain its tax-exempt status as long as it spends just under half of its funds on political activities like the anti-Neal ad. The same legal vehicle enables Fight Corporate Monopolies to raise and spend unlimited funds without having to disclose its donors, so long as it doesn’t coordinate with a candidate or campaign.
“This is fundamentally one of the things that is holding back our economy from working for everyone, which is: politicians take this kind of money, facilitate the consolidation of corporate power and working people lose,” said Morgan Harper, a consumer rights attorney and former Ohio congressional candidate who is a senior adviser to Fight Corporate Monopolies.
The ad, Harper said, is “an effort to make the connections for people because this topic can be a little complicated.”
Faiz Shakir, who managed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is collaborating with Harper on the launch of Fight Corporate Monopolies, as well as helping the organization navigate the world of political vendors needed to produce ads and buy airtime. Shakir’s wife, Sarah Miller, is executive director of the American Economic Liberties Project.
Advertisement
“Richie Neal is obviously a great symbol of the problem of corporate monopolies,” Shakir said.
Fight Corporate Monopolies is not planning to make an explicit case for ousting Neal and replacing him with someone else.
But the political context is unmistakable. Neal, who took office in 1989 and now chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is facing a spirited challenge from Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse in the state’s Democratic primary on Sept. 1. Morse, who is 30 and openly gay, enjoys the backing of Justice Democrats, the left-wing group that powered Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s successful primary challenges.
Morse has already seized on Neal’s handling of the “surprise” billing as an embodiment of what he sees as the congressman’s corrupt governing style. “This is another example of Neal prioritizing his corporate special interests over the wishes of Republicans and Democrats,” Morse told HuffPost in April.
Now, in addition to disputing the ad’s characterization of Neal’s actions, the Neal campaign is criticizing Morse for receiving the support of a dark-money group. “It’s another hypocritical move that Morse hopes no one will notice, but if he was standing in his principles he would denounce ads like this,” Neal campaign spokesperson Norton said.
Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has seized on the backlash to Neal's handling of "surprise" billing reform as a prime example of what he sees as Neal's corruption. Alex Morse for Congress Campaign
Advertisement
Although it is impossible to prove for certain that the campaign cash Neal received from Blackstone played the deciding role in his efforts to stall reforms opposed by Blackstone, the evidence that he was swayed is strong.
Neal had not received donations from Blackstone in the previous three election cycles. Then, in 2019, he began receiving hefty donations from the firm’s top officers. Blackstone President Jonathan Gray contributed $5,600 ― the combined maximum for the primary and general elections. And Neil Simpkins, a senior executive who oversaw Blackstone’s acquisition of TeamHealth in 2016, gave Neal $2,800.
In the fall of 2019, bipartisan “surprise” billing reform appeared to be the rare systemic policy change headed for passage under a divided federal government. With President Donald Trump’s apparent blessing, Senate Republicans had signed off on a proposal to prohibit surprise billing, cap insurance payments to out-of-network doctors at $750 and force them into arbitration to haggle over money above that amount.
But Neal, whose taxes-and-spending-focused committee had only nominal jurisdiction over the billing regulations, ground the process to a halt by presenting his own counter-proposal in December that would give more leeway to hospitals and doctors. A summary of the bill, which Neal introduced with his conservative Republican counterpart on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), touted its deference to the “private market dynamics between insurance plans and providers.”
More than seven months later, “surprise” billing reform has not advanced in Congress.
“There’s no question that Chairman Neal’s movement very late in the process to assert his very, very narrow jurisdiction over this issue created uncertainty and slowed things down at the end of the last session,” Frederick Isasi, executive director of the nonpartisan patient advocacy group Families USA, told HuffPost in April.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Texas Pastor Apologizes For Allowing Hugging At Church After Dozens Contract COVID-19

Calvary Chapel of San Antonio has held multiple indoor , in-person services since it reopened in early May , right after Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott ( R ) let the state ’ s stay-at-home order expire .
As hospitalizations and positivity rates surged in Texas over the past few weeks , members of the church began testing positive for the novel coronavirus .
The church has at least 50 cases of the novel coronavirus , lead pastor Ron Arbaugh told NBC-affiliate WOAI-TV on Saturday .
Most of the positive cases are staff members ― including Arbaugh , his wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and children ’ s ministry staff .
The majority of impacted individuals have reported mild symptoms , the pastor said .
Arbaugh told the San Antonio Express-News that coronavirus-related restrictions were stricter when his church first opened .
But in mid-June , he started loosening those rules .
Videos of the church ’ s services in May and June show worship leaders and some congregants singing without masks .
From a scientific perspective , houses of worship are different from locations like grocery stores and even restaurants because of what happens during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more comfortable being in close proximity to each other than they would be to strangers at a retail store .
In addition , high-powered vocalizations ― such as what happens during loud talking or singing ― are particularly efficient in producing tiny , aerosolized respiratory droplets that can linger in the air inside buildings for some time .
There have been several reports of the novel coronavirus spreading during singing events .
The church typically has three services every Sunday , as well as Bible studies on other days of the week .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 21 .
Cases started popping up among congregants during that week , Arbaugh said in a June 24 sermon .
During a June 24 sermon in which he announced the “ outbreak ” to his parishioners , Arbaugh appeared to paint the rise in cases in his congregation as inevitable , saying that there was “ really nothing that we could do to keep this from happening.
” “ We need to expect , not get caught off guard , by the positive tests .
That ’ s true nationwide , that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s true here at Calvary Chapel , ” Arbaugh said .
“ The more people that get tested , the more positive results there will be .
That just makes sense and that ’ s what we ’ ve been told to expect the whole time.
” The pastor ’ s statements echoed President Donald Trump ’ s argument that more testing will result in more positive cases .
Health experts say this reasoning is flawed ― pointing out that the percentage of tests coming back positive is rising in some states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s own COVID-19 test had come back positive and several others in the church had also been diagnosed .
Arbaugh said he and his wife had minor symptoms .
He told his congregation during an online service that the uptick was “ bound to happen at some point , ” since the congregation includes military and medical personnel .
“ Forgive me for not being more careful .
We all wanted to hug .
I wanted to hug , that ’ s who we are , ” Arbaugh said in the June 28 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more careful , I should have been more patient and I apologize for all of you who have tested positive .
I ’ m sorry , please forgive me.
” “ We currently have widespread community transmission and every place/location that people have been in close quarters without practicing social distancing and use of face coverings is at risk for transmission/infection , ” Schliesinger told HuffPost in an email .
That order doesn ’ t apply to anyone “ actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship , ” although face coverings are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ services are also exempted from the ban on gatherings over 100 people in Bexar County , where Calvary Chapel of San Antonio is located .
Bexar County has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Texas .
“ Read your Bibles and try not being consumed by the news or by the strange times we are living in .
We will be fine ; God ’ s grace is more than sufficient , ” Arbaugh wrote in a message to his flock on Sunday .
“ We will return together as a church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ God has blessed us with .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
A Texas pastor has apologized for failing to keep people socially distanced at his evangelical church, after he and dozens of congregants reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
Calvary Chapel of San Antonio has held multiple indoor, in-person services since it reopened in early May, right after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) let the state’s stay-at-home order expire. As hospitalizations and positivity rates surged in Texas over the past few weeks, members of the church began testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
Advertisement
The church has at least 50 cases of the novel coronavirus, lead pastor Ron Arbaugh told NBC-affiliate WOAI-TV on Saturday. Most of the positive cases are staff members ― including Arbaugh, his wife, at least one other main pastor, and children’s ministry staff. The majority of impacted individuals have reported mild symptoms, the pastor said.
The rise in cases prompted the church, based in Universal City on the border of San Antonio, to briefly suspend large in-person services.
Arbaugh and Calvary Chapel of San Antonio did not immediately return HuffPost’s request for comment.
Pastor Ron Arbaugh delivers a sermon to congregants at Calvary Chapel of San Antonio on June 21. Calvary Chapel San Antonio / Vimeo / Screenshot
Arbaugh told the San Antonio Express-News that coronavirus-related restrictions were stricter when his church first opened. But in mid-June, he started loosening those rules. Videos of the church’s services in May and June show worship leaders and some congregants singing without masks.
Advertisement
From a scientific perspective, houses of worship are different from locations like grocery stores and even restaurants because of what happens during services. Attendees of religious services are more comfortable being in close proximity to each other than they would be to strangers at a retail store. In addition, high-powered vocalizations ― such as what happens during loud talking or singing ― are particularly efficient in producing tiny, aerosolized respiratory droplets that can linger in the air inside buildings for some time. There have been several reports of the novel coronavirus spreading during singing events.
Arbaugh said that he regrets allowing congregants to hug each other and promised to implement stricter rules about social distancing before the church reopens next week.
“I accept full responsibility. I’m the leader of the church,” the pastor told WOAI-TV.
The church typically has three services every Sunday, as well as Bible studies on other days of the week. Its last large gathering occurred on June 21. Cases started popping up among congregants during that week, Arbaugh said in a June 24 sermon.
Singers perform at Calvary Chapel of San Antonio during a church service on June 21. Calvary Chapel of San Antonio / Vimeo / Screenshot
During a June 24 sermon in which he announced the “outbreak” to his parishioners, Arbaugh appeared to paint the rise in cases in his congregation as inevitable, saying that there was “really nothing that we could do to keep this from happening.”
Advertisement
“We need to expect, not get caught off guard, by the positive tests. That’s true nationwide, that’s true in our city, that’s true here at Calvary Chapel,” Arbaugh said. “The more people that get tested, the more positive results there will be. That just makes sense and that’s what we’ve been told to expect the whole time.”
The pastor’s statements echoed President Donald Trump’s argument that more testing will result in more positive cases. Health experts say this reasoning is flawed ― pointing out that the percentage of tests coming back positive is rising in some states.
By June 28, Arbaugh’s own COVID-19 test had come back positive and several others in the church had also been diagnosed. Arbaugh said he and his wife had minor symptoms. He told his congregation during an online service that the uptick was “bound to happen at some point,” since the congregation includes military and medical personnel.
At the same time, he also apologized for allowing people to hug at church.
“Forgive me for not being more careful. We all wanted to hug. I wanted to hug, that’s who we are,” Arbaugh said in the June 28 video. “I should have been more careful, I should have been more patient and I apologize for all of you who have tested positive. I’m sorry, please forgive me.”
Pastor Ron Arbaugh can be spotted hugging an attendee in this screenshot from a June 21 service at Calvary Chapel of San Antonio. Calvary Chapel San Antonio / Vimeo / Screenshot
Advertisement
Carol Schliesinger, a spokesperson for the City of San Antonio, declined to state whether health officials have officially traced a COVID-19 outbreak back to this specific church.
“We currently have widespread community transmission and every place/location that people have been in close quarters without practicing social distancing and use of face coverings is at risk for transmission/infection,” Schliesinger told HuffPost in an email.
Under the governor’s leadership, Texas initially pursued an aggressive reopening plan. It has had to backtrack as cases of the virus climbed up. Abbott issued an executive order last Thursday requiring face masks in public spaces in certain counties.
That order doesn’t apply to anyone “actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship,” although face coverings are strongly encouraged in those scenarios. Religious services are also exempted from the ban on gatherings over 100 people in Bexar County, where Calvary Chapel of San Antonio is located. Bexar County has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases in Texas.
According to Calvary Chapel of San Antonio’s website, the church is planning to resume in-person worship on July 12 with only one live service, greater social distancing restrictions and a mask requirement.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--The Fight To Vote By Mail

The Fight To Vote By Mail

In South Carolina , a federal district judge ordered the state to drop witness requirements for absentee ballots for its June primaries .
The same happened in Minnesota .
Plaintiffs in both cases are still suing to apply these changes to the November general election .
In spite of opposition from President Donald Trump , who has baselessly claimed that voting by mail will lead to mass fraud even though he and top allies have voted by mail this year and in years past , there is infinitesimal evidence of mail-in voting fraud .
The vast majority of the vote-by-mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyer Marc Elias through the party-linked nonprofit Priorities USA and on behalf of other groups .
Elias has been involved in vote-by-mail lawsuits in 14 states so far in 2020 .
Voting rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union , Southern Poverty Law Center , NAACP Legal Defense Fund , League of Women Voters and Campaign Legal Center have also filed suits in states including Alabama , Arkansas , Kentucky , Minnesota , Missouri and Tennessee , among other places .
A voting rights team at the law firm Arnold & Porter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The most common litigation is happening over ballot return deadlines , the one area of the law where the Supreme Court has already accepted some changes .
In many states , mail-in ballots must be returned by election day , or sometimes even before , to be counted .
But this routinely punishes voters whose ballots may have been postmarked prior to election day , but did not arrive in time to be counted .
Officials in Pennsylvania were still sending thousands of ballots out the day before the state primary election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ returned the next day .
The same problem emerged in primary elections in Georgia , Maryland , New York and Washington , D.C .
Voters who requested mail-in ballots but never received them were forced to head to the scaled-back in-person polling locations .
This problem was so bad it created massive lines lasting up to seven hours in some places .
The Supreme Court had not said much about this issue until it stepped in ahead of the April 7 Wisconsin primary and shut down a lower-court-ordered extension of voting beyond election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5-4 ruling largely cut against voting rights , it did order Wisconsin to change its election day ballot-return deadline to count all ballots postmarked by election day and received up to one week afterward .
The ruling allowed more than 80,000 ballots to be counted that otherwise would not have been .
The signature match is a key tool states use to ensure against voter fraud .
But some states do not allow a voter to correct their signature if an election official rules it does not match , or to correct any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This can cause significant problems for people with disabilities or other impairments that affect their signature .
Their stories are seen in the lawsuits challenging states that do not allow voters to correct their signature if it is rejected .
During Wisconsin ’ s April 7 primary , for example , one voter contacted the state Democratic Party because she was sick with COVID-19 and did not know anyone else who was similarly ill or tested positive for antibodies who could help her .
Milwaukee-based state Rep. David Bowen had COVID-19 antibodies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day .
But not everyone is so lucky to have a state representative with antibodies who can come to their doorstep .
‘ Community Ballot Collection ’ To Some , ‘ Ballot Harvesting ’ To Others

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The largest effort in history to expand access to voting by mail is underway, with lawsuits filed in at least 16 states to ensure people can exercise their rights even during a dangerous pandemic. Political partisans and voting rights advocates alike are fighting in court to ensure every vote is counted in November and everyone who wants to vote has the opportunity.
And, in the lower courts, they’re winning.
A judge in Nashville, Tennessee, ruled in June that “the evidence does not support” the state’s argument that it would be “impossible” to drop its stringent requirements to obtain an absentee ballot during the coronavirus pandemic. With that decision, Tennessee joined the vast majority of states in allowing anyone to obtain an absentee ballot for the 2020 election.
Advertisement
In South Carolina, a federal district judge ordered the state to drop witness requirements for absentee ballots for its June primaries. The same happened in Minnesota. Plaintiffs in both cases are still suing to apply these changes to the November general election. In spite of opposition from President Donald Trump, who has baselessly claimed that voting by mail will lead to mass fraud even though he and top allies have voted by mail this year and in years past, there is infinitesimal evidence of mail-in voting fraud.
“The current times we are in, where voting in person can pose a significant threat to your health, denying vote-by-mail is unconstitutional,” said Danielle Lang, a voting rights lawyer with the Campaign Legal Center. “It is not a convenience.”
The vast majority of the vote-by-mail lawsuits have been brought by Democratic Party lawyer Marc Elias through the party-linked nonprofit Priorities USA and on behalf of other groups. Elias has been involved in vote-by-mail lawsuits in 14 states so far in 2020. Voting rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, League of Women Voters and Campaign Legal Center have also filed suits in states including Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri and Tennessee, among other places. A voting rights team at the law firm Arnold & Porter is also engaged in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
To expand voting access, challengers are focusing on a handful of laws they argue are unconstitutional barriers to the right to vote during the pandemic. They include ballot return deadlines, signature matching rules, witness or notary signature requirements, the lack of prepaid postage, and restrictions on the ability of third parties to collect mail-in ballots and return them en masse.
Advertisement
While lower courts are knocking down mail-in voting barriers in state after state, the U.S. Supreme Court so far appears disinclined to follow suit. In April, the court’s five conservatives rolled back a lower court’s extension of absentee voting in Wisconsin. Then, on July 2, the conservative justices stopped a lower court’s ruling from going into effect in Alabama that would have extended early voting and dropped mail-in voting restrictions like the witness requirement. In both cases, the four liberal justices dissented.
The most common litigation is happening over ballot return deadlines, the one area of the law where the Supreme Court has already accepted some changes. In many states, mail-in ballots must be returned by election day, or sometimes even before, to be counted. But this routinely punishes voters whose ballots may have been postmarked prior to election day, but did not arrive in time to be counted.
“The deadline is the single biggest threat of disenfranchisement for voters,” said Dan Jacobson, a lawyer at Arnold & Porter. “Because frankly it’s not their fault the local election officials don’t have the capacity to process the number of applications in the timely manner needed based on that deadline.”
Ballots Left Uncounted
Election workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, open mail-in and absentee ballots on June 3. Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images
In a recent primary election in Florida, 18,000 mailed ballots were not counted ― many likely because they arrived after the 7 p.m. election day return deadline. Thousands of ballots cast in Pennsylvania’s June primary that arrived after the state’s election day return deadline were eventually counted after Gov. Tom Wolf (D) issued an order extending the deadline for certain counties. But other ballots returned late in counties not subject to Wolf’s order were not counted.
Advertisement
The problem of uncounted ballots stems from the flood of absentee and mail-in ballot requests due to the pandemic, Jacobson noted. More people than ever are requesting ballots, but in almost every locality across the country, election offices are too understaffed and underfunded to handle this flood. And Congress has only appropriated $400 million to help election officials fix this issue before Nov. 3. Democrats requested $4 billion, but Republicans refused.
Officials in Pennsylvania were still sending thousands of ballots out the day before the state primary election, even though ballots had to be returned the next day. The same problem emerged in primary elections in Georgia, Maryland, New York and Washington, D.C. Voters who requested mail-in ballots but never received them were forced to head to the scaled-back in-person polling locations. This problem was so bad it created massive lines lasting up to seven hours in some places.
The Supreme Court had not said much about this issue until it stepped in ahead of the April 7 Wisconsin primary and shut down a lower-court-ordered extension of voting beyond election day. While the court’s 5-4 ruling largely cut against voting rights, it did order Wisconsin to change its election day ballot-return deadline to count all ballots postmarked by election day and received up to one week afterward. The ruling allowed more than 80,000 ballots to be counted that otherwise would not have been.
This new precedent is now being cited in lawsuits to extend ballot deadlines in states across the country. Already, the deadline has been extended through legal settlement orders in Arizona and Minnesota for those state’s primary elections. Lawsuits continue to push for changing the receipt deadline for the general election in multiple states.
Voters Versus The ‘Whims Of Untrained Pseudo-Handwriting Experts’
An election worker in West Chester, Pennsylvania, processes mail-in ballots on May 28. ASSOCIATED PRESS/Matt Rourke
Advertisement
Another reason many mail-in ballots were not counted in this year’s pandemic-plagued primaries is because officials ruled in thousands of cases that the voter’s signature on the ballot did not match their signature on file or was otherwise incomplete.
The signature match is a key tool states use to ensure against voter fraud. But some states do not allow a voter to correct their signature if an election official rules it does not match, or to correct any other possible error on their ballot. This can cause significant problems for people with disabilities or other impairments that affect their signature. Their stories are seen in the lawsuits challenging states that do not allow voters to correct their signature if it is rejected.
Linda Lewis, a 73-year-old Waco, Texas, resident, has undergone multiple eye surgeries to repair impaired vision caused by a cornea disease, resulting in variations to her signature. Madison Lee, a 23-year-old Austin, Texas, resident, has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis affecting her hands. Maria Romo, a 53-year-old resident of North Dakota who has multiple sclerosis, had her ballot rejected in 2018 when election officials ruled her signature did not match.
Lewis and Lee are part of an ongoing lawsuit led by Elias challenging Texas’ lack of a law allowing voters to cure their ballot if their signature is rejected. Romo is party to a Campaign Legal Center lawsuit that has temporarily succeeded in forcing North Dakota to alert voters if their signature is rejected and allowing them time to correct it.
Another problem with signature matching is the lack of standards and training provided for the officials who do the matching. In the North Dakota case, the judge who ruled that the state’s signature matching system amounted to “outright disenfranchisement” determined that officials “receive no training in handwriting comparison” and “do not receive guidance on signature matching beyond the basic statutory requirements.”
Advertisement
“You have voters whose ballots are at the whims of untrained pseudo-handwriting experts making judgments when they have no credibility to do so,” Lang said. “Even highly trained experts are highly dubious in courts. Lay people have no ability to discern what are normal variations in signatures versus a forger.”
At least one study has found that the signatures of Black, Hispanic and younger voters are rejected at a disproportionately higher rate.
In addition to the voter’s own signature, many states require the voter to get a witness or a public notary ― or in the case of Oklahoma, both ― to observe and sign their mail-in ballot. That can be a challenge for many people who do not wish to expose themselves to the virus.
During Wisconsin’s April 7 primary, for example, one voter contacted the state Democratic Party because she was sick with COVID-19 and did not know anyone else who was similarly ill or tested positive for antibodies who could help her. Milwaukee-based state Rep. David Bowen had COVID-19 antibodies and went to witness her ballot on election day. But not everyone is so lucky to have a state representative with antibodies who can come to their doorstep.
Litigation is already bearing fruit, at least for still-to-come primary elections. The Minnesota secretary of state’s office entered into an agreement that came from a lawsuit that would drop the state’s witness requirement for its August primary elections. A judge in Alabama ruled that the state must drop the witness requirement for its July 14 primary.
Advertisement
‘Community Ballot Collection’ To Some, ‘Ballot Harvesting’ To Others
Kelsey Luker reads as she waits in line to vote on June 9 in Atlanta. Luker said she had been in line for almost two hours. Voters reported wait times of three hours. ASSOCIATED PRESS/John Bazemore
Perhaps the most controversial vote-by-mail legal challenges are those regarding third-party ballot collection. The practice of third parties collecting completed mail-in ballots from voters and delivering them in bulk to election offices has been called community ballot collection by Elias and others, but is also known derisively as ballot harvesting by Republicans like Trump.
“Get rid of ballot harvesting, it is rampant with fraud,” Trump tweeted on April 14.
Trump and Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), have either outright asserted or suggested that Democratic Party victories in California are driven by fraud. Their evidence is simply that the state passed a law in 2016 that allows third parties not related to the absentee voter to collect absentee ballots and return them. Many absentee ballots are returned late and are counted after election day.
“We had seven elections for Congress [in 2018] and they were, like, tied, and they lost every one of them because they came and they dropped a whole pile of ballots on the table,” Trump said on May 28.
While there is no evidence of Trump’s allegations of fraud committed by Democrats in the California elections, there was a major case of ballot collection fraud by a Republican congressional candidate in a North Carolina election. The candidate, Mark Harris, hired a consulting firm that illegally collected unfinished absentee ballots and filled them out in support of his candidacy. Only completed and sealed ballots can be legally collected. Harris’ election was overturned.
Advertisement
Lawsuits from voting rights groups and Democratic Party-linked organizations in Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania seek to overturn state bans or limits on third-party ballot collection.
In January, even before the coronavirus pandemic spread widely in the U.S., the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Arizona’s ban on ballot collection. The court’s majority opinion determined the ban violated the Voting Rights Act and placed undue burdens on minority voters. The state’s attorney general, a Republican, has asked for the Supreme Court to review the case.
The lawsuit in North Carolina targets the state’s ban on ballot collection passed in the wake of the Harris scandal.
But Republicans are also filing suit against vote-by-mail and ballot collection laws. The Trump campaign is suing Pennsylvania to stop counties from operating drop-off boxes where voters can deliver their absentee ballots. The Republican National Committee sued California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to block his order to mail all active voters an absentee ballot. The party has also intervened in the Florida case brought by Elias to defend the state’s limits on third-party ballot collection.
Legal obstacles to voting by mail are not the only problems for voting rights during the pandemic. Many of these suits were filed as states delayed their primary elections during the early months of viral spread. Since then, voting rights advocates have witnessed the problems voters have faced as states and counties reduced the number of polling sites due to poll worker shortages and fears about the virus.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Trump Admin Scraps Plans To Reintroduce Grizzlies To Northern Washington

The move is the latest is a years-long fight over the prospect of returning the iconic apex predator to this part of its historic range .
The plan , first launched by the Obama administration in 2015 , called for eventually reintroducing some 200 grizzlies to ecosystem .
There has not been a sighting of a grizzly in the U.S. portion of the Cascades since 1996 , and it is estimated that fewer than 10 bears remain in the 9,800-square-mile ecosystem .
It is considered the most imperiled grizzly population in North America .
“ The Trump Administration is committed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people who live and work in north central Washington have made their voices clear that they do not want grizzly bears reintroduced into the North Cascades , ” Bernhardt said in a press statement .
“ Grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction , and Interior will continue to build on its conservation successes managing healthy grizzly bear populations across their existing range.
” Bernhardt ’ s predecessor , former Interior chief Ryan Zinke , had revived the Obama-era effort in March 2018 , saying at the time that “ restoring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ecosystem is the American conservation ethic come to life ” and its disappearance from the area “ would disturb the ecosystem and rob the region of an icon.
” His surprise support outraged local cattle ranchers who argue the existence of the animal ( which is native to the region ) would pose a devastating threat to their livelihood , as NPR reported .
“ Homeowners , farmers , ranchers and small business owners in our rural communities were loud and clear : We do not want grizzly bears in north central Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Tens of thousands of grizzlies once roamed the Lower 48 , from California to the Great Plains , but their populations plummeted due to hunting , development and habitat loss .
Today , an estimated 1,500 bears are spread across portions of Montana , Idaho , Washington and Wyoming .
The North Cascades is considered prime grizzly habitat and it is one of the largest contiguous swaths of federal land outside of Alaska .
“ Grizzly bears only occupy less than 5 % of their historic range , and the North Cascades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” she said .
“ Their recovery there is critical to the overall recovery of grizzly bears in the U.S. ” Tuesday ’ s action comes two years after the grizzly bear population in and around Yellowstone National Park lost federal protection under the Endangered Species Act .
At the time , federal authorities estimated the population there to be around 700 bears ― up from as few as 136 in 1975 ― and said multiple factors indicate it “ is healthy and will be sustained into the future.
” In its final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded that “ the effects of climate change do not constitute a threat to the [ Yellowstone ] grizzly bear [ population ] now , nor are they anticipated to in the foreseeable future.
” But the seeds of white bark pine , a high-elevation tree that has been severely impacted by disease , insects and climate change , are an important food source for Yellowstone grizzlies .
Last month , the Trump administration finalized new rules to lift an Obama-era ban on extreme predator control tactics in national preserves in Alaska ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to , among other things , lure brown and black bears with bait and shoot bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The Trump administration is terminating plans to reintroduce grizzly bears in the North Cascades region of northern Washington, citing concerns from cattle ranchers and other locals.
The move is the latest is a years-long fight over the prospect of returning the iconic apex predator to this part of its historic range. The plan, first launched by the Obama administration in 2015, called for eventually reintroducing some 200 grizzlies to ecosystem. There has not been a sighting of a grizzly in the U.S. portion of the Cascades since 1996, and it is estimated that fewer than 10 bears remain in the 9,800-square-mile ecosystem. It is considered the most imperiled grizzly population in North America.
Advertisement
Interior Secretary David Bernhardt announced the agency’s decision during a roundtable in Omak, Washington. It will halt preparation of an environmental review related to the species restoration plan.
“The Trump Administration is committed to being a good neighbor, and the people who live and work in north central Washington have made their voices clear that they do not want grizzly bears reintroduced into the North Cascades,” Bernhardt said in a press statement. “Grizzly bears are not in danger of extinction, and Interior will continue to build on its conservation successes managing healthy grizzly bear populations across their existing range.”
A juvenile grizzly bear wanders the grounds near the Fishing Village Visitor Center in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park. St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Getty Images
Bernhardt’s predecessor, former Interior chief Ryan Zinke, had revived the Obama-era effort in March 2018, saying at the time that “restoring the grizzly bear to the North Cascades ecosystem is the American conservation ethic come to life” and its disappearance from the area “would disturb the ecosystem and rob the region of an icon.” His surprise support outraged local cattle ranchers who argue the existence of the animal (which is native to the region) would pose a devastating threat to their livelihood, as NPR reported.
Advertisement
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), a longtime opponent of the grizzly reintroduction effort, was present at Tuesday’s roundtable and applauded the administration’s final decision.
“Homeowners, farmers, ranchers and small business owners in our rural communities were loud and clear: We do not want grizzly bears in north central Washington,” he said in a statement.
Tens of thousands of grizzlies once roamed the Lower 48, from California to the Great Plains, but their populations plummeted due to hunting, development and habitat loss. Today, an estimated 1,500 bears are spread across portions of Montana, Idaho, Washington and Wyoming. The North Cascades is considered prime grizzly habitat and it is one of the largest contiguous swaths of federal land outside of Alaska.
Andrea Zaccardi, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, called Tuesday’s announcement “truly disappointing.”
“Grizzly bears only occupy less than 5% of their historic range, and the North Cascades presents prime habitat for grizzly bears,” she said. “Their recovery there is critical to the overall recovery of grizzly bears in the U.S.”
Advertisement
Tuesday’s action comes two years after the grizzly bear population in and around Yellowstone National Park lost federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. At the time, federal authorities estimated the population there to be around 700 bears ― up from as few as 136 in 1975 ― and said multiple factors indicate it “is healthy and will be sustained into the future.” In its final rule, the Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that “the effects of climate change do not constitute a threat to the [Yellowstone] grizzly bear [population] now, nor are they anticipated to in the foreseeable future.” But the seeds of white bark pine, a high-elevation tree that has been severely impacted by disease, insects and climate change, are an important food source for Yellowstone grizzlies.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--‘Depravity’ Of Trump’s July 4th Speeches Laid Bare In Washington Post Editorial

President Donald Trump “ plumbed new depths of depravity ” with the two speeches he gave over the Fourth of July holiday weekend , The Washington Post editorial board said Monday .
“ On a day when presidents typically extol the values that bring Americans together , Mr. Trump launched an unhinged attack on the movement for racial and social justice that has surged in the past month , ” wrote the newspaper ’ s board .
Trump ranted about “ far-left fascism ” during the Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore on Friday night .
The next day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in his “ Salute to America ” speech from the White House .
The president ’ s “ renewed attempt to polarize the country along racial and cultural lines is despicable , ” said the board .
“ Mr .
Trump claimed his opponents would ‘ tear down the beliefs , culture and identity that have made America the most vibrant and tolerant society in the history of the Earth , ’ ” it concluded .
“ In fact , in describing his political adversaries as traitors and in bluntly appealing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who poses the greatest threat to American democratic values.
” Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today !

LOADING ERROR LOADING
President Donald Trump “plumbed new depths of depravity” with the two speeches he gave over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, The Washington Post editorial board said Monday.
“On a day when presidents typically extol the values that bring Americans together, Mr. Trump launched an unhinged attack on the movement for racial and social justice that has surged in the past month,” wrote the newspaper’s board.
Advertisement
Trump ranted about “far-left fascism” during the Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore on Friday night. The next day, he railed against “the radical left” in his “Salute to America” speech from the White House.
The president’s “renewed attempt to polarize the country along racial and cultural lines is despicable,” said the board.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Chris Cuomo Debunks Pence's Claim Of ‘Whole Of Government Approach’ To Coronavirus

CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo on Monday debunked one of Vice President Mike Pence ’ s most repeated claims about the United States ’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Pence , who leads the White House coronavirus task force , has said on multiple occasions that a “ whole of government approach ” is being used to tackle the public health crisis .
“ That would mean HHS handing down national guidelines for both diagnostic and antibody testing , ” the news anchor said .
“ It would mean a strategy for how to monitor hot spots and defining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re at it , it would mean the VA secretary showing up to answer how the hell he ’ s taking care of the people that we promised to do the best by , ” he continued .
“ A labor secretary insisting on protections for workers , who have to be in dangerous places like meat processing plants .
The HUD secretary defending fair housing rules at a time that so many are hurting.
” “ In other words , it means do your damn job , ” Cuomo concluded .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ like the reality .
What is your reality ?
Why are you there ?
And if you ’ re not going to help people , get the hell out and let somebody else do it .
There are plenty who want to do the right thing in this country .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Monday debunked one of Vice President Mike Pence’s most repeated claims about the United States’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pence, who leads the White House coronavirus task force, has said on multiple occasions that a “whole of government approach” is being used to tackle the public health crisis.
Advertisement
But Cuomo explained why that simply isn’t true.
“That would mean HHS handing down national guidelines for both diagnostic and antibody testing,” the news anchor said. “It would mean a strategy for how to monitor hot spots and defining national reporting standards.”
“While we’re at it, it would mean the VA secretary showing up to answer how the hell he’s taking care of the people that we promised to do the best by,” he continued. “A labor secretary insisting on protections for workers, who have to be in dangerous places like meat processing plants. The HUD secretary defending fair housing rules at a time that so many are hurting.”
“In other words, it means do your damn job,” Cuomo concluded. “I know he doesn’t like the reality. What is your reality? Why are you there? And if you’re not going to help people, get the hell out and let somebody else do it. There are plenty who want to do the right thing in this country.”
Check out Cuomo’s full monologue here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--University Of California Will Have Its First Black President

The next president of the University of California system will be Dr. Michael Drake , the first Black person in the role in the school system ’ s 152-year history .
The University of California ’ s board of regents announced Tuesday that the 69-year-old physician and recent head of Ohio State University had been appointed UC ’ s 21st president .
Drake , who also serves as chairman of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Board of Governors , will be replacing Janet Napolitano , the former Obama-era secretary of homeland security , who announced in 2019 that she would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Drake will preside over some 280,000 students and 230,000 faculty and staff who are part of the 10-campus university system , including the prestigious UC Berkeley and UCLA .
He is the first person of color to be UC ’ s president , according to the chair of the board of regents .
The new president has a long history with the UC system , having been chancellor at UC Irvine from 2005 to 2014 and previously serving as vice president for UC ’ s health affairs for five years .
Drake also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ university system : He completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University , but got his medical degree in ophthalmology from UC San Francisco and then served on the faculty of its school of medicine for over 20 years .
The new president will be spearheading the massive university system as it takes on concerns surrounding higher education and the coronavirus pandemic .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom ( D ) called Drake “ the leader we need to guide our world-class higher education system through this time of unprecedented challenge , ” in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher education institutions to “ remain open , accessible and inclusive , and emerge from this moment even more equitable than before.
” “ I look forward to working with the regents , chancellors , students , faculty , staff , alumni , and our broader community as we , together , guide the University through the challenging times ahead , ” Drake said in a release from the university .
This just in : The University of California Board of Regents have announced the appointment of Michael V. Drake , M.D.
, @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s world-renowned system .
Learn more : https : //t.co/nXBvubvmuD pic.twitter.com/kSitXXBrkF — UC Newsroom ( @ UC_Newsroom ) July 8 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The next president of the University of California system will be Dr. Michael Drake, the first Black person in the role in the school system’s 152-year history.
The University of California’s board of regents announced Tuesday that the 69-year-old physician and recent head of Ohio State University had been appointed UC’s 21st president.
Advertisement
Drake, who also serves as chairman of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Board of Governors, will be replacing Janet Napolitano, the former Obama-era secretary of homeland security, who announced in 2019 that she would be stepping down from the role.
Drake will preside over some 280,000 students and 230,000 faculty and staff who are part of the 10-campus university system, including the prestigious UC Berkeley and UCLA. He is the first person of color to be UC’s president, according to the chair of the board of regents.
The new president has a long history with the UC system, having been chancellor at UC Irvine from 2005 to 2014 and previously serving as vice president for UC’s health affairs for five years.
Drake also got much of his education in the university system: He completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University, but got his medical degree from UC San Francisco and did his residency in ophthalmology. He then served on the faculty of UCSF’s school of medicine for over 20 years.
Advertisement
The new president will be spearheading the massive university system as it takes on concerns surrounding higher education and the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called Drake “the leader we need to guide our world-class higher education system through this time of unprecedented challenge,” in a Tuesday statement, highlighting the need for higher education institutions to “remain open, accessible and inclusive, and emerge from this moment even more equitable than before.”
“I look forward to working with the regents, chancellors, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our broader community as we, together, guide the University through the challenging times ahead,” Drake said in a release from the university.
This just in: The University of California Board of Regents have announced the appointment of Michael V. Drake, M.D., as the 21st president of UC’s world-renowned system. Learn more: https://t.co/nXBvubvmuD pic.twitter.com/kSitXXBrkF — UC Newsroom (@UC_Newsroom) July 8, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-07--Californians Who Allegedly Defaced Black Lives Matter Mural Face Hate Crime Charge

Two residents of Martinez , California , who allegedly vandalized a Black Lives Matter street mural on Independence Day have been charged with a hate crime , officials said Tuesday .
The Contra Costa County District Attorney ’ s office said Nichole Anderson , 42 , and David Nelson , 53 , face three misdemeanor charges , including vandalism , for allegedly painting over the mural on Saturday ― shortly after it was completed by community members outside a county courthouse in Martinez .
If convicted , Anderson and Nelson face up to a year in county jail , Becton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resident had obtained a permit from the city to paint the mural , police said .
A couple spent the 4th of July painting over a portion of the Black Lives Matter street mural in downtown Martinez .
It happened about 2:30 this afternoon and a bystander captured it on video .
Caution : graphic language # BLM # BlackLivesMatter # FourthofJuly pic.twitter.com/Kq8PuXgJ44 — Jodi Hernandez ( @ JodiHernandezTV ) July 5 , 2020 Video of the defacement , captured by an onlooker , shows a woman in a red shirt with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a roller to cover part of the mural .
A man in a MAGA hat and T-shirt that reads “ Trump ” and “ Four More Years ” accompanied the woman and recorded onlookers as they shouted at them to stop vandalizing the mural .
“ There is no racism , ” the man said in the video .
“ It ’ s a leftist lie .
It ’ s a lie from the media , the liberal left.
” BREAKING : The # Martinez couple caught on video painting over the approved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being charged with a hate crime , according to a release from the # ContraCostaCounty District Attorney 's office .
pic.twitter.com/9L21byNsE1 — KCBS 106.9 FM/740 AM ( @ KCBSRadio ) July 7 , 2020 The mural was a “ peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives , ” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement .
“ We must address the root and byproduct of systemic racism in our country , ” she said .
“ The Black Lives Matter movement is an important civil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Two residents of Martinez, California, who allegedly vandalized a Black Lives Matter street mural on Independence Day have been charged with a hate crime, officials said Tuesday.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office said Nichole Anderson, 42, and David Nelson, 53, face three misdemeanor charges, including vandalism, for allegedly painting over the mural on Saturday ― shortly after it was completed by community members outside a county courthouse in Martinez.
Advertisement
If convicted, Anderson and Nelson face up to a year in county jail, Becton’s office said.
A local resident had obtained a permit from the city to paint the mural, police said.
A couple spent the 4th of July painting over a portion of the Black Lives Matter street mural in downtown Martinez. It happened about 2:30 this afternoon and a bystander captured it on video. Caution: graphic language #BLM #BlackLivesMatter #FourthofJuly pic.twitter.com/Kq8PuXgJ44 — Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) July 5, 2020
Video of the defacement, captured by an onlooker, shows a woman in a red shirt with an American flag design using black paint and a roller to cover part of the mural.
A man in a MAGA hat and T-shirt that reads “Trump” and “Four More Years” accompanied the woman and recorded onlookers as they shouted at them to stop vandalizing the mural.
“There is no racism,” the man said in the video. “It’s a leftist lie. It’s a lie from the media, the liberal left.”
Advertisement
BREAKING: The #Martinez couple caught on video painting over the approved #BlackLivesMatter mural on #FourthofJuly are being charged with a hate crime, according to a release from the #ContraCostaCounty District Attorney's office. pic.twitter.com/9L21byNsE1 — KCBS 106.9 FM/740 AM (@KCBSRadio) July 7, 2020
The mural was a “peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement.