thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Disney Parks Removing 'Song Of The South' From Splash Mountain Ride

The Walt Disney Company made a big splash on Thursday when it announced plans to remove “ Song Of The South ” references from its Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World .
Instead , the ride will be revamped to focus on the characters from the 2009 film “ The Princess And The Frog , ” Disney officials said .
Both films are set in the American South and feature Black characters , but “ Song Of The South , ” which came out in 1946 , has long been called Disney ’ s most notorious film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black storyteller character , Uncle Remus , and its sanitized depiction of plantation life .
Animated characters from the controversial film , like Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox , have been part of “ Splash Mountain ” since the log flume ride first debuted in 1989 .
Although the news comes at a time when Americans are closely examining racial issues , Disney officials say the change has long been in the works .
“ We continually evaluate opportunities to enhance and elevate experiences for our guests , ” Carmen Smith , creative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disney Imagineering , said in an official statement .
“ It is important that our guests be able to see themselves in the experiences we create .
Because we consider ourselves constant learners , we go to great lengths to research and engage cultural advisors and other experts to help guide us along the way .
I am incredibly proud to see this work continue to move forward with great support from leadership across Disney.
” Making “ The Princess And The Frog ” the focus of the revamped ride will probably come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more than 20,000 people signed an online petition on Change.org asking Disney to change the ride ’ s theme to the 2009 animated film , according to CNN .
The storyline of the new ride will focus on the film ’ s protagonist , Princess Tiana , and the trumpet-playing alligator Louis as they go “ on a musical adventure.
” The Los Angeles Times noted that the new theme will tie in nicely with nearby New Orleans Square at Disneyland in Anaheim , California .
The paper also noted that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Disney theme parks have updated their rides to respect changing times .
For instance , the “ Pirates of the Caribbean ” ride has been updated many times , including one recently removed set piece depicting a bridal auction theme .
The LA Times also predicted that Disney might soon consider updating the Jungle Cruise to remove depictions of white people as colonialists and native people as savages , as well as the “ exaggerated vocal caricatures of the Enchanted Tiki Room .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The Walt Disney Company made a big splash on Thursday when it announced plans to remove “Song Of The South” references from its Splash Mountain ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Instead, the ride will be revamped to focus on the characters from the 2009 film “The Princess And The Frog,” Disney officials said.
Advertisement
Both films are set in the American South and feature Black characters, but “Song Of The South,” which came out in 1946, has long been called Disney’s most notorious film because of its stereotypical portrayal of a Black storyteller character, Uncle Remus, and its sanitized depiction of plantation life.
Animated characters from the controversial film, like Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, have been part of “Splash Mountain” since the log flume ride first debuted in 1989.
Although the news comes at a time when Americans are closely examining racial issues, Disney officials say the change has long been in the works.
“We continually evaluate opportunities to enhance and elevate experiences for our guests,” Carmen Smith, creative development and inclusive strategies executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, said in an official statement. “It is important that our guests be able to see themselves in the experiences we create. Because we consider ourselves constant learners, we go to great lengths to research and engage cultural advisors and other experts to help guide us along the way. I am incredibly proud to see this work continue to move forward with great support from leadership across Disney.”
Advertisement
Making “The Princess And The Frog” the focus of the revamped ride will probably come as no surprise.
Earlier this year, more than 20,000 people signed an online petition on Change.org asking Disney to change the ride’s theme to the 2009 animated film, according to CNN.
The storyline of the new ride will focus on the film’s protagonist, Princess Tiana, and the trumpet-playing alligator Louis as they go “on a musical adventure.”
The Los Angeles Times noted that the new theme will tie in nicely with nearby New Orleans Square at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
The paper also noted that this isn’t the first time that Disney theme parks have updated their rides to respect changing times.
For instance, the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride has been updated many times, including one recently removed set piece depicting a bridal auction theme.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Eiffel Tower Reopens After 104-Day Coronavirus Shutdown

PARIS ( AP ) — Marking another milestone in France ’ s recovery from coronavirus lockdown , the Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors Thursday after its longest-ever closure in peace time : 104 days .
Tourists who are trickling back to Paris were delighted to find the landmark open when some other attractions in the French capital remain closed .
The Louvre Museum isn ’ t reopening until July 6 .
“ It ’ s very special , very special because it ’ s only the Paris people , ” said Annelies Bouwhuis , a 43-year-old visitor from the Netherlands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot Paris people enjoying their city , enjoying their parks without all the tourists.
” Lifts that usually whisk visitors up the 324-meter ( 1,063-foot ) tall wrought-iron Eiffel Tower remain closed , so for now people have to take the stairs .
Of the tower ’ s three decks , only the first two reopened .
Those who climbed the 674 steps Thursday were rewarded with far-away views and a light breeze in scorching summer weather .
Masks are obligatory for all visitors ages 11 and up .
“ I booked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very hot , ” said Sabine Peaufils , a 57-year-old Parisian .
“ This is a real pleasure.
” The tower lost 27 million euros ( $ 30 million ) from the lockdown that started in March , according to its director general , Patrick Branco Ruivo .
France and other European countries with big tourism sectors are starting to coax back visitors , with mixed results .
The Louvre is bracing for a precipitous drop in visitor numbers when it reopens .
Visitor numbers are down at the Versailles Palace since the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 6 .
The palace has capped visits at a maximum of 4,500 people per day , spread out through the day .
That is way down from the 20,000 people per day the palace previously got in the busy summer season .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
PARIS (AP) — Marking another milestone in France’s recovery from coronavirus lockdown, the Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors Thursday after its longest-ever closure in peace time: 104 days.
Tourists who are trickling back to Paris were delighted to find the landmark open when some other attractions in the French capital remain closed. The Louvre Museum isn’t reopening until July 6.
Advertisement
“It’s very special, very special because it’s only the Paris people,” said Annelies Bouwhuis, a 43-year-old visitor from the Netherlands. “We’ve seen a lot Paris people enjoying their city, enjoying their parks without all the tourists.”
Lifts that usually whisk visitors up the 324-meter (1,063-foot) tall wrought-iron Eiffel Tower remain closed, so for now people have to take the stairs.
Of the tower’s three decks, only the first two reopened. Those who climbed the 674 steps Thursday were rewarded with far-away views and a light breeze in scorching summer weather. Masks are obligatory for all visitors ages 11 and up.
“I booked the first slot because afterward it will be very hot,” said Sabine Peaufils, a 57-year-old Parisian. “This is a real pleasure.”
Advertisement
The tower lost 27 million euros ($30 million) from the lockdown that started in March, according to its director general, Patrick Branco Ruivo.
France and other European countries with big tourism sectors are starting to coax back visitors, with mixed results.
The Louvre is bracing for a precipitous drop in visitor numbers when it reopens.
Visitor numbers are down at the Versailles Palace since the former royal residence west of Paris reopened June 6.
The palace has capped visits at a maximum of 4,500 people per day, spread out through the day. That is way down from the 20,000 people per day the palace previously got in the busy summer season.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Twitter Users Call B.S. On Donald Trump’s Latest Coronavirus Spin

Deaths are down , tests are up and tests are down and deaths are really low and deaths are way @ @ @ @ @ way , way up and deaths are downer than we ’ ve ever seen before @ @ @ @ @ better and deaths are lower and lower and deaths are like way , way lower @

Deaths are down, tests are up and tests are down and deaths are really low and deaths are way down and tests are like way, way up and deaths are downer than we’ve ever seen before and tests are higher and better and deaths are lower and lower and deaths are like way, way lower.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Millions Of Children Could Starve As Coronavirus Sweeps Across Yemen, UNICEF Says

CAIRO ( AP ) — Millions of children could be pushed to the brink of starvation as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across war-torn Yemen amid a “ huge ” drop in humanitarian aid funding , the U.N. children ’ s agency warned Friday .
The stark prediction comes in a new UNICEF report , “ Yemen five years on : Children , conflict and COVID-19.
” It said the number of malnourished Yemeni children could reach 2.4 million by the end of the year , a 20 % increase in the current figure .
“ As Yemen ’ s devastated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with coronavirus , the already dire situation for children is likely to deteriorate considerably , ” warned UNICEF .
Yemen ’ s poor health care infrastructure is unprepared to battle the coronavirus pandemic after five years of war between a Saudi-led military coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels .
The war , which has mostly stalemated , has also triggered the world ’ s worst humanitarian crisis .
The conflict erupted in 2015 , when the Saudi-led coalition stepped in on behalf of the internationally recognized government , which the Houthis had forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sanaa , and much of the north the previous year .
The situation in Yemen is only expected to get worse as donor countries recently cut back on aid .
Yemen has officially recorded more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 , the illness caused by the coronavirus , including 275 deaths .
However , the actual tally is believed to be much higher as testing capabilities are severely limited .
“ If we do not receive urgent funding , children will be pushed to the brink of starvation and many will die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UNICEF ’ s representative to Yemen .
“ The international community will be sending a message that the lives of children ... simply do not matter.
” UNICEF also warned that unless $ 54.5 million are disbursed for health and nutrition aid by the end of August , more than 23,000 children will be at increased risk of dying because of acute malnutrition .
It also said that 5 million others under the age of 5 will not have access to vaccines against deadly diseases .
International relief agencies are alarmed by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by donor countries .
A virtual pledging conference for Yemen hosted by the U.N. and Saudi Arabia on June 2 saw 31 donors pledge $ 1.35 billion for humanitarian aid — a billion dollars short of what aid agencies needed and half of what countries had pledged in 2019 .
UNICEF could only secure 10 % of the $ 461 million it appealed for to cover its humanitarian response to the crisis in Yemen , and less than 40 % of the $ 53 million it needs to handle the impact of COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ UNICEF is working around the clock in incredibly difficult situations to get aid to children in desperate need , but we only have a fraction of the funding required to do this , ” said Nyanti .
The UNICEF report came on the heels of a warning by U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock who told a closed U.N. Security Council meeting that Yemen could “ fall off the cliff ” without massive financial support .
Half of Yemen ’ s health facilities are dysfunctional and 18 % of the country ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and sanitation systems have collapsed resulting in recurrent cholera outbreaks .
Around 9.6 million children do not have sufficient access to safe water , sanitation , or hygiene and two-thirds of the country ’ s roughly 30 million people rely on food assistance .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
CAIRO (AP) — Millions of children could be pushed to the brink of starvation as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across war-torn Yemen amid a “huge” drop in humanitarian aid funding, the U.N. children’s agency warned Friday.
The stark prediction comes in a new UNICEF report, “Yemen five years on: Children, conflict and COVID-19.” It said the number of malnourished Yemeni children could reach 2.4 million by the end of the year, a 20% increase in the current figure.
Advertisement
“As Yemen’s devastated health system and infrastructure struggle to cope with coronavirus, the already dire situation for children is likely to deteriorate considerably,” warned UNICEF.
Yemen’s poor health care infrastructure is unprepared to battle the coronavirus pandemic after five years of war between a Saudi-led military coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The war, which has mostly stalemated, has also triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The conflict erupted in 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition stepped in on behalf of the internationally recognized government, which the Houthis had forced into exile when they overran the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north the previous year.
Advertisement
The situation in Yemen is only expected to get worse as donor countries recently cut back on aid. Yemen has officially recorded more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, including 275 deaths. However, the actual tally is believed to be much higher as testing capabilities are severely limited.
“If we do not receive urgent funding, children will be pushed to the brink of starvation and many will die,” said Sara Beysolow Nyanti, UNICEF’s representative to Yemen. “The international community will be sending a message that the lives of children ... simply do not matter.”
UNICEF also warned that unless $54.5 million are disbursed for health and nutrition aid by the end of August, more than 23,000 children will be at increased risk of dying because of acute malnutrition. It also said that 5 million others under the age of 5 will not have access to vaccines against deadly diseases.
International relief agencies are alarmed by the significant decline in humanitarian funding promised earlier by donor countries. A virtual pledging conference for Yemen hosted by the U.N. and Saudi Arabia on June 2 saw 31 donors pledge $1.35 billion for humanitarian aid — a billion dollars short of what aid agencies needed and half of what countries had pledged in 2019.
UNICEF could only secure 10% of the $461 million it appealed for to cover its humanitarian response to the crisis in Yemen, and less than 40% of the $53 million it needs to handle the impact of COVID-19 on children, said the report.
Advertisement
“UNICEF is working around the clock in incredibly difficult situations to get aid to children in desperate need, but we only have a fraction of the funding required to do this,” said Nyanti.
The UNICEF report came on the heels of a warning by U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock who told a closed U.N. Security Council meeting that Yemen could “fall off the cliff” without massive financial support.
Lowcock added that COVID-19 is spreading rapidly across the Arab world’s poorest country, killing about 25% of confirmed cases — five times the global average.
Half of Yemen’s health facilities are dysfunctional and 18% of the country’s 333 districts have no doctors. Water and sanitation systems have collapsed resulting in recurrent cholera outbreaks. Around 9.6 million children do not have sufficient access to safe water, sanitation, or hygiene and two-thirds of the country’s roughly 30 million people rely on food assistance.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Trump Administration Files Supreme Court Brief To End Obamacare Amid COVID-19 Crisis

The Trump administration filed a brief Thursday night calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act — which allows millions of Americans to get health insurance coverage — just as the nation smashed a record for new COVID-19 cases in a single day .
Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in a brief that because Congress in 2017 invalidated the law ’ s individual coverage mandate — by dropping a tax penalty for those without health insurance — the “ entire ACA thus must fall.
” The court is scheduled to hear arguments later this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2021 .
The move threatens health care coverage for more than 20 million Americans .
Democrats were appalled .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-Calif. ) slammed the action to “ rip away ” health care protections in the “ dead of night ” and in the “ middle of a pandemic.
” In the dead of night , the Trump Administration has once again asked the Supreme Court to rip away the protections and benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis .
# ProtectOurCare https : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) June 26 , 2020 “ If President Trump gets his way , 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions will lose the ACA ’ s lifesaving protections and 23 million Americans will lose their health coverage entirely , ” Pelosi said in a statement .
“ There is no legal justification and no moral excuse for the Trump Administration ’ s disastrous efforts to take away Americans ’ health care.
” Thousands of more Americans have turned to the ACA for health care coverage after losing their jobs amid the pandemic — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation , 38,115 new infections were reported by state health departments Wednesday .
The previous single-day record of 34,203 was set on April 25 .
The Trump administration brief was filed in support of a challenge to the ACA by a coalition of Republican governors .
Trump renewed his pledge last month to jettison Obamacare even amid the COVID-19 crisis and despite warnings from aides about angering voters .
As new COVID-19 cases were breaking records and the American death toll was ticking toward 125,000 , Trump boasted in a tweet Thursday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Coronavirus deaths are way down .
Mortality rate is one of the lowest in the World .
Our Economy is roaring back and will NOT be shut down .
“ Embers ” or flare ups will be put out , as necessary !
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) June 26 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
The Trump administration filed a brief Thursday night calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Affordable Care Act — which allows millions of Americans to get health insurance coverage — just as the nation smashed a record for new COVID-19 cases in a single day.
Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued in a brief that because Congress in 2017 invalidated the law’s individual coverage mandate — by dropping a tax penalty for those without health insurance — the “entire ACA thus must fall.”
Advertisement
The court is scheduled to hear arguments later this year, but a decision might not come until 2021. The move threatens health care coverage for more than 20 million Americans.
Democrats were appalled. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) slammed the action to “rip away” health care protections in the “dead of night” and in the “middle of a pandemic.”
In the dead of night, the Trump Administration has once again asked the Supreme Court to rip away the protections and benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. #ProtectOurCare https://t.co/IB0oglIMDV — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 26, 2020
“If President Trump gets his way, 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions will lose the ACA’s lifesaving protections and 23 million Americans will lose their health coverage entirely,” Pelosi said in a statement. “There is no legal justification and no moral excuse for the Trump Administration’s disastrous efforts to take away Americans’ health care.”
Advertisement
Thousands of more Americans have turned to the ACA for health care coverage after losing their jobs amid the pandemic — and COVID-19 cases are surging. Across the nation, 38,115 new infections were reported by state health departments Wednesday. The previous single-day record of 34,203 was set on April 25.
The Trump administration brief was filed in support of a challenge to the ACA by a coalition of Republican governors.
Trump renewed his pledge last month to jettison Obamacare even amid the COVID-19 crisis and despite warnings from aides about angering voters.
As new COVID-19 cases were breaking records and the American death toll was ticking toward 125,000, Trump boasted in a tweet Thursday night about how well the U.S. was doing.
Coronavirus deaths are way down. Mortality rate is one of the lowest in the World. Our Economy is roaring back and will NOT be shut down. “Embers” or flare ups will be put out, as necessary! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Governors Pause Some Reopenings As Coronavirus Cases Near Record High

NEW YORK ( AP ) — The coronavirus crisis deepened in Arizona on Thursday , and the governor of Texas began to backtrack after making one of the most aggressive pushes in the nation to reopen , as the daily number of confirmed cases across the U.S. closed in on the peak reached during the dark days of late April .
While greatly expanded testing probably accounts for some of the increase , experts say other measures indicate the virus is making a comeback .
Daily deaths , hospitalizations and the percentage of tests that are coming back positive also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks in parts of the country , mostly in the South and West .
In Arizona , 23 % of tests conducted over the past seven days have been positive , nearly triple the national average , and a record 415 patients were on ventilators .
Mississippi saw its daily count of confirmed cases reach record highs twice this week .
Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott of Texas put off lifting any more restrictions and reimposed a ban on elective surgeries in some places to preserve hospital space after the number of patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Republican Gov .
Doug Ducey of Arizona also said further efforts to reopen are on hold as cases surge .
Sandwiched between the two , New Mexico Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham , a Democrat , worried about rising numbers and the risks posed by her neighbors , declaring , “ We ’ re on hold.
” The U.S. reported 34,500 COVID-19 cases Wednesday , slightly fewer than the day before but still near the high of 36,400 reached April 24 , according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 50 % over the past two weeks , an Associated Press analysis found .
The true numbers are probably much higher because of limited testing and other factors .
Whether the rise in cases translates into an equally dire surge in deaths across the U.S. will depend on a number of factors , experts said , most crucially whether government officials make the right decisions .
Deaths per day nationwide are around 600 after peaking at about 2,200 in mid-April .
“ It is possible , if we play our cards badly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get back to that level .
But if we are smart , there ’ s no reason to get to 2,200 deaths a day , ” said Dr. Ashish Jha , director of Harvard ’ s Global Health Institute .
The nation ’ s daily death toll has actually dropped markedly over the past few weeks even as cases climbed , a phenomenon experts said may reflect the advent of treatments , better efforts to prevent infections at nursing homes and a rising proportion of cases among younger people , who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bout with COVID-19 .
“ This is still serious , ” said Dr. Robert Redfield , director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but “ we ’ re in a different situation today than we were in March or April.
” The U.S. has greatly ramped up testing in the past few months , and it is now presumably finding many less-serious cases that would have gone undetected earlier in the outbreak , when testing was limited and often focused on sicker people .
The number of confirmed infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measure of the outbreak .
CDC officials , relying on blood tests , estimated Thursday that 20 million Americans have been infected .
That is about 6 % percent of the population and roughly 10 times the 2.3 million confirmed cases .
As politicians try to strike a balance between public health and the economy , the government reported that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week declined slightly to 1.48 million , indicating layoffs are slowing but still painfully high .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus crisis deepened in Arizona on Thursday, and the governor of Texas began to backtrack after making one of the most aggressive pushes in the nation to reopen, as the daily number of confirmed cases across the U.S. closed in on the peak reached during the dark days of late April.
While greatly expanded testing probably accounts for some of the increase, experts say other measures indicate the virus is making a comeback. Daily deaths, hospitalizations and the percentage of tests that are coming back positive also have been rising over the past few weeks in parts of the country, mostly in the South and West.
Advertisement
In Arizona, 23% of tests conducted over the past seven days have been positive, nearly triple the national average, and a record 415 patients were on ventilators. Mississippi saw its daily count of confirmed cases reach record highs twice this week.
“It’s not a joke. Really bad things are going to happen,” said Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi’s health officer.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas put off lifting any more restrictions and reimposed a ban on elective surgeries in some places to preserve hospital space after the number of patients statewide more than doubled in two weeks. Republican Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona also said further efforts to reopen are on hold as cases surge. Sandwiched between the two, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, worried about rising numbers and the risks posed by her neighbors, declaring, “We’re on hold.”
“The last thing we want to do as a state is go backwards and close down businesses,” Abbott said.
The U.S. reported 34,500 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, slightly fewer than the day before but still near the high of 36,400 reached April 24, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. The daily average has climbed by more than 50% over the past two weeks, an Associated Press analysis found. The true numbers are probably much higher because of limited testing and other factors.
Advertisement
Whether the rise in cases translates into an equally dire surge in deaths across the U.S. will depend on a number of factors, experts said, most crucially whether government officials make the right decisions. Deaths per day nationwide are around 600 after peaking at about 2,200 in mid-April.
“It is possible, if we play our cards badly and make a lot of mistakes, to get back to that level. But if we are smart, there’s no reason to get to 2,200 deaths a day,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute.
The nation’s daily death toll has actually dropped markedly over the past few weeks even as cases climbed, a phenomenon experts said may reflect the advent of treatments, better efforts to prevent infections at nursing homes and a rising proportion of cases among younger people, who are more likely than their elders to survive a bout with COVID-19.
“This is still serious,” said Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but “we’re in a different situation today than we were in March or April.”
Several states set single-day case records this week, including Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas and Oklahoma. Florida reported over 5,000 new cases for a second day in a row.
Advertisement
Mississippi’s Dobbs blamed a failure to wear masks and observe other social-distancing practices.
“I’m afraid it’s going to take some kind of catastrophe for people to pay attention,” he said. “We are giving away those hard-fought gains for silly stuff.”
Tom Rohlk, a 62-year-old grocery store worker from Overland Park, Kansas, complained that young people sometimes act as if they don’t care: “It seems like it’s time to party.”
The U.S. has greatly ramped up testing in the past few months, and it is now presumably finding many less-serious cases that would have gone undetected earlier in the outbreak, when testing was limited and often focused on sicker people.
But there are other more clear-cut warning signs, including a rising number of deaths per day in states such as Arizona and Alabama.
The numbers “continue to go in the wrong direction,” Ducey said. “We can expect our numbers will be worse next week and the week after.”
Advertisement
The number of confirmed infections, in itself, is a poor measure of the outbreak. CDC officials, relying on blood tests, estimated Thursday that 20 million Americans have been infected. That is about 6% percent of the population and roughly 10 times the 2.3 million confirmed cases.
Officials have long known that many cases have been missed because of testing gaps and a lack of symptoms in some infected people.
Worldwide, over 9.5 million people have been confirmed infected, and nearly a half-million have died, including over 124,000 in the U.S., the world’s highest toll, by Johns Hopkins’ count.
While some states impose new restrictions or pause their reopenings, some businesses also are backing off. Disney delayed its mid-July reopening of Disneyland.
As politicians try to strike a balance between public health and the economy, the government reported that the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits last week declined slightly to 1.48 million, indicating layoffs are slowing but still painfully high.
Advertisement
Elsewhere around the world, Paris’ Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors after its longest peacetime closure: 104 days.
With hospitals overwhelmed in New Delhi, Indian troops provided care in railroad cars converted to medical wards.
___
Johnson reported from Washington state. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Don Lemon Names The New Trump Coronavirus Claim That 'Really Takes The Cake'

Trump , in a town hall earlier with Fox News ’ Sean Hannity , repeated his false assertion that the United States is only experiencing record new cases of COVID-19 because of increased testing , Lemon pointed out .
“ So , we have more cases because we do the greatest testing .
If we didn ’ t do testing , we ’ d have no cases , ” Trump told Hannity .
“ Other countries , they don ’ t test millions .
So up to almost 30 million tests .
So when you do 30 million , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the sniffles and they ’ ll say it ’ s coronavirus , whatever you want to call it.
” Lemon was aghast that Trump keeps repeating the testing falsehood , but this time with an even more outrageous twist .
“ A kid with the sniffles .
That ’ s what he said , a kid with the sniffles .
You don ’ t need me to tell you that that ’ s not true , right ?
” asked the “ CNN Tonight ” host .
“ This president has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that one really takes the cake .
That one takes the cake , ” Lemon continued .
“ Think about how many people have died and the number of cases now , places where they are surging , and you can believe he keeps blaming testing for the surge in these cases ?
“ I think we all understand that we ’ d still have cases of coronavirus if we didn ’ t test .
Guess what ?
We just wouldn ’ t have any idea of who was sick , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeps cases down because we can identify sick people and we can have them stay home .
A child with the sniffles can understand that .
”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
President Donald Trump’s latest claim about the coronavirus “really takes the cake,” CNN’s Don Lemon said on Thursday.
Advertisement
“So, we have more cases because we do the greatest testing. If we didn’t do testing, we’d have no cases,” Trump told Hannity. “Other countries, they don’t test millions. So up to almost 30 million tests. So when you do 30 million, you’re gonna have a kid with the sniffles and they’ll say it’s coronavirus, whatever you want to call it.”
Lemon was aghast that Trump keeps repeating the testing falsehood, but this time with an even more outrageous twist.
“A kid with the sniffles. That’s what he said, a kid with the sniffles. You don’t need me to tell you that that’s not true, right?” asked the “CNN Tonight” host.
“This president has been dismissive of this deadly virus all along, but that one really takes the cake. That one takes the cake,” Lemon continued. “Think about how many people have died and the number of cases now, places where they are surging, and you can believe he keeps blaming testing for the surge in these cases?
Advertisement
“I think we all understand that we’d still have cases of coronavirus if we didn’t test. Guess what? We just wouldn’t have any idea of who was sick,” Lemon added. “Testing ultimately keeps cases down because we can identify sick people and we can have them stay home. A child with the sniffles can understand that.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Donald Trump Claims A Friend Called Him 'The Most Perfect Person'

Donald Trump sure has some flattering friends .
During a televised town hall with Fox News ’ Sean Hannity on @ @ @ @ @ a pal had told him he has to be “ the most perfect person ” @ @ @ @ @ down by the Russia investigation .
`` A friend of mine said , 'you have @ @ @ @ @ person . '
Is n't that true ? ''
-- Trump pic.twitter.com/9OWptMZngV — Aaron Rupar @ @ @ @ @ 26 , 2020 Trump did not name the friend .
But the praise certainly sits @ @ @ @ @ ’ s own previous self-aggrandizing descriptions of himself as “ an extremely stable genius ” @ @ @ @ @ Trump has also in the past compared himself to a king .
People on Twitter @ @ @ @ @ task over the boast : His friend must have been the guy who looks him @ @ @ @ @ morning .
pic.twitter.com/TZY9Hexrfw — TJ Melon ( @ tj_melon ) June 26 , 2020 Even @ @ @ @ @ answer .
pic.twitter.com/EdUlThpMu2 — Mike Armstrong ( @ ArmstrongGN ) June 26 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Donald Trump sure has some flattering friends.
During a televised town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Thursday, the president claimed a pal had told him he has to be “the most perfect person” because he was not brought down by the Russia investigation.
“Isn’t that true?” Trump asked a small audience packed with enthusiastic fans.
Check out the clip here:
"A friend of mine said, 'you have to be the most perfect person.' Isn't that true?" -- Trump pic.twitter.com/9OWptMZngV — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2020
Advertisement
Trump did not name the friend. But the praise certainly sits up there with the president’s own previous self-aggrandizing descriptions of himself as “an extremely stable genius” and “really smart.”
Trump has also in the past compared himself to a king.
People on Twitter inevitably took the president to task over the boast:
His friend must have been the guy who looks him back in the mirror every morning. pic.twitter.com/TZY9Hexrfw — TJ Melon (@tj_melon) June 26, 2020
Even Sean had trouble with that answer. pic.twitter.com/EdUlThpMu2 — Mike Armstrong (@ArmstrongGN) June 26, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-25--Judge Tosses Out Lawsuit To Block Mary Trump's Tell-All Book

Mary Trump ’ s book , “ Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World ’ @ @ @ @ @ ” is set for publication July 28 .
It reportedly details “ unsparing ” and @ @ @ @ @ the president and accuses Trump of mocking his late father ’ s struggles with Alzheimer @ @ @ @ @ death , which led to a bitter family war over his estate .
Earlier this @ @ @ @ @ reported that Mary Trump was the source of a New York Times article on the @ @ @ @ @ to help his parents duck millions in taxes , which also benefited him financially .

Mary Trump’s book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” is set for publication July 28. It reportedly details “unsparing” and “salacious” information about the president and accuses Trump of mocking his late father’s struggles with Alzheimer’s disease before his death, which led to a bitter family war over his estate.
Earlier this month, The Daily Beast reported that Mary Trump was the source of a New York Times article on the financial tricks the president used to help his parents duck millions in taxes, which also benefited him financially.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Daughter Tweets Voters Not To Back Her Dad; He Reportedly Blames 'Marxist' Brainwashing

“ For the love of god do not vote for my dad , ” the daughter of a Republican candidate for Michigan ’ s House of Representatives pleaded this week in a tweet that went wildly viral .
“ Tell everyone , ” added Stephanie Regan .
Her father , Robert Regan , who ’ s running for the 73rd District in Grand Rapids , attributed the clash in an interview Thursday with The Hill to the “ Marxist ” brainwashing his daughter was “ sucked into ” at the university she attended .
Stephanie Regan didn ’ t go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t back her right-wing dad — but she pleaded with people to do their homework .
“ I don ’ t feel safe sharing further information regarding his beliefs , but please look him up and just read for yourself , ” she tweeted .
Since so many people are asking it is Robert Regan !
Do a quick fb or google search to find info about his campaign .
I don ’ t feel safe rn sharing further information regarding his beliefs , but please look him up and just read for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) June 24 , 2020 Robert Regan told The Hill that he blamed his daughter ’ s difference of opinion with him to her “ getting sucked into this Marxist , communist ideology ” at the University of Colorado Boulder .
“ She and I just don ’ t see eye to eye when it comes to the whole socialism , communism , Marxist philosophy , ” he added .
His daughter ’ s “ big thing has to do with the systemic racism that ’ s going on in the country .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , ” Regan explained .
“ I don ’ t buy into this whole systemic racism thing at all , ” he said .
“ The only place where I really see systemic racism would be the abortion clinic cause they seem to target the African American community.
” Regan said “ everybody ” has some hurdles to overcome .
Take him , for example .
As a “ rich , white , Christian male , people look at me a certain way .
And it ’ s not always good , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message on Thursday of someone asking Allah to “ give me strength not to cuss/kill these men and white folks out here today.
” Regan dubbed the person who tweeted the message as the “ co-founder of the Marxist BLM Group , ” adding “ Tik Tok .
The time is coming for justice.
” Regan also issued a statement Thursday on Facebook saying he was “ happy ” that his daughter felt “ confident to express her opposing thoughts so publicly .
”

“For the love of god do not vote for my dad,” the daughter of a Republican candidate for Michigan’s House of Representatives pleaded this week in a tweet that went wildly viral. “Tell everyone,” added Stephanie Regan.
Her father, Robert Regan, who’s running for the 73rd District in Grand Rapids, attributed the clash in an interview Thursday with The Hill to the “Marxist” brainwashing his daughter was “sucked into” at the university she attended.
Stephanie Regan didn’t go into detail about why voters shouldn’t back her right-wing dad — but she pleaded with people to do their homework.
Advertisement
“I don’t feel safe sharing further information regarding his beliefs, but please look him up and just read for yourself,” she tweeted.
if you’re in michigan and 18+ pls for the love of god do not vote for my dad for state rep. tell everyone — STEPH (@streeganz) June 23, 2020
Since so many people are asking it is Robert Regan! Do a quick fb or google search to find info about his campaign. I don’t feel safe rn sharing further information regarding his beliefs, but please look him up and just read for yourself. — STEPH (@streeganz) June 24, 2020
Robert Regan told The Hill that he blamed his daughter’s difference of opinion with him to her “getting sucked into this Marxist, communist ideology” at the University of Colorado Boulder. “She and I just don’t see eye to eye when it comes to the whole socialism, communism, Marxist philosophy,” he added.
Advertisement
His daughter’s “big thing has to do with the systemic racism that’s going on in the country. She’s a big believer in that,” Regan explained.
“I don’t buy into this whole systemic racism thing at all,” he said. “The only place where I really see systemic racism would be the abortion clinic cause they seem to target the African American community.”
Regan said “everybody” has some hurdles to overcome. Take him, for example. As a “rich, white, Christian male, people look at me a certain way. And it’s not always good,” he explained.
He retweeted a message on Thursday of someone asking Allah to “give me strength not to cuss/kill these men and white folks out here today.” Regan dubbed the person who tweeted the message as the “co-founder of the Marxist BLM Group,” adding “Tik Tok. The time is coming for justice.”
Regan also issued a statement Thursday on Facebook saying he was “happy” that his daughter felt “confident to express her opposing thoughts so publicly.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--How The Fraternal Order Of Police Smeared A Civil Rights Lawyer

Alex Wong via Getty Images Debo Adegbile testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 8 @ @ @ @ @ been nominated by President Barack Obama to become the assistant attorney general for the Civil @ @ @ @ @ of Justice , but his nomination failed after the Fraternal Order of Police got involved @

Debo Adegbile seemed like he’d make it through the Senate just fine. On Nov. 14, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated the 47-year-old lawyer to lead the civil rights division at the Department of Justice. No one questioned his qualifications: senior positions with the Senate Judiciary Committee and NAACP Legal Defense Fund, private practice, an expert in voting rights who twice defended the Voting Rights Act before the Supreme Court. And he had a reputation as a thoughtful lawyer, willing to listen to both sides.
Adegbile also had something else going for him. Democrats controlled the Senate, and they had just changed the rules so that presidential nominees needed only a majority of votes to be confirmed. In other words, it would be a lot easier for Obama’s picks to get through.
Advertisement
He should have been all set.
But in January 2014, the Fraternal Order of Police stepped in. The national law enforcement group made it its mission to take down Adegbile.
While at the LDF, Adegbile worked on an appeal for Mumia Abu-Jamal, one of the nation’s most famous death-row inmates, a former member of the Black Panthers who was convicted in the 1981 killing Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner.
Adegbile and the team of lawyers did not argue that Abu-Jamal was innocent. It was a constitutional case, the basis of which was that Abu-Jamal should receive a new sentencing hearing because the judge’s instructions to the jury had been flawed. In 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit agreed. The Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, declined to review the circuit court’s decision and let the opinion stand.
Adegbile, who declined to provide a comment for this piece, never issued anti-police or anti-FOP statements. All he did was argue that Abu-Jamal deserved his constitutional right to a fair trial. But that didn’t stop FOP and Philadelphia law enforcement officials from portraying him as a radical who defended an “unrepentant cop killer.”
Advertisement
The message was clear: If you ever go against police unions, you will pay the price.
“FOP made him public enemy number one,” said a Democrat involved in the nomination process who, like some others interviewed for this piece, requested anonymity to speak freely.
Every single Republican voted against Adegbile. Seven Democrats did as well. Many were red state Democrats who were afraid that they’d be painted as anti-police in their reelection bids. Others felt local pressure. Adegbile’s nomination failed by three votes on March 5. He was the first nominee to fail under the Senate’s new rules.
The police unions “were absolutely the key reason for why certain Democrats felt like they couldn’t support the nomination,” said another Democrat who worked as a senior Senate staffer at the time.
“I think if you look into it, it would be a rare situation in which somebody was blocked from public service for having successfully vindicated the Constitution of the United States,” Adegbile told HuffPost after the vote in 2014.
The FOP and other police unions have been attracting significant attention in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a police officer kneeled on his neck and ignored Floyd’s pleas for help. These groups have long resisted reforms, essentially adhering to the maxim, “If you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.”
Advertisement
Anti-racism protesters are trying to draw more attention to police union tactics. Some Democrats are discussing whether they should still seek the endorsements of police unions in their campaigns. Having the backing of law enforcement and being a “law and order” candidate is no longer a sure bet like it used to be.
“The FOP is quite powerful because of their purse strings, and also because of the politics of criminal justice, which makes many politicians afraid of the police and afraid to be on the bad side of police unions,” said Paul Butler, a Georgetown Law professor and author of the book “Chokehold: Policing Black Men.” “Now that politics is rapidly shifting, but in many cities across the country, if the police are against you, that’s a death knell for a politician.”
But the FOP is extremely savvy. The Adegbile nomination is a case study of how it wields its power on Capitol Hill. It operates much like the National Rifle Association, taking extreme positions and using its influence ― or perceived influence ― to frighten lawmakers into voting in its interests.
“In a democratic process, when you allow a powerful special interest to veto the people charged with oversight, you’ve already given yourself away to corruption on some level,” said a person involved in the confirmation process. “What you’re trying to do is you’re trying to disarm the laws that Congress has enacted for the express purpose of managing that industry and entity and enforcing federal law. It’s egregious everywhere. It’s particularly egregious when the area is civil rights.”
National Smear Campaign
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), center, and Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), left, were joined by the Fraternal Order of Police's John McNesby during a news conference in Philadelphia, where they discussed their opposition to Adegbile's nomination. Matt Rourke/Associated Press
Advertisement
The FOP is the nation’s largest police association, with over 330,000 members. The group marshals support with its approximately 2,000 chapters all over the country ― some are unions and some are simply fraternal organizations.
In Washington, the face of the FOP is Jim Pasco, the group’s executive director. He’s known as a highly effective and tenacious lobbyist who has cultivated relationships on both sides of the aisle. FOP has spent $220,000 a year lobbying since 2007, but its influence goes far beyond the relatively low dollar amount.
Robert Driscoll, a former deputy assistant attorney general in President George W. Bush’s administration, said that as soon as he saw FOP jump into the Adegbile fight, he knew which way it was going to go.
“This guy’s not getting confirmed,” he told Politico in 2015. ”And even when it looked like he was going to get confirmed, I still said I didn’t think he’d get confirmed.”
In response, Pasco said that indeed, FOP had planned to “fight this guy until the last dog died.”
The FOP did not return requests for comment for this piece.
On Jan. 6, 2014, FOP President Chuck Canterbury threw down the gauntlet with Obama, writing a letter saying that Adegbile ”turned the justice system on its head” with his defense of Abu-Jamal.
Advertisement
"We are aware of the tried and true shield behind which activists of Adegbile's ilk are wont to hide -- that everyone is entitled to a defense; but surely you would agree that a defense should not be based upon falsely disparaging and savaging the good name and reputation of a lifeless police officer. Certainly any legal scholar can see the injustice and absence of ethics in this cynical race-baiting approach to our legal system," Canterbury wrote.
That opposition was critical in providing cover for senators to vote against Adegbile. Republican Sens. Jeff Flake, Charles Grassley and Rob Portman, among others, all cited FOP’s position in their statements against Adegbile.
“The national Fraternal Order of Police has made it abundantly clear ― this is a significant vote in their mind,” Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a leading voice against the nomination, said in a Fox News interview at the time. “Either you’re with the police officers in this case or you’re against them.”
Fox News gladly took up the cause of blocking Adegbile’s nomination with regular segments.
On Jan. 8, 2014, Maureen Faulkner, the widow of Daniel Faulkner, went on Megyn Kelly’s show and said that Obama nominating Adegbile was “like spitting on all of our officers and our federal agents throughout America.”
“Why did [Obama] not come to some other outlet — the National Fraternal Order of Police or other outlets — and say, ‘Let’s do background work on him?’” she wondered.
Advertisement
The main way critics tried to smear Adegbile was by portraying him as a radical: He was a radical nominee, pushed by a radical president. The idea that Adegbile would defend an unpopular figure on constitutional grounds ― to ensure a fair trial ― was disqualifying, according to Republicans.
On Sean Hannity’s Jan. 8 show, Fox contributor Katie Pavlich said Obama may have wanted to nominate him “because he has a very racial past and a racial history of pushing racial politics through actions inside the law.”
Fitzpatrick went even further, saying that Adegbile and other civil rights lawyers were simply trying to profit off the police officer’s death with a ”shameless ‘cottage industry’ of money and promotion has arisen from Jamal’s heinous act which continues to torture Officer Faulkner’s widow and family.”
No one was ever able to point to a single disparaging comment that Adegbile himself ever made about Faulkner. In 2009, the LDF filed an amicus brief in favor of Abu-Jamal’s appeal, arguing that there had been racial bias in the jury selection process. He lost that round. But two years later, LDF represented him in court and successfully argued that the jury instructions were improper during the trial that sentenced him to death.
Racial overtones ― and outright racism ― were part of the smear campaign against Adegbile. The Washington Times ran a particularly vile cartoon, where Adegbile was holding up a sign saying “cop killer.” It played off Adegbile’s childhood job as an actor on “Sesame Street” and used racist iconography to stereotype the nominee, who is the son of a Nigerian father and an Irish mother. His mother, who struggled with poverty and even homelessness, raised Adegbile on her own.
Advertisement
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) was a key FOP ally in the fight. In The Philadelphia Inquirer’s examination of the successful effort to tank Adegbile, Toomey’s office shared some of its extensive research on the Abu-Jamal case that it used as proof of Adegbile’s unfitness for the Justice Department job.
“None of the information they provided cited direct comments or actions by Adegbile,” the paper reported. But Toomey’s office said that Adegbile was responsible for all the public comments his team members made. In another instance, it used what appeared to be an inaccurate news report to argue that LDF lawyers were trying to get Abu-Jamal out of prison ― rather than the fact that they were actually just working on re-sentencing.
Toomey wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with Seth Williams, the district attorney of Philadelphia, outlining the opposition to Adegbile. It’s not surprising that Williams didn’t like Adegbile’s involvement with Abu-Jamal: Williams was the losing lawyer in that case, and unsuccessfully tried to get the Supreme Court to take it up. That fact was never directly mentioned in the piece.
Three years later, Williams went to prison on public corruption charges.
While conservatives and FOP opposed Adegbile, he had the wide support of civil rights organizations. Eighty-six groups wrote a letter calling him “one of the preeminent civil rights litigators of his generation” and “a consensus builder.”
And as many Adegbile supporters pointed out, other prominent people had defended people who had committed horrible crimes. Roberts, for example, defended a man who murdered eight people ― and he was sitting on the Supreme Court.
Advertisement
Then-Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) referenced Roberts in a fiery floor speech after Adegbile’s nomination failed. He made clear that he believed that if Adegbile were white, he would have been confirmed:
If you are a young white person and you go to work for a law firm … and that law firm assigns you to a pro bono case to defend someone who killed eight people in cold blood … my advice from this, what happened today, is you should do that … Because if you do that, who knows? You might wind up to be the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court. However, if you are a young Black person and you go to work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund … and you’re asked to sign an appeal for someone convicted of murder, what the message said today is, ‘Don’t do it! Don’t do it.’ Because you know what? If you do that, in keeping with your legal obligations and your profession, you will be denied by the U.S. Senate from being an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice.
At his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 9, 2014, Adegbile defended himself, acknowledging the pain that Faulkner’s family no doubt felt.
“It is a tremendous loss to lose a civil servant, a public law enforcement officer serving the people, and I would never personally or professionally say anything negative about that horrific loss,” he said. “My sympathy goes to his family, to the community in Philadelphia and it would be completely contrary to my person to make any negative comment about that particular situation.”
He added that death penalty cases were “the hardest cases.”
“But our commitment in the Constitution is to follow our procedural rules even in those hardest cases, perhaps especially in those hardest cases, so that all of our rights can be vindicated,” Adegbile said. “But I completely understand how difficult these cases are.”
Advertisement
Democrats Fear Police Union Backlash
Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Chris Coons (Del.) were two of the Democratic senators who voted against Adegbile. J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
Nominees to lead the civil rights division at the Justice Department are often controversial. But the Obama administration seemed unprepared for just how tough the Adegbile fight was going to get.
Seven Democrats ultimately voted against Adegbile: Bob Casey (Pa.), Chris Coons (Del.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Mark Pryor (Ark.) and John Walsh (Mont.).
Casey was an early and perhaps unsurprising Democratic senator to say he was going to oppose Adegbile. Not only does he represent Pennsylvania and fit within the more moderate and conservative wing of the party, he faced intense pressure at home from police officers, constituents and Faulkner herself to vote no.
“After carefully considering this nomination and having met with both Mr. Adegbile as well as the Fraternal Order of Police, I will not vote to confirm the nominee,” he said in a statement, citing the “open wounds for Maureen Faulkner and her family as well as the City of Philadelphia.”
Advertisement
Even liberal Democrats recognized the politically fraught atmosphere around Adegbile. When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) met with Adegbile, he told Adegbile that it was going to be a tough vote, according to someone who attended the meeting. Whitehouse later voted in favor of Adegbile’s nomination.
It’s common for high-profile nominees to go around and meet with senators. Some who came out against Adegbile gave no indication of how they were going to vote during those meetings. Pryor peppered him with questions about the law and quizzed him about legal precedent, but never said he was going to vote no, as he eventually did.
Heitkamp was more direct. She told Adegbile that he was qualified and an excellent candidate but politically, she couldn’t vote for him. She was gearing up to take some other controversial votes and needed political cover.
“It wasn’t the outcome we’d have wanted, but in a way, we were grateful that Sen. Heitkamp was so straight with us when we met with her. We didn’t get that candor ― maybe even honesty ― from every member of the Democratic caucus,” said Elliot Williams, a principal at The Raben Group who was deputy assistant attorney general for legislative affairs at the Justice Department at the time. He attended many of the Senate meetings with Adegbile.
Heitkamp didn’t return a request for comment for this piece, but after the vote, she told constituents in North Dakota that if Adegbile had been confirmed, “there would have been three years of discussions about the Jamal case … and not civil rights.”
Advertisement
She also said his nomination was the equivalent of naming a tobacco executive to the top health agency: “I’m pretty sure that if George W. Bush had nominated someone who had been chief counsel of Phillip Morris to be the chief counsel for HHS there might have been some discussion on the other side.”
By far the biggest surprise vote against Adebile was Delaware’s Chris Coons. Coons cared about civil rights and, as a graduate of Yale Law School, people expected that he understood the constitutional importance of ensuring a fair trial for all ― even with unpopular figures like Abu-Jamal. He voted for Adegbile to pass out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
But Coons is also co-founder of the Law Enforcement Caucus, and part of Delaware is in the Philadelphia metro area. So he also felt pressure from back home ― not just from law enforcement ― to oppose Adegbile. And in his statement announcing his no vote, he specifically said that he could not back him because law enforcement didn’t like him.
″[A]t a time when the Civil Rights Division urgently needs better relations with the law enforcement community, I was troubled by the idea of voting for an Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights who would face such visceral opposition from law enforcement on his first day on the job,” Coons said.
“It was the right thing to do. I am not proud of every vote I’ve cast, but I am proud of that one.” - Former Sen. Mary Landrieu, on her vote for Adegbile's confirmation
Advertisement
The Obama administration didn’t seem entirely prepared for the onslaught that Adegbile faced, according to people who worked on the nomination. Yet as the danger became apparent, administration officials did what they could to try to save him. The president personally appealed to Senate Democrats at a caucus meeting and called individual members.
Even on the last day before voting, Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) were on the phone trying to sway senators. Biden was particularly key. He had a long history of working with police unions, was close to Casey, and from Coons’ state. He also was ready to break a tie in the Senate if the vote ended up being that close.
Coon’s vote was a shock and deep disappointment to many members of his party, as well as to many of his constituents. (Notably, Delaware’s other Democratic senator, Tom Carper, voted for Adegbile.) It also hurt his credibility on civil rights issues, even though he had ― and still has ― a high score from groups like the NAACP and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Coons seemed to quickly realize he had made a mistake.
“I think the black community had so much higher hopes for Sen. Coons on civil rights, but it seems like he is not a civil rights person,” Delaware NAACP President Richard Smith told Gannett in an article published March 7, 2014.
In the months following the Adegbile matter, Coons met with members of the Black, faith, and legal communities in Delaware to help repair the damage and apologize for his vote. According to Smith, Coons promised to support Adegbile if he were renominated.
Advertisement
A group of more than 200 students, faculty and alumni of Yale Law School and Yale Divinity School also wrote a letter to the senator, saying his vote sent a ”disturbing message” to young people who want to go into public service.
And Coons has continued to hear about it, even six years later.
The progressive judicial group Demand Justice has been running ads against Coons in Delaware, hitting him for voting for some of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. One of the ads also goes after him for his vote against Adegbile. Coons is up for reelection this year.
Coons spokesman Sean Coit responded that the senator “is one of the most effective and persistent questioners on the Judiciary Committee, where he regularly presses President Trump’s judicial nominees and Justice Department leadership on their civil rights records and their commitment to living up to the promises of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
Coons told HuffPost this month that he has had lengthy conversations with people in his community over the years about that vote.
Advertisement
“I have expressed regret both for the process that got me to that vote and that specific vote ... I was ascribing to Debo Adegbile some of the consequences of the actions of a client of his. As a matter of law, that’s not right,” he said. “But part of what was going on, I was from the Philadelphia suburbs, and that particular case produced a lot of very intense feelings in the law enforcement community.”
Pryor also reached out to Adegbile the day after the vote, although it’s not clear what was discussed.
Obama appointed Adegbile to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 2016, where he still serves today.
“The Senate rejected him in this totally historic ― and I mean bad historic ― moment,” said another Democrat who was a senior Senate aide at the time. “And he has just kept on. That really speaks to the dedication that he has, the character that he has and the bravery that he has in a way that the senators ― several of whom are no longer in the Senate, it should be noted ― do not have.”
It doesn’t seem that the Adegbile vote really had much effect on senators one way or the other, despite the political calculations that clearly went into the decision on which way to vote. Pryor lost his reelection bid that November. Walsh, another “no” vote, dropped his reelection bid that year after a plagiarism scandal. Heitkamp and Donnelly lost their races in 2018.
Advertisement
“Let’s not kid ourselves. The senators weren’t taking a moral stand here. It was a political one,” Elliot Williams said. “But look: Pryor lost his next election by 17 points. Heitkamp lost hers by 11. It’s hard to see how this vote on someone they all agreed was singularly qualified really changed anything for anyone politically.”
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) was also in a tough reelection race that year ― which she ended up losing ― but she took a different path and voted for Adegbile.
“It was the right thing to do,” she told HuffPost. “I am not proud of every vote I’ve cast, but I am proud of that one.”
Landrieu’s situation was also a bit different than that of the senators from, say, West Virginia and Montana. Her state is more than 30% Black, and Landrieu said considering the concerns of those communities was an important part of job.
“I think my record reflects support for the military and police, but this was so clear-cut, and this guy was just maligned for no reason. It wasn’t a difficult call for me,” she said.
Advertisement
Manchin, one of the only three Senate “no” votes remaining in office, didn’t seem to remember the Adegbile vote when asked about it in the Capitol by HuffPost recently.
Casey said in a statement this month that he still believes he did the right thing: “Reasonable people disagree with my vote against Mr. Adegbile’s nomination. While I respect their viewpoint, and struggled with this decision back in 2014, I stand by it.”
Leahy is actually one of FOP’s closest allies on Capitol Hill ― its ”foremost champion” in Congress ― working with the group most notably on issues around officer safety. But they don’t always see eye to eye, especially on civil liberties and civil rights matters. And in this case, there was no way the senator was going to budge. Adegbile was a staffer for Leahy on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and getting him confirmed was deeply important to the senator.
The effect of the FOP in Adegbile’s defeat was not lost on senators. Pasco explicitly said it would use how senators voted on the nomination when FOP was considering which candidates to support in the future.
“Was it your sense, among your colleagues, that the threat of any backlash or retaliation from law enforcement unions was a factor?” NPR asked Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in an interview in March 2014.
Advertisement
“Yes, it was,” he replied.
On March 5, Reid and Leahy had to finally admit that they didn’t have the votes to push Adegbile through. And they had to break the news to him.
Both men were fond of Adegbile and outraged at how he had been treated. Reid told him that he could pull the nomination if Adegbile didn’t want to go through the spectacle of having it fail, according to multiple people familiar with the conversation.
That scenario was what some senators, such as Coons, were hoping for. (Coons’ office would not comment on this point.) It would spare them from having to take a tough vote. But Adegbile was the one who personally insisted that it should go forward.
“He said, ‘I’m 47 years old. ... I’ve spent all my life trying to do the right thing,’” Reid said the day after the vote, referring to his conversation with Adegbile. “’I didn’t step into a courtroom for this man. I didn’t write a word for the briefs for this man. ... I’ve done nothing wrong. I think if I’m going to be voted down, it’s a good time to start a discussion on civil rights in America.’”
‘Enormous Race Issues’ In Police Unions
President Donald Trump with senior members of the Fraternal Order of Police in March, 2017. Evan Vucci/Associated Press
Advertisement
Police unions are not like other unions. They have long occupied an uneasy place in the labor movement, with their collective bargaining agreements often undermining accountability over shootings and protecting cops with long histories of brutality and disciplinary issues. Many people are now questioning whether police unions should have their power curtailed ― or be abolished altogether.
Comments by some of their members and leaders haven’t helped the perception that they stand in the way of reform and protect their members at the expense of social justice and civil rights.
The Miami FOP pledged $100,000 for the legal defense fund for the police officer charged with murdering Rayshard Brooks, a Black man in Atlanta whose death at the hands of police was caught on video. A Florida FOP chapter posted on Facebook saying that it wanted to hire police officers in Buffalo, New York, and Atlanta who have been charged with misconduct in violent incidents with protesters.
What FOP chapters are doing now isn’t any different from what they’ve done in the past by defending and raising money for officers who shoot Black people. In 2012, the president of the Miami FOP, Lt. Javier Ortiz, defended the cops in Cleveland who fatally shot Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy who had been playing with a toy gun.
“Act like a thug and you’ll be treated like one,” Ortiz wrote on Twitter.
Butler, the author and law professor, said the rhetoric of FOP officials is “just frequently racist.”
Advertisement
“There’s no other way to describe it,” he said.
“I think police unions have enormous race issues,” added Roy Austin, who was deputy assistant attorney general in the civil rights division under Obama. “I think that’s why you see their leadership being almost exclusively white male. ... They are organizations that push back on all accountability in very harsh terms. They are organizations that are not afraid to engage in dog whistles and even more blatant forms of race-baiting against elected officials who they don’t like.”
The unions have been extremely cozy with the Trump administration, far different from how they behaved when Obama was in office, a period in which the head of the National Association of Police Organizations ― which also opposed Adegbile ― said Obama was waging a ”war on cops.” In 2016, the president of the Illinois FOP said Obama had ”done little to correct” the notion that “it is OK to demonize and urge violence against police officers.”
“The FOP was a bad actor throughout Obama’s eight years in office,” a former Obama administration official said. “President Obama is as thoughtful as anyone when it comes to how complex and difficult this issue is, but we found the FOP to be a large part of the problem, not the solution. They didn’t engage in good faith, and much like Donald Trump, refused to acknowledge what was plain as day to everyone else. If you’re not going to be honest about the realities, you’re not going to be able to get much done.”
“We made decent progress on policing when Obama was in office, but if we had willing partners in the FOP, we could have done so much more,” the official added.
“What’s been consistent is the FOP and other police unions standing in the way of racial justice, standing in the way of police accountability and transparency.” - Paul Butler, author of "Chokehold: Policing Black Men"
Advertisement
The FOP was particularly incensed that the Obama administration was undertaking “pattern-or-practice” investigations of police forces, looking at systemic issues rather than a few bad actors. The government can sue over “a pattern or practice of conduct … that deprives persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” Often, instead of going to trial, the police department will agree to make reforms under what’s known as a “consent decree.”
In his letter to Obama opposing Adegbile, FOP President Canterbury criticized Tom Perez, the outgoing head of the civil rights division at the Justice Department, and Austin, his deputy, for taking an “aggressive and punitive approach towards local law enforcement agencies.”
The Obama administration was considering nominating Austin to be director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement around the same time of the Adegbile controversy, according to a person familiar with the matter. But Austin’s name was never submitted after FOP made clear it would fight tooth and nail against him. (Austin declined to comment on whether he was ever up for the position.)
The Trump administration, meanwhile, has given the FOP most of what it has wanted ― including the reversal or deprioritization of reforms passed during Obama’s time in the White House. And in 2017, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions gave a keynote address at the FOP annual convention and announced a giant gift: a resumption of a program that would give police forces surplus military equipment.
“We have your back and you have our thanks,” Sessions said, announcing the executive order that Trump later signed. The Obama administration had curbed the scope of the program, which was started in 1990.
Advertisement
But law enforcement isn’t a monolith, and not all police officers are happy with what FOP has done.
When the national FOP endorsed Trump in 2016, organizations representing Black officers spoke out in disagreement.
The Philadelphia Guardian Civic League, a group that represented 2,500 Black officers in the city, objected to the endorsement and had previously called Trump an ”outrageous bigot.”
“Is this endorsement a result of the surveying of the membership of individual unions that represent police officers or is this endorsement the result of a few individuals who may stand to benefit from a so-called law and order candidate who knows nothing about the criminal justice system and is opposed to basic reforms of the system?” asked a statement from Blacks in Law Enforcement of America.
Though its leadership is overwhelmingly white, FOP claims that 30% of its membership is officers of color.
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, unlike the FOP, has called for reforms after high-profile shootings by police. The group also endorsed Adegbile’s Justice Department nomination.
Advertisement
A number of other law enforcement organizations and police chiefs condemned Trump when he urged police officers not to be “too nice” with suspects in a 2017 speech, while the FOP simply said, “The president’s off the cuff comments on policing are sometimes taken all too literally by the media and professional police critics.”
By aligning itself so closely with Trump, the FOP risks further alienating Democrats who may already be skeptical.
The FOP is currently involved in discussions with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle over legislation to reform policing. Police leaders have said they’re open to establishing national standards ― including possibly banning chokeholds ― and Rep. Karen Bass (Calif.), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus who is leading Democratic efforts ― said she recently met with FOP officials for an hour.
But FOP leadership has already come out against some bigger measures, such as establishing a national database tracking police officers who have been terminated, and ending qualified immunity ― a practice that makes it nearly impossible to sue police officers for wrongdoing.
Butler also expressed skepticism about how much the group will change.
“This is a kind of singular moment in which the politics are changing, but it could be singular in the sense that it’s also temporary ― and that when these dramatic or egregious cases of police violence against Black men aren’t on the front page every day, then the politics will revert back,” he said.
Advertisement
“And to the extent that this moment of reform comes and goes ― as other moments of reform have come and gone ― what’s been consistent is the FOP and other police unions standing in the way of racial justice, standing in the way of police accountability and transparency,” he added.
But Democratic politicians are increasingly having conversations and giving second thoughts about how reflexively they want to be seen as being on the side of law enforcement. And it seems possible that FOP’s tactics are getting more attention, with more people aware of the need for a strong government regulator looking out for civil rights.
After all, the first major challenge that came up for the civil rights division at the Department of Justice after Adegbile’s nomination failed was the case of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old Black man shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Issues Dire Election Warning To Donald Trump

President Donald Trump is headed “ for what could be an historic repudiation that would take the Republican Senate down with him , ” the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal warned in a column Thursday .
The conservative newspaper ’ s board said Trump had “ reverted to his worst form ” just four months before the 2020 election , and that he had “ no second-term agenda , or even a message beyond four more years of himself ” with “ little time to recover.
” Trump had “ all but given up even talking about ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 125,000 people nationwide , the board said .
His “ default now is defensive self-congratulation.
” The board did claim that the president ’ s “ record fighting the coronavirus is better than his critics claim after a bad start in late February and March.
” It also took a swipe at Trump ’ s likely election rival , saying that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ’ s “ only real message is that he ’ s not Donald Trump.
” But “ millions of Americans are close to deciding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than they can stand , ” said the board , which in recent weeks has attacked Trump over his haphazard coronavirus task force briefings and his attempted smearing of MSNBC ’ s Joe Scarborough .
The editorial also suggested that Trump “ lacks the self-awareness and discipline ” to campaign on an agenda of resurrecting the economy following the pandemic .
“ He may be so thrown off by his falling polls that he simply can ’ t do it , ” the board concluded .
“ If that ’ s true he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a defeat that will reward all of those who schemed against him in 2016 .
Worse , he will have let down the 63 million Americans who sent him to the White House by losing , of all people , to ‘ Sleepy Joe .
’ ”

LOADING ERROR LOADING
President Donald Trump is headed “for what could be an historic repudiation that would take the Republican Senate down with him,” the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal warned in a column Thursday.
The conservative newspaper’s board said Trump had “reverted to his worst form” just four months before the 2020 election, and that he had “no second-term agenda, or even a message beyond four more years of himself” with “little time to recover.”
Advertisement
Trump had “all but given up even talking about” the coronavirus pandemic that has now killed more than 125,000 people nationwide, the board said. His “default now is defensive self-congratulation.”
The board did claim that the president’s “record fighting the coronavirus is better than his critics claim after a bad start in late February and March.” It also took a swipe at Trump’s likely election rival, saying that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s “only real message is that he’s not Donald Trump.”
But “millions of Americans are close to deciding that four more years are more risk than they can stand,” said the board, which in recent weeks has attacked Trump over his haphazard coronavirus task force briefings and his attempted smearing of MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough.
The editorial also suggested that Trump “lacks the self-awareness and discipline” to campaign on an agenda of resurrecting the economy following the pandemic.
Advertisement


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Jim Carrey Paints A Morbid Picture Of Donald Trump’s MAGA Rallies

President Donald Trump delivers a rally speech to headstones in a graveyard in actor Jim Carrey ’ s new artwork @ @ @ @ @ star joined the chorus of criticism being hurled at the president for pressing ahead with @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic in his latest anti-Trump piece shared online Thursday .
Trump , ignoring admonitions @ @ @ @ @ spoke at indoor rallies in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on Saturday , and in Phoenix @ @ @ @ @ this week saw record surges in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and some , including Texas @ @ @ @ @ plans to further loosen lockdown restrictions .

By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Trevor Noah's Answer To Wanna-Be-Woke Questions From White Pals: Blacklexa

It ’ s great when white people want to learn how to be a “ better ally ” in the fight for racial justice .
But , according to Trevor Noah , it ’ s also exhausting because the person that most white people turn to is their one Black friend .
“ The Daily Show ” host has come up with a humorous solution to this problem : Blacklexa ( “ helping your white friends so you don ’ t have to ” ) .
Blacklexa is a parody gadget that ’ s programmed to “ absorb all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but painfully white pals.
” “ Hey Blacklexa , I want to go to a protest but I don ’ t know how to chant , ” a white guy says in the promo .
“ No problem .
Let ’ s practice , ” Blacklexa replies .
“ After I say ‘ no justice , ’ you say ‘ no peace.
’ No justice ... ” “ No bees !
I ’ m sorry , what is it ?
I ’ m sorry.
” Check out Blacklexa in the video above .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

It’s great when white people want to learn how to be a “better ally” in the fight for racial justice. But, according to Trevor Noah, it’s also exhausting because the person that most white people turn to is their one Black friend.
“The Daily Show” host has come up with a humorous solution to this problem: Blacklexa (“helping your white friends so you don’t have to”).
Advertisement
Blacklexa is a parody gadget that’s programmed to “absorb all the emotional labor of helping your well-meaning, but painfully white pals.”
“Hey Blacklexa, I want to go to a protest but I don’t know how to chant,” a white guy says in the promo.
“No problem. Let’s practice,” Blacklexa replies. “After I say ‘no justice,’ you say ‘no peace.’ No justice ...”
“No bees! I’m sorry, what is it? I’m sorry.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--Reporter Flames Pence For Trump Campaign's COVID-19 Safety Hypocrisy

A reporter Friday challenged Vice President Mike Pence on the hypocrisy of Donald Trump ’ s reelection campaign ignoring COVID-19 safety precautions that have been recommended to the public by the White House ’ s own health experts .
Paula Reid of CBS News asked Pence at the White House coronavirus press conference how the Trump campaign is not “ part of the problem ” when no one wears masks or practices safe social distancing to help curb the spread of COVID-19 — nor apparently cares if its supporters follow suit .
“ It really sounds as if you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say , not as we do , ’ ” said Reid .
“ You ’ re telling people to listen to local officials , but in Tulsa , you defied local officials to have an event ” that resulted in “ dozens of Secret Service agents , dozens of campaign staffers now quarantined because of positive results.
” She also pointed out that Trump “ packed ” a church in Arizona , “ one of the hardest-hit states , ” with young people who were not wearing masks .
“ How can you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problem ?
” Pence responded : “ I want to remind you again that free speech and the right to peacefully assemble is enshrined in the Constitution ” — even though wearing a mask and following social distancing guidelines do not prohibit free speech .
“ Even in a health crisis , the American people don ’ t forfeit our constitutional rights.
” The nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , Dr. Anthony Fauci , said at the briefing just minutes earlier that Americans have a “ societal responsibility ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He said people can “ be either part of the solution or part of a problem.
” Dr. Anthony Fauci : `` You have an individual responsibility to yourself , but you have a societal responsibility ... We can either be part of the solution or part of the problem ... the only way we 're going to end it is by ending it together . ''
Full video here : https : //t.co/iIiEuH5wqa pic.twitter.com/OJf9UY0HZC — CSPAN ( @ cspan ) June 26 , 2020 Pence cut questions short after he was challenged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the U.S. has “ flattened the curve ” in COVID-19 cases .
He made the claim even as the nation chalked up a record number of new cases — 40,000 — in a single day , with Florida and Texas leading the way with their own records .
Globally , nearly 1 million people have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus .
In the U.S. , there have been nearly 2.5 million cases so far and about 125,000 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University .
As the task force officials filed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he thought these “ massive rallies are OK. ” He didn ’ t have an opportunity to answer .
But Fauci said in an interview earlier this month that he would not attend the June 20 rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , because of the risk of contracting COVID-19 .
He also reportedly warned White House officials that large gatherings like campaign rallies posed a danger .

A reporter Friday challenged Vice President Mike Pence on the hypocrisy of Donald Trump’s re-election campaign ignoring COVID-19 safety precautions that have been recommended to the public by the White House’s own health experts.
Paula Reid of CBS News asked Pence at the White House coronavirus press conference how the Trump campaign is not “part of the problem” when no one wears masks or practices safe social distancing to help curb the spread of COVID-19 — nor apparently cares if its supporters follow suit.
Advertisement
“It really sounds as if you’re saying, ‘Do as we say, not as we do,’” Reid said. “You’re telling people to listen to local officials, but in Tulsa, you defied local officials to have an event” that resulted in “dozens of Secret Service agents, dozens of campaign staffers now quarantined because of positive results.”
She also pointed out that Trump “packed” a church in Arizona, “one of the hardest-hit states,” with young people who were not wearing masks. “How can you say the campaign is not part of the problem?”
Pence responded: “I want to remind you again that free speech and the right to peacefully assemble is enshrined in the Constitution” — even though wearing a mask and following social distancing guidelines do not prohibit free speech. “Even in a health crisis, the American people don’t forfeit our constitutional rights.”
The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said at the briefing just minutes earlier that Americans have a “societal responsibility” to help stem the spread of COVID-19. He said people can “be either part of the solution or part of a problem.”
Advertisement
In congressional testimony Tuesday, Fauci called masks, hand-washing and social distancing the most “powerful weapons” against the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: "You have an individual responsibility to yourself, but you have a societal responsibility...We can either be part of the solution or part of the problem...the only way we're going to end it is by ending it together."
Full video here: https://t.co/iIiEuH5wqa pic.twitter.com/OJf9UY0HZC — CSPAN (@cspan) June 26, 2020
Pence cut questions short after he was challenged on other points, including his insistence that the U.S. has “flattened the curve” in COVID-19 cases. He made the claim even as the nation chalked up a record number of new cases — 40,000 — in a single day, with Florida and Texas leading the way with their own records. Globally, nearly 10 million people have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus. In the U.S., there have been nearly 2.5 million cases so far and about 125,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
As the task force officials filed out Friday, someone asked Fauci if he thought these “massive rallies are OK.” He didn’t have an opportunity to answer.
But Fauci said in an interview earlier this month that he would not attend the June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, because of the risk of contracting COVID-19. He also reportedly warned White House officials that large gatherings like campaign rallies posed a danger.
Advertisement
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated the number of people who are confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide. It is nearly 10 million, not nearly 1 million.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-06-26--California Governor Calls On County With COVID-19 Surge To Shut Back Down

California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ( D ) issued a warning Friday to one county facing a surge of new COVID-19 cases : Put your social distancing orders back into effect , or I ’ ll do it for you .
Imperial County , in rural Southern California , just reported a seven-day average coronavirus test positivity rate of 23 % compared to the statewide rate of 5.7 % .
“ We obviously are at a point now where the impacts on surrounding counties and the impact on public health within the county is such that we believe it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said of Imperial County , which is just east of San Diego along the U.S.-Mexico border .
“ We ’ re now in a position where we are working with county officials and advising them to pull back and once again reinstitute their stay-at-home orders , ” Newsom said , adding , “ If they ’ re not able to come to some consensus , I am committed to intervening.
” With an average case rate of 680 per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks , Imperial County has nearly seven times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for relaxing any social distancing orders , including business closures and limits on group gatherings .
The dire situation has forced hospitals in the county to transfer more than 500 patients to hospitals in other counties over the past five weeks , Newsom said .
The governor ’ s warning comes as cases are rising statewide .
While state health officials initially said the uptick was mostly linked to increased testing , experts are now saying the increase to nearly 200,000 cases can ’ t be attributed to testing alone .
Newsom , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how much counties may reopen but empowered local leaders to set stricter policies , said Friday he doesn ’ t plan to change his current approach .
“ California is not one-size-fits-all , ” he said .
While statewide limits remain on mass gatherings and events , Newsom has given most businesses permission to reopen .
Imperial County is among those that have allowed retailers , malls and places of worship to reopen with modifications .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) issued a warning Friday to one county facing a surge of new COVID-19 cases: Put your social distancing orders back into effect, or I’ll do it for you.
Imperial County, in rural Southern California, just reported a seven-day average coronavirus test positivity rate of 23% compared to the statewide rate of 5.7%.
Advertisement
“We obviously are at a point now where the impacts on surrounding counties and the impact on public health within the county is such that we believe it is time to dial back,” Newsom said of Imperial County, which is just east of San Diego along the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We’re now in a position where we are working with county officials and advising them to pull back and once again reinstitute their stay-at-home orders,” Newsom said, adding, “If they’re not able to come to some consensus, I am committed to intervening.”
With an average case rate of 680 per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks, Imperial County has nearly seven times the case threshold the state considers safe for relaxing any social distancing orders, including business closures and limits on group gatherings. The dire situation has forced hospitals in the county to transfer more than 500 patients to hospitals in other counties over the past five weeks, Newsom said.
The governor’s warning comes as cases are rising statewide. While state health officials initially said the uptick was mostly linked to increased testing, experts are now saying the increase to nearly 200,000 cases can’t be attributed to testing alone.
Advertisement
Newsom, who’s set generous limits on how much counties may reopen but empowered local leaders to set stricter policies, said Friday he doesn’t plan to change his current approach. “California is not one-size-fits-all,” he said.
While statewide limits remain on mass gatherings and events, Newsom has given most businesses permission to reopen. Imperial County is among those that have allowed retailers, malls and places of worship to reopen with modifications.