thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Coronavirus Live Updates: Scientists Will Urge WHO To Take Airborne Spread More Seriously

HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and its effects .
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below .
( To see the latest updates , you may need to refresh the page .
All times are Eastern .
For earlier updates on the pandemic , go here . )
As COVID-19 Cases Surge , Fauci Says U.S. Is Still ‘ Knee-Deep ’ In First Wave — 7/6/20 , 10:00 p.m. Dr. Anthony Fauci , the top infectious disease expert in the U.S. , said Monday that the country is in a “ serious situation ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surges in certain parts of the country .
During a live interview streamed on Facebook , Fauci noted that the U.S. is “ still knee-deep in the first wave ” of the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ I would say this would not be considered a wave .
It was a surge , or resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline ... that really never got down to where we wanted to go , ” Fauci told National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins .
“ If you look at the graphs from Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an entity , it went up , and then came down to baseline , ” he added .
“ We went up , never came down to baseline , and now we ’ re surging back up .
So it ’ s a serious situation that we have to address immediately.
” Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Monday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 .
“ COVID-19 has literally hit home , ” she tweeted Monday evening .
“ I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.
” Her infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experiencing an increase in coronavirus cases across the state .
Last week , Georgia had its highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day , hitting more than 3,000 cases within a 24-hour period between July 1 and July 2 .
Fulton County , which includes Atlanta , has reported more than 8,800 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic .
West Virginia Gov .
Jim Justice ( R ) said Monday that he planned to sign an executive order requiring everyone over the age of 9 to wear a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
He said the order would go into effect at midnight .
Justice said positive cases in the state now exceed 3 % .
“ If we don ’ t do this and do this now , we ’ re going to be in a world of hurt , ” he said .
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez on Monday reversed course and signed an emergency order closing restaurants ( except for takeout and delivery ) , ballrooms , banquet facilities , party venues , gyms and short-term rentals .
For now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he vowed to close beaches and pools “ if we see crowding and people not following the public health rules , ” including wearing masks and maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from other people .
“ We are still tracking the spike in the number of cases involving 18- to 34-year-olds that began in mid-June , ” Giménez said , “ which the County ’ s medical experts say was caused by a number of factors , including young people going to congested places — indoors and outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masks and practicing social distancing.
” The order goes into effect Wednesday .
Vast Majority ‘ Do The Right Thing ’ As UK Pubs Reopen After 15 Weeks — 7/06/20 , 7:50 a.m .
ET Most people who went out on so-called Super Saturday as coronavirus restrictions were eased in England “ acted responsibly , ” the U.K. health secretary has said .
Matt Hancock said most people were “ doing the right thing ” as pubs , restaurants , cafes and other venues reopened for the first time in three months , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s efforts to restart the economy .
But it came after the chairman of the Police Federation said it was “ crystal clear ” that drunk people are unable to follow the 1 meter-plus social distancing rules amid images of streets packed with drinkers in Soho , London .
Many establishments chose to remain closed Saturday , and those that did open offered customers a very different pub experience , with staff decked out in gloves and face masks , plastic screens installed above bars and tables spaced at least one meter apart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tables in advance and order drinks via a smartphone app , in order to control crowds and reduce face-to-face contact with staff .
The death toll in Britain from confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 22 to 44,220 on Sunday , the third-highest in the world .
Australia Closes Key State Border For First Time In 100 Years — 7/06/20 , 7:05 a.m .
ET The border between Australia ’ s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period after a fresh spike in coronavirus cases .
The decision marks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years , with officials last blocking movement between the two states in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic .
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Victorian capital Melbourne has surged in recent days , prompting authorities to enforce strict social distancing orders in 30 suburbs and put nine public housing towers into lockdown .
Victoria reported 127 new COVID-19 infections overnight , its biggest one-day spike since the pandemic began .
It also reported one death , the first nationally in more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s total tally to 105 .
Egypt Arrests Doctors , Journalists Who Criticize President ’ s Handling Of Outbreak — 7/6/2020 , 6 a.m .
ET At least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested over criticism of the Egyptian government ’ s handling of the outbreak since the coronavirus first hit Egypt in February , the Associated Press reports .
Other health workers say they have been told to keep quiet or face punishment .
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has described critics of the government ’ s handling of the crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of Monday , Egypt has recorded 76,253 infections , including 3,343 deaths — the highest death toll in the Arab world .
Scientists Will Urge WHO To Take Airborne Spread Of Virus More Seriously — 7/6/2020 , 3:40 a.m .
ET A group of 239 scientists plans to urge the World Health Organization to more seriously consider the threat that the novel coronavirus may be spread by microscopic particles in the air , The New York Times reported this weekend .
In an open letter set to be published later this week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing evidence that tiny aerosols can linger in the air indoors and result in new infections .
WHO has maintained that the virus spreads mainly through larger respiratory droplets or contact and has primarily urged people to wash their hands and socially distance to prevent infection .
If airborne transmissions present a significant threat , it could dramatically impact safety guidelines , meaning people could need to wear masks inside areas with poor ventilation among other measures .
At Least 121 University Of Washington Students Test Positive In ‘ Greek Row ’ Outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Seattle ’ s University of Washington said this weekend at least 121 students that live in fraternity houses near the college have tested positive for the coronavirus in what officials described as a “ Greek Row outbreak.
” The surge in cases near the university was first announced on June 30 .
Residents of at least 15 of the school ’ s 25 fraternity houses have tested positive and the system houses about 1,000 students .
The houses are independent organizations and are not run by the school .
The University of Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September using a hybrid model of teaching , but the outbreak reflects the difficulty some schools may have as the pandemic continues to surge around the nation .
New Jersey Governor Calls For Nationwide Mask Requirement — 7/5/20 , 2:47 p , m .
ET New Jersey Gov .
Phil Murphy ( D ) suggested that a nationwide mask requirement be enacted as people emerge from their homes during the summer months .
“ It ’ s become almost not even debatable , ” Murphy told NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re leaving your house , put on a mask .
I think it ought to be a national ... requirement.
” New Jersey is in its second stage of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic .
In June , the state began allowing restaurants to resume outdoor dining and stores to open again .
In July , casinos were allowed to open , and gyms were allowed to operate with outdoor spaces or by appointments indoors .
All people are required to wear masks when shopping indoors .
“ This thing is lethal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enormous price , ” Murphy said of the coronavirus outbreak in the state .
“ We went through hell .
We can not go through hell again .
We need a national strategy right now , and masking has to be at the core of that.
” The governor reported 303 new coronavirus cases in the state and 25 additional deaths .
So far , New Jersey has seen 173,033 cases since the start of the pandemic .
For more on the pandemic , go here .

HuffPost reporters around the world are tracking the pandemic and its effects.
Read the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic below. (To see the latest updates, you may need to refresh the page. All times are Eastern. For earlier updates on the pandemic, go here.)
Boris Johnson Accused Of ‘Trumpian’ Response To UK Care Home Row — 7/08/20, 7:45 a.m.
A charity boss who went viral for his attack on U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “cowardly” criticism of care homes has hit out at Downing Street’s “Trumpian” response and refusal to apologize.
Mark Adams, who oversees a workforce of 6,500 staff helping people with dementia and learning difficulties, spoke out after Johnson’s spokesman tried to suggest the prime minister was not apportioning blame when he said, “Too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have.”
The row, which has dominated British politics this week, has seen Johnson blasted for a string of government failures in the pandemic. Adams told HuffPost UK that the government’s move to clarify Johnson’s remarks felt like an attempt to “bluff” his way through the controversy.
He added that Johnson response echoed Donald Trump’s denial of statements he himself had made, which were easily provable. “I think we’ve had numerous examples of kind of Trumpian revisions of history. I mean it’s normally been other ministers standing up at [the] five o’clock [government press conference] patting themselves on the back for a job well done,” he said.
The U.K. death toll stands at 44,391, the third-highest in the world. Read more
— Paul Waugh
Millions Of Australians Head Back In Back Into Lockdown Amid Melbourne Outbreak — 7/08/2020, 7:30 a.m.
Five million Australians face a heavy police clampdown from midnight on Wednesday to contain a flare-up of coronavirus cases, with checkpoints to be set up around Melbourne to ensure people stay at home.
Police said they would conduct random checks of vehicles on major roads surrounding the country’s second-most populous city, creating a “ring of steel” as partial lockdowns are reinstated for six weeks to stem a surge in infections.
Melburnians will be allowed to leave home only for essential business for the next six weeks. Cafes, bars, restaurants and gyms will shut again.
The renewed lockdown follows the closure of the country’s busiest border, between Victoria and Australia’s most populous state New South Wales, on Tuesday night.
Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state, which reported 134 new infections on Wednesday, down from the previous day’s record 191 but well over the low single-digit daily increases elsewhere in the country.
Nationwide, Australia has reported about 9,000 COVID-19 cases and 106 deaths from the virus.
— Reuters
6 Dead, 1,500 Infected As Virus Ravages California’s San Quentin Prison — 7/8/2020, 4:50 a.m.
As of Tuesday, 1,369 people incarcerated at California’s San Quentin Prison and 184 staffers had tested positive for the coronavirus, and six inmates have died, per the state’s tracking tool, in an outbreak that has grown devastating in recent weeks.
Advocates have urged Gov. Gavin Newsom to release more prisoners in response. Last week, 20 inmates went on hunger strike to protest its inhumane conditions including dirty, cramped cells.
There have been more than 5,000 coronavirus cases among California’s prison system and 29 inmates have died. Read more
— Sarah Ruiz-Grossman
Trump Promises To Pressure Governors To Reopen Schools In Fall – 7/07/20, 10:00 p.m.
President Donald Trump vowed to pressure states and local governments to open schools in the fall, despite the recent surge in coronavirus cases nationwide. At a White House roundtable to discuss fall plans for public schools, Trump claimed, without proof, that some schools were staying closed for political reasons.
“They think it’s going to be good for them politically, so they keep the schools closed,” Trump said of local leaders. “No way. We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.”
The president also claimed that “everybody” wanted schools to open in-person classes for the fall.
“We want to reopen the schools,” Trump said. “Everybody wants it. The moms want it, the dads want it, the kids want it. It’s time to do it.”
Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, a prominent education union, decried Trump’s promise to pressure local leaders to open schools and called for safer measures in an interview with The Associated Press.
“Trump has proven to be incapable of grasping that people are dying — that more than 130,000 Americans have already died,” García told the AP. “Educators want nothing more than to be back in classrooms and on college campuses with our students, but we must do it in a way that keeps students, educators and communities safe.”
– Carla Russo
Months Into Pandemic, Several States Continue To Struggle Administering Coronavirus Tests — 7/07/20, 1:07 p.m. ET
Several months since the first coronavirus case was diagnosed in the U.S., multiple states are still having trouble administering coronavirus tests to all who want them, kneecapping efforts to slow the spread of the virus. In numerous states seeing spikes in cases and hospitalizations — including Arizona and Texas — some people have reported waiting in miles-long lines for hours to receive drive-thru testing.
Just weeks after Donald Trump told attendees at a rally he asked officials in his administration to “slow the testing down,” the faltering testing systems in Arizona and Texas, as well as in Louisiana and Florida, demonstrates the wide gap between Americans’ lived experiences and the White House’s lax approach to the pandemic.
In Arizona and Texas, in particular, several people wanting to get tested have reported using up their gas tanks spending hours in drive-thru lines. In Florida, a test site spokesman recently said the state is “asking people to have plenty of gas and make sure the air conditioning is working and make sure your windows can fully open and close because if not, they can’t perform a test on you.”
On Sunday, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said the Federal Emergency Management Agency told her they’ve “moved away” from assisting communities with testing after she requested help administering tests in her city, which leads the country in the number of new coronavirus cases per capita.
“We’ve asked FEMA if they could come and do community-based testing here,” Gallego said. “We were told they’re moving away from that, which feels like they’re declaring victory while we’re still in crisis mode.”
— Ja’han Jones
Brazil’s Bolsonaro Tests Positive For Coronavirus — 7/07/20, 11:30 a.m. ET
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for the coronavirus after spending months flouting public health guidelines and dismissing the threat posed by a pandemic that has killed more than half a million people worldwide.
Bolsonaro, 65, said Monday that he had been tested for the virus and that an exam had showed his lungs were “clean.” Bolsonaro told reporters Tuesday that his test results came back positive, CNN Brazil reported.
The Brazilian president has long been dismissive of the virus even as hundreds of thousands of people in his country have tested positive.
Bolsonaro was tested at least three times for the virus in March after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, and all those tests came back negative. More than 1.6 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Brazil, and at least 65,000 people have died there. Only the U.S. has more cases and more deaths.
— Nick Visser
Quarantined Melbourne Tower Block Residents Demand Relief — 7/07/20, 11:10 a.m. ET
Thousands of residents in nine public housing towers in Melbourne, Australia, say they are struggling to obtain food and other support from the government after being placed on “hard lockdown.”
Under the hastily imposed restrictions, the harshest in the country so far, the buildings’ 3,000 residents, many from low-income, immigrant communities, have been banned from leaving their homes for any reason.
The draconian measures were put in place on Saturday when more than 500 armed police officers surrounded the towers in Australia’s second largest city, after a number of residents tested positive for the coronavirus.
After largely bringing the coronavirus pandemic under control, the virus has surged back in Australia in recent days, forcing authorities to reimpose a six-week stay-at-home order in Melbourne and one regional area in the state of Victoria.
On Tuesday, 199 new cases were reported nationally, the biggest one-day rise since early April. Victoria was responsible for 191 of those cases — many of them in Melbourne.
The state line between New South Wales and Victoria is due to close at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday for the first time in 100 years.
— James Martin
Spanish Antibody Study Casts Doubt Over Herd Immunity — 7/7/20, 6:30 a.m. ET
Results from a nationwide antibody study show just 5.2% of Spain’s population has been exposed to the coronavirus, health officials said Monday.
The study, which tested nearly 70,000 people across Spain three times over the past three months, found the virus’ prevalence had not altered significantly since preliminary results were published in May.
The results show that so-called herd immunity is unlikely even in hardest-hit countries, with 70% to 90% of a population needing to be immune from an illness.
The study also suggested that immunity to the virus can be short-lived, with 14% of participants who tested positive for antibodies in the first stage subsequently testing negative in the last stage.
“Immunity can be incomplete, it can be transitory, it can last for just a short time and then disappear,” said Dr. Raquel Yotti, director of Spain’s Carlos III Health Institute, which co-led the study.
HuffPost Spain reported (in Spanish) that the loss of antibodies was more frequent in people who had not had any symptoms. The data also showed that among healthcare workers the prevalence rate of antibodies was 10%.
Spain has gradually lifted restrictions from May as the death rate has fallen, however the regions of Galicia and Catalonia imposed local lockdowns over the weekend, isolating some 270,000 people after small-scale outbreaks were detected.
— James Martin
As COVID-19 Cases Surge, Fauci Says U.S. Is Still ‘Knee-Deep’ In First Wave — 7/6/20, 10:00 p.m.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., said Monday that the country is in a “serious situation” that needs immediate attention as the coronavirus surges in certain parts of the country.
During a live interview streamed on Facebook, Fauci noted that the U.S. is “still knee-deep in the first wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I would say this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge, or resurgence of infections superimposed upon a baseline ... that really never got down to where we wanted to go,” Fauci told National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins.
“If you look at the graphs from Europe — Europe, the European Union as an entity, it went up, and then came down to baseline,” he added.
“We went up, never came down to baseline, and now we’re surging back up. So it’s a serious situation that we have to address immediately.”
— Carla Russo
Atlanta Mayor Tests Positive For Coronavirus After July 4th Weekend ― 7/6/20, 7:15 p.m.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced Monday that she had tested positive for COVID-19. “COVID-19 has literally hit home,” she tweeted Monday evening. “I have had NO symptoms and have tested positive.”
Her infection comes at a time when Georgia is experiencing an increase in coronavirus cases across the state. Last week, Georgia had its highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day, hitting more than 3,000 cases within a 24-hour period between July 1 and July 2.
Fulton County, which includes Atlanta, has reported more than 8,800 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
— Carla Russo
West Virginia To Require Face Coverings Indoors ― 7/6/20, 1:05 p.m. ET
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said Monday that he planned to sign an executive order requiring everyone over the age of 9 to wear a mask indoors when social distancing is not possible. He said the order would go into effect at midnight.
Justice said positive cases in the state now exceed 3%.
“If we don’t do this and do this now, we’re going to be in a world of hurt,” he said.
— Paige Lavender
Miami-Dade County Rolls Back Business Openings Amid COVID-19 Surge ― 7/6/20, 11:30 a.m. ET
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez on Monday reversed course and signed an emergency order closing restaurants (except for takeout and delivery), ballrooms, banquet facilities, party venues, gyms and short-term rentals.
For now, Giménez is leaving outdoor activities untouched. But he vowed to close beaches and pools “if we see crowding and people not following the public health rules,” including wearing masks and maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from other people.
“We are still tracking the spike in the number of cases involving 18- to 34-year-olds that began in mid-June,” Giménez said, “which the County’s medical experts say was caused by a number of factors, including young people going to congested places — indoors and outside — without taking precautions such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing.”
The order goes into effect Wednesday.
― Ryan Grenoble
Vast Majority ‘Do The Right Thing’ As UK Pubs Reopen After 15 Weeks — 7/06/20, 7:50 a.m. ET
Most people who went out on so-called Super Saturday as coronavirus restrictions were eased in England “acted responsibly,” the U.K. health secretary has said.
Matt Hancock said most people were “doing the right thing” as pubs, restaurants, cafes and other venues reopened for the first time in three months, marking a major milestone in Britain’s efforts to restart the economy.
But it came after the chairman of the Police Federation said it was “crystal clear” that drunk people are unable to follow the 1 meter-plus social distancing rules amid images of streets packed with drinkers in Soho, London.
Many establishments chose to remain closed Saturday, and those that did open offered customers a very different pub experience, with staff decked out in gloves and face masks, plastic screens installed above bars and tables spaced at least one meter apart.
Some pubs required patrons to book tables in advance and order drinks via a smartphone app, in order to control crowds and reduce face-to-face contact with staff.
The death toll in Britain from confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 22 to 44,220 on Sunday, the third-highest in the world.
Read more here.
— James Martin
Australia Closes Key State Border For First Time In 100 Years — 7/06/20, 7:05 a.m. ET
The border between Australia’s two most populous states will close from Tuesday for an indefinite period after a fresh spike in coronavirus cases.
The decision marks the first time the border between Victoria and New South Wales has been shut in 100 years, with officials last blocking movement between the two states in 1919 during the Spanish flu pandemic.
The number of COVID-19 cases in the Victorian capital Melbourne has surged in recent days, prompting authorities to enforce strict social distancing orders in 30 suburbs and put nine public housing towers into lockdown.
Victoria reported 127 new COVID-19 infections overnight, its biggest one-day spike since the pandemic began. It also reported one death, the first nationally in more than two weeks, taking the country’s total tally to 105.
Read more here.
— James Martin
Egypt Arrests Doctors, Journalists Who Criticize President’s Handling Of Outbreak — 7/6/2020, 6 a.m. ET
At least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested over criticism of the Egyptian government’s handling of the outbreak since the coronavirus first hit Egypt in February, the Associated Press reports. Other health workers say they have been told to keep quiet or face punishment.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has described critics of the government’s handling of the crisis as “enemies of the state.” As of Monday, Egypt has recorded 76,253 infections, including 3,343 deaths — the highest death toll in the Arab world.
Read more here.
— Liza Hearon
Scientists Will Urge WHO To Take Airborne Spread Of Virus More Seriously — 7/6/2020, 3:40 a.m. ET
A group of 239 scientists plans to urge the World Health Organization to more seriously consider the threat that the novel coronavirus may be spread by microscopic particles in the air, The New York Times reported this weekend.
In an open letter set to be published later this week, the international coalition will warn of growing evidence that tiny aerosols can linger in the air indoors and result in new infections. WHO has maintained that the virus spreads mainly through larger respiratory droplets or contact and has primarily urged people to wash their hands and socially distance to prevent infection.
If airborne transmissions present a significant threat, it could dramatically impact safety guidelines, meaning people could need to wear masks inside areas with poor ventilation among other measures.
— Nick Visser
At Least 121 University Of Washington Students Test Positive In ‘Greek Row’ Outbreak — 7/6/2020, 3:30 a.m. ET
Seattle’s University of Washington said this weekend at least 121 students that live in fraternity houses near the college have tested positive for the coronavirus in what officials described as a “Greek Row outbreak.”
The surge in cases near the university was first announced on June 30. Residents of at least 15 of the school’s 25 fraternity houses have tested positive and the system houses about 1,000 students. The houses are independent organizations and are not run by the school.
The University of Washington plans to reopen by the end of September using a hybrid model of teaching, but the outbreak reflects the difficulty some schools may have as the pandemic continues to surge around the nation.
— Nick Visser
New Jersey Governor Calls For Nationwide Mask Requirement — 7/5/20, 2:47 p,m. ET
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) suggested that a nationwide mask requirement be enacted as people emerge from their homes during the summer months.
“It’s become almost not even debatable,” Murphy told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “If you’re leaving your house, put on a mask. I think it ought to be a national ... requirement.”
New Jersey is in its second stage of reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June, the state began allowing restaurants to resume outdoor dining and stores to open again. In July, casinos were allowed to open, and gyms were allowed to operate with outdoor spaces or by appointments indoors. All people are required to wear masks when shopping indoors.
“This thing is lethal. New Jersey’s paid an enormous price,” Murphy said of the coronavirus outbreak in the state. “We went through hell. We cannot go through hell again. We need a national strategy right now, and masking has to be at the core of that.”
The governor reported 303 new coronavirus cases in the state and 25 additional deaths. So far, New Jersey has seen 173,033 cases since the start of the pandemic.
— Carla Russo
For more on the pandemic, go here.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Donald Trump Attacks NASCAR Driver Bubba Wallace For Noose 'Hoax'

“ I don ’ t think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize for , ” Graham told Fox News host @ @ @ @ @ program .
“ Even though it was a noose created to hold a door open @ @ @ @ @ live , there ’ s a lot of anxiety .
You saw the best in @ @ @ @ @ to Bubba ’ s side .
I would be looking to celebrate that kind of @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s a hoax.
” Wallace finished ninth on Sunday in a NASCAR event @ @ @ @ @ .

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President Donald Trump inexplicably asked NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace on Monday to apologize to other drivers for a “hoax” after a noose was found in his racetrack garage.
The FBI determined last month that Wallace, who is Black and successfully lobbied NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag from its events, was not targeted for a racist attack, after a crew member found the noose hanging from a garage handle at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway.
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Investigators said the noose had been there since at least October ― before Wallace was using the stall ― and that it was used to pull the garage door down.
However, authorities made no accusations about a “hoax,” and Wallace had to defend himself against such baseless claims.
But that didn’t stop the president from attacking the driver.
“Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX?” Trump tweeted. “That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!”
Has @BubbaWallace apologized to all of those great NASCAR drivers & officials who came to his aid, stood by his side, & were willing to sacrifice everything for him, only to find out that the whole thing was just another HOAX? That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
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At the end of last month, NASCAR noted that it was the only garage-door pull-down that looks like a noose at its racetracks.
“The noose was real, as was our concern for Bubba,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said. “Based on the evidence we had, we thought our drivers — that one of our drivers had been threatened, a driver who had been extremely courageous in recent words and actions. It’s our responsibility to react and investigate, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Wallace responded to the president’s tweet on Monday afternoon, calling on “the next generation and little ones following my foot steps” to “always deal with the hate being thrown at you with LOVE.”
To the next generation and little ones following my foot steps..#LoveWins pic.twitter.com/tVaV3pkdLe — Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) July 6, 2020
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s top allies on Capitol Hill, disagreed with the president.
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“I don’t think Bubba Wallace has anything to apologize for,” Graham told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade on his radio program. “Even though it was a noose created to hold a door open, in the times we live, there’s a lot of anxiety. You saw the best in NASCAR. They all rallied to Bubba’s side. I would be looking to celebrate that kind of attitude rather than being worried it’s a hoax.” Wallace finished ninth on Sunday in a NASCAR event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
NASCAR TV ratings, incidentally, increased dramatically right after the flag ban was announced, the Tampa Bay Times reported.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Trump's Leadership Is Tested In Time Of Fear, Pandemic

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Not long after noon on Feb. 6, President Donald Trump strode into the elegant East Room of the White House. The night before, his impeachment trial had ended with acquittal in the Republican-controlled Senate. It was time to gloat and settle scores.
“It was evil,” Trump said of the attempt to end his presidency. “It was corrupt. It was dirty cops. It was leakers and liars.”
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It was also soon forgotten. On Feb. 6, in California, a 57-year-old woman was found dead in her home of natural causes then unknown. When her autopsy report came out, officials said her death had been the first from COVID-19 in the U.S.
The “invisible enemy” was on the move. And civil unrest over racial injustice would soon claw at the country. If that were not enough, there came a fresh round of angst over Russia, and America would ask whether Trump had the backs of troops targeted by bounty hunters in Afghanistan.
For Trump, the virus has been the most persistent of those problems. But he has not even tried to make a common health crisis the subject of national common ground and serious purpose. He has refused to wear a mask, setting off a culture war in the process as his followers took their cues from him.
Instead he spoke about preening with a mask when the cameras were off: “I had a mask on,” he said this past week. “I sort of liked the way I looked ... like the Lone Ranger.”
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These are times of pain, mass death, fear and deprivation and the Trump show may be losing its allure, exposing the empty space once filled by the empathy and seriousness of presidents leading in a crisis.
Bluster isn’t beating the virus; belligerence isn’t calming a restive nation.
Angry and scornful at every turn, Trump used the totems of Mount Rushmore as his backdrop to play on the country’s racial divisions, denouncing the “bad, evil people” behind protests for racial justice. He then made a steamy Fourth of July salute to America on the White House South Lawn his platform to assail “the radical left, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters,” and, for good measure, people with “absolutely no clue.”
“If he could change, he would,” said Cal Jillson, a presidential scholar at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “It’s not helping him now. It’s just nonstop. It is habitual and incurable. He is who he is.”
Over three and a half years Trump exhausted much of the country, while exhilarating some of it, with his constant brawls, invented realities, outlier ways and pop-up dramas of his own making. Into summer, one could wonder whether Trump had finally exhausted even himself.
Vainglorious always, Trump recently let down that front long enough to ponder the possibility that he could lose in November, not from the fabricated voting shenanigans he likes to warn about but simply because the country may not want him after all of this.
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“Some people don’t love me,” he allowed.
“Maybe.”
___
VICTORY LAP
On Feb. 5 in the White House residence, Trump had watched all the Republican senators, save Mitt Romney of Utah, dutifully vote to acquit, ending the third impeachment trial in U.S. history.
His rambling, angry, 62-minute remarks the next day were meant to air out grievances and unofficially launch Trump’s reelection bid — with the crucible of impeachment behind him, his so-so approval ratings unharmed, Republicans unified and the economy roaring.
The president’s advisers also watched, relieved that the shadow of impeachment — which loomed first due to Russia’s U.S. election interference, then his Ukraine machinations — was now behind them, letting them focus on the reelection battle ahead.
The plan was taking shape: a post-trial barnstorming tour, rallies meant to compete with the Democratic primaries and a chance for the president to dive into the reelection fight that had animated so many of his decisions thus far in his term, according to some of the 10 current and former administration and campaign officials who requested anonymity to speak candidly for this story.
A few days earlier, the first coronavirus death outside China had been recorded, in the Philippines. Known cases of the disease in the U.S. were under a dozen. The U.S. had declared a public health emergency and restricted travel to and from China. But this was not something Trump wanted to talk about in the glow of acquittal and fog of grievance, and events had not yet forced his hand.
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The day was meant to mark a new chapter in Trump’s presidency. It did. But not the one the president and his people expected.
___
THE LONGEST DAY
Trump’s whirlwind trip to India was meant to be a celebration and in some ways was. He addressed a rally crowd of 100,000 and visited the Taj Mahal.
But in a quick talk to business people at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, he felt compelled to address the virus, which had begun rattling the foundation for his argument for another four years in office: the economy.
Fighting jet lag and anxiety about a dive in the stock market, Trump was up much of the previous night on the phone with advisers, peppering them with questions about the potential economic fallout of the outbreak, according to the officials who spoke with The Associated Press.
“We lost almost 1,000 points yesterday on the market, and that’s something,” Trump told the two dozen or so business leaders. “Things like that happen where — and you have it in your business all the time — it had nothing to do with you; it’s an outside source that nobody would have ever predicted.”
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The virus was “a problem that’s going to go away,” he said. “Our country is under control.”
But the markets fell again the next day, creating their biggest two-day slide in four years. When Trump boarded Air Force One well after sundown in India, he was in a rage about the virus and his inability to slow the market tumble with reassuring words, according to the officials.
Trump barely slept on the plane as it hurtled back to Washington overnight, landing early in the morning Feb. 26 after more than a dozen hours in the air, creating the effect of one endless day. He then quickly tore into aides about Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who had publicly predicted that the virus’ impact would be severe.
It was already too late to pretend otherwise, not that Trump stopped trying. Warning signs had been missed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed in an early attempt at a coronavirus test. Trump had refused to turn up the pressure on China for fear of alienating Xi Jinping and scuttling a trade deal.
His conventional weapons failed him. The virus doesn’t have a Twitter account.
“Trump was elected to burn down the system and entertain,” said Eric Dezenhall, a crisis-management consultant who has followed Trump’s business, TV and political careers.
“When things get terrible, people don’t want a leader to burn down the system and entertain. We actually want a system. And you can’t bully a disease, which has been his one maneuver for 74 years.”
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The president returned to the West Wing to watch the market fall yet again and told aides that, later that day, he would take the podium and preside over the coronavirus task force briefing for the first time. This would become a daily ritual for Trump to try to force his belief that the virus was under control even as infections surged and the death toll mounted.
The virus was not the only exterior event shaping his week. Three days later, Joe Biden began his remarkable political comeback by trouncing Bernie Sanders in the South Carolina Democratic primary.
Trump’s assumption that he would be running on the back of a strong economy against a socialist had been flipped on its head.
Coronavirus cases were about to soar.
___
THE BRIEFING
At an April 23 briefing that would live in infamy and make some comedy careers, Trump wasn’t really listening. By this day about 50,000 Americans had died from COVID-19.
Trump has long had trouble focusing in meetings, hearing one piece of information and often going off on tangents, frequently a memory from his time in New York real estate.
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Instead, he focused on the televised briefings and relished his jousting with reporters. He scheduled them for the late afternoon or early evening and would tell aides and confidants about the huge ratings they’d get, according to the officials.
The briefings would often stretch more than an hour, the vital health information from public health officials often drowned out by Trump’s attacks on the media and insistence that the pandemic was under control when, in late April, it decidedly was not.
Trump’s aides had already begun counseling the president to scale back or stop altogether his appearances at the briefings, nervously watching polls that found his scattershot performances were eroding support, particularly among older people, the group most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Trump refused. He told aides that his successes in politics were from dominating the stage and he was not going to give that up, particularly when his beloved campaign rallies were suspended and he couldn’t run the race against Biden that he wanted.
But in the task force meeting that April 23, Trump only somewhat heard or understood a discussion about a study detailing the use of light and disinfectants to help kill the coronavirus on surfaces.
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He then began a dialogue with William Bryan, acting head of science at the Department of Homeland Security, who said the “virus dies quickest in sunlight.” Trump had a thought or two about that.
“So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just a very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn’t been checked because of the testing,” Trump said in a helpful tone. “And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that, too.”
“Then I see the disinfectant,” he continued, even more perilously. “Knocks it out in a minute.” Perhaps an “injection inside or almost a cleaning.”
“It would be interesting to check that.”
The uproar was instantaneous, the White House’s attempted cleanup futile. Soon, the briefings would be canceled, the president surrendering his pulpit in the midst of sinking poll numbers and growing questions about his fitness for the job.
What might have worked for Trump before the pandemic stopped working as the death toll mounted and the president looked increasingly out of his element, Jillson said.
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“People would watch Trump and see the instability ... the emergencies of his own making he would then claim to have taken care of, and be mildly entertained or at least not deeply worried,” he said. But now? “A lot of that ‘Am I still amused?’ quickly gets to a ’No’ answer.
“You’re never going to come out a major natural disaster unscathed but you can mitigate the damage by an empathetic response that describes the path out of this. That’s what Trump is literally incapable of doing.”
___
THE BUNKER
The chants could be heard inside the White House residence.
George Floyd, a Black man, had died under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, igniting several nights of protests in the Twin Cities. Trump had said little about the death but was quick to denounce the violence that accompanied some of the demonstrations. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he tweeted, a threat flagged by the social media company and pilloried by Democrats because it reprised the language of a racist Miami police chief in the 1960s.
That Friday afternoon, May 29, as racial unrest now gripped the country and the virus death toll stood at more than 100,000, Trump spoke to reporters from the Rose Garden about China. He did not mention Floyd’s name.
That night, the protests reached Trump’s front yard.
Thousands of people descended on Lafayette Square, clashing with law enforcement and overwhelming the security perimeter hastily set up just a few hundred yards from the front fencing of the White House. The size and energy of the protest had caught the Secret Service off guard and Trump, along with members of his immediate family, were rushed to an underground bunker, usually used to protect presidents during possible terrorist attacks.
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The president’s tweeting continued, threatening a further crackdown against the protests, which he depicted as unlawful even though the vast majority were peaceful. When the bunker story became public, Trump reacted in a rage, screaming at aides to find the leaker, whom he deemed a traitor, and angry that it made him look weak, according to the officials. In the days that followed, Trump argued unconvincingly that he was only in the bunker to inspect it.
It was that anger — and a reflexive desire to align himself with law enforcement even when polling indicated widespread support for the protests — that led Trump to make one of the defining decisions of his term. He authorized the clearing of the square so he could walk across to the nearby “Church of the Presidents,” which was damaged during the protests, and hold up a Bible.
The photo op went terribly wrong. Democrats likened it to the actions of an authoritarian while Republicans dissociated themselves from the spectacle. Aides cast blame on each other and even Trump privately admitted that he did not expect the fierce blowback.
Trump issued an executive order directing the government to establish a national database tracking police officers who lose their jobs for misconduct and freeing grant money to improve policing practices. With these steps, Trump “turned justified anger into meaningful action,” said deputy White House press secretary Sarah Matthews.
She spoke of a “whole-of-America response to this pandemic” that let states decide when and how to reopen and ensures “the federal government will be there to support states if needed.”
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Trump’s instinct, his ability to read a moment, had long been his strength as a politician. But from the bunker to the church to his increasingly lonely defense of Confederate monuments, he appeared out of step even with many Republicans on matters of race and in denial about the ravages of COVID-19.
“In a crisis, when you lack an operational solution, all you are left with is humanity,” Dezenhall said. “This is just a situation where Trump cannot pivot because he views empathy as the equivalent of running down Pennsylvania Avenue in high heels and a tutu.”
___
THE SACRED AND THE PROFANE
The empty seats made him angry.
The rally in Tulsa was supposed to signal his comeback, the first mega campaign event since the onset of the pandemic. It was to be a show of political defiance and force in deep-red Oklahoma, reassuring nervous Republicans.
It didn’t turn out that way.
Despite campaign boasts of 1 million ticket requests, only slightly more than 6,000 people came to the indoor rally in a space holding 19,000. An overflow space went unused. Fears of the virus and protests kept many away. But the scant crowd also raised questions about whether the Trump show was wearing thin even with his supporters in red hats.
It was June 20. The virus death toll was closing in on 120,000.
The woebegone rally was part of a bet his campaign was making and still is. It’s predicated on the belief that few voters who don’t like Trump can be persuaded to swing behind him now, so success lies in motivating those who are still with him.
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The plan: First, drive up negative opinions about Biden, whom the Trump campaign believes is liked by perhaps 60% of the country, if tepidly.
Second, on the theory that a largely unwavering 40% of the country likes the president, Trump would serve up policies and rhetoric to generate enough enthusiasm to turn out that slice of the country to vote.
A key recent stop for that plan was Arizona, where Trump in 109-degree Yuma heat marked progress on the border wall central to his 2016 campaign.
Then a speech at a Phoenix megachurch, a nod to evangelicals and a group of avid young Republicans. And when Trump looked out at the rows, he saw none of the empty seats that bedeviled him in Tulsa just three days earlier.
Trump reveled in the crowd, speaking for more than 90 minutes and getting the in-person adulation he had been missing for months. He did not mention that his supporters in the church were placing themselves and others at risk by sitting close together and not wearing masks. Confirmed infections and hospitalizations in Arizona have hit daily records.
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The president boarded Air Force One in an ebullient mood, telling aides to return to scheduling rallies — perhaps in smaller venues than Tulsa, perhaps outside — that could soon again get him in front of a crowd, the officials said.
No rallies have been held since Tulsa. One is coming up Saturday in New Hampshire, to be held outside at Portsmouth’s airport. The virus has come roaring back in widespread parts of the country, pushing the death toll to about 130,000.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway acknowledged “it’s a new world” because of the pandemic and many Trump supporters won’t go to a traditional rally because it’s “high risk, low reward for them,” given that they already back the president.
Nonetheless, Trump tried to entice the masses to his July Fourth event, drawing only a scattered crowd to the National Mall for an air show and fireworks while he remained at the White House, hosting several hundred invited guests on the South Lawn.
There his angry words washed over the guests and ricocheted across the country.
The people in front of him were said to be medical and other front-line workers in the pandemic and law enforcement. But he was speaking really to his most fervent supporters around the country, tapping the divide over race and culture and making it about us versus them — the leftists, the looters and the clueless.
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He cast himself as the defender of heritage and the “American way of life.”
He wore no mask. But the Lone Ranger was riding again.
____


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Trump Has No Stance On Confederate Flag, Press Secretary Claims

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed Monday that President Donald Trump doesn ’ t have an opinion on the Confederate flag .
Just hours earlier , Trump tweeted to bemoan the flag ’ s absence at NASCAR events , saying the company ’ s decision to ban the flag was responsible for the sport ’ s “ lowest ratings ever.
” ( Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill has said NASCAR viewership is actually up 8 % since its return on May 17 . )
Asked repeatedly to explain why the president wouldn ’ t condemn the flag , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McEnany instead deflected and said Trump ’ s tweet was being mischaracterized .
In one particularly illuminating exchange , Bloomberg reporter Mario Parker asked why Trump hadn ’ t praised NASCAR for banning the flag , given “ what it represents in terms of treasonous acts and insurrection against the Republic.
” McEnany responded by criticizing the renewed national movement to remove Confederate monuments , then ― when pressed again to address the flag specifically ― said the president had nothing to say about the issue .
“ He ’ s not given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on that , ” she said .
“ I just spoke to him this morning.
” “ Let that sink in a minute , ” she tweeted after the briefing .
“ The president of the United States can ’ t say whether he supports flying a flag associated with treason and supporters of slavery.
” .
@ PressSec has said repeatedly today that Pres Trump has not taken a stance in favor of or against the Confederate flag .
Let that sink in a minute .
The president of the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a flag associated with treason and supporters of slavery .
— Yamiche Alcindor ( @ Yamiche ) July 6 , 2020 NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was also a focal point of Trump ’ s tweet earlier Monday .
Wallace , who is Black , led the successful movement to ban the Confederate flag from NASCAR events .
A noose was later found in his racetrack garage , which an FBI investigation concluded wasn ’ t part of a targeted racist attack against Wallace .
Trump baselessly called it a “ hoax ” and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drivers .
“ Love over hate every day , ” Wallace responded on Twitter .
“ Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate .
Even when it ’ s HATE from the POTUS .
”

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White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed Monday that President Donald Trump doesn’t have an opinion on the Confederate flag.
Just hours earlier, Trump tweeted to bemoan the flag’s absence at NASCAR events, saying the company’s decision to ban the flag was responsible for the sport’s “lowest ratings ever.” (Fox Sports executive Michael Mulvihill has said NASCAR viewership is actually up 8% since its return on May 17.)
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Asked repeatedly to explain why the president wouldn’t condemn the flag, a symbol of slavery and white supremacy, McEnany instead deflected and said Trump’s tweet was being mischaracterized.
In one particularly illuminating exchange, Bloomberg reporter Mario Parker asked why Trump hadn’t praised NASCAR for banning the flag, given “what it represents in terms of treasonous acts and insurrection against the Republic.”
McEnany responded by criticizing the renewed national movement to remove Confederate monuments, then ― when pressed again to address the flag specifically ― said the president had nothing to say about the issue.
“He’s not given an opinion one way or the other on that,” she said. “I just spoke to him this morning.”
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Kayleigh McEnany: "The President wants no part of cancel culture... He stands against the demonization of Americans." pic.twitter.com/13SIuiRDHO — The Hill (@thehill) July 6, 2020
The claim struck a chord with PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor.
“Let that sink in a minute,” she tweeted after the briefing. “The president of the United States can’t say whether he supports flying a flag associated with treason and supporters of slavery.”
.@PressSec has said repeatedly today that Pres Trump has not taken a stance in favor of or against the Confederate flag.
Let that sink in a minute.
The president of the United States can't say whether he supports flying a flag associated with treason and supporters of slavery. — Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) July 6, 2020
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace was also a focal point of Trump’s tweet earlier Monday. Wallace, who is Black, led the successful movement to ban the Confederate flag from NASCAR events. A noose was later found in his racetrack garage, which an FBI investigation concluded wasn’t part of a targeted racist attack against Wallace.
Trump baselessly called it a “hoax” and inexplicably demanded that Wallace apologize to other drivers.
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“Love over hate every day,” Wallace responded on Twitter. “Love should come naturally as people are TAUGHT to hate. Even when it’s HATE from the POTUS.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Supreme Court Justices Rule States Can Bind Presidential Electors' Votes

The ruling , just under four months before the 2020 election , leaves in place laws in 32 states and the District of Columbia that bind electors to vote for the popular-vote winner , and electors almost always do so anyway .
So-called faithless electors have not been critical to the outcome of a presidential election , but that could change in a race decided by just a few electoral votes .
It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency .
Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that a state may instruct “ electors that they have no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its citizens .
That direction accords with the Constitution — as well as with the trust of a Nation that here , We the People rule.
” The justices had scheduled arguments for the spring so they could resolve the issue before the election , rather than amid a potential political crisis after the country votes .
When the court heard arguments by telephone in May because of the coronavirus outbreak , justices invoked fears of bribery and chaos if electors could cast their ballots regardless of the popular vote outcome in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawsuits filed by three Hillary Clinton electors in Washington state and one in Colorado who refused to vote for her despite her popular vote win in both states .
In so doing , they hoped to persuade enough electors in states won by Donald Trump to choose someone else and deny Trump the presidency .
The federal appeals court in Denver ruled that electors can vote as they please , rejecting arguments that they must choose the popular-vote winner .
In Washington , the state Supreme Court upheld a $ 1,000 fine against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In all , there were 10 faithless electors in 2016 , including a fourth in Washington , a Democratic elector in Hawaii and two Republican electors in Texas .
In addition , Democratic electors who said they would not vote for Clinton were replaced in Maine and Minnesota .
The closest Electoral College margin in recent years was in 2000 , when Republican George W. Bush received 271 votes to 266 for Democrat Al Gore .
One elector from Washington , D.C. , left her ballot blank .
The justices scheduled separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Justice Sonia Sotomayor belatedly removed herself from the Colorado case because she knows one of the plaintiffs .
In asking the Supreme Court to rule that states can require electors to vote for the state winner , Colorado had urged the justices not to wait until “ the heat of a close presidential election .
”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that states can require presidential electors to back their states’ popular vote winner in the Electoral College.
The ruling, just under four months before the 2020 election, leaves in place laws in 32 states and the District of Columbia that bind electors to vote for the popular-vote winner, and electors almost always do so anyway.
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So-called faithless electors have not been critical to the outcome of a presidential election, but that could change in a race decided by just a few electoral votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that a state may instruct “electors that they have no ground for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens. That direction accords with the Constitution — as well as with the trust of a Nation that here, We the People rule.”
The justices had scheduled arguments for the spring so they could resolve the issue before the election, rather than amid a potential political crisis after the country votes.
When the court heard arguments by telephone in May because of the coronavirus outbreak, justices invoked fears of bribery and chaos if electors could cast their ballots regardless of the popular vote outcome in their states.
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The issue arose in lawsuits filed by three Hillary Clinton electors in Washington state and one in Colorado who refused to vote for her despite her popular vote win in both states. In so doing, they hoped to persuade enough electors in states won by Donald Trump to choose someone else and deny Trump the presidency.
The federal appeals court in Denver ruled that electors can vote as they please, rejecting arguments that they must choose the popular-vote winner. In Washington, the state Supreme Court upheld a $1,000 fine against the three electors and rejected their claims.
In all, there were 10 faithless electors in 2016, including a fourth in Washington, a Democratic elector in Hawaii and two Republican electors in Texas. In addition, Democratic electors who said they would not vote for Clinton were replaced in Maine and Minnesota.
The closest Electoral College margin in recent years was in 2000, when Republican George W. Bush received 271 votes to 266 for Democrat Al Gore. One elector from Washington, D.C., left her ballot blank.
The Supreme Court played a decisive role in that election, ending a recount in Florida, where Bush held a 537-vote margin out of 6 million ballots cast.
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The justices scheduled separate arguments in the Washington and Colorado cases after Justice Sonia Sotomayor belatedly removed herself from the Colorado case because she knows one of the plaintiffs.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--California Cops Seek Pair Who Defaced Black Lives Matter Mural Because There's 'No Racism'

Police are hunting for two Donald Trump supporters who vandalized a Black Lives Matter street mural soon after it was completed outside a county courthouse in the San Francisco Bay Area .
An unidentified woman used black paint and a roller to cover some of the giant yellow letters in front of the Contra Costa county courthouse on Saturday as a man in a red MAGA hat and a T-shirt reading “ Four More Years ” kept a sparse crowd of onlookers at bay .
“ There is no racism , ” the man said in a video taken by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a leftist lie .
It ’ s a lie from the media , the liberal left.
” The woman , wearing a red shirt with an American flag , paused from her painting and declared in an agitated voice : “ Keep this shit in ... New York .
This is not happening in my town.
” Other bystanders shouted at the couple .
At one point a woman stepped into the picture and took a can of black paint from the vandals .
Members of the community finished painting “ Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the day after obtaining a permit to do so , according to police .
“ It appeared that the couple came to the mural with cans of paint and a roller with the specific purpose of vandalizing the mural , ” Matinez Police Chief Manjit Sappal said in a statement on Sunday .
“ The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner , ” the chief added .
“ The city of Martinez values tolerance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ divisive and hurtful .
Please help us identify those that are responsible for this crime , so they can be held accountable for their actions.
” The couple escaped before police arrived on the scene .
A photo provided to investigators by a bystander clearly shows their car — with the license plate .
President Donald Trump has vowed to punish anti-racism protesters who have torn down statues of historical figures who supported slavery .
He called Black Lives Matter a “ symbol of hate ” after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower .

Police are hunting for two Donald Trump supporters who vandalized a Black Lives Matter street mural soon after it was completed outside a county courthouse in the San Francisco Bay Area.
An unidentified woman used black paint and a roller to cover some of the giant yellow letters in front of the Contra Costa county courthouse on Saturday as a man in a red MAGA hat and a T-shirt reading “Four More Years” kept a sparse crowd of onlookers at bay.
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“There is no racism,” the man said in a video taken by an onlooker. “It’s a leftist lie. It’s a lie from the media, the liberal left.”
The woman, wearing a red shirt with an American flag, paused from her painting and declared in an agitated voice: “Keep this shit in ... New York. This is not happening in my town.”
“What is wrong with you?” asked a woman standing nearby.
Other bystanders shouted at the couple. At one point a woman stepped into the picture and took a can of black paint from the vandals.
Members of the community finished painting “Black Lives Matter” in yellow block letters earlier in the day after obtaining a permit to do so, according to police.
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“It appeared that the couple came to the mural with cans of paint and a roller with the specific purpose of vandalizing the mural,” Matinez Police Chief Manjit Sappal said in a statement on Sunday.
“The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner,” the chief added. “The city of Martinez values tolerance, and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful. Please help us identify those that are responsible for this crime, so they can be held accountable for their actions.”
The couple escaped before police arrived on the scene. A photo provided to investigators by a bystander clearly shows their car — with the license plate.
President Donald Trump has vowed to punish anti-racism protesters who have torn down statues of historical figures who supported slavery. He called Black Lives Matter a “symbol of hate” after New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to paint the phrase on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Cori Bush, Progressive Missouri Challenger, Raises $170,000 In June

Bush ’ s strong fundraising haul marks a major improvement over her totals in the first 14 months of her candidacy , suggesting that she is picking up momentum ahead of the Aug. 4 primary .
Bush had raised less than $ 260,000 in her entire campaign prior to the second quarter .
Bush , an ordained minister who got involved in politics as a Black Lives Matter activist after the police killing of Michael Brown in 2014 , managed the sum during a tumultuous period in her life .
She was hospitalized twice for COVID-19 in March and April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ St. Louis-area street demonstrations against racist policing .
( Bush reported on Twitter on Sunday night that police in Florissant , Missouri , sprayed her in the eyes with pepper spray . )
“ Whether I was in the hospital fighting COVID or in the streets fighting for justice , people all over St. Louis and the country have continued to invest in our campaign , ” Bush said in a statement .
“ Voters want a true fighter in Congress ― that ’ s why we ’ ve raised half a million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , everyday people.
” As is typical of progressive insurgent candidates , Bush ’ s donations have come almost entirely from small-dollar donors .
Supporters donated about 12,000 times to her campaign in the second quarter , with an average contribution of $ 15 .
Bush has plowed her fundraising dollars into a mail , digital and “ connected TV ” advertising campaign ― spots on streaming services like Hulu ― and retained $ 107,000 in cash on hand as of the end of June .
As of the end of March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had more than $ 515,000 in cash on hand .
That gives him a major cash advantage , but not an insurmountable edge of the kind typically boasted by entrenched incumbents .
More than $ 500,000 of the money he raised through the end of March came from political action committees ; 79 % of those PACs were funded by big business interests .
Clay , the son of St. Louis Rep. Bill Clay Sr. , a civil rights leader , is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a co-sponsor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While Clay checks many progressive boxes , he is not an advocate for independent progressive power in the House in the mold of the four-member “ Squad ” or California Rep. Ro Khanna .
And he was behind the curve on police violence , voting against a June 2014 amendment that would have ended the transfer of military equipment to local police forces .
The vote occurred mere months before Brown ’ s death in Ferguson , Missouri , sparked nationwide outrage at police use of Pentagon vehicles and weapons against protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by almost 20 percentage points in her 2018 run , is campaigning on a platform of Medicare for All , police demilitarization and reform , and the Green New Deal .
She is backed by Justice Democrats , the left-wing group behind Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ’ s upset victories , and Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) , whose presidential runs Bush supported .

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Cori Bush, a registered nurse challenging Rep. William “Lacy” Clay from the left in Missouri’s Democratic primary, raised nearly $240,000 in the second quarter, including $170,000 in June alone.
Bush’s strong fundraising haul marks a major improvement over her totals in the first 14 months of her candidacy, suggesting that she is picking up momentum ahead of the Aug. 4 primary. Bush had raised less than $260,000 in her entire campaign prior to the second quarter.
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Bush, an ordained minister who got involved in politics as a Black Lives Matter activist after the police killing of Michael Brown in 2014, managed the sum during a tumultuous period in her life. She was hospitalized twice for COVID-19 in March and April, and continues to be active in St. Louis-area street demonstrations against racist policing. (Bush reported on Twitter on Sunday night that police in Florissant, Missouri, sprayed her in the eyes with pepper spray.)
“Whether I was in the hospital fighting COVID or in the streets fighting for justice, people all over St. Louis and the country have continued to invest in our campaign,” Bush said in a statement. “Voters want a true fighter in Congress ― that’s why we’ve raised half a million dollars purely from individual contributions from regular, everyday people.”
As is typical of progressive insurgent candidates, Bush’s donations have come almost entirely from small-dollar donors. Supporters donated about 12,000 times to her campaign in the second quarter, with an average contribution of $15.
Bush has plowed her fundraising dollars into a mail, digital and “connected TV” advertising campaign ― spots on streaming services like Hulu ― and retained $107,000 in cash on hand as of the end of June.
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Cori Bush leads a march against police brutality on June 12 in University City, Missouri. For a second time, she is running to unseat Democratic Rep. William "Lacy" Clay. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images
Clay, a 10-term incumbent, has yet to disclose his second-quarter fundraising figures. (Election law requires them to become public on July 15.)
As of the end of March, Clay had raised nearly $630,000 and had more than $515,000 in cash on hand. That gives him a major cash advantage, but not an insurmountable edge of the kind typically boasted by entrenched incumbents. More than $500,000 of the money he raised through the end of March came from political action committees; 79% of those PACs were funded by big business interests.
Clay, the son of St. Louis Rep. Bill Clay Sr., a civil rights leader, is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a co-sponsor of Medicare for All legislation in the House.
While Clay checks many progressive boxes, he is not an advocate for independent progressive power in the House in the mold of the four-member “Squad” or California Rep. Ro Khanna. And he was behind the curve on police violence, voting against a June 2014 amendment that would have ended the transfer of military equipment to local police forces. The vote occurred mere months before Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked nationwide outrage at police use of Pentagon vehicles and weapons against protesters.
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Bush, who lost to Clay by almost 20 percentage points in her 2018 run, is campaigning on a platform of Medicare for All, police demilitarization and reform, and the Green New Deal. She is backed by Justice Democrats, the left-wing group behind Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s upset victories, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose presidential runs Bush supported.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--'Big Government' Critics Benefited From Government's Coronavirus Aid

Longtime anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist famously has said that the government should be small enough to drown in a bathtub .
But turns out he ’ s not above benefitting from tax money to help keep his small-government advocacy efforts afloat .
On Monday , documents released by the Treasury Department disclosed that an ancillary arm of Norquist ’ s organization Americans for Tax Reform was among the millions of recipients of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program .
The massive relief scheme provided loans to small businesses and enterprises that could eventually turn into grants if they keep their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For decades , Grover Norquist has crusaded against `` big government . ''
But in the hard times created by the coronavirus pandemic , a group that 's an offshoot of his Americans for Tax Reform organization benefited from a massive government relief program .
The Americans for Tax Reform Foundation ― whose mission is to “ educate taxpayers on the true cost of government ... and costly government programs ” ― received between $ 150,000 and $ 350,000 in aid , according to Treasury .
The parent group ― the Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a legal distinction between its advocacy work and that of the foundation .
The parent group also noted that it never directly opposed the PPP program .
“ Americans for Tax Reform Foundation ( ATRF ) — a legally and financially separate research and educational 501 ( c ) 3 — was badly hurt by the government shutdown , ” the group said in a statement .
“ It applied for and received a loan and has as a consequence been able to maintain its employees without laying anyone off .
ATRF does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s group wasn ’ t the only Washington advocacy organization that received federal aid under the program .
Others associated with liberal causes did as well .
And there ’ s nothing necessarily wrong about keeping people employed during a pandemic ― that was the whole point of PPP .
But complaining about government spending on the one hand while directly benefiting from it on the other is just a little too rich .
Even more rich ?
The aid funneled to the California-based think tank dedicated to advancing the philosophy of Ayn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ Atlas Shrugged ” :

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Longtime anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist famously has said that the government should be small enough to drown in a bathtub. But turns out he’s not above benefitting from tax money to help keep his small-government advocacy efforts afloat.
On Monday, documents released by the Treasury Department disclosed that an ancillary arm of Norquist’s organization Americans for Tax Reform was among the millions of recipients of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. The massive relief scheme provided loans to small businesses and enterprises that could eventually turn into grants if they keep their workers on payrolls during the coronavirus crisis.
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For decades, Grover Norquist has crusaded against "big government." But in the hard times created by the coronavirus pandemic, a group that's an offshoot of his Americans for Tax Reform organization benefited from a massive government relief program. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
The Americans for Tax Reform Foundation ― whose mission is to “educate taxpayers on the true cost of government ... and costly government programs” ― received between $150,000 and $350,000 in aid, according to Treasury.
The parent group ― the Americans for Tax Reform ― sought to draw a legal distinction between its advocacy work and that of the foundation. The parent group also noted that it never directly opposed the PPP program.
“Americans for Tax Reform Foundation (ATRF) — a legally and financially separate research and educational 501(c)3 — was badly hurt by the government shutdown,” the group said in a statement. “It applied for and received a loan and has as a consequence been able to maintain its employees without laying anyone off. ATRF does not engage in lobbying.”
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Norquist’s group wasn’t the only Washington advocacy organization that received federal aid under the program. Others associated with liberal causes did as well. And there’s nothing necessarily wrong about keeping people employed during a pandemic ― that was the whole point of PPP. But complaining about government spending on the one hand while directly benefiting from it on the other is just a little too rich.
Even more rich? The aid funneled to the California-based think tank dedicated to advancing the philosophy of Ayn Rand, the libertarian hero and author of “Atlas Shrugged”:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Oil And Gas Pipelines Look Like Increasingly Risky Bets

On Monday , a federal court ordered the Dakota Access pipeline to shut down by Aug. 5 after finding that the controversial oil conduit , which has spilled dozens of times since construction ended in 2017 , fell short of safety requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act , or NEPA .
The dual defeats , less than 24 hours apart , come at a moment when weak demand for oil , swelling debt and mounting concerns over climate change are forcing gas companies out of business and oil giants to dramatically downgrade the value of their assets .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the legal tides are turning against fossil fuel infrastructure .
Environmentalists are mounting increasingly sophisticated challenges , and clean energy is eroding the dominance the oil and gas industry once held over the electricity , heating and transportation markets .
Pipeline projects that once seemed inevitable , particularly with the Trump administration ’ s unequivocal support , now look like increasingly risky bets as the president slumps in the polls and surveys show growing demand for aggressive federal action on climate change .
“ The chickens are coming home to roost , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis , a think tank .
The companies behind both pipelines , she added , “ ended up investing a lot of time and effort into something and didn ’ t listen to the warning signs.
” Over the past three years , all signs coming from the federal government pointed to go for pipeline projects .
President Donald Trump signed executive orders to hasten construction on the Dakota Access and Keystone XL , a long-proposed oil pipeline from Canada , during his first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , the Trump administration eased rules on methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure , nixed regulations forcing federal agencies to consider climate change projections when permitting projects , and proposed severely limiting NEPA reviews .
Those efforts accelerated in recent months .
As the United States became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in March , the administration halted environmental enforcement .
In June , the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule change limiting states ’ power to oversee permits for federally approved pipelines under the Clean Water Act .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York State ’ s decision in mid-May to reject the Williams Pipeline , a proposed gas pipeline that would have carried fracked gas from Pennsylvania to homes in parts of New York City and Long Island .
That permit denial , Mattei said , illustrated the power shift underway in the industry .
Climate activists dogged state regulators , warning that building new gas infrastructure either guaranteed its usage past the point scientists say is safe or risked saddling New Yorkers with imprudent energy costs .
Regulators consequently carried out extensive analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to meet regional demand .
Instead , renewables and energy efficiency work could make up the difference , regulators found , citing New York ’ s sweeping decarbonization law enacted last summer .
“ Anytime you ’ re doing an environmental impact statement , you ’ re weighing the potential adverse impact against the potential benefit of the project , and people have gotten much better at identifying what the potential adverse impacts can be , ” Mattei said .
“ The public input has become much more sophisticated over the past decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so much more open to question now.
” The Dakota Access pipeline spilled five times during its first six months in operation alone .
In his decision on Monday , U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg found that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to properly account for the risk such spills posed to vital drinking water reservoirs .
In the case of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline , utilities Dominion Energy and Duke Energy Corporation said delays and the anticipated challenges to the project , which was first proposed in 2014 , upended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruled 7-2 last month that the pipeline could pass under the Appalachian Trail .
“ The fact that climate change is not just a 2020 phenomenon , and that it ’ s going to be a persistent and material factor for energy firms , changes their calculation when they look out and weigh the risks [ and ] benefits of this sort of project , ” Livingston said .
Two-thirds of Americans said the government isn ’ t doing enough on climate change in a Pew Research Center survey released last month .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , shows presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , who has vowed to make climate change a serious priority , ahead of Trump in November ’ s election in all voter age categories .
“ The shift in electoral winds in favor of Joe Biden also plays a role , ” Livingston said .
That may not slow all pipeline projects .
The Mountain Valley Pipeline , a proposed conduit set to carry gas from the fracking fields of West Virginia to gas utilities in Virginia , is largely completed and expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from environmentalists .
The consortium of companies behind the PennEast Pipeline , a project proposed to pump gas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey , started proposing alternative routes in January to begin construction despite the Garden State ’ s denial of permits .
( The Supreme Court is expected to rule on a case challenging New Jersey ’ s rejection in the coming months . )
But , even in the Lone Star State , legal fights are adding up .
In June , the Sierra Club asked a federal judge to halt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grounds that it failed to meet NEPA standards .
That same day , landowners and local conservation groups sued Kinder Morgan , the company behind the pipeline , for spilling drilling fluid that allegedly contaminated groundwater in Blanco County .

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On Sunday, two major utilities canceled plans to build the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a 600-mile conduit to carry fracked gas from West Virginia through Virginia to North Carolina, despite a favorable Supreme Court ruling just weeks earlier.
On Monday, a federal court ordered the Dakota Access pipeline to shut down by Aug. 5 after finding that the controversial oil conduit, which has spilled dozens of times since construction ended in 2017, fell short of safety requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.
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The dual defeats, less than 24 hours apart, come at a moment when weak demand for oil, swelling debt and mounting concerns over climate change are forcing gas companies out of business and oil giants to dramatically downgrade the value of their assets.
But analysts say the decisions also signal that the legal tides are turning against fossil fuel infrastructure. Environmentalists are mounting increasingly sophisticated challenges, and clean energy is eroding the dominance the oil and gas industry once held over the electricity, heating and transportation markets.
Pipeline projects that once seemed inevitable, particularly with the Trump administration’s unequivocal support, now look like increasingly risky bets as the president slumps in the polls and surveys show growing demand for aggressive federal action on climate change.
“The chickens are coming home to roost,” said Suzanne Mattei, an energy policy analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, a think tank. The companies behind both pipelines, she added, “ended up investing a lot of time and effort into something and didn’t listen to the warning signs.”
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Over the past three years, all signs coming from the federal government pointed to go for pipeline projects. President Donald Trump signed executive orders to hasten construction on the Dakota Access and Keystone XL, a long-proposed oil pipeline from Canada, during his first week in the White House. Since then, the Trump administration eased rules on methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure, nixed regulations forcing federal agencies to consider climate change projections when permitting projects, and proposed severely limiting NEPA reviews.
Those efforts accelerated in recent months. As the United States became the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in March, the administration halted environmental enforcement. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule change limiting states’ power to oversee permits for federally approved pipelines under the Clean Water Act.
The new restriction came on the heels of New York State’s decision in mid-May to reject the Williams Pipeline, a proposed gas pipeline that would have carried fracked gas from Pennsylvania to homes in parts of New York City and Long Island.
Pipes for TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL oil pipeline in Gascoyne, North Dakota, on Jan. 25, 2017. Terray Sylvester / Reuters
That permit denial, Mattei said, illustrated the power shift underway in the industry. Climate activists dogged state regulators, warning that building new gas infrastructure either guaranteed its usage past the point scientists say is safe or risked saddling New Yorkers with imprudent energy costs. Regulators consequently carried out extensive analysis that determined the pipeline was not necessary to meet regional demand. Instead, renewables and energy efficiency work could make up the difference, regulators found, citing New York’s sweeping decarbonization law enacted last summer.
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“Anytime you’re doing an environmental impact statement, you’re weighing the potential adverse impact against the potential benefit of the project, and people have gotten much better at identifying what the potential adverse impacts can be,” Mattei said. “The public input has become much more sophisticated over the past decade, and the purported benefit is just so much more open to question now.”
The Dakota Access pipeline spilled five times during its first six months in operation alone. In his decision on Monday, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg found that the Army Corps of Engineers failed to properly account for the risk such spills posed to vital drinking water reservoirs.
In the case of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, utilities Dominion Energy and Duke Energy Corporation said delays and the anticipated challenges to the project, which was first proposed in 2014, upended construction plans even after the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 last month that the pipeline could pass under the Appalachian Trail.
“This announcement reflects the increasing legal uncertainty that overhangs large-scale energy and industrial infrastructure development in the United States,” Dominion CEO Thomas Farrel and Duke CEO Lynn Good said in a joint statement.
Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette blamed “the well-funded, obstructionist environmental lobby” for killing the project. But David Livingston, a senior energy analyst at the Eurasia Group, said the urgent need to reduce climate-changing emissions has united once-disparate groups in opposition to projects that run afoul of scientists’ calls to start dramatically scaling back fossil fuel burning.
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“The fact that climate change is not just a 2020 phenomenon, and that it’s going to be a persistent and material factor for energy firms, changes their calculation when they look out and weigh the risks [and] benefits of this sort of project,” Livingston said.
Two-thirds of Americans said the government isn’t doing enough on climate change in a Pew Research Center survey released last month. The latest Monmouth University Poll, meanwhile, shows presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has vowed to make climate change a serious priority, ahead of Trump in November’s election in all voter age categories. “The shift in electoral winds in favor of Joe Biden also plays a role,” Livingston said.
President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order to advance construction of the Dakota Access pipeline at the White House on Jan. 24, 2017. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
That may not slow all pipeline projects. The Mountain Valley Pipeline, a proposed conduit set to carry gas from the fracking fields of West Virginia to gas utilities in Virginia, is largely completed and expected to charge ahead, despite delays and challenges from environmentalists.
The consortium of companies behind the PennEast Pipeline, a project proposed to pump gas from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, started proposing alternative routes in January to begin construction despite the Garden State’s denial of permits. (The Supreme Court is expected to rule on a case challenging New Jersey’s rejection in the coming months.)
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In Texas, meanwhile, construction crews are plowing ahead on the Permian Highway Pipeline despite the state’s ballooning COVID-19 crisis.
“Texas is a different beast,” said Nick Loris, an energy researcher at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
But, even in the Lone Star State, legal fights are adding up. In June, the Sierra Club asked a federal judge to halt construction of the gas pipeline on the grounds that it failed to meet NEPA standards. That same day, landowners and local conservation groups sued Kinder Morgan, the company behind the pipeline, for spilling drilling fluid that allegedly contaminated groundwater in Blanco County.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Tom Hanks Swipes At U.S. Leadership -- Or Lack Thereof -- On Coronavirus

Tom Hanks criticized the response of U.S. leaders to the coronavirus pandemic as he urged people to follow basic guidance from health experts to stem the spread .
The Academy Award-winning actor , who battled COVID-19 along with his wife Rita Wilson in March , told The Guardian UK that , in reflecting on how the U.S. has responded to the crisis , he has “ nothing but question marks about the official position ” as well as choices made by individuals .
“ There ’ s really only three things everyone needs to do : wear a mask , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said , echoing blunt advice he gave in a press conference last week .
“ I know societally it ’ s been politicized , but I don ’ t get it , man .
I don ’ t understand how anyone can put their foot down and say : ‘ I don ’ t have to do my part.
’ ” When asked about President Donald Trump ― who generally refuses to wear a mask in public settings , persistently downplays the extent of the virus and has been hosting events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own experts have stressed should be followed during the pandemic ― Hanks decried a lack of good leadership qualities .
“ Well , I must say , I grew up looking to our leaders for calm and informed guidance and I don ’ t think we ’ ve got that , ” he said .
Hanks and Wilson , both 63 , were hospitalized in Australia for COVID-19 while he was on location for Baz Luhrmann ’ s Elvis Presley biopic , which may resume production later this year .
He said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , recalling that their “ discomfort from the virus was pretty much done in two weeks.
” He also said they experienced the sickness very differently .
“ My wife lost her sense of taste and smell , she had severe nausea , she had a much higher fever than I did .
I just had crippling body aches , I was very fatigued all the time and I couldn ’ t concentrate on anything for more than about 12 minutes , ” he said .
“ That last bit is kinda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ latest project , the World War II drama “ Greyhound , ” will be released on Apple TV+ instead of cinemas due to the pandemic .
He produced the film , wrote the screenplay and stars in it .

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Tom Hanks criticized the response of U.S. leaders to the coronavirus pandemic as he urged people to follow basic guidance from health experts to stem the spread.
The Academy Award-winning actor, who battled COVID-19 along with his wife Rita Wilson in March, told The Guardian UK that, in reflecting on how the U.S. has responded to the crisis, he has “nothing but question marks about the official position” as well as choices made by individuals.
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“There’s really only three things everyone needs to do: wear a mask, social distance, wash your hands,” he said, echoing blunt advice he gave in a press conference last week. “I know societally it’s been politicized, but I don’t get it, man. I don’t understand how anyone can put their foot down and say: ‘I don’t have to do my part.’”
When asked about President Donald Trump ― who generally refuses to wear a mask in public settings, persistently downplays the extent of the virus and has been hosting events where thousands of people ignore the guidelines his own experts have stressed should be followed during the pandemic ― Hanks decried a lack of good leadership qualities.
“Well, I must say, I grew up looking to our leaders for calm and informed guidance and I don’t think we’ve got that,” he said.
Hanks and Wilson, both 63, were hospitalized in Australia for COVID-19 while he was on location for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Presley biopic, which may resume production later this year.
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He said he and Wilson are “fine” now, recalling that their “discomfort from the virus was pretty much done in two weeks.” He also said they experienced the sickness very differently.
“My wife lost her sense of taste and smell, she had severe nausea, she had a much higher fever than I did. I just had crippling body aches, I was very fatigued all the time and I couldn’t concentrate on anything for more than about 12 minutes,” he said. “That last bit is kinda like my natural state anyway.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-06--Trump's Job Approval Rating Sinks To 38% Amid Record-Busting Partisan Divide

Only 38 % of Americans approve of Donald Trump ’ s job performance in the latest Gallup poll , a rating that ’ s among the lowest of his presidency as the race for the White House nears the homestretch .
The latest poll shows Trump hitting record lows among Democrats and independents .
Only 33 % of independents approve of the job Trump is doing , down 6 points from early June .
The president has also lost support among his traditional backers .
His job approval rating among white people fell from 57 % last month to 48 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 57 % among whites without a college degree .
His approval rating plunged from 52 % to 43 % among voters ages 50 to 64 , and from 51 % to 47 % among voters over 65 .
The survey also revealed a historic divide between Republicans and Democrats , with 91 % of Republicans approving of the president ’ s job performance ( up six points ) , while just 2 % of Democrats approve ( down 3 points ) .
That ’ s the largest gap since Gallup began polling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval rating is heading close to that of single-term presidents like Jimmy Carter and George H.W .
Bush at the same time in their election cycles .
He ’ s lagging behind Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden by a wider margin than any president who has won reelection in decades .
Trump ’ s job approval rating was 49 % in a Gallup poll in early May and slipped to 39 % in June .
It hit a low of 35 % four times in 2017 .
But experts emphasize that there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just about anything to happen .
“ Time will only tell how this race shapes up closer to November based on where things stand with the coronavirus , issues of racial injustice and the economy , ” said Ashley Koning , director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University .
The Gallup survey of 1,016 adults was conducted between June 8-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 % .

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Only 38% of Americans approve of Donald Trump’s job performance in the latest Gallup poll, a rating that’s among the lowest of his presidency as the race for the White House nears the homestretch.
The latest poll shows Trump hitting record lows among Democrats and independents. Only 33% of independents approve of the job Trump is doing, down 6 points from early June.
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The president has also lost support among his traditional backers. His job approval rating among white people fell from 57% last month to 48%, and dropped from 66% to 57% among whites without a college degree.
His approval rating plunged from 52% to 43% among voters ages 50 to 64, and from 51% to 47% among voters over 65.
3dfoto via Getty Images
The survey also revealed a historic divide between Republicans and Democrats, with 91% of Republicans approving of the president’s job performance (up six points), while just 2% of Democrats approve (down 3 points). That’s the largest gap since Gallup began polling in the 1940s.
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Trump’s job approval rating was 49% in a Gallup poll in early May and slipped to 39% in June. It hit a low of 35% four times in 2017.
But experts emphasize that there’s still time before the election for just about anything to happen.
“Time will only tell how this race shapes up closer to November based on where things stand with the coronavirus, issues of racial injustice and the economy,” said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University.
The Gallup survey of 1,016 adults was conducted between June 8-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.