thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Many Republicans Are Perfectly Fine With Extra Unemployment Benefits Disappearing

Rep. Steven Palazzo ( R-Miss . )
said it should be left up to each state ’ s governor , meaning the federal government shouldn ’ t be handing out extra money .
And Rep. Ralph Norman ( R-S.C. ) said he would prefer a payroll tax cut over added unemployment benefits , though he also said he wouldn ’ t vote for a $ 1 trillion bill like Senate Republicans were offering ― let alone a $ 3 trillion bill like the one House Democrats passed in May .
The Republicans pressed their case against giving jobless people any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its ripple effects of an unemployment rate that remains over 11 % and a U.S. economy that declined by almost 33 % in the second quarter ― the largest drop .
They see the aid as an incentive for many to stay unemployed .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) faces a mutiny among his ranks , as roughly half of the Senate GOP majority seems opposed to even a skimpy stimulus measure .
So if there ’ s going to be a bill that makes it to President Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s probably going to take mostly Democratic votes to get it there , both in the Senate and the House .
Trump has actually signaled that he ’ d like to increase the unemployment benefits , saying on Wednesday that “ the payments aren ’ t enough.
” But many congressional Republicans , based on their recent comments , seem to have just woken up to the fact that , under Trump , they ’ ve added more than $ 6 trillion to the government ’ s debt .
But if Woodall and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their attention on the debt , it might take them out of the current political equation ― meaning a deal on a new relief bill would likely need to hew closer to what Democrats want and , paradoxically , cost even more money .
Rep. James Comer of Kentucky is one of many Republicans opposed to continuing an extra $ 600 a week in aid to the unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic .
Many of his House GOP colleagues oppose any extra aid , though Comer may be willing to compromise on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans in both chambers have suggested not providing a specific figure for extra unemployment payments .
Instead , they have said they ’ d like to cap what an unemployed individual can receive at , say , 70 % of their former income , as the Senate bill would eventually do .
Republicans dismissed the notion that many people may not want to go back to work because of concerns about being infected by the coronavirus .
Instead , for them , they dwelled on their argument that the extra unemployment aid is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the workforce .
Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a bailout for state and local governments ― Democrats want at least $ 1 trillion , while Republicans would prefer no money at all .
They ’ re far apart on another round of stimulus checks ― Republicans only want checks going to people who made less than $ 40,000 last year , while Democrats want to make sure people who made less than $ 75,000 still get the full $ 1,200 .
But the additional unemployment benefits seem to be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamentally believe the aid undercuts the push to repair the economy and get people back to work , while Democrats think the GOP position will financially cut people off at the knees and potentially make the pandemic worse .

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WASHINGTON ― As Senate Republicans try to advance a coronavirus relief bill with only $200 a week in extra unemployment benefits ― down from the expiring $600 ― many House Republicans are signaling that they’re opposed to any extra money at all.
“Zero is the number for me,” Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas) told HuffPost on Wednesday.
Several of Williams’ House GOP colleagues also questioned whether the federal government should be providing any additional money to state unemployment benefits as more than 25 million people on Saturday will lose the stipend the federal government has been kicking in since March.
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“Too much is $1 over what they would make if they had a job,” Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) claimed the majority of people thought it was a good idea to not have any “bonus unemployment” (polls show completely the opposite).
Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) said it should be left up to each state’s governor, meaning the federal government shouldn’t be handing out extra money. And Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) said he would prefer a payroll tax cut over added unemployment benefits, though he also said he wouldn’t vote for a $1 trillion bill like Senate Republicans were offering ― let alone a $3 trillion bill like the one House Democrats passed in May.
The Republicans pressed their case against giving jobless people any extra money amid the continuing global pandemic and its ripple effects of an unemployment rate that remains over 11% and a U.S. economy that declined by almost 33% in the second quarter ― the largest drop. They see the aid as an incentive for many to stay unemployed.
“I’m not sure that we should be adding to a state’s unemployment,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) head of the Freedom Caucus whose members consist of the House GOP’s most conservative members.
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When HuffPost asked if zero was the right number in the debate over extending the additional jobless aide, he said, “It may be.”
“They’re getting all kinds of additional benefits, including ― there was direct payments, everything else,” Biggs said, referring to the one-time check of up to $1,200 that individuals received in the spring. “So I’m saying, what they’re doing now is they’re providing disincentives to go back to work.”
Biggs wouldn’t rule out voting on a bill that included some benefits ― “There are some things I might consider going with that” ― but he added his ideal number was zero.
It’s unlikely any bill offered by the Democrats who control the House could satisfy Republicans like Biggs. And that may be the ultimate irony of the GOP’s hardline approach.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) faces a mutiny among his ranks, as roughly half of the Senate GOP majority seems opposed to even a skimpy stimulus measure. So if there’s going to be a bill that makes it to President Donald Trump’s desk, it’s probably going to take mostly Democratic votes to get it there, both in the Senate and the House.
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Trump has actually signaled that he’d like to increase the unemployment benefits, saying on Wednesday that “the payments aren’t enough.” But many congressional Republicans, based on their recent comments, seem to have just woken up to the fact that, under Trump, they’ve added more than $6 trillion to the government’s debt.
“I have voted for bills that have raised the federal debt in the last six months more than I have voted to raise the federal debt in the last six years,” Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) told HuffPost.
But if Woodall and the other House Republicans have suddenly refocused their attention on the debt, it might take them out of the current political equation ― meaning a deal on a new relief bill would likely need to hew closer to what Democrats want and, paradoxically, cost even more money.
Rep. James Comer of Kentucky is one of many Republicans opposed to continuing an extra $600 a week in aid to the unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic. Many of his House GOP colleagues oppose any extra aid, though Comer may be willing to compromise on that. Tom Williams via Getty Images
As the debate unfolds, some Republicans in both chambers have suggested not providing a specific figure for extra unemployment payments. Instead, they have said they’d like to cap what an unemployed individual can receive at, say, 70% of their former income, as the Senate bill would eventually do.
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Such a calculation, however, could be difficult for states to make. It took some states months to even handle the sudden influx of unemployment claims.
“They had a difficult time in Arizona even doing what we gave them,” Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) acknowledged Wednesday. She added that she was “sympathetic” to state officials that have said they would have trouble figuring out some percentage of a person’s previous income to then provide extra aid in a timely manner.
Republicans dismissed the notion that many people may not want to go back to work because of concerns about being infected by the coronavirus. Instead, for them, they dwelled on their argument that the extra unemployment aid is an incentive for people to remain out of the workforce.
“In fact, they admit it,” Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) said. Offering anecdotal evidence to support his point, he referred to a restaurant owner in his district who he said couldn’t get employees to come back because they were making more on unemployment.
Williams said, an employer as the owner of car dealerships, said he knew the extra money was “really hurting our ability to get back to work.”
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“The economy is good,” Williams said. “You know, with low interest, low taxes, and cash in the system, the economy’s pretty good,” and getting people back to work will accelerate those positive trends, he added.
Williams himself has been the beneficiary of coronavirus-related government aid, receiving money through the Paycheck Protection Program designed to help small businesses stay afloat and keep employees on their payrolls.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) also relied on anecdotal evidence to argue against the extra unemployment benefits, saying businesses he had heard from over the last three months have all complained that they have to “compete against this federal unemployment insurance.”
Comer said it’s essential that the government reduce the benefit to force people back to work. “Absolutely not,” he said of continuing the extra $600 payment, adding, “$400, absolutely not.”
He did indicate some willingness to come off the “zero” aid stance so many of his GOP colleagues have embraced, saying, “I would rather not do $200, but I want to govern.”
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The extra unemployment benefits are just one sticking point in the massive bill McConnell unveiled earlier this week.
Democrats and Republicans are far apart on a bailout for state and local governments ― Democrats want at least $1 trillion, while Republicans would prefer no money at all. They’re far apart on another round of stimulus checks ― Republicans only want checks going to people who made less than $40,000 last year, while Democrats want to make sure people who made less than $75,000 still get the full $1,200.
And the two parties are diametrically opposed on liability protections ― Republicans want to make sure that businesses that reopen can’t be sued by workers who then contract COVID-19, while Democrats say they won’t support that.
But the additional unemployment benefits seem to be the most personal and ideological disagreement. Republicans fundamentally believe the aid undercuts the push to repair the economy and get people back to work, while Democrats think the GOP position will financially cut people off at the knees and potentially make the pandemic worse.
“This should be about doing whatever is necessary,” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) told HuffPost on Wednesday. “Arbitrary numbers and cutoffs, you know, is ridiculous. This is about people’s lives.”
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McGovern noted that the Senate GOP’s bill included extra money for military equipment like F-35s and a new FBI building in downtown Washington.
“But when it comes to poor people, they’re like, ‘Screw ‘em,’” he said.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) may have had the sternest rebuke, saying McConnell doesn’t care about “his own damn constituents” and “couldn’t care less about the working people in Kentucky.”
Ocasio-Cortez asserted that said GOP lawmakers wouldn’t “realize how bad the situation is until it impacts them.”
“COVID was a hoax until it was your loved one who passed away. Gay marriage is terrible until it’s your brother or sister that has come out,” she said of Republicans.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Donald Trump’s Campaign Is Pretending There’s No Pandemic

As the pandemic swept across the sunbelt states over the course of July , and the death total has climbed to more than 150,000 Americans , Trump and his campaign have devoted much of their energy to issues other than keeping Americans safe from the virus or rebuilding the economy afterward : painting Biden as a senile tool of the Democratic Party ’ s left wing ; protecting statues of historical figures with ties to the Confederacy ; making blatantly racist appeals to voters while repealing a little-known rule encouraging the construction of affordable housing in the suburbs ; continuously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign and cracking down on protests around the country .
Biden , meanwhile , has overwhelmingly focused his financial firepower on coronavirus advertising .
Of the roughly $ 17 million the campaign has spent on television , $ 16.7 million has gone to TV spots that discuss coronavirus .
The campaign aired 20,956 ads , and just 527 of them didn ’ t talk about the pandemic in one way or another .
“ Wear a mask , wash your hands , stay in when you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Biden says in one 60-second ad that began airing last week .
“ I want every American to know if you ’ re sick , if you ’ re struggling , if you ’ re worrying about how you ’ re going to get through the day , I will not abandon you.
” “ There is nothing in it that strategically makes sense .
They have to believe there ’ s an underground movement of people that are lying in every poll , ” said J.B. Poersch , the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to elect Democratic senators .
“ There ’ s nothing there for women , there ’ s nothing there reaching out to Latino voters .
There ’ s nothing in this speech for the middle of the road .
It ’ s all Republican base , all the time .
He ’ s narrowing who he ’ s talking to instead of expanding itself.
” A new HuffPost/YouGov poll found 36 % of registered voters said the coronavirus pandemic was one of their top three issues for the presidential election , ranking it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care and second only to the economy .
( The pandemic , obviously , has a direct effect on both health care and the economy . )
But the Trump campaign is talking relentlessly about crime on the airwaves .
Of the more than 73,000 ads they aired from July 1 to July 26 , according to Kantar/CMAG , 85 % of them dealt in one way or another with public safety .
One of their most frequently aired ads falsely accuses Biden of wanting to defund police departments .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s advertising ― which fits in with Trump ’ s law-and-order playbook that has also involved deploying aggressive federal law enforcement officers in Portland , Oregon , and other cities ― is actually to win over swing voters , most of whom live in suburbs untouched by major crimes and the current wave of protests over police violence .
At the moment , Trump may be focused more on consolidating a base of white conservative voters that has abandoned him over his handling of the pandemic with a “ sense that Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they ’ re literally putting you in danger , ” said Amy Walter , the national editor of the Cook Political Report .
Trump ’ s other major focus is attacking Biden .
Every single ad the campaign aired from July 1 to July 26 contained at least some anti-Biden messaging .
( By comparison , only a little more than half of Biden ’ s advertising was explicitly anti-Trump . )
The Trump campaign and other Republicans have long insisted the race will eventually turn into a referendum between a career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Trump .
“ A lot of Americans know of Joe Biden , but far fewer know about Joe Biden , ” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said during a conference call with reporters last week .
“ Our job here every day is to change that and define him as who he is today : a tool of the extreme left.
” “ In one press conference , we heard attacks on China , we heard a number of false attacks on immigration .
The president accused Joe Biden of wanting to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buildings that don ’ t have windows , ” said Guy Cecil , the chair of Priorities .
“ As long as the Trump campaign continues to engage in this , we feel good about the Biden attacks.
” Still , Trump ’ s dominance of the news cycle , and occasional forays into focusing on the pandemic ― think of his demands that schools reopen despite the pandemic ― mean voters don ’ t necessarily see him as ignoring it entirely , even if they do think he ’ s dangerously downplayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely to see Trump as focusing on the economy in his campaign ― 47 % cited it as among the three issues he ’ s addressed most , compared to a third who picked criticism of Biden , 31 % who picked immigration , and 27 % who picked the coronavirus outbreak .
In both cases , perceptions about the candidates ’ focus differed along partisan lines , with both parties accusing their opponents of negative messaging .
Republican and Republican-leaning voters were most likely to say Trump ’ s message revolved around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said they heard mostly about criticism of Biden , the economy , and immigration .

President Donald Trump’s campaign advertising is focused largely on issues that are of minimal concern to the American electorate, a HuffPost analysis of campaign ad spending data found, airing zero ads about the coronavirus pandemic in the month of July.
Trump is trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in public polling, and Republicans and Democrats alike are pointing to the utter irrelevance of much of the campaign’s messaging as a key reason why he is now a steep underdog to win a second term in the White House.
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As the pandemic swept across the sunbelt states over the course of July, and the death total has climbed to more than 150,000 Americans, Trump and his campaign have devoted much of their energy to issues other than keeping Americans safe from the virus or rebuilding the economy afterward: painting Biden as a senile tool of the Democratic Party’s left wing; protecting statues of historical figures with ties to the Confederacy; making blatantly racist appeals to voters while repealing a little-known rule encouraging the construction of affordable housing in the suburbs; continuously litigating the investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia during the 2016 campaign and cracking down on protests around the country.
The data, from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG, is clear. From July 1 to July 26, Trump spent more than $38 million to air television ads on broadcast and cable television networks. Not a single dollar went to ads dealing with coronavirus. The campaign’s official super PAC spent another $1.9 million on ads. Just $800,000 worth of their advertising dealt with the pandemic.
Trump campaign spending 7/1-7/26 HuffPost US
Biden, meanwhile, has overwhelmingly focused his financial firepower on coronavirus advertising. Of the roughly $17 million the campaign has spent on television, $16.7 million has gone to TV spots that discuss coronavirus. The campaign aired 20,956 ads, and just 527 of them didn’t talk about the pandemic in one way or another.
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“Wear a mask, wash your hands, stay in when you can and socially distance when you go out,” Biden says in one 60-second ad that began airing last week. “I want every American to know if you’re sick, if you’re struggling, if you’re worrying about how you’re going to get through the day, I will not abandon you.”
Other Democratic groups, including the two major Democratic super PACs, were similarly coronavirus-centric. Every single ad released by Priorities USA, which spent about $3 million on ads, dealt with the pandemic.
Democrats have spent the month marveling at what they view as useless messages from Trump and his allies.
“There is nothing in it that strategically makes sense. They have to believe there’s an underground movement of people that are lying in every poll,” said J.B. Poersch, the president of Senate Majority PAC, which works to elect Democratic senators. “There’s nothing there for women, there’s nothing there reaching out to Latino voters. There’s nothing in this speech for the middle of the road. It’s all Republican base, all the time. He’s narrowing who he’s talking to instead of expanding itself.”
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The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
A new HuffPost/YouGov poll found 36% of registered voters said the coronavirus pandemic was one of their top three issues for the presidential election, ranking it on par with perennial concerns about health care and second only to the economy. (The pandemic, obviously, has a direct effect on both health care and the economy.)
Registered voters, meanwhile, find many of the issues the Trump campaign is advertising on relatively unimportant. Only 22% said social issues were among their top three issues, and just 12% said the same of crime.
But the Trump campaign is talking relentlessly about crime on the airwaves. Of the more than 73,000 ads they aired from July 1 to July 26, according to Kantar/CMAG, 85% of them dealt in one way or another with public safety. One of their most frequently aired ads falsely accuses Biden of wanting to defund police departments.
“You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” text in the ad declares as a robber attacks an elderly woman who has tried to call 911.
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It’s unclear if the major goal of Trump’s advertising ― which fits in with Trump’s law-and-order playbook that has also involved deploying aggressive federal law enforcement officers in Portland, Oregon, and other cities ― is actually to win over swing voters, most of whom live in suburbs untouched by major crimes and the current wave of protests over police violence.
At the moment, Trump may be focused more on consolidating a base of white conservative voters that has abandoned him over his handling of the pandemic with a “sense that Democrats are going so far to the left that they’re literally putting you in danger,” said Amy Walter, the national editor of the Cook Political Report.
“Part of the reason he’s down double-digits is that he doesn’t have the same support from Republicans that he did earlier in this year,” Walter said. “What keeps Trump in the game, and potentially turns a 10-point race into a 5-point race, is getting Republicans back.”
That switch probably won’t be enough to save Trump, but it could help Republicans retain Senate seats in red-tinted states like Montana, Iowa and Kansas. (Montana Sen. Steve Daines, who is running for reelection against popular Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, began airing an ad that hits similar law-and-order themes earlier this week.)
Biden campaign spending 7/1-7/26 HuffPost US
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Trump’s other major focus is attacking Biden. Every single ad the campaign aired from July 1 to July 26 contained at least some anti-Biden messaging. (By comparison, only a little more than half of Biden’s advertising was explicitly anti-Trump.) The Trump campaign and other Republicans have long insisted the race will eventually turn into a referendum between a career politician in Biden and an economy-boosting businessman in Trump.
“A lot of Americans know of Joe Biden, but far fewer know about Joe Biden,” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said during a conference call with reporters last week. “Our job here every day is to change that and define him as who he is today: a tool of the extreme left.”
But Democrats insist those attacks aren’t landing. Priorities USA has tracked voters who have switched from supporting Trump earlier in the year to backing Biden now, and found most of them aren’t swayed by existing GOP lines of attack. And Trump’s inability to focus on a coherent critique of Biden only makes things harder for his campaign.
“In one press conference, we heard attacks on China, we heard a number of false attacks on immigration. The president accused Joe Biden of wanting to force all of us to build new buildings that don’t have windows,” said Guy Cecil, the chair of Priorities. “As long as the Trump campaign continues to engage in this, we feel good about the Biden attacks.”
Still, Trump’s dominance of the news cycle, and occasional forays into focusing on the pandemic ― think of his demands that schools reopen despite the pandemic ― mean voters don’t necessarily see him as ignoring it entirely, even if they do think he’s dangerously downplayed the health crisis.
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Voters are most likely to see Trump as focusing on the economy in his campaign ― 47% cited it as among the three issues he’s addressed most, compared to a third who picked criticism of Biden, 31% who picked immigration, and 27% who picked the coronavirus outbreak.
Biden was most broadly seen as focusing on criticism of Trump (34%) and the coronavirus outbreak (33%), followed by health care (28%).
In both cases, perceptions about the candidates’ focus differed along partisan lines, with both parties accusing their opponents of negative messaging. Republican and Republican-leaning voters were most likely to say Trump’s message revolved around the economy, coronavirus and immigration, while Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters said they heard mostly about criticism of Biden, the economy, and immigration.
Those Democratic-aligned voters saw Biden as prioritizing health care, the coronavirus and the economy, while the GOP-aligned voters disproportionately saw him as focused on criticizing Trump, followed by coronavirus and social issues.
Still, Trump is in a problem of his own making. Voters widely see him as having failed on the most important issue in their lives, believing he ignored experts and downplayed the pandemic for his own political gains. Crafting a message around that fact is nigh-impossible.
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“Voters’ day-to-day lives are consumed by the impact of the coronavirus: whether it’s worries about their health, whether their kids can go to school or their own employment status,” Walter said. “There’s not a whole lot to say on the coronavirus that’s going to be helpful for him.”
Still, it appears the Trump campaign may be ready to give it a try. For months, the Trump campaign essentially ignored the coronavirus pandemic in their extensive Facebook advertising operation, with the exception of an ad mocking Biden for misstating the number of coronavirus deaths.
On Tuesday, the campaign began running a Facebook ad featuring a video of Ivanka Trump discussing the administration’s efforts to help Native Americans.
“President Trump signed the CARES Act into law, solidifying 8 BILLION dollars to address Coronavirus preparedness, response, and recovery,” the accompanying text reads.
Ariel Edwards-Levy and Jesselyn Cook contributed reporting.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Mary Trump Names 2 'Crucial Factors’ For Donald Trump To Leave Office

Mary Trump on Wednesday predicted how her uncle , President Donald Trump , may respond if he loses to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 election .
MSNBC ’ s Joy Reid asked the president ’ s niece — who made a series of bombshell claims about her uncle in her new tell-all book “ Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World ’ s Most Dangerous Man ” — if she feared he ’ d refuse to leave office .
“ The first is Joe Biden ’ s margin of victory , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very large margin of victory , a landslide , then I think Trump would be so narcissistically injured that he ’ ll do anything to spin himself away from that pain and he ’ ll figure something that ’ s even better than leading America , because we don ’ t deserve him.
” “ The other unknown factor is how people around him , who are benefitting enormously by the position and power he holds , will counsel him after the election , whether it ’ s close or not , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview , Mary Trump suggested her uncle was drawn to authoritarian figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin because of the way he was treated by his father Fred Trump .
“ I can speak to the resemblance that Putin may have to my grandfather , ” Mary Trump told Reid .
“ You know , one of the things my grandfather did was , you know , through neglect , abuse and pressure , was turn Donald into somebody who was eminently useful to smarter , more powerful men , ” she said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the charm ― although , again , I am not privy to any conversations between them ― but I imagine Putin understands exactly how to manipulate Donald , you know , whether or not there are financial incentives .
”

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Mary Trump on Wednesday predicted how her uncle, President Donald Trump, may respond if he loses to presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
MSNBC’s Joy Reid asked the president’s niece — who made a series of bombshell claims about her uncle in her new tell-all book “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man” — if she feared he’d refuse to leave office.
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It would depend on “two crucial factors,” said Trump, a clinical psychologist.
“The first is Joe Biden’s margin of victory,” she continued. “If he has a very large margin of victory, a landslide, then I think Trump would be so narcissistically injured that he’ll do anything to spin himself away from that pain and he’ll figure something that’s even better than leading America, because we don’t deserve him.”
“The other unknown factor is how people around him, who are benefitting enormously by the position and power he holds, will counsel him after the election, whether it’s close or not,” she said.
Check out Mary Trump’s comments here:
Elsewhere in the interview, Mary Trump suggested her uncle was drawn to authoritarian figures like Russian President Vladimir Putin because of the way he was treated by his father Fred Trump.
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“I can speak to the resemblance that Putin may have to my grandfather,” Mary Trump told Reid.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Jaime Harrison Hits Lindsey Graham With ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers' Dig

Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) was mocked with a sci-fi horror movie comparison by 2020 Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison on Wednesday night .
In an interview with CNN ’ s Don Lemon , Harrison likened Graham ’ s hypocrisy on President Donald Trump to “ a live version ” of the “ Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
” Graham , a fierce critic of Trump before the 2016 election , has since become one of the president ’ s most dependable apologists .
“ The flip-flopping is just amazing , ” Harrison told Lemon .
“ I ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years that I ’ ve been studying politics , to see someone go from having a backbone to not having one at all.
” Harrison , the former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party , said Graham is “ vulnerable in this election ” because he is “ a missing in action senator.
” Political pundits predict “ a single-digit race ” between the pair .
Graham has been senator since 2003 .
“ He hasn ’ t had a town hall in this state in over three years , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the people of South Carolina than he does helping us.
” Graham ’ s reelection campaign faced backlash this week over a digital ad in which an image of Harrison , who is Black , was edited to show him with a darker skin tone .
Sen. David Perdue ’ s ( R-Ga. ) campaign sparked similar outrage over a Facebook ad featuring a manipulated image of his Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff , who is Jewish , that depicted him with a bigger nose .

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was mocked with a sci-fi horror movie comparison by 2020 Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison on Wednesday night.
In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, Harrison likened Graham’s hypocrisy on President Donald Trump to “a live version” of the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”
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Graham, a fierce critic of Trump before the 2016 election, has since become one of the president’s most dependable apologists.
“The flip-flopping is just amazing,” Harrison told Lemon. “I’ve never seen it in all of the years that I’ve been studying politics, to see someone go from having a backbone to not having one at all.”
Harrison, the former chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said Graham is “vulnerable in this election” because he is “a missing in action senator.”
Political pundits predict “a single-digit race” between the pair. Graham has been senator since 2003.
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“He hasn’t had a town hall in this state in over three years,” said Harrison. “He does more fighting against the people of South Carolina than he does helping us.”
Graham’s reelection campaign faced backlash this week over a digital ad in which an image of Harrison, who is Black, was edited to show him with a darker skin tone.
Sen. David Perdue’s (R-Ga.) campaign sparked similar outrage over a Facebook ad featuring a manipulated image of his Democratic opponent Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, that depicted him with a bigger nose.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Top Democrats Vote To Extend Superdelegate Reforms Through 2024 Election

Those reforms , adopted in August 2018 , bind the group of Democratic officials and insiders known as superdelegates to the primary voting preferences of rank-and-file Democrats in their states , and encourage changes designed to open up primaries and caucuses to new voters .
“ These reforms helped inspire the largest and most diverse field in our Party ’ s history to seek the Democratic Party ’ s nomination for President , ” states the resolution the Democratic National Convention ’ s rules committee approved at a virtual meeting .
The resolution text , which also requires the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the goal of making them permanent , now heads to the convention floor for final approval .
With the blessing of the rules committee , it is widely expected to earn the support of a majority of the convention ’ s 3,979 delegates .
Democratic officials said the reforms reflect the work the party has done since 2016 to heal the rift between the party establishment and a progressive wing , which is effectively led by Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) .
“ Our party has come a long way since 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Maryland Democratic Party .
“ I ask that we take that same commitment , moving forward.
” You can read the full list of reform proposals considered by the Democratic National Convention ’ s rules committee here .
By the time the resolution renewing the 2018 superdelegate reforms arrived before the convention rules committee , it had evidently received the blessing of former Vice President Joe Biden ’ s campaign .
Lewis and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas , both Biden appointees to the committee , co-sponsored the resolution alongside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Sanders ally and former union leader .
It is a hopeful sign for this party that there will be a place at the table for progressives .
The dramatic reduction of the privileges held by superdelegates emerged out of Sanders ’ 2016 campaign , which sparked the creation of a commission that ended up recommending the near-abolition of a caste of convention delegates free to support candidates without regard to the wishes of their states ’ voters .
Sanders ’ 2016 supporters argued that Hillary Clinton ’ s early accumulation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disadvantage .
Allies of former Vice President Joe Biden ( left ) and Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) both voted to extend presidential primary reforms , including the disempowerment of superdelegates .
In other ways , Thursday ’ s rules committee proceedings spoke to the limits of the activist left ’ s influence in a party that now has Biden as its standard-bearer .
The committee roundly rejected proposals from Sanders-aligned members to make the superdelegate changes permanent by amending the party charter ; prohibit caucuses in favor of government-run primaries that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail ; and institute ranked-choice voting for the party ’ s presidential nominee and the DNC ’ s officers .
Given the balance of power on the rules committee , progressive members did not protest when these reforms failed .
But the committee ’ s vote to defer consideration of a proposal to permanently prohibit the DNC from receiving corporate donations and seating corporate lobbyists elicited shock and anger .
( The DNC already adopted a rule barring corporate PAC money that remains in effect through the end of the 2020 election cycle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rule permanent by amending the party ’ s charter . )
“ Wow .
That doesn ’ t make any sense at all , ” said Brent Welder , the Kansas-based union attorney who introduced the amendment .
“ It just seems to me that that ’ s an absurd thing to do , to table it .
We might as well vote ‘ yes ’ or ‘ no ’ on it.
” At the very end of the committee meeting , progressive members scrambled to introduce a motion to undo the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They succeeded , and the committee voted on the idea — but it soundly defeated the proposal to permanently bar corporate money and corporate lobbyists .

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A key Democratic Party panel voted unanimously on Thursday to extend reforms to the Democratic presidential nominating process through the 2024 election.
Those reforms, adopted in August 2018, bind the group of Democratic officials and insiders known as superdelegates to the primary voting preferences of rank-and-file Democrats in their states, and encourage changes designed to open up primaries and caucuses to new voters.
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“These reforms helped inspire the largest and most diverse field in our Party’s history to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for President,” states the resolution the Democratic National Convention’s rules committee approved at a virtual meeting.
The resolution text, which also requires the Democratic National Committee to review the reforms with the goal of making them permanent, now heads to the convention floor for final approval. With the blessing of the rules committee, it is widely expected to earn the support of a majority of the convention’s 3,979 delegates.
Democratic officials said the reforms reflect the work the party has done since 2016 to heal the rift between the party establishment and a progressive wing, which is effectively led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“Our party has come a long way since 2016,” said Yvette Lewis, chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party. “I ask that we take that same commitment, moving forward.”
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You can read the full list of reform proposals considered by the Democratic National Convention’s rules committee here.
By the time the resolution renewing the 2018 superdelegate reforms arrived before the convention rules committee, it had evidently received the blessing of former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign. Lewis and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, both Biden appointees to the committee, co-sponsored the resolution alongside Sanders aide Jeff Weaver and Larry Cohen, a Sanders ally and former union leader.
“It is a hopeful sign for this party that there will be a place at the table for progressives.” - Jeff Weaver, Bernie Sanders aide
The collaboration between “Bernie world” and Democratic Party leaders to make permanent party reforms that were initially promoted almost exclusively by staunch progressives attests to the lasting impact of Sanders’ two unsuccessful presidential runs.
The dramatic reduction of the privileges held by superdelegates emerged out of Sanders’ 2016 campaign, which sparked the creation of a commission that ended up recommending the near-abolition of a caste of convention delegates free to support candidates without regard to the wishes of their states’ voters. Sanders’ 2016 supporters argued that Hillary Clinton’s early accumulation of superdelegate endorsements put Sanders at an unfair disadvantage.
In his remarks before the vote, Weaver reflected on how the party had become more inclusive of its left-leaning members. “It is a hopeful sign for this party that there will be a place at the table for progressives,” he said. “We will not always win, but we will be at the table in the discussion and have a fair shot to make our case.” The rules committee also advanced proposals that would bring the Democratic parties of territories and other nonstate entities under the same financial umbrella as state parties, encourage “geographic and ideological diversity” among a key subset of DNC officials, and allow losing presidential candidates to keep all of their convention delegates. Candidates that withdraw from the Democratic presidential primary currently retain the delegates they received based on their performance in each congressional district (a category that encompasses two-thirds of convention delegates). But those candidates forfeit the delegate spots allotted based on their statewide performance, as well as those delegate spots reserved for party leaders and elected officials who support the losing candidate’s bid. (Biden reached an agreement with Sanders allowing the senator statewide convention delegates proportional to his state-level performance.) The committee’s statements backing those three reforms carry less weight than the resolution extending the life of the 2018 nominating changes, however. They essentially amount to a recommendation that the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee adopt the changes at a later date.
Allies of former Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) both voted to extend presidential primary reforms, including the disempowerment of superdelegates. MANDEL NGAN/Getty Images
In other ways, Thursday’s rules committee proceedings spoke to the limits of the activist left’s influence in a party that now has Biden as its standard-bearer.
The committee roundly rejected proposals from Sanders-aligned members to make the superdelegate changes permanent by amending the party charter; prohibit caucuses in favor of government-run primaries that would allow voters to cast ballots by mail; and institute ranked-choice voting for the party’s presidential nominee and the DNC’s officers.
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Given the balance of power on the rules committee, progressive members did not protest when these reforms failed.
But the committee’s vote to defer consideration of a proposal to permanently prohibit the DNC from receiving corporate donations and seating corporate lobbyists elicited shock and anger. (The DNC already adopted a rule barring corporate PAC money that remains in effect through the end of the 2020 election cycle. Thursday’s proposal would make the rule permanent by amending the party’s charter.)
“Wow. That doesn’t make any sense at all,” said Brent Welder, the Kansas-based union attorney who introduced the amendment. “It just seems to me that that’s an absurd thing to do, to table it. We might as well vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on it.”
At the very end of the committee meeting, progressive members scrambled to introduce a motion to undo the measure tabling the corporate money proposal. They succeeded, and the committee voted on the idea — but it soundly defeated the proposal to permanently bar corporate money and corporate lobbyists.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Infectious Disease Expert Laments ‘Distressing’ Lack Of Masks At Donald Trump Event

Infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner expressed dismay at the lack of face masks on display during an event attended by President Donald Trump on Wednesday .
CNN ’ s Erin Burnett asked Schaffner , a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville , Tennessee , to comment on video footage showing Trump and some of his supporters without masks and ignoring social distancing measures during his address at the Double Eagle Energy oil rig in Midland , Texas .
“ That ’ s just inappropriate , ” Schaffner continued .
“ It shows exactly the opposite of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modeling across the country .
We should be wearing our masks , all of the time.
” “ Why are they there in that large group ?
” he asked .
“ They shouldn ’ t be gathering in groups.
” ″It doesn ’ t make sense .
A lot of those people are pretty bright people .
I just don ’ t understand it .
It is nonsensical , ” she said .
More than 150,000 people in the United States have now died from the coronavirus .
The Centers for Disease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19 that could reduce the spread of the disease , particularly when used universally within communities.
” After months of refusing to wear a mask in public , Trump earlier this month said he was “ all for ” them .
He even claimed it was “ patriotic ” to do so , but was then hours later pictured without one at a fundraiser .
Rep. Louie Gohmert ( R-Texas ) , who has repeatedly refused to wear a face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive for COVID-19 shortly before he was set to travel with Trump to Texas .

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Infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner expressed dismay at the lack of face masks on display during an event attended by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
CNN’s Erin Burnett asked Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, to comment on video footage showing Trump and some of his supporters without masks and ignoring social distancing measures during his address at the Double Eagle Energy oil rig in Midland, Texas.
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“The three Ds,” Schaffner answered ― depressing, distressing and dumb.
“That’s just inappropriate,” Schaffner continued. “It shows exactly the opposite of what all those people ought to be modeling across the country. We should be wearing our masks, all of the time.”
“Why are they there in that large group?” he asked. “They shouldn’t be gathering in groups.”
Burnett agreed.
″It doesn’t make sense. A lot of those people are pretty bright people. I just don’t understand it. It is nonsensical,” she said.
More than 150,000 people in the United States have now died from the coronavirus.
Check out the exchange here:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes on its website that “cloth face coverings are a critical tool in the fight against COVID-19 that could reduce the spread of the disease, particularly when used universally within communities.”
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After months of refusing to wear a mask in public, Trump earlier this month said he was “all for” them. He even claimed it was “patriotic” to do so, but was then hours later pictured without one at a fundraiser.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Conservative Legal Expert: Trump Election Tweets Are Grounds For Impeachment

An influential conservative law professor who supported President Donald Trump in 2016 and spoke out against his impeachment said Thursday that the president ’ s latest tweet about delaying the election is grounds for his removal .
Steven Calabresi , a co-founder of the conservative Federalist Society , wrote in a New York Times opinion article that Trump “ should be removed unless he relents ” on his suggestion to delay the November election , when Trump is expected to face Democrat Joe Biden at the polls .
“ Until recently , I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fascist , ” Calabresi wrote .
“ But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president ’ s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate.
” In the Thursday morning tweet , Trump again baselessly claimed that mail-in voting is a vehicle for voter fraud .
“ Delay the Election until people can properly , securely and safely vote ?
?
?
” he questioned in the tweet .
With Universal Mail-In Voting ( not Absentee Voting , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history .
It will be a great embarrassment to the USA .
Delay the Election until people can properly , securely and safely vote ?
?
?
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) July 30 , 2020 Trump has been laying the groundwork for this for months amid his poor polling numbers , insisting throughout his reelection campaign that voting by mail isn ’ t secure despite evidence to the contrary .
In 46 states , both Democratic and Republican strongholds , at least some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some states have recently taken steps to make the process even more widely available , given the COVID-19 risk presented by voting in person .
Calabresi noted that Election Day proceeded on schedule during the depths of the Civil War , the Great Depression and World War II .
It shouldn ’ t be postponed now because of Trump ’ s fears , he said .
″ [ W ] e certainly should not even consider canceling this fall ’ s election because of the president ’ s concern about mail-in voting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fears about Covid-19 , ” he wrote .
“ It is up to each of the 50 states whether to allow universal mail-in voting and Article II of the Constitution explicitly gives the states total power over the selection of presidential electors.
” Calabresi also called for any lawmakers who support Trump ’ s fight to delay the election to “ never be elected to Congress again.
” The Federalist Society leader joins former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in condemning Trump ’ s recent actions .
The highly respected Marine general , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 , said last month he was “ angry and appalled ” by the president ’ s use of force against anti-racism protestors .
The Federalist Society , an influential national organization of conservative lawyers , has played a powerful role during the Trump administration in the selection of judicial appointees , including for the Supreme Court .

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An influential conservative law professor who supported President Donald Trump in 2016 and spoke out against his impeachment said Thursday that the president’s latest tweet about delaying the election is grounds for his removal.
Steven Calabresi, a co-founder of the conservative Federalist Society, wrote in a New York Times opinion article that Trump “should be removed unless he relents” on his suggestion to delay the November election, when Trump is expected to face Democrat Joe Biden at the polls.
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“Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats’ assertion that President Trump is a fascist,” Calabresi wrote. “But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president’s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate.”
In the Thursday morning tweet, Trump again baselessly claimed that mail-in voting is a vehicle for voter fraud. “Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???” he questioned in the tweet.
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
Trump has been laying the groundwork for this for months amid his poor polling numbers, insisting throughout his reelection campaign that voting by mail isn’t secure despite evidence to the contrary. In 46 states, both Democratic and Republican strongholds, at least some access to mail-in voting is offered. Some states have recently taken steps to make the process even more widely available, given the COVID-19 risk presented by voting in person.
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Calabresi noted that Election Day proceeded on schedule during the depths of the Civil War, the Great Depression and World War II. It shouldn’t be postponed now because of Trump’s fears, he said.
″[W]e certainly should not even consider canceling this fall’s election because of the president’s concern about mail-in voting, which is likely to increase because of fears about Covid-19,” he wrote. “It is up to each of the 50 states whether to allow universal mail-in voting and Article II of the Constitution explicitly gives the states total power over the selection of presidential electors.”
Calabresi also called for any lawmakers who support Trump’s fight to delay the election to “never be elected to Congress again.”
The Federalist Society leader joins former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in condemning Trump’s recent actions. The highly respected Marine general, who resigned from Trump’s administration in 2018, said last month he was “angry and appalled” by the president’s use of force against anti-racism protestors.
The Federalist Society, an influential national organization of conservative lawyers, has played a powerful role during the Trump administration in the selection of judicial appointees, including for the Supreme Court.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Trump Again Touts Mail-In Voting Conspiracy Theories After Floating Election Delay

President Donald Trump on Thursday evening doubled down on his suggestion to delay the upcoming presidential election on the unfounded basis that mail-in voting will lead to rampant fraud .
Trump told reporters that the November election could be the “ most rigged … in history ” if it ’ s allowed to take place .
Many more Americans are expected to vote by mail this year due to the ongoing pandemic , and Trump claimed : “ mail-in ballots will lead to the greatest fraud.
” He cited news articles to show how widespread a problem this could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article about “ tens of thousands of mail ballots ” that were thrown out in this year ’ s primary elections .
But according to the Post article , while voting rights advocates are concerned about how a shift to more voting by mail will impact the November elections , it ’ s not fraud they ’ re concerned about , but ballot rejection for different reasons .
The thousands of rejected ballots in the primaries were tossed out because of mail delays , signature match problems and other form-filling errors , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rejected ballots represented a fraction of those cast .
Voter fraud in general — including fraud while voting by mail — is extremely rare in the U.S. ; yet Trump has repeatedly insisted that while he supports absentee voting , mail-in ballots will lead to “ rigged ” results .
“ We all agree that absentee voting is good — mail-in ballots will lead to the greatest fraud … you know , we talk about Russia , Russia , Russia for two and a half years and then they found nothing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday .
“ They talk China , they talk all of these countries , they say they get involved in our elections .
This is easy .
You can forge ballots .
This is much easier for foreign countries.
” Trump insisted that while he doesn ’ t want an election delay , he ’ s concerned that he ’ ll have to wait for months or even years for the results ― which he said could be moot anyway .
“ I don ’ t want a delay , I want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also don ’ t want to have to wait for three months and then find out the ballots are all missing and the election doesn ’ t mean anything .
That is what is going to happen , ” he said .
“ That ’ s common sense .
And everyone knows it .
Smart people know it , stupid people may not know it , and some people don ’ t want to talk about it — but they know it.
” Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were swift in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) promising that the election would take place in November no matter what happens .
“ Never in the history of the country , through wars , depressions and the Civil War , have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time , ” McConnell told WNKY-TV .
“ We ’ ll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3 .
”

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President Donald Trump on Thursday evening doubled down on his suggestion to delay the upcoming presidential election on the unfounded basis that mail-in voting will lead to rampant fraud.
Trump told reporters that the November election could be the “most rigged … in history” if it’s allowed to take place. Many more Americans are expected to vote by mail this year due to the ongoing pandemic, and Trump claimed: “mail-in ballots will lead to the greatest fraud.”
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He cited news articles to show how widespread a problem this could be, including a July 16 Washington Post article about “tens of thousands of mail ballots” that were thrown out in this year’s primary elections.
But according to the Post article, while voting rights advocates are concerned about how a shift to more voting by mail will impact the November elections, it’s not fraud they’re concerned about, but ballot rejection for different reasons.
The thousands of rejected ballots in the primaries were tossed out because of mail delays, signature match problems and other form-filling errors, the Post said, adding that the number of rejected ballots represented a fraction of those cast.
Trump says he suggested delaying the election because he doesn't want a situation where the result is delayed for weeks, months, or "years" due to litigation. He then repeats several false and unsubstantiated claims about problems with mail-in voting https://t.co/Nj065CIsxp pic.twitter.com/Tf5xGBOvLK — CBS News (@CBSNews) July 30, 2020
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Voter fraud in general — including fraud while voting by mail — is extremely rare in the U.S.; yet Trump has repeatedly insisted that while he supports absentee voting, mail-in ballots will lead to “rigged” results.
Election experts have pointed out that the two voting methods are essentially the same.
“We all agree that absentee voting is good — mail-in ballots will lead to the greatest fraud … you know, we talk about Russia, Russia, Russia for two and a half years and then they found nothing and there was nothing,” Trump said on Thursday. “They talk China, they talk all of these countries, they say they get involved in our elections. This is easy. You can forge ballots. This is much easier for foreign countries.”
Trump claims that November's election will be "fixed" and "rigged" pic.twitter.com/5dmgb9WtvH — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 30, 2020
Trump insisted that while he doesn’t want an election delay, he’s concerned that he’ll have to wait for months or even years for the results ― which he said could be moot anyway.
“I don’t want a delay, I want to have the election. But I also don’t want to have to wait for three months and then find out the ballots are all missing and the election doesn’t mean anything. That is what is going to happen,” he said. “That’s common sense. And everyone knows it. Smart people know it, stupid people may not know it, and some people don’t want to talk about it — but they know it.”
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Earlier on Thursday, Trump tweeted that the presidential election should be delayed because “universal mail-in voting” will lead to the “most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT election in history.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were swift in their condemnation of such an idea, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) promising that the election would take place in November no matter what happens.
“Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time,” McConnell told WNKY-TV. “We’ll find a way to do that again this Nov. 3.”
“We are not moving the date of the election,” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) tweeted. “The resistance to this idea among Republicans is overwhelming.”
Trump has no power to change the election schedule; to do so would require a change in federal law.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Ted Cruz Hits GOP Panic Button: ‘Texas Is In Play’ For Democrats In November

Sen. Ted Cuz ( R-Texas ) is warning Republicans that his state could go blue during November ’ s presidential election .
Even though Texas hasn ’ t voted for a Democrat for president since 1976 , former Vice President Joe Biden currently has a 0.7 percentage point edge over President Donald Trump , according to the latest FiveThirtyEight polling average .
“ Texas is in play , ” Cruz warned , per The Dallas Morning News .
“ The whole country is divided right now and the hard left is angry.
” Cruz also predicted that Trump would ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president to Texas on Wednesday , where Trump held a fundraiser and did a photo op at an oil rig .
On Wednesday , the Houston Chronicle editorial board warned Trump that he was in danger of losing the state .
But the newspaper didn ’ t blame the “ hard left.
” Rather , it said the switch would be due to the president ’ s failures on the coronavirus pandemic .
“ The signs are pointing to a level of disenchantment in the state that can ’ t be addressed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the newspaper stated .
“ The hashtag # TrumpKillsTexas began trending on Tuesday just ahead of the presidential visit.
” The progressive PAC MeidasTouch , which has launched a six-figure ad buy in Texas , devised the hashtag : Trump is currently on his way to Texas .
Texans are tired of a weak president whose decisions have resulted in catastrophic death and economic turmoil in the state .
# TrumpKillsTexas pic.twitter.com/e3zlTJjPzv — MeidasTouch.com ( @ MeidasTouch ) July 29 , 2020 Cruz raised a similar alarm for his party ahead of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could lose the House and even the Senate .
At the time , he warned of “ historic turnout from the extreme left.
” The Democrats took the House but did not take the Senate .
Cruz himself faced an unexpected challenge in the deep-red state that year .
He ultimately defeated Democratic candidate Beto O ’ Rourke by 2.6 percentage points in the closest Senate race in the state in decades .

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Sen. Ted Cuz (R-Texas) is warning Republicans that his state could go blue during November’s presidential election.
Even though Texas hasn’t voted for a Democrat for president since 1976, former Vice President Joe Biden currently has a 0.7 percentage point edge over President Donald Trump, according to the latest FiveThirtyEight polling average.
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“Texas is in play,” Cruz warned, per The Dallas Morning News. “The whole country is divided right now and the hard left is angry.”
Cruz also predicted that Trump would ultimately win the state. He accompanied the president to Texas on Wednesday, where Trump held a fundraiser and did a photo op at an oil rig.
On Wednesday, the Houston Chronicle editorial board warned Trump that he was in danger of losing the state. But the newspaper didn’t blame the “hard left.” Rather, it said the switch would be due to the president’s failures on the coronavirus pandemic.
“The signs are pointing to a level of disenchantment in the state that can’t be addressed by a photo-op on an oil rig,” the newspaper stated. “The hashtag #TrumpKillsTexas began trending on Tuesday just ahead of the presidential visit.”
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The progressive PAC MeidasTouch, which has launched a six-figure ad buy in Texas, devised the hashtag:
Trump is currently on his way to Texas. Texans are tired of a weak president whose decisions have resulted in catastrophic death and economic turmoil in the state. #TrumpKillsTexas
pic.twitter.com/e3zlTJjPzv — MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) July 29, 2020
Cruz raised a similar alarm for his party ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, suggesting Republicans could lose the House and even the Senate. At the time, he warned of “historic turnout from the extreme left.”
The Democrats took the House but did not take the Senate.
Cruz himself faced an unexpected challenge in the deep-red state that year. He ultimately defeated Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke by 2.6 percentage points in the closest Senate race in the state in decades.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Fox News Hypocrisy On Protests Exposed In Damning ‘Daily Show’ Supercut

Fox News personalities cheering President Donald Trump ’ s decision to use federal law enforcement agents to quell Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ different take when Barack Obama was president .
A new supercut from “ The Daily @ @ @ @ @ network ’ s hosts praising Trump over his highly-criticized decision to send federal agents in @ @ @ @ @ Oregon .
Yet many of those same hosts slammed Obama during a 2014 standoff in @ @ @ @ @ and armed militants defending rancher Cliven Bundy .
When Bureau of Land Management agents seized @ @ @ @ @ due to his failure to pay grazing fees for decades , personalities such as Sean @ @ @ @ @ Lou Dobbs of Fox Business weren ’ t as keen on law enforcement intervention : @ @ @ @ @ .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today !

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Fox News personalities cheering President Donald Trump’s decision to use federal law enforcement agents to quell Black Lives Matter protests had a very different take when Barack Obama was president.
A new supercut from “The Daily Show” shows the conservative network’s hosts praising Trump over his highly-criticized decision to send federal agents in combat gear to Portland, Oregon. Yet many of those same hosts slammed Obama during a 2014 standoff in Nevada between federal law enforcement and armed militants defending rancher Cliven Bundy.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Rep. Ilhan Omar Wants To Bar Trump From Spending Clean Energy Funds On Dirty Projects

The Department of Energy directed $ 1.9 billion in 2018 from a federal loan meant for clean energy projects to the Appalachian Storage Hub , a behemoth plastics facility supporters dubbed a “ petrochemical supermarket ” in the heart of what was once coal country but now is increasingly a gas fracking empire .
The progressive stalwart introduced an amendment to the next House spending bill that would prohibit President Donald Trump ’ s administration from giving money through the Department of Energy ’ s Title XVII loan guarantee program to projects that increase planet-heating emissions , HuffPost has learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pramila Jayapal ( D-Wash. ) , “ clarifies ” that the program “ is providing loans only to clean energy projects that avoid , reduce or sequester air pollutants or human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases.
” The House could vote on the proposal as part of a bloc of amendments as early as Thursday afternoon .
“ Minnesotans are counting on us to fight for them — not for Trump ’ s personal agenda or special interests , ” Omar said in a statement to HuffPost .
The spirit of the program was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s website for the program lists advanced nuclear , solar , wind and geothermal as examples of technologies that have received a combined $ 25 billion in loans since 2005 .
There is a section for advanced fossil energy projects that the agency itself said are eligible only if they reduce , avoid or sequester greenhouse gas emissions , such as carbon capture projects .
The Appalachian Storage Hub , however , appears to fall outside those definitions .
The fossil fuels industry has invested heavily in petrochemicals , a sector dominated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gas for transportation , electricity and heating look increasingly threatened by the proliferation of electric and more efficient vehicles , renewable power and electrified appliances .
Cheap , abundant fossil fuels made single-use plastic packaging ubiquitous over the past decade , and the American fracking boom has triggered a new wave of plastic-resin manufacturing as companies look for new profit streams for natural gas byproducts .
Plastics ’ effect on the climate appears even more direct .
Emissions from making or burning plastics added 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report published last year by the Center for International Environmental Law , a research outfit that tracks the petrochemical industry .
That figure is equivalent to the heat-trapping emissions from 189 coal-fired power plants .
By 2050 , those emissions could hit 2.8 billion metric tons , equal to 615 new coal plants , given the expansion of plastics production .

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The Department of Energy directed $1.9 billion in 2018 from a federal loan meant for clean energy projects to the Appalachian Storage Hub, a behemoth plastics facility supporters dubbed a “petrochemical supermarket” in the heart of what was once coal country but now is increasingly a gas fracking empire.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) wants to stop that from happening again.
The progressive stalwart introduced an amendment to the next House spending bill that would prohibit President Donald Trump’s administration from giving money through the Department of Energy’s Title XVII loan guarantee program to projects that increase planet-heating emissions, HuffPost has learned.
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The amendment, introduced with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), “clarifies” that the program “is providing loans only to clean energy projects that avoid, reduce or sequester air pollutants or human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases.” The House could vote on the proposal as part of a bloc of amendments as early as Thursday afternoon.
“Minnesotans are counting on us to fight for them — not for Trump’s personal agenda or special interests,” Omar said in a statement to HuffPost.
The spirit of the program was never in question. The Energy Department’s website for the program lists advanced nuclear, solar, wind and geothermal as examples of technologies that have received a combined $25 billion in loans since 2005. There is a section for advanced fossil energy projects that the agency itself said are eligible only if they reduce, avoid or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon capture projects.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks at a rally in Springfield, Mass., in February. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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The Appalachian Storage Hub, however, appears to fall outside those definitions. The fossil fuels industry has invested heavily in petrochemicals, a sector dominated by plastics production, as oil and gas for transportation, electricity and heating look increasingly threatened by the proliferation of electric and more efficient vehicles, renewable power and electrified appliances.
Cheap, abundant fossil fuels made single-use plastic packaging ubiquitous over the past decade, and the American fracking boom has triggered a new wave of plastic-resin manufacturing as companies look for new profit streams for natural gas byproducts.
Plastics’ effect on the climate appears even more direct. Emissions from making or burning plastics added 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere in 2019, according to a report published last year by the Center for International Environmental Law, a research outfit that tracks the petrochemical industry. That figure is equivalent to the heat-trapping emissions from 189 coal-fired power plants. By 2050, those emissions could hit 2.8 billion metric tons, equal to 615 new coal plants, given the expansion of plastics production.
“The plastics crisis is a climate crisis hiding in plain sight,” Carroll Muffett, the Center for International Environmental Law’s chief executive, told NPR last year.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Postal Service Reaches Deal Over Terms Of $10 Billion Coronavirus Loan

The U.S .
Postal Service reached an agreement with the Trump administration Wednesday on the terms of a $ 10 billion loan the agency can draw on should it need aid during the coronavirus pandemic .
The Treasury Department announced the news amid ongoing concerns about the future of the mail service , which has reported falling revenue and increasing costs for years while bearing an onslaught of criticism from President Donald Trump .
The loan was initially authorized under a major coronavirus relief act passed by Congress in March and comes as the Postal Service warned it could run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support .
“ While the USPS is able to fund its operating expenses without additional borrowing at this time , we are pleased to have reached an agreement on the material terms and conditions of a loan , should the need arise , ” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement .
The Washington Post reported that the terms of the deal mandate that the Postal Service provide the Treasury Department with copies of service agreements it has made with major companies such as Amazon and FedEx .
The president has repeatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , without evidence , that the agency ’ s woes were linked to poor terms in the deals .
Trump has long targeted Amazon and its founder , Jeff Bezos , on social media , calling the Postal Service a “ joke ” and saying it was the tech giant ’ s “ delivery boy.
” The Postal Service has seen its revenue fall in recent years but lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have brought an unexpected boon in shipments .
The Post reported last month that deliveries had risen dramatically in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay home .
But though the agency doesn ’ t yet have to borrow money , the head of the Postal Service said it still remained on an “ unstable path ” that would need to be addressed .
“ Access to an additional $ 10 billion in borrowing authority will delay the approaching liquidity crisis , ” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement .
“ The Postal Service , however , remains on an unsustainable path and we will continue to focus on improving operational efficiency and pursuing other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service on a trajectory for long-term financial stability.
” DeJoy , a major Republican donor , was named the new head of the Postal Service in May amid the president ’ s attacks on the agency .
At the time , DeJoy said he would uphold the service ’ s “ cherished role in our nation ” throughout his tenure .
“ Having worked closely with the Postal Service for many years , I have a great appreciation for this institution and the dedicated workers who faithfully execute its mission , ” DeJoy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers are the heart and soul of this institution , and I will be honored to work alongside them and their unions .
”

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The U.S. Postal Service reached an agreement with the Trump administration Wednesday on the terms of a $10 billion loan the agency can draw on should it need aid during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Treasury Department announced the news amid ongoing concerns about the future of the mail service, which has reported falling revenue and increasing costs for years while bearing an onslaught of criticism from President Donald Trump. The loan was initially authorized under a major coronavirus relief act passed by Congress in March and comes as the Postal Service warned it could run out of money by September without government support.
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“While the USPS is able to fund its operating expenses without additional borrowing at this time, we are pleased to have reached an agreement on the material terms and conditions of a loan, should the need arise,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
The Washington Post reported that the terms of the deal mandate that the Postal Service provide the Treasury Department with copies of service agreements it has made with major companies such as Amazon and FedEx. The president has repeatedly claimed the Postal Service favors Amazon and said, without evidence, that the agency’s woes were linked to poor terms in the deals.
Trump has long targeted Amazon and its founder, Jeff Bezos, on social media, calling the Postal Service a “joke” and saying it was the tech giant’s “delivery boy.”
The Postal Service has seen its revenue fall in recent years but lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic have brought an unexpected boon in shipments. The Post reported last month that deliveries had risen dramatically in April and May as Americans were forced to stay home.
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But though the agency doesn’t yet have to borrow money, the head of the Postal Service said it still remained on an “unstable path” that would need to be addressed.
“Access to an additional $10 billion in borrowing authority will delay the approaching liquidity crisis,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement. “The Postal Service, however, remains on an unsustainable path and we will continue to focus on improving operational efficiency and pursuing other reforms in order to put the Postal Service on a trajectory for long-term financial stability.”
DeJoy, a major Republican donor, was named the new head of the Postal Service in May amid the president’s attacks on the agency.
At the time, DeJoy said he would uphold the service’s “cherished role in our nation” throughout his tenure.
“Having worked closely with the Postal Service for many years, I have a great appreciation for this institution and the dedicated workers who faithfully execute its mission,” DeJoy said in a statement. “Postal workers are the heart and soul of this institution, and I will be honored to work alongside them and their unions.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-29--Fox Host Calls Out Trump Spokesperson For 'Cop-Out' Reply To Question On Polls

Trump campaign spokesperson Hogan Gidley faced pushback Wednesday on Fox Business after he attempted to sidestep a question about President Donald Trump ’ s poor performance in the polls by trashing the polls .
During Gidley ’ s appearance on Maria Bartiromo ’ s morning program , Fox Business host and analyst Dagen McDowell confronted him about recent results that show former Vice President Joe Biden widening his lead in the race to the November presidential election .
“ Why is President Trump trailing Joe Biden , who has barely been out on the campaign trail ?
” she asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national polls .
He ’ s trailing in all the swing state polls.
” McDowell continued : “ The number one issue for Americans is the coronavirus .
It ’ s not the economy , it ’ s not even race relations , and , according to the latest Fox News poll , President Trump trails Joe Biden on doing a better job on coronavirus by 17 points .
Why isn ’ t the president ’ s message resonating then ?
” “ Well , first of all , a lot of those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , prompting McDowell to interrupt : “ That ’ s a cop-out .
You can argue they don ’ t indicate how the election turns out .
That ’ s fine .
But that ’ s just a cop-out , Hogan.
” Gidley argued that the polls are “ skewed to the left ” before sidestepping again to criticize Biden ’ s handling of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic .
McDowell interjected a second time , noting that Trump ’ s belated efforts to strike a more serious tone on the coronavirus outbreak indicate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attention to these polls after all .
“ These polls clearly matter to you and the president because he ’ s changed his position and tone based on that very polling to focus more on the virus because you ’ re losing on that subject , ” she said .

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Trump campaign spokesperson Hogan Gidley faced pushback Wednesday on Fox Business after he attempted to sidestep a question about President Donald Trump’s poor performance in the polls by trashing the polls.
During Gidley’s appearance on Maria Bartiromo’s morning program, Fox Business host and analyst Dagen McDowell confronted him about recent results that show former Vice President Joe Biden widening his lead in the race to the November presidential election.
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“Why is President Trump trailing Joe Biden, who has barely been out on the campaign trail?” she asked. “He’s trailing in national polls. He’s trailing in all the swing state polls.”
McDowell continued: “The number one issue for Americans is the coronavirus. It’s not the economy, it’s not even race relations, and, according to the latest Fox News poll, President Trump trails Joe Biden on doing a better job on coronavirus by 17 points. Why isn’t the president’s message resonating then?”
“Well, first of all, a lot of those polls are junk,” Gidley responded, prompting McDowell to interrupt: “That’s a cop-out. You can argue they don’t indicate how the election turns out. That’s fine. But that’s just a cop-out, Hogan.”
Gidley argued that the polls are “skewed to the left” before sidestepping again to criticize Biden’s handling of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
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McDowell interjected a second time, noting that Trump’s belated efforts to strike a more serious tone on the coronavirus outbreak indicate he and his campaign team are paying attention to these polls after all.
“These polls clearly matter to you and the president because he’s changed his position and tone based on that very polling to focus more on the virus because you’re losing on that subject,” she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--Here’s How Diverse The Staffs Of Major Democratic Campaign Groups Are

Bill Clark via Getty Images Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is the first Latina to chair the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee .
Her senior staff at the committee is roughly one-third people of color .
All four major Democratic campaign committees have staffs that are at least 30 % people of color , according to staff diversity data provided to HuffPost , though there is a wide variance among the committees .
HuffPost asked for staff diversity data from both the Democratic and Republican national committees , along with the Senate , House and gubernatorial campaign committees for both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with the exception of the Republican National Committee , responded .
Democrats , in particular , have faced increasing pressure to hire diverse staff members in recent years as the party has become more reliant on Black , Latino and Asian American voters to win key elections .
Activists have pressured the committees and Democratic presidential campaigns to release data , and some members of Congress have gone public with complaints about staff diversity .
Advocates for hiring more staffers of color argue that ’ s it both the right thing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims to represent the interests of racial minorities in American politics , and that it helps the party because Black and Latino operatives are better at appealing to those voting blocs .
“ It ’ s critically important that the party committees reflect the communities of voters that are putting Democrats into elected office , not only because it ’ s the right thing to do , but if you look at the world we live in right now , it ’ s communities of colors that are hardest hit by the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the table , ” said Alida Garcia , the founder of Inclusv , which works to help people of color find jobs in politics .
“ When we don ’ t have staffers who are in the ears of these candidates advocating for the people who are the neediest , the whole country suffers.
” The presidential campaigns for both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden released data on how diverse their staffs were earlier this month .
Biden ’ s full-time staff was made up of 35 % people of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garcia , who is working with the Biden campaign , said she expects the campaign to get more diverse as it continues to hire staffers . )
The Democratic committees are generally in a similar place , though some of the committees lag behind the benchmarks set by Biden and by Hillary Clinton ’ s presidential campaign in 2016 .
Both the DGA and the DCCC said they had worked aggressively to diversify their staffs in recent years .
In 2018 , the DGA said , the organization ’ s staff was just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of color .
Its senior staff was even less diverse , with just 12.5 % people of color and 25 % women .
The DCCC , meanwhile , faced a major staff shakeup in 2019 when leading members of both the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus criticized the committee for a lack of diversity at the top of the organization .
Since then , the committee has hired a chief diversity officer and conducted an anonymous climate survey to assess the organization ’ s culture .
The RNC said half of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are people of color .
The committee did not reveal the demographics of its full staff .
The National Republican Congressional Committee , the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Republican Governors Association did not respond .

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is the first Latina to chair the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Her senior staff at the committee is roughly one-third people of color. Bill Clark via Getty Images
All four major Democratic campaign committees have staffs that are at least 30% people of color, according to staff diversity data provided to HuffPost, though there is a wide variance among the committees.
HuffPost asked for staff diversity data from both the Democratic and Republican national committees, along with the Senate, House and gubernatorial campaign committees for both parties. None of the Republican committees, with the exception of the Republican National Committee, responded.
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Democrats, in particular, have faced increasing pressure to hire diverse staff members in recent years as the party has become more reliant on Black, Latino and Asian American voters to win key elections. Activists have pressured the committees and Democratic presidential campaigns to release data, and some members of Congress have gone public with complaints about staff diversity.
Advocates for hiring more staffers of color argue that’s it both the right thing to do for the Democratic Party, which claims to represent the interests of racial minorities in American politics, and that it helps the party because Black and Latino operatives are better at appealing to those voting blocs.
“It’s critically important that the party committees reflect the communities of voters that are putting Democrats into elected office, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but if you look at the world we live in right now, it’s communities of colors that are hardest hit by the pandemic and are going to be needing advocates at the table,” said Alida Garcia, the founder of Inclusv, which works to help people of color find jobs in politics. “When we don’t have staffers who are in the ears of these candidates advocating for the people who are the neediest, the whole country suffers.”
The presidential campaigns for both Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden released data on how diverse their staffs were earlier this month. Biden’s full-time staff was made up of 35% people of color and 53% women. (Garcia, who is working with the Biden campaign, said she expects the campaign to get more diverse as it continues to hire staffers.)
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The Democratic committees are generally in a similar place, though some of the committees lag behind the benchmarks set by Biden and by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016.
The Democratic National Committee’s staff is 41% people of color and 56% women. Its senior staff is 42% people of color and 50% women.
The Democratic Gubernatorial Association is 32% people of color and 62% women. Its senior staff is 22% people of color and 55% women.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is 31% people of color and 60% women. Its senior staff is 32% people of color and 60% women.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is 44% people of color and 52% female. Its senior staff is 59% people of color and 53% women.
Garcia said the committees should, at a minimum, “be reflective of the electorate that puts Democratic presidents into office.”
“That benchmark should be around the mid-40s,” she said.
Both the DGA and the DCCC said they had worked aggressively to diversify their staffs in recent years. In 2018, the DGA said, the organization’s staff was just 46% women and 17% people of color. Its senior staff was even less diverse, with just 12.5% people of color and 25% women.
The DCCC, meanwhile, faced a major staff shakeup in 2019 when leading members of both the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus criticized the committee for a lack of diversity at the top of the organization. Since then, the committee has hired a chief diversity officer and conducted an anonymous climate survey to assess the organization’s culture.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-30--NASA Launches Mars Rover To Look For Signs Of Ancient Life

CAPE CANAVERAL , Fla. ( AP ) — The biggest , most sophisticated Mars rover ever built — a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras , microphones , drills and lasers — blasted off Thursday as part of an ambitious , long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life .
NASA ’ s Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into the morning sky in the world ’ s third and final Mars launch of the summer .
China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reach the red planet in February after a journey of seven months and 300 million miles ( 480 million kilometers ) .
The plutonium-powered , six-wheeled rover will drill down and collect tiny geological specimens that will be brought home in about 2031 in a sort of interplanetary relay race involving multiple spacecraft and countries .
The overall cost : more than $ 8 billion .
In addition to addressing the life-on-Mars question , the mission will yield lessons that could pave the way for the arrival of astronauts as early as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason we call the robot Perseverance .
Because going to Mars is hard , ” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff .
“ It is always hard .
It ’ s never been easy .
In this case , it ’ s harder than ever before because we ’ re doing it in the midst of a pandemic.
” The U.S. , the only country to safely put a spacecraft on Mars , is seeking its ninth successful landing on the planet , which has proved to be the Bermuda Triangle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half of the world ’ s missions there burning up , crashing or otherwise ending in failure .
It ’ s the biggest stampede to Mars in spacefaring history .
The opportunity to fly between Earth and Mars comes around only once every 26 months when the planets are on the same side of the sun and about as close as they can get .
If all goes well , the rover will descend to the Martian surface on Feb. 18 , 2021 , in what NASA calls seven minutes of terror , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mph ( 19,300 kph ) to a complete stop , with no human intervention whatsoever .
It is carrying 25 cameras and a pair of microphones that will enable Earthlings to vicariously tag along .
Perseverance will aim for treacherous unexplored territory : Jezero Crater , a dusty expanse riddled with boulders , cliffs , dunes and possibly rocks bearing signs of microbes from what was once a lake more than 3 billion years ago .
The rover will store half-ounce ( 15-gram ) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet , and test out other technology to prepare the way for future astronauts , including equipment for extracting oxygen from Mars ’ thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere .
The plan is for NASA and the European Space Agency to launch a dune buggy in 2026 to fetch the rock samples , along with a rocket ship that will put the specimens into orbit around Mars .
Then another spacecraft will capture the orbiting samples and bring them home .
To definitively answer the profound question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ existed — beyond Earth , the samples must be analyzed by the best electron microscopes and other instruments , far too big to fit on a spacecraft , he said .
“ I ’ ve wanted to know if there was life elsewhere in the universe since I was 9 years old .
That was more than 60 years ago , ” the 71-year-old Hubbard said from his Northern California cabin .
“ But just maybe , I ’ ll live to see the fingerprints of life come back from Mars in one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ There is nothing better than bringing samples back to Earth where we can put them in a lab and we can apply every element of technology against those samples to make determinations as to whether or not there was , at one time , life on the surface of Mars .
”

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The biggest, most sophisticated Mars rover ever built — a car-size vehicle bristling with cameras, microphones, drills and lasers — blasted off Thursday as part of an ambitious, long-range project to bring the first Martian rock samples back to Earth to be analyzed for evidence of ancient life.
NASA’s Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into the morning sky in the world’s third and final Mars launch of the summer. China and the United Arab Emirates got a head start last week, but all three missions should reach the red planet in February after a journey of seven months and 300 million miles (480 million kilometers).
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The plutonium-powered, six-wheeled rover will drill down and collect tiny geological specimens that will be brought home in about 2031 in a sort of interplanetary relay race involving multiple spacecraft and countries. The overall cost: more than $8 billion.
A replica of the Mars rover Perseverance is displayed at the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, July 29, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In addition to addressing the life-on-Mars question, the mission will yield lessons that could pave the way for the arrival of astronauts as early as the 2030s.
“There’s a reason we call the robot Perseverance. Because going to Mars is hard,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff. “It is always hard. It’s never been easy. In this case, it’s harder than ever before because we’re doing it in the midst of a pandemic.”
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The U.S., the only country to safely put a spacecraft on Mars, is seeking its ninth successful landing on the planet, which has proved to be the Bermuda Triangle of space exploration, with more than half of the world’s missions there burning up, crashing or otherwise ending in failure.
China is sending both a rover an orbiter. The UAE, a newcomer to outer space, has an orbiter en route.
We have... Liftoff.@StephanieAbrams may or may not have cried. We may or may not have too. #MissionToMars @NASAPersevere pic.twitter.com/XkN3wB9Mko — The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) July 30, 2020
It’s the biggest stampede to Mars in spacefaring history. The opportunity to fly between Earth and Mars comes around only once every 26 months when the planets are on the same side of the sun and about as close as they can get.
Launch controllers wore masks and sat spaced apart at the Cape Canaveral control center because of the coronavirus outbreak, which kept hundreds of scientists and other team members away from Perseverance’s liftoff.
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“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” said Alex Mather, the 13-year-old Virginia schoolboy who proposed the name Perseverance in a NASA competition and traveled to Cape Canaveral for the launch.
If all goes well, the rover will descend to the Martian surface on Feb. 18, 2021, in what NASA calls seven minutes of terror, in which the craft goes from 12,000 mph (19,300 kph) to a complete stop, with no human intervention whatsoever. It is carrying 25 cameras and a pair of microphones that will enable Earthlings to vicariously tag along.
Perseverance will aim for treacherous unexplored territory: Jezero Crater, a dusty expanse riddled with boulders, cliffs, dunes and possibly rocks bearing signs of microbes from what was once a lake more than 3 billion years ago. The rover will store half-ounce (15-gram) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that carried the rover is seen at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Tuesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
It also will release a mini helicopter that will attempt the first powered flight on another planet, and test out other technology to prepare the way for future astronauts, including equipment for extracting oxygen from Mars’ thin carbon-dioxide atmosphere.
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The plan is for NASA and the European Space Agency to launch a dune buggy in 2026 to fetch the rock samples, along with a rocket ship that will put the specimens into orbit around Mars. Then another spacecraft will capture the orbiting samples and bring them home.
Samples actually brought home from Mars, not drawn from meteorites discovered on Earth, have long been considered “the Holy Grail of Mars science,” according to NASA’s original and now-retired Mars czar, Scott Hubbard.
To definitively answer the profound question of whether life exists — or ever existed — beyond Earth, the samples must be analyzed by the best electron microscopes and other instruments, far too big to fit on a spacecraft, he said.
The rocket is expected to land on Mars in February 2021. ASSOCIATED PRESS
“I’ve wanted to know if there was life elsewhere in the universe since I was 9 years old. That was more than 60 years ago,” the 71-year-old Hubbard said from his Northern California cabin. “But just maybe, I’ll live to see the fingerprints of life come back from Mars in one of those rock samples.”
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Said Bridenstine: “There is nothing better than bringing samples back to Earth where we can put them in a lab and we can apply every element of technology against those samples to make determinations as to whether or not there was, at one time, life on the surface of Mars.”
Two other NASA landers are also operating on Mars: 2018′s InSight and 2012′s Curiosity rover. Six other spacecraft are exploring the planet from orbit: three from the U.S., two from Europe and one from India.
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