theguardian--2020-07-08--Kanye West takes anti-vaccine, anti-abortion stance in US presidential bid

Kanye West has given more details about the policy platform he will adopt in his bid to become US president in November , declaring himself anti-abortion , sceptical about a Covid-19 vaccine and keen to return “ fear and love of God ” to education .
In an interview with Forbes , he announced that he would run under the banner of the Birthday party , “ because when we win it ’ s everybody ’ s birthday ” .
His campaign slogan is a leaner version of Barack Obama ’ s “ Yes we can ” message , reading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missed the deadline to appear on the ballot in a number of states , but he argued that he could be added as a latecomer due to the coronavirus .
He said he was “ going to speak with Jared Kushner , the White House , with Biden ” to make his bid a reality – although he was also critical of the presumptive Democratic nominee .
He said : “ Obama ’ s special .
Trump ’ s special .
We say Kanye West is special .
America needs special people that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden ’ s not special.
” West ’ s campaign advisers are his wife , the TV star Kim Kardashian-West , and the Tesla founder Elon Musk , both of whom have endorsed him .
Speaking about Musk , West said : “ I proposed to him to be the head of our space programme.
” West said that if he were to win – either in 2020 or 2024 , the year in which he previously hinted he would run – it would be “ God ’ s appointment ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ closest president we ’ ve had in years to allowing God to still be part of the conversation ” .
West has previously voiced support for Trump and worn one of Trump ’ s trademark Make America Great Again caps when he met the president in the Oval Office .
“ One of the main reasons I wore the red hat [ was ] as a protest to the segregation of votes in the black community , ” West said .
“ Other than the fact that I like Trump hotels and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ development of a Covid-19 vaccine , he said : “ It ’ s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralysed … So when they say the way we ’ re going to fix covid is with a vaccine , I ’ m extremely cautious .
That ’ s the mark of the beast .
“ They want to put chips inside of us , they want to do all kinds of things to make it where we can ’ t cross the gates of heaven.
” West added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We need to stop doing things that make God mad.
” He said he may have contracted the disease in February : “ Chills , shaking in the bed , taking hot showers , looking at videos telling me what I ’ m supposed to do to get over it.
” He said he intended to end police brutality , but added that “ the police are people , too ” .
He said he opposes the death penalty and is “ pro-life because I ’ m following the word of the Bible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wanted to reinstate “ the fear and love of God in all schools and organisations ” and criticised Black History Month as “ torture porn ” .
He added : “ The schools , the infrastructure , was made for us to not truly be all we can be , but to be just good enough to work for the corporations that designed the school systems .
We ’ re tearing that up … we ’ re not going to tear up the constitution ; what we will do is amend.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in some quarters as a distraction that could harm Biden ’ s campaign .
West said it was “ a form of racism and white supremacy and white control to say that all black people need to be Democrat and to assume that me running is me splitting the vote ” .
West is also preparing to release his 10th studio album , God ’ s Country .
He released the first single from the record last week , Wash Us in the Blood .
He told Forbes : “ I give my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not elaborate .

Kanye West has given more details about the policy platform he will adopt in his bid to become US president in November, declaring himself anti-abortion, sceptical about a Covid-19 vaccine and keen to return “fear and love of God” to education.
In an interview with Forbes, he announced that he would run under the banner of the Birthday party, “because when we win it’s everybody’s birthday”. His campaign slogan is a leaner version of Barack Obama’s “Yes we can” message, reading simply “YES”.
West has missed the deadline to appear on the ballot in a number of states, but he argued that he could be added as a latecomer due to the coronavirus.
He said he was “going to speak with Jared Kushner, the White House, with Biden” to make his bid a reality – although he was also critical of the presumptive Democratic nominee.
He said: “Obama’s special. Trump’s special. We say Kanye West is special. America needs special people that lead. Bill Clinton? Special. Joe Biden’s not special.”
West’s campaign advisers are his wife, the TV star Kim Kardashian-West, and the Tesla founder Elon Musk, both of whom have endorsed him. Speaking about Musk, West said: “I proposed to him to be the head of our space programme.”
West said that if he were to win – either in 2020 or 2024, the year in which he previously hinted he would run – it would be “God’s appointment”. He praised Donald Trump as “the closest president we’ve had in years to allowing God to still be part of the conversation”.
West has previously voiced support for Trump and worn one of Trump’s trademark Make America Great Again caps when he met the president in the Oval Office. “One of the main reasons I wore the red hat [was] as a protest to the segregation of votes in the black community,” West said. “Other than the fact that I like Trump hotels and the saxophones in the lobby.”
Regarding the development of a Covid-19 vaccine, he said: “It’s so many of our children that are being vaccinated and paralysed … So when they say the way we’re going to fix covid is with a vaccine, I’m extremely cautious. That’s the mark of the beast.
“They want to put chips inside of us, they want to do all kinds of things to make it where we can’t cross the gates of heaven.”
07:39 Why US anti-vaxxers will refuse a coronavirus vaccine – video
West added that Covid-19 was “all about God. We need to stop doing things that make God mad.”
He said he may have contracted the disease in February: “Chills, shaking in the bed, taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I’m supposed to do to get over it.”
He said he intended to end police brutality, but added that “the police are people, too”. He said he opposes the death penalty and is “pro-life because I’m following the word of the Bible”.
On education, he said he wanted to reinstate “the fear and love of God in all schools and organisations” and criticised Black History Month as “torture porn”. He added: “The schools, the infrastructure, was made for us to not truly be all we can be, but to be just good enough to work for the corporations that designed the school systems. We’re tearing that up … we’re not going to tear up the constitution; what we will do is amend.”
West’s bid has been criticised in some quarters as a distraction that could harm Biden’s campaign. West said it was “a form of racism and white supremacy and white control to say that all black people need to be Democrat and to assume that me running is me splitting the vote”.
West is also preparing to release his 10th studio album, God’s Country. He released the first single from the record last week, Wash Us in the Blood. He told Forbes: “I give my album away for free,” but did not elaborate.


theguardian--2020-07-08--Nine out of 10 Americans say racism and police brutality are problems, poll finds

Nine in 10 Americans believe that racism and police violence are problems in the country , a Guardian/Opinium Research poll has found , a sign that public opinion is shifting away from the views put forward by Donald Trump .
The US president has been criticised for relentlessly stoking white fear and grievance in recent weeks , putting him at odds with Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests that have swept the nation following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May .
But the Opinium survey of 2,000 US adults , conducted for the Guardian between 19 and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of sync with the mood across the political spectrum .
Some 91 % of Americans now agree that racism is a problem in the US and 72 % deem it is a serious one .
Similarly , 89 % think police violence is a problem and 65 % consider it serious .
This opinion also cuts across age groups .
Although younger Americans are predictably more likely to view racism as a serious problem – four in five ( 80 % ) – the view is shared by nearly seven in 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 54-year-olds and even more ( 69 % ) and those over 55 – a demographic group often associated with Trump ’ s base .
The president has responded to the demonstrations with animus .
Last month security forces used teargas to break up a peaceful protest at Lafayette Square outside the White House so Trump could stage a photo op outside a historic church .
He has defended “ law and order ” , historic statues and , critics say , a legacy of white domination , while fiercely denouncing “ the radical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the agitators , the looters ” .
Opinium ’ s research found that more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump ’ s response to the protests ( 47 % v 31 % ) .
This is true , predictably , of registered Democrats ( 75 % v 12 % ) but also of registered independents ( 55 % v 27 % ) .
Seven in 10 ( 70 % ) of those who voted for Trump in 2016 back his actions : 70 % approve while 14 % disapprove .
The Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with half a million people protesting in nearly 550 places across America , the New York Times reported this week , and may be the biggest movement in the nation ’ s history .
They have prompted change everywhere from corporate boardrooms to country music to food brands to sports teams .
About 60 Confederate statues have been removed or are set to be , while Mississippi voted to remove a Confederate emblem from its state flag .
There has been much debate over whether this will prove a moment or a movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past .
The Opinium survey offers a snapshot .
The demographic of 18-to-34-year-olds are most optimistic that Black Lives Matter will lead to real change : 56 % believe it will , as opposed to 44 % of the general population .
Young Americans are significantly more engaged in the movement : 73 % of 18-to-34-year-olds have taken some sort of action in support of it compared with 52 % of the general population .
Almost one in five ( 18 % ) have signed a petition in support of the movement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) of all Americans .
About 9 % have gone out to protest themselves , versus 4 % of all Americans .
And 12 % of 18-to-34-year-olds were inspired by the movement to check their voter registration versus only 6 % of the general population .
Nearly five times as many Americans posted on social media to support Black Lives Matter than contacted their government representatives asking for change : 14 % as opposed to 3 % .
Trump has launched full-throated defences of the police , about which the survey found contrasting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 76 % ) believe that most cops are good people but there are a few “ bad apples ” .
More than one in 10 ( 13 % ) take the opposite view – that most police officers are bad people , but there are some good ones .
The former view holds for black/African American respondents , though by a smaller margin ( 49 % to 32 % ) .
With police reform currently stalled in Congress , Opinium found the most widely supported measures are : investigating all use of deadly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , ban police use of chokeholds and other neck restraints ( 67 % ) , make police misconduct records publicly available ( 66 % ) , require officers to use de-escalation when they can ( 66 % ) , require officers to use alternatives to deadly force when possible ( 59 % ) .
Some activists have called for police to be “ defunded ” , though the exact meaning of that term has been contested , and has also been exploited by Trump to sow fear that Democrats and their allies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to the poll , only one in four ( 24 % ) of Americans say they agree with “ defund the police ” and more than half ( 58 % ) disagree .
One in three ( 32 % ) say they approve of redirecting funding for police departments towards education/healthcare and community social programmes .
Commentators have drawn comparisons with the unrest of 1968 .
Americans are divided on whether past civil rights leaders would be proud of this current movement and the recent protests .
About 39 % think Martin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while 36 % believe he would be .
Americans are more confident that Malcolm X would be proud of this movement : 39 % say he would while 20 % say not .
The survey was conducted online and weighted to represent the US adult population according to demographics , education and past voting behaviour .
Among those who say they are registered to vote and certain to do so in November ’ s election , former vice-president Joe Biden leads Trump by 52 % to 40 % – a double-digit lead reflected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than half ( 52 % ) of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president , while little more than a third ( 36 % ) approve .

Nine in 10 Americans believe that racism and police violence are problems in the country, a Guardian/Opinium Research poll has found, a sign that public opinion is shifting away from the views put forward by Donald Trump.
The US president has been criticised for relentlessly stoking white fear and grievance in recent weeks, putting him at odds with Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests that have swept the nation following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
But the Opinium survey of 2,000 US adults, conducted for the Guardian between 19 and 24 June, suggests that Trump is out of sync with the mood across the political spectrum.
Some 91% of Americans now agree that racism is a problem in the US and 72% deem it is a serious one. Similarly, 89% think police violence is a problem and 65% consider it serious.
This opinion also cuts across age groups. Although younger Americans are predictably more likely to view racism as a serious problem – four in five (80%) – the view is shared by nearly seven in 10 (68%) of 35- to 54-year-olds and even more (69%) and those over 55 – a demographic group often associated with Trump’s base.
The president has responded to the demonstrations with animus. Last month security forces used teargas to break up a peaceful protest at Lafayette Square outside the White House so Trump could stage a photo op outside a historic church. He has defended “law and order”, historic statues and, critics say, a legacy of white domination, while fiercely denouncing “the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters”.
Opinium’s research found that more Americans disapprove than approve of Trump’s response to the protests (47% v 31%). This is true, predictably, of registered Democrats (75% v 12%) but also of registered independents (55% v 27%). Seven in 10 (70%) of those who voted for Trump in 2016 back his actions: 70% approve while 14% disapprove.
The Black Lives Matter protests peaked on 6 June with half a million people protesting in nearly 550 places across America, the New York Times reported this week, and may be the biggest movement in the nation’s history. They have prompted change everywhere from corporate boardrooms to country music to food brands to sports teams. About 60 Confederate statues have been removed or are set to be, while Mississippi voted to remove a Confederate emblem from its state flag.
There has been much debate over whether this will prove a moment or a movement with more lasting impact than protests of the past. The Opinium survey offers a snapshot. The demographic of 18-to-34-year-olds are most optimistic that Black Lives Matter will lead to real change: 56% believe it will, as opposed to 44% of the general population.
Young Americans are significantly more engaged in the movement: 73% of 18-to-34-year-olds have taken some sort of action in support of it compared with 52% of the general population. Almost one in five (18%) have signed a petition in support of the movement versus one in 10 (10%) of all Americans.
About 9% have gone out to protest themselves, versus 4% of all Americans. And 12% of 18-to-34-year-olds were inspired by the movement to check their voter registration versus only 6% of the general population. Nearly five times as many Americans posted on social media to support Black Lives Matter than contacted their government representatives asking for change: 14% as opposed to 3%.
Police officers in riot gear move forward to form a security perimeter on 16th St NW near the White House in Washington on 23 June. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Trump has launched full-throated defences of the police, about which the survey found contrasting views. Three in four people (76%) believe that most cops are good people but there are a few “bad apples”. More than one in 10 (13%) take the opposite view – that most police officers are bad people, but there are some good ones. The former view holds for black/African American respondents, though by a smaller margin (49% to 32%).
With police reform currently stalled in Congress, Opinium found the most widely supported measures are: investigating all use of deadly force by police (74% approve), ban police use of chokeholds and other neck restraints (67%), make police misconduct records publicly available (66%), require officers to use de-escalation when they can (66%), require officers to use alternatives to deadly force when possible (59%).
Some activists have called for police to be “defunded”, though the exact meaning of that term has been contested, and has also been exploited by Trump to sow fear that Democrats and their allies would allow violent crime to flourish.
According to the poll, only one in four (24%) of Americans say they agree with “defund the police” and more than half (58%) disagree. One in three (32%) say they approve of redirecting funding for police departments towards education/healthcare and community social programmes.
Commentators have drawn comparisons with the unrest of 1968. Americans are divided on whether past civil rights leaders would be proud of this current movement and the recent protests. About 39% think Martin Luther King would not be proud, while 36% believe he would be. Americans are more confident that Malcolm X would be proud of this movement: 39% say he would while 20% say not.
The survey was conducted online and weighted to represent the US adult population according to demographics, education and past voting behaviour.
Among those who say they are registered to vote and certain to do so in November’s election, former vice-president Joe Biden leads Trump by 52% to 40% – a double-digit lead reflected by several other national polls. More than half (52%) of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president, while little more than a third (36%) approve.


theguardian--2020-07-08--Rowling, Rushdie and Atwood warn against ‘intolerance’ in open letter

JK Rowling , Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood are among the signatories to a controversial open letter warning that the spread of “ censoriousness ” is leading to “ an intolerance of opposing views ” and “ a vogue for public shaming and ostracism ” .
Rowling , whose beliefs on transgender rights have recently seen scores of Harry Potter fans distance themselves from her , said she was “ proud to sign this letter in defence of a foundational principle of a liberal society : open debate and freedom of thought and speech ” .
Rowling compared the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ To quote the inimitable Lillian Hellman : ‘ I can not and will not cut my conscience to fit this year ’ s fashions ’ .
” Published in Harper ’ s Magazine , the letter is signed by more than 150 writers , academics and artists , also including major names such as Martin Amis , Noam Chomsky , Steven Pinker , Malcolm Gladwell and Gloria Steinem .
Acknowledging that “ powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform , along with wider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our society ” , the letter goes on to decry what it calls “ a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity ” .
Hitting out at how a “ panicked damage control ” is leading to the delivery of “ hasty and disproportionate punishments instead of considered reforms ” , the letter criticises how “ editors are fired for running controversial pieces ; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity ; journalists are barred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are investigated for quoting works of literature in class ; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study ; and the heads of organisations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes ” .
Its instigator , the writer Thomas Chatterton Williams , referenced incidents including the allegations of racism which led to resignations at US institutions like the National Book Critics Circle , and the Poetry Foundation , to the New York Times .
“ Donald Trump is the Canceler in Chief , ” Williams told the NYT .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s abuses can not become an overcorrection that stifles the principles we believe in.
” The letter ends with the writers asserting that “ the way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure , argument , and persuasion , not by trying to silence or wish them away ” .
It has been met with criticism online .
“ As is usually the case for people who manifest in favor of free and open debate and against repression , several of the people on this @ Harpers Open Letter have behavior in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re condemning here , ” tweeted the journalist and author Glenn Greenwald .
For the US senator Brian Schatz , his take on the letter was “ that lots of brainpower and passion is being devoted to a problem that takes a really long time to describe , and is impossible to solve , and meanwhile we have mass preventable death ” .
One of the original signatories to the letter , historian Kerri Greenidge , said she did not endorse it and was asking for a retraction .
Her sister , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been sent the letter and asked to sign it , but had declined .
She told Harper ’ s , in a reply she shared online , that she did not “ subscribe to the concerns in this letter and do not believe this threat is real .
Or , at least , I do not believe being asked to consider the history of anti blackness and white terrorism when writing a piece , after centuries of suppression of any other view in academia , is the equivalent of a loss of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jennifer Finney Boylan , said she had not known who else had signed the letter .
“ I thought I was endorsing a well meaning , if vague , message against internet shaming .
I did know Chomsky , Steinem , and Atwood were in , and I thought , good company .
The consequences are mine to bear .
I am so sorry.
” Williams said that one of the criticisms levelled at the letter was that it was a list of people who are scared , showing they fear change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ No , this is people who are concerned about an intolerant climate and believe justice and freedom are inextricably linked .
The scared people declined to sign , ” he wrote on Twitter .
“ And of course that is not to say that EVERYONE who declined to sign did so out of fear .
There were very instructive conversations and disagreements .
People really see things differently .
But some not insignificant number of people agreed but said they feared the repercussions.
” He told the New York Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a bunch of old white guys sitting around writing this letter .
It includes plenty of Black thinkers , Muslim thinkers , Jewish thinkers , people who are trans and gay , old and young , right wing and left wing .
We believe these are values that are widespread and shared , and we wanted the list to reflect that .
”

JK Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood are among the signatories to a controversial open letter warning that the spread of “censoriousness” is leading to “an intolerance of opposing views” and “a vogue for public shaming and ostracism”.
Rowling, whose beliefs on transgender rights have recently seen scores of Harry Potter fans distance themselves from her, said she was “proud to sign this letter in defence of a foundational principle of a liberal society: open debate and freedom of thought and speech”.
Rowling compared the current climate to the McCarthy years, adding: “To quote the inimitable Lillian Hellman: ‘I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year’s fashions’.”
Published in Harper’s Magazine, the letter is signed by more than 150 writers, academics and artists, also including major names such as Martin Amis, Noam Chomsky, Steven Pinker, Malcolm Gladwell and Gloria Steinem.
Acknowledging that “powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform, along with wider calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society”, the letter goes on to decry what it calls “a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity”.
Hitting out at how a “panicked damage control” is leading to the delivery of “hasty and disproportionate punishments instead of considered reforms”, the letter criticises how “editors are fired for running controversial pieces; books are withdrawn for alleged inauthenticity; journalists are barred from writing on certain topics; professors are investigated for quoting works of literature in class; a researcher is fired for circulating a peer-reviewed academic study; and the heads of organisations are ousted for what are sometimes just clumsy mistakes”.
Its instigator, the writer Thomas Chatterton Williams, referenced incidents including the allegations of racism which led to resignations at US institutions like the National Book Critics Circle, and the Poetry Foundation, to the New York Times.
“Donald Trump is the Canceler in Chief,” Williams told the NYT. “But the correction of Trump’s abuses cannot become an overcorrection that stifles the principles we believe in.”
The letter ends with the writers asserting that “the way to defeat bad ideas is by exposure, argument, and persuasion, not by trying to silence or wish them away”.
It has been met with criticism online. “As is usually the case for people who manifest in favor of free and open debate and against repression, several of the people on this @Harpers Open Letter have behavior in their past that reflects the censorious mentality they’re condemning here,” tweeted the journalist and author Glenn Greenwald.
For the US senator Brian Schatz, his take on the letter was “that lots of brainpower and passion is being devoted to a problem that takes a really long time to describe, and is impossible to solve, and meanwhile we have mass preventable death”.
Asking for retraction … Kerri Greenidge said she did not endorse the letter. Photograph: Boston Globe/Getty Images
One of the original signatories to the letter, historian Kerri Greenidge, said she did not endorse it and was asking for a retraction. Her sister, the author Kaitlyn Greenidge, said she had been sent the letter and asked to sign it, but had declined. She told Harper’s, in a reply she shared online, that she did not “subscribe to the concerns in this letter and do not believe this threat is real. Or, at least, I do not believe being asked to consider the history of anti blackness and white terrorism when writing a piece, after centuries of suppression of any other view in academia, is the equivalent of a loss of institutional authority.”
Another signatory, writer Jennifer Finney Boylan, said she had not known who else had signed the letter. “I thought I was endorsing a well meaning, if vague, message against internet shaming. I did know Chomsky, Steinem, and Atwood were in, and I thought, good company. The consequences are mine to bear. I am so sorry.”
We're not just old white guys … [this letter] includes Black thinkers, Muslim thinkers, Jewish thinkers, people who are trans and gay, old and young, right wing and left Thomas Chatterton Williams
Williams said that one of the criticisms levelled at the letter was that it was a list of people who are scared, showing they fear change. This was not the case, he said.
“No, this is people who are concerned about an intolerant climate and believe justice and freedom are inextricably linked. The scared people declined to sign,” he wrote on Twitter. “And of course that is not to say that EVERYONE who declined to sign did so out of fear. There were very instructive conversations and disagreements. People really see things differently. But some not insignificant number of people agreed but said they feared the repercussions.”
He told the New York Times: “We’re not just a bunch of old white guys sitting around writing this letter. It includes plenty of Black thinkers, Muslim thinkers, Jewish thinkers, people who are trans and gay, old and young, right wing and left wing. We believe these are values that are widespread and shared, and we wanted the list to reflect that.”


theguardian--2020-07-08--US anti-abortion groups received millions in federal Covid-19 aid

Christian anti-abortion lobbying organizations received millions in taxpayer-backed forgivable loans from the US government ’ s coronavirus aid program , even as lawmakers demanded the nation ’ s largest abortion provider return federal loans .
Pro-reproductive rights groups have also received funding from the Paycheck Protection Program ( PPP ) .
Planned Parenthood , America ’ s largest network of abortion and sexual health clinics , received $ 80m in PPP loans .
However , the government agency that oversees the program later tried to claw back loans from Planned Parenthood after Republican criticism , whereas Christian conservative groups were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What we ’ re seeing with this is a lightyear leap into direct government financing of major Christian right political entities on a scale we ’ ve never seen before , ” said Frederick Clarkson , a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates , an expert on the American religious right .
The discrepancy in how Planned Parenthood and Christian anti-abortion groups were treated after they received coronavirus stimulus money , “ is absolutely a double standard ” , Clarkson said .
“ That ’ s an egregious violation of ethical norms.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of America , the vice-president of government relations , Jacqueline Ayers , called the clawback , “ a clear political attack on Planned Parenthood health centers and access to reproductive healthcare ” .
Among the Christian right organizations that received Cares Act funding were the American Family Association ( AFA ) , an influential conservative Christian group which opposes abortion and LGBTQ+ rights .
The AFA has been described as a hate group by tracking experts at the Southern Poverty Law Center .
In the past , AFA has described homosexuality as , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and blamed the Holocaust on gay people .
The American Center for Law & Justice , an anti-abortion group led by Trump ’ s personal attorney Jay Sekulow , also received funding .
Notably , the groups received PPP loans in early April , about a week before the loan program ran out of money , and at a time when many large companies were under intense scrutiny to return loans .
The US treasury department released the names of companies that received more than $ 150,000 in funding on Monday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the loans made under the PPP , according to a Washington Post database .
Nearly 11,000 religious organizations received at least $ 3bn in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program .
The AFA , which is based in Tupelo , Mississippi , received between $ 1-2m , and said it protected 124 jobs with the money .
Its non-profit mission statement is , “ to promote the biblical ethic of decency in society ” .
A recent AFA blogpost described abortion as , “ an evil running rampant in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AFA also invests a huge amount of money in lobbying every year .
Between 2014-2017 the group spent more than $ 874,000 trying to change public opinion , according to its non-profit disclosures .
One of the most important efforts housed by the AFA , according to Clarkson , is the American Renewal Project , an electoral project of the Republican campaign strategist David Lane .
Lane believes the United States needs to “ re-establish a Christian culture ” , and called for a religious war in a 2013 essay headlined “ Wage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
American Center for Law & Justice also works to end abortion , and also received between $ 1-2m in PPP loans .
In the past , the ACLJ has hired telemarketers to raise money off the back of the Trump administration ’ s investigations of Planned Parenthood , saying in a script that abortion providers had been put “ on their heels ” , and before citing Sekulow in their pitch .
“ Can I let Jay know you ’ re standing with him with a gift ?
” telemarketers asked potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promised to sue California for restricting singing inside churches , because it is believed to spread Covid-19 .
Pay to the ACLJ ’ s staff of attorneys could amount for a large proportion of their PPP loan .
The group ’ s senior litigator alone earns more than $ 514,000 a year .
He is one of a dozen key employees , most of whom earn six-figure salaries .
Neither the AFA nor the ACLJ responded to the Guardian ’ s request for comment .

Christian anti-abortion lobbying organizations received millions in taxpayer-backed forgivable loans from the US government’s coronavirus aid program, even as lawmakers demanded the nation’s largest abortion provider return federal loans.
Pro-reproductive rights groups have also received funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Planned Parenthood, America’s largest network of abortion and sexual health clinics, received $80m in PPP loans.
However, the government agency that oversees the program later tried to claw back loans from Planned Parenthood after Republican criticism, whereas Christian conservative groups were not subject to such efforts.
“What we’re seeing with this is a lightyear leap into direct government financing of major Christian right political entities on a scale we’ve never seen before,” said Frederick Clarkson, a senior research analyst at Political Research Associates, an expert on the American religious right.
The discrepancy in how Planned Parenthood and Christian anti-abortion groups were treated after they received coronavirus stimulus money, “is absolutely a double standard”, Clarkson said. “That’s an egregious violation of ethical norms.”
A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the vice-president of government relations, Jacqueline Ayers, called the clawback, “a clear political attack on Planned Parenthood health centers and access to reproductive healthcare”.
Among the Christian right organizations that received Cares Act funding were the American Family Association (AFA), an influential conservative Christian group which opposes abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.
The AFA has been described as a hate group by tracking experts at the Southern Poverty Law Center. In the past, AFA has described homosexuality as, “a poor and dangerous choice” and blamed the Holocaust on gay people.
The American Center for Law & Justice, an anti-abortion group led by Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow, also received funding.
Notably, the groups received PPP loans in early April, about a week before the loan program ran out of money, and at a time when many large companies were under intense scrutiny to return loans.
The US treasury department released the names of companies that received more than $150,000 in funding on Monday. The disclosure represents less than 15% of all the loans made under the PPP, according to a Washington Post database. Nearly 11,000 religious organizations received at least $3bn in funding from the Paycheck Protection Program.
The AFA, which is based in Tupelo, Mississippi, received between $1-2m, and said it protected 124 jobs with the money. Its non-profit mission statement is, “to promote the biblical ethic of decency in society”. A recent AFA blogpost described abortion as, “an evil running rampant in the United States for a long time”.
The AFA also invests a huge amount of money in lobbying every year. Between 2014-2017 the group spent more than $874,000 trying to change public opinion, according to its non-profit disclosures.
One of the most important efforts housed by the AFA, according to Clarkson, is the American Renewal Project, an electoral project of the Republican campaign strategist David Lane. Lane believes the United States needs to “re-establish a Christian culture”, and called for a religious war in a 2013 essay headlined “Wage war to restore a Christian nation”.
American Center for Law & Justice also works to end abortion, and also received between $1-2m in PPP loans. In the past, the ACLJ has hired telemarketers to raise money off the back of the Trump administration’s investigations of Planned Parenthood, saying in a script that abortion providers had been put “on their heels”, and before citing Sekulow in their pitch.
“Can I let Jay know you’re standing with him with a gift?” telemarketers asked potential donors. More recently, the ACLJ promised to sue California for restricting singing inside churches, because it is believed to spread Covid-19.
Pay to the ACLJ’s staff of attorneys could amount for a large proportion of their PPP loan. The group’s senior litigator alone earns more than $514,000 a year. He is one of a dozen key employees, most of whom earn six-figure salaries.
Neither the AFA nor the ACLJ responded to the Guardian’s request for comment.


theguardian--2020-07-08--Inside the 'dysfunctional family' that gave us Trump, according to his niece

Happy families are all alike , Leo Tolstoy observed , while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way .
Then there are the Trumps , who sound like they were incapable of getting through a Thanksgiving or Christmas without blood on the walls .
In a tell-all memoir Mary L Trump , psychologist and niece of Donald Trump , portrays the US president ’ s father , Fred , as the domineering , stone-hearted patriarch of a “ malignantly dysfunctional family ” that she says explains much about Donald ’ s empathy issues .
“ The atmosphere of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family is the water in which Donald has always swum , and division continues to benefit him at the expense of everybody else , ” she writes in Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created The World ’ s Most Dangerous Man , to be published later this month .
“ It ’ s wearing the country down , just as it did my father , changing us even as it leaves Donald unaltered .
It ’ s weakening our ability to be kind or believe in forgiveness , concepts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him.
” Mary L Trump , 55 , is the daughter of Trump ’ s older brother , Freddy , who died in 1981 aged 42 after a struggle with alcoholism .
The president has identified his brother ’ s experience as one of the reasons he does not drink .
The Trumps took sibling rivalry to a new level , the president ’ s niece writes .
“ Even for the 1950s , the family was deeply split along gender lines , ” she says , noting that Fred and his wife @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the girls were her purview , the boys his ” .
Donald saw his younger brother , Robert , as weaker and relished tormenting him .
He repeatedly hid Robert ’ s favourite toys , a set of trucks that were a Christmas gift , and pretended he had no idea where they were .
The author writes : “ The last time it happened , when Robert ’ s tantrum spiraled out of control , Donald threatened to dismantle the trucks in front of him if he didn ’ t stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Robert ran to his mother .
“ Mary ’ s solution was to hide the trucks in the attic , effectively punishing Robert , who ’ d done nothing wrong , and leaving Donald feeling invincible .
He wasn ’ t yet being rewarded for selfishness , obstinacy or cruelty , but he wasn ’ t being punished for those flaws , either.
” At one point Donald , who was tormenting Robert again , was given a taste of his own medicine , according to the book .
“ When Freddy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mashed potatoes on his then seven-year-old brother ’ s head , it wounded Donald ’ s pride so deeply that he ’ d still be bothered by it when [ their sister ] Maryanne brought it up in her toast at the White House birthday dinner in 2017.
” Family dinners were often an awkward affair with certain subjects – such as where babies come from – taboo .
“ Table etiquette at my grandparents ’ house was strict , and there were certain things Fred did not tolerate .
‘ Keep your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a horse ’ s stable ’ was a frequent refrain , and Fred , knife in hand , would tap its handle against the forearm of any transgressor.
” Fred , “ a high-functioning sociopath ” , lived by rules of “ never show weakness ” and “ never apologize ” , his granddaughter writes .
If Freddy ever did say , “ Sorry , Dad , ” his father “ would mock him .
Fred wanted his oldest son to be a ‘ killer ’ .
” Donald took the lesson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The lesson he learned , at its simplest , was that it was wrong to be like Freddy : Fred didn ’ t respect his oldest son , so neither would Donald.
” Fred ’ s sons frequently lied to him .
For Freddy , “ lying was defensive – not simply a way to circumvent his father ’ s disapproval or to avoid punishment , as it was for the others , but a way to survive ” ; for Donald , “ lying was primarily a mode of self-aggrandizement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better than he actually was ” .
Things hardly improved when the siblings reached adulthood .
Freddy hated working for his father ’ s property business and eventually quit to become an airline pilot .
Fred Trump had little compassion for his son .
As employees look on , he once shouted at Freddy : “ Donald is worth ten of you.
” Donald did not endure similar scorn because “ his personality served his father ’ s purpose ” , Mary L Trump writes .
“ That ’ s what sociopaths do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward their own ends – ruthlessly and efficiently , with no tolerance for dissent or resistance.
” When Freddy went to hospital in 1981 on what would be the night of his death , no family members accompanied him , according to the book .
Indeed , Donald , for his part , went to a cinema .
Asked to comment on the book on behalf of the president , the White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Tuesday : “ I have yet to see the book , but it is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the book has exposed a family riven by factions at each other ’ s throats , however .
Robert Trump , the president ’ s younger brother , sued Mary L Trump to block its publication , citing a 20-year-old agreement between family members that emerged from another dispute over Fred Trump ’ s inheritance .
A New York appellate court cleared the way for the book ’ s publication .
When Donald ran for president , his sister , Maryanne , who used to do his homework for him , took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a clown – this will never happen.
” Mary L Trump writes that she turned down an invitation to attend her uncle ’ s election night party in New York in 2016 , convinced she “ wouldn ’ t be able to contain my euphoria when [ Hillary ] Clinton ’ s victory was announced ” .
But in fact she found herself wandering about her house a few hours after Trump ’ s victory was announced , fearful that voters “ had chosen to turn this country into a macro version of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the poet Philip Larkin warned : “ Man hands on misery to man./ It deepens like a coastal shelf./ Get out as early as you can , / And don ’ t have any kids yourself .
”

Happy families are all alike, Leo Tolstoy observed, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Then there are the Trumps, who sound like they were incapable of getting through a Thanksgiving or Christmas without blood on the walls.
In a tell-all memoir Mary L Trump, psychologist and niece of Donald Trump, portrays the US president’s father, Fred, as the domineering, stone-hearted patriarch of a “malignantly dysfunctional family” that she says explains much about Donald’s empathy issues.
“The atmosphere of division my grandfather created in the Trump family is the water in which Donald has always swum, and division continues to benefit him at the expense of everybody else,” she writes in Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created The World’s Most Dangerous Man, to be published later this month.
“It’s wearing the country down, just as it did my father, changing us even as it leaves Donald unaltered. It’s weakening our ability to be kind or believe in forgiveness, concepts that have never had any meaning for him.”
Mary L Trump, 55, is the daughter of Trump’s older brother, Freddy, who died in 1981 aged 42 after a struggle with alcoholism. The president has identified his brother’s experience as one of the reasons he does not drink.
The Trumps took sibling rivalry to a new level, the president’s niece writes. “Even for the 1950s, the family was deeply split along gender lines,” she says, noting that Fred and his wife, Mary, were “never partners” and “the girls were her purview, the boys his”.
Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
Donald saw his younger brother, Robert, as weaker and relished tormenting him. He repeatedly hid Robert’s favourite toys, a set of trucks that were a Christmas gift, and pretended he had no idea where they were.
The author writes: “The last time it happened, when Robert’s tantrum spiraled out of control, Donald threatened to dismantle the trucks in front of him if he didn’t stop crying. Desperate to save them, Robert ran to his mother.
“Mary’s solution was to hide the trucks in the attic, effectively punishing Robert, who’d done nothing wrong, and leaving Donald feeling invincible. He wasn’t yet being rewarded for selfishness, obstinacy or cruelty, but he wasn’t being punished for those flaws, either.”
At one point Donald, who was tormenting Robert again, was given a taste of his own medicine, according to the book. “When Freddy, at 14, dumped a bowl of mashed potatoes on his then seven-year-old brother’s head, it wounded Donald’s pride so deeply that he’d still be bothered by it when [their sister] Maryanne brought it up in her toast at the White House birthday dinner in 2017.”
Family dinners were often an awkward affair with certain subjects – such as where babies come from – taboo. “Table etiquette at my grandparents’ house was strict, and there were certain things Fred did not tolerate. ‘Keep your elbows off the table, this is not a horse’s stable’ was a frequent refrain, and Fred, knife in hand, would tap its handle against the forearm of any transgressor.”
Fred, “a high-functioning sociopath”, lived by rules of “never show weakness” and “never apologize”, his granddaughter writes. If Freddy ever did say, “Sorry, Dad,” his father “would mock him. Fred wanted his oldest son to be a ‘killer’.”
Donald took the lesson to heart, Mary L Trump continues. “The lesson he learned, at its simplest, was that it was wrong to be like Freddy: Fred didn’t respect his oldest son, so neither would Donald.”
Fred’s sons frequently lied to him. For Freddy, “lying was defensive – not simply a way to circumvent his father’s disapproval or to avoid punishment, as it was for the others, but a way to survive”; for Donald, “lying was primarily a mode of self-aggrandizement meant to convince other people he was better than he actually was”.
Things hardly improved when the siblings reached adulthood. Freddy hated working for his father’s property business and eventually quit to become an airline pilot. Fred Trump had little compassion for his son. As employees look on, he once shouted at Freddy: “Donald is worth 10 of you.”
Donald did not endure similar scorn because “his personality served his father’s purpose”, Mary L Trump writes. “That’s what sociopaths do: they co-opt others and use them toward their own ends – ruthlessly and efficiently, with no tolerance for dissent or resistance.”
When Freddy went to hospital in 1981 on what would be the night of his death, no family members accompanied him, according to the book. Indeed, Donald, for his part, went to a cinema.
Donald Trump with his sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, in 2008. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
Asked to comment on the book on behalf of the president, the White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said Tuesday: “I have yet to see the book, but it is a book of falsehoods.”
Even the genesis of the book has exposed a family riven by factions at each other’s throats, however. Robert Trump, the president’s younger brother, sued Mary L Trump to block its publication, citing a 20-year-old agreement between family members that emerged from another dispute over Fred Trump’s inheritance. A New York appellate court cleared the way for the book’s publication.
When Donald ran for president, his sister, Maryanne, who used to do his homework for him, took the view: “He’s a clown – this will never happen.” Mary L Trump writes that she turned down an invitation to attend her uncle’s election night party in New York in 2016, convinced she “wouldn’t be able to contain my euphoria when [Hillary] Clinton’s victory was announced”.
But in fact she found herself wandering about her house a few hours after Trump’s victory was announced, fearful that voters “had chosen to turn this country into a macro version of my malignantly dysfunctional family”. Or as the poet Philip Larkin warned: “Man hands on misery to man. / It deepens like a coastal shelf. / Get out as early as you can, / And don’t have any kids yourself.”


theguardian--2020-07-08--Trump's Mount Rushmore speech was a grim preview of his re-election strategy | Nathan Robinson

Unsurprisingly , Donald Trump ’ s Independence Day address at Mount Rushmore was not overflowing with the spirit of national unity .
He chose to use the national holiday as an opportunity to denounce the political left and the many Americans protesting against racial injustice .
The speech was a grim preview of the cynical rhetorical strategy he intends to use to seek re-election .
The general thrust of Trump ’ s speech was : this country is not threatened by a virus , it is threatened by a protest movement that aims to destroy our culture and history .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ growing by the tens of thousands every day , Trump tried to shift the focus to “ cancel culture ” and the activists who have been trying to tear down controversial monuments : Trump doesn ’ t actually name Black Lives Matter , probably because saying who the protesters are would have made the speech sound explicitly racist .
Nor does he talk about why protesters are trying to tear down statues – namely that the statues honor people whose monstrous deeds make them unworthy of honor .
The picture the speech paints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Totalitarianism ” involves using the police and prisons to persecute dissidents ; if anything , much of the left is vocally skeptical of the very existence of police and prisons .
Furthermore , the “ radical left ” has almost no power in this country – in Congress , we ’ ve got the Squad and Bernie Sanders , and that ’ s about it .
But conservative rhetoric always involves telling those with the most money and power that they are actually being oppressed .
( See , for example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ America ’ s Most Persecuted Minority : Big Business . )
The picture is always completely topsy-turvy .
“ Cancel culture ” is a completely overblown phenomenon .
Yes , people do lose their jobs for political speech – in fact , just last week , a Black Lives Matter supporter was fired from her job at Deloitte after angering Trump fans with a TikTok video .
But this is not because the left is in charge , it ’ s because the left isn ’ t in charge , and American workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would prevent them for being fired for their speech off the job .
It ’ s clear what Trump is doing here .
His presidency is in crisis .
The economy has collapsed , and the administration has proved itself totally incapable of containing the coronavirus , instead promoting irresponsible reopenings that are now causing infection surges .
Joe Biden , while uninspiring , is polling well against Trump because nearly everyone is dissatisfied with the direction of the country .
Trump can not pretend that things are going well , because people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the case .
All he can do is try to whip up the culture war , to get his supporters to see themselves as being in an existential war against a fascist left .
Trump probably thinks protests against monuments are a political lifeline for his presidency .
Since he can no longer run on his “ beautiful ” economy , which is now in the toilet , he needs someone to target – and people pulling down statues of Andrew Jackson seem perfect .
Unfortunately for Trump , the public has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , as Osita Nwanevu of the New Republic writes , “ the right is losing the culture war and losing it decisively ” .
Just as Trump himself often seems like a cartoon of an American businessman , Trump ’ s Fourth of July speech felt like a cartoon of 1950s American rah-rah jingoism , of a kind hard to take seriously today .
As he paid tribute to the four white men whose kitschy stone heads are etched into Native American land at Mount Rushmore , Trump reached extremes of hyperbolic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to detail the accomplishments of these four men , whom he characterized as the greatest people who ever lived .
But we know too much today to believe the children ’ s stories about the founders .
Washington ’ s teeth were not made from wood , they were just taken from those he enslaved , as even the official Mount Vernon website acknowledges .
Washington spent three years trying to capture and re-enslave a woman .
And we now all know that Thomas Jefferson repeatedly raped and impregnated Sally Hemings .
Conservatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facts as minor foibles .
Trump ’ s speech goes further , however , and doesn ’ t even mention these men ’ s crimes , since it would detract from their “ intrepid deeds ” .
But any morally honest person should see that we can ’ t honor anyone who kept other human beings prisoner and extracted their labor by force .
Sorry , if you were a slaver , you don ’ t get a statue .
Likewise if you were a Confederate .
Or if you massacred Native people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , speaking to white people with all of this .
They ’ re the ones whose country and culture is being supposedly “ lost ” ; it seems unlikely that many Native Americans will miss an Andrew Jackson statue .
Trump is relying on these white people being angry and aggrieved enough to get him re-elected in November .
But it ’ s a desperate tactic .
People ’ s minds are on other things , like the deadly disease killing their grandparents and destroying social life as we know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gasoline on the culture war to keep it raging through November .
But he may find that people who are sick , tired and poor are unwilling to go to bat to preserve the statues of long-dead white men who were never so great as they seemed .
Perhaps Americans are weary enough , and jaded enough , to see through Trump ’ s Great American Lie .
• None Nathan Robinson is a Guardian US columnist and the editor of Current Affairs

Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump’s Independence Day address at Mount Rushmore was not overflowing with the spirit of national unity. He chose to use the national holiday as an opportunity to denounce the political left and the many Americans protesting against racial injustice. The speech was a grim preview of the cynical rhetorical strategy he intends to use to seek re-election.
The general thrust of Trump’s speech was: this country is not threatened by a virus, it is threatened by a protest movement that aims to destroy our culture and history. At a time when Covid-19 cases are growing by the tens of thousands every day, Trump tried to shift the focus to “cancel culture” and the activists who have been trying to tear down controversial monuments:
Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children. Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities … One of their political weapons is “cancel culture” – driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees. This is the very definition of totalitarianism.
Trump doesn’t actually name Black Lives Matter, probably because saying who the protesters are would have made the speech sound explicitly racist. Nor does he talk about why protesters are trying to tear down statues – namely that the statues honor people whose monstrous deeds make them unworthy of honor.
The picture the speech paints of the left is completely deranged. “Totalitarianism” involves using the police and prisons to persecute dissidents; if anything, much of the left is vocally skeptical of the very existence of police and prisons. Furthermore, the “radical left” has almost no power in this country – in Congress, we’ve got the Squad and Bernie Sanders, and that’s about it.
01:20 Donald Trump says US 'under siege from far-left fascism' in Mount Rushmore speech – video
But conservative rhetoric always involves telling those with the most money and power that they are actually being oppressed. (See, for example, Ayn Rand’s ludicrous 1963 lecture America’s Most Persecuted Minority: Big Business.) The picture is always completely topsy-turvy. “Cancel culture” is a completely overblown phenomenon. Yes, people do lose their jobs for political speech – in fact, just last week, a Black Lives Matter supporter was fired from her job at Deloitte after angering Trump fans with a TikTok video. But this is not because the left is in charge, it’s because the left isn’t in charge, and American workers lack the kind of labor protections that would prevent them for being fired for their speech off the job.
Trump is, of course, speaking to white people with all of this. They’re the ones whose country and culture is being supposedly 'lost'
It’s clear what Trump is doing here. His presidency is in crisis. The economy has collapsed, and the administration has proved itself totally incapable of containing the coronavirus, instead promoting irresponsible reopenings that are now causing infection surges. Joe Biden, while uninspiring, is polling well against Trump because nearly everyone is dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Trump cannot pretend that things are going well, because people can see plainly that this is not the case. All he can do is try to whip up the culture war, to get his supporters to see themselves as being in an existential war against a fascist left.
Trump probably thinks protests against monuments are a political lifeline for his presidency. Since he can no longer run on his “beautiful” economy, which is now in the toilet, he needs someone to target – and people pulling down statues of Andrew Jackson seem perfect. Unfortunately for Trump, the public has been broadly supportive of Black Lives Matter, and, as Osita Nwanevu of the New Republic writes, “the right is losing the culture war and losing it decisively”.
Just as Trump himself often seems like a cartoon of an American businessman, Trump’s Fourth of July speech felt like a cartoon of 1950s American rah-rah jingoism, of a kind hard to take seriously today. As he paid tribute to the four white men whose kitschy stone heads are etched into Native American land at Mount Rushmore, Trump reached extremes of hyperbolic Great Man mythmaking:
Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but were villains. The radical view of American history is a web of lies – all perspective is removed, every virtue is obscured, every motive is twisted, every fact is distorted, and every flaw is magnified until the history is purged and the record is disfigured beyond all recognition. This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore.
Trump went on to detail the accomplishments of these four men, whom he characterized as the greatest people who ever lived. But we know too much today to believe the children’s stories about the founders. Washington’s teeth were not made from wood, they were just taken from those he enslaved, as even the official Mount Vernon website acknowledges. Washington spent three years trying to capture and re-enslave a woman. And we now all know that Thomas Jefferson repeatedly raped and impregnated Sally Hemings.
Conservatives have always tried to wave away these facts as minor foibles. Trump’s speech goes further, however, and doesn’t even mention these men’s crimes, since it would detract from their “intrepid deeds”. But any morally honest person should see that we can’t honor anyone who kept other human beings prisoner and extracted their labor by force. Sorry, if you were a slaver, you don’t get a statue. Likewise if you were a Confederate. Or if you massacred Native people, like Andrew Jackson.
Trump is, of course, speaking to white people with all of this. They’re the ones whose country and culture is being supposedly “lost”; it seems unlikely that many Native Americans will miss an Andrew Jackson statue. Trump is relying on these white people being angry and aggrieved enough to get him re-elected in November. But it’s a desperate tactic. People’s minds are on other things, like the deadly disease killing their grandparents and destroying social life as we know it.
Perhaps Trump can pour enough gasoline on the culture war to keep it raging through November. But he may find that people who are sick, tired and poor are unwilling to go to bat to preserve the statues of long-dead white men who were never so great as they seemed. Perhaps Americans are weary enough, and jaded enough, to see through Trump’s Great American Lie.


theguardian--2020-07-09--US reaches 3m confirmed Covid-19 cases as Pence pushes for schools to reopen – as it happened

A dispatch from our west coast office , on California ’ s regathering storm and Governor Gavin Newsom ’ s moves to ride it : California reported more than 9,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday , a new high in daily cases .
New cases actually topped 11,000 , said Newsom , though he attributed about 2,000 to a reporting backlog .
The state is seeing red flags across the board .
In the past two weeks , hospitalizations have risen to 6,100 , a 44 % increase .
Admissions to intensive care have climbed by 34 % .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percentage of positive cases , which has risen above 7 % .
In the early weeks of the pandemic , the state ’ s positivity rate topped 40 % , largely due to scarcity of tests that meant only those showing clear signs of infection could access testing .
This week , the state added three counties to a “ watch list ” of areas where public health experts closely monitor case spikes and hospital capacity .
Carmela Coyle , president and chief executive of the California Hospital Association , said doctors have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months .
“ We ’ re preparing to surge , but we ’ re going to surge differently this time .
We have different tools , and we ’ ve learned a lot about how to care for Covid-positive patients .
We ’ re putting less patients on ventilators ; we have remdesivir.
” , That is a therapeutic drug that has been found to shorten the time to recovery in adults hospitalized with Covid-19 .
Public health officials continue to field questions on who is getting sick .
While Newsom has previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” who fail to take safety precautions because they feel immune , on Wednesday he recognized the toll the pandemic has taken on “ essential workers ” .
“ There ’ s a little bit of mythology about reopening the economy , ” he said , adding that while some of the state previously shut down , 60 % of its economy kept moving .
Those who kept working outside the home included farmworkers , grocery store employees and others doing jobs that are “ overrepresented in the black and brown community ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public health data , Latinos represent an outsized portion of cases .

Maanvi Singh, Martin Pengelly, Joan E Greve and Martin Belam

8 Jul 2020 00.49 BST Summary Here’s a wrap of what we covered today, from myself and fellow bloggers Joan E Greve and Martin Pengelly: The number of US cases of coronavirus has surpassed 3m. The country has confirmed far more cases than any other country in the world and now accounts for about a quarter of global cases.
The country has confirmed far more cases than any other country in the world and now accounts for about a quarter of global cases. The US vice-president, Mike Pence, urged schools to reopen despite the pandemic, echoing comments from Trump. During a White House coronavirus task force briefing at the US department of education, Pence said, “It’s time for us to get our kids back to school.” But many school officials are expressing doubts about their ability to safely reopen their doors.
echoing comments from During a White House coronavirus task force briefing at the US department of education, Pence said, “It’s time for us to get our kids back to school.” But many school officials are expressing doubts about their ability to safely reopen their doors. Trump threatened to withhold funding from schools that don’t reopen. The president also criticized the school reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “very tough” and “expensive”.
The president also criticized the school reopening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “very tough” and “expensive”. The supreme court sided with the Trump administration in a birth control case. In a 7-2 decision written by the conservative justice Clarence Thomas, the court ruled that the administration was allowed to expand exemptions to private employers seeking to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage mandate.
In a 7-2 decision written by the conservative justice the court ruled that the administration was allowed to expand exemptions to private employers seeking to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage mandate. Lt Col Alexander Vindman, a key witness in the Trump impeachment inquiry, announced he was retiring from the US army. Vindman’s lawyer said he made the decision to retire after more than 21 years of service because the White House had launched a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation” against him.
Vindman’s lawyer said he made the decision to retire after more than 21 years of service because the White House had launched a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation” against him. Six taskforces designed to unify the Democratic party after a contentious primary have submitted policy recommendations to Joe Biden. They pushing the Biden to adopt more ambitious proposals on issues from climate change to criminal justice reform.
They pushing the Biden to adopt more ambitious proposals on issues from climate change to criminal justice reform. Trump met with the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador. The two leaders touted the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal, and exchanged praise despite Trump’s track record of denigrating Mexican immigrants and threatening the country with tariffs.
Updated at 01.23 BST
8 Jul 2020 00.26 BST A sixth prisoner on death row in California has died from coronavirus, according to officials. Amid a devastating outbreak in the state’s prisons, more than 5,000 have contracted Covid-19. Nearly 1,400 of the 3,500 prisoners at San Quentin, California’s oldest correctional facility with the state’s only death row for men, have contracted the virus. Although California has a moratorium on the death penalty, six people on death row, and 30 prisoners overall, have died since the pandemic struck. How did this happen? My colleagues Abené Clayton and Mario Koran reported earlier:
Organizers and attorneys say the outbreak in the facility can be traced back to the transfer of almost 200 people the CDCR considered highly vulnerable to Covid-19 from the California Institution for Men (CIM) in Chino to San Quentin and Corcoran state prisons. At the time, CIM had over 450 Covid-19 cases while San Quentin had zero reported infections and Corcoran had one. Within three weeks of the transfer, San Quentin had 499 infected individuals and Corcoran had 148. Meanwhile, advocates worry that prison transfers from San Quentin to other facilities have sparked new infections. In Lassen county, almost 300 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area, positive cases at the California correctional center have shot from zero to 210 within a week following a June transfer from San Quentin. Read more background: San Quentin: Covid-19 cases at California prison surge to 1,000 Read more
8 Jul 2020 00.12 BST The Ivy League announced that it has put all sports on hold, ruling out holding any games this fall due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first Division I conference to say that will not play football as scheduled this year. “The campus policies make it impractical for competition to occur, at least through the end of the fall semester,” the executive director Robin Harris told ESPN. The Ivy League colleges announced restrictions for students in the coming semester. Harvard said it would only allow 40% of its students to return to campus, and hold all classes remotely.
“It’s certainly the right decision for the Ivy League, but it’s difficult,” Harris said. Student-athletes will still be able to practice on campus, but with safety precautions in place.
Updated at 00.15 BST
8 Jul 2020 00.02 BST David Smith Nine in 10 Americans believe that racism and police violence are problems in the country, a Guardian/Opinium Research poll has found, a sign that public opinion is shifting away from the views put forward by Donald Trump. The US president has been criticised for relentlessly stoking white fear and grievance in recent weeks, putting him at odds with Black Lives Matter anti-racism protests that have swept the nation following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. But the Opinium survey of 2,000 US adults, conducted for the Guardian between 19 and 24 June, suggests that Trump is out of sync with the mood across the political spectrum. Some 91% of Americans now agree that racism is a problem in the US and 72% deem it is a serious one. Similarly, 89% think police violence is a problem and 65% consider it serious. Nine out of 10 Americans say racism and police brutality are problems, poll finds Read more
8 Jul 2020 23.46 BST Donald Trump, who has villanized and denigrated Mexican migrants and threatened Mexico with tariffs, took a different tone with Obrador today. During the meeting, when two protectionist presidents were ironically touting a trade deal, celebrating the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal, both leaders had cordial words for each other. “We have received from you, President Trump, understanding and respect,” Obrador said, leaving out that Trump had baselessly called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and criminals, and has made a border walk a cornerstone of his campaign and presidency. “We’re cherished friends, partners, and neighbors,” Trump said of Obrador.
Joe Biden’s take: Trump launched his 2016 campaign by calling Mexicans rapists.
He's spread racism against our Latino community ever since.
We need to work in partnership with Mexico.
We need to restore dignity and humanity to our immigration system.
That's what I'll do as President. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 8, 2020
8 Jul 2020 23.21 BST My colleague Sam Levine reports: One of the most closely-watched voting rights disputes in America reached the US supreme court on Wednesday as voting rights groups asked the court to take emergency action to allow those with felony convictions to vote in an upcoming August election. The dispute involves a law in Florida, a key battleground state, that requires people with felony convictions to repay any fines and fees they owe before they can vote in the state. Republicans passed the law in 2019 after voters overwhelmingly repealed the state’s lifetime ban on voting for people with felonies. The groups challenging the measure say it amounts to a poll tax. More than 774,000 people can’t vote in the state because of a felony conviction.
In late May, US District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida must allow people with felonies to vote again if they cannot repay fines and fees they owe. During a lengthy trial in April and May, it became clear that Florida did not even have a centralized system for figuring out how much money people owe. Those who owe money as part of a sentence can accumulate fines and fees unrelated to their crime as they move through the system, making it extremely difficult to pay them off and vote again.
Florida appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th circuit, which issued a brief ruling temporarily blocking Hinkle’s decision while the appeal was pending. The court offered no explanation for its decision.
The appeals court decision, lawyers wrote in their brief to the supreme court, threatened to create more confusion and would send the state into chaos since people with felony convictions - including some who have already registered requested mail-in ballots - are now unsure if they can legally vote. Even before the decision, there was already mass confusion about the law.
“Three-quarters of a million Floridians deserve better than this. They are entitled to vote, and they are entitled to do so in the August primary and to register in time for the November general election,” the lawyers wrote. “It is not hyperbole to say the court of appeals has risked chaos, confusion, disenfranchisement in upcoming elections.”
Updated at 23.24 BST
8 Jul 2020 23.10 BST Trump’s rally in Tulsa likely caused a spike in cases. From the Associated Press: Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa in late June that drew thousands of participants and large protests “likely contributed” to a dramatic surge in new coronavirus cases, Tulsa City-County Health Department Director Dr. Bruce Dart said Wednesday. Tulsa County reported 261 confirmed new cases on Monday, a one-day record high, and another 206 cases on Tuesday. By comparison, during the week before the June 20 Trump rally, there were 76 cases on Monday and 96 on Tuesday. Although the health department’s policy is to not publicly identify individual settings where people may have contracted the virus, Dart said those large gatherings “more than likely” contributed to the spike. “In the past few days, we’ve seen almost 500 new cases, and we had several large events just over two weeks ago, so I guess we just connect the dots,” Dart said. Trump’s Tulsa rally, his first since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., attracted thousands of people from around the country. About 6,200 people gathered inside the 19,000-seat BOK Center arena — far fewer than was expected.
Updated at 23.11 BST
8 Jul 2020 22.24 BST California reports daily coronavirus high Mario Koran A dispatch from our west coast office, on California’s regathering storm and Governor Gavin Newsom’s moves to ride it: California reported more than 9,000 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, a new high in daily cases. New cases actually topped 11,000, said Newsom, though he attributed about 2,000 to a reporting backlog. Gavin Newsom. Photograph: Rich Pedroncelli/AP The state is seeing red flags across the board. In the past two weeks, hospitalizations have risen to 6,100, a 44% increase. Admissions to intensive care have climbed by 34%. While testing is up, so is the percentage of positive cases, which has risen above 7%. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the state’s positivity rate topped 40%, largely due to scarcity of tests that meant only those showing clear signs of infection could access testing. This week, the state added three counties to a “watch list” of areas where public health experts closely monitor case spikes and hospital capacity. Carmela Coyle, president and chief executive of the California Hospital Association, said doctors have learned a lot in the past four months. “We’re preparing to surge, but we’re going to surge differently this time. We have different tools, and we’ve learned a lot about how to care for Covid-positive patients. We’re putting less patients on ventilators; we have remdesivir.”, That is a therapeutic drug that has been found to shorten the time to recovery in adults hospitalized with Covid-19. Public health officials continue to field questions on who is getting sick. While Newsom has previously pointed to the “young and invincible” who fail to take safety precautions because they feel immune, on Wednesday he recognized the toll the pandemic has taken on “essential workers”. “There’s a little bit of mythology about reopening the economy,” he said, adding that while some of the state previously shut down, 60% of its economy kept moving. Those who kept working outside the home included farmworkers, grocery store employees and others doing jobs that are “overrepresented in the black and brown community”, Newsom said. According to state public health data, Latinos represent an outsized portion of cases.
8 Jul 2020 22.19 BST George Floyd police bodycam transcripts published The New York Times has published stunning and upsetting details of transcripts from police body cameras worn during the killing of George Floyd, an African American man, in Minneapolis on 25 May. Floyd’s death set off protests against police brutality and structural racism which continue to fuel a national reckoning on race and American identity. Derek Chauvin, the officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, is charged with murder. Three others are charged with aiding and abetting murder. According to the Times, the transcripts are included in court filings by lawyers for former officer Thomas Lane, seeking to have charges against him thrown out. Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times. “I can’t breathe” was already a slogan of the Black Lives Matter movement, since the death in an illegal chokehold of Eric Garner on Staten Island in 2014. “Come on, man,” Floyd says in one published transcript. “Oh, oh. I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe. They’ll kill me. They’ll kill me. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” Lane is recorded asking Chauvin if Floyd should be turned over, and saying he is worried Floyd may be having a medical emergency. Chauvin responds: “Well that’s why we got the ambulance coming.” “OK, I suppose,” Lane replies, later adding: “I think he’s passing out.” In another comment recorded in the transcripts, Floyd says: “Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I’m dead.”
The arrest was over a report that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store. The George Floyd uprising has brought us hope. Now we must turn protest to policy Read more
8 Jul 2020 21.55 BST On Trump’s taxes and financial records – what happens if the supreme court rules against him? McEnany won’t answer. Payment for the wall did not come up when Trump met President Lopez Obrador earlier, McEnany adds, adding that she has nothing new on the new attempt to trash Daca, the order which protects undocumented migrants brought into the US as children. Immigration “came up briefly” in the Mexico meeting, she says, but she won’t get into their private conversations.
8 Jul 2020 21.52 BST “I’m not going to get ahead of the president” could be McEnany’s catchphrase, and obviously it’s quite wise because no one ever knows what Trump is going to say next. She brings it out twice, on China/Hong Kong and Israel/Palestine. What did Trump mean about taking funding from schools when he tweeted about it this morning? Nothing from McEnany first time – a repeat that Trump wants more money for schools in the next relief bill. Second time, McEnany just insists Trump wants students back in schools all at the same time, and it’s for the children’s own goods. McEnany is asked about the children’s safety – she says Trump will stand up to teachers’ unions who want to keep schools closed. They don’t, of course, but they do want to keep teachers and children safe during a pandemic.


theguardian--2020-07-08--Pence pushes to reopen schools amid fears CDC is bowing to Trump's demands

Mike Pence , the US vice-president , on Wednesday followed up demands made by Donald Trump and declared : “ It ’ s time for us to get our kids back to school , ” even as the coronavirus surged beyond the bleak milestone of 3 million cases across the US – setting up what could be the next big battle of the pandemic .
Pence , who heads the White House coronavirus taskforce , said the Centers for Disease Control ( CDC ) would issue new guidance next week for the reopening of schools in the autumn , prompting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the president .
“ We ’ re working to reopen America and reopen America ’ s schools , ” the vice-president said at a taskforce press briefing at the education department , where the top infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci was notably absent .
“ It ’ s time for us get our kids back to school.
” Pence added : “ It is absolutely essential that we get our kids back in the classroom for in-person learning.
” In May the CDC issued guidelines for schools that included staggered arrival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for staff , lunch in classrooms and desks positioned at least 6ft apart to ensure physical distancing .
After months of remote learning , school districts across the country are wrestling with how to physically reopen as the virus rages in some states , especially heavily populated Florida , Texas and California , while Arizona ’ s health system is under strain .
The US broke another record on Tuesday , reporting more than 60,000 new confirmed infections of Covid-19 .
Last week it recorded what was then the highest daily rise in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new infections on Thursday .
Critics warn that , having pushed state governors to reopen too soon , Trump is at risk of doing the same with schools , putting children , teachers and parents in danger of the unpredictable pathogen .
On Wednesday , he tweeted a threat to cut off funding to schools that did not reopen and made clear his displeasure with the CDC ’ s current advice .
“ I disagree with @ CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools , ” he tweeted .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are asking schools to do very impractical things .
I will be meeting with them !
!
!
” The healthcare advocacy group Protect Our Care condemned the tweet .
Zac Petkanas , its coronavirus war room director , said : “ It ’ s outrageous but not unsurprising that Donald Trump is openly pressuring his own medical experts at the CDC to weaken their scientific guidelines intended to keep school kids safe.
” He added : “ Everyone wants schools to reopen as soon as possible but parents , teachers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be done safely and based on the independent advice of medical experts .
Trump ’ s election-driven rush to reopen states has already caused enough death and destruction .
We can not allow him to do the same with our schools given how many precious little lives are on the line.
” Randi Weingarten , president of American Federation of Teachers , tweeted : “ The President thinks what the @ CDCgov is asking schools to do is ‘ impractical ’ .
I think it ’ s incomprehensible in the midst of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & staff back to school with no guidance , no safety guardrails & no funding.
” But Pence said the CDC would be issuing five new documents next week , raising fears that it is bowing to Trump ’ s demands .
“ I think every American knows that we can safely reopen our schools , ” he insisted .
Dr Robert Redfield , the director of the CDC , denied that the agency ’ s recommendations were meant to discourage schools from reopening .
“ I want to make it very clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC guidelines is to be used as a rationale to keep schools closed , ” he told the briefing .
“ We are prepared to work with each school , each jurisdiction to help them use the different strategies we have proposed so they come up with the optimal strategy for those schools.
” Asked if the CDC was going to weaken its guidelines because of pressure from the White House , Redfield avoided a direct answer , saying : “ As the president said today , we just don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s why the CDC will be issuing more guidance going forward.
” He added : “ Our recommendations are not requirements , and they ’ re not meant to be prescriptive.
” Pence , who noted that he had been married to a schoolteacher for 35 years , was also questioned about the president ’ s tweet .
He said : “ We don ’ t want the guidance from CDC to be a reason why schools don ’ t open .
We want to partner with states , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with local health officials to find a way to meet their needs to open up .
I think the president ’ s statement this morning was simply reflective of that desire.
” He was backed by Betsy DeVos , the education secretary , who insisted : “ Ultimately , it ’ s not a matter of if schools should reopen , it ’ s simply a matter of how .
They must fully open and they must be fully operational and how that happens is best left to education and community leaders.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million Americans had tested positive for the coronavirus and over 130,000 have died , the highest numbers in the world .
But he pointed to a slowing coronavirus death rate nationally and early indications of the number of positive tests flattening in Arizona , Florida and Texas – three states that in recent weeks have seen some of the biggest climbs in infections .
“ We are encouraged that the average fatality rate continues to be low and steady , ” Pence said .
“ We ’ ve slowed the spread before and @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Mike Pence, the US vice-president, on Wednesday followed up demands made by Donald Trump and declared: “It’s time for us to get our kids back to school,” even as the coronavirus surged beyond the bleak milestone of 3 million cases across the US – setting up what could be the next big battle of the pandemic.
Pence, who heads the White House coronavirus taskforce, said the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would issue new guidance next week for the reopening of schools in the autumn, prompting criticism that it is yielding to pressure from the president.
“We’re working to reopen America and reopen America’s schools,” the vice-president said at a taskforce press briefing at the education department, where the top infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci was notably absent. “It’s time for us get our kids back to school.”
Pence added: “It is absolutely essential that we get our kids back in the classroom for in-person learning.”
In May the CDC issued guidelines for schools that included staggered arrival times, temperature screenings, face masks for staff, lunch in classrooms and desks positioned at least 6ft apart to ensure physical distancing.
After months of remote learning, school districts across the country are wrestling with how to physically reopen as the virus rages in some states, especially heavily populated Florida, Texas and California, while Arizona’s health system is under strain.
The US broke another record on Tuesday, reporting more than 60,000 new confirmed infections of Covid-19. Last week it recorded what was then the highest daily rise in the world, with more than 55,000 new infections on Thursday.
Critics warn that, having pushed state governors to reopen too soon, Trump is at risk of doing the same with schools, putting children, teachers and parents in danger of the unpredictable pathogen.
On Wednesday, he tweeted a threat to cut off funding to schools that did not reopen and made clear his displeasure with the CDC’s current advice. “I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools,” he tweeted. “While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!”
The healthcare advocacy group Protect Our Care condemned the tweet. Zac Petkanas, its coronavirus war room director, said: “It’s outrageous but not unsurprising that Donald Trump is openly pressuring his own medical experts at the CDC to weaken their scientific guidelines intended to keep school kids safe.”
He added: “Everyone wants schools to reopen as soon as possible but parents, teachers and staff are right to expect it to be done safely and based on the independent advice of medical experts. Trump’s election-driven rush to reopen states has already caused enough death and destruction. We cannot allow him to do the same with our schools given how many precious little lives are on the line.”
Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, tweeted: “The President thinks what the @CDCgov is asking schools to do is ‘impractical’. I think it’s incomprehensible in the midst of a soaring #covid pandemic to send students & staff back to school with no guidance, no safety guardrails & no funding.”
But Pence said the CDC would be issuing five new documents next week, raising fears that it is bowing to Trump’s demands. “I think every American knows that we can safely reopen our schools,” he insisted.
Dr Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, denied that the agency’s recommendations were meant to discourage schools from reopening. “I want to make it very clear that what is not the intent of the CDC guidelines is to be used as a rationale to keep schools closed,” he told the briefing. “We are prepared to work with each school, each jurisdiction to help them use the different strategies we have proposed so they come up with the optimal strategy for those schools.”
Asked if the CDC was going to weaken its guidelines because of pressure from the White House, Redfield avoided a direct answer, saying: “As the president said today, we just don’t want the guidance to be too tough. That’s why the CDC will be issuing more guidance going forward.”
He added: “Our recommendations are not requirements, and they’re not meant to be prescriptive.”
Pence, who noted that he had been married to a schoolteacher for 35 years, was also questioned about the president’s tweet. He said: “We don’t want the guidance from CDC to be a reason why schools don’t open. We want to partner with states, with local education officials, with governors, with local health officials to find a way to meet their needs to open up. I think the president’s statement this morning was simply reflective of that desire.”
He was backed by Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, who insisted: “Ultimately, it’s not a matter of if schools should reopen, it’s simply a matter of how. They must fully open and they must be fully operational and how that happens is best left to education and community leaders.”
The vice-president confirmed that more than 3 million Americans had tested positive for the coronavirus and over 130,000 have died, the highest numbers in the world. But he pointed to a slowing coronavirus death rate nationally and early indications of the number of positive tests flattening in Arizona, Florida and Texas – three states that in recent weeks have seen some of the biggest climbs in infections.
“We are encouraged that the average fatality rate continues to be low and steady,” Pence said. “We’ve slowed the spread before and we can do it again.”


theguardian--2020-07-08--Trump criticizes Fauci and says US in a 'good place' as Covid-19 cases top 3m

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US reached 3m , and another daily record fell with more than 60,000 new cases , Donald Trump insisted the US was “ in a good place ” and admitted he “ didn ’ t listen to my experts ” .
The president also publicly attacked the US ’ s most senior non-political member of the White House coronavirus taskforce , Dr Anthony Fauci , who said earlier this week the US was still “ knee deep in the first wave ” of the pandemic .
More than 130,000 Americans have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death toll in the world .
Speaking to former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren for a Gray TV interview to be broadcast on Sunday , Trump said : “ I disagree with him .
You know , Dr Fauci said ‘ don ’ t wear masks ’ and now he says ‘ wear them ’ .
And you know , he ’ s said numerous things : ‘ Don ’ t close off China .
Don ’ t ban China.
’ “ And I did it anyway .
I sort of didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I banned China.
” That was a reference to restrictions on travelers from the country where the virus originated , ordered relatively early in the US outbreak .
The World Health Organization and other authorities have questioned the efficacy of such travel bans , particularly as Covid-19 may have spread to the US anyway .
Trump this week moved to withdraw the US from the WHO .
Fauci , 79 , has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 .
In the early stages of the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voice .
But tensions with Trump were quick to emerge and Fauci has now reportedly been blocked from appearing on major media platforms .
He made his “ first wave ” remark on a National Institutes of Health webcast on Monday , following sobering testimony to the Senate last week .
On Wednesday , the White House taskforce met at the Department of Education in Washington .
Fauci told CBS he participated remotely .
He was not present for a press briefing .
Most senior Republicans and officials including Vice-President Mike Pence now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has refused to wear a mask in public or advocate that Americans do so and there has been no national mandate .
In some states governors have refused to mandate masks or even recommend them and in some cases mayors have been banned from doing so .
It has also been reported that the White House is seeking to persuade Americans they will just have to live with the risk of infection .
Numerous mostly Republican-led states which began to reopen their economies in late May , Texas and Florida prominent among them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rapidly growing pressure on hospital capacity .
Reopening measures in states which were early hotspots , New York and New Jersey to the fore , have been paused or modified .
Nonetheless , Trump insisted to Van Susteren that in the next two to four weeks , “ I think we ’ re going to be in very good shape.
” He has previously erroneously contended that the virus will soon simply disappear and that 99 % of cases are harmless .
Seeking to satisfy Trump ’ s demand for campaign spectacle as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls , the Republican party has moved the main events of its national convention from Charlotte , North Carolina , a state with a Democratic governor who would not relax public health measures , to Jacksonville in Florida , a state with a Republican governor keen to keep his state open .
Covid-19 cases have since soared in Florida and Jacksonville itself has moved to tighten up on social distancing and mask-wearing .
Public health experts and political strategists have expressed horror at the prospect of mass events in a city suffering from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan to go to Jacksonville in late August “ really depends on the timing .
Look , we ’ re very flexible .
We can do a lot of things , but we ’ re flexible .
”

As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the US reached 3m, and another daily record fell with more than 60,000 new cases, Donald Trump insisted the US was “in a good place” and admitted he “didn’t listen to my experts”.
The president also publicly attacked the US’s most senior non-political member of the White House coronavirus taskforce, Dr Anthony Fauci, who said earlier this week the US was still “knee deep in the first wave” of the pandemic.
More than 130,000 Americans have now died from Covid-19, the highest death toll in the world.
Speaking to former Fox News host Greta Van Susteren for a Gray TV interview to be broadcast on Sunday, Trump said: “I disagree with him. You know, Dr Fauci said ‘don’t wear masks’ and now he says ‘wear them’. And you know, he’s said numerous things: ‘Don’t close off China. Don’t ban China.’
“And I did it anyway. I sort of didn’t listen to my experts and I banned China.”
That was a reference to restrictions on travelers from the country where the virus originated, ordered relatively early in the US outbreak. The World Health Organization and other authorities have questioned the efficacy of such travel bans, particularly as Covid-19 may have spread to the US anyway. Trump this week moved to withdraw the US from the WHO.
Fauci, 79, has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. In the early stages of the pandemic, he emerged as a trusted public voice.
But tensions with Trump were quick to emerge and Fauci has now reportedly been blocked from appearing on major media platforms. He made his “first wave” remark on a National Institutes of Health webcast on Monday, following sobering testimony to the Senate last week.
On Wednesday, the White House taskforce met at the Department of Education in Washington. Fauci told CBS he participated remotely. He was not present for a press briefing.
Most senior Republicans and officials including Vice-President Mike Pence now say masks are advisable. But Trump has refused to wear a mask in public or advocate that Americans do so and there has been no national mandate. In some states governors have refused to mandate masks or even recommend them and in some cases mayors have been banned from doing so. It has also been reported that the White House is seeking to persuade Americans they will just have to live with the risk of infection.
Numerous mostly Republican-led states which began to reopen their economies in late May, Texas and Florida prominent among them, are reporting record case numbers and rapidly growing pressure on hospital capacity. Reopening measures in states which were early hotspots, New York and New Jersey to the fore, have been paused or modified.
Nonetheless, Trump insisted to Van Susteren that in the next two to four weeks, “I think we’re going to be in very good shape.” He has previously erroneously contended that the virus will soon simply disappear and that 99% of cases are harmless.
Seeking to satisfy Trump’s demand for campaign spectacle as he trails Joe Biden in most key polls, the Republican party has moved the main events of its national convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, a state with a Democratic governor who would not relax public health measures, to Jacksonville in Florida, a state with a Republican governor keen to keep his state open.
Covid-19 cases have since soared in Florida and Jacksonville itself has moved to tighten up on social distancing and mask-wearing. Public health experts and political strategists have expressed horror at the prospect of mass events in a city suffering from Covid-19.
Trump told Van Susteren the plan to go to Jacksonville in late August “really depends on the timing. Look, we’re very flexible. We can do a lot of things, but we’re flexible.”