theguardian--2020-07-05--Trump celebrates Fourth of July by stoking division over pandemic and race

Donald Trump celebrated America ’ s Independence Day weekend by stoking divisions over a perceived culture war and dismissing the two most immediate threats to his presidency : a massive resurgence of coronavirus cases and a growing racial justice movement seeking an end to police violence across the nation .
In speeches at historically symbolic venues to mark the 244th birthday of the United States , the president condemned the “ Marxists , anarchists , agitators and looters ” he insists want to “ tear down our statues , erase our history , indoctrinate our children [ and ] trample @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal is not a better America , their goal is the end of America , ” Trump told supporters at Mount Rushmore , the national monument in South Dakota where the giant faces of four revered presidents are carved into the rock .
He repeated the claim at a Fourth of July appearance at the White House , adding that he believed the Covid-19 pandemic , which has infected 2.8 million Americans and killed almost 130,000 , is “ 99 % harmless ” .
On Sunday , Trump spent what was by one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at one of his own private properties , and the 274th playing golf .
But away from the greens his messaging echoed the discordant rhetoric of his 2017 inaugural address , in which he spoke of “ American carnage ” and a nation riven by destruction and decay .
Yet with coronavirus numbers soaring – Florida , Texas and Arizona all reported weekend surges – protests continuing nationwide against the death of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police , and Trump trailing Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in opinion polls , he appears to be losing touch with the direction of the nation .
Some key aides refused to defend Trump on Sunday , as analysts saw evidence of a growing backlash .
“ I ’ m not going to get into who is right and who is wrong , ” Stephen Hahn , the commissioner of the federal Food and Drug Administration , said in an awkward appearance on CNN ’ s State of the Union , when asked about Trump ’ s “ coronavirus is 99 % harmless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to say is it ’ s a serious problem that we have .
Cases are surging in this country , we have all seen the graphs associated with that.
” Earlier this week , with infections rising in 40 states and many governors , Republican and Democratic , reversing course on reopening , Trump was still insisting that the virus was “ going to sort of just disappear ” .
Others blasted as “ mean-spirited ” Trump ’ s Mount Rushmore speech , in which he claimed that attempts by protesters to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were part of a “ merciless campaign to wipe out our history [ and ] defame our heroes ” .
“ It will be seen by history as a desultory exclamation point to the past , as America begins a new , brighter and more just paragraph in our national narrative , ” Dan Rather , a respected journalist , said in a tweet .
There were further suggestions on Sunday that some leading Republicans , fearing for their own fortunes in November , are breaking with the president as his popularity ratings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so many peaceful protests out there , I support those peaceful protesters , ” Joni Ernst , senator for Iowa and vice-chair of the Senate Republican Conference , told CNN .
“ We all need to come together .
We need to sit down , we need to have some very real , very hard discussions .
If we want to improve our country we all need to come together.
” Ernst , one of the 52 Republicans who voted to acquit Trump at his impeachment trial , is facing a tough battle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump seeks a second term .
She narrowly trails Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield in the most recent RealClearPolitics polling .
Trump also faces more pressure over his dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic and refusal to wear a mask in public .
“ We ’ ve made a lot of progress , ” Trump said in his White House address .
“ Our strategy is moving along well .
It goes out in one area , it rears back its ugly face in another area .
But we ’ ve learned a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put out the flame.
” Phil Murphy , the Democratic governor of New Jersey , a state with 175,000 cases and more than 13,000 deaths , called for Trump to implement a national requirement for citizens to wear a mask .
“ It ’ s become almost not even debatable , ” he told NBC ’ s Meet the Press .
“ If you ’ re leaving your house , put on a mask .
I think it ought to be a national requirement.
” Trump has insisted the US has recorded a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing , even calling for a slowdown in testing because the figures “ make us look bad ” .
“ Now we have tested almost 40m people , ” he said on Saturday .
“ By so doing , we show cases , 99 % of which are totally harmless .
Results that no other country can show because no other country has the testing that we have , not in terms of the numbers or in terms of quality.
” Dr Nahid Bhadelia , an infectious diseases expert at Boston University ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s boast .
“ He ’ s wrong in the fact that testing leads to more cases , ” she told NBC .
“ I think that we are not testing enough .
“ If this was a war we wouldn ’ t say we don ’ t want the intel .
If this was a flood we wouldn ’ t say we don ’ t want the survey of the land and to try to figure out how bad the damage is .
Finding those cases allows us to break those @ @ @ @ @

Donald Trump celebrated America’s Independence Day weekend by stoking divisions over a perceived culture war and dismissing the two most immediate threats to his presidency: a massive resurgence of coronavirus cases and a growing racial justice movement seeking an end to police violence across the nation.
In speeches at historically symbolic venues to mark the 244th birthday of the United States, the president condemned the “Marxists, anarchists, agitators and looters” he insists want to “tear down our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children [and] trample on our freedoms”.
“Their goal is not a better America, their goal is the end of America,” Trump told supporters at Mount Rushmore, the national monument in South Dakota where the giant faces of four revered presidents are carved into the rock.
He repeated the claim at a Fourth of July appearance at the White House, adding that he believed the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected 2.8 million Americans and killed almost 130,000, is “99% harmless”.
On Sunday, Trump spent what was by one count the 366th day of his presidency at one of his own private properties, and the 274th playing golf. But away from the greens his messaging echoed the discordant rhetoric of his 2017 inaugural address, in which he spoke of “American carnage” and a nation riven by destruction and decay.
There are so many peaceful protests out there, I support those peaceful protesters Senator Joni Ernst
Yet with coronavirus numbers soaring – Florida, Texas and Arizona all reported weekend surges – protests continuing nationwide against the death of George Floyd and other African Americans at the hands of police, and Trump trailing Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic candidate in November’s election, in opinion polls, he appears to be losing touch with the direction of the nation.
Some key aides refused to defend Trump on Sunday, as analysts saw evidence of a growing backlash.
“I’m not going to get into who is right and who is wrong,” Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the federal Food and Drug Administration, said in an awkward appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, when asked about Trump’s “coronavirus is 99% harmless” claim.
“What I am going to say is it’s a serious problem that we have. Cases are surging in this country, we have all seen the graphs associated with that.”
Earlier this week, with infections rising in 40 states and many governors, Republican and Democratic, reversing course on reopening, Trump was still insisting that the virus was “going to sort of just disappear”.
01:20 Donald Trump says US 'under siege from far-left fascism' in Mount Rushmore speech – video
Others blasted as “mean-spirited” Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech, in which he claimed that attempts by protesters to topple Confederate-era statues and rename military bases were part of a “merciless campaign to wipe out our history [and] defame our heroes”.
“It will be seen by history as a desultory exclamation point to the past, as America begins a new, brighter and more just paragraph in our national narrative,” Dan Rather, a respected journalist, said in a tweet.
There were further suggestions on Sunday that some leading Republicans, fearing for their own fortunes in November, are breaking with the president as his popularity ratings continue to plummet.
“There are so many peaceful protests out there, I support those peaceful protesters,” Joni Ernst, senator for Iowa and vice-chair of the Senate Republican Conference, told CNN.
“We all need to come together. We need to sit down, we need to have some very real, very hard discussions. If we want to improve our country we all need to come together.”
Ernst, one of the 52 Republicans who voted to acquit Trump at his impeachment trial, is facing a tough battle in Iowa, a swing state as Trump seeks a second term. She narrowly trails Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield in the most recent RealClearPolitics polling.
A healthcare worker tends to a patient in the Covid-19 Unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Photograph: Mark Felix/AFP/Getty Images
Trump also faces more pressure over his dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic and refusal to wear a mask in public.
“We’ve made a lot of progress,” Trump said in his White House address. “Our strategy is moving along well. It goes out in one area, it rears back its ugly face in another area. But we’ve learned a lot. We’ve learned how to put out the flame.”
Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, a state with 175,000 cases and more than 13,000 deaths, called for Trump to implement a national requirement for citizens to wear a mask.
“It’s become almost not even debatable,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press. “If you’re leaving your house, put on a mask. I think it ought to be a national requirement.”
Trump has insisted the US has recorded a rise in Covid-19 cases because of increased testing, even calling for a slowdown in testing because the figures “make us look bad”.
“Now we have tested almost 40m people,” he said on Saturday. “By so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless. Results that no other country can show because no other country has the testing that we have, not in terms of the numbers or in terms of quality.”
Dr Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases expert at Boston University’s school of medicine, rejected Trump’s boast.
“He’s wrong in the fact that testing leads to more cases,” she told NBC. “I think that we are not testing enough.
“If this was a war we wouldn’t say we don’t want the intel. If this was a flood we wouldn’t say we don’t want the survey of the land and to try to figure out how bad the damage is. Finding those cases allows us to break those chains of transmission.”


theguardian--2020-07-05--Discovery of Frederick Douglass letter sheds light on contested Lincoln statue

An argument between history professors over a statue which many protesters say should be removed from Lincoln Park in Washington led to the discovery of a letter in which Frederick Douglass described his feelings about it .
“ The negro here , though rising , is still on his knees and nude , ” the civil rights campaigner wrote to the National Republican newspaper in 1876 , about the statue of Abraham Lincoln , the 16th president , standing over a man who has broken his chains .
“ What I want to see before I die is a monument @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his knees like a four-footed animal , but erect on his feet like a man.
” Amid protests over structural racism and police brutality , debate over such statues has surged .
Donald Trump has made defending monuments to Confederate leaders and figures with outdated views on race a central part of his campaign for re-election .
Until now , accounts of Douglass ’ s views on the Lincoln statue have relied on a description of its unveiling by an attendee but written 40 years later .
The exchange which led to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Jonathan White of Christopher Newport University in Virginia , advocating the statue be preserved , and Scott Sandage of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania , saying it should come down .
Sandage found the letter through searches on newspapers.com using “ couchant ” , a distinctive adjective of which Douglass was fond .
He told the Wall Street Journal that David Blight of Yale , who won a Pulitzer prize for his 2018 biography of Douglass , was “ practically giddy ” when told of the discovery .
Douglass was born into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dominant figure in American public life .
He died in 1895 .
The statue in Lincoln Park was largely paid for by African Americans and dedicated 13 years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and 11 years after Lincoln ’ s assassination and the end of the civil war .
This week , Eleanor Holmes Norton , the District of Columbia ’ s non-voting member of Congress , said : “ Although formerly enslaved Americans paid for this statue to be built , the design and sculpting process was done without their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statue fails to note in any way how enslaved African Americans pushed for their own emancipation.
” A copy of Thomas Ball ’ s work will be removed from display in Boston but on Sunday the Lincoln biographer Sidney Blumenthal pointed to why the sculptor used the now controversial pose : it was a development of the symbol of the abolitionist movement , adopted by Americans from the British anti-slavery campaigner Josiah Wedgwood .
Though Ball did not produce “ much of a statue ” , Blumenthal said , “ it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ memory of abolitionism .
The kneeling slave was on the masthead of the Liberator ” – William Lloyd Garrison ’ s abolitionist newspaper – “ and was a very widespread image.
” Blumenthal also noted that contrary to Holmes Norton ’ s claim , Douglass sat on the committee which approved Ball ’ s design .
In his newly discovered letter , Douglass writes : “ Admirable as is the monument by Mr Ball in Lincoln Park , it does not , as it seems to me , tell the whole truth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made to tell the whole truth of any subject which it might be designed to illustrate.
” He goes on to point to what is now complicated political reality .
“ The mere act of breaking the negro ’ s chains was the act of Abraham Lincoln and is beautifully expressed in this monument .
But the act by which the negro was made a citizen of the United States and invested with the elective franchise was pre-eminently the act of President [ Ulysses ] S Grant and is nowhere seen in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ armies which defeated the Confederacy in the civil war .
As president he oversaw the constitutional amendments which gave African Americans citizenship and African American men the vote , fought the Ku Klux Klan and championed Reconstruction .
But Grant also married into a slave-owning family and at one time owned – and freed – an enslaved man .
In San Francisco last month , a statue of Grant came down .
Blumenthal noted one possible motivation for Douglass ’ s thoughts about Grant .
By 1876 , Douglass had both painfully split @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party stalwart or even a party hack ” who wanted Grant to win a third term and would later be made minister to Haiti and US Marshal for the District of Columbia .
Some historians , Blumenthal among them , advocate adding figures in Lincoln Park , perhaps of Douglass , black Union soldiers or Charlotte Scott , a formerly enslaved woman who drove fundraising for the Lincoln statue .
In his letter , Douglass offers such a suggestion .
“ There is room in Lincoln Park for another monument , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this suggestion to the end that it may be taken up and acted upon.
” In fact there is another statue in Lincoln Park , to the African American educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune .
On its website , the US National Parks Service acknowledges that “ for many people , including Frederick Douglass , the [ Lincoln ] monument perpetuated many stereotypes about African Americans ’ ability and participation in antislavery activity.
” But it also notes a previous change .
The Lincoln statue originally faced west , towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was rotated east , in order to face Bethune .

An argument between history professors over a statue which many protesters say should be removed from Lincoln Park in Washington led to the discovery of a letter in which Frederick Douglass described his feelings about it.
“The negro here, though rising, is still on his knees and nude,” the civil rights campaigner wrote to the National Republican newspaper in 1876, about the statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, standing over a man who has broken his chains.
“What I want to see before I die is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man.”
Amid protests over structural racism and police brutality, debate over such statues has surged. Donald Trump has made defending monuments to Confederate leaders and figures with outdated views on race a central part of his campaign for re-election.
Until now, accounts of Douglass’s views on the Lincoln statue have relied on a description of its unveiling by an attendee but written 40 years later. The exchange which led to the discovery of Douglass’s letter was between Jonathan White of Christopher Newport University in Virginia, advocating the statue be preserved, and Scott Sandage of Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, saying it should come down.
Sandage found the letter through searches on newspapers.com using “couchant”, a distinctive adjective of which Douglass was fond. He told the Wall Street Journal that David Blight of Yale, who won a Pulitzer prize for his 2018 biography of Douglass, was “practically giddy” when told of the discovery.
Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 but escaped and became a dominant figure in American public life. He died in 1895.
The statue in Lincoln Park was largely paid for by African Americans and dedicated 13 years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and 11 years after Lincoln’s assassination and the end of the civil war.
This week, Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s non-voting member of Congress, said: “Although formerly enslaved Americans paid for this statue to be built, the design and sculpting process was done without their input, and it shows. The statue fails to note in any way how enslaved African Americans pushed for their own emancipation.”
A copy of Thomas Ball’s work will be removed from display in Boston but on Sunday the Lincoln biographer Sidney Blumenthal pointed to why the sculptor used the now controversial pose: it was a development of the symbol of the abolitionist movement, adopted by Americans from the British anti-slavery campaigner Josiah Wedgwood.
Though Ball did not produce “much of a statue”, Blumenthal said, “it’s ironic that people have lost the historical memory of abolitionism. The kneeling slave was on the masthead of the Liberator” – William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper – “and was a very widespread image.”
Blumenthal also noted that contrary to Holmes Norton’s claim, Douglass sat on the committee which approved Ball’s design.
In his newly discovered letter, Douglass writes: “Admirable as is the monument by Mr Ball in Lincoln Park, it does not, as it seems to me, tell the whole truth, and perhaps no one monument could be made to tell the whole truth of any subject which it might be designed to illustrate.”
He goes on to point to what is now complicated political reality.
“The mere act of breaking the negro’s chains was the act of Abraham Lincoln and is beautifully expressed in this monument. But the act by which the negro was made a citizen of the United States and invested with the elective franchise was pre-eminently the act of President [Ulysses] S Grant and is nowhere seen in the Lincoln monument.”
Grant commanded the Union armies which defeated the Confederacy in the civil war. As president he oversaw the constitutional amendments which gave African Americans citizenship and African American men the vote, fought the Ku Klux Klan and championed Reconstruction.
But Grant also married into a slave-owning family and at one time owned – and freed – an enslaved man. In San Francisco last month, a statue of Grant came down.
Blumenthal noted one possible motivation for Douglass’s thoughts about Grant. By 1876, Douglass had both painfully split from Garrison and become a “Republican party stalwart or even a party hack” who wanted Grant to win a third term and would later be made minister to Haiti and US Marshal for the District of Columbia.
Some historians, Blumenthal among them, advocate adding figures in Lincoln Park, perhaps of Douglass, black Union soldiers or Charlotte Scott, a formerly enslaved woman who drove fundraising for the Lincoln statue. In his letter, Douglass offers such a suggestion.
“There is room in Lincoln Park for another monument,” he writes, “and I throw out this suggestion to the end that it may be taken up and acted upon.”
In fact there is another statue in Lincoln Park, to the African American educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.
On its website, the US National Parks Service acknowledges that “for many people, including Frederick Douglass, the [Lincoln] monument perpetuated many stereotypes about African Americans’ ability and participation in antislavery activity.”
But it also notes a previous change. The Lincoln statue originally faced west, towards the US Capitol. In 1974 it was rotated east, in order to face Bethune.


theguardian--2020-07-05--The Guardian view on Facebook and democracy: real and present danger | Editorial

In every political debate since Facebook began to dominate democracy , the company has placed itself on the wrong side of history .
The social media firm can not be reformed from within because its business model profits from hosting bomb-throwing circuses of hate , humbug and hogwash .
The platform harvests users ’ personal data to algorithmically recommend content but can ’ t seem to help steering people towards vilifying one another while keeping their attention .
It is not good for society , but it is good for Facebook .
That apparently is fine for the company ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is worth $ 85bn .
Consider the latest ugly episode in the firm ’ s life .
After some of the world ’ s biggest brands boycotted Facebook over its refusal to ban racist and violent content , the company reached for the usual bromide of reassurance that the matter was being taken seriously .
Internally it was a very different story .
The boycotters , Mr Zuckerberg said , would be back and his company was “ not going to change our policies … because of a threat to a small percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there is a view that capitalism fixes things .
In Britain , government usually acts .
The Lords select committee on democracy and digital technologies last week was correct to say it was a mistake to allow social media firms to grow unimpeded by regulation .
This , the peers said , had “ become acutely obvious in the current Covid-19 pandemic where online misinformation poses not only a real and present danger to our democracy but also to our lives ” .
Facebook can not be allowed to remain beyond the restraints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This message has been received by the UK ’ s competition authority , which has proposed forcing Facebook to give consumers a choice over whether to accept targeted advertising and even suggested breaking it up .
The Lords select committee was right to praise the UK government for putting forward an online harms framework , requiring social media platforms to protect users and sanctioning those that fail to do so by , for example , taking too long to remove offensive material .
However , ministers have been tardy in bringing forward legislation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ platforms ’ duty of care will shield voters from misinformation campaigns .
Such a move would be in necessary conflict with Facebook ’ s “ neutrality ” .
The firm ’ s hands-off approach means it won ’ t drain its swamp of racism , misogyny and conspiracy .
In a speech last October , Mr Zuckerberg had controversially signalled that Facebook ’ s interests aligned with Donald Trump ’ s .
The Facebook founder said it ’ s not right to censor politicians .
Mr Trump has been notably softer on Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unravelling .
Faced with a growing backlash over Mr Trump ’ s inflammatory rhetoric , the social network removed a Trump ad that used a Nazi-era symbol .
Facebook will also start allowing US users to opt out of seeing political ads .
Yet in Britain Facebook is used to spread false political advertising .
It does so knowing that the network ’ s algorithms spit out , in the words of its own research , “ more and more divisive content in an effort to gain user attention and increase time on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy solution .
The UK bans all political advertising from being broadcast on television or radio .
Unless firms like Facebook change radically , it may be time to extend this prohibition to social media .

In every political debate since Facebook began to dominate democracy, the company has placed itself on the wrong side of history. The social media firm cannot be reformed from within because its business model profits from hosting bomb-throwing circuses of hate, humbug and hogwash. The platform harvests users’ personal data to algorithmically recommend content but can’t seem to help steering people towards vilifying one another while keeping their attention. It is not good for society, but it is good for Facebook.
That apparently is fine for the company’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who is worth $85bn. Consider the latest ugly episode in the firm’s life. After some of the world’s biggest brands boycotted Facebook over its refusal to ban racist and violent content, the company reached for the usual bromide of reassurance that the matter was being taken seriously. Internally it was a very different story. The boycotters, Mr Zuckerberg said, would be back and his company was “not going to change our policies … because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue”.
In America there is a view that capitalism fixes things. In Britain, government usually acts. The Lords select committee on democracy and digital technologies last week was correct to say it was a mistake to allow social media firms to grow unimpeded by regulation. This, the peers said, had “become acutely obvious in the current Covid-19 pandemic where online misinformation poses not only a real and present danger to our democracy but also to our lives”. Facebook cannot be allowed to remain beyond the restraints applied to the rest of society. This message has been received by the UK’s competition authority, which has proposed forcing Facebook to give consumers a choice over whether to accept targeted advertising and even suggested breaking it up.
The Lords select committee was right to praise the UK government for putting forward an online harms framework, requiring social media platforms to protect users and sanctioning those that fail to do so by, for example, taking too long to remove offensive material. However, ministers have been tardy in bringing forward legislation and there’s no sign the platforms’ duty of care will shield voters from misinformation campaigns.
Such a move would be in necessary conflict with Facebook’s “neutrality”. The firm’s hands-off approach means it won’t drain its swamp of racism, misogyny and conspiracy. In a speech last October, Mr Zuckerberg had controversially signalled that Facebook’s interests aligned with Donald Trump’s. The Facebook founder said it’s not right to censor politicians. Mr Trump has been notably softer on Facebook than its rivals.
This bargain is unravelling. Faced with a growing backlash over Mr Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, the social network removed a Trump ad that used a Nazi-era symbol. Facebook will also start allowing US users to opt out of seeing political ads. Yet in Britain Facebook is used to spread false political advertising. It does so knowing that the network’s algorithms spit out, in the words of its own research, “more and more divisive content in an effort to gain user attention and increase time on the platform”. There is an easy solution. The UK bans all political advertising from being broadcast on television or radio. Unless firms like Facebook change radically, it may be time to extend this prohibition to social media.


theguardian--2020-07-06--Libertarian 2020 candidate appears on podcast tied to ‘boogaloo’ movement

Libertarian party presidential candidate , Jo Jorgensen , has appeared on a podcast associated with the anti-government “ boogaloo ” movement just days after an adherent of the movement was arrested for allegedly murdering two law enforcement officers .
One of the other people on the podcast also runs a Facebook page which is strewn with memes that reference insurrectionary violence , and appear to invoke white nationalist and neo-Nazi imagery and subject matter .
The Libertarian party is one of the largest political parties in the US , outside the dominant pairing of the Democrats and Republicans .
Although @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparatively small , it has finished third in the last two presidential elections , and has increased its share of the vote in four successive elections , going from 0.4 % of the vote in 2004 to 3.3 % in 2016 , when it fetched almost 4.5 million votes On the Roads to Liberty podcast , Jorgensen was quizzed on her policy proposals by a group of men who were introduced as “ some of the head admins for some of the most influential pages in the so-called boogaloo movement ” .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prospect of a “ second civil war ” in the US by playing off a reference to a movie sequel , Breakin ’ 2 : Electric boogaloo .
For some in the anti-government boogaloo movement , any such civil conflict carries the possibility of an insurrection against an overbearing state and the law enforcement officers who serve it , particularly agencies tasked with enforcing restrictions on gun rights .
But others who use the term conceive of the boogaloo as a race war .
Apart from the podcast host , who broadcasts under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the producer , Ben Backus , the questioners included a man identifying himself as “ Rick ” , an administrator of the “ North /K/arolina ” Facebook page ; a man identifying himself as “ Justin ” , an administrator of the now-absent “ Thick Boog Line ” Facebook page ; and Cameron Purser , a North Carolina man who runs Flytrap Firearms Consulting , a firearms training business .
Also questioning Jorgensen was a man identifying himself as “ Squid ” , an administrator of the “ Patriot Wave : V 2.0 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently has 10,000 followers .
A group associated with a previous , since-banned incarnation of that page were responsible for the first high-profile public appearance of the boogaloo movement , when they paraded masked and armed at a large pro-gun rally in Richmond , Virginia , in January .
While some boogaloo adherents articulate a racially inclusive , universalist form of anti-government ultra-libertarianism , the PW2 page features dozens of memes which reference fascist , white nationalist , and “ accelerationist ” neo-Nazi imagery .
Several memes featured on the page venerate white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to maintain white supremacist minority rule in that country before it became Zimbabwe.Several other PW2 memes positively couch images of Nazi Germany and second world war German soldiers .
Other memes feature a reference to Marvin Heemeyer , aka “ Killdozer ” , a Colorado businessman who demolished several buildings with a modified bulldozer in 2004 before taking his own life .
The Heemeyer incident was referred to by Steven Carillo , the accused double killer and apparent boogaloo sympathizer who allegedly scrawled a Heemeyer quote in blood on the hood of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June .
Alex Newhouse is the Digital Research Lead at the Center on Terrorism , Extremism , and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute , and has recently published two research papers on the boogaloo movement .
Upon viewing a selection of PW2 ’ s memes , Newhouse wrote in an email : “ While Patriot Wave ’ s memes do not explicitly promote Nazi ideologies , they are clearly evocative of more fringe and extreme Nazi accelerationist communities ” , and “ the allusions to Rhodesia and South Africa are clearly racist dog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white displacement and genocide ” .
Cassie Miller , a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center who has written on the boogaloo movement , said : “ Patriot Wave reflects the overlap between the so-called boogaloo movement and the racist far-right ” .
The questioners ask Jorgensen about a range of policy areas , including taxes , veteran ’ s affairs , and second amendment issues .
“ Squid ” , however , asks about Jorgensen ’ s “ views on the boogaloo movement as a whole ” .
Jorgensen replies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explain that to me again ?
” , and appears not to know about the movement , despite recent arrests of alleged violent extremists who identified with the movement .
Squid explains the purpose of the movement as “ basically liberty and justice for all ” .
“ Well , I am definitely for liberty and justice for all ” , Jorgensen replies .
On Jorgensen ’ s appearance on a boogaloo related podcast , Newhouse , the extremism researcher , says : “ When politicians make outreach to boogaloo communities , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement that has already been linked several instances of real-world violence ” .
He adds : “ Boogalooers routinely celebrate and call for deadly violence against journalists and government officials , which means that politicians who ally with them may tacitly legitimize anti-democratic actions , such as armed intimidation and confrontation of political opponents ” .
In an email , after being given examples of troubling images on the PW2 page , Jorgensen declined to specifically repudiate the support of the boogaloo movement , writing : “ I welcome the support of anyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor of non-aggression , peaceful persuasion , and voluntary cooperation.
” Asked if the boogaloo movement were anti-government extremists , Jorgensen wrote : “ The media tend to lump together peaceful protesters and those who advocate violence , and paint the entire group as being violent.
” She added : “ The boogaloo movement is highly decentralized and comprises both those who are aligned with the principle of nonaggression , and some who run counter to it ” .
“ Squid ” , the PW2 administrator , denied that the group were racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were “ constitutionalists ” .
Dozens of boogaloo groups , including many of the largest ones , have been promoting Jorgensen ’ s candidacy in recent days , and a dedicated Jorgensen meme group involves many self-identified boogaloo adherents .
Facebook , meanwhile , banned hundreds of boogaloo-related accounts , pages , and groups on Instagram and Facebook on 30 June , explaining the move as “ designating a violent US-based anti-government network as a dangerous organization ” .
The Libertarian party formally condemns racism in its platform .
However in 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party ’ s leadership had to issue a public denunciation of white nationalism .
This was necessary because lawyer and recently accused domestic abuser , Augustus Sol Invictus , was a featured participant , having previously run in a primary to be the party ’ s Florida senate candidate .
Asked about how the Libertarian party will keep extremists at a distance in future , Jorgensen wrote : “ The Libertarian Party is the only political party that favors non-aggression as a fundamental principle .
Every Libertarian Party member has signed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ force for the purpose of achieving social or political goals ” .

Libertarian party presidential candidate, Jo Jorgensen, has appeared on a podcast associated with the anti-government “boogaloo” movement just days after an adherent of the movement was arrested for allegedly murdering two law enforcement officers.
One of the other people on the podcast also runs a Facebook page which is strewn with memes that reference insurrectionary violence, and appear to invoke white nationalist and neo-Nazi imagery and subject matter.
The Libertarian party is one of the largest political parties in the US, outside the dominant pairing of the Democrats and Republicans. Although the party’s vote is still comparatively small, it has finished third in the last two presidential elections, and has increased its share of the vote in four successive elections, going from 0.4% of the vote in 2004 to 3.3% in 2016, when it fetched almost 4.5 million votes
On the Roads to Liberty podcast, Jorgensen was quizzed on her policy proposals by a group of men who were introduced as “some of the head admins for some of the most influential pages in the so-called boogaloo movement”.
The word “boogaloo” refers to the prospect of a “second civil war” in the US by playing off a reference to a movie sequel, Breakin’ 2: Electric boogaloo. For some in the anti-government boogaloo movement, any such civil conflict carries the possibility of an insurrection against an overbearing state and the law enforcement officers who serve it, particularly agencies tasked with enforcing restrictions on gun rights. But others who use the term conceive of the boogaloo as a race war.
Apart from the podcast host, who broadcasts under the name “Hobbs”, and the producer, Ben Backus, the questioners included a man identifying himself as “Rick”, an administrator of the “North /K/arolina” Facebook page; a man identifying himself as “Justin”, an administrator of the now-absent “Thick Boog Line” Facebook page; and Cameron Purser, a North Carolina man who runs Flytrap Firearms Consulting, a firearms training business.
Also questioning Jorgensen was a man identifying himself as “Squid”, an administrator of the “Patriot Wave: V 2.0” (PW2) page, which currently has 10,000 followers. A group associated with a previous, since-banned incarnation of that page were responsible for the first high-profile public appearance of the boogaloo movement, when they paraded masked and armed at a large pro-gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, in January.
While some boogaloo adherents articulate a racially inclusive, universalist form of anti-government ultra-libertarianism, the PW2 page features dozens of memes which reference fascist, white nationalist, and “accelerationist” neo-Nazi imagery.
Several memes featured on the page venerate white soldiers of the Rhodesian army who fought to maintain white supremacist minority rule in that country before it became Zimbabwe.Several other PW2 memes positively couch images of Nazi Germany and second world war German soldiers.
Other memes feature a reference to Marvin Heemeyer, aka “Killdozer”, a Colorado businessman who demolished several buildings with a modified bulldozer in 2004 before taking his own life. The Heemeyer incident was referred to by Steven Carillo, the accused double killer and apparent boogaloo sympathizer who allegedly scrawled a Heemeyer quote in blood on the hood of a police cruiser before his arrest on 6 June.
Alex Newhouse is the Digital Research Lead at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute, and has recently published two research papers on the boogaloo movement.
Upon viewing a selection of PW2’s memes, Newhouse wrote in an email: “While Patriot Wave’s memes do not explicitly promote Nazi ideologies, they are clearly evocative of more fringe and extreme Nazi accelerationist communities”, and “the allusions to Rhodesia and South Africa are clearly racist dog whistles which attempt to stoke fears of white displacement and genocide”.
Cassie Miller, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center who has written on the boogaloo movement, said: “Patriot Wave reflects the overlap between the so-called boogaloo movement and the racist far-right”.
The questioners ask Jorgensen about a range of policy areas, including taxes, veteran’s affairs, and second amendment issues.
“Squid”, however, asks about Jorgensen’s “views on the boogaloo movement as a whole”.
Jorgensen replies, “Oh, can you please explain that to me again?”, and appears not to know about the movement, despite recent arrests of alleged violent extremists who identified with the movement.
Squid explains the purpose of the movement as “basically liberty and justice for all”.
“Well, I am definitely for liberty and justice for all”, Jorgensen replies.
On Jorgensen’s appearance on a boogaloo related podcast, Newhouse, the extremism researcher, says: “When politicians make outreach to boogaloo communities, they are mainstreaming this explicitly revolutionary, anti-government movement that has already been linked several instances of real-world violence”.
He adds: “Boogalooers routinely celebrate and call for deadly violence against journalists and government officials, which means that politicians who ally with them may tacitly legitimize anti-democratic actions, such as armed intimidation and confrontation of political opponents”.
In an email, after being given examples of troubling images on the PW2 page, Jorgensen declined to specifically repudiate the support of the boogaloo movement, writing: “I welcome the support of anyone who will reject violence and bigotry in favor of non-aggression, peaceful persuasion, and voluntary cooperation.”
Asked if the boogaloo movement were anti-government extremists, Jorgensen wrote: “The media tend to lump together peaceful protesters and those who advocate violence, and paint the entire group as being violent.”
She added: “The boogaloo movement is highly decentralized and comprises both those who are aligned with the principle of nonaggression, and some who run counter to it”.
“Squid”, the PW2 administrator, denied that the group were racist in an email, writing that they were “constitutionalists”.
Dozens of boogaloo groups, including many of the largest ones, have been promoting Jorgensen’s candidacy in recent days, and a dedicated Jorgensen meme group involves many self-identified boogaloo adherents.
Facebook, meanwhile, banned hundreds of boogaloo-related accounts, pages, and groups on Instagram and Facebook on 30 June, explaining the move as “designating a violent US-based anti-government network as a dangerous organization”.
The Libertarian party formally condemns racism in its platform. However in 2017, after the Unite the Right rally, the party’s leadership had to issue a public denunciation of white nationalism.
This was necessary because lawyer and recently accused domestic abuser, Augustus Sol Invictus, was a featured participant, having previously run in a primary to be the party’s Florida senate candidate.
Asked about how the Libertarian party will keep extremists at a distance in future, Jorgensen wrote: “The Libertarian Party is the only political party that favors non-aggression as a fundamental principle. Every Libertarian Party member has signed a pledge that they oppose the initiation of force for the purpose of achieving social or political goals”.


theguardian--2020-07-06--Swing states may be up for grabs as Covid-19 hits Republican strongholds

Just two months ago , Donald Trump was warning against “ bailouts ” for Democratic-run states that were grappling with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ It ’ s not fair to the Republicans because all the states that need help – they ’ re run by Democrats in every case , ” the US president said at the time , as hard-hit states such as New York and California sought federal financial relief from the impact of the virus .
Two months later , the US map of new coronavirus outbreaks looks entirely different .
States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advised , are now seeing a surge in cases and a rising hospitalizations and that is impacting the Republican heartland .
States that Trump won in 2016 account for about 75 % of the new cases , according to the Associated Press .
A few of those are key swing states that Trump will almost certainly need to win again to secure a second term .
And as the devastation of the pandemic spreads across the country , other states long considered to be reliably Republican also appear increasingly up for grabs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , in battleground states like Florida and Arizona .
A set of Fox News polls taken late last month also found Trump and Biden virtually tied in Texas and Georgia , two states that have long been considered Republican strongholds .
All four states have reported record-high levels of new coronavirus cases in the past two weeks .
Trump has dismissed his disappointing polling numbers as “ fake ” , but his re-election campaign is clearly aware of the president ’ s growing unpopularity as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases .
The Trump campaign placed its first television ads in Georgia late last month , and several voter registration events were held in Texas over the Fourth of July holiday weekend .
“ The pandemic really has clarified and highlighted both Republican failures in leadership and the need for so many of the different policy reforms that Democrats have been fighting for for years , ” said Royce Brooks , the executive director of Annie ’ s List , which works to elect progressive women in the state , adding : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most election experts say Trump still has the advantage in Texas , which he won by nine points in 2016 , but his sinking popularity could help down-ballot Democrats secure historic victories in the state .
“ We may or may not see Texas deliver a statewide win for the Democratic Senate candidate or for the presidential race , but we are absolutely on track to flip the statehouse to Democratic control in November , ” Royce said .
The situation is even worse for down-ballot Republicans in traditional swing states like Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Biden .
A Fox News poll taken late last month showed Biden leading by nine points in Florida , up from a three-point advantage in April .
“ We can tell from our polling and we can tell just anecdotally that independents are being turned off , so that is a growing concern , ” said Alex Patton , a Republican strategist based in Gainesville , Florida .
“ Down-ballot , people are suffering a lot.
” Those hurdles could have profound implications for the US Senate , as Democrats fight to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Georgia and Arizona are all holding Senate races this fall , and Trump ’ s controversial comments about the coronavirus pandemic have put Republican senators in difficult positions as they prepare for their November elections .
Republican senator Martha McSally was already facing trouble in Arizona , where Democratic candidate Mark Kelly has been consistently leading in the polls .
McSally has declined to distance herself from Trump , even as evidence suggests his numbers are sinking in the state .
An Arizona poll taken last month showed Biden ahead by seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won the state once since 1952 .
However , the 2018 midterms showed Arizona was an increasingly difficult state for Republicans , as suburban and Latinx voters increasingly drifted toward Democrats .
McSally , who was appointed to her current Senate seat , narrowly lost her 2018 Senate race to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema .
Now , as Arizona sees a rising number of coronavirus infections , Democrats believe the state ’ s residents are ready for a change on the presidential level .
“ Arizona ’ s been in a long-term trend , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the GOP , ” said Democratic strategist DJ Quinlan .
“ But I think Covid and a number of other things have only made that happen faster.
” Chip Scutari , a political consultant based in Phoenix , Arizona , noted any incumbent president would face challenges in trying to win a second term amid a global pandemic that has caused severe financial distress .
“ [ Voters ] don ’ t pay attention to a lot of the policy battles , but they are paying attention when someone in their family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job , ” Scutari said .
“ This has transcended partisan politics , in my opinion.
” He added , “ I think the battleground states have to be shifting toward a blue wave at this moment.
” Despite his complaints of “ fake polls ” , Trump appears to be somewhat aware of the precarious position he is in .
The president has already started to claim the election will be “ rigged ” by voter fraud because of efforts to expand voting by mail , even though voter fraud is actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claims have been read as an attempt to delegitimize the election in case he loses .
“ Republicans know they ’ re in trouble .
They knew it even before the pandemic , ” Brooks of Annie ’ s List said .
“ That ’ s why they insist on engaging in voter suppression tactics here.
” Late last month , the supreme court rejected Texas Democrats ’ request to expand voting by mail to all voters in the state , leaving in place strict regulations on mail-in ballots .
But Brooks said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to vote in November .
“ This is certainly not the first time in our history when people have been forced to choose between their safety and their right to vote , ” Brooks said .
“ And time and time again , we have seen people choose to vote .
”

Just two months ago, Donald Trump was warning against “bailouts” for Democratic-run states that were grappling with the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s not fair to the Republicans because all the states that need help – they’re run by Democrats in every case,” the US president said at the time, as hard-hit states such as New York and California sought federal financial relief from the impact of the virus.
Two months later, the US map of new coronavirus outbreaks looks entirely different. States that reopened quickly, as the president advised, are now seeing a surge in cases and a rising hospitalizations and that is impacting the Republican heartland. States that Trump won in 2016 account for about 75% of the new cases, according to the Associated Press.
A few of those are key swing states that Trump will almost certainly need to win again to secure a second term. And as the devastation of the pandemic spreads across the country, other states long considered to be reliably Republican also appear increasingly up for grabs.
Recent polls have shown Trump trailing Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, in battleground states like Florida and Arizona. A set of Fox News polls taken late last month also found Trump and Biden virtually tied in Texas and Georgia, two states that have long been considered Republican strongholds. All four states have reported record-high levels of new coronavirus cases in the past two weeks.
Trump has dismissed his disappointing polling numbers as “fake”, but his re-election campaign is clearly aware of the president’s growing unpopularity as he avoids confronting the latest surge in new cases. The Trump campaign placed its first television ads in Georgia late last month, and several voter registration events were held in Texas over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“The pandemic really has clarified and highlighted both Republican failures in leadership and the need for so many of the different policy reforms that Democrats have been fighting for for years,” said Royce Brooks, the executive director of Annie’s List, which works to elect progressive women in the state, adding: “Texas is certainly up for grabs.”
Most election experts say Trump still has the advantage in Texas, which he won by nine points in 2016, but his sinking popularity could help down-ballot Democrats secure historic victories in the state. “We may or may not see Texas deliver a statewide win for the Democratic Senate candidate or for the presidential race, but we are absolutely on track to flip the statehouse to Democratic control in November,” Royce said.
The situation is even worse for down-ballot Republicans in traditional swing states like Florida, where Trump has been losing ground to Biden. A Fox News poll taken late last month showed Biden leading by nine points in Florida, up from a three-point advantage in April.
“We can tell from our polling and we can tell just anecdotally that independents are being turned off, so that is a growing concern,” said Alex Patton, a Republican strategist based in Gainesville, Florida. “Down-ballot, people are suffering a lot.”
Those hurdles could have profound implications for the US Senate, as Democrats fight to regain control of the chamber. Texas, Georgia and Arizona are all holding Senate races this fall, and Trump’s controversial comments about the coronavirus pandemic have put Republican senators in difficult positions as they prepare for their November elections.
Republican senator Martha McSally was already facing trouble in Arizona, where Democratic candidate Mark Kelly has been consistently leading in the polls. McSally has declined to distance herself from Trump, even as evidence suggests his numbers are sinking in the state. An Arizona poll taken last month showed Biden ahead by seven points, even though Democrats have only won the state once since 1952.
However, the 2018 midterms showed Arizona was an increasingly difficult state for Republicans, as suburban and Latinx voters increasingly drifted toward Democrats. McSally, who was appointed to her current Senate seat, narrowly lost her 2018 Senate race to Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. Now, as Arizona sees a rising number of coronavirus infections, Democrats believe the state’s residents are ready for a change on the presidential level.
“Arizona’s been in a long-term trend, especially over the last decade, away from the GOP,” said Democratic strategist DJ Quinlan. “But I think Covid and a number of other things have only made that happen faster.”
Chip Scutari, a political consultant based in Phoenix, Arizona, noted any incumbent president would face challenges in trying to win a second term amid a global pandemic that has caused severe financial distress. “[Voters] don’t pay attention to a lot of the policy battles, but they are paying attention when someone in their family gets sick or their dad loses a job,” Scutari said. “This has transcended partisan politics, in my opinion.” He added, “I think the battleground states have to be shifting toward a blue wave at this moment.”
Despite his complaints of “fake polls”, Trump appears to be somewhat aware of the precarious position he is in. The president has already started to claim the election will be “rigged” by voter fraud because of efforts to expand voting by mail, even though voter fraud is actually very rare. Trump’s baseless claims have been read as an attempt to delegitimize the election in case he loses.
“Republicans know they’re in trouble. They knew it even before the pandemic,” Brooks of Annie’s List said. “That’s why they insist on engaging in voter suppression tactics here.”
Late last month, the supreme court rejected Texas Democrats’ request to expand voting by mail to all voters in the state, leaving in place strict regulations on mail-in ballots. But Brooks said she is confident Texans will still turn out to vote in November.
“This is certainly not the first time in our history when people have been forced to choose between their safety and their right to vote,” Brooks said. “And time and time again, we have seen people choose to vote.”


theguardian--2020-07-05--'Trump is in a dreamland': what the US should do now on Covid-19

Donald Trump delivered much-needed good news to the American people this week .
Coronavirus , he told Fox Business , was “ just going to disappear ” .
The US president didn ’ t specify when this vanishing act would take place .
One thing is certain , though : it ’ s not now .
The virus is spreading through a vast area of the American hinterland at a speed not seen since the pandemic began .
Across the south and west , and even into California , which had been considered a shining light in its handling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
Hospitals are filling up , ICUs reaching capacity , protective gear falling short .
It ’ s like April all over again , with the ominous difference that this time many Americans are fed up with lockdowns and , with Trump ’ s warm encouragement , spurning social distancing and masks .
It is a singularly perilous moment , with tens of thousands of lives at risk .
Globally , too , trust in the US hangs in the balance as surveys show that Europe is asking what kind of world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people from a microbe .
The Guardian invited six of America ’ s top public health experts to address the crisis .
How bad is the current threat ?
And were the White House committed to science and data , as opposed to disappearing tricks , what would it do right now to fend off the disaster ?
Beth Cameron , former senior director for global health security and biodefense on the White House National Security Council , now vice-president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative The situation is grave .
Covid-19 is spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least a dozen states , and – six months into the crisis – the United States has failed to muster a unified response .
It ’ s crystal clear that Covid-19 won ’ t “ just disappear ” , as President Trump said this week – and the pandemic certainly won ’ t end if wishful thinking continues to be our federal response plan .
I have the opportunity to speak regularly with local leaders , public health professionals and scientists .
Across the board – from mayors to tribal leaders – there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innovation , and decision-making tools .
At a time when our country needs an orchestrated , coordinated , all-hands-on-deck response , there is simply no hand on the tiller .
What should the administration do ?
Immediately start daily briefings from experts at CDC and NIH to report progress on a core set of metrics and capabilities that must be in place across the country to suppress Covid-19 and reopen safely .
Make racial disparities in Covid-19 response ( and in healthcare and health security more broadly ) a top priority .
Organize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contact tracers .
Reach young adults about the need to reduce spread and protect communities .
It ’ s also time that the White House launch a set of science and technology challenges to rally public and private sector leaders toward common goals , like urgently modernizing our public health data architecture .
And yes , the president should wear a mask .
Unfortunately , we can ’ t keep waiting for the administration .
In the absence of federal leadership , I would like to see governors and mayors leave aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual summit this summer to set an urgent course for a whole-of-country approach to suppress Covid-19 .
We need a shared strategy .
Tom Frieden , former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) 2009-2017 , current president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives , an initiative of Vital Strategies In the US today , the virus has the upper hand .
We can expect weeks , even months , of increases if we don ’ t do much better .
The fact is we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take a very long time to recede .
One of the most serious problems is the lack of a concerted federal response .
You see that in the lack of consistent messaging , the failure to tackle supply issues from tests to protective equipment , the absence of uniform standards on what states should monitor and report publicly .
In short , there is no clear national strategy and no plan for controlling this virus .
We know what we need to do .
First , reduce the risk of spread by applying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wash your hands and watch your distance .
Then box the virus in through strategic testing , effective isolation , and rapid contact tracing and supportive quarantine .
Having done those things , we need to hold ourselves accountable by tracking how quickly tests are reported , patients isolated , and contacts traced .
Singapore , New Zealand , South Korea are all tracking those indicators .
We are not .
The problem is that there is a strain of thought in the Trump administration that if we ignore the virus it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The truth is the opposite : ignore it and it will come back with greater force .
Within a matter of days we will record 140,000 US deaths from Covid-19 .
People ask whether those American lives were lost needlessly .
One way to look at that is to compare our record with that of Germany , a nation that has a similarly decentralized federal system with lots of risk of spread .
Germany ’ s death rate is 109 per million population , according to Johns Hopkins , compared with 391 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that more than two-thirds of the US deaths – 86,000 at least – would have been prevented if we had achieved Germany ’ s death rate .
Jennifer Nuzzo , senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security We are in a deeply disturbing moment where more than half of the states are heading in the wrong direction in terms of new cases .
Critically , states reopened without capacity to test adequately and do contact tracing .
It didn ’ t have to be this way .
In Europe there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a challenging time , kept cases from accelerating further .
We basically decided to not do that in the US .
We shut down , then grew bored of that and lifted the lockdowns without any sort of plan for what came next .
So here we are : we now have the largest epidemic in the world , which is currently accelerating at a rate we haven ’ t seen before .
This should be a profound wake-up call to the states that hoped they could out-talk the pandemic with rhetoric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the situation is out of control .
We still have the power to change the trajectory of the pandemic if we put our minds to it .
You can protect yourself even if your elected leaders refuse to do so .
Places may reopen but you don ’ t have to go to them , especially if you or members of your family have underlying health conditions .
The tragedy is that people such as healthcare workers don ’ t have the luxury to stay at home and the more illness there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk there is for them .
We also need to put in place targeted health interventions such as testing , tracing and isolating people .
This will take effort and commitment from government , but that ’ s nothing compared with months of further lockdown .
I ’ d also like to see consistent and scientifically literate messaging from leaders about the virus .
The president has said several times that the virus will just disappear .
Yanis Ben Amor , executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development and experienced researcher of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in an absolute mess .
Policy across states is disjointed , with some states requiring face masks and others just recommending them .
People are obviously confused : they see the president not wearing a mask when visiting factories , the vice-president not wearing one even when visiting a hospital .
People think : “ Why should it apply to me ?
” The information being given to the American people isn ’ t allowing them to understand the situation .
There ’ s huge confusion on CNN and Fox News over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and then you have conspiracy theories on Facebook that masks will kill you .
This is America , land of the free .
Just as people fought seat belts and some still don ’ t vaccinate their children , so there is resistance over masks .
The message should be simple – you want to go back to normal life ?
Wear a mask .
You want your children to go to school and to be able to go to bars and not be unemployed ?
Wear a mask .
You don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask .
In a matter of just a few months , one in 1,500 black Americans have died from coronavirus .
Every single American should be horrified .
This pandemic has laid bare the appalling racial inequities that have left black Americans more likely to be infected , hospitalized and to die from Covid-19 .
What we see in the magnitude of deaths in black communities is the legacy of slavery , Black Codes , the Jim Crow era combined with the current status quo in this country that has devalued black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t clear before , now it is .
Black communities were already sick from racism before coronavirus arrived here , and now they have become even sicker .
The surge that is sweeping across the south and west of the US should make us very worried about further devastation to black communities .
They could be hit especially hard given the poor public health infrastructure in their areas and the large number of people who lack medical insurance .
In order to mitigate further disaster , state and local governments must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black communities .
Messaging will be critical to ensuring black Americans are aware of the symptoms of coronavirus and how it is transmitted .
Social services , including expanded health insurance coverage , will help keep black communities afloat for the time being .
In the long term , the federal government must invest in black communities in the form of gainful employment , safe and adequate housing , home ownership opportunities and quality education .
Ultimately , the United States must reckon with the destructive force of racism embedded in its history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At this inflection point , the country has a chance to make a long overdue statement – that black lives really do matter .
Irwin Redlener , professor of clinical public health and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University The United States is experiencing a surge in the sun belt and south that is all too predictable .
There have been so many missteps that it ’ s not really that surprising that we now find ourselves in the middle of a crisis .
What ails the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough tests , we are inadequate in contact tracing and we have a random set of messages and guidelines coming from local and federal government .
In such an environment , people make it up as they go along , and the end result is that a lot more people , especially younger people , get infected .
Messaging in particular from the president and vice-president has been inaccurate , dishonest and flawed .
We could see from that so-called Trump rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , that you don ’ t need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where they stand politically ; all you need to do is see if they are wearing a mask and following public health advice .
Basic health protection has become the stuff of a cultural and political war .
There is no clear exit strategy from this , sad to say .
If I were speaking to governors , my advice would be to stop any efforts to reopen immediately .
Just stop .
The White House is living in a dreamland that everything is under control but you don ’ t have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more power to the mayors , especially of the larger cities , to encourage mask-wearing and social distancing .
In the absence of competent federal leadership , governors need to take control themselves and impose more stringent guidelines .
There ’ s a risk here : if more draconian measures should be needed I have very little confidence that people will comply with what many will see as a big reversal in their conditions .

Ed Pilkington and Oliver Milman in New York

Donald Trump delivered much-needed good news to the American people this week. Coronavirus, he told Fox Business, was “just going to disappear”.
The US president didn’t specify when this vanishing act would take place. One thing is certain, though: it’s not now.
The virus is spreading through a vast area of the American hinterland at a speed not seen since the pandemic began. Across the south and west, and even into California, which had been considered a shining light in its handling of Covid-19, alarm bells are ringing once again.
Hospitals are filling up, ICUs reaching capacity, protective gear falling short. It’s like April all over again, with the ominous difference that this time many Americans are fed up with lockdowns and, with Trump’s warm encouragement, spurning social distancing and masks.
It is a singularly perilous moment, with tens of thousands of lives at risk. Globally, too, trust in the US hangs in the balance as surveys show that Europe is asking what kind of world leader proves incapable of protecting its own people from a microbe.
The Guardian invited six of America’s top public health experts to address the crisis. How bad is the current threat? And were the White House committed to science and data, as opposed to disappearing tricks, what would it do right now to fend off the disaster?
Beth Cameron, former senior director for global health security and biodefense on the White House National Security Council, now vice-president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative
The situation is grave. Covid-19 is spreading uncontrolled, hospitalizations are rising in at least a dozen states, and – six months into the crisis – the United States has failed to muster a unified response. It’s crystal clear that Covid-19 won’t “just disappear”, as President Trump said this week – and the pandemic certainly won’t end if wishful thinking continues to be our federal response plan.
I have the opportunity to speak regularly with local leaders, public health professionals and scientists. Across the board – from mayors to tribal leaders – there’s a thirst for information, innovation, and decision-making tools. At a time when our country needs an orchestrated, coordinated, all-hands-on-deck response, there is simply no hand on the tiller.
At a time when our country needs a coordinated, all-hands-on-deck response, there is simply no hand on the tiller
What should the administration do? Immediately start daily briefings from experts at CDC and NIH to report progress on a core set of metrics and capabilities that must be in place across the country to suppress Covid-19 and reopen safely. Make racial disparities in Covid-19 response (and in healthcare and health security more broadly) a top priority. Organize a massive surge in community health workers and contact tracers. Reach young adults about the need to reduce spread and protect communities.
It’s also time that the White House launch a set of science and technology challenges to rally public and private sector leaders toward common goals, like urgently modernizing our public health data architecture.
And yes, the president should wear a mask.
Unfortunately, we can’t keep waiting for the administration. In the absence of federal leadership, I would like to see governors and mayors leave aside political and geographic differences and convene a virtual summit this summer to set an urgent course for a whole-of-country approach to suppress Covid-19. We need a shared strategy.
Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2009-2017, current president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies
In the US today, the virus has the upper hand. We can expect weeks, even months, of increases if we don’t do much better. The fact is we are creating an enormous viral reservoir that will take a very long time to recede.
One of the most serious problems is the lack of a concerted federal response. You see that in the lack of consistent messaging, the failure to tackle supply issues from tests to protective equipment, the absence of uniform standards on what states should monitor and report publicly.
In short, there is no clear national strategy and no plan for controlling this virus.
Reduce the risk of spread, then box the virus in through strategic testing, isolation, and rapid contact tracing
We know what we need to do. First, reduce the risk of spread by applying the three Ws: wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance. Then box the virus in through strategic testing, effective isolation, and rapid contact tracing and supportive quarantine.
Having done those things, we need to hold ourselves accountable by tracking how quickly tests are reported, patients isolated, and contacts traced. Singapore, New Zealand, South Korea are all tracking those indicators. We are not.
The problem is that there is a strain of thought in the Trump administration that if we ignore the virus it is just going to go away. The truth is the opposite: ignore it and it will come back with greater force.
Catherimarty Burgos, a member of a local ‘surge team’, distributes bags with masks, sanitizers, and gloves in Miami. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Within a matter of days we will record 140,000 US deaths from Covid-19. People ask whether those American lives were lost needlessly. One way to look at that is to compare our record with that of Germany, a nation that has a similarly decentralized federal system with lots of risk of spread.
Germany’s death rate is 109 per million population, according to Johns Hopkins, compared with 391 per million in the US. That means that more than two-thirds of the US deaths – 86,000 at least – would have been prevented if we had achieved Germany’s death rate.
Jennifer Nuzzo, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
We are in a deeply disturbing moment where more than half of the states are heading in the wrong direction in terms of new cases. Critically, states reopened without capacity to test adequately and do contact tracing.
It didn’t have to be this way. In Europe there was swift and sustained action that, after a challenging time, kept cases from accelerating further. We basically decided to not do that in the US. We shut down, then grew bored of that and lifted the lockdowns without any sort of plan for what came next.
So here we are: we now have the largest epidemic in the world, which is currently accelerating at a rate we haven’t seen before.
This should be a profound wake-up call to the states that hoped they could out-talk the pandemic with rhetoric. They are now experiencing the consequences: the situation is out of control.
You can protect yourself even if your elected leaders refuse to do so
We still have the power to change the trajectory of the pandemic if we put our minds to it. You can protect yourself even if your elected leaders refuse to do so.
Places may reopen but you don’t have to go to them, especially if you or members of your family have underlying health conditions.
The tragedy is that people such as healthcare workers don’t have the luxury to stay at home and the more illness there is in the community, the more risk there is for them.
We also need to put in place targeted health interventions such as testing, tracing and isolating people. This will take effort and commitment from government, but that’s nothing compared with months of further lockdown.
I’d also like to see consistent and scientifically literate messaging from leaders about the virus. The president has said several times that the virus will just disappear.
Yanis Ben Amor, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development and experienced researcher of infectious diseases
In the US, we are in an absolute mess.
Policy across states is disjointed, with some states requiring face masks and others just recommending them. People are obviously confused: they see the president not wearing a mask when visiting factories, the vice-president not wearing one even when visiting a hospital.
People think: “Why should it apply to me?”
The information being given to the American people isn’t allowing them to understand the situation. There’s huge confusion on CNN and Fox News over what the president and experts are saying, and then you have conspiracy theories on Facebook that masks will kill you.
This is America, land of the free. Just as people fought seat belts and some still don’t vaccinate their children, so there is resistance over masks.
The message should be simple – you want to go back to normal life? Wear a mask
The message should be simple – you want to go back to normal life? Wear a mask. You want your children to go to school and to be able to go to bars and not be unemployed? Wear a mask. You don’t want another lockdown? Wear a mask.
Uché Blackstock, urgent care physician and CEO of Advancing Health Equity
In a matter of just a few months, one in 1,500 black Americans have died from coronavirus. Every single American should be horrified. This pandemic has laid bare the appalling racial inequities that have left black Americans more likely to be infected, hospitalized and to die from Covid-19.
What we see in the magnitude of deaths in black communities is the legacy of slavery, Black Codes, the Jim Crow era combined with the current status quo in this country that has devalued black lives and black bodies. If it wasn’t clear before, now it is. Black communities were already sick from racism before coronavirus arrived here, and now they have become even sicker.
One in 1,500 Black Americans have died from coronavirus. Every single American should be horrified
The surge that is sweeping across the south and west of the US should make us very worried about further devastation to black communities. They could be hit especially hard given the poor public health infrastructure in their areas and the large number of people who lack medical insurance.
In order to mitigate further disaster, state and local governments must ramp up testing and contact tracing in black communities. Messaging will be critical to ensuring black Americans are aware of the symptoms of coronavirus and how it is transmitted.
Social services, including expanded health insurance coverage, will help keep black communities afloat for the time being. In the long term, the federal government must invest in black communities in the form of gainful employment, safe and adequate housing, home ownership opportunities and quality education.
Ultimately, the United States must reckon with the destructive force of racism embedded in its history and within every aspect of society. At this inflection point, the country has a chance to make a long overdue statement – that black lives really do matter.
Irwin Redlener, professor of clinical public health and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University
The United States is experiencing a surge in the sun belt and south that is all too predictable. There have been so many missteps that it’s not really that surprising that we now find ourselves in the middle of a crisis.
What ails the system is that we aren’t doing enough tests, we are inadequate in contact tracing and we have a random set of messages and guidelines coming from local and federal government. In such an environment, people make it up as they go along, and the end result is that a lot more people, especially younger people, get infected.
Messaging in particular from the president and vice-president has been inaccurate, dishonest and flawed. We could see from that so-called Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that you don’t need someone wearing a Maga hat to know where they stand politically; all you need to do is see if they are wearing a mask and following public health advice.
Basic health protection has become the stuff of a cultural and political war.
In the absence of competent federal leadership, governors need to take control
There is no clear exit strategy from this, sad to say. If I were speaking to governors, my advice would be to stop any efforts to reopen immediately. Just stop.
The White House is living in a dreamland that everything is under control but you don’t have to follow that lead. Instead, give more power to the mayors, especially of the larger cities, to encourage mask-wearing and social distancing.
In the absence of competent federal leadership, governors need to take control themselves and impose more stringent guidelines. There’s a risk here: if more draconian measures should be needed I have very little confidence that people will comply with what many will see as a big reversal in their conditions.


theguardian--2020-07-06--Melania Trump's former aide to release 'explosive' memoir – report

A former senior aide to Melania Trump who helped oversee Donald Trump ’ s inauguration has written an “ explosive ” memoir detailing her 15-year friendship with the first lady , according to reports .
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was appointed as an unpaid adviser to the first lady shortly after Donald Trump won the 2016 election , and she played a high-profile role in helping Melania Trump transition into the White House from New York while advising her on her political portfolio .
But in February 2018 , Winston Wolkoff was forced out after reports that her firm had received @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s lavish inauguration ceremony in 2017 and related events .
At the time , Winston Wolkoff said the firm had “ retained a total of $ 1.62m ” that was divided among staff .
She has since challenged the notion that she was dismissed and claimed that she was “ thrown under the bus ” .
Winston Wolkoff later cooperated with federal prosecutors in Manhattan who opened an investigation into whether Trump ’ s 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the record $ 107m it raised from donations .
The book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and published by Gallery Books , an imprint of Simon & Schuster , on 1 September , Vanity Fair reported .
The memoir will detail Winston Wolkoff ’ s time “ navigating the White House and East Wing ” , where first ladies have offices ( the president works in the West Wing ) .
It will also include her “ journey from their friendship that started in New York to [ Winston Wolkoff ’ s ] role as the First Lady ’ s trusted advisor to her abrupt and very public departure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to a description obtained by the magazine .
Winston Wolkoff was long considered one of Melania ’ s closest friends .
A socialite , she previously worked for Vogue and was best known for her role in producing the Met Gala , the star-studded annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art ’ s Costume Institute in New York .
When the two parted ways in 2017 , she told the New York Times : “ I expect to remain a trusted source for advice and support on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily Beast , a Google Books description of the book available online said it would provide “ a revealing and explosive portrayal of Stephanie Winston Wolkoff ’ s 15-year friendship with Melania Trump and observations of the most chaotic White House in history ” .

A former senior aide to Melania Trump who helped oversee Donald Trump’s inauguration has written an “explosive” memoir detailing her 15-year friendship with the first lady, according to reports.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was appointed as an unpaid adviser to the first lady shortly after Donald Trump won the 2016 election, and she played a high-profile role in helping Melania Trump transition into the White House from New York while advising her on her political portfolio.
But in February 2018, Winston Wolkoff was forced out after reports that her firm had received $26m in payments to help plan Trump’s lavish inauguration ceremony in 2017 and related events. At the time, Winston Wolkoff said the firm had “retained a total of $1.62m” that was divided among staff. She has since challenged the notion that she was dismissed and claimed that she was “thrown under the bus”.
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff at Trump Tower in New York, New York, on 5 December 2016. Photograph: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images
Winston Wolkoff later cooperated with federal prosecutors in Manhattan who opened an investigation into whether Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the record $107m it raised from donations.
The book will be titled Melania and Me, and published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, on 1 September, Vanity Fair reported.
The memoir will detail Winston Wolkoff’s time “navigating the White House and East Wing”, where first ladies have offices (the president works in the West Wing). It will also include her “journey from their friendship that started in New York to [Winston Wolkoff’s] role as the First Lady’s trusted advisor to her abrupt and very public departure, to life after Washington”, according to a description obtained by the magazine.
Winston Wolkoff was long considered one of Melania’s closest friends. A socialite, she previously worked for Vogue and was best known for her role in producing the Met Gala, the star-studded annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York.
When the two parted ways in 2017, she told the New York Times: “I expect to remain a trusted source for advice and support on an informal basis.”
According to the Daily Beast, a Google Books description of the book available online said it would provide “a revealing and explosive portrayal of Stephanie Winston Wolkoff’s 15-year friendship with Melania Trump and observations of the most chaotic White House in history”.


theguardian--2020-07-06--Trump official defends misleading claim 99% of coronavirus cases are 'harmless'

A senior ally of Donald Trump has defended the US president ’ s dangerously misleading claim that 99 % of coronavirus cases are “ totally harmless ” and ruled out a national mask-wearing mandate .
Mark Meadows , the White House chief of staff , spoke out as the number of Americans killed by Covid-19 topped 130,000 following a new surge in cases , according to Johns Hopkins University .
In a speech at the White House on Saturday , Trump said the US has tested more than 40 million people “ but by so doing , we show cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ harmless ” .
He did not provide evidence for the assertion and public health officials failed to correct it on a holiday weekend where thousands of people flooded beaches and parks .
Questioned on CNN , Stephen Hahn , commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration , said : “ I ’ m not going to get into who is right and who is wrong.
” On Monday , appearing on the Trump-friendly Fox News network , Meadows went further .
“ I don ’ t even know that it ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When you start to look at the stats and look at all the numbers we have , the amount of testing that we have , the vast majority of people are safe from this .
“ When you look at the deaths that we have , if you ’ re over 80 years of age or if you have three what they call comorbidities – diabetes , hypertension , heart issues – then you need to be very , very careful .
Outside of that , the risks are extremely low , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the facts and statistics back us up there.
” Experts suspect Trump was referring to the US death rate from Covid-19 , which is about 1 % , but point out that 15 % to 20 % of infected people end up in hospital , with some suffering debilitating health problems .
And although the overall rate of increase in US deaths has been on a downward trend , fatalities are a lagging indicator .
A Reuters analysis found that at least five states have already bucked it .
While it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the number of new cases is increasing at faster rate and now stands at nearly 2.9m , the highest in the world and double that of Brazil , the second worst-hit country .
Sixteen US states have posted new record daily case counts this month , with Florida hitting 11,000 in a single day .
Texas passed 8,000 hospital admissions on Sunday , causing some mayors to consider launching new stay-at-home orders Trump has also been widely condemned for failing to lead by example by wearing a mask in public , while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Murphy , the Democratic governor of New Jersey , has argued in favour of a national strategy that includes a mask requirement .
New Jersey is seeing “ small spikes in reinfection ” from people coming back from Florida , South Carolina and other hotspots , Murphy said , because the US is “ as strong as our weakest link right now ” .
But in his Fox News interview , Meadows said the president sees masks as a “ state-to-state ” matter and “ certainly a national mandate is not in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re allowing our local governors and our local mayors to weigh in on that.
” “ It ’ s incredibly disruptive and the messaging coming from the president of the United States is dangerous , ” he told CNN .
“ One of the biggest challenges we have is the messaging coming out of Washington that would suggest that masks don ’ t work or it ’ s not necessary , or that the virus is going away on its own.
” Trump himself has attempted to pivot away from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become numb to the death toll – and focus on “ culture war ” issues , such as the toppling of statues of Confederate generals and other historical figures , as well as rebuilding the US economy .
“ NASDAQ HITS ALL TIME HIGH !
” he tweeted on Monday , touting the latest stock market figures .
But polling by Hart Research has found that “ voters reject Trump ’ s approach and are not willing to trade an economic rebound for people ’ s health .
By a 65 % -35 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be worth it to reduce the number of unemployed to 8 % or 9 % by election day if it meant deaths reach 200,000.
” Trump is planning a campaign rally in Portsmouth , New Hampshire , on Saturday , despite some staff and supporters who attended his indoor event in Tulsa , Oklahoma , last month having tested positive for the virus .
They include Kimberly Guilfoyle , the girlfriend of Trump ’ s eldest son , Donald Jr. Kurt Bardella , a senior adviser at the Lincoln Project , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s defeat in November ’ s presidential election , told MSNBC ’ s Morning Joe : “ Fifty thousand people a day are getting sick , 100,000-plus are dead and all the while , this president and this party want to embrace this ridiculous Make America Sick Again tour as him and the vice-president gallivant around the country and continue to spread this virus and get their own people sick.
” He added : “ If Donald Trump won ’ t protect even the people closest to him , his staff , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as heck isn ’ t going to care about anybody else .
”

A senior ally of Donald Trump has defended the US president’s dangerously misleading claim that 99% of coronavirus cases are “totally harmless” and ruled out a national mask-wearing mandate.
Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, spoke out as the number of Americans killed by Covid-19 topped 130,000 following a new surge in cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.
In a speech at the White House on Saturday, Trump said the US has tested more than 40 million people “but by so doing, we show cases, 99% of which are totally harmless”.
He did not provide evidence for the assertion and public health officials failed to correct it on a holiday weekend where thousands of people flooded beaches and parks.
Questioned on CNN, Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said: “I’m not going to get into who is right and who is wrong.”
On Monday, appearing on the Trump-friendly Fox News network, Meadows went further.
“I don’t even know that it’s a generalisation,” he said. “When you start to look at the stats and look at all the numbers we have, the amount of testing that we have, the vast majority of people are safe from this.
“When you look at the deaths that we have, if you’re over 80 years of age or if you have three what they call comorbidities – diabetes, hypertension, heart issues – then you need to be very, very careful. Outside of that, the risks are extremely low, and the president’s right with that and the facts and statistics back us up there.”
Experts suspect Trump was referring to the US death rate from Covid-19, which is about 1%, but point out that 15% to 20% of infected people end up in hospital, with some suffering debilitating health problems. And although the overall rate of increase in US deaths has been on a downward trend, fatalities are a lagging indicator. A Reuters analysis found that at least five states have already bucked it.
While it is true the US has stepped up testing, the number of new cases is increasing at a faster rate and now stands at nearly 2.9m – the highest in the world and double that of Brazil, the second worst-hit country. Sixteen US states have posted new record daily case counts this month, with Florida hitting 11,000 in a single day. Texas passed 8,000 hospital admissions on Sunday, causing some mayors to consider launching new stay-at-home orders
Trump has also been widely condemned for failing to lead by example by wearing a mask in public, while passing the buck to governors.
Phil Murphy, the Democratic governor of New Jersey, has argued in favour of a national strategy that includes a mask requirement. New Jersey is seeing “small spikes in reinfection” from people coming back from Florida, South Carolina and other hotspots, Murphy said, because the US is “as strong as our weakest link right now”.
But in his Fox News interview, Meadows said the president sees masks as a “state-to-state” matter and “certainly a national mandate is not in order”.
He added: “We’re allowing our local governors and our local mayors to weigh in on that.”
Steve Adler, the Democratic mayor of Austin, Texas, condemned Trump’s comments.
“It’s incredibly disruptive and the messaging coming from the president of the United States is dangerous,” he told CNN. “One of the biggest challenges we have is the messaging coming out of Washington that would suggest that masks don’t work or it’s not necessary, or that the virus is going away on its own.”
Trump himself has attempted to pivot away from the virus – seemingly in the hope Americans will become numb to the death toll – and focus on “culture war” issues, such as the toppling of statues of Confederate generals and other historical figures, as well as rebuilding the US economy.
“NASDAQ HITS ALL TIME HIGH!” he tweeted on Monday, touting the latest stock market figures.
But polling by Hart Research has found that “voters reject Trump’s approach and are not willing to trade an economic rebound for people’s health. By a 65%-35% margin, voters say it would not be worth it to reduce the number of unemployed to 8% or 9% by election day if it meant deaths reach 200,000.”
Trump is planning a campaign rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Saturday, despite some staff and supporters who attended his indoor event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month having tested positive for the virus. They include Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr.
Kurt Bardella, a senior adviser at the Lincoln Project, a political action committee devoted to Trump’s defeat in November’s presidential election, told MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “Fifty thousand people a day are getting sick, 100,000-plus are dead and all the while, this president and this party want to embrace this ridiculous Make America Sick Again tour as him and the vice-president gallivant around the country and continue to spread this virus and get their own people sick.”
He added: “If Donald Trump won’t protect even the people closest to him, his staff, his employees, his colleagues, he sure as heck isn’t going to care about anybody else.”