dailysignal--2020-07-19--Two-Thirds of COVID-19 Deaths in US Occurred in 10 States

As Heritage Foundation researchers have demonstrated throughout the pandemic , the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been heavily concentrated in a small number of states—and among a small number of counties within states .
Even though the U.S. has seen a rapid rise in cases during the last few weeks , the overall levels of concentration have remained fairly consistent .
As of July 14 , 2020 , for example , just 10 states account for 61 % of all U.S. cases and 66 % of all deaths ( and 62 % of the population ) .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York , California , Florida , Texas , and New Jersey – report 43 % of all U.S. cases and 45 % of all deaths .
Together , New York and New Jersey alone account for 34 % of total COVID-19 deaths , though they include only 9 % of the U.S. population .
These state-level figures do not , however , adequately describe the concentrated nature of the spread of COVID-19 .
The 30 counties with the most COVID-19 deaths , for example , account for nearly one-third of all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all deaths , much greater than their 16 % share of the U.S. population .
That is , just 1 % of the counties in the U.S. , representing 16 % of the U.S. population , are responsible for approximately half of the country ’ s COVID-19 deaths .
Of those 30 counties , 24 are in the Northeast corridor between Philadelphia and Boston , the passageway served by a commuter railway system that runs through Manhattan .
Overall , only about 10 % of the counties in the U.S. contain 90 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even though these counties include 62 % of the population .
Throughout the pandemic , there have been many U.S. counties with relatively few COVID-19 deaths .
For instance , as of May 11 , 64 % of all counties ( 16 % of the U.S. population ) had 1 or fewer COVID-19 deaths .
As of July 14 , 48 % of all counties ( 9 % of the population ) have no more than one COVID-19 death each .
While these numbers have obviously declined since May , many counties still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths .
In particular , as of July 14 , 66 % of all counties ( 16 % of the population ) have five or fewer COVID-19 deaths .
Now that COVID testing has dramatically increased and many state and local governments have relaxed stay-at-home orders , it is even more critical to study the trends in deaths along with cases .
To make studying these trends easier , The Heritage Foundation now has two interactive COVID-19 trackers – one that tracks trends in cases , while the other tracks trends in deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of cases – or deaths – is increasing or decreasing over the prior 14 days , and provides a visual depiction of new cases – or deaths – during this time period .
These tools help put the concentrated nature of the pandemic in perspective with county-level data and they show just how difficult it can be to use only one metric to gauge whether a county or state is doing well .
For instance , Harris County in Texas has seen increases of cases over the past two weeks , with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day for the past 14 days .
On July 14 , the county had 2,001 new cases , the most of the two-week period .
Deaths have seen an increase as well , with one additional new death above trend every five days .
Another example is DeKalb County in Indiana , which is also experiencing increasing cases .
However , their new cases are only 1 above trend over the 14-day period , and they have had a total of 15 new cases over the past 14 days .
DeKalb also ranks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases with less than a half a percent of the population recording COVID-19 cases .
Readers are invited to explore the information in the tracker and check back frequently for updates .

As Heritage Foundation researchers have demonstrated throughout the pandemic, the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has been heavily concentrated in a small number of states—and among a small number of counties within states. Even though the U.S. has seen a rapid rise in cases during the last few weeks, the overall levels of concentration have remained fairly consistent.
As of July 14, 2020, for example, just 10 states account for 61% of all U.S. cases and 66% of all deaths (and 62% of the population).
The five states with the most cases—New York, California, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey—report 43% of all U.S. cases and 45% of all deaths.
Together, New York and New Jersey alone account for 34% of total COVID-19 deaths, though they include only 9% of the U.S. population.
These state-level figures do not, however, adequately describe the concentrated nature of the spread of COVID-19.
The 30 counties with the most COVID-19 deaths, for example, account for nearly one-third of all the cases in the U.S. and 49% of all deaths, much greater than their 16% share of the U.S. population. That is, just 1% of the counties in the U.S., representing 16% of the U.S. population, are responsible for approximately half of the country’s COVID-19 deaths.
Of those 30 counties, 24 are in the Northeast corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, the passageway served by a commuter railway system that runs through Manhattan.
Overall, only about 10% of the counties in the U.S. contain 90% of all the COVID-19 deaths, even though these counties include 62% of the population.
Throughout the pandemic, there have been many U.S. counties with relatively few COVID-19 deaths. For instance, as of May 11, 64% of all counties (16% of the U.S. population) had one or fewer COVID-19 deaths. As of July 14, 48% of all counties (9% of the population) have no more than one COVID-19 death each.
While these numbers have obviously declined since May, many counties still have a relatively small number of COVID-19 deaths. In particular, as of July 14, 66% of all counties (16% of the population) have five or fewer COVID-19 deaths.
Now that COVID testing has dramatically increased and many state and local governments have relaxed stay-at-home orders, it is even more critical to study the trends in deaths along with cases. To make studying these trends easier, The Heritage Foundation now has two interactive COVID-19 trackers—one that tracks trends in cases, while the other tracks trends in deaths.
The trackers describe whether the trend of cases—or deaths—is increasing or decreasing over the prior 14 days, and provides a visual depiction of new cases—or deaths—during this time period. These tools help put the concentrated nature of the pandemic in perspective with county-level data and they show just how difficult it can be to use only one metric to gauge whether a county or state is doing well.
For instance, Harris County in Texas has seen increases of cases over the past two weeks, with a rate of 39 additional new cases each day for the past 14 days. On July 14, the county had 2,001 new cases, the most of the two-week period. Deaths have seen an increase as well, with one additional new death above trend every five days.
Another example is DeKalb County in Indiana, which is also experiencing increasing cases. However, its new cases are only one above trend over the 14-day period, and it has had a total of 15 new cases over the past 14 days. DeKalb also ranks around the middle of U.S. counties for cases with less than a half a percent of the population recording COVID-19 cases.
Readers are invited to explore the information in the tracker and check back frequently for updates.


dailysignal--2020-07-21--What We Can Learn From COVID-19 Restrictions on Houses of Worship in 2 States

When the statewide lockdowns first began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic , most Americans accepted these measures in good faith as a difficult , but necessary , sacrifices for the benefit of everyone .
At the time , the only thing anyone truly understood about the novel coronavirus that causes the disease was its breathtaking speed and seemingly unstoppable lethality in certain cities .
But lockdown measures were meant only to bridge us to a solution for dealing with COVID-19 , and it should be the goal of lawmakers to return as much of American life back to normal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s the best way for America to reopen and return to business ?
The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission , a project of The Heritage Foundation , assembled America ’ s top thinkers to figure that out .
So far , it has made more than 260 recommendations .
Learn more here .
As we learn more , we should use every piece of information to loosen lockdown restrictions when possible , especially where it affects fundamental parts of our lives .
Such restrictions include needlessly restrictive occupancy rules on places of worship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures throughout the country .
Solid information about COVID-19 is difficult to come by and policy implications from one place is often difficult to generalize to another , which makes it difficult to judge their effectiveness or utility .
When any clear information presents itself , policymakers should take advantage of it .
Maine and New Hampshire have different sets of COVID-19 measures , but because they are demographically and geographically similar states , they present an effective natural experiment .
Both Maine and New Hampshire currently are experiencing consistently low or declining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deaths , and both states consistently have remained well below the national averages in both absolute and per capita terms .
By June , both states also relaxed occupancy restrictions on places of worship .
But Maine went from a 10-person maximum to a 50-person maximum , and New Hampshire went from a 10-person maximum to a maximum of 50 % capacity .
One month later , neither state faces concerning rises in COVID-19 numbers the way several other states have .
That being the case , what reason does Maine have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ places of worship ?
Indeed , what was the reasoning behind such an arbitrary number as 50 persons ?
A small chapel may be filled beyond capacity with fewer than 50 persons , but the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland , Maine , can seat 900 congregants .
Such a large space certainly should be safe with a few more churchgoers than 50 , which is only 5.5 % of the 900-seat capacity .
Limited occupancy is not the only measure that places of worship will follow , since other guidelines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as minimum requirements for spacing between persons , employment requirements , and promotion of good health practices .
Many of these additional requirements in New Hampshire are somewhat subjective in implementation , such as the requirement to promote mask wearing or the recommendation that places of worship have more services to reduce attendance at any one service .
But this is no reason for concern .
After all , who cares more for the parishioners , the state ’ s governor or the pastor ?
Skeptics might dismiss the return to church as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aside for a few months longer , but already , these restrictions have resulted in some of the cruelest human outcomes .
The same lockdown measures meant to curb the spread of the disease also forced us to leave loved ones to die alone in hospitals and , when the time came to mourn their loss , families had to choose who could attend the services lest they run afoul of occupancy or crowd-size regulations .
This is not hypothetical .
Restrictions implemented in the name of disease prevention may at times be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never forget that the parts of our lives that make us feel normal are not mere luxuries , but are the very things that make us human .
If governments decide to restrict our lives and our foundational freedoms , in this case that of religious expression , they must actively pursue the return of those rights or citizens must never be silent about them .
Other debates about offices , salons , and schools often have been written off as the frivolous whims of a reckless public , but also are key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our children .
We accepted the many restrictions of lockdowns in good faith , but every rollback of our freedoms must be scrutinized for rationale and released at the soonest possible moment .
Maine has exactly zero reason to restrict church attendance to 50 persons .
And now that we have learned much from the beginning of this pandemic , lifting that restriction should be only a start for the whole country .

When the statewide lockdowns first began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most Americans accepted these measures in good faith as difficult, but necessary, sacrifices for the benefit of everyone.
At the time, the only thing anyone truly understood about the novel coronavirus that causes the disease was its breathtaking speed and seemingly unstoppable lethality in certain cities.
But lockdown measures were meant only to bridge us to a solution for dealing with COVID-19, and it should be the goal of lawmakers to return as much of American life back to normal as possible.
>>> What’s the best way for America to reopen and return to business? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, assembled America’s top thinkers to figure that out. So far, it has made more than 260 recommendations. Learn more here.
As we learn more, we should use every piece of information to loosen lockdown restrictions when possible, especially where it affects fundamental parts of our lives. Such restrictions include needlessly restrictive occupancy rules on places of worship that have been a mainstay of mitigation measures throughout the country.
Solid information about COVID-19 is difficult to come by and policy implications from one place is often difficult to generalize to another, which makes it difficult to judge their effectiveness or utility. When any clear information presents itself, policymakers should take advantage of it.
Maine and New Hampshire have different sets of COVID-19 measures, but because they are demographically and geographically similar states, they present an effective natural experiment.
Both Maine and New Hampshire currently are experiencing consistently low or declining numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, and both states consistently have remained well below the national averages in both absolute and per capita terms.
By June, both states also relaxed occupancy restrictions on places of worship. But Maine went from a 10-person maximum to a 50-person maximum, and New Hampshire went from a 10-person maximum to a maximum of 50% capacity.
One month later, neither state faces concerning rises in COVID-19 numbers the way several other states have.
That being the case, what reason does Maine have in maintaining such tight occupancy restrictions on places of worship? Indeed, what was the reasoning behind such an arbitrary number as 50 persons?
A small chapel may be filled beyond capacity with fewer than 50 persons, but the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine, can seat 900 congregants. Such a large space certainly should be safe with a few more churchgoers than 50, which is only 5.5% of the 900-seat capacity.
Limited occupancy is not the only measure that places of worship will follow, since other guidelines govern all institutions and establishments, such as minimum requirements for spacing between persons, employment requirements, and promotion of good health practices.
Many of these additional requirements in New Hampshire are somewhat subjective in implementation, such as the requirement to promote mask wearing or the recommendation that places of worship have more services to reduce attendance at any one service.
But this is no reason for concern. After all, who cares more for the parishioners, the state’s governor or the pastor?
Skeptics might dismiss the return to church as an unnecessary ritual that can be set aside for a few months longer, but already, these restrictions have resulted in some of the cruelest human outcomes.
The same lockdown measures meant to curb the spread of the disease also forced us to leave loved ones to die alone in hospitals and, when the time came to mourn their loss, families had to choose who could attend the services lest they run afoul of occupancy or crowd-size regulations.
This is not hypothetical.
Restrictions implemented in the name of disease prevention may at times be deemed necessary; however, lawmakers must never forget that the parts of our lives that make us feel normal are not mere luxuries, but are the very things that make us human.
If governments decide to restrict our lives and our foundational freedoms, in this case that of religious expression, they must actively pursue the return of those rights or citizens must never be silent about them. Other debates about offices, salons, and schools often have been written off as the frivolous whims of a reckless public, but also are key parts of our lives and the lives of our children.
We accepted the many restrictions of lockdowns in good faith, but every rollback of our freedoms must be scrutinized for rationale and released at the soonest possible moment.
Maine has exactly zero reason to restrict church attendance to 50 persons. And now that we have learned much from the beginning of this pandemic, lifting that restriction should be only a start for the whole country.


dailysignal--2020-07-21--Trump: COVID-19 ‘Will Get Worse,’ but Vaccine Moving Along

In his first coronavirus press briefing since April , President Donald Trump sounded dour , warning the pandemic will get worse before it gets better , but also offered his more familiar optimistic tone in predicting a vaccine sooner than expected .
The president also made a more emphatic case in favor of wearing masks , even pulling one out of a suit pocket during the briefing .
“ It will probably , unfortunately , get worse before it gets better—something I don ’ t like saying about things , but that ’ s the way it is , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ press briefing room .
“ It ’ s what we have .
Look over the world , it ’ s all over the world.
” Trump later said TV commentators make it sound as if only the United States has the problem , when in fact it ’ s a problem all over the world .
“ The China virus is a vicious and dangerous illness , ” Trump said .
Currently more than half of the nation ’ s new cases are in Arizona , California , Florida , and Texas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit as hard as New York , New Jersey , and Connecticut were early in the year .
“ We want to get rid of it as soon as we can .
That is why getting a vaccine remains a top priority , ” Trump said .
He went on to provide more specifics .
Two vaccine candidates are entering the final stage of clinical trials this month .
This was achieved in record time .
It used to be years before you were in a position like we are in right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trials the following weeks .
We are mass producing all the top candidates so that the first approved vaccine will be available immediately .
Logistically , we have the military ready to go .
The briefing was considerably shorter than past briefings that would run close to two hours , as Trump , in the past flanked by Cabinet officials and top administration medical officials , would seemingly answer questions endlessly .
On Tuesday , only Trump spoke to reporters , and the briefing was barely 30 minutes .
Also , unlike occasional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were no testy exchanges between Trump and the media .
Trump noted that about half of the deaths were individuals in nursing homes or long-term care and about 90 % of those hospitalized had underlying medical conditions .
While youth are less likely to be hit hard , Trump nevertheless made the case to wear masks to avoid the spread .
“ Young adults may have mild symptoms .
They won ’ t even know they ’ re sick , ” Trump said .
“ They won ’ t have any idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won ’ t have any idea at all .
America ’ s youth will act responsibly.
” Trump later explained , “ A permanent shutdown was really never an option.
” “ We ’ re instead asking Americans to use masks , socially distance , and employ vigorous hygiene , wash your hands every chance you get while sheltering high-risk populations , ” the president stated .

In his first coronavirus press briefing since April, President Donald Trump sounded dour, warning the pandemic will get worse before it gets better, but also offered his more familiar optimistic tone in predicting a vaccine sooner than expected.
The president also made a more emphatic case in favor of wearing masks, even pulling one out of a suit pocket during the briefing.
“It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better—something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is,” Trump said Tuesday from the White House press briefing room. “It’s what we have. Look over the world, it’s all over the world.”
Trump later said TV commentators make it sound as if only the United States has the problem, when in fact it’s a problem all over the world.
“The China virus is a vicious and dangerous illness,” Trump said.
Currently more than half of the nation’s new cases are in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas. Those states still haven’t been hit as hard as New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut were early in the year.
“We want to get rid of it as soon as we can. That is why getting a vaccine remains a top priority,” Trump said. He went on to provide more specifics.
Two vaccine candidates are entering the final stage of clinical trials this month. This was achieved in record time. It used to be years before you were in a position like we are in right now. Four other vaccines will enter final trials the following weeks. We are mass producing all the top candidates so that the first approved vaccine will be available immediately. Logistically, we have the military ready to go.
The briefing was considerably shorter than past briefings that would run close to two hours, as Trump, in the past flanked by Cabinet officials and top administration medical officials, would seemingly answer questions endlessly. On Tuesday, only Trump spoke to reporters, and the briefing was barely 30 minutes. Also, unlike occasional past briefings in March and April, there were no testy exchanges between Trump and the media.
Trump noted that about half of the deaths were individuals in nursing homes or long-term care and about 90% of those hospitalized had underlying medical conditions.
While youth are less likely to be hit hard, Trump nevertheless made the case to wear masks to avoid the spread.
“Young adults may have mild symptoms. They won’t even know they’re sick,” Trump said. “They won’t have any idea that they have a virus. They won’t have any idea at all. America’s youth will act responsibly.”
Trump continued:
We are asking everybody that when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact, they’ll have an effect—and we need everything we can get.
Trump later explained, “A permanent shutdown was really never an option.”
“We’re instead asking Americans to use masks, socially distance, and employ vigorous hygiene, wash your hands every chance you get while sheltering high-risk populations,” the president stated.


dailysignal--2020-07-22--HHS Acts to Preserve Religious Freedom at Hospitals During Pandemic

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took two important steps Tuesday to protect religious freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic .
The agency ’ s Office for Civil Rights announced that patients at hospitals within the University of Maryland Medical System may receive visits by clergy amid the pandemic .
And , the office said , a medical student at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City may follow his religious belief by not shaving his beard despite having to wear a mask .
“ We can protect people ’ s physical safety and their spiritual and emotional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Roger Severino , director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights , said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon .
“ Those two things are not in tension and when we protect both , we actually protect the mental health as well as the physical health.
” “ Religious liberty doesn ’ t cease to be a fundamental human right during a pandemic , ” Ryan T. Anderson , a research fellow specializing in religious liberty at The Heritage Foundation , said in an email to The Daily Signal .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can combat COVID-19 and respect religious liberty.
” In the case prompting the first decision , Sidney and Susanna Marcus were airlifted to Prince George ’ s Hospital Center in Cheverly , Maryland , after a motorcycle accident May 25 .
Her husband ’ s injuries were more severe than hers , Susanna Marcus explained on Tuesday ’ s conference call , placing him in the hospital ’ s intensive care unit for an extended period .
Susanna Marcus requested that a priest visit her husband because she was “ very fearful for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She and her husband are Catholic , she said , and “ believe that in the sacraments our souls are united to God ’ s. ” “ I needed to know that he had access to that , ” she said .
“ And when I was told that no priests were allowed , I was able to contact HHS and was connected to the best people … and finally Sidney was able to have access to a priest and to the sacrament.
” The Office for Civil Rights and the Centers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Maryland Medical System to ensure that patients have access to clergy and chaplains during the pandemic , Severino said .
The University of Maryland Medical System updated visitation guidelines for all 13 of its hospitals to allow patients , including those in COVID-19 care units , to receive visits from pastors , priests , or other clergy—provided they wear the appropriate personal protective equipment .
In an email Tuesday night to The Daily Signal , Michael Schwartzberg , media relations director for the University of Maryland Medical System , said : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regarding clergy visitation for a patient who was potentially nearing the end of [ his ] life , we engaged in extensive discussion with key stakeholders including legal counsel on how to best accommodate situations that require exceptions to our visitation policy while not compromising the safety of others .
We have since amended our policy , with all individuals visiting a COVID-19 positive patient provided a form acknowledging the risk , and will allow clergy visits with adherence to safety protocols .
HHS would like to see other states and hospital systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lead , Severino said .
“ It ’ s a tragedy when people are deprived of the ability to have access to their faith practices , ” he told reporters .
The Office for Civil Rights also acted to protect the faith practices of the New York City medical student in June , leading to the second announcement Tuesday .
The unnamed student was set to do rotations at Staten Island University Hospital during the summer .
Hospital supervisors asked him to shave his beard before getting fitted for an N95 protective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could not do so because of his religious beliefs .
He was told he could not return to rotations until he shaved .
The Office for Civil Rights worked with the student and the hospital to find an alternative that “ provides greater protection than an N95 mask and would allow for a facial beard , ” HHS said in a press release .
Patients and health care providers “ have [ an ] interest in religious freedoms , and both should be accommodated and protected to the extent possible , ” @ @ @

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services took two important steps Tuesday to protect religious freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The agency’s Office for Civil Rights announced that patients at hospitals within the University of Maryland Medical System may receive visits by clergy amid the pandemic.
And, the office said, a medical student at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City may follow his religious belief by not shaving his beard despite having to wear a mask.
“We can protect people’s physical safety and their spiritual and emotional well-being at the same time,” Roger Severino, director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights, said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon. “Those two things are not in tension and when we protect both, we actually protect the mental health as well as the physical health.”
“Religious liberty doesn’t cease to be a fundamental human right during a pandemic,” Ryan T. Anderson, a research fellow specializing in religious liberty at The Heritage Foundation, said in an email to The Daily Signal. “As these HHS resolutions demonstrate, we can combat COVID-19 and respect religious liberty.”
In the case prompting the first decision, Sidney and Susanna Marcus were airlifted to Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland, after a motorcycle accident May 25.
Her husband’s injuries were more severe than hers, Susanna Marcus explained on Tuesday’s conference call, placing him in the hospital’s intensive care unit for an extended period.
Susanna Marcus requested that a priest visit her husband because she was “very fearful for his condition,” she said.
She and her husband are Catholic, she said, and “believe that in the sacraments our souls are united to God’s.”
“I needed to know that he had access to that,” she said. “And when I was told that no priests were allowed, I was able to contact HHS and was connected to the best people … and finally Sidney was able to have access to a priest and to the sacrament.”
The Office for Civil Rights and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services worked with the University of Maryland Medical System to ensure that patients have access to clergy and chaplains during the pandemic, Severino said.
The University of Maryland Medical System updated visitation guidelines for all 13 of its hospitals to allow patients, including those in COVID-19 care units, to receive visits from pastors, priests, or other clergy—provided they wear the appropriate personal protective equipment.
In an email Tuesday night to The Daily Signal, Michael Schwartzberg, media relations director for the University of Maryland Medical System, said:
After we became aware of an issue regarding clergy visitation for a patient who was potentially nearing the end of [his] life, we engaged in extensive discussion with key stakeholders including legal counsel on how to best accommodate situations that require exceptions to our visitation policy while not compromising the safety of others. We have since amended our policy, with all individuals visiting a COVID-19 positive patient provided a form acknowledging the risk, and will allow clergy visits with adherence to safety protocols.
HHS would like to see other states and hospital systems follow University of Maryland Medical System’s lead, Severino said.
“It’s a tragedy when people are deprived of the ability to have access to their faith practices,” he told reporters.
The Office for Civil Rights also acted to protect the faith practices of the New York City medical student in June, leading to the second announcement Tuesday.
The unnamed student was set to do rotations at Staten Island University Hospital during the summer. Hospital supervisors asked him to shave his beard before getting fitted for an N95 protective mask, but the student explained that he could not do so because of his religious beliefs. He was told he could not return to rotations until he shaved.
The Office for Civil Rights worked with the student and the hospital to find an alternative that “provides greater protection than an N95 mask and would allow for a facial beard,” HHS said in a press release.
Patients and health care providers “have [an] interest in religious freedoms, and both should be accommodated and protected to the extent possible,” Severino said.


dailysignal--2020-07-23--New Jersey’s All-Mail Vote Debacle Is a Warning for November

Even as New Jersey voters look to the general election , many are still coping with the aftermath of the state ’ s first all-mail vote .
Paterson , the Garden State ’ s third-largest city , is mired in a burgeoning election scandal .
One in 5 ballots have been rejected .
The local NAACP has cried foul .
And now , four men—including a councilman and councilman-elect—have been charged by the state ’ s attorney general with criminal election fraud .
The state ’ s May 12 election was conducted entirely by mail on Gov .
Phil Murphy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sent to every registration .
That makes Paterson an early test of the vote-by-mail model now being pushed in unison by the political left .
The fact that it immediately went off the rails is a warning to the nation that we would be foolish to ignore .
Concerns began mounting before voting had even ended .
Undeliverable ballots piled up in trash cans and apartment lobbies .
Even though state law forbids anyone from collecting more than three ballots , roughly 800 ballots were found bundled together—400 were stuffed into one mailbox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another in a completely different town .
That evidence of illegal vote harvesting led officials to reject them all .
An additional 1,214 votes were disqualified because the voters ’ signatures did not match official records , and 1,000 more because the “ bearer ” —the person who collected and delivered the vote—didn ’ t properly report doing so .
Voters reported never receiving ballots even though they are listed as having voted .
In other words , someone else purportedly cast their votes .
Ultimately , nearly 20 % of ballots cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NAACP leader the Rev .
Kenneth Clayton summed it up best : “ These kinds of acts make people not want to vote anymore.
” Unsurprisingly , the four people recently indicted face charges that they illegally possessed or tampered with ballots .
Fresh accusations are coming to light that one of the defendant ’ s campaigns hired workers to churn out fraudulent votes in bulk .
The simple fact is , mail voting is more susceptible to error and fraud than voting in person .
Bad actors can get their hands on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or destroy them .
Anytime voting takes place away from the controlled and observed confines of a polling place , it is less secure .
Fifteen years ago , a commission co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter warned that mail-in voting is “ likely to increase the risks of fraud and of contested elections.
” That ’ s as true today as it was then .
Jury-rigging a vote-by-mail system doesn ’ t just risk fraud .
The New Jersey Spotlight reported that 1 in 10 ballots cast statewide were rejected for various @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be counted , a stark reminder that mail ballots can be lost or delayed .
Roughly a third of rejected ballots had something wrong with the ballot itself : The ballot was not enclosed , for instance , or was missing information necessary to be processed .
These sorts of mistakes—to say nothing of innocent errors like voting for too many candidates in a single race—are easily fixed at polling places .
Not so when those votes are mailed in .
Studies show that first-time absentee voters are more likely to make mistakes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Let ’ s not forget , an unprecedented portion of the electorate this fall will be first-time mail voters .
Imagine the nightmare of a November election decided by a hair , but with a sizable percentage of ballots thrown out .
Vote-by-mail proponents retort that the obvious solution to the problem of rejected ballots is to discard the rules and safeguards that lead to ballots being invalidated .
Liberal groups and their allies have filed dozens of partisan lawsuits across the nation to force this plan on states .
Its core @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters who are likely deceased or have moved away , allow vote harvesting , and dismantle the systems that states use to stop vote tampering and ensure each vote is cast by a lawful voter .
In other words , the aim of the vote-by-mail crowd is to create all the conditions that made the Paterson election ripe for fraud , but remove the tools that allowed that fraud to be detected , stopped , and prosecuted .
Do they really believe no one will take advantage of that free-for-all ?
Most voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be both easy to vote and hard to cheat .
Fraud , both real and perceived , turns people off .
States are down to the wire to finalize their plans for voting this fall .
Vulnerable voters need to be able to request absentee ballots , but that is a far cry from the all-mail election that activists are pining for .
Their plan is a recipe for disaster .
If we implement it , we may soon be asking ourselves how we could have ignored Paterson ’ s warning .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Politics .

Even as New Jersey voters look to the general election, many are still coping with the aftermath of the state’s first all-mail vote.
Paterson, the Garden State’s third-largest city, is mired in a burgeoning election scandal. One in 5 ballots have been rejected. The local NAACP has cried foul. And now, four men—including a councilman and councilman-elect—have been charged by the state’s attorney general with criminal election fraud.
The state’s May 12 election was conducted entirely by mail on Gov. Phil Murphy’s order. Ballots were automatically sent to every registration. That makes Paterson an early test of the vote-by-mail model now being pushed in unison by the political left.
The fact that it immediately went off the rails is a warning to the nation that we would be foolish to ignore.
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Concerns began mounting before voting had even ended. Undeliverable ballots piled up in trash cans and apartment lobbies. Even though state law forbids anyone from collecting more than three ballots, roughly 800 ballots were found bundled together—400 were stuffed into one mailbox, and 360 more were found in another in a completely different town.
That evidence of illegal vote harvesting led officials to reject them all.
An additional 1,214 votes were disqualified because the voters’ signatures did not match official records, and 1,000 more because the “bearer”—the person who collected and delivered the vote—didn’t properly report doing so.
Voters reported never receiving ballots even though they are listed as having voted. In other words, someone else purportedly cast their votes.
Ultimately, nearly 20% of ballots cast on May 12 were invalidated. Paterson NAACP leader the Rev. Kenneth Clayton summed it up best: “These kinds of acts make people not want to vote anymore.”
Unsurprisingly, the four people recently indicted face charges that they illegally possessed or tampered with ballots. Fresh accusations are coming to light that one of the defendant’s campaigns hired workers to churn out fraudulent votes in bulk.
The simple fact is, mail voting is more susceptible to error and fraud than voting in person. Bad actors can get their hands on mail ballots and alter, forge, or destroy them.
Anytime voting takes place away from the controlled and observed confines of a polling place, it is less secure. Fifteen years ago, a commission co-chaired by former President Jimmy Carter warned that mail-in voting is “likely to increase the risks of fraud and of contested elections.”
That’s as true today as it was then.
Jury-rigging a vote-by-mail system doesn’t just risk fraud. The New Jersey Spotlight reported that 1 in 10 ballots cast statewide were rejected for various reasons. Many arrived too late to be counted, a stark reminder that mail ballots can be lost or delayed.
Roughly a third of rejected ballots had something wrong with the ballot itself: The ballot was not enclosed, for instance, or was missing information necessary to be processed.
These sorts of mistakes—to say nothing of innocent errors like voting for too many candidates in a single race—are easily fixed at polling places. Not so when those votes are mailed in.
Studies show that first-time absentee voters are more likely to make mistakes that force officials to disqualify their ballots. Let’s not forget, an unprecedented portion of the electorate this fall will be first-time mail voters.
Imagine the nightmare of a November election decided by a hair, but with a sizable percentage of ballots thrown out.
Vote-by-mail proponents retort that the obvious solution to the problem of rejected ballots is to discard the rules and safeguards that lead to ballots being invalidated.
Liberal groups and their allies have filed dozens of partisan lawsuits across the nation to force this plan on states. Its core pillars: Automatically mail ballots even to voters who are likely deceased or have moved away, allow vote harvesting, and dismantle the systems that states use to stop vote tampering and ensure each vote is cast by a lawful voter.
In other words, the aim of the vote-by-mail crowd is to create all the conditions that made the Paterson election ripe for fraud, but remove the tools that allowed that fraud to be detected, stopped, and prosecuted.
Do they really believe no one will take advantage of that free-for-all?
Most voters understand that in fair elections, it must be both easy to vote and hard to cheat. Fraud, both real and perceived, turns people off.
States are down to the wire to finalize their plans for voting this fall. Vulnerable voters need to be able to request absentee ballots, but that is a far cry from the all-mail election that activists are pining for. Their plan is a recipe for disaster.
If we implement it, we may soon be asking ourselves how we could have ignored Paterson’s warning.
This article first appeared at Real Clear Politics.


dailysignal--2020-07-24--In Bipartisan Vote, House Decides to Remove Confederate Statues From Capitol

A bill to remove statues of Confederate leaders and figures who advocated for white supremacy from the Capitol passed the House on a bipartisan vote Wednesday , The New York Times reported .
The House voted 305-to-113 to remove the statues as part of a broad effort to take symbols of racism out of public spaces , the Times reported .
The legislation was introduced by House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer , D-Md .
“ These painful symbols of bigotry and racism—they have no place in our society , and certainly should not be enshrined in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-Calif. , co-sponsor of the bill , said , the Times reported .
“ It ’ s past time that we end the glorification of men who committed treason against the United States in a concerted effort to keep African Americans in chains.
” The legislation explicitly named five statues to be removed from the Capitol , and would require “ all statues of individuals who voluntarily served ” the Confederacy to be removed , the Times reported .
State leaders are the only leaders authorized by federal law to replace statues in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permitted to have two statues displayed in the National Statuary Hall collection , the Times reported .
Though the legislation is unlikely to be put to a vote in the Senate , 72 House Republicans voted in favor of the bill , the Times reported .
“ The history of this nation is so fraught with racial division , with hatred , ” Rep. Paul Mitchell , R-Mich. , said , the Times reported .
“ The only way to overcome that is to recognize that , acknowledge it for what it is.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ R-Ky. , said the move was “ clearly a bridge too far ” and an effort to “ airbrush the Capitol , ” the Times reported .
McConnell said the states should decide what statues are displayed in the Capitol , however , he advocated a statue of Jefferson Davis be moved from the Kentucky State Capitol to a museum in 2015 , according to the Times .
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had four portraits of former speakers removed from outside of the House chamber last month because they represented the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience .
For licensing opportunities of this original content , email [ email protected ]

A bill to remove statues of Confederate leaders and figures who advocated for white supremacy from the Capitol passed the House on a bipartisan vote Wednesday, The New York Times reported.
The House voted 305-to-113 to remove the statues as part of a broad effort to take symbols of racism out of public spaces, the Times reported. The legislation was introduced by House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md.
“These painful symbols of bigotry and racism—they have no place in our society, and certainly should not be enshrined in the United States Capitol,” Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., co-sponsor of the bill, said, the Times reported.
“It’s past time that we end the glorification of men who committed treason against the United States in a concerted effort to keep African Americans in chains.”
Today I voted to remove confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol. The U.S. Capitol should be reserved for pieces of art that inspire and unite us as a nation. — Rep. Chris Stewart (@RepChrisStewart) July 22, 2020
The legislation explicitly named five statues to be removed from the Capitol, and would require “all statues of individuals who voluntarily served” the Confederacy to be removed, the Times reported.
State leaders are the only leaders authorized by federal law to replace statues in the Capitol, and each state is permitted to have two statues displayed in the National Statuary Hall collection, the Times reported.
Though the legislation is unlikely to be put to a vote in the Senate, 72 House Republicans voted in favor of the bill, the Times reported.
“The history of this nation is so fraught with racial division, with hatred,” Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Mich., said, the Times reported. “The only way to overcome that is to recognize that, acknowledge it for what it is.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the move was “clearly a bridge too far” and an effort to “airbrush the Capitol,” the Times reported. McConnell said the states should decide what statues are displayed in the Capitol, however, he advocated a statue of Jefferson Davis be moved from the Kentucky State Capitol to a museum in 2015, according to the Times.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had four portraits of former speakers removed from outside of the House chamber last month because they represented the Confederacy, the Times reported.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of this original content, email licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.


dailysignal--2020-07-27--Kurt Schlichter Wants You to Know ’21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump (and You!)’

Lawyer and commentator Kurt Schlichter ’ s new book , “ The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump ( and You ! )
, ” goes straight to the heart of why the political left has such a disdain for the president .
Schlichter , a retired Army colonel , joins the podcast to discuss his motivation for writing the book , why he always has been a conservative , and the bias of the left-wing media .
Also on today ’ s show , we read your letters to the editor and share a good news story about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which captured the attention of NASA .
Listen to the podcast below or read the lightly edited transcript .
“ The Daily Signal Podcast ” is available on Ricochet , Apple Podcasts , Pippa , Google Play , and Stitcher .
All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts .
If you like what you hear , please leave a review .
You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at [ email protected ] Enjoy the show !
Rob Bluey : We are joined on The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He ’ s fresh off guest-hosting Hugh Hewitt ’ s radio show .
Kurt is a trial lawyer , a retired Army infantry colonel , and a columnist for Townhall.com .
Kurt , thanks so much for joining us .
Kurt Schlichter : Thanks for having me .
Bluey : You are the author of a brand new book , “ The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump ( and You ! )
.
” We ’ re going to get to that in just a moment , but I first wanted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bit about yourself with our listeners .
You bring what I consider to be a unique perspective as a conservative , having been a stand-up comic , a military veteran , and now a prolific commentator .
What makes you a conservative ?
Schlichter : Oh , God , I was always conservative .
I like to think it ’ s because I am not a halfwit .
I mean , I just always saw the alternative as just ridiculously stupid .
Even when I was in like third grade , I remember @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War was on at the time , there was some argument about , “ We ’ re going to put big red crosses on our military evacuation helicopters and then the communists won ’ t shoot at them , ” and I ’ m like 5 years old , and I looked at it and I said , “ That ’ s stupid.
” And ever since then , I ’ ve been conservative .
Conservative is the triumph of reality over wishful thinking .
Bluey : Yes .
Well , it certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I felt like I grew up a conservative .
There were some people who have those life-changing experiences , be it in college or afterward , and then there are those of us who have just always had , I think , the common sense to have those conservative ideals .
Schlichter : Yeah , I ’ m not one of those conservatives who ’ s like , “ Yeah , I was liberal before.
” I was never liberal , never happened .
Bluey : Well , it ’ s good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , in your new book , “ The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump ( and You ! )
, ” you call Donald Trump the most effective conservative president in decades .
Tell us more about the book , why you wrote it , and how you ’ re setting the record straight on President Trump .
Schlichter : Well , look , I ’ m a trial lawyer too , among my other qualifications , and I get lied to by professionals , so I ’ m kind of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find our garbage establishment just so inept at it .
I ’ m not sure whether they ’ re stupid or they think I ’ m stupid .
They just don ’ t lie very well , but they lie continuously and it ’ s a substitution for actual reason and discussion .
So , my basic principle is I ’ m against arguing with people .
I mean , as a lawyer , I argue with people for money , but then again … you got a judge , you got a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to weigh evidence , apply rules , and you ’ re going to come to a conclusion .
You don ’ t get that with our leftist establishment .
You get a conclusion and then they work backwards .
So , they are impervious to reason , and for that reason , I don ’ t advocate arguing with them .
Now , argument and reason do have important roles to play , but mostly it ’ s for people who are not already committed .
Most Americans aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of politics , and it ’ s going to be late September before they notice , “ Oh , yeah , there ’ s an election coming up.
” And that ’ s not an unreasonable position , by the way , I ’ m not looking down on somebody who doesn ’ t do politics 24/7 , in fact , I kind of envy them .
And they should be able to , we should have a power structure that is generally competent , capable , and not corrupt enough to not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month or so before the election , or not huge attention to , but unfortunately we don ’ t .
But these people , though , are subject to reason , for instance , you can point out , “ Well , the Black Lives Matter and the Antifa guys , they ’ re kind of toppling statues of Abe Lincoln , and that kind of shows that they ’ re maybe not being totally square with you and honest.
” And a normal person goes , “ Well , I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And actually , every once in a while I ’ d take a bong ripper out of my Camaro in the parking lot at high school before I went into history class , but I ’ m pretty sure I know two things about Lincoln , he had that cool stovepipe hat and he freed the slaves .
So , I ’ m thinking maybe these guys aren ’ t straight with me.
” So , there is a place for argument left , but not with the garbage elite and the garbage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ academia , people in the media , a lot of politicians , including some in our own party , and I propose to deal with them instead through the same way they deal with us , which is through the exercise of raw power .
I don ’ t advocate lying about them , I advocate destroying them at the ballot box .
Bluey : Well , and with the facts , I mean , as your book lays out .
Now , I agree with you , the media bears a significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so .
The anti-conservative bias is certainly nothing new , past Republican presidents have faced their share of bias themselves , but with President Trump it ’ s at a whole new level .
Why do you think it is so much worse with him today ?
Schlichter : Because he rejects the entire establishment .
… If we had an establishment that wasn ’ t garbage , they would look on their unbroken track record of failure with a little humility .
I mean , rarely has America been governed , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be so justified in being humble , but they ’ re not .
These are the least humble people , and they ’ re also the least accomplished .
I like to liken them to the third-generation heirs of Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller , right ?
They ’ re living off the trust fund of our culture .
They didn ’ t build our culture , they didn ’ t struggle for it , they didn ’ t win World War II , they didn ’ t put a man on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racism .
These are the guys who gave us Iraq , the Wall Street meltdown , and Grindr .
These are not accomplished people .
We have an intellectual class that has boundless self-regard , but it also has an unbroken track record of failure , it ’ s literally done nothing , and we fired them essentially .
We said , “ No , we ’ re putting Trump in .
We are going to reject the smartest woman in the world , the woman who is the ultimate embodiment of everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re going to put this wild man in from New York.
” I mean , how desperate did America have to be to vote for Donald Trump ?
If you would ’ ve said , “ America ’ s going to put Donald Trump in as president , ” 10 years ago to me back when I was still subscribing to The Weekly Standard , I would have said , “ You ’ re on drugs .
What are you taking ?
” But we did because we were that desperate because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that incompetent , and not only incompetent , grasping at more and more power all the time , power over us .
I mean , if these guys were just taking a little off the top , but running things , kind of like the mob , I think we could live with it because if it was like the ’ 50s and you lived in a neighborhood that was run by the mob , your mom ’ s going to be able to walk to Mass and come back and she ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ snatched or beaten up by some scumbag because the mob ’ s going to take care of it , things are going to work .
You don ’ t want to cross paths with them , and they ’ re obviously taking their share , … but you can live with it .
These guys want to make us better people .
I don ’ t want to be made better people by people who are demonstrably worse than me .
Bluey : It ’ s a fair point .
And I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw President Trump do and particularly take his fight directly to that establishment was his speeches around July Fourth , particularly the Mount Rushmore speech .
The Washington Post account of that speech began , and I quote , “ President Trump ’ s unyielding push to preserve Confederate symbols and the legacy of white domination crystallized by his harsh denunciation of the racial justice movement Friday night at Mount Rushmore , ” I could go on .
There ’ s just one problem , that ’ s not the speech he delivered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Schlichter : Well , if they ’ re willing to lie about something that with two clicks on the Web you can double check , what are they not going to lie about ?
I mean , I see these polls showing Trump is down 15 points , incidentally , Dukakis was up 15 points over George H.W .
Bush at— Bluey : About this same time in July , right ?
Schlichter : Yeah .
But what ’ s going to stop them from lying about polls when polls are so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to look carefully to even start picking them apart without even getting to the point of assuming that the raw data that they ’ re using is even factual .
So , I mean , our media is so desperate to retain power that it has thrown away the only justification for itself , which is objective reporting .
And this is emblematic of other institutions , we could talk about Hollywood or academia or the bureaucracy , but technology has changed things for the media .
Let ’ s just focus on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it ’ s already going through a huge trauma and the people trying to manage this trauma are , like I said , unaccomplished individuals with no competence or capability .
They ’ re also corrupt .
So , the one thing that justifies their treatment with respect , as opposed to just a regular propagandist , they [ are ] like , “ We are neutral truth-tellers who don ’ t care whose toes we step on , we just want to get to the facts and make sure that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s great , and people like that , scrappy reporters with their little fedora hats and the little press badge and the hat , they deserve a level of respect because they ’ re doing a tough job .
But they want that respect while also being propagandists for their friends .
And of course , there ’ s the incestuous relationship between these institutions , politics and academia and the media assuring that there isn ’ t a wall between them .
And look , I ’ m going to expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friends .
They ’ re pals with these guys .
They ’ re all a scam , and they ’ re all fighting to retake power back from Donald Trump , and they think they ’ re going to hold it forever—of course , none of them know anything about history .
I spent a lot of time listening to Roman history , Greek history , that sort of thing , Persian history , and history is full of people who think , “ Yeah , I ’ m just going to end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establish myself as the permanent power forever .
I ’ m just going to be really tough on people and no one will ever challenge my rule again , ” and that never happens .
They have no idea of history , they have no idea of human nature , they lack wisdom , they certainly don ’ t have any kind of a moral sense other that delivered by a man-bun TA in a gender study seminar at Goucher College .
I mean , if you thought , “ Maybe you guys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn something from it , if not the religious part , at least the human nature part , ” because I frankly haven ’ t read anything that better describes the conundrum of human nature than that .
They ’ re like , “ No , ” because they know everything , because history started when [ Barack ] Obama got elected and all those people from the past can ’ t change anything .
It ’ s stunning arrogance of these people , it ’ s remarkable , especially when you consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The late Andrew Breitbart had a profound impact on my life , Kurt .
I considered him a mentor , someone who welcomed more voices and in many ways inspired— Schlichter : Still on my phone .
His phone number ’ s still on my cell .
Bluey : … us to create The Daily Signal , inspired you to be a contributor to Big Hollywood .
What would Andrew say about what ’ s happening in America today ?
Schlichter : I ’ d like to think that his critique would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew was a visionary and he understood the power of technology to disrupt things .
And again , technology is one of the huge disruptors that was already , well before Trump , challenging the postwar establishment and the postwar structure , and really democratizing the exchange of information and ideas .
No longer did you have three networks , no longer could you have gatekeepers .
And you can see how The Washington Post and New York Times , their columnists—other than Hugh Hewitt , who ’ s the only actual conservative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fact that there ’ s no gatekeeper , by which they mean , “ We ’ re unable to set the agenda anymore .
We don ’ t control what can be said.
” And of course , by controlling what ’ s said , as [ George ] Orwell taught us , you control what can be thought .
Andrew understood the potential for technology to open up the Overton window and allow all sorts of troubling ideas to climb in .
Not troubling to us , but troubling to the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfectly happy to continue failing as long as they kept power .
Bluey : Yeah , no , it ’ s so true .
Kurt , I mentioned earlier your role as a stand-up comic , and your humor certainly comes through in the book , “ The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump ( and You ! )
.
” Why is it important for conservatives and you in particular to make this part of your work ?
Schlichter : Look , I make it no secret that I kind of despise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy who can ’ t do a pushup and can ’ t crack a joke .
My feeling is , if you propose to be a conservative leader , I don ’ t want to hear a word out of your mouth until you ’ ve been in a fist fight , both on the winning side and the losing side .
Humor is an extremely powerful tool , and really , humor is the tool of the powerful , because if you can laugh at yourself , you are demonstrating invulnerability .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ because I ’ ll be on these things , and some are more serious , some are more humorous , and we ’ ll be making as many jokes about ourselves as anyone else , and we don ’ t care .
When is the last time you heard a liberal make a joke about him , her , or theirself ?
You never do— Schlichter : … because they aren ’ t confident .
Exactly , they ’ re frightened .
You look at the late-night comics , they never make jokes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barely make jokes at all .
Instead what they do—I remember Rick Wilson invited me to go with him to watch him on Bill Maher .
I ’ m sitting out in the audience and I ’ m not a fan of Bill Maher , but I ’ m there , I ’ m listening to his a monologue , and the crowd ’ s not laughing , it ’ s clapping , and I ’ m thinking , “ That ’ s something , but that ’ s not comedy.
” And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I just despise watching all these comics apologize for what they have to say .
Comics should be subversive .
Look , the institution gets fat and flabby if it ’ s not constantly getting in fist fights .
I want an establishment that doesn ’ t have it easy , I want an establishment that appreciates what it has because it had to help build it , not that it just gets handed out as part of its cultural inheritance , which is what we have .
Bluey : When I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fist fights , certainly President Trump comes to mind .
You write in the book about some of his virtues , you say realism , courage , common sense , and what you describe as an unapologetic determination to win conservative victories .
Bluey : Looking back at the first term , what stands out to you as his greatest achievement or achievements ?
Schlichter : I think his work on the economy was magnificent .
He basically did what we ’ d all been saying , which is cut regulations , cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and as soon as he did , boy , unemployment goes down to 3.5 [ % ] .
Every American had opportunity they didn ’ t have before .
And of course , the elite hated it because they don ’ t care about prosperity , they care about control .
I also am very happy about his foreign policy in which he doesn ’ t go looking for wars that really don ’ t serve an important purpose .
I served 27 years as an Army officer , retired a colonel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployed to Desert Storm , I deployed to Kosovo after 9/11 .
So , when I think of American warfare—I ’ m also a graduated in the Army War College , probably their favorite graduate—I think of it as , if I can ’ t go to Omaha and explain to the mother of a paratrooper out of the 82nd why her son got killed in whatever place and why it was important to the country that that happened , then maybe we shouldn ’ t be there .
I am not a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but I ’ m a Jacksonian hawk .
I believe we fight when we need to fight .
And if we ’ re going to fight , we do it to win .
And if you don ’ t have those qualifications , then there are other elements of national power , including diplomacy , information , and economics that you can leverage , but don ’ t ask us to spend the blood of our young people if you don ’ t think it ’ s worth winning .
Bluey : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean , it ’ s very much an issue , I think , on the hearts and minds of a lot of Americans and one of the reasons that they ’ ve come to appreciate Donald Trump .
Kurt , you mentioned your service to our country , thank you for that , you ’ re— Bluey : Well , you ’ ve deployed overseas , but you also have had experience right here at home with the Los Angeles riots , the Northridge earthquake .
Could you share with us , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the military shaped your own life and your own thinking ?
Schlichter : Well , those were very interesting , both of them , and they both happened … Riots in April of ’ 92 , I believe the earthquake was January of ’ 94 , and I was with what was called 3rd Battalion , 160th Infantry , and that ’ s located in Inglewood , that is in South-Central , essentially South-Central Los Angeles .
And look , I ’ m a middle-class kid from the suburbs of San Francisco @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but that ’ s where I was and that ’ s where my troops largely came from .
So , I ’ m this guy who has no experience in the inner city and I ’ m thrust into it in riots , and then later in the earthquakes , and what I saw really changed a lot of things in my mind .
We were hugged by the residents of South-Central because by coming in there we cleared out the bad guys and kids could play in the parks , and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t do that before.
” And I still see that today , they can ’ t do that , but we had the power to do it .
And then during the earthquake , I remember we went out to an area where they had set up a relief area , but it wasn ’ t the government that did it , local government , the Democrats were spending all their time with the rich areas .
This was poor people , a lot of them illegal aliens , and the Mexican radio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other music , it was organizing relief for these guys , and I ’ m sitting here going , “ Well , these are the guys who need the help , you don ’ t need it in Beverly Hills , yet the only people here are soldiers and these radio folks.
” Now , I love that Americans , including first-generation Americans , worked together to help each other , I like to see that and we need more of it , but it really gave me an understanding of the total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their own people , and I ’ m still seeing it today .
For instance , Los Angeles Unified School District ’ s absolutely refusing to open up , it ’ s condemning hundreds of thousands of kids to a lost year of education , and they don ’ t care because they ’ ve got to suck up to the teachers ’ union .
And these experiences down there , I know that it ’ s not exciting , it ’ s not shooting and blowing stuff up , but these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe as a conservative to the extent that government should act , it should act on behalf of all citizens , not just the favored few , but that ’ s what happens .
Bluey : You ’ re absolutely right .
And it ’ s not just the decisions on reopening schools , I mean , it ’ s the riots that are playing out and destroying many of these neighborhoods and the refusal of the local leaders to step up and do anything , which is why I think you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether it ’ s Department of Homeland Security personnel or others who are trying to restore some law and order in these places .
And it ’ s sad that it really needs to come from the federal level .
It should be a local decision .
But I think that their failure to act has led us down this path .
Schlichter : Well , look , the federal government has an indisputable—except by stupid people in the media who may actually even believe that the federal government has no right to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But I don ’ t support Trump mobilizing the Army and sending it in to clear out Portland or Seattle , I believe in letting them stew in their own filth , but you don ’ t get to attack a courthouse .
And I know that the Democrats are outraged that Donald Trump ’ s not rolling over .
I think he should send more forces in , and I love the idea of charging these guys of federal crimes because then the sorrow spot DAs can ’ t release them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a live-action role-play revolutionary when suddenly you figure out the U.S. attorney is looking to put you away for five years for crossing a state line to set fire to a building , and I ’ d like to see more of that .
These people are scumbags .
These people are evil .
There aren ’ t that many of them .
Remember , this is a giant information operation .
If you look at the mass of the United States , it ’ s probably five football fields full of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think the whole country ’ s on fire .
… From my palatial corner office I ’ m looking out the whole valley where Los Angeles is , the whole basin , and I don ’ t see any flames or fires , it ’ s just not happening .
It ’ s designed to convince us that we are out of control , that we can ’ t be protected , and that , “ Gosh , you just have to vote for that creepy , old weirdo who lives in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down .
We ’ ll be good if you do that.
” And I like Trump pushing back on that .
Bluey : Well , thank you for helping to put it in perspective too .
Again , we ’ re talking to Kurt Schlichter , and his book is called “ The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump ( and You ! )
.
” Kurt , we appreciate you bringing your trial lawyer nature and your comic humor to the book , it ’ s a tremendous read .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are sold .
We ’ ll also make sure we leave a link in the show notes .
Any closing words , though , or places that people can follow your work you want to leave them with ?
Schlichter : Oh , yeah .
I ’ m a senior columnist over at Townhall , Monday , Wednesday , and Thursday , check out my stuff .
Today it ’ s “ Brace for the Backlash.
” And also follow me on Twitter , @ KurtSchlichter .
Bluey : Kurt , thanks so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Podcast .
Best wishes as you continue to fight the good fight and bring common sense to Americans .
We appreciate it .
Schlichter : Thank you very much .

Lawyer and commentator Kurt Schlichter’s new book, “The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump (and You!),” goes straight to the heart of why the political left has such a disdain for the president.
Schlichter, a retired Army colonel, joins the podcast to discuss his motivation for writing the book, why he always has been a conservative, and the bias of the left-wing media.
Also on today’s show, we read your letters to the editor and share a good news story about a New York couple’s cosmic engagement, which captured the attention of NASA.
Listen to the podcast below or read the lightly edited transcript.
“The Daily Signal Podcast” is available on Ricochet, Apple Podcasts, Pippa, Google Play, and Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at letters@dailysignal.com. Enjoy the show!
Rob Bluey: We are joined on The Daily Signal Podcast today by Kurt Schlichter. He’s fresh off guest-hosting Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. Kurt is a trial lawyer, a retired Army infantry colonel, and a columnist for Townhall.com. Kurt, thanks so much for joining us.
Kurt Schlichter: Thanks for having me.
Bluey: You are the author of a brand new book, “The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump (and You!).” We’re going to get to that in just a moment, but I first wanted to ask you to share a little bit about yourself with our listeners. You bring what I consider to be a unique perspective as a conservative, having been a stand-up comic, a military veteran, and now a prolific commentator. What makes you a conservative?
Schlichter: Oh, God, I was always conservative. I like to think it’s because I am not a halfwit. I mean, I just always saw the alternative as just ridiculously stupid.
Even when I was in like third grade, I remember distinctly watching the news, the Vietnam War was on at the time, there was some argument about, “We’re going to put big red crosses on our military evacuation helicopters and then the communists won’t shoot at them,” and I’m like 5 years old, and I looked at it and I said, “That’s stupid.” And ever since then, I’ve been conservative. Conservative is the triumph of reality over wishful thinking.
Bluey: Yes. Well, it certainly is. I feel a similar way. I felt like I grew up a conservative. There were some people who have those life-changing experiences, be it in college or afterward, and then there are those of us who have just always had, I think, the common sense to have those conservative ideals.
Schlichter: Yeah, I’m not one of those conservatives who’s like, “Yeah, I was liberal before.” I was never liberal, never happened.
Bluey: Well, it’s good to have you in the fight. Now, in your new book, “The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump (and You!),” you call Donald Trump the most effective conservative president in decades. Tell us more about the book, why you wrote it, and how you’re setting the record straight on President Trump.
Schlichter: Well, look, I’m a trial lawyer too, among my other qualifications, and I get lied to by professionals, so I’m kind of a snob about it, and I just find our garbage establishment just so inept at it. I’m not sure whether they’re stupid or they think I’m stupid. They just don’t lie very well, but they lie continuously and it’s a substitution for actual reason and discussion.
So, my basic principle is I’m against arguing with people. I mean, as a lawyer, I argue with people for money, but then again … you got a judge, you got a jury, there’s people who are going to weigh evidence, apply rules, and you’re going to come to a conclusion.
You don’t get that with our leftist establishment. You get a conclusion and then they work backwards. So, they are impervious to reason, and for that reason, I don’t advocate arguing with them.
Now, argument and reason do have important roles to play, but mostly it’s for people who are not already committed. Most Americans aren’t like us, swimming in the cesspool of politics, and it’s going to be late September before they notice, “Oh, yeah, there’s an election coming up.”
And that’s not an unreasonable position, by the way, I’m not looking down on somebody who doesn’t do politics 24/7, in fact, I kind of envy them. And they should be able to, we should have a power structure that is generally competent, capable, and not corrupt enough to not pay attention to until about the last month or so before the election, or not huge attention to, but unfortunately we don’t.
But these people, though, are subject to reason, for instance, you can point out, “Well, the Black Lives Matter and the Antifa guys, they’re kind of toppling statues of Abe Lincoln, and that kind of shows that they’re maybe not being totally square with you and honest.”
And a normal person goes, “Well, I don’t have a Ph.D. in history. And actually, every once in a while I’d take a bong ripper out of my Camaro in the parking lot at high school before I went into history class, but I’m pretty sure I know two things about Lincoln, he had that cool stovepipe hat and he freed the slaves. So, I’m thinking maybe these guys aren’t straight with me.”
So, there is a place for argument left, but not with the garbage elite and the garbage who run our institutions, people in academia, people in the media, a lot of politicians, including some in our own party, and I propose to deal with them instead through the same way they deal with us, which is through the exercise of raw power. I don’t advocate lying about them, I advocate destroying them at the ballot box.
Bluey: Well, and with the facts, I mean, as your book lays out. Now, I agree with you, the media bears a significant amount of the criticism here, rightfully so. The anti-conservative bias is certainly nothing new, past Republican presidents have faced their share of bias themselves, but with President Trump it’s at a whole new level. Why do you think it is so much worse with him today?
Schlichter: Because he rejects the entire establishment. … If we had an establishment that wasn’t garbage, they would look on their unbroken track record of failure with a little humility.
I mean, rarely has America been governed, had its institution run by people who would be so justified in being humble, but they’re not. These are the least humble people, and they’re also the least accomplished.
I like to liken them to the third-generation heirs of Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller, right? They’re living off the trust fund of our culture. They didn’t build our culture, they didn’t struggle for it, they didn’t win World War II, they didn’t put a man on the moon or incidentally dismantle actual systemic racism. These are the guys who gave us Iraq, the Wall Street meltdown, and Grindr. These are not accomplished people.
We have an intellectual class that has boundless self-regard, but it also has an unbroken track record of failure, it’s literally done nothing, and we fired them essentially. We said, “No, we’re putting Trump in. We are going to reject the smartest woman in the world, the woman who is the ultimate embodiment of everything obnoxious about our establishment, and we’re going to put this wild man in from New York.”
I mean, how desperate did America have to be to vote for Donald Trump? If you would’ve said, “America’s going to put Donald Trump in as president,” 10 years ago to me back when I was still subscribing to The Weekly Standard, I would have said, “You’re on drugs. What are you taking?”
But we did because we were that desperate because the people who were running things were that incompetent, and not only incompetent, grasping at more and more power all the time, power over us.
I mean, if these guys were just taking a little off the top, but running things, kind of like the mob, I think we could live with it because if it was like the ’50s and you lived in a neighborhood that was run by the mob, your mom’s going to be able to walk to Mass and come back and she’s not going to get her purse snatched or beaten up by some scumbag because the mob’s going to take care of it, things are going to work. You don’t want to cross paths with them, and they’re obviously taking their share, … but you can live with it.
These guys want to make us better people. I don’t want to be made better people by people who are demonstrably worse than me.
Bluey: It’s a fair point. And I think one of the recent examples that you saw President Trump do and particularly take his fight directly to that establishment was his speeches around July Fourth, particularly the Mount Rushmore speech.
The Washington Post account of that speech began, and I quote, “President Trump’s unyielding push to preserve Confederate symbols and the legacy of white domination crystallized by his harsh denunciation of the racial justice movement Friday night at Mount Rushmore,” I could go on. There’s just one problem, that’s not the speech he delivered. It’s just totally dishonest.
Schlichter: Well, if they’re willing to lie about something that with two clicks on the Web you can double check, what are they not going to lie about? I mean, I see these polls showing Trump is down 15 points, incidentally, Dukakis was up 15 points over George H.W. Bush at—
Bluey: About this same time in July, right?
Schlichter: Yeah. But what’s going to stop them from lying about polls when polls are so opaque and obscure that you really have to look carefully to even start picking them apart without even getting to the point of assuming that the raw data that they’re using is even factual.
So, I mean, our media is so desperate to retain power that it has thrown away the only justification for itself, which is objective reporting. And this is emblematic of other institutions, we could talk about Hollywood or academia or the bureaucracy, but technology has changed things for the media. Let’s just focus on media.
Technology had already changed things, it’s already going through a huge trauma and the people trying to manage this trauma are, like I said, unaccomplished individuals with no competence or capability. They’re also corrupt.
So, the one thing that justifies their treatment with respect, as opposed to just a regular propagandist, they [are] like, “We are neutral truth-tellers who don’t care whose toes we step on, we just want to get to the facts and make sure that the powerful are accountable.”
Well, that’s great, and people like that, scrappy reporters with their little fedora hats and the little press badge and the hat, they deserve a level of respect because they’re doing a tough job. But they want that respect while also being propagandists for their friends.
And of course, there’s the incestuous relationship between these institutions, politics and academia and the media assuring that there isn’t a wall between them.
And look, I’m going to expect guys from CNN to light up their friends. They’re pals with these guys. They’re all a scam, and they’re all fighting to retake power back from Donald Trump, and they think they’re going to hold it forever—of course, none of them know anything about history.
I spent a lot of time listening to Roman history, Greek history, that sort of thing, Persian history, and history is full of people who think, “Yeah, I’m just going to end history and I’m going to establish myself as the permanent power forever. I’m just going to be really tough on people and no one will ever challenge my rule again,” and that never happens.
They have no idea of history, they have no idea of human nature, they lack wisdom, they certainly don’t have any kind of a moral sense other that delivered by a man-bun TA in a gender study seminar at Goucher College.
I mean, if you thought, “Maybe you guys could read the Bible, you might learn something from it, if not the religious part, at least the human nature part,” because I frankly haven’t read anything that better describes the conundrum of human nature than that.
They’re like, “No,” because they know everything, because history started when [Barack] Obama got elected and all those people from the past can’t change anything. It’s stunning arrogance of these people, it’s remarkable, especially when you consider how they are absolute losers.
Bluey: The late Andrew Breitbart had a profound impact on my life, Kurt. I considered him a mentor, someone who welcomed more voices and in many ways inspired—
Schlichter: Still on my phone. His phone number’s still on my cell.
Bluey: … us to create The Daily Signal, inspired you to be a contributor to Big Hollywood. What would Andrew say about what’s happening in America today?
Schlichter: I’d like to think that his critique would mirror mine because mine mirrors his. Andrew was a visionary and he understood the power of technology to disrupt things. And again, technology is one of the huge disruptors that was already, well before Trump, challenging the postwar establishment and the postwar structure, and really democratizing the exchange of information and ideas. No longer did you have three networks, no longer could you have gatekeepers.
And you can see how The Washington Post and New York Times, their columnists—other than Hugh Hewitt, who’s the only actual conservative on either of them—are constantly bemoaning the fact that there’s no gatekeeper, by which they mean, “We’re unable to set the agenda anymore. We don’t control what can be said.” And of course, by controlling what’s said, as [George] Orwell taught us, you control what can be thought.
Andrew understood the potential for technology to open up the Overton window and allow all sorts of troubling ideas to climb in. Not troubling to us, but troubling to the people who are fat, comfortable, and perfectly happy to continue failing as long as they kept power.
Bluey: Yeah, no, it’s so true. Kurt, I mentioned earlier your role as a stand-up comic, and your humor certainly comes through in the book, “The 21 Biggest Lies about Donald Trump (and You!).” Why is it important for conservatives and you in particular to make this part of your work?
Schlichter: Look, I make it no secret that I kind of despise the bow-tie conservative, the overly serious guy who can’t do a pushup and can’t crack a joke.
My feeling is, if you propose to be a conservative leader, I don’t want to hear a word out of your mouth until you’ve been in a fist fight, both on the winning side and the losing side.
Humor is an extremely powerful tool, and really, humor is the tool of the powerful, because if you can laugh at yourself, you are demonstrating invulnerability.
And it’s kind of fun because I’ll be on these things, and some are more serious, some are more humorous, and we’ll be making as many jokes about ourselves as anyone else, and we don’t care. When is the last time you heard a liberal make a joke about him, her, or theirself? You never do—
Bluey: Never.
Schlichter: … because they aren’t confident. Exactly, they’re frightened. You look at the late-night comics, they never make jokes about liberals, and hell, they barely make jokes at all. Instead what they do—I remember Rick Wilson invited me to go with him to watch him on Bill Maher. I’m sitting out in the audience and I’m not a fan of Bill Maher, but I’m there, I’m listening to his a monologue, and the crowd’s not laughing, it’s clapping, and I’m thinking, “That’s something, but that’s not comedy.”
And comedy is subversive, comedy is rebellious. I just despise watching all these comics apologize for what they have to say. Comics should be subversive.
Look, the institution gets fat and flabby if it’s not constantly getting in fist fights. I want an establishment that doesn’t have it easy, I want an establishment that appreciates what it has because it had to help build it, not that it just gets handed out as part of its cultural inheritance, which is what we have.
Bluey: When I think of a leader who gets in fist fights, certainly President Trump comes to mind. You write in the book about some of his virtues, you say realism, courage, common sense, and what you describe as an unapologetic determination to win conservative victories.
Schlichter: Yes.
Bluey: Looking back at the first term, what stands out to you as his greatest achievement or achievements?
Schlichter: I think his work on the economy was magnificent. He basically did what we’d all been saying, which is cut regulations, cut taxes, unleash the American people, and as soon as he did, boy, unemployment goes down to 3.5[%]. Every American had opportunity they didn’t have before. And of course, the elite hated it because they don’t care about prosperity, they care about control.
I also am very happy about his foreign policy in which he doesn’t go looking for wars that really don’t serve an important purpose.
I served 27 years as an Army officer, retired a colonel, I was active in reserve, I deployed to Desert Storm, I deployed to Kosovo after 9/11. So, when I think of American warfare—I’m also a graduated in the Army War College, probably their favorite graduate—I think of it as, if I can’t go to Omaha and explain to the mother of a paratrooper out of the 82nd why her son got killed in whatever place and why it was important to the country that that happened, then maybe we shouldn’t be there.
I am not a dove, I’m a hawk, but I’m a Jacksonian hawk. I believe we fight when we need to fight. And if we’re going to fight, we do it to win. And if you don’t have those qualifications, then there are other elements of national power, including diplomacy, information, and economics that you can leverage, but don’t ask us to spend the blood of our young people if you don’t think it’s worth winning.
Bluey: Well, it’s true. I mean, it’s very much an issue, I think, on the hearts and minds of a lot of Americans and one of the reasons that they’ve come to appreciate Donald Trump. Kurt, you mentioned your service to our country, thank you for that, you’re—
Schlichter: I was a colonel, I didn’t do s—.
Bluey: Well, you’ve deployed overseas, but you also have had experience right here at home with the Los Angeles riots, the Northridge earthquake. Could you share with us, our listeners, about how those experiences with the military shaped your own life and your own thinking?
Schlichter: Well, those were very interesting, both of them, and they both happened … Riots in April of ’92, I believe the earthquake was January of ’94, and I was with what was called 3rd Battalion, 160th Infantry, and that’s located in Inglewood, that is in South-Central, essentially South-Central Los Angeles.
And look, I’m a middle-class kid from the suburbs of San Francisco, this was not my milieu, but that’s where I was and that’s where my troops largely came from.
So, I’m this guy who has no experience in the inner city and I’m thrust into it in riots, and then later in the earthquakes, and what I saw really changed a lot of things in my mind. We were hugged by the residents of South-Central because by coming in there we cleared out the bad guys and kids could play in the parks, and people were like, “We couldn’t do that before.” And I still see that today, they can’t do that, but we had the power to do it.
And then during the earthquake, I remember we went out to an area where they had set up a relief area, but it wasn’t the government that did it, local government, the Democrats were spending all their time with the rich areas. This was poor people, a lot of them illegal aliens, and the Mexican radio station that played all Mexican corridos and other music, it was organizing relief for these guys, and I’m sitting here going, “Well, these are the guys who need the help, you don’t need it in Beverly Hills, yet the only people here are soldiers and these radio folks.”
Now, I love that Americans, including first-generation Americans, worked together to help each other, I like to see that and we need more of it, but it really gave me an understanding of the total contempt that our inner-city Democrat governments have for their own people, and I’m still seeing it today.
For instance, Los Angeles Unified School District’s absolutely refusing to open up, it’s condemning hundreds of thousands of kids to a lost year of education, and they don’t care because they’ve got to suck up to the teachers’ union.
And these experiences down there, I know that it’s not exciting, it’s not shooting and blowing stuff up, but these are experiences that just reinforced what I believe as a conservative to the extent that government should act, it should act on behalf of all citizens, not just the favored few, but that’s what happens.
Bluey: You’re absolutely right. And it’s not just the decisions on reopening schools, I mean, it’s the riots that are playing out and destroying many of these neighborhoods and the refusal of the local leaders to step up and do anything, which is why I think you’re seeing President Trump bring in, whether it’s Department of Homeland Security personnel or others who are trying to restore some law and order in these places. And it’s sad that it really needs to come from the federal level. It should be a local decision. But I think that their failure to act has led us down this path.
Schlichter: Well, look, the federal government has an indisputable—except by stupid people in the media who may actually even believe that the federal government has no right to go in and enforce federal law. But I don’t support Trump mobilizing the Army and sending it in to clear out Portland or Seattle, I believe in letting them stew in their own filth, but you don’t get to attack a courthouse.
And I know that the Democrats are outraged that Donald Trump’s not rolling over. I think he should send more forces in, and I love the idea of charging these guys of federal crimes because then the sorrow spot DAs can’t release them. And it becomes a lot less fun to a live-action role-play revolutionary when suddenly you figure out the U.S. attorney is looking to put you away for five years for crossing a state line to set fire to a building, and I’d like to see more of that.
These people are scumbags. These people are evil. There aren’t that many of them. Remember, this is a giant information operation. If you look at the mass of the United States, it’s probably five football fields full of riots right now, but you would think the whole country’s on fire. …
From my palatial corner office I’m looking out the whole valley where Los Angeles is, the whole basin, and I don’t see any flames or fires, it’s just not happening. It’s designed to convince us that we are out of control, that we can’t be protected, and that, “Gosh, you just have to vote for that creepy, old weirdo who lives in a basement, and then everything will calm down. We’ll be good if you do that.” And I like Trump pushing back on that.
Bluey: Well, thank you for helping to put it in perspective too. Again, we’re talking to Kurt Schlichter, and his book is called “The 21 Biggest Lies About Donald Trump (and You!).”
Kurt, we appreciate you bringing your trial lawyer nature and your comic humor to the book, it’s a tremendous read. It’s available on Amazon or wherever books are sold. We’ll also make sure we leave a link in the show notes. Any closing words, though, or places that people can follow your work you want to leave them with?
Schlichter: Oh, yeah. I’m a senior columnist over at Townhall, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, check out my stuff. Today it’s “Brace for the Backlash.” And also follow me on Twitter, @KurtSchlichter.
Bluey: Kurt, thanks so much for being with The Daily Signal Podcast. Best wishes as you continue to fight the good fight and bring common sense to Americans. We appreciate it.
Schlichter: Thank you very much.


dailysignal--2020-07-28--14 Images as Body of Rep. John Lewis Returns to Capitol

Rep. John Lewis broke another barrier Monday when , in death , he became the first African American to lie @ @ @ @ @ of the U.S. Capitol .
Lewis , who as a young man marched for full @ @ @ @ @ with the Rev .
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@ @ @ @ @ Alabama-born son of a sharecropper had represented Georgia ’ s 5th Congressional District in the @ @ @ @ @ are 13 more photographs capturing the return of Lewis ’ body to his beloved Capitol @ @ @ @ @ of six days of funeral proceedings .

Rep. John Lewis broke another barrier Monday when, in death, he became the first African American to lie in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.
Lewis, who as a young man marched for full civil rights for black Americans with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and championed related causes as a Democratic member of Congress until his last public appearance in June, died of pancreatic cancer July 17 in Atlanta. He was 80.
The Alabama-born son of a sharecropper had represented Georgia’s 5th Congressional District in the House since 1987. Here are 13 more photographs capturing the return of Lewis’ body to his beloved Capitol building in Washington as part of six days of funeral proceedings.
A photo of Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., appears near security barriers set up for the public viewing later Monday at the Capitol. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
The flag-draped casket bearing Lewis’ body is moved from a military plane by a joint services honor guard to a waiting hearse upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for the motorcade to the Capitol. (Photo: Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images)
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department salute as the Capitol-bound motorcade goes by in Washington. (Photo: Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images)
The hearse moves through Black Lives Matter Plaza, a newly renamed stretch of 16th Street near the White House, the site of Lewis’ last public appearance. (Photo: Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks at the beginning of the congressional memorial service for Lewis in the Rotunda, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., consults notes. (Photo: Matt McClain/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
Lewis’ loved ones wait as the military honor guard carries his casket up the steps at the Capitol. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
The hearse and police escort stop briefly in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the way to the Capitol. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
A bird’s eye view of the congressional memorial service as Lewis’ body lies in state at the center of the Capitol Rotunda. (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Getty Images)
Construction workers record a bit of history on their smartphones as the hearse carrying Lewis’ casket passes them in Washington. (Photo: Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images)
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., left, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pay their respects in the Rotunda after presenting a wreath in Lewis’ honor. (Photo: Michael A. McCoy/Pool/Getty Images)
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says goodbye to Lewis in the Rotunda. (Photo: Shawn Thew/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)
Former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill linger at Lewis’ casket. (Photo: Shawn Thew/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)