talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Trump Will Sign Executive Order On Social Media After Lashing Out At Twitter

President Trump is set to sign an executive order on social media following his threat to shut down platforms after @ @ @ @ @ label to correct his false vote by mail claims .
During the flight back from @ @ @ @ @ to Florida on Wednesday afternoon , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that @ @ @ @ @ order “ pertaining to social media , ” according to a pool report .
The @ @ @ @ @ did not provide details on the executive order .
Although McEnany initially said that Trump @ @ @ @ @ evening , White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah clarified “ minutes later ” @ @ @ @ @ order would be signed on Thursday .
McEnany ’ s announcement of an incoming executive @ @ @ @ @ on the heels of Trump ’ s tweets accusing social media platforms of efforts to @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump specifically singled out Twitter for using its new fact-checking feature on his baseless @ @ @ @ @ of “ stifling FREE SPEECH ” and interfering in the 2020 election .

President Trump is set to sign an executive order on social media following his threat to shut down platforms after Twitter used a new fact-checking label to correct his false vote by mail claims.
During the flight back from the President’s visit to Florida on Wednesday afternoon, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters that Trump will sign an executive order “pertaining to social media,” according to a pool report.
The pool report said that McEnany did not provide details on the executive order. Although McEnany initially said that Trump would sign it on Wednesday evening, White House director of strategic communications Alyssa Farah clarified “minutes later” to reporters that the executive order would be signed on Thursday.
McEnany’s announcement of an incoming executive order on social media comes on the heels of Trump’s tweets accusing social media platforms of efforts to “silence” conservative voices.
….happen again. Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2020
Trump specifically singled out Twitter for using its new fact-checking feature on his baseless voting-by-mail claims, accusing it of “stifling FREE SPEECH” and interfering in the 2020 election.
….Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 26, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses 100,000 In The US

NEW YORK , NY - MAY 27 : A man walks by a memorial for those who have died from @ @ @ @ @ on May 27 , 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City .
Green-Wood @ @ @ @ @ Yor ... NEW YORK , NY - MAY 27 : A man walks by a @ @ @ @ @ died from the coronavirus outside Green-Wood Cemetery on May 27 , 2020 in the Brooklyn @ @ @ @ @ .
Green-Wood Cemetery , one of New York 's oldest cemeteries , has been the @ @ @ @ @ and cremations of Covid-19 victims .
While certain neighborhoods are still seeing high infection numbers @ @ @ @ @ the number of deaths from COVID-19 statewide begin to consistently stay below 100 people per @ @ @ @ @ has now surpassed 100,000 deaths from the virus .
( Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images @

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 27: A man walks by a memorial for those who have died from the coronavirus outside Green-Wood Cemetery on May 27, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Green-Wood Cemetery, one of New Yor...
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 27: A man walks by a memorial for those who have died from the coronavirus outside Green-Wood Cemetery on May 27, 2020 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Green-Wood Cemetery, one of New York's oldest cemeteries, has been the site of hundreds of burials and cremations of Covid-19 victims. While certain neighborhoods are still seeing high infection numbers, New York has seen the number of deaths from COVID-19 statewide begin to consistently stay below 100 people per day. The United States has now surpassed 100,000 deaths from the virus. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Four Charts That Show How Absentee Voting Is Skyrocketing In The Pandemic

Next Tuesday ’ s primaries pose the next big test for how voting will work in the pandemic .
Of the several states that have a primary scheduled for next week , some have made drastic changes to their election procedures so that voters don ’ t have to cast their ballots in person and can avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19 .
Other states already allowed residents to vote absentee without giving an excuse , but are still seeing a big increase in the practice during the outbreak .
Here is a snapshot of some of the data that TPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive expansion of vote-by-mail that many states are seeing due to the pandemic .
Heading into the 2020 election cycle , Pennsylvania was already preparing for a significant increase in absentee voting after a 2019 election law removed a requirement that voters provide an excuse when voting absentee .
But the pandemic has turbocharged that increase .
As of Wednesday morning , the state had received some 1.8 million absentee ballot requests .
Ahead of the 2016 primary , only 106,999 absentee ballot requests had been submitted , according to data Pennsylvania ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Before the pandemic , the state was expecting some 20 percent of voters to use the absentee option in November ’ s election .
With COVID-19 , it will likely see an even larger share of its electorate vote absentee .
Indiana Has Received 10 Times The Absentee Ballot Requests Compared To 2016 .
Indiana already had a relatively high rate of absentee voting compared to other states pre-pandemic .
But it ’ s still looking at a major spike in how many voters use the option next week , particularly after state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requirement due to the pandemic .
Election officials have received 545,935 requests to vote by mail in the primary , according to data provided Wednesday to TPM by the Indiana ’ s secretary of state ’ s office .
That ’ s more than 10 times the applications election officials received ahead of the 2016 primary , when 53,818 Hoosiers requested to vote by mail .
23,000 Voted Absentee In New Mexico ’ s ’ 16 Primary .
Already , 113K Ballots Have Come In For 2020 And More Are On The Way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to all voters , but was blocked from doing so by the state Supreme Court after the GOP challenged the move .
Even still , the state is seeing a notable uptick in absentee voting , which was widely used in the state even before the pandemic .
Election officials have already received 113,540 absentee ballots from its Democratic and Republican voters , according to data provided by the secretary of state ’ s office to TPM on Wednesday .
( Another 334 Libertarian ballots have been cast ) .
That ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots cast absentee in the 2016 Democratic and Republican primaries , and thousands more ballots will come in as next week ’ s primary date approaches .
As of Tuesday , election officials had received 155,673 absentee ballot applications , and that number is likely to also increase , as the deadline for those requests isn ’ t until Thursday .
About 90K Have Requested To Vote Absentee In DC .
In 2016 ’ s Primary , Only 7,000 Absentee Ballot Were Cast .
Approximately 90,000 absentee ballot requests have been submitted in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TPM on Wednesday , after the deadline had passed .
As of Tuesday midday , the total was 80,047 .
The Board of Elections did not have data available for the number of absentee requests received for the 2016 primary , but only about 7,000 absentee ballots were ultimately cast in that election .

Next Tuesday’s primaries pose the next big test for how voting will work in the pandemic. Of the several states that have a primary scheduled for next week, some have made drastic changes to their election procedures so that voters don’t have to cast their ballots in person and can avoid contracting or spreading COVID-19. Other states already allowed residents to vote absentee without giving an excuse, but are still seeing a big increase in the practice during the outbreak.
Here is a snapshot of some of the data that TPM has obtained that sheds light on the massive expansion of vote-by-mail that many states are seeing due to the pandemic.
Absentee Ballot Requests Have Increased 16-Fold In Pennsylvania.
Heading into the 2020 election cycle, Pennsylvania was already preparing for a significant increase in absentee voting after a 2019 election law removed a requirement that voters provide an excuse when voting absentee. But the pandemic has turbocharged that increase.
As of Wednesday morning, the state had received some 1.8 million absentee ballot requests. Ahead of the 2016 primary, only 106,999 absentee ballot requests had been submitted, according to data Pennsylvania’s Department of State provided TPM.
Before the pandemic, the state was expecting some 20 percent of voters to use the absentee option in November’s election. With COVID-19, it will likely see an even larger share of its electorate vote absentee.
Indiana Has Received 10 Times The Absentee Ballot Requests Compared To 2016.
Indiana already had a relatively high rate of absentee voting compared to other states pre-pandemic. But it’s still looking at a major spike in how many voters use the option next week, particularly after state officials earlier this year removed its excuse requirement due to the pandemic.
Election officials have received 545,935 requests to vote by mail in the primary, according to data provided Wednesday to TPM by the Indiana’s secretary of state’s office. That’s more than 10 times the applications election officials received ahead of the 2016 primary, when 53,818 Hoosiers requested to vote by mail.
23,000 Voted Absentee In New Mexico’s ’16 Primary. Already, 113K Ballots Have Come In For 2020 And More Are On The Way.
New Mexico sought to mail ballots to all voters, but was blocked from doing so by the state Supreme Court after the GOP challenged the move. Even still, the state is seeing a notable uptick in absentee voting, which was widely used in the state even before the pandemic.
Election officials have already received 113,540 absentee ballots from its Democratic and Republican voters, according to data provided by the secretary of state’s office to TPM on Wednesday. (Another 334 Libertarian ballots have been cast). That’s nearly five times the total number of ballots cast absentee in the 2016 Democratic and Republican primaries, and thousands more ballots will come in as next week’s primary date approaches.
As of Tuesday, election officials had received 155,673 absentee ballot applications, and that number is likely to also increase, as the deadline for those requests isn’t until Thursday.
About 90K Have Requested To Vote Absentee In DC. In 2016’s Primary, Only 7,000 Absentee Ballot Were Cast.
Approximately 90,000 absentee ballot requests have been submitted in D.C., the Board of Elections told TPM on Wednesday, after the deadline had passed. As of Tuesday midday, the total was 80,047. The Board of Elections did not have data available for the number of absentee requests received for the 2016 primary, but only about 7,000 absentee ballots were ultimately cast in that election.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Pelosi Slams Trump For Going On ‘Ego Trip’ Over Republican Convention

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) railed against President Trump on Wednesday for threatening to relocate the Republican National Convention away from its scheduled venue in Charlotte , North Carolina if the state ’ s governor won ’ t budge on coronavirus-related restrictions .
When asked whether the Republican and Democratic conventions should still be held in late August , Pelosi responded that she doesn ’ t believe holding the conventions at full capacity is realistic amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s anyone who would say at this point that tens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a political convention , no matter how great an ego trip it is for somebody , ” Pelosi said , alluding to Trump ’ s repeated insistence that the Republican National Convention be held as planned .
Pelosi ’ s remarks come just two days after Trump and Vice President Mike Pence threatened to yank the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if Gov .
Roy Cooper ( D ) won ’ t permit the event to be held at full capacity .
After the President issued his threat to Cooper @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp ( R ) , Florida GOP chair Joe Gruters and Texas GOP chair James Dickey — have tried to woo Trump into relocating the RNC to their states .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) railed against President Trump on Wednesday for threatening to relocate the Republican National Convention away from its scheduled venue in Charlotte, North Carolina if the state’s governor won’t budge on coronavirus-related restrictions.
When asked whether the Republican and Democratic conventions should still be held in late August, Pelosi responded that she doesn’t believe holding the conventions at full capacity is realistic amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who would say at this point that tens of thousands of people should come together for a political convention, no matter how great an ego trip it is for somebody,” Pelosi said, alluding to Trump’s repeated insistence that the Republican National Convention be held as planned.
Pelosi’s remarks come just two days after Trump and Vice President Mike Pence threatened to yank the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if Gov. Roy Cooper (D) won’t permit the event to be held at full capacity.
After the President issued his threat to Cooper on Monday, several Republicans — which include Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), Florida GOP chair Joe Gruters and Texas GOP chair James Dickey — have tried to woo Trump into relocating the RNC to their states.
Watch Pelosi’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Cheney Scolds Trump For Peddling False Conspiracy Theory About Scarborough

House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney ( R-WY ) urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to stop tweeting about a debunked conspiracy theory about the death of Lori Klausutis , MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough ’ s late congressional aide .
“ I do think the President should stop tweeting about Joe Scarborough , ” the GOP leader told reporters .
“ I think that we ’ re in the middle of a pandemic.
” “ He ’ s the commander in chief of this nation , and it ’ s causing great pain to the family of the young woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ So I urge him to stop .
The President should stop tweeting about it.
” Sen. Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) also spoke out against Trump ’ s tweets out of sympathy for Klausutis ’ widower , T.J. Klausutis .
“ Joe can weather vile , baseless accusations but T.J. ?
His heart is breaking , ” Romney tweeted .
“ Enough already.
” Earlier on Wednesday , Trump once again peddled the disproven conspiracy theory that Scarborough played a role in Klausutis ’ death – which Trump falsely claimed to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he served as a GOP congressman for Florida in 2001 .
The President has leveled the evidence-free accusations at Scarborough multiple times over the past few weeks as part of an ongoing crusade against his media critics .
In reality , the medical examiner found zero indication that foul play was involved when Klausutis died on July 19 , 2001 .
The staffer had hit her head on her desk after falling unconscious as a result of a heart condition that she was unaware of .

House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-WY) urged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to stop tweeting about a debunked conspiracy theory about the death of Lori Klausutis, MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough’s late congressional aide.
“I do think the President should stop tweeting about Joe Scarborough,” the GOP leader told reporters. “I think that we’re in the middle of a pandemic.”
“He’s the commander in chief of this nation, and it’s causing great pain to the family of the young woman who died,” she added. “So I urge him to stop. The President should stop tweeting about it.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) also spoke out against Trump’s tweets out of sympathy for Klausutis’ widower, T.J. Klausutis.
“Joe can weather vile, baseless accusations but T.J.? His heart is breaking,” Romney tweeted. “Enough already.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump once again peddled the disproven conspiracy theory that Scarborough played a role in Klausutis’ death – which Trump falsely claimed to be a “cold case” – when he served as a GOP congressman for Florida in 2001.
The President has leveled the evidence-free accusations at Scarborough multiple times over the past few weeks as part of an ongoing crusade against his media critics.
In reality, the medical examiner found zero indication that foul play was involved when Klausutis died on July 19, 2001. The staffer had hit her head on her desk after falling unconscious as a result of a heart condition that she was unaware of.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Playwright And AIDS Activist Larry Kramer Dies Of Pneumonia At 84

NEW YORK ( AP ) — Larry Kramer , the playwright whose angry voice and pen raised theatergoers ’ consciousness about AIDS and roused thousands to militant protests in the early years of the epidemic , has died at 84 .
Bill Goldstein , a writer who was working on a biography of Kramer , confirmed the news to The Associated Press .
Kramer ’ s husband , David Webster , told The New York Times that Kramer died Wednesday of pneumonia .
“ We have lost a giant of a man who stood up for gay rights like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time when gay men ’ s deaths to AIDS were being ignored by the American government , ” said Elton John in a statement .
Kramer , who wrote “ The Normal Heart ” and founded the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power , or ACT UP , lost his lover to acquired immune deficiency syndrome in 1984 and was himself infected with the virus .
He also suffered from hepatitis B and received a liver transplant in 2001 because the virus had caused liver failure .
He was nominated for an Academy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Love , ” the 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence ’ s novel .
It starred Glenda Jackson , who won her first Oscar for her performance .
He also wrote the 1972 screenplay “ Lost Horizon , ” a novel , “ Faggots , ” and the plays “ Sissies ’ Scrapbook , ” “ The Furniture of Home , ” “ Just Say No ” and “ The Destiny of Me , ” which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 .
But for many years he was best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical treatment , acceptance and civil rights for people with AIDS .
He loudly told everyone that the gay community was grappling with a plague .
Tributes from the arts community flooded in Wednesday , with Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter saying “ What an extraordinary writer , what a life.
” Dan Savage wrote : “ He ordered us to love ourselves and each other and to fight for our lives .
He was a hero.
” In 1981 , when AIDS had not yet acquired its name and only a few dozen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kramer and a group of his friends in New York City founded Gay Men ’ s Health Crisis , one of the first groups in the country to address the epidemic .
He tried to rouse the gay community with speeches and articles such as “ 1,112 and Counting , ” published in gay newspapers in 1983 .
“ Our continued existence as gay men upon the face of this earth is at stake , ” he wrote .
“ Unless we fight for our lives , we shall die.
” The late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ selling account of the AIDS epidemic “ And the Band Played On , ” called that article “ inarguably one of the most influential works of advocacy journalism of the decade ” and credited it with “ crystallizing the epidemic into a political movement for the gay community.
” Kramer lived to see gay marriage a reality — and married himself in 2013 — but never rested .
“ I ’ m married , ” he told The AP .
“ But that ’ s only part of where we are .
AIDS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have protection under the law.
” Kramer split with GMHC in 1983 after other board members decided to concentrate on providing support services to people with AIDS .
It remains one of the largest AIDS-service groups in the country .
After leaving GMHC , Kramer wrote “ The Normal Heart , ” in which a furious young writer — not unlike Kramer himself — battles politicians , society , the media and other gay leaders to bring attention to the crisis .
The play premiered at The Public Theater in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Kuchwara called it an “ angry but compelling indictment of a society as well as a subculture for failing to respond adequately to the tragedy.
” A revival in 2011 was almost universally praised by critics and earned the best revival Tony .
Two actors from it — Ellen Barkin and John Benjamin Hickey — also won Tonys .
Joe Mantello played the main character of Ned Weeks , the alter ego of Kramer .
“ I ’ m very moved that it moved so many people , ” he said at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the theater passing out fliers asking the world to take action against HIV/AIDS .
“ Please know that AIDS is a worldwide plague .
Please know there is no cure , ” it said .
The play was turned into a TV film for HBO in 2014 starring Mark Ruffalo , Jonathan Groff , Matt Bomer , Taylor Kitsch , Jim Parsons , Alfred Molina , Joe Mantello and Julia Roberts .
It won the Emmy for best movie .
Kramer stood onstage in heavy winter clothing as the statuette was presented to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The Destiny of Me , ” continues the story of Weeks from “ The Normal Heart.
” Weeks , in the hospital for an experimental AIDS treatment , reflects on the past , particularly his relationship with his family .
His parents and brother appear to act out what happened in the past , as does the young Ned , who confronts his older self .
In 1987 , Kramer founded ACT UP , the group that became famous for staging civil disobedience at places like the Food and Drug Administration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Corp. , the maker of the chief anti-AIDS drug , AZT .
ACT UP ’ s protests helped persuade the FDA to speed the approval of new drugs and Burroughs-Wellcome to lower its price for AZT .
He also battled — and later reconciled — with Dr. Anthony Fauci , the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , who has been leading the national response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Kramer soon relinquished a leadership role in ACT UP , and as support for AIDS research increased , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials whom ACT UP had bitterly criticized .
Kramer never softened the urgency of his demands .
In 2011 , he helped the American Foundation for Equal Rights mount their play “ 8 ” on Broadway about the legal battle over same-sex marriage in California .
“ The one nice thing that I seem to have acquired , accidentally , is this reputation of everyone afraid of my voice , ” he told The AP in 2015 .
“ So I get heard , whether it changes anything or not.
” One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The American People , ” which chronicled the history of gay people in America and took decades to write .
“ I just think it ’ s so important that we know our history — the history of how badly we ’ re treated and how hard we have to fight to get what we deserve , which is equality , ” he told The AP .
At the 2013 Tonys , he was honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award , given to a member of the theater community for philanthropic or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Kramer married his longtime partner , architect David Webster , in the intensive care unit of NYU Langone Medical Center , where Kramer was recovering from surgery for a bowel obstruction .

NEW YORK (AP) — Larry Kramer, the playwright whose angry voice and pen raised theatergoers’ consciousness about AIDS and roused thousands to militant protests in the early years of the epidemic, has died at 84.
Bill Goldstein, a writer who was working on a biography of Kramer, confirmed the news to The Associated Press. Kramer’s husband, David Webster, told The New York Times that Kramer died Wednesday of pneumonia.
“We have lost a giant of a man who stood up for gay rights like a warrior. His anger was needed at a time when gay men’s deaths to AIDS were being ignored by the American government,” said Elton John in a statement.
Kramer, who wrote “The Normal Heart” and founded the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, or ACT UP, lost his lover to acquired immune deficiency syndrome in 1984 and was himself infected with the virus. He also suffered from hepatitis B and received a liver transplant in 2001 because the virus had caused liver failure.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for “Women in Love,” the 1969 adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s novel. It starred Glenda Jackson, who won her first Oscar for her performance.
He also wrote the 1972 screenplay “Lost Horizon,” a novel, “Faggots,” and the plays “Sissies’ Scrapbook,” “The Furniture of Home,” “Just Say No” and “The Destiny of Me,” which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1993.
But for many years he was best known for his public fight to secure medical treatment, acceptance and civil rights for people with AIDS. He loudly told everyone that the gay community was grappling with a plague.
Tributes from the arts community flooded in Wednesday, with Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter saying “What an extraordinary writer, what a life.” Dan Savage wrote: “He ordered us to love ourselves and each other and to fight for our lives. He was a hero.”
In 1981, when AIDS had not yet acquired its name and only a few dozen people had been diagnosed with it, Kramer and a group of his friends in New York City founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis, one of the first groups in the country to address the epidemic.
He tried to rouse the gay community with speeches and articles such as “1,112 and Counting,” published in gay newspapers in 1983.
“Our continued existence as gay men upon the face of this earth is at stake,” he wrote. “Unless we fight for our lives, we shall die.”
The late journalist Randy Shilts, in his best selling account of the AIDS epidemic “And the Band Played On,” called that article “inarguably one of the most influential works of advocacy journalism of the decade” and credited it with “crystallizing the epidemic into a political movement for the gay community.”
Kramer lived to see gay marriage a reality — and married himself in 2013 — but never rested. “I’m married,” he told The AP. “But that’s only part of where we are. AIDS is still decimating us and we still don’t have protection under the law.”
Kramer split with GMHC in 1983 after other board members decided to concentrate on providing support services to people with AIDS. It remains one of the largest AIDS-service groups in the country.
After leaving GMHC, Kramer wrote “The Normal Heart,” in which a furious young writer — not unlike Kramer himself — battles politicians, society, the media and other gay leaders to bring attention to the crisis.
The play premiered at The Public Theater in April 1985. Associated Press drama critic Michael Kuchwara called it an “angry but compelling indictment of a society as well as a subculture for failing to respond adequately to the tragedy.”
A revival in 2011 was almost universally praised by critics and earned the best revival Tony. Two actors from it — Ellen Barkin and John Benjamin Hickey — also won Tonys. Joe Mantello played the main character of Ned Weeks, the alter ego of Kramer.
“I’m very moved that it moved so many people,” he said at the time. Kramer often stood outside the theater passing out fliers asking the world to take action against HIV/AIDS. “Please know that AIDS is a worldwide plague. Please know there is no cure,” it said.
The play was turned into a TV film for HBO in 2014 starring Mark Ruffalo, Jonathan Groff, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello and Julia Roberts. It won the Emmy for best movie. Kramer stood onstage in heavy winter clothing as the statuette was presented to director Ryan Murphy.
The 1992 play “The Destiny of Me,” continues the story of Weeks from “The Normal Heart.” Weeks, in the hospital for an experimental AIDS treatment, reflects on the past, particularly his relationship with his family. His parents and brother appear to act out what happened in the past, as does the young Ned, who confronts his older self.
In 1987, Kramer founded ACT UP, the group that became famous for staging civil disobedience at places like the Food and Drug Administration, the New York Stock Exchange and Burroughs-Wellcome Corp., the maker of the chief anti-AIDS drug, AZT.
ACT UP’s protests helped persuade the FDA to speed the approval of new drugs and Burroughs-Wellcome to lower its price for AZT. He also battled — and later reconciled — with Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who has been leading the national response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kramer soon relinquished a leadership role in ACT UP, and as support for AIDS research increased, he found some common ground with health officials whom ACT UP had bitterly criticized.
Kramer never softened the urgency of his demands. In 2011, he helped the American Foundation for Equal Rights mount their play “8” on Broadway about the legal battle over same-sex marriage in California.
“The one nice thing that I seem to have acquired, accidentally, is this reputation of everyone afraid of my voice,” he told The AP in 2015. “So I get heard, whether it changes anything or not.”
One of his last projects was the massive two-volume “The American People,” which chronicled the history of gay people in America and took decades to write.
“I just think it’s so important that we know our history — the history of how badly we’re treated and how hard we have to fight to get what we deserve, which is equality,” he told The AP.
At the 2013 Tonys, he was honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Award, given to a member of the theater community for philanthropic or civic efforts.
A few months later, Kramer married his longtime partner, architect David Webster, in the intensive care unit of NYU Langone Medical Center, where Kramer was recovering from surgery for a bowel obstruction.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--WH Press Secretary Voted By Mail In Every FL Election In The Past Decade

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany , who has vehemently defended President Trump ’ s baseless tirade against mail-in voting initiatives , reportedly voted by mail repeatedly in the past decade .
McEnany cast an absentee ballot in every Florida election she participated in since 2010 , according to a Tampa Bay Times report on Wednesday .
Much like President Trump , McEnany most recently voted by mail during Florida ’ s 2020 presidential primary .
When asked for comment about her vote-by-mail-history , McEnany said in a statement shared with TPM on Wednesday that absentee voting “ has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ It means you ’ re absent from the jurisdiction or unable to vote in person , ” McEnany said , before doubling down on the President ’ s recent assertions that mail-in voting initiatives are part of a “ Democrat plan to politicize the coronavirus , ” lead to voter fraud and is “ a simple distinction that the media fails to grasp.
” McEnany ’ s own voting record came under scrutiny as the President continues to assert an unfounded claim that voting-by-mail leads to voter fraud .
During a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that Trump — who officially changed his residence to Florida late last year — votes by mail because “ the President is , after all , the President , which means he ’ s here in Washington.
” Shortly after Twitter attached a “ get the facts ” disclaimer to Trump ’ s false tweets about voting by mail on Tuesday afternoon , McEnany bolstered the President ’ s war against mail-in-voting in a tweet thread .

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who has vehemently defended President Trump’s baseless tirade against mail-in voting initiatives, reportedly voted by mail repeatedly in the past decade.
McEnany cast an absentee ballot in every Florida election she participated in since 2010, according to a Tampa Bay Times report on Wednesday. Much like President Trump, McEnany most recently voted by mail during Florida’s 2020 presidential primary.
When asked for comment about her vote-by-mail-history, McEnany said in a statement shared with TPM on Wednesday that absentee voting “has the word absent in it for a reason.”
“It means you’re absent from the jurisdiction or unable to vote in person,” McEnany said, before doubling down on the President’s recent assertions that mail-in voting initiatives are part of a “Democrat plan to politicize the coronavirus,” lead to voter fraud and is “a simple distinction that the media fails to grasp.”
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh defended McEnany’s absentee voting history in a Wednesday afternoon tweet.
This conflates absentee-by-mail with mail-every-registered-voter-a-ballot. They are not the same thing at all. https://t.co/khblW10PoN — Tim Murtaugh – Download the Trump 2020 app today! (@TimMurtaugh) May 27, 2020
McEnany’s own voting record came under scrutiny as the President continues to assert an unfounded claim that voting-by-mail leads to voter fraud. During a White House briefing last week, McEnany said that Trump — who officially changed his residence to Florida late last year — votes by mail because “the President is, after all, the President, which means he’s here in Washington.”
Shortly after Twitter attached a “get the facts” disclaimer to Trump’s false tweets about voting by mail on Tuesday afternoon, McEnany bolstered the President’s war against mail-in-voting in a tweet thread.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Fauci: Too Soon To Guarantee Political Conventions In August

Dr. Anthony Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert , advised a “ wait and see ” approach for now on whether it will be possible to hold the Democratic and Republican conventions currently scheduled for August , given the coronavirus pandemic .
“ What I think we need to do is reserve judgment right now to see what the situation would be , ” Fauci , the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a CNN interview Wednesday .
“ We ’ re still a few months from there.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the number of new cases and hospitalizations observed would need to be “ really very low , ” Fauci said .
“ Hopefully we will see that diminution , ” he added .
Fauci ’ s comments follow a series of tweets directed at North Carolina Gov .
Roy Cooper ( D ) by President Trump on Monday that threatened to relocate this year ’ s Republican National Convention if the Democratic governor couldn ’ t “ guarantee ” Republicans would be allowed full capacity of the arena in Charlotte .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light seems to undermine ongoing uncertainty about just what the landscape of the pandemic will look like in the coming months as public health officials continue to study the crisis and provide best guess projections .
While Democrats , who rescheduled their event in Milwaukee , Wisconsin from July to August , have said the risks of meeting in person during the pandemic may mean that their convention will need to convene virtually , Republicans have largely remained steadfast with intentions to meet in-person , without a roadmap for how to navigate a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to unfold .
“ We ’ re talking about something that ’ s going to happen three months from now , and we don ’ t know what our situation is going to be , ” Cooper said at a news conference on Tuesday , according to ABC News .
The number of coronavirus cases in North Carolina continues to rise , with total deaths reaching 789 as of early Wednesday .
Meanwhile governors in Florida and Georgia each offered up their own states in tweets Tuesday to host the convention despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the event to be held in North Carolina .
These moves are likely to increase pressure on a state that has only just begun a phase to reopen that allows indoor gatherings of up to 10 people at a time .

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, advised a “wait and see” approach for now on whether it will be possible to hold the Democratic and Republican conventions currently scheduled for August, given the coronavirus pandemic.
“What I think we need to do is reserve judgment right now to see what the situation would be,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in a CNN interview Wednesday. “We’re still a few months from there.”
Fauci says it's too soon to decide about canceling political conventions for the fall amid pandemic. "We need to reserve judgment right now because we're still a few months from there," he said. pic.twitter.com/mnjl79LW3V — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) May 27, 2020
In order to safely gather during the conventions, the number of new cases and hospitalizations observed would need to be “really very low,” Fauci said. “Hopefully we will see that diminution,” he added.
Fauci’s comments follow a series of tweets directed at North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) by President Trump on Monday that threatened to relocate this year’s Republican National Convention if the Democratic governor couldn’t “guarantee” Republicans would be allowed full capacity of the arena in Charlotte.
Trump’s demand for an immediate green light seems to undermine ongoing uncertainty about just what the landscape of the pandemic will look like in the coming months as public health officials continue to study the crisis and provide best guess projections.
While Democrats, who rescheduled their event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July to August, have said the risks of meeting in person during the pandemic may mean that their convention will need to convene virtually, Republicans have largely remained steadfast with intentions to meet in-person, without a roadmap for how to navigate a large gathering in a health crisis that continues to unfold.
“We’re talking about something that’s going to happen three months from now, and we don’t know what our situation is going to be,” Cooper said at a news conference on Tuesday, according to ABC News. The number of coronavirus cases in North Carolina continues to rise, with total deaths reaching 789 as of early Wednesday.
Meanwhile governors in Florida and Georgia each offered up their own states in tweets Tuesday to host the convention despite contractual obligations two years in the making for the event to be held in North Carolina. These moves are likely to increase pressure on a state that has only just begun a phase to reopen that allows indoor gatherings of up to 10 people at a time.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Obits Spiked Around Country With COVID Onslaught

Don ’ t just take it from the CDC .
Deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic have been spiking around the country according to a tabulation of obituaries published , a new report found .
The analysis — by the Health Care Cost Institute — found that obituaries including deaths from all causes have gone up during the pandemic , corroborating government statistics .
Specifically , the study found up to 15 percent more deaths nationally during the month of April , based on obituary announcements .
In the epicenter of New York City , that reached to a staggering 180 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths , on April 4 .
The study represents a new way of estimating what has become an all-too familiar concept : excess deaths .
These are the deaths that occur above an expected baseline of mortality .
The data comes as the country approaches the symbolically important COVID-19 death toll of 100,000 .
Though that number is high , and flies in the face of repeated , lowballed predictions from the Trump administration , it also fails to account for the pandemic ’ s true toll .
That number encompasses undiagnosed COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those who would otherwise have lived if not for the disruption of the pandemic .
During the COVID-19 pandemic , this can include deaths due to the disease itself , people who died of COVID-19 without having ever been diagnosed , and those who wouldn ’ t have passed away if not for slower ambulances , flooded ERs , or missed check-up appointments , among other potential causes .
Researchers estimated expected daily deaths in 2020 by averaging the yearly daily death rates from 2014 to 2019 , providing a baseline historical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study ’ s findings largely align with government estimates , which have suggested significantly increased deaths around the country starting in March and continuing up to the present day .
Government statistics rely on death certificates , and not obituaries .
The alignment between the two suggests that the government ’ s reporting has been reliable , including in its estimates of excess deaths .
The CDC currently estimates non-COVID-19 excess deaths since Feb. 1 at between 22,105 and 43,204 .
By using the obituary counts , the Health Care Cost Institute was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the amount of obituaries recorded , compared to the amount that would have been predicted in a normal , non-pandemic year .
The study estimates a 95 percent confidence interval for its findings , though it ’ s for all cause data : whether the deaths occurred due to COVID-19 or another cause remains unclear from the study .
Though the toll remains staggering , the study ’ s authors note that obituary data often takes longer to register than typical state-level mortality data , which is itself subject to extensive lags as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onwards to the federal government .
Researchers say that obituary data suffers from around a four-week delay in reporting , meaning that the chart only shows data “ reported as of this week for deaths occurring in the prior three weeks.
” The underlying data comes from Datavant , a healthcare data analysis firm that has been conducting research into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic .

Don’t just take it from the CDC.
Deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic have been spiking around the country according to a tabulation of obituaries published, a new report found.
The analysis — by the Health Care Cost Institute — found that obituaries including deaths from all causes have gone up during the pandemic, corroborating government statistics.
Specifically, the study found up to 15 percent more deaths nationally during the month of April, based on obituary announcements. In the epicenter of New York City, that reached to a staggering 180 percent increase over previous, average daily deaths, on April 4.
The study represents a new way of estimating what has become an all-too familiar concept: excess deaths. These are the deaths that occur above an expected baseline of mortality.
The data comes as the country approaches the symbolically important COVID-19 death toll of 100,000. Though that number is high, and flies in the face of repeated, lowballed predictions from the Trump administration, it also fails to account for the pandemic’s true toll. That number encompasses undiagnosed COVID-19 deaths, as well as the deaths of those who would otherwise have lived if not for the disruption of the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this can include deaths due to the disease itself, people who died of COVID-19 without having ever been diagnosed, and those who wouldn’t have passed away if not for slower ambulances, flooded ERs, or missed check-up appointments, among other potential causes.
Researchers estimated expected daily deaths in 2020 by averaging the yearly daily death rates from 2014 to 2019, providing a baseline historical comparison for total U.S. mortality.
The study’s findings largely align with government estimates, which have suggested significantly increased deaths around the country starting in March and continuing up to the present day. Government statistics rely on death certificates, and not obituaries.
The alignment between the two suggests that the government’s reporting has been reliable, including in its estimates of excess deaths. The CDC currently estimates non-COVID-19 excess deaths since Feb. 1 at between 22,105 and 43,204.
By using the obituary counts, the Health Care Cost Institute was able to develop a tool that shows the amount of obituaries recorded, compared to the amount that would have been predicted in a normal, non-pandemic year.
The study estimates a 95 percent confidence interval for its findings, though it’s for all cause data: whether the deaths occurred due to COVID-19 or another cause remains unclear from the study.
Though the toll remains staggering, the study’s authors note that obituary data often takes longer to register than typical state-level mortality data, which is itself subject to extensive lags as it is reported from the local level onwards to the federal government.
Researchers say that obituary data suffers from around a four-week delay in reporting, meaning that the chart only shows data “reported as of this week for deaths occurring in the prior three weeks.”
The underlying data comes from Datavant, a healthcare data analysis firm that has been conducting research into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-27--Moscow Easing Some COVID Lockdown Measures On June 1

MOSCOW — Moscow ’ s mayor announced easing lockdown restrictions in the city on June 1 , сiting the slowing of the coronavirus outbreak in Russia ’ s capital .
Speaking at a teleconference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday , Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says people can take walks at designated times after remaining under a stay-at-home order since March 31 .
He also announced plans to reopen non-food stores and services such as laundries , dry cleaners , and repair shops .
Moscow , with a total of 171,443 confirmed coronavirus cases , accounts for a little less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 370,000 .
It ’ s about 55 % of the country ’ s virus death toll .
Sobyanin says the number of new infections in the city and hospitalizations , has been going down in the past two weeks .
On Wednesday , Moscow health officials announced 2,140 new cases , which is more than two times lower than two weeks ago .
Russia ’ s coronavirus statistics have raised multiple questions among experts , who suggest the numbers may be higher .
Russian authorities dispute that , hailing the effectiveness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @

MOSCOW — Moscow’s mayor announced easing lockdown restrictions in the city on June 1, сiting the slowing of the coronavirus outbreak in Russia’s capital.
Speaking at a teleconference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin says people can take walks at designated times after remaining under a stay-at-home order since March 31. He also announced plans to reopen non-food stores and services such as laundries, dry cleaners, and repair shops.
Moscow, with a total of 171,443 confirmed coronavirus cases, accounts for a little less than half of Russia’s caseload of 370,000. It’s about 55% of the country’s virus death toll.
Sobyanin says the number of new infections in the city and hospitalizations, has been going down in the past two weeks. On Wednesday, Moscow health officials announced 2,140 new cases, which is more than two times lower than two weeks ago.
Russia’s coronavirus statistics have raised multiple questions among experts, who suggest the numbers may be higher.
Russian authorities dispute that, hailing the effectiveness of the country’s lockdown measures.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Dang Kids! Trump Is Now Accusing Kids Of Committing Mail-In Ballot Fraud

President Trump launched into an unwieldy rant on Thursday when asked about his false claims that mail-in ballots leads to voter fraud .
Shortly before the President signed an executive order on Thursday targeting social media companies — which comes after Twitter used a new fact-checking label to correct his false vote by mail claims earlier this week — a reporter pointed out his erroneous claim that California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ( D ) plans to send ballots out to everyone in the state .
The reporter then clarified that mail-in ballots will only be sent to registered voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on an unhinged rant that similarly echoed his recent tweets falsely accusing Newsom of sending millions of ballots to “ anyone living in the state , no matter who they are , ” before baselessly passing the buck to children .
“ Kids go and they raid the mailboxes and they hand them to people that are signing the ballots down at the end of the street — which is happening — they grab the ballots , ” Trump said .
“ You don ’ t think that happens ?
” Trump went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and claimed that ballots being “ ripped out of mailboxes ” aren ’ t being sold to Republican or conservative communities .
The President then confusingly argued that the country “ would be the laughingstock of the world ” if his unfounded claim of mailbox raiding continues .
“ They can even print ballots .
They get the same paper , the same machine — nothing special .
They get the same paper , the same machine , they print ballots , and ( Attorney General Bill Barr ) would have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing it or your state authorities would have to , ” Trump said , before adding that there is “ tremendous potential for fraud and abuse .
”

President Trump launched into an unwieldy rant on Thursday when asked about his false claims that mail-in ballots leads to voter fraud.
Shortly before the President signed an executive order on Thursday targeting social media companies — which comes after Twitter used a new fact-checking label to correct his false vote by mail claims earlier this week — a reporter pointed out his erroneous claim that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) plans to send ballots out to everyone in the state. The reporter then clarified that mail-in ballots will only be sent to registered voters in California.
Trump responded by going on an unhinged rant that similarly echoed his recent tweets falsely accusing Newsom of sending millions of ballots to “anyone living in the state, no matter who they are,” before baselessly passing the buck to children.
“Kids go and they raid the mailboxes and they hand them to people that are signing the ballots down at the end of the street — which is happening — they grab the ballots,” Trump said. “You don’t think that happens?”
Trump went on to ramble about “ballot harvesting” and claimed that ballots being “ripped out of mailboxes” aren’t being sold to Republican or conservative communities.
The President then confusingly argued that the country “would be the laughingstock of the world” if his unfounded claim of mailbox raiding continues.
“They can even print ballots. They get the same paper, the same machine — nothing special. They get the same paper, the same machine, they print ballots, and (Attorney General Bill Barr) would have to do a great job to catch them doing it or your state authorities would have to,” Trump said, before adding that there is “tremendous potential for fraud and abuse.”
Watch Trump’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Two Weeks After Firing The Watchdog Probing Saudi Arms Sales, Trump Eyes Another Sale

Just two weeks after the President fired a government watchdog who was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia , he ’ s looking at … more arms sales to Saudi Arabia .
That ’ s the news this week from The Daily Beast , which reported the Trump administration was preparing another sale of precision-guided munitions to the kingdom as it fights an endless and bloody war that has devastated Yemeni civilians .
The canned watchdog , State Department Inspector General Steve Linick , had submitted written questions for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as part of an investigation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last year by using emergency powers to green light the $ 8 billion deal without their review .
The “ emergency ” that warranted bypassing congressional review , the administration said at the time , was “ Iranian malign activity.
” But then and now , that stretched credulity .
That emergency sale earned bipartisan votes of disapproval in both chambers — though it wasn ’ t enough to overturn Trump ’ s veto .
Now , with Linick gone , Pompeo may try to pull the same move .
Sen. Bob Menendez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee , wrote Wednesday that the administration was pursing another “ undisclosed sale.
” “ The administration has refused to answer our fundamental questions to justify this new sale and articulate how it would be consistent with U.S. values and national security objectives , ” Menendez wrote , adding : “ The secretary of state needs to answer our questions .
What is their reasoning to continue selling weapons to the Saudis ?
Why should Congress allow Trump to continue currying personal favor with a capricious Saudi despot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without consequences ?
” Pompeo explained Linick ’ s firing as a little more than a difference in company culture : “ I went to the President and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn ’ t performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to , ” the secretary said of Linick ’ s firing last week .
Trump offered a similar story that Monday , May 18 , just with slightly less sheen : “ They asked me to terminate him , ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right , as President , to terminate .
I said , ‘ Who appointed him ?
’ and they said ‘ President Obama.
’ I said , ‘ Look , I ’ ll terminate him.
’ I don ’ t know what ’ s going on other than that .
You ’ d have to ask Mike Pompeo.
” Trump ’ s purported indifference to the inspector general probing Saudi weapons sales is odd , given the President ’ s fondness for bragging about inflated sales figures to the kingdom .
And doubly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daily Beast , presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner is keen on another sale .
Here ’ s what else we were watching this week : • None Breaking precedent , White House won ’ t release formal economic projections this summer that would forecast extent of downturn • None Pence Chief Of Staff Owns Stocks That Could Conflict With Coronavirus Response • The Feds Gave a Former White House Official $ 3 Million to Supply Masks to Navajo Hospitals .
Some May Not Work .
• Trump Administration Forces National Park Service To Weaken @ @ @ @ @

Just two weeks after the President fired a government watchdog who was investigating arms sales to Saudi Arabia, he’s looking at … more arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
That’s the news this week from The Daily Beast, which reported the Trump administration was preparing another sale of precision-guided munitions to the kingdom as it fights an endless and bloody war that has devastated Yemeni civilians.
The canned watchdog, State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, had submitted written questions for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as part of an investigation of the last deal — Pompeo infuriated Congress last year by using emergency powers to green light the $8 billion deal without their review.
The “emergency” that warranted bypassing congressional review, the administration said at the time, was “Iranian malign activity.” But then and now, that stretched credulity. That emergency sale earned bipartisan votes of disapproval in both chambers — though it wasn’t enough to overturn Trump’s veto.
Now, with Linick gone, Pompeo may try to pull the same move. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote Wednesday that the administration was pursing another “undisclosed sale.”
“The administration has refused to answer our fundamental questions to justify this new sale and articulate how it would be consistent with U.S. values and national security objectives,” Menendez wrote, adding: “The secretary of state needs to answer our questions. What is their reasoning to continue selling weapons to the Saudis? Why should Congress allow Trump to continue currying personal favor with a capricious Saudi despot who thinks he can butcher his critics without consequences?”
Ironically, Menendez noted, “this is why inspectors general exist.”
Pompeo explained Linick’s firing as a little more than a difference in company culture: “I went to the President and made clear to him that Inspector General Linick wasn’t performing a function in a way that we had tried to get him to,” the secretary said of Linick’s firing last week.
Trump offered a similar story that Monday, May 18, just with slightly less sheen:
“They asked me to terminate him,” Trump said. “I have the absolute right, as President, to terminate. I said, ‘Who appointed him?’ and they said ‘President Obama.’ I said, ‘Look, I’ll terminate him.’ I don’t know what’s going on other than that. You’d have to ask Mike Pompeo.”
Right.
Trump’s purported indifference to the inspector general probing Saudi weapons sales is odd, given the President’s fondness for bragging about inflated sales figures to the kingdom. And doubly so given that, according to the Daily Beast, presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner is keen on another sale.
Here’s what else we were watching this week:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Points For Trying? WH Says Trump’s ‘Intent’ Is To Tell The Truth

In a predictably testy exchange with CNN reporter Jim Acosta Thursday , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dodged when @ @ @ @ @ ever outright “ lied ” to the American public .
“ You have pledged in @ @ @ @ @ lie to the American people , ” Acosta said .
“ Are you saying the @ @ @ @ @ the public before ?
” “ His intent is to always give truthful information to @ @ @ @ @ said McEnany , who added that no one should be fact checked more than the @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post , Trump has made more than 18,000 false or misleading claims since entering @ @ @ @ @ lashed out at Twitter over its recent decision to add a fact-check note to some @ @ @ @ @ claims .
Trump plans to sign an executive order later Thursday seemingly designed to punish @ @ @ @ @ McEnany and others have claimed is “ bias ” against conservatives .

In a predictably testy exchange with CNN reporter Jim Acosta Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dodged when asked whether President Trump has ever outright “lied” to the American public.
“You have pledged in this briefing room to never lie to the American people,” Acosta said. “Are you saying the President has never lied to the public before?”
“His intent is to always give truthful information to the American people,” said McEnany, who added that no one should be fact checked more than the media.
According to the Washington Post, Trump has made more than 18,000 false or misleading claims since entering office.
.@Acosta: On Twitter – shouldn't POTUS be fact-checked? Especially one who has made as many false claims as Trump? McENANY: There's no one that should be fact-checked more than the media A: Are you saying Trump hasn't lied? M: His intent is always to give truthful information pic.twitter.com/4JKBwjpREx — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 28, 2020
The president has lashed out at Twitter over its recent decision to add a fact-check note to some of his misleading or false claims. Trump plans to sign an executive order later Thursday seemingly designed to punish social media companies for what McEnany and others have claimed is “bias” against conservatives.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Police Chief Groups Offer Varying Levels Of Criticism For George Floyd’s Killing

Two major police chief groups denounced , to varying degrees , the killing of George Floyd Wednesday , and applauded the firing of the four Minneapolis Police Department officers who participated .
The Major Cities Chiefs Association , an organization of executives from the biggest cities in the United States and Canada , issued a release calling the killing “ deeply disturbing.
” Calling the officers ’ actions “ inconsistent ” with the protocols of the profession , the group commended Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo for axing the officers involved .
“ MCCA members have worked tirelessly to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they serve , ” the statement said .
“ What occurred in Minneapolis is a sobering reminder of how quickly bad policing can undermine that trust .
The law enforcement community must do better and hold ourselves to a higher standard.
” The International Association of Chiefs of Police , the world ’ s largest professional association of police leaders , offered a milder criticism , saying that there must be accountability after use-of-force situations .
“ Law enforcement officers are trained to treat all individuals , whether they are a complainant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and respect .
This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy , ” the group said .
“ That is why incidents involving the use-of-force are never the desired outcome in any given situation ; moreover , it is the responsibility of police leaders to hold officers accountable for incidents when use-of-force is not aligned with agency policy or appropriate to the given circumstance.
” The group couched the denunciation , though , in a call for a full investigation during which “ all circumstances ” are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not tell the full story .
Floyd died Monday after Officer Derek Chauvin handcuffed him outside a grocery store where employees had called about a counterfeit bill .
In video taken by a bystander , Chauvin kneels on Floyd ’ s neck while he says he can not breathe .
When Chauvin removes his knee after several minutes , Floyd is unresponsive .
He was pronounced dead soon after .
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for Chauvin to be charged .
“ I ’ ve wrestled with , more than anything else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamental question : Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail ?
” Frey said Wednesday .
“ If you had done it , or I had done it , we would be behind bars right now .
And I can not come up with a good answer to that.
” Riots have broken out across the city of Minneapolis , with reports of property damage , fires and looting .

Two major police chief groups denounced, to varying degrees, the killing of George Floyd Wednesday, and applauded the firing of the four Minneapolis Police Department officers who participated.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association, an organization of executives from the biggest cities in the United States and Canada, issued a release calling the killing “deeply disturbing.”
Calling the officers’ actions “inconsistent” with the protocols of the profession, the group commended Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo for axing the officers involved.
“MCCA members have worked tirelessly to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve,” the statement said. “What occurred in Minneapolis is a sobering reminder of how quickly bad policing can undermine that trust. The law enforcement community must do better and hold ourselves to a higher standard.”
The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the world’s largest professional association of police leaders, offered a milder criticism, saying that there must be accountability after use-of-force situations.
“Law enforcement officers are trained to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy,” the group said. “That is why incidents involving the use-of-force are never the desired outcome in any given situation; moreover, it is the responsibility of police leaders to hold officers accountable for incidents when use-of-force is not aligned with agency policy or appropriate to the given circumstance.”
The group couched the denunciation, though, in a call for a full investigation during which “all circumstances” are weighed and the assertion that videos may not tell the full story.
Floyd died Monday after Officer Derek Chauvin handcuffed him outside a grocery store where employees had called about a counterfeit bill. In video taken by a bystander, Chauvin kneels on Floyd’s neck while he says he cannot breathe.
When Chauvin removes his knee after several minutes, Floyd is unresponsive. He was pronounced dead soon after.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has called for Chauvin to be charged.
“I’ve wrestled with, more than anything else over the last 36 hours, one fundamental question: Why is the man who killed George Floyd not in jail?” Frey said Wednesday. “If you had done it, or I had done it, we would be behind bars right now. And I cannot come up with a good answer to that.”
Riots have broken out across the city of Minneapolis, with reports of property damage, fires and looting.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--USAID’s New ‘Religious Freedom Advisor’ Spent Years Bashing Islam

In May of 2015 , a man who this week became a “ religious freedom advisor ” in the Trump administration shared an article celebrating the oppression of Muslims in China .
It was one of many posts published by Mark Kevin Lloyd — a Tea Party activist , political consultant and new Trump administration official — warning of the dangers of Islam .
Over the years , Lloyd has called the world ’ s second-largest religion a “ barbaric cult , ” described it as “ violent , ” and said then-President Barack Obama was sympathetic to “ extremist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become an adviser in the U.S. Agency for International Development , reportedly picked personally by its acting head .
Lloyd ’ s tweet about China — “ China Makes Major Moves To Ban Islam ” — linked an article by the same name on the YouTube host Steven Crowder ’ s website .
The post cheered the crackdown on ethnic Uighurs in China ’ s Xinjiang region .
“ Apparently , China realizes what the West doesn ’ t .
– Bet you never thought you ’ d read that here – Namely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the article read .
“ It ’ s kind of ironic that the oppressive nation sees what free nations don ’ t : Islam will turn nasty .
It always does .
Everywhere the religion/political ideology have been given an inch , they ’ ve taken a mile .
Like a rabid dog , once it gets strong enough , it will bite us.
” At the time , observers across the globe were beginning to ring alarm bells about the situation in China .
Now , of course , the crackdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a global tragedy , as the truth about the concentration camps holding Uighurs and other minorities emerges .
This month , the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and by a 413-1 vote in the House .
( The President on Wednesday said he was “ taking a look at it very strongly.
” ) The Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin broke the news Wednesday of Lloyd ’ s appointment as “ religious freedom advisor ” to USAID .
Rogin reported USAID ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself was installed in that job just last month — had personally chosen Lloyd for the role .
Rogin ’ s column , as well as a 2016 Associated Press report , included a sampling of Lloyd ’ s Islamophobic comments .
In June 2016 , for example , he called Islam a “ barbaric cult.
” The same month , after Omar Mateen carried out a shooting massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando , Lloyd boosted a meme saying gun purchasers should be forced to eat bacon .
In 2013 , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that then-President Barack Obama was “ in bed ” with the Muslim Brotherhood .
Another of his posts said people who believed Islam was a peaceful religion should “ understand the real history of the religion.
” Lloyd ’ s tweet promoting Crowder ’ s bigoted article was screenshotted and published in 2018 by the Democratic strategist Lowell Feld , on his blog Blue Virginia .
It ’ s one in a trove of social media posts showing a bias against Islam that might make Lloyd ’ s new job an uncomfortable fit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kaine ’ s ( D-VA ) successful reelection campaign that year ; Lloyd was working on the campaign of a Republican vying for Kaine ’ s seat . )
Other outlets in 2018 reported on Lloyd ’ s habit of calling prominent women “ bitches ” on Facebook , including San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz , Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett , and Hillary Clinton .
Lloyd separately called Kim Kardashian “ a no talent plastic slut with a well rounded butt.
” Lloyd declined to comment to the Richmond Times-Dispatch about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ I might not should have said it.
” Neither USAID nor Lloyd returned TPM ’ s requests for comment .
An unnamed spokesperson for USAID told the Post , referring to Lloyd ’ s “ barbaric cult ” post , that “ the comments he made four years ago were in reference to radical Islam , not Islam.
” But Feld ’ s archive , as well as other reporting , show just how outspoken Lloyd was about Islam .
In September 2015 , for example , Lloyd linked to coverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ violent extremism is not unique to any one faith.
” “ If you tell a lie often enough the idiots will believe it , ” Lloyd commented , according to Feld ’ s screenshots .
“ ISLAM is violent in it ’ s [ sic ] doctrine and practice.
” A month later , TakePart magazine quoted Lloyd as part of an article on the history of the Tea Party .
In the profile , Lloyd asserted the United States had accepted so many Muslim refugees that , at the Mall of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Muslim… it ’ s dangerous for you.
” He also told the magazine that “ the bad guys ” in Iraq had celebrated Obama ’ s election , and that Obama had turned out to be sympathetic to “ the extremist Muslim convictions.
” In February that year , according to Feld ’ s archive , Lloyd wrote that “ people who keep calling people ‘ RACISTS ’ for having problems with Islam are MORONS.
” In May , Lloyd shared a link to an article that asserted Obama was “ way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article , from the pundit Doug Giles , posited that “ if Achmed had it his way , because of your penchants , beliefs or lack thereof , you ’ d be subjugated or slaughtered.
” Feld ’ s cache of screenshots goes back years and includes a missive from Lloyd in 2010 , when he was serving as chairman of the Lynchburg Tea Party .
“ Tonight I went to a presentation about Islam in USA , ” he wrote .
“ Facts are frightening , and everyone should be aware of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

In May of 2015, a man who this week became a “religious freedom advisor” in the Trump administration shared an article celebrating the oppression of Muslims in China.
It was one of many posts published by Mark Kevin Lloyd — a Tea Party activist, political consultant and new Trump administration official — warning of the dangers of Islam. Over the years, Lloyd has called the world’s second-largest religion a “barbaric cult,” described it as “violent,” and said then-President Barack Obama was sympathetic to “extremist Muslim convictions.”
Now, Lloyd will become an adviser in the U.S. Agency for International Development, reportedly picked personally by its acting head.
Lloyd’s tweet about China — “China Makes Major Moves To Ban Islam” — linked an article by the same name on the YouTube host Steven Crowder’s website. The post cheered the crackdown on ethnic Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang region.
“Apparently, China realizes what the West doesn’t. – Bet you never thought you’d read that here – Namely, that Islam is very dangerous,” the article read. “It’s kind of ironic that the oppressive nation sees what free nations don’t: Islam will turn nasty. It always does. Everywhere the religion/political ideology have been given an inch, they’ve taken a mile. Like a rabid dog, once it gets strong enough, it will bite us.”
At the time, observers across the globe were beginning to ring alarm bells about the situation in China. Now, of course, the crackdown Lloyd and Crowder celebrated in Xinjiang has become a global tragedy, as the truth about the concentration camps holding Uighurs and other minorities emerges. This month, the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 passed by unanimous consent in the Senate and by a 413-1 vote in the House. (The President on Wednesday said he was “taking a look at it very strongly.”)
The Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin broke the news Wednesday of Lloyd’s appointment as “religious freedom advisor” to USAID. Rogin reported USAID’s new acting administrator John Barsa — who himself was installed in that job just last month — had personally chosen Lloyd for the role.
Rogin’s column, as well as a 2016 Associated Press report, included a sampling of Lloyd’s Islamophobic comments.
In June 2016, for example, he called Islam a “barbaric cult.” The same month, after Omar Mateen carried out a shooting massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Lloyd boosted a meme saying gun purchasers should be forced to eat bacon. In 2013, he said he “tends to believe” that then-President Barack Obama was “in bed” with the Muslim Brotherhood. Another of his posts said people who believed Islam was a peaceful religion should “understand the real history of the religion.”
Mark Kevin Lloyd, USAID's new "religious freedom adviser" deleted more Islamophobic FB posts today. But I saved the screenshots: https://t.co/AtYHuGFI0J pic.twitter.com/q8eqS0v0my — Josh Rogin (@joshrogin) May 27, 2020
Lloyd’s tweet promoting Crowder’s bigoted article was screenshotted and published in 2018 by the Democratic strategist Lowell Feld, on his blog Blue Virginia. It’s one in a trove of social media posts showing a bias against Islam that might make Lloyd’s new job an uncomfortable fit. (Feld consulted for Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) successful reelection campaign that year; Lloyd was working on the campaign of a Republican vying for Kaine’s seat.)
Other outlets in 2018 reported on Lloyd’s habit of calling prominent women “bitches” on Facebook, including San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, and Hillary Clinton. Lloyd separately called Kim Kardashian “a no talent plastic slut with a well rounded butt.”
Lloyd declined to comment to the Richmond Times-Dispatch about his misogynistic posts but told Big League Politics, “I might not should have said it.”
Neither USAID nor Lloyd returned TPM’s requests for comment. An unnamed spokesperson for USAID told the Post, referring to Lloyd’s “barbaric cult” post, that “the comments he made four years ago were in reference to radical Islam, not Islam.”
But Feld’s archive, as well as other reporting, show just how outspoken Lloyd was about Islam.
In September 2015, for example, Lloyd linked to coverage of a speech in which Obama said “violent extremism is not unique to any one faith.”
“If you tell a lie often enough the idiots will believe it,” Lloyd commented, according to Feld’s screenshots. “ISLAM is violent in it’s [sic] doctrine and practice.”
A month later, TakePart magazine quoted Lloyd as part of an article on the history of the Tea Party.
In the profile, Lloyd asserted the United States had accepted so many Muslim refugees that, at the Mall of America, “if you are not a Muslim… it’s dangerous for you.” He also told the magazine that “the bad guys” in Iraq had celebrated Obama’s election, and that Obama had turned out to be sympathetic to “the extremist Muslim convictions.”
In February that year, according to Feld’s archive, Lloyd wrote that “people who keep calling people ‘RACISTS’ for having problems with Islam are MORONS.”
In May, Lloyd shared a link to an article that asserted Obama was “way chummier with Mohammed than Jesus.” The article, from the pundit Doug Giles, posited that “if Achmed had it his way, because of your penchants, beliefs or lack thereof, you’d be subjugated or slaughtered.”
Feld’s cache of screenshots goes back years and includes a missive from Lloyd in 2010, when he was serving as chairman of the Lynchburg Tea Party.
“Tonight I went to a presentation about Islam in USA,” he wrote. “Facts are frightening, and everyone should be aware of what is going on around us.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Fox Host Calls Out Press Sec’s Vote-By-Mail Double Standard: ‘Why Is It OK For You To Do It?’

Fox News host Ed Henry pressed White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to explain on Thursday why it was kosher for her to vote-by-mail no less than 11 times in the past decade while President Donald Trump demands the average voter be prohibited from doing the same .
During an interview with McEnany , Henry brought up the Tampa Bay Times report that revealed she had mailed in her ballot in every single Florida election she ’ s voted in since 2010 , exposing yet another double standard in the Trump administration ’ s opposition to mail-in voting and false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted by mail in Florida ’ s primary election in March ) .
“ So why is it okay for you to do it ?
” the Fox News host asked .
“ I understand you ’ re traveling and you ’ re in a different city , but how can we be assured that your votes were counted accurately , but when other people do it , it ’ s fraud ?
” McEnany argued that Americans are “ absolutely entitled to request an absentee ballot and to cast your ballot by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working out of state ” and their “ domicile is in a different state.
” “ I ’ m entitled to that .
The average viewer watching is entitled to that , ” the White House press secretary said .
“ The President has no qualms with that .
He ’ s for absentee voting for a reason.
” “ What he ’ s not for is mass mail-in voting , what [ House Speaker ] Nancy Pelosi ’ s asking for , which we know is subject to fraud , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail leads to election fraud ) .
McEnany also falsely claimed that the 112 percent of registered voters in L.A. County , California is evidence of potential voter fraud , a conservative talking point that has been debunked by California ’ s election officials .
The officials point out that the figure touted by right-wingers includes “ inactive voters , ” or California residents who either moved or passed away and therefore do not receive election materials .

Fox News host Ed Henry pressed White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany to explain on Thursday why it was kosher for her to vote-by-mail no less than 11 times in the past decade while President Donald Trump demands the average voter be prohibited from doing the same.
During an interview with McEnany, Henry brought up the Tampa Bay Times report that revealed she had mailed in her ballot in every single Florida election she’s voted in since 2010, exposing yet another double standard in the Trump administration’s opposition to mail-in voting and false claims of election fraud (Trump himself voted by mail in Florida’s primary election in March).
“So why is it okay for you to do it?” the Fox News host asked. “I understand you’re traveling and you’re in a different city, but how can we be assured that your votes were counted accurately, but when other people do it, it’s fraud?”
McEnany argued that Americans are “absolutely entitled to request an absentee ballot and to cast your ballot by mail” if they’re “working out of state” and their “domicile is in a different state.”
“I’m entitled to that. The average viewer watching is entitled to that,” the White House press secretary said. “The President has no qualms with that. He’s for absentee voting for a reason.”
“What he’s not for is mass mail-in voting, what [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi’s asking for, which we know is subject to fraud,” she added (there is no proof voting by mail leads to election fraud).
McEnany also falsely claimed that the 112 percent of registered voters in L.A. County, California is evidence of potential voter fraud, a conservative talking point that has been debunked by California’s election officials.
The officials point out that the figure touted by right-wingers includes “inactive voters,” or California residents who either moved or passed away and therefore do not receive election materials.
Watch McEnany below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Pelosi Slams Trump’s ‘Outrageous’ Executive Order On Social Media

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) criticized President Trump over his executive order “ pertaining to social media , ” which he is expected to sign on Thursday .
When asked about Trump ’ s executive order — which comes after he threatened to shut down social media giants after Twitter used a new fact-checking label to correct his false vote by mail claims — Pelosi responded that it ’ s “ an outrageous situation.
” Pelosi then called out Twitter for failing to remove the President ’ s tweets that baselessly accused MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide Laurie Klausutis in 2001 .
Although Pelosi said that she likes Twitter ’ s move to fact-check Trump ’ s false vote by mail claims , she argued that the platform ’ s fact-checking feature “ seems to be very selective.
” Pelosi then said that social media giants like Facebook are “ all about making money ” because their business model is to “ make money at the expense of the truth and the facts that they know.
” After arguing that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is “ pandering ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks earlier Thursday saying that he doesn ’ t think social media platforms should be “ arbiters of truth , ” Pelosi compared Trump ’ s executive order on social media to “ seeing people who have been in cahoots with each other.
” “ Is there no honor among thieves ?
That ’ s really kind of what it comes down to , ” Pelosi said .
“ They ’ ve all exploited the truth and some have made money off of it and some have made political capital off of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing is silly .
”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) criticized President Trump over his executive order “pertaining to social media,” which he is expected to sign on Thursday.
When asked about Trump’s executive order — which comes after he threatened to shut down social media giants after Twitter used a new fact-checking label to correct his false vote by mail claims — Pelosi responded that it’s “an outrageous situation.”
Pelosi then called out Twitter for failing to remove the President’s tweets that baselessly accused MSNBC host Joe Scarborough of being involved in the death of his congressional aide Laurie Klausutis in 2001.
Although Pelosi said that she likes Twitter’s move to fact-check Trump’s false vote by mail claims, she argued that the platform’s fact-checking feature “seems to be very selective.”
Pelosi then said that social media giants like Facebook are “all about making money” because their business model is to “make money at the expense of the truth and the facts that they know.”
After arguing that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is “pandering” to the White House in light of his remarks earlier Thursday saying that he doesn’t think social media platforms should be “arbiters of truth,” Pelosi compared Trump’s executive order on social media to “seeing people who have been in cahoots with each other.”
“Is there no honor among thieves? That’s really kind of what it comes down to,” Pelosi said. “They’ve all exploited the truth and some have made money off of it and some have made political capital off of their misrepresentations. But what the President is doing is silly.”
Watch Pelosi’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--‘Beyond The Fkn Pale’: PA Dems Accuse GOP Rep. Of Keeping COVID Diagnosis A Secret

Pennsylvania House Democrats are in an uproar after finding out that state Rep. Andrew Lewis ( R ) only told the Republican caucus about his positive COVID-19 diagnosis .
No members of Republican leadership filled them in either .
Lewis announced on Wednesday that he had made a full recovery from a mild case of the novel coronavirus .
“ I immediately began self-isolation protocol and contacted the House of Representatives , and our caucus Human Resources department , ” he said in a Facebook post .
“ My last day in the Capitol was Thursday , May 14.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had possibly been exposed was informed and told to self-isolate for two weeks .
Democrats say that was not the case .
“ That Democrats who had contact with him were not notified is not just a political stunt – this is beyond the fkn pale !
” wrote Rep. Summer Lee ( D ) on Twitter .
She said that some of Lewis ’ Republican colleagues refused to wear masks on the floor for the week between when the GOP caucus found out and the Democrats did .
“ From day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and politicizing this pandemic , ” she added .
“ They have shown a callous disregard for the lives of people in my community.
” Frank Dermody , the House Minority Leader , confirmed in a Wednesday night statement that Republicans never shared Lewis ’ diagnosis with him , and that he learned of it from a media report .
“ In the last two weeks alone , there were six days of voting session here at the Capitol and more than 15 separate meetings of House committees voting on dozens of bills @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those members who journeyed to the Capitol in person , each of these meetings raises the risk of possible exposure.
” He , like Lee , added that some Republican members have “ attempted to make a virtue out of not wearing a mask , ” further increasing the risk that lawmakers were exposed to the virus .
One lawmaker , Rep. Brian Sims ( D ) , revealed publicly for the first time that he had secretly donated a kidney in January to a patient dying of renal failure .
That puts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
“ Now , months later , in the middle of a global pandemic , I ’ ve discovered that my Republican colleagues exposed me , and my Democratic colleagues to Covid-19 !
” he tweeted .
“ They covered that information up because they were simultaneously arguing that the risk was low , or non-existent .
They lied.
” Sims is now calling for an investigation into Republican leadership by the state Attorney General , as well as the resignation of House Speaker Mike Turzai ( R ) and any other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the diagnosis and did not share the information .
Turzai did not respond to TPM ’ s requests for comment .
He said he only interacted with a “ handful ” of people that he could ’ ve spread the virus to , and said that the capitol was a “ ghost town ” when he was there in person .
He cited HIPPA and privacy laws for the people he interacted with as rationale for why he didn ’ t make a public announcement earlier .
His explanation did not suffice for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D ) , chairman of the State Government Committee , said on Twitter that his committee has met 12 times in the past two months in a small meeting room adjacent to the House floor .
He wrote a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro asking for an investigation into any ethical or criminal laws Republicans may have broken with their reticence .
“ Not informing anyone there is a Covid-19 positive member with multiple GOP members in quarantine should be criminal , ” he said flatly .

Pennsylvania House Democrats are in an uproar after finding out that state Rep. Andrew Lewis (R) only told the Republican caucus about his positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
No members of Republican leadership filled them in either.
Lewis announced on Wednesday that he had made a full recovery from a mild case of the novel coronavirus.
“I immediately began self-isolation protocol and contacted the House of Representatives, and our caucus Human Resources department,” he said in a Facebook post. “My last day in the Capitol was Thursday, May 14.”
He said that every staffer and lawmaker who had possibly been exposed was informed and told to self-isolate for two weeks.
Democrats say that was not the case.
“That Democrats who had contact with him were not notified is not just a political stunt – this is beyond the fkn pale!” wrote Rep. Summer Lee (D) on Twitter. She said that some of Lewis’ Republican colleagues refused to wear masks on the floor for the week between when the GOP caucus found out and the Democrats did.
“From day one we had Republican colleagues unapologetically trivializing and politicizing this pandemic,” she added. “They have shown a callous disregard for the lives of people in my community.”
Frank Dermody, the House Minority Leader, confirmed in a Wednesday night statement that Republicans never shared Lewis’ diagnosis with him, and that he learned of it from a media report.
“In the last two weeks alone, there were six days of voting session here at the Capitol and more than 15 separate meetings of House committees voting on dozens of bills,” he said. “For those members who journeyed to the Capitol in person, each of these meetings raises the risk of possible exposure.”
He, like Lee, added that some Republican members have “attempted to make a virtue out of not wearing a mask,” further increasing the risk that lawmakers were exposed to the virus.
One lawmaker, Rep. Brian Sims (D), revealed publicly for the first time that he had secretly donated a kidney in January to a patient dying of renal failure. That puts him at particularly high risk of contracting coronavirus.
“Now, months later, in the middle of a global pandemic, I’ve discovered that my Republican colleagues exposed me, and my Democratic colleagues to Covid-19!” he tweeted. “They covered that information up because they were simultaneously arguing that the risk was low, or non-existent. They lied.”
Sims is now calling for an investigation into Republican leadership by the state Attorney General, as well as the resignation of House Speaker Mike Turzai (R) and any other members of Republican leadership who knew about the diagnosis and did not share the information.
Turzai did not respond to TPM’s requests for comment.
Lewis himself posted a video to Facebook Wednesday evening.
He said he only interacted with a “handful” of people that he could’ve spread the virus to, and said that the capitol was a “ghost town” when he was there in person.
He cited HIPPA and privacy laws for the people he interacted with as rationale for why he didn’t make a public announcement earlier.
His explanation did not suffice for his Democratic colleagues.
Rep. Kevin Boyle (D), chairman of the State Government Committee, said on Twitter that his committee has met 12 times in the past two months in a small meeting room adjacent to the House floor. He wrote a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro asking for an investigation into any ethical or criminal laws Republicans may have broken with their reticence.
“Not informing anyone there is a Covid-19 positive member with multiple GOP members in quarantine should be criminal,” he said flatly.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--English Premier League To Restart On June 17

The Premier League ’ s official broadcasters say the competition will restart on June 17 .
The BBC and Sky @ @ @ @ @ a doubleheader on that day with Manchester City playing Arsenal and Aston Villa hosting Sheffield @ @ @ @ @ games on a Wednesday will ensure the 30th round can be contested the following weekend @ @ @ @ @ played on March 9 before the competition was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ restart practice sessions in small groups last week but contact and tackling is now allowed @ @ @

The Premier League’s official broadcasters say the competition will restart on June 17.
The BBC and Sky Sports say there will be a doubleheader on that day with Manchester City playing Arsenal and Aston Villa hosting Sheffield United.
Playing those make-up games on a Wednesday will ensure the 30th round can be contested the following weekend.
The last match was played on March 9 before the competition was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Squads were only allowed to restart practice sessions in small groups last week but contact and tackling is now allowed between players.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-28--Barr Appoints Texas US Attorney To Keep Supposed ‘Unmasking’ Scandal Afloat

Attorney General Bill Barr appointed a new prosecutor to probe debunked allegations around the so-called “ unmasking ” of Michael Flynn , Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said on Wednesday .
In an appearance with Fox News ’ s Sean Hannity , Kupec said that Barr had named U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas John Bash to review “ certain aspects of unmasking.
” The move comes in an election year , and weeks after the Justice Department made the unprecedented decision to move to drop charges against Flynn , to which he admitted guilt in December 2017 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the charges in part on unsupported allegations that Obama administration officials had no grounds to investigate Flynn , as he lied publicly and privately about a series of phone calls he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S .
The conspiracy theory that Bash is now tasked with investigating goes to the practice of “ unmasking , ” by which top-level officials can ask for the identity of U.S. citizens in intelligence reports to be revealed .
The intelligence community typically redacts the identities of American citizens picked up in their reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ we know that unmasking inherently isn ’ t wrong , ” adding that it “ can be problematic.
” Bash is the latest U.S. Attorney to be tasked with a review of a pet issue being pushed by President Trump and his allies .
A U.S. attorney was tasked in 2017 to review GOP allegations about the FBI ’ s Clinton email investigation , while another was selected by Barr to examine the Russia probe .
Two other U.S. attorneys were announced as the official clearinghouse for claims about Ukraine , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushing during the impeachment saga .
And Flynn ’ s case itself was assigned by Barr its own U.S. Attorney to review it , leading to the request to dismiss the case earlier this month .
Altogether , the pattern shows an eagerness at the Justice Department to validate sensational allegations pushed by President Trump , even as many of these reviews have yet to produce evidence supporting the accusations .
That the most recent appointment was announced on Fox News only adds to the atmospherics that the Justice Department is being politicized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opponents .
The “ unmasking ” scandal flared up as the Trump campaign was looking for ways to tar Joe Biden and former President Obama , who will likely serve as a surrogate for Biden and who has polled favorably in internal GOP surveys .
Then-acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell , a Trump loyalist , recently provided the Justice Department with a list of Obama-era officials who had requested “ unmaskings ” of intelligence reports that picked up information related to Flynn .
None of the requests appeared to be linked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak that were the subject of his prosecution .
But the list did include Biden ’ s name among the officials who had made unmasking requests for Flynn-related reports .
Grenell ’ s list , which was released publicly by GOP senators , provided no evidence of any wrongdoing and even acknowledged that the unmasking requests had gone through the appropriate protocols .
Trump and his campaign nonetheless used to the list to tout a so-called “ Obamagate ” scandal .
When he was asked , even Trump couldn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Attorney General Bill Barr appointed a new prosecutor to probe debunked allegations around the so-called “unmasking” of Michael Flynn, Justice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec said on Wednesday.
In an appearance with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, Kupec said that Barr had named U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas John Bash to review “certain aspects of unmasking.”
The move comes in an election year, and weeks after the Justice Department made the unprecedented decision to move to drop charges against Flynn, to which he admitted guilt in December 2017.
Barr based his decision to drop the charges in part on unsupported allegations that Obama administration officials had no grounds to investigate Flynn, as he lied publicly and privately about a series of phone calls he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.
The conspiracy theory that Bash is now tasked with investigating goes to the practice of “unmasking,” by which top-level officials can ask for the identity of U.S. citizens in intelligence reports to be revealed. The intelligence community typically redacts the identities of American citizens picked up in their reporting.
Kupec told Hannity on Wednesday that “we know that unmasking inherently isn’t wrong,” adding that it “can be problematic.”
Bash is the latest U.S. Attorney to be tasked with a review of a pet issue being pushed by President Trump and his allies. A U.S. attorney was tasked in 2017 to review GOP allegations about the FBI’s Clinton email investigation, while another was selected by Barr to examine the Russia probe. Two other U.S. attorneys were announced as the official clearinghouse for claims about Ukraine, including the Biden-related allegations that Rudy Giuliani was pushing during the impeachment saga. And Flynn’s case itself was assigned by Barr its own U.S. Attorney to review it, leading to the request to dismiss the case earlier this month.
Altogether, the pattern shows an eagerness at the Justice Department to validate sensational allegations pushed by President Trump, even as many of these reviews have yet to produce evidence supporting the accusations.
That the most recent appointment was announced on Fox News only adds to the atmospherics that the Justice Department is being politicized to bolster Trump crusades against his electoral opponents.
The “unmasking” scandal flared up as the Trump campaign was looking for ways to tar Joe Biden and former President Obama, who will likely serve as a surrogate for Biden and who has polled favorably in internal GOP surveys.
Then-acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, a Trump loyalist, recently provided the Justice Department with a list of Obama-era officials who had requested “unmaskings” of intelligence reports that picked up information related to Flynn.
None of the requests appeared to be linked to the infamous calls between Flynn and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak that were the subject of his prosecution. But the list did include Biden’s name among the officials who had made unmasking requests for Flynn-related reports.
Grenell’s list, which was released publicly by GOP senators, provided no evidence of any wrongdoing and even acknowledged that the unmasking requests had gone through the appropriate protocols.
Trump and his campaign nonetheless used to the list to tout a so-called “Obamagate” scandal. When he was asked, even Trump couldn’t say what crimes were supposedly committed.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-05-29--ICYMI: Catch Up On The Week’s News From TPM

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The California State Bar is arguing that recent criminal charges against John Eastman in Fulton County, Georgia should not prevent…