talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Mulvaney Says Trump ‘Certainly Could’ Urge The Public To Wear Masks

Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Wednesday joined growing calls from Republicans to wear masks despite President Trump ’ s reluctance to do so as coronavirus cases surge in several states .
When asked during an interview on CNBC about why the President hasn ’ t been more publicly aggressive about wearing masks in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 , Mulvaney explained that the public was initially told at the beginning of the pandemic in February to be worried about contracting the coronavirus from hard surfaces and asymptomatic people .
Mulvaney said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to change , should be changing , ” citing members of the Trump administration ’ s adoption of the practice .
“ I think you ’ re starting to see more and more people wear them , ” Mulvaney said .
“ I think ( Treasury Secretary Steve ) Mnuchin and ( Federal Reserve Chair Jerome ) Powell both wore them yesterday to their hearings .
I ’ ve seen the vice president in them.
” Mulvaney then went on to concede that “ certainly the President could start wearing ” masks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the way you get this virus is by getting it from someone who is sick .
And if you wear a mask , and they wear a mask , it reduces the risk dramatically , ” Mulvaney said .
“ So the message could be : wear a mask and go to work .
Wear a mask and get on the airplane .
Wear a mask and go to church .
Wear a mask and go to one of my rallies .
But that message could be changed now I think based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest Republican to join the mask-wearing bandwagon .
Vice President Mike Pence ; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) ; Sens .
Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) , Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) , Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) ; and Rep. Liz Cheney ( R-WY ) have all urged the public recently to adopt the practice in light of surging coronavirus cases .
But the White House is still not explicitly encouraging citizens to wear face coverings .
On Monday , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany continued deferring to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s remarks were made a day after Pence finally encouraged people to wear facial coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19 .

Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Wednesday joined growing calls from Republicans to wear masks despite President Trump’s reluctance to do so as coronavirus cases surge in several states.
When asked during an interview on CNBC about why the President hasn’t been more publicly aggressive about wearing masks in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Mulvaney explained that the public was initially told at the beginning of the pandemic in February to be worried about contracting the coronavirus from hard surfaces and asymptomatic people.
Mulvaney said he thinks “that analysis on masks needs to change, should be changing,” citing members of the Trump administration’s adoption of the practice.
“I think you’re starting to see more and more people wear them,” Mulvaney said. “I think (Treasury Secretary Steve) Mnuchin and (Federal Reserve Chair Jerome) Powell both wore them yesterday to their hearings. I’ve seen the vice president in them.”
Mulvaney then went on to concede that “certainly the President could start wearing” masks to “send that message.”
“Look, the way you get this virus is by getting it from someone who is sick. And if you wear a mask, and they wear a mask, it reduces the risk dramatically,” Mulvaney said. “So the message could be: wear a mask and go to work. Wear a mask and get on the airplane. Wear a mask and go to church. Wear a mask and go to one of my rallies. But that message could be changed now I think based upon new information.”
Mulvaney is the latest Republican to join the mask-wearing bandwagon. Vice President Mike Pence; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mitt Romney (R-UT); and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) have all urged the public recently to adopt the practice in light of surging coronavirus cases.
But the White House is still not explicitly encouraging citizens to wear face coverings. On Monday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany continued deferring to local officials on mask-wearing requirements. McEnany’s remarks were made a day after Pence finally encouraged people to wear facial coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Watch Mulvaney’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--NYC Delays Return Of Indoor Dining As COVID Cases Surge Across The Country

NEW YORK ( AP ) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that he was delaying the planned resumption of indoor dining at restaurants in the city out of fear it would cause a spike in coronavirus infections .
The mayor , a Democrat , said he was concerned that if the city welcomed diners back into the enclosed spaces of its restaurants , it might experience the same surge in illness now being seen in other states .
“ Honestly , even a week ago , honestly , I was hopeful we could .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country gets worse and worse all the time.
” Outdoor dining at restaurants , which started about two weeks ago , can continue , de Blasio said .
New York City is in the second phase of its reopening plan and is expected to get approval to go to a third phase on July 6 .
Under the current rules , large gatherings of people are still banned , but retail stores have been allowed to welcome customers back inside and offices have reopened to workers with some social distancing rules in place @

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that he was delaying the planned resumption of indoor dining at restaurants in the city out of fear it would cause a spike in coronavirus infections.
The mayor, a Democrat, said he was concerned that if the city welcomed diners back into the enclosed spaces of its restaurants, it might experience the same surge in illness now being seen in other states.
“Honestly, even a week ago, honestly, I was hopeful we could. But the news we have gotten from around the country gets worse and worse all the time.”
Outdoor dining at restaurants, which started about two weeks ago, can continue, de Blasio said.
New York City is in the second phase of its reopening plan and is expected to get approval to go to a third phase on July 6.
Under the current rules, large gatherings of people are still banned, but retail stores have been allowed to welcome customers back inside and offices have reopened to workers with some social distancing rules in place.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Trump Falsely Accuses Biden Of Pre-Screening Reporter Questions

President Trump falsely accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of previewing questions before a press conference on Tuesday where the former vice president sharply rebuked Trump ’ s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis .
In a tweets late Tuesday and early Wednesday , the President claimed Biden had been briefed on the questions ahead of the Delaware news conference and “ read the answers from a teleprompter.
” The President has long complained about the media ’ s coverage of him compared with his opponent .
But two reporters who attended the event told The Daily Beast that the campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the alleged pre-screening a Biden adviser called the accusation “ laughable , ” according to the news website .
During the press conference , the former vice president faced questions on a broad range of issues , including his stance on Trump ’ s handling of an intelligence finding about a Russian bounty plot that potentially cost the lives of American and coalition troops in Afghanistan .
Biden also addressed questions from the right-leaning network Fox News about his mental fitness .
Suspicion and questions about Trump ’ s own mental acuity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whose town hall last week in Wisconsin saw the unintelligible , stream-of-consciousness-style of response to questions about his second term goals .

President Trump falsely accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of previewing questions before a press conference on Tuesday where the former vice president sharply rebuked Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis.
In a tweets late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the President claimed Biden had been briefed on the questions ahead of the Delaware news conference and “read the answers from a teleprompter.”
Biden was asked questions at his so-called Press Conference yesterday where he read the answers from a teleprompter. That means he was given the questions, just like Crooked Hillary. Never have seen this before! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2020
The President has long complained about the media’s coverage of him compared with his opponent. But two reporters who attended the event told The Daily Beast that the campaign had not pre-screened questions. When asked about the alleged pre-screening a Biden adviser called the accusation “laughable,” according to the news website.
During the press conference, the former vice president faced questions on a broad range of issues, including his stance on Trump’s handling of an intelligence finding about a Russian bounty plot that potentially cost the lives of American and coalition troops in Afghanistan.
Biden also addressed questions from the right-leaning network Fox News about his mental fitness. Suspicion and questions about Trump’s own mental acuity have often been tossed at the President, whose town hall last week in Wisconsin saw the unintelligible, stream-of-consciousness-style of response to questions about his second term goals.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Fox News Fires Ed Henry After Sexual Misconduct Claim

NEW YORK ( AP ) — Fox News on Wednesday fired daytime news anchor Ed Henry after he was charged @ @ @ @ @ workplace .
The network said it had received a complaint on June 25 from an @ @ @ @ @ An outside investigator was hired and , based on the results of that probe , @ @ @ @ @ worked as a late morning news anchor on Fox , between the hours of 9 @ @ @ @ @ had slowly rehabilitated his career following a four-month leave of absence that ended in 2017 @ @ @ @ @ reports of an extramarital affair that he conducted with a Las Vegas cocktail waitress .
@ @ @ @ @ the complaint that resulted in Henry ’ s firing , only to say that it @ @ @ @ @ ”

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox News on Wednesday fired daytime news anchor Ed Henry after he was charged with sexual misconduct in the workplace.
The network said it had received a complaint on June 25 from an attorney about the misconduct. An outside investigator was hired and, based on the results of that probe, Fox fired Henry.
Henry worked as a late morning news anchor on Fox, between the hours of 9 to 11 a.m.
He had slowly rehabilitated his career following a four-month leave of absence that ended in 2017, after there were published reports of an extramarital affair that he conducted with a Las Vegas cocktail waitress.
Fox offered no details of the complaint that resulted in Henry’s firing, only to say that it happened “years ago.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Oklahoma Voters Narrowly Approve Medicaid Expansion

OKLAHOMA CITY ( AP ) — Oklahoma voters narrowly decided on Tuesday to expand Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands low-income residents , becoming the first state to amend its Constitution to do so .
With 100 % of precincts reporting unofficial results , State Question 802 passed by less than 1 percentage point .
The question fared well in metropolitan areas , including Oklahoma City and Tulsa , but was overwhelmingly opposed in rural counties .
Idaho , Maine , Nebraska and Utah have all expanded Medicaid through ballot questions , but did so by amending state statutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .
Amending the Oklahoma Constitution will prevent the Republican-controlled Legislature , which has resisted Medicaid expansion for a decade , from tinkering with the program or rolling back coverage .
Missouri voters also will decide on a constitutional amendment on Aug. 4 .
State Question 802 will extend Medicaid health insurance to those earning up to 138 % of the federal poverty level , which is about $ 17,200 for an individual or $ 35,500 for a family of four .
Oklahoma was one of 14 states , along with neighboring Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medicaid under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act .
Republican Gov .
Kevin Stitt and his predecessor , Mary Fallin , have opposed expansion , citing uncertainty about future costs for the state .
“ We have a billion-dollar shortfall next year , ” Stitt said recently at a forum hosted by Americans for Prosperity , a conservative political advocacy group that opposes the measure .
The state would have to “ either raise taxes or to cut services somewhere else like education , first responders , or roads and bridges ” to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After years of legislative inaction on health insurance proposals , supporters of Medicaid expansion launched an initiative petition last year to get the measure on the ballot , and collected a record number of signatures .
The plan was endorsed by several politically powerful groups , including chambers of commerce , medical trade groups , the Oklahoma Education Association and the Oklahoma Conference of Churches .
Some Republican opposition to Medicaid expansion has eroded in recent years , particularly in rural areas where hospitals have suffered financial problems or closed .
Kevin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Edmond , said that before going on Medicare last month he had to buy expensive insurance on the federal marketplace , which “ really made me feel for folks who are in a difficult financial situation.
” He said he voted for the expansion .
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has projected that about 215,000 residents would qualify for a Medicaid expansion , for a total annual cost of about $ 1.3 billion .
The estimated state share would be about $ 164 million .
But those numbers could be considerably higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost their jobs and work-related health insurance because of the economic shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic .
To help fund the proposal , the Legislature is expected to increase a fee that hospitals pay from 2.5 % to 4 % , which would generate about $ 134 million annually .
Stitt vetoed such a measure earlier this year .

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma voters narrowly decided on Tuesday to expand Medicaid health insurance to tens of thousands low-income residents, becoming the first state to amend its Constitution to do so.
With 100% of precincts reporting unofficial results, State Question 802 passed by less than 1 percentage point. The question fared well in metropolitan areas, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa, but was overwhelmingly opposed in rural counties.
Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah have all expanded Medicaid through ballot questions, but did so by amending state statutes, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation.
Amending the Oklahoma Constitution will prevent the Republican-controlled Legislature, which has resisted Medicaid expansion for a decade, from tinkering with the program or rolling back coverage. Missouri voters also will decide on a constitutional amendment on Aug. 4.
State Question 802 will extend Medicaid health insurance to those earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level, which is about $17,200 for an individual or $35,500 for a family of four.
Oklahoma was one of 14 states, along with neighboring Texas and Kansas, that had not expanded Medicaid under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and his predecessor, Mary Fallin, have opposed expansion, citing uncertainty about future costs for the state.
“We have a billion-dollar shortfall next year,” Stitt said recently at a forum hosted by Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group that opposes the measure. The state would have to “either raise taxes or to cut services somewhere else like education, first responders, or roads and bridges” to cut additional Medicaid costs, he said.
After years of legislative inaction on health insurance proposals, supporters of Medicaid expansion launched an initiative petition last year to get the measure on the ballot, and collected a record number of signatures. The plan was endorsed by several politically powerful groups, including chambers of commerce, medical trade groups, the Oklahoma Education Association and the Oklahoma Conference of Churches.
Some Republican opposition to Medicaid expansion has eroded in recent years, particularly in rural areas where hospitals have suffered financial problems or closed.
Kevin Penry, a Republican and retired pastor from Edmond, said that before going on Medicare last month he had to buy expensive insurance on the federal marketplace, which “really made me feel for folks who are in a difficult financial situation.” He said he voted for the expansion.
The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has projected that about 215,000 residents would qualify for a Medicaid expansion, for a total annual cost of about $1.3 billion. The estimated state share would be about $164 million. But those numbers could be considerably higher given the number of Oklahomans who have lost their jobs and work-related health insurance because of the economic shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic.
To help fund the proposal, the Legislature is expected to increase a fee that hospitals pay from 2.5% to 4%, which would generate about $134 million annually. Stitt vetoed such a measure earlier this year.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Hickenlooper Defeats Romanoff  In Colorado Democratic Senate Primary

Former Colorado Gov .
John Hickenlooper won the Democratic nomination Tuesday defeating a further left opponent to face Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in November .
Hickenlooper defeated former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff , leading him , 59 percent to 41 percent , when The Associated Press called the race within just a half-hour of polls closing .
Hickenlooper ’ s relatively easy win over Romanoff was the second victory by a centrist Democrat in a Senate primary Tuesday , after a late vote count from last week ’ s Kentucky Senate primary named Amy McGrath a winner of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Senate Democrats aiming to gain three seats in November and win control of the Senate if they win the White House recruited Hickenlooper to take on Gardner when his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination failed last summer .
His opponent ’ s Senate seat is widely seen as the most vulnerable for Republicans in the Senate .
Romanoff who is a former moderate , campaigned as a populist and backed both a Green New Deal and single-payer health care .
The former House Speaker lagged significantly , however , to moderate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and goodwill among voters after two terms as governor .
“ I ’ ve never lost an election in this state and I don ’ t intend to lose this one , ” Hickenlooper said ahead of his win on Tuesday night .
The Democratic nominee is expected to focus his attack on Gardner in campaigns leading up to November on his alignment with Trump , AP reported .
No Republican has won a statewide election in Colorado since 2014 , when Gardner won by less than two percentage points in what was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hickenlooper was reelected as governor that year by a wider margin .

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper won the Democratic nomination Tuesday defeating a further left opponent to face Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in November.
Hickenlooper defeated former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, leading him, 59 percent to 41 percent, when The Associated Press called the race within just a half-hour of polls closing.
Hickenlooper’s relatively easy win over Romanoff was the second victory by a centrist Democrat in a Senate primary Tuesday, after a late vote count from last week’s Kentucky Senate primary named Amy McGrath a winner of the Democratic nomination over State Rep. Charles Booker.
Senate Democrats aiming to gain three seats in November and win control of the Senate if they win the White House recruited Hickenlooper to take on Gardner when his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination failed last summer. His opponent’s Senate seat is widely seen as the most vulnerable for Republicans in the Senate.
Romanoff who is a former moderate, campaigned as a populist and backed both a Green New Deal and single-payer health care. The former House Speaker lagged significantly, however, to moderate favorite Hickenlooper’s immense fundraising support and goodwill among voters after two terms as governor.
“I’ve never lost an election in this state and I don’t intend to lose this one,” Hickenlooper said ahead of his win on Tuesday night.
The Democratic nominee is expected to focus his attack on Gardner in campaigns leading up to November on his alignment with Trump, AP reported.
No Republican has won a statewide election in Colorado since 2014, when Gardner won by less than two percentage points in what was then considered a strong year for Republicans. Hickenlooper was reelected as governor that year by a wider margin.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Trump Vows To Veto Defense Bill If It Includes Provision To Remove Confederate Names From Military B

Trump Vows To Veto Defense Bill If It Includes Provision To Remove Confederate Names From Military Bases

President Trump vowed late Tuesday that he would veto this year ’ s proposed $ 740 billion annual defense bill if an amendment is included that would require the renaming of bases named after Confederate military leaders .
The pledge to veto the amendment came in a late night tweet reaffirming Trump ’ s earlier claim to “ not even consider the renaming ” of military bases as part of the National Defense Authorization Act .
The president mocked Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) who sponsored the amendment calling her “ Pocahontas ” in a late night tweet that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ renaming of 10 bases named after Confederate generals and the removal of Confederate likenesses , symbols and paraphernalia from defense facilities across the country within three years..
The amendment was approved in June by the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee , and represents for some a litmus test of the country ’ s sentiment toward adopting an anti-racist posture at a time when nationwide protests over racial injustice and police violence continue in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May .
Last month , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Confederate leaders and slave owners from around the Capitol .
Those moves which took place in the days leading up to Juneteenth , jolted the Senate into debate as they discussed the provision to make additional efforts at removing the symbols from military facilities as proposed by Warren ’ s measure in the NDAA .
The president ’ s pledge also came hours after Mississippi Gov .
Tate Reeves ( R ) signed a bill to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state ’ s flag .
Senate Minority Leader Charles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s previous suggestion that he would veto a bill that carried a renaming requirement for military bases dared the president on Tuesday to challenge the bill .
“ I dare President Trump to veto the bill over Confederate-base naming , ” Schumer told reporters during a news conference .
“ It ’ s in the bill .
It has bipartisan support .
It will stay in the bill.
” Removing the amendment from this year ’ s NDAA is unlikely unless Trump vetoes the entire bill as opponents of the amendment are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 60 votes needed to remove the renaming requirement from the bill .

President Trump vowed late Tuesday that he would veto this year’s proposed $740 billion annual defense bill if an amendment is included that would require the renaming of bases named after Confederate military leaders.
The pledge to veto the amendment came in a late night tweet reaffirming Trump’s earlier claim to “not even consider the renaming” of military bases as part of the National Defense Authorization Act.
The president mocked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) who sponsored the amendment calling her “Pocahontas” in a late night tweet that condemned the amendment which would require the renaming of 10 bases named after Confederate generals and the removal of Confederate likenesses, symbols and paraphernalia from defense facilities across the country within three years..
I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth “Pocahontas” Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2020
The amendment was approved in June by the Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee, and represents for some a litmus test of the country’s sentiment toward adopting an anti-racist posture at a time when nationwide protests over racial injustice and police violence continue in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in May.
Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led initiatives to remove statues and paintings of Confederate leaders and slave owners from around the Capitol. Those moves which took place in the days leading up to Juneteenth, jolted the Senate into debate as they discussed the provision to make additional efforts at removing the symbols from military facilities as proposed by Warren’s measure in the NDAA.
The president’s pledge also came hours after Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed a bill to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state’s flag.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) criticizing Trump’s previous suggestion that he would veto a bill that carried a renaming requirement for military bases dared the president on Tuesday to challenge the bill.
“I dare President Trump to veto the bill over Confederate-base naming,” Schumer told reporters during a news conference. “It’s in the bill. It has bipartisan support. It will stay in the bill.”
Removing the amendment from this year’s NDAA is unlikely unless Trump vetoes the entire bill as opponents of the amendment are not expected to achieve anywhere close to the 60 votes needed to remove the renaming requirement from the bill.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-30--DeSantis Insists Florida Is ‘Not Going Back’ On Reopening Despite COVID-19 Surge

Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis ( R ) on Tuesday insisted that he has no plans to reinstate coronavirus-related restrictions or close businesses despite a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in his state .
On Tuesday , the Florida Department of Health reported more than 6,000 new coronavirus cases , pushing the state ’ s case total to more than 152,000 .
58 new coronavirus-related deaths were also reported on Tuesday , which brings the state up to 3,505 deaths from COVID-19 .
In the past week , the number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day rose as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DeSantis ordered the closure of bars , pubs and nightclubs that he previously allowed to reopen due to widespread violations of social distancing requirements .
When asked during a news conference about whether he was reconsidering anything else related to his reopening strategy , DeSantis denied the notion .
“ We ’ re not going back , closing things , ” DeSantis said , referring to Florida ’ s reopening .
“ I don ’ t think that that really is what ’ s driving it.
” DeSantis then added that a surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his state can be attributed to social interactions .
“ When you see the younger folks , I think a lot if it is more just social interactions , ” DeSantis said .
“ So , that ’ s natural , obviously .
You had a lot of different activities going on in different parts of the state , Memorial Day .
Two weeks after Memorial Day , you know , we saw a lot of things going on .
So , that ’ s just the reality.
” DeSantis went on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to protect the elderly and vulnerable .
“ We ’ re open .
We know who we need to protect , ” DeSantis said .
“ Most of the folks in those younger demographics — although we want them to be mindful of what ’ s going on — are just simply much , much less at risk than the folks who are in those older age groups .
So , protecting the vulnerable , you know , really is significant .
”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday insisted that he has no plans to reinstate coronavirus-related restrictions or close businesses despite a recent surge of COVID-19 cases in his state.
On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health reported more than 6,000 new coronavirus cases, pushing the state’s case total to more than 152,000. 58 new coronavirus-related deaths were also reported on Tuesday, which brings the state up to 3,505 deaths from COVID-19. In the past week, the number of coronavirus cases reported in a single day rose as high as 9,557.
Last week, DeSantis ordered the closure of bars, pubs and nightclubs that he previously allowed to reopen due to widespread violations of social distancing requirements.
When asked during a news conference about whether he was reconsidering anything else related to his reopening strategy, DeSantis denied the notion.
“We’re not going back, closing things,” DeSantis said, referring to Florida’s reopening. “I don’t think that that really is what’s driving it.”
DeSantis then added that a surge of coronavirus cases among young people in his state can be attributed to social interactions.
“When you see the younger folks, I think a lot if it is more just social interactions,” DeSantis said. “So, that’s natural, obviously. You had a lot of different activities going on in different parts of the state, Memorial Day. Two weeks after Memorial Day, you know, we saw a lot of things going on. So, that’s just the reality.”
DeSantis went on to emphasize that the state’s priority is to protect the elderly and vulnerable.
“We’re open. We know who we need to protect,” DeSantis said. “Most of the folks in those younger demographics — although we want them to be mindful of what’s going on — are just simply much, much less at risk than the folks who are in those older age groups. So, protecting the vulnerable, you know, really is significant.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-30--Even The Trump Admin’s Best Testing Effort Is Laughably Small

For eight drive-through testing sites around the United States , today is the last day of federal support .
The Trump Administration has downplayed the importance of the sites , whose lapse in funding TPM first reported last week , calling them “ antiquated ” and “ inefficient.
” But , late Tuesday afternoon , as the end-of-month expiration date drew near , HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir abruptly announced that the Trump administration will keep supporting 600 separate testing sites at pharmacies around the country , which the administration has highlighted as its preferred alternative to the eight federally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration would extend the partnership through August , in part because of spiking numbers of coronavirus cases in states around the country .
Despite the administration ’ s touting of the pharmacy collaboration , experts told TPM that the program is responsible for a laughably small number of testing sites , and that it barely compares with local , state-level , and corporate attempts to ramp up capacity independent of support from the Department of Health and Human Services .
The scale of testing needed to adequately surveil COVID-19 in the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , director of Harvard ’ s Global Health Institute , has estimated that the U.S. should be doing more than 900,000 tests per day .
Paul Romer , a Nobel Prize-winning economist , has argued that the U.S. should test every resident every two weeks until the virus passes .
Currently , the country is performing around 500,000 tests per day .
Giroir said that the pharmacy testing program the Trump administration is extending at the last minute has delivered 750,000 tests since March .
That number comes as questions persist over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lack thereof — in promoting testing for COVID-19 .
HHS has focused in part on what are called community-based testing sites created , as the Trump administration put it in a May testing strategy report to Congress , “ to ensure that specimens could be collected without overburdening the traditional health care system.
” Since March , HHS has created dozens of drive-through testing sites in the program .
Out of 41 , only 13 remain , 8 of which will lose federal support at the end of this month , as TPM @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response that the drive-through sites which lose support on Wednesday don ’ t constitute the administration ’ s current , primary effort , and are part of an “ antiquated , ” “ 1.0 ” stage of the response .
Rather , HHS officials claimed , the Trump administration has set up community-based “ 2.0 ” testing sites at 600 pharmacies around the country .
“ The federal government is not ending funding or support for COVID-19 testing sites , ” Giroir said last week .
But the funding and support which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Out of 67,000 pharmacies in the U.S. , HHS is extending direct support to 600 of them .
“ The Trump Administration will continue to fully support the public health needs of all states as they respond to recent increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations , ” Giroir said in a Tuesday statement .
“ To maintain or increase our COVID-19 testing footprint , especially in areas of high social vulnerability , we are extending this partnership through August 2020.
” Joe Goode , a CVS spokesman , told TPM that the drugstore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without help from HHS .
Dr. Bob Kocher , a member of California ’ s coronavirus testing task force and an adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford , told TPM that California had around 750 sample-collection sites for COVID-19 tests .
“ 600 sites in America does seem like a very small number given the sites that there are to collect samples — certainly every hospital can do it , every urgent care facility can do it , ” Kocher said .
The extent of the federal help also falls far short of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that experts say would provide adequate testing for the U.S. population .
HHS told TPM that as of June 25 , its community-based testing program had performed a total of 1,021,161 tests since the program ’ s inception in March .
Another issue with the supposed crux of the administration ’ s testing framework is murkiness around its financial backing .
The government has no intention of funding the sites indefinitely , HHS told TPM .
Rather , the Trump administration is intent on shifting costs for the public health measure back onto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s extension , as well , is temporary , and will only go until August .
HHS issued the extension on June 30 , the day funding was initially set to expire .
But it ’ s not clear how tightly-knit that insurance backup safety net will be .
Experts describe contradictory and vague guidance from the administration that could leave some people falling through the cracks , depending on how their insurance companies interpret the jumble of directives .
Loren Adler , associate director of the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s current payment guidance for insurance companies is “ unclear.
” “ Insurance companies were just told in this guidance that they don ’ t have to cover tests not ordered by a medical professional , which could plausibly include testing along these lines , but it ’ s unclear , ” he said of pharmacy tests .
“ Making this more unclear to me is that I read the statutory language in FFCRA , as amended by the CARES Act , as pretty clearly requiring insurers to cover such tests without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overlapping policies , ” Christen Linke Young , a fellow at the USC-Brookings Schaefer Initiative for Health Policy , added to TPM .
“ It ’ s entirely unclear from one day to the next what is getting paid for by whom and what is getting delivered by whom.
” Kocher added that while California receives help in the form of emergency funding for testing from FEMA , it ’ s not clear why the federal government has not been more aggressive in setting up testing .
“ I don ’ t disagree @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re making a contribution — the question is why aren ’ t they making a larger contribution , ” he told TPM .

For eight drive-through testing sites around the United States, today is the last day of federal support.
The Trump Administration has downplayed the importance of the sites, whose lapse in funding TPM first reported last week, calling them “antiquated” and “inefficient.”
But, late Tuesday afternoon, as the end-of-month expiration date drew near, HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir abruptly announced that the Trump administration will keep supporting 600 separate testing sites at pharmacies around the country, which the administration has highlighted as its preferred alternative to the eight federally funded sites.
Giroir announced that the Trump administration would extend the partnership through August, in part because of spiking numbers of coronavirus cases in states around the country.
Despite the administration’s touting of the pharmacy collaboration, experts told TPM that the program is responsible for a laughably small number of testing sites, and that it barely compares with local, state-level, and corporate attempts to ramp up capacity independent of support from the Department of Health and Human Services.
The scale of testing needed to adequately surveil COVID-19 in the United States is vast.
Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, has estimated that the U.S. should be doing more than 900,000 tests per day. Paul Romer, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, has argued that the U.S. should test every resident every two weeks until the virus passes.
Currently, the country is performing around 500,000 tests per day. Giroir said that the pharmacy testing program the Trump administration is extending at the last minute has delivered 750,000 tests since March.
That number comes as questions persist over the Trump administration’s role — or lack thereof — in promoting testing for COVID-19.
HHS has focused in part on what are called community-based testing sites created, as the Trump administration put it in a May testing strategy report to Congress, “to ensure that specimens could be collected without overburdening the traditional health care system.”
Since March, HHS has created dozens of drive-through testing sites in the program. Out of 41, only 13 remain, 8 of which will lose federal support at the end of this month, as TPM first reported last week.
HHS claimed in response that the drive-through sites which lose support on Wednesday don’t constitute the administration’s current, primary effort, and are part of an “antiquated,” “1.0” stage of the response.
Rather, HHS officials claimed, the Trump administration has set up community-based “2.0” testing sites at 600 pharmacies around the country.
“The federal government is not ending funding or support for COVID-19 testing sites,” Giroir said last week.
But the funding and support which remains in place is very limited. Out of 67,000 pharmacies in the U.S., HHS is extending direct support to 600 of them.
“The Trump Administration will continue to fully support the public health needs of all states as they respond to recent increases in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” Giroir said in a Tuesday statement. “To maintain or increase our COVID-19 testing footprint, especially in areas of high social vulnerability, we are extending this partnership through August 2020.”
Joe Goode, a CVS spokesman, told TPM that the drugstore chain had set up 1,400 testing sites without help from HHS.
Dr. Bob Kocher, a member of California’s coronavirus testing task force and an adjunct professor of medicine at Stanford, told TPM that California had around 750 sample-collection sites for COVID-19 tests.
“600 sites in America does seem like a very small number given the sites that there are to collect samples — certainly every hospital can do it, every urgent care facility can do it,” Kocher said.
The extent of the federal help also falls far short of the 1 million tests per day number that experts say would provide adequate testing for the U.S. population. HHS told TPM that as of June 25, its community-based testing program had performed a total of 1,021,161 tests since the program’s inception in March.
Another issue with the supposed crux of the administration’s testing framework is murkiness around its financial backing.
The government has no intention of funding the sites indefinitely, HHS told TPM. Rather, the Trump administration is intent on shifting costs for the public health measure back onto people’s insurance plans.
Tuesday’s extension, as well, is temporary, and will only go until August. HHS issued the extension on June 30, the day funding was initially set to expire.
But it’s not clear how tightly-knit that insurance backup safety net will be. Experts describe contradictory and vague guidance from the administration that could leave some people falling through the cracks, depending on how their insurance companies interpret the jumble of directives.
Loren Adler, associate director of the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy, told TPM that the government’s current payment guidance for insurance companies is “unclear.”
“Insurance companies were just told in this guidance that they don’t have to cover tests not ordered by a medical professional, which could plausibly include testing along these lines, but it’s unclear,” he said of pharmacy tests. “Making this more unclear to me is that I read the statutory language in FFCRA, as amended by the CARES Act, as pretty clearly requiring insurers to cover such tests without cost-sharing.”
“There are lots of overlapping policies,” Christen Linke Young, a fellow at the USC-Brookings Schaefer Initiative for Health Policy, added to TPM. “It’s entirely unclear from one day to the next what is getting paid for by whom and what is getting delivered by whom.”
Kocher added that while California receives help in the form of emergency funding for testing from FEMA, it’s not clear why the federal government has not been more aggressive in setting up testing.
“I don’t disagree with HHS’s assertion that they’re making a contribution — the question is why aren’t they making a larger contribution,” he told TPM.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-06-30--Sessions Refers To Renowned Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. As ‘Some Criminal’

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared to refer to Henry Louis Gates Jr. as “ some criminal ” in an interview published in The New York Times Magazine on Tuesday .
Sessions spoke to the Times about his time leading the Justice Department , such as reversing an Obama-era policy that specified protections for transgender workers against discrimination and formalizing a policy on his last day in office that hindered a cornerstone of former President Barack Obama ’ s police-reform agenda .
“ Back to the men and women in blue , ” Sessions told the Times , referring to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the DOJ .
“ The police had been demoralized.
” Sessions then appeared to reference the “ beer summit ” that the former president had with Gates in 2009 .
‘ There was all the Obama — there ’ s a riot , and he has a beer at the White House with some criminal , to listen to him , ” Sessions told the Times .
“ Wasn ’ t having a beer with the police officers .
So we said , ‘ We ’ re on your side .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got our thanks.
’ ” A Sessions spokesperson declined to elaborate when the Times requested comment regarding his erroneous “ beer summit ” reference — Gates attended the “ beer summit ” alongside the police officer who wrongly arrested him that same year and then-Vice President Joe Biden .
In 2009 , Gates was wrongfully arrested by a Cambridge police officer and charged with disorderly conduct while trying to enter his own home after someone called 911 on him .
Charges against Gates were dropped , but his arrest sparked a nationwide uproar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summit ” was held at the White House in light of the nationwide uproar over Gates ’ wrongful arrest .
Sessions is set to face a runoff primary election for his former Senate seat in Alabama next month .
He is running against former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville .
Correction : This article originally reported that Sessions faces a runoff election for his former Senate seat .
He faces a primary runoff .
We regret the error .

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared to refer to Henry Louis Gates Jr. as “some criminal” in an interview published in The New York Times Magazine on Tuesday.
Sessions spoke to the Times about his time leading the Justice Department, such as reversing an Obama-era policy that specified protections for transgender workers against discrimination and formalizing a policy on his last day in office that hindered a cornerstone of former President Barack Obama’s police-reform agenda.
“Back to the men and women in blue,” Sessions told the Times, referring to his approach on policing during his tenure at the DOJ. “The police had been demoralized.”
Sessions then appeared to reference the “beer summit” that the former president had with Gates in 2009.
‘There was all the Obama — there’s a riot, and he has a beer at the White House with some criminal, to listen to him,” Sessions told the Times. “Wasn’t having a beer with the police officers. So we said, ‘We’re on your side. We’ve got your back, you got our thanks.’”
A Sessions spokesperson declined to elaborate when the Times requested comment regarding his erroneous “beer summit” reference — Gates attended the “beer summit” alongside the police officer who wrongly arrested him that same year and then-Vice President Joe Biden.
In 2009, Gates was wrongfully arrested by a Cambridge police officer and charged with disorderly conduct while trying to enter his own home after someone called 911 on him. Charges against Gates were dropped, but his arrest sparked a nationwide uproar on racial profiling.
The “beer summit” was held at the White House in light of the nationwide uproar over Gates’ wrongful arrest.
Sessions is set to face a runoff primary election for his former Senate seat in Alabama next month. He is running against former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Correction: This article originally reported that Sessions faces a runoff election for his former Senate seat. He faces a primary runoff. We regret the error.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Stonewall Jackson Statue Removed After Richmond Mayor Orders Removal Of All Confederate Statues

RICHMOND , Va. ( AP ) — Work crews wielding a giant crane , harnesses and power tools wrested an imposing statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson from its concrete pedestal along Richmond , Virginia ’ s famed Monument Avenue on Wednesday , just hours after the mayor ordered the removal of all Confederate statues from city land .
Mayor Levar Stoney ’ s decree came weeks after Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam ordered the removal of the most prominent and imposing statue along the avenue : that of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee , which sits on state land .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been stalled pending the resolution of two lawsuits .
Work crews spent several hours carefully attaching a harness to the massive Stonewall Jackson statue and using power tools to detach it from its base .
A crowd of several hundred people who had gathered to watch cheered as a crane lifted the figure of the general atop his horse into the air and set it aside .
“ This is long overdue , ” said Brent Holmes , who is Black .
“ One down , many more to go.
” Eli Swann @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 24 years , said he felt “ an overwhelming sense of gratitude ” to witness the removal of the statue after he and others have spent weeks demonstrating and calling for it and others to be taken down .
He said that as a Black man , he found it offensive to have so many statues glorifying Confederate generals for “ fighting against us.
” “ I ’ ve been out here since Day 1 , ” Swann said .
“ We ’ ve been seeing the younger people out here , just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change .
And now finally the change is coming about.
” Flatbed trucks and other equipment were spotted at several other monuments as well .
The city has roughly a dozen Confederate statues on municipal land , including one of Confederate Gen. J.E.B .
Stuart .
Mayor Stoney said it will take several days to remove them .
The mayor said he also was moving quickly because protesters have already toppled several Confederate monuments and he is concerned that people could be hurt trying to take down the gigantic statues .
“ Failing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe , immediate and growing threat to public safety , ” he said , noting that hundreds of demonstrators have held protests in the city for 33 consecutive days .
“ As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge , and protesters attempt to take down Confederate statues themselves , or confront others who are also doing so , the risk grows for serious illness , injury , or death , ” Stoney said .
Stoney ’ s move came on the day a new state law took effect granting control of the monuments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a removal process that would take at least 60 days to unfold .
But during a City Council meeting Wednesday morning , Stoney balked as the council scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to formally vote on a resolution calling for the immediate removal of the statues .
“ Today , I have the ability to do this through my emergency powers , ” Stoney said .
“ I think we need to act today.
” Work crews arrived at the Jackson statue about an hour later .
During Wednesday ’ s meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statues , but several councilors said the council needed to follow the proper legal process .
Interim city attorney Haskell Brown said any claim that Stoney has the authority to remove the statues without following the state process would contradict legal advice he has previously given the council and administration .
Stoney and several city councilors said they were concerned that the statues have become a public safety hazard during weeks of protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis .
In Portsmouth last month , a man was seriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Confederate statue .

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Work crews wielding a giant crane, harnesses and power tools wrested an imposing statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson from its concrete pedestal along Richmond, Virginia’s famed Monument Avenue on Wednesday, just hours after the mayor ordered the removal of all Confederate statues from city land.
Mayor Levar Stoney’s decree came weeks after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered the removal of the most prominent and imposing statue along the avenue: that of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, which sits on state land. The removal of the Lee statue has been stalled pending the resolution of two lawsuits.
Work crews spent several hours carefully attaching a harness to the massive Stonewall Jackson statue and using power tools to detach it from its base. A crowd of several hundred people who had gathered to watch cheered as a crane lifted the figure of the general atop his horse into the air and set it aside.
“This is long overdue,” said Brent Holmes, who is Black. “One down, many more to go.”
Eli Swann, who has lived in Richmond for 24 years, said he felt “an overwhelming sense of gratitude” to witness the removal of the statue after he and others have spent weeks demonstrating and calling for it and others to be taken down. He said that as a Black man, he found it offensive to have so many statues glorifying Confederate generals for “fighting against us.”
“I’ve been out here since Day 1,” Swann said. “We’ve been seeing the younger people out here, just coming and constantly marching and asking for change. And now finally the change is coming about.”
Flatbed trucks and other equipment were spotted at several other monuments as well. The city has roughly a dozen Confederate statues on municipal land, including one of Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. Mayor Stoney said it will take several days to remove them.
The mayor said he also was moving quickly because protesters have already toppled several Confederate monuments and he is concerned that people could be hurt trying to take down the gigantic statues.
“Failing to remove the statues now poses a severe, immediate and growing threat to public safety,” he said, noting that hundreds of demonstrators have held protests in the city for 33 consecutive days.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge, and protesters attempt to take down Confederate statues themselves, or confront others who are also doing so, the risk grows for serious illness, injury, or death,” Stoney said.
Stoney’s move came on the day a new state law took effect granting control of the monuments to the city. The law outlines a removal process that would take at least 60 days to unfold.
But during a City Council meeting Wednesday morning, Stoney balked as the council scheduled a special meeting for Thursday to formally vote on a resolution calling for the immediate removal of the statues.
“Today, I have the ability to do this through my emergency powers,” Stoney said. “I think we need to act today.”
Work crews arrived at the Jackson statue about an hour later.
During Wednesday’s meeting, city councilors expressed support for removing the statues, but several councilors said the council needed to follow the proper legal process.
Interim city attorney Haskell Brown said any claim that Stoney has the authority to remove the statues without following the state process would contradict legal advice he has previously given the council and administration.
Stoney and several city councilors said they were concerned that the statues have become a public safety hazard during weeks of protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In Portsmouth last month, a man was seriously injured when protesters tried to pull down a Confederate statue.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--WH Doubles Down On Trump Fantasy That COVID-19 Will Just ‘Disappear’

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended President Trump ’ s remarks earlier Wednesday that the coronavirus will “ just disappear ” as several states continue experiencing significant spikes in infection rates .
During a Fox Business interview earlier Wednesday , the President was asked whether he maintains his belief that the coronavirus will disappear , which he has repeatedly insisted in recent months .
“ I do .
Yeah , sure , ” Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday .
“ At some point , and I think we ’ re going to have a vaccine very soon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s remarks during a White House briefing later Wednesday .
When asked whether the President ’ s coronavirus strategy is to hope that it disappears , McEnany replied “ no ” because he “ is confident that it will disappear.
” “ He is confident that he has put together a revolutionary first class team that is going to break through bureaucracy and get us a vaccine , ” McEnany said .
“ He ’ s confident that that will lead us to a place where we won ’ t have COVID @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ there is very pleasing news today ” about companies such as Pfizer showing “ positive results ” for their vaccines .
McEnany was then pressed on how the President could possibly have evidence that the coronavirus would just evaporate into thin air if Dr. Anthony Fauci testified the day before that the country could soon see 100,000 new cases per day .
The White House press secretary responded by characterizing the surge in cases as “ embers in the country ” and blamed the increase in coronavirus testing on the uptick .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ are places with rising cases and that is why ( White House coronavirus response coordinator ) Dr. Birx is on the ground and others .
We ’ re continually assessing that , ” McEnany said .
“ But one thing I would note is just that when you do test more people , you do identify more cases and that is rapidly ongoing.
” This remark doesn ’ t take into account that just last week TPM was first to report that the Trump administration , at the time , had plans to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in five states across the U.S. , including the hard-hit Texas .
Pressed on why she classifies coronavirus hotspots in Florida , Texas and Arizona as “ embers , ” McEnany insisted that “ those are what we see as rising cases.
” “ We see embers around the country , ” McEnany said .
“ We always knew those would come with reopening.
” When a reporter again asked about her “ embers ” comment later in the briefing — noting that an all-time record of 47,000 coronavirus cases were recorded just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previous characterization of the surge in cases .
“ So I use the word embers because that is what the President has acknowledged that would happen around the country , ” McEnany said .
“ You would see spikes across the country .
He said at times you would see fire across the country — embers , fires.
” McEnany concluded by again attributing the increase in coronavirus cases to Trump ’ s faulty logic , that an increase in testing would lead to an increase in cases .

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany defended President Trump’s remarks earlier Wednesday that the coronavirus will “just disappear” as several states continue experiencing significant spikes in infection rates.
During a Fox Business interview earlier Wednesday, the President was asked whether he maintains his belief that the coronavirus will disappear, which he has repeatedly insisted in recent months.
“I do. Yeah, sure,” Trump told Fox Business on Wednesday. “At some point, and I think we’re going to have a vaccine very soon, too.”
McEnany backed up the President’s remarks during a White House briefing later Wednesday.
When asked whether the President’s coronavirus strategy is to hope that it disappears, McEnany replied “no” because he “is confident that it will disappear.”
“He is confident that he has put together a revolutionary first class team that is going to break through bureaucracy and get us a vaccine,” McEnany said. “He’s confident that that will lead us to a place where we won’t have COVID on our hands.”
McEnany added that “there is very pleasing news today” about companies such as Pfizer showing “positive results” for their vaccines.
McEnany was then pressed on how the President could possibly have evidence that the coronavirus would just evaporate into thin air if Dr. Anthony Fauci testified the day before that the country could soon see 100,000 new cases per day.
The White House press secretary responded by characterizing the surge in cases as “embers in the country” and blamed the increase in coronavirus testing on the uptick.
‘We’re aware that there are places with rising cases and that is why (White House coronavirus response coordinator) Dr. Birx is on the ground and others. We’re continually assessing that,” McEnany said. “But one thing I would note is just that when you do test more people, you do identify more cases and that is rapidly ongoing.”
This remark doesn’t take into account that just last week TPM was first to report that the Trump administration, at the time, had plans to dramatically decrease its support for testing sites in five states across the U.S., including the hard-hit Texas.
Pressed on why she classifies coronavirus hotspots in Florida, Texas and Arizona as “embers,” McEnany insisted that “those are what we see as rising cases.”
“We see embers around the country,” McEnany said. “We always knew those would come with reopening.”
When a reporter again asked about her “embers” comment later in the briefing — noting that an all-time record of 47,000 coronavirus cases were recorded just yesterday — McEnany doubled down on her previous characterization of the surge in cases.
“So I use the word embers because that is what the President has acknowledged that would happen around the country,” McEnany said. “You would see spikes across the country. He said at times you would see fire across the country — embers, fires.”
McEnany concluded by again attributing the increase in coronavirus cases to Trump’s faulty logic, that an increase in testing would lead to an increase in cases.
Watch McEnany’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Pompeo Bristles As Reporters Press Him On Russia’s Alleged US Soldier Bounties

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got testy with reporters who pressed him for answers on allegations that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for murdered American and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan .
The question of whether President Donald Trump knew about the bounties — and if not , why he didn ’ t know — has roiled the White House in recent days .
Many , especially in the Democratic party , have speculated that the President prioritized his coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the safety of American troops .
“ So let ’ s back up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo said Wednesday when a reporter asked about his conversations with Russian officials after aides told him about the alleged bounties .
“ A lot of what you said suggests knowledge that I don ’ t think you actually have .
I don ’ t want to comment on the intelligence.
” He said that his department had responded in “ precisely the correct way ” and that U.S. and coalition forces were “ postured appropriately.
” Pompeo bristled again when another reporter , prefacing the question by acknowledging that Pompeo didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , asked why Trump wasn ’ t briefed on the bounty allegations .
“ I ’ m not going to further jeopardize intelligence capabilities , ” he responded .
“ I ’ m not going to put at risk the young men and women of Afghanistan in the same way that some news organizations have done .
I just simply won ’ t engage in that , Kylie .
It ’ s inappropriate , it is dangerous , and you ought not be part of that.
” He added that the President is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sufficiently serious.
” He snapped again towards the end of his briefing , when a reporter asked if the alleged bounties represent a major escalation from Russia .
“ I ’ m just – I ’ m just – you all are going places that I ’ m not going to go because we have work that is important to keep our soldiers safe and I ’ m not going to allow you to lay down questions with facts that are asserted and say oh , he didn ’ t refute what I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be true , ” he said .
“ I ’ m not going to go down that path with you.
” The Trump administration has been in damage control mode since the New York Times broke the story of Russia ’ s alleged bounties last week .
Officials told the Times that the intelligence had been included in Trump ’ s daily briefing in late February .
The Trump administration has insisted that the intelligence on the bounties was unverified and its credibility in doubt as an explanation for why it didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , per the Times , it was significant enough to have been shared with British intelligence last week .
Members of Congress have since demanded briefings on the situation .
The White House tried to control the story by first offering a briefing to Trump-friendly House Republicans .
Some were not mollified .
“ After today ’ s briefing with senior White House officials , we remain concerned about Russian activity in Afghanistan , including reports that they have targeted U.S. forces , ” said Reps. Liz Cheney ( R-WY ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a joint statement .
Sen. Ben Sasse ( R-NE ) took an even stronger tone in reaction to the initial reports .
He and the rest of the Senate Intelligence Committee were briefed on Wednesday afternoon .
“ I want to understand how it ’ s conceivably possible that the president didn ’ t know .
How does that possibly happen ?
” he said .
“ Number two , what is their plan to make sure that our enemies know that if you target American servicemen and women , the consequences are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , I want to hear their plan for Taliban and GRU agents in body bags.
” Many Republicans , though , are trying to quash the scandal by insisting that Trump can ’ t be expected to hear and heed unverified information .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) said that Trump shouldn ’ t be “ subjected to every rumor.
” He and the rest of the Gang of Eight are scheduled to be briefed on Thursday .
Trump himself was still dismissing the story as a “ hoax @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Russia Bounty story is just another made up by Fake News tale that is told only to damage me and the Republican Party , ” he said in a tweet .
“ The secret source probably does not even exist , just like the story itself .
If the discredited New York Times has a source , reveal it .
Just another HOAX !
” Democrats have been using the episode to hammer Trump for his consistently friendly attitude towards Putin and Russia .
Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American troops is just the latest in “ an embarrassing campaign of deferring and debasing himself before Putin .
”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo got testy with reporters who pressed him for answers on allegations that Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for murdered American and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan.
The question of whether President Donald Trump knew about the bounties — and if not, why he didn’t know — has roiled the White House in recent days. Many, especially in the Democratic party, have speculated that the President prioritized his coziness with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the safety of American troops.
“So let’s back up. Let’s back up,” Pompeo said Wednesday when a reporter asked about his conversations with Russian officials after aides told him about the alleged bounties. “A lot of what you said suggests knowledge that I don’t think you actually have. I don’t want to comment on the intelligence.”
He said that his department had responded in “precisely the correct way” and that U.S. and coalition forces were “postured appropriately.”
Pompeo bristled again when another reporter, prefacing the question by acknowledging that Pompeo didn’t want to delve into underlying intelligence, asked why Trump wasn’t briefed on the bounty allegations.
“I’m not going to further jeopardize intelligence capabilities,” he responded. “I’m not going to put at risk the young men and women of Afghanistan in the same way that some news organizations have done. I just simply won’t engage in that, Kylie. It’s inappropriate, it is dangerous, and you ought not be part of that.”
He added that the President is briefed when a threat is considered “sufficiently serious.”
He snapped again towards the end of his briefing, when a reporter asked if the alleged bounties represent a major escalation from Russia.
“I’m just – I’m just – you all are going places that I’m not going to go because we have work that is important to keep our soldiers safe and I’m not going to allow you to lay down questions with facts that are asserted and say oh, he didn’t refute what I said in my question, therefore it must be true,” he said. “I’m not going to go down that path with you.”
The Trump administration has been in damage control mode since the New York Times broke the story of Russia’s alleged bounties last week. Officials told the Times that the intelligence had been included in Trump’s daily briefing in late February.
The Trump administration has insisted that the intelligence on the bounties was unverified and its credibility in doubt as an explanation for why it didn’t reach Trump’s ears. However, per the Times, it was significant enough to have been shared with British intelligence last week.
Members of Congress have since demanded briefings on the situation. The White House tried to control the story by first offering a briefing to Trump-friendly House Republicans.
Some were not mollified.
“After today’s briefing with senior White House officials, we remain concerned about Russian activity in Afghanistan, including reports that they have targeted U.S. forces,” said Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX) in a joint statement.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) took an even stronger tone in reaction to the initial reports. He and the rest of the Senate Intelligence Committee were briefed on Wednesday afternoon.
“I want to understand how it’s conceivably possible that the president didn’t know. How does that possibly happen?” he said. “Number two, what is their plan to make sure that our enemies know that if you target American servicemen and women, the consequences are going to be draconian? And right now, I want to hear their plan for Taliban and GRU agents in body bags.”
Many Republicans, though, are trying to quash the scandal by insisting that Trump can’t be expected to hear and heed unverified information.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that Trump shouldn’t be “subjected to every rumor.” He and the rest of the Gang of Eight are scheduled to be briefed on Thursday.
Trump himself was still dismissing the story as a “hoax” as of Wednesday morning.
“The Russia Bounty story is just another made up by Fake News tale that is told only to damage me and the Republican Party,” he said in a tweet. “The secret source probably does not even exist, just like the story itself. If the discredited New York Times has a source, reveal it. Just another HOAX!”
Democrats have been using the episode to hammer Trump for his consistently friendly attitude towards Putin and Russia.
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said that Trump’s betrayal of American troops is just the latest in “an embarrassing campaign of deferring and debasing himself before Putin.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Trump Admin Scales Back Mandate That Health Insurers Cover COVID Tests

As the pandemic worsens around the country , the Trump administration has moved to place limits on who insurers are required to cover COVID-19 tests for .
The Trump administration made the move in a little-noticed guidance sheet released June 23 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services .
CMS said that insurers no longer have to cover COVID-19 testing when employers mandate a test before an employee can return to work , or when someone is tested as part of a public health surveillance program .
The move comes as the Trump administration has failed to put the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up widespread COVID-19 testing , handing that task to state and local governments with minimal contributions from the feds .
Public health and insurance experts described CMS ’ move to TPM as indicative of a bungled federal response to the pandemic — and , specifically , to providing testing capacity — leaving CMS to sort out questions of health insurance policy that are ill-suited to the public health needs of a national pandemic .
“ The virus doesn ’ t care if you have insurance or not , ” Dr. Dena Grayson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ebola treatments , told TPM .
“ It still infects you.
” Through two laws , Congress mandated at the start of the outbreak that health insurers would fully cover COVID-19 tests — with no copays .
But the mandate came with no additional government support attached , requiring insurance companies to foot the bill for at least part of the national testing plan .
Experts in responding to pandemics argue that testing should be free , to encourage widespread usage .
But neither Congress nor the Trump administration has made efforts towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay for such a program — what Grayson described as “ the first step ” in handling a pandemic .
Instead , the cost was shifted to insurers , with CMS issuing guidance that could be construed as limiting testing to a degree far narrower than Congress had in mind , according to Christen Linke Young , a fellow at the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy .
“ The statue says insurance companies have to pay , period — you can debate whether you think its good policy , but that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
CMS first issued guidance in April that limited insurance coverage of testing to tests that are “ medically necessary ” without further defining that term , and then issued updated guidance last week which walled off tests ordered by employers or pandemic surveillance tests from insurance coverage .
“ What the latest federal clarification is saying is that if you ’ re sick and you ’ ve got symptoms of COVID and you go to the doctor your plans are supposed to cover that and waive cost sharing , ” Sabrina Corlette @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center on Health Insurance Reforms , told TPM .
“ But if you have to get a test to go back to work , or are subject to community-wide testing , or you don ’ t have any symptoms — you want to get a test because maybe you want your kid to get a test to go to summer camp or you ’ re traveling and you want to get a test before you go — insurance companies would not be required to cover in those circumstances , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who would end up footing the bill for tests that companies require of their employees before returning to work .
“ Some employers are paying for this , but under the federal guidance released last week , the health plan is not obligated to pay for it , ” Corlette told TPM .
Now , once federal and state-sponsored free testing initiatives begin to recede , Linke Young said , “ people are no longer going to have that certainty .
”

As the pandemic worsens around the country, the Trump administration has moved to place limits on who insurers are required to cover COVID-19 tests for.
The Trump administration made the move in a little-noticed guidance sheet released June 23 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
CMS said that insurers no longer have to cover COVID-19 testing when employers mandate a test before an employee can return to work, or when someone is tested as part of a public health surveillance program.
The move comes as the Trump administration has failed to put the weight of the federal government behind scaling up widespread COVID-19 testing, handing that task to state and local governments with minimal contributions from the feds.
Public health and insurance experts described CMS’ move to TPM as indicative of a bungled federal response to the pandemic — and, specifically, to providing testing capacity — leaving CMS to sort out questions of health insurance policy that are ill-suited to the public health needs of a national pandemic.
“The virus doesn’t care if you have insurance or not,” Dr. Dena Grayson, a doctor and researcher who worked on Ebola treatments, told TPM. “It still infects you.”
Through two laws, Congress mandated at the start of the outbreak that health insurers would fully cover COVID-19 tests — with no copays.
But the mandate came with no additional government support attached, requiring insurance companies to foot the bill for at least part of the national testing plan.
Experts in responding to pandemics argue that testing should be free, to encourage widespread usage. But neither Congress nor the Trump administration has made efforts towards answering the question of who should ultimately pay for such a program — what Grayson described as “the first step” in handling a pandemic.
Instead, the cost was shifted to insurers, with CMS issuing guidance that could be construed as limiting testing to a degree far narrower than Congress had in mind, according to Christen Linke Young, a fellow at the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.
The Trump administration’s approach left CMS “in a difficult position,” but its new guidance was not consistent with the statute, Linke Young told TPM.
“The statue says insurance companies have to pay, period — you can debate whether you think its good policy, but that’s the statute,” she added.
CMS first issued guidance in April that limited insurance coverage of testing to tests that are “medically necessary” without further defining that term, and then issued updated guidance last week which walled off tests ordered by employers or pandemic surveillance tests from insurance coverage.
“What the latest federal clarification is saying is that if you’re sick and you’ve got symptoms of COVID and you go to the doctor your plans are supposed to cover that and waive cost sharing,” Sabrina Corlette, director of Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms, told TPM.
“But if you have to get a test to go back to work, or are subject to community-wide testing, or you don’t have any symptoms — you want to get a test because maybe you want your kid to get a test to go to summer camp or you’re traveling and you want to get a test before you go — insurance companies would not be required to cover in those circumstances,” she said.
It remains unclear on the employer side who would end up footing the bill for tests that companies require of their employees before returning to work.
“Some employers are paying for this, but under the federal guidance released last week, the health plan is not obligated to pay for it,” Corlette told TPM.
Now, once federal and state-sponsored free testing initiatives begin to recede, Linke Young said, “people are no longer going to have that certainty.”
After publication, CMS issued a statement to TPM reiterating that insurers do not have to cover testing for surveillance or or employment.
“While a fundamental part of the United States COVID-19 surveillance plan, broader surveillance testing is a public health responsibility that should be done in coordination with federal and state public health officials,” the agency said.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Alas, Trump Says He’s ‘All For Masks’ But Has Yet To Wear One In Public

President Trump on Wednesday finally said that he supports wearing masks , after many Republican lawmakers spent the past week urging the public to adopt the practice in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 as cases spike in several cities .
The President , who has yet to sport a mask in public , has repeatedly expressed his reluctance to wear masks .
The White House had punted to local officials to mandate mask wearing requirements even as coronavirus cases surge .
On Monday , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the President “ would encourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local jurisdiction and CDC guidelines ” on masks , despite Vice President Mike Pence saying the day before that he ’ d “ strongly reiterate ” mask wearing wherever it ’ s impossible to practice social distancing .
Republican lawmakers — including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) ; Sens .
Lamar Alexander ( R-TN ) , Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) and Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) ; and Rep. Liz Cheney ( R-WY ) — have recently called on the public to wear masks .
Alexander went so far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to wear and encourage masks to “ end this political debate.
” When asked during an interview on Fox Business Network Wednesday about why he hasn ’ t gone forward with a nationwide mask mandate , in light of a Goldman Sachs report that universal mask wearing would be a net positive for GDP in addition to saving lives , Trump wouldn ’ t commit to making mask requirements mandatory .
“ I don ’ t know if you need mandatory because you have many places in the country where people stay very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to social distancing practices .
Trump then declared that he ’ s “ all for masks , ” which he thinks are “ good ” and added that he would wear if he ’ s in close proximity to a group of people .
Pressed on whether he would actually wear one , Trump claimed that he would because he has before .
“ Oh , I would , I have .
I mean , people have seen me wearing one , ” Trump said , without clarifying who he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in private at a Ford plant in Michigan , where someone snapped a photo of the President wearing a face covering .
In the Fox interview , the President touted that everyone around him gets tested for COVID-19 before seeing him , but added that he ’ d wear one if he ’ s “ in a tight situation.
” “ If I ’ m in a group of people where we ’ re not , you know , 10 feet away and , but usually I ’ m not in that position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Because I ’ m the president , they get tested before they see me .
But if I were in a tight situation with people I would absolutely.
” Asked if the public will witness him wearing a mask at some point , Trump replied that he ’ d “ have no problem , ” before claiming again that he wore a mask earlier and that he “ sort of liked the way ” he looked in it .

President Trump on Wednesday finally said that he supports wearing masks, after many Republican lawmakers spent the past week urging the public to adopt the practice in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 as cases spike in several cities.
The President, who has yet to sport a mask in public, has repeatedly expressed his reluctance to wear masks. The White House had punted to local officials to mandate mask wearing requirements even as coronavirus cases surge.
On Monday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the President “would encourage everyone to follow the orders of their local jurisdiction and CDC guidelines” on masks, despite Vice President Mike Pence saying the day before that he’d “strongly reiterate” mask wearing wherever it’s impossible to practice social distancing.
Republican lawmakers — including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mitt Romney (R-UT); and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) — have recently called on the public to wear masks. Alexander went so far as to double down on asking Trump to wear and encourage masks to “end this political debate.”
When asked during an interview on Fox Business Network Wednesday about why he hasn’t gone forward with a nationwide mask mandate, in light of a Goldman Sachs report that universal mask wearing would be a net positive for GDP in addition to saving lives, Trump wouldn’t commit to making mask requirements mandatory.
“I don’t know if you need mandatory because you have many places in the country where people stay very long distance,” Trump said, referring to social distancing practices.
Trump then declared that he’s “all for masks,” which he thinks are “good” and added that he would wear if he’s in close proximity to a group of people.
Pressed on whether he would actually wear one, Trump claimed that he would because he has before.
“Oh, I would, I have. I mean, people have seen me wearing one,” Trump said, without clarifying who he’s referring to. Trump wore a mask in private at a Ford plant in Michigan, where someone snapped a photo of the President wearing a face covering.
In the Fox interview, the President touted that everyone around him gets tested for COVID-19 before seeing him, but added that he’d wear one if he’s “in a tight situation.”
“If I’m in a group of people where we’re not, you know, 10 feet away and, but usually I’m not in that position and everyone is tested,” Trump said. “Because I’m the president, they get tested before they see me. But if I were in a tight situation with people I would absolutely.”
Asked if the public will witness him wearing a mask at some point, Trump replied that he’d “have no problem,” before claiming again that he wore a mask earlier and that he “sort of liked the way” he looked in it.
Watch Trump’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--Appeals Court Reinstates Florida’s Ex-Felon ‘Poll Tax’ Law While It Hears Case

A federal judge ’ s ruling striking down Florida ’ s ex-felon “ poll tax ” law was put on hold Wednesday , after the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit voted to hear the case .
Florida had used an uncommon procedural move to get the case in front of the full circuit court — which was recently flipped to a majority GOP-appointed court — while skipping the usual step of having the case first heard by a three-judge panel from the appeals court .
The 11th Circuit said Wednesday that it would follow up with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At stake are the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of ex-felons in the swing state who still owe court fines and fees .
The trial court judge had ruled that Florida could not block ex-felons from voting if they could not afford to pay off those fees .
Florida voters approved in 2018 a constitutional amendment restoring the franchise of more than 1 million ex-felons in the states .
The Republican legislature passed a law in 2019 requiring the repayment of all court fees before an ex-felon can register .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from individual ex-felons and from voting rights groups , who have argued that the regime amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax .
The state suffered a series of legal defeats in its defense of the law , culminating in the ruling in May by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle concluding that the law was unconstitutional .
The spring 2020 trial made clear that election officials had not worked out a process for keeping track of which ex-felons who still faced financial obligations that made them ineligible to vote under the 2019 law .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 80 percent of the 1 million-plus ex-felons covered by the 2018 ballot initiative owed $ 500 or more in court fees .
Hinkle ’ s order set up a system for determining if an ex-felon seeking to register to vote was unable to pay pending court fees .
The 11th Circuit granted the state ’ s request to put that order on hold while it hears the case .
Of the ten appellate judges who are considering the case , six are GOP appointees .
Five of those GOP appointee were put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

A federal judge’s ruling striking down Florida’s ex-felon “poll tax” law was put on hold Wednesday, after the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit voted to hear the case.
Florida had used an uncommon procedural move to get the case in front of the full circuit court — which was recently flipped to a majority GOP-appointed court — while skipping the usual step of having the case first heard by a three-judge panel from the appeals court.
The 11th Circuit said Wednesday that it would follow up with an order laying out a briefing schedule. At stake are the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of ex-felons in the swing state who still owe court fines and fees. The trial court judge had ruled that Florida could not block ex-felons from voting if they could not afford to pay off those fees.
Florida voters approved in 2018 a constitutional amendment restoring the franchise of more than 1 million ex-felons in the states. The Republican legislature passed a law in 2019 requiring the repayment of all court fees before an ex-felon can register. It was immediately met by a legal challenge from individual ex-felons and from voting rights groups, who have argued that the regime amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax.
The state suffered a series of legal defeats in its defense of the law, culminating in the ruling in May by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle concluding that the law was unconstitutional.
The spring 2020 trial made clear that election officials had not worked out a process for keeping track of which ex-felons who still faced financial obligations that made them ineligible to vote under the 2019 law. An expert for the challengers testified that nearly 80 percent of the 1 million-plus ex-felons covered by the 2018 ballot initiative owed $500 or more in court fees.
Hinkle’s order set up a system for determining if an ex-felon seeking to register to vote was unable to pay pending court fees.
The 11th Circuit granted the state’s request to put that order on hold while it hears the case. Of the ten appellate judges who are considering the case, six are GOP appointees. Five of those GOP appointee were put on the circuit court by President Trump.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-01--St. Louis Man Who Pointed Gun At Protesters Says He Was Victim Of ‘Terrorism’

Mark McCloskey said that he and his wife — who are the subject of a viral video that shows them barefoot and brandishing loaded weapons at a crowd of anti-racism protesters outside of their St. Louis mansion on Sunday — were victims of “ social intimidation ” and “ terrorism.
” McCloskey made the comments when asked by CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo if any damage had been done to him or his property as demonstrators marched near his house en route to the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson to demand her resignation .
Earlier in the interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how it felt to become the face of political resistance to the Black Lives Matter movement .
McCloskey defended his actions .
With his own counsel present , McCloskey said claims that he and wife , Patricia — who both carried loaded guns as demonstrators crossed their lawn — were intimidating are false .
McCloskey argued that he and his wife were the ones who had been “ assaulted ” and were shaken with “ imminent fear , ” despite the fact that they were the ones wielding weapons at protesters .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that came through the gate , ” McCloskey said , adding that race was not a factor in his decision to arm himself when he emerged from his mansion with his wife .
The video was retweeted and later deleted by President Trump , who has made a point of trumpeting messages that attack anti-racist protesters and invite praise from white supremacist supporters .
Earlier this week he tweeted and also later deleted a video that showed one of his supporters shouting “ white power !
” As he has done in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nights , McCloskey maintained that he was “ literally afraid that within seconds they would surmount the wall come into the house , kill us , burn the house down and everything that I ’ ve worked for and struggled for for the last 32 years.
” Conservative commentators like Fox News ’ Tucker Carlson have sympathized with that message .
In a separate interview on Tuesday , Carlson described the McCloskeys as a harmless couple who asserted their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves in the face of a mob who trespassed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at an opportunity on Carlson ’ s show to challenge claims that he or his wife are racists saying , “ my black clients love us.
” “ To call us racist is ridiculous , ” McCloskey said .

Mark McCloskey said that he and his wife — who are the subject of a viral video that shows them barefoot and brandishing loaded weapons at a crowd of anti-racism protesters outside of their St. Louis mansion on Sunday — were victims of “social intimidation” and “terrorism.”
McCloskey made the comments when asked by CNN’s Chris Cuomo if any damage had been done to him or his property as demonstrators marched near his house en route to the home of St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson to demand her resignation.
Earlier in the interview, Cuomo asked the personal injury attorney how it felt to become the face of political resistance to the Black Lives Matter movement. McCloskey defended his actions.
With his own counsel present, McCloskey said claims that he and wife, Patricia — who both carried loaded guns as demonstrators crossed their lawn — were intimidating are false. McCloskey argued that he and his wife were the ones who had been “assaulted” and were shaken with “imminent fear,” despite the fact that they were the ones wielding weapons at protesters.
“I was a victim of a mob that came through the gate,” McCloskey said, adding that race was not a factor in his decision to arm himself when he emerged from his mansion with his wife.
The video was retweeted and later deleted by President Trump, who has made a point of trumpeting messages that attack anti-racist protesters and invite praise from white supremacist supporters. Earlier this week he tweeted and also later deleted a video that showed one of his supporters shouting “white power!”
As he has done in a series of interviews in the past few nights, McCloskey maintained that he was “literally afraid that within seconds they would surmount the wall come into the house, kill us, burn the house down and everything that I’ve worked for and struggled for for the last 32 years.”
They were "walking down my street screaming death threats at me and threatening to burn my house and kill my dog and what rooms in my house they were going to live in after they killed me." pic.twitter.com/a8Jo7Mxlzt — Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 1, 2020
Conservative commentators like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson have sympathized with that message. In a separate interview on Tuesday, Carlson described the McCloskeys as a harmless couple who asserted their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves in the face of a mob who trespassed on private property. McCloskey, grabbed at an opportunity on Carlson’s show to challenge claims that he or his wife are racists saying, “my black clients love us.”
“To call us racist is ridiculous,” McCloskey said.