talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-02--He Built a Privately Funded Border Wall. It’s Already at Risk of Falling Down if Not Fixed.

This story first appeared at ProPublica and was co-published with the Texas Tribune .
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
Tommy Fisher billed his new privately funded border wall as the future of deterrence , a quick-to-build steel fortress that spans 3 miles in one of the busiest Border Patrol sectors .
Unlike a generation of wall builders before him , he said he figured out how to build a structure directly on the banks of the Rio Grande , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to the nation ’ s border wall system .
Fisher has leveraged his self-described “ Lamborghini ” of walls to win more than $ 1.7 billion worth of federal contracts in Arizona .
But his showcase piece is showing signs of runoff erosion and , if it ’ s not fixed , could be in danger of falling into the Rio Grande , according to engineers and hydrologists who reviewed photos of the wall for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune .
It never should have been built so close to the river @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going up , they said , photos reveal a series of gashes and gullies at various points along the structure where rainwater runoff has scoured the sandy loam beneath the foundation .
“ When the river rises , it will likely attack those areas where the foundation is exposed , further weakening support of the fence and potentially causing portions … to fall into the Rio Grande , ” said Alex Mayer , a civil engineer professor at the University of Texas at El Paso who has done research in the Rio Grande @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A company attorney , Mark Courtois , called the erosion “ a normal part of new construction projects like this and does not in any way compromise the fence or associated roadway.
” The company will seek to build drainage ditches to lessen the deterioration , he added .
Neither Courtois nor Fisher responded to additional questions made through Courtois ’ office .
The Mission private wall project , Fisher ’ s second following a similar undertaking outside El Paso , is a little known but crucial part of the effort to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to build 450 miles of “ big , beautiful wall ” by the end of 2020 .
For the administration , Texas remains the biggest challenge .
That ’ s because the Rio Grande has served as a natural divider , and , unlike other states , most land abutting it is privately owned .
Fisher ’ s New Mexico and South Texas private fence projects have gone up with financial and political help from We Build the Wall , an influential conservative nonprofit that counts former Trump political strategist Steve Bannon as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has raised $ 25 million toward the private wall effort and claims to have agreements with landowners on 250 miles of riverfront property in Texas .
Fisher ’ s success and the $ 1.3 billion contract in Arizona he won in May — the largest border wall contract ever awarded — came despite repeated questions about his qualifications and work .
Army Corps of Engineers officials have said the firm won because it submitted the lowest bid .
Last December , Rep. Bennie Thompson , D-Miss.
, called for the Pentagon ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s first $ 400 million fence contract , awarded in December over concerns of “ inappropriate influence.
” The audit is ongoing .
Victor Manjarrez , associate director for University of Texas at El Paso ’ s Center for Law and Human Behavior , said he would never have built along the river ’ s edge .
“ That is nuts , ” said Manjarrez , a former El Paso sector chief for the Border Patrol , who spent years working along the Rio Grande .
“ You ’ re going to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a flood , just normal ebb and flow .
… If I was the sector chief and built something like that , I ’ d be in so much trouble.
” Located on the southernmost tip of Texas , the Rio Grande Valley ’ s unique terrain has challenged wall builders for nearly two decades .
The topography of the Valley includes a wide floodplain that has forced the government to construct barriers inland , on top of a levee system .
That has left swaths of farmland , cemeteries and even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s land south of the fence , which has been built in fits and starts .
Though tamed by a series of irrigation and flood control dams , the Rio Grande floods periodically , and sometimes catastrophically .
In 2010 , Hurricane Alex caused widespread damage along the banks of the river , including at the National Butterfly Center , just upriver from Fisher ’ s fence .
“ People don ’ t appreciate the power of the Rio Grande when it does indeed wake up , ” said Jude Benavides , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lower Rio Grande Valley at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley .
“ It changes the landscape.
” Fisher has said his wall — about a mile south of where the government is already building its version — will finally bring “ border security to the border ” through a design that erases the flooding and erosion concerns that had scuttled earlier plans and vastly speeds up construction time .
It would be the first wall system that wouldn ’ t cause flooding or deflect water , We Build the Wall founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The best engineers in the world designed this for floods , not government employees.
” Fisher ’ s system uses excavators to hang bollard sections , and without having to obtain myriad permits and approvals , he built it in just a matter of weeks , in stark contrast to government projects that take months or years to complete .
When the government builds border fencing , it must meet a long list of requirements , including public meetings and stewardship plans , though critics say the process is fairly toothless since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many environmental requirements .
Fisher doesn ’ t have to meet even those scaled down requirements .
Government builders have also been slowed by eminent domain battles with landowners reluctant to sell .
Fisher said his riverside building plan is more attractive to those hoping to avoid a fence bisecting their land and leaving acres behind a fence .
Fisher ’ s strategy was years in the making .
Soon after the 2016 election , he became a frequent guest on Fox News , where he caught the attention of Trump .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president “ latch ( ed ) on ” to Fisher ’ s claims of speed and quality and “ aggressively pushed ” for the firm in conversations with top Homeland Security officials .
But Fisher ’ s border wall business got off to a rocky start , despite paying a lobbying firm tens of thousands of dollars to push for contracts .
In 2017 , the firm , founded in 1952 and best known for large highway projects , had its wall prototype rejected by the Department of Homeland Security .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of preapproved border wall bidders , but it was again turned down by the Army Corps of Engineers , which said it failed to meet its requirements or obtain the necessary regulatory approvals .
In response , Fisher sued the department and was added to the list of preapproved bidders thanks to White House pressure , administration officials told the Post last year .
Fisher was also aided by a close relationship with freshman U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer , R-N.D. , who advocated for the company with Trump and Trump ’ s son-in-law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members donated at least $ 24,000 during Cramer ’ s victorious 2018 bid , according to campaign finance records .
Cramer ’ s spokesperson did not return emails for comment .
Fisher ’ s ambition was matched by his brashness , another quality that observers say drew him to the president .
Last year , he compared traditional government wall building to a horse and carriage .
“ But I have a Lamborghini , and there ’ s gon na be this concrete road , and we can do two hundred miles an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told Texas Monthly .
As Cramer lobbied for the company , which included bringing Fisher to Trump ’ s 2018 State of the Union address , Fisher embarked on two private ventures alongside We Build the Wall , whose board members include immigration hardliners such as former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo , former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach .
The first was in a mountainous area of Sunland Park , New Mexico , just outside of El Paso , where a half-mile wall of fencing appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents around Memorial Day 2019 .
Sunland Park officials temporarily halted the group ’ s fence project because it lacked proper building permits , prompting We Build The Wall to launch a campaign to flood town personnel with pushback .
“ So Sunland Park officials support open borders , the sex slaves and illegal drugs coming into their communities ?
” Kolfage responded on Twitter , and he directed followers to “ burn up the phone lines.
” Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea said he received several death threats and thousands of messages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back and that opposition to the wall is equivalent to treason .
“ I will support legislation to that effect , ” one email read .
“ I would attend the hangings.
” “ If they had followed the rules from the very beginning , this wouldn ’ t have been so much chaos and controversy , ” he told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune .
“ But that was not their intention , their intention was to bring attention to the issues and fundraising.
” The city ultimately issued the permits and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months later , Fisher moved 800 miles east , and as his companies did in Sunland Park , he began building , this time along the sandy banks of the Rio Grande .
The $ 42 million project , which included a $ 1.5 million contribution from We Build the Wall , sputtered at the start .
As Fisher began clearing a path for the wall , his company was sued by the federal government and a neighboring wildlife refuge in December .
The National Butterfly Center and the International Boundary and Water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its subsidiaries to court to stop it from building the fence until it submitted a detailed engineering study to determine the fence ’ s impact on the flow of the Rio Grande and nearby properties .
The IBWC is a binational body that regulates building in the floodplain between the U.S. and Mexico because structures can worsen flooding and alter the course of the river , potentially violating international water treaties .
Here , the international boundary is an imaginary line through the middle of the river .
The commission had dealt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it also raised concerns after his team built on federal property without permission .
In turn , Kolfage , a decorated Iraq War veteran , responded with a social media campaign implying the IBWC and its commissioner , Jayne Harkins , a Trump appointee , were letting unauthorized immigrants into the country and undermining the president .
That pattern repeated in Texas .
Kolfage took aim at the National Butterfly Center as well as Rev .
Roy Snipes , the parish priest at La Lomita church , an iconic sanctuary built along the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics of the private wall effort and previously convinced lawmakers to exempt their properties from future government wall-building plans .
Kolfage tweeted that they were “ promoting trafficking of children , ” and that the butterfly center was home to a “ rampant sex trade.
” The center ’ s executive director Marianna Treviño-Wright also received death threats .
One irate Facebook user told her , “ You need to all be in jail or hanged.
” It was “ shocking ” to be on the receiving end of such hate , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impact on the 100-acre wildlife center , which educates the public about biodiversity and relies on grants and donations .
In court , the IBWC complained to U.S. District Judge Randy Crane that instead of submitting the required comprehensive hydraulic models , Fisher and his team had turned in a six-page document with basic drawings that lacked necessary details .
Despite repeated requests for the additional information and assurances that construction would stop until the U.S. section of the IBWC could analyze the model and confer with its Mexican counterparts , Fisher Industries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and grade the banks , court testimony shows .
Fisher insisted that he was acting in good faith and that he had met with IBWC officials , including Harkins , before the project to show them what his builders planned to do .
The agency , he testified , didn ’ t raise any red flags with the project and told him its jurisdiction was limited on private property .
Crane ruled in Fisher ’ s favor in January , saying that even though the engineering studies hadn ’ t been completed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project would violate the treaty with Mexico .
He allowed Fisher to proceed with construction , but the lawsuit continued as the IBWC ran the hydraulic models .
Two months later , with the nation ’ s attention fixated on the COVID-19 outbreak , Kolfage hailed the fence ’ s completion with a highly produced video .
In March , the IBWC ’ s model determined the fence violated the treaty by deflecting too much water at one point along its length .
But overall , it found the wall ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ design changes , such as installing a gate .
Lawrence Dunbar , an environmental and civil engineer who reviewed the report on behalf of ProPublica and The Texas Tribune , said the model was off , in part because it used flawed bollard width measurements that would show less blockage .
The IBWC also needed to start the model farther upstream from the fence for it to work properly , he said .
“ I would have expected that the fence would increase the water level ( during a flooding event ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Dunbar , who has 30 years of experience in flood and drainage matters and is a former lead hydrologist for the Army Corps of Engineers in the development of various floodplains for FEMA .
“ You are putting in an obstruction , a barrier , in the middle of the floodplain of a major river that has a levee back away from it , ” said Dunbar , who has served as an expert witness on a number of state and federal lawsuits , including before the U.S. Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get it right , and they clearly did not get it right.
” Sally Spener , a spokeswoman for the IBWC , said the commission couldn ’ t comment on specifics of the model because of the pending lawsuit against Fisher , but she said the commission ’ s engineers have “ top-notch qualifications and experience.
” Critics say the commission ’ s decision reflects relaxed oversight at the agency , which in recent years has allowed more construction-friendly hydrology models in part because of political pressure .
“ They still know the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not adversely affect Mexico and will not affect the boundary in a flood , ” said Stephen Mumm , a political science professor at Colorado State University , who has spent decades studying U.S.-Mexico water diplomacy .
But , he added , each section has to represent its respective governments and be responsive to their presidents .
For the first time in February , IBWC Commissioner Harkins donated a total of $ 500 to the Trump campaign and a Republican political action committee , even as her agency was suing Fisher for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violate the treaty she oversees .
None of her three predecessors made similar contributions during their tenure , according to federal campaign contribution records .
Through a spokeswoman , Harkins said , she “ simply responded to a routine solicitation for a political contribution.
” While Mexico has opposed border wall projects , it has done so quietly .
Officials refused to comment for this story , referring all questions to the U.S. section of the commission .
Spener said their Mexican counterparts are still reviewing the updated hydraulic model .
But they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raise water elevation as a result , she said , and that the fence could be knocked down during a flood , causing downstream impacts .
Why Border Walls Aren ’ t Built by the River There ’ s a reason neither the government nor the private sector has built large structures so close to the river .
Given the dynamics of the water , the type of terrain and the distance , it wasn ’ t a matter of whether there would be issues , experts said , it was a matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas Tribune consulted six hydrologists and engineers , with expertise in wall construction , building near waterways or familiarity with the Rio Grande .
They analyzed a combination of the six-page analysis from Fisher Industries ; a 24-page hydraulic analysis by the IBWC from March ; a series of photos of the fence and project details taken from court testimony .
Unlike the bollard fences that the government builds 6 to 7 feet into the ground , Fisher ’ s wall has roughly a 2 1/2-foot foundation that stretches 8 feet wide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project ’ s engineer , downplayed the impact of wind on the fence ’ s shallow foundation and said he was confident that the footing design was appropriate for the area .
“ To me , that was the biggest mistake they made , ” said Joseph Jarvis , an engineer who worked on border wall segments 12 years ago .
“ While they focused on the velocity of the water that would go through the bollards , the bigger problem is the water that runs parallel ( to the fence ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to erode the dirt that ’ s supporting the foundation.
” Amy Patrick , a Houston forensic structural and civil engineer and court-recognized expert on wall construction , said she worries about its stability long-term .
“ They are relying on a very shallow foundation to prevent overturning and then not taking care to ensure the bank on the Rio Grande side of the fence does not erode , ” said Patrick , who has questioned the engineering viability of border walls generally along the southern border .
Fisher ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vegetation .
They said it had been reseeded but the photographs still show bald spots .
Native vegetation is key , said Adriana E. Martinez , a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor and geomorphologist who has studied the impact of the barriers on her hometown of Eagle Pass , Texas .
It helps slow erosion and minimize the amount of sediment going into the river , which can affect water quality .
The Rio Grande supplies drinking water for more than 6 million people .
Solutions to the fence ’ s erosion range @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and thoroughly revegetating with native species to installing piers beneath the foundation , some more costly than others .
It will also require constant monitoring and maintenance , the experts said , as debris can clog the fence during heavy storms potentially worsening flooding .
Spener , who confirmed the erosion , said the IBWC has advised Fisher that the company needs to monitor the slope and repair any issues “ in a timely manner.
” But it ’ s unclear what Fisher ’ s maintenance plan is .
Neither the IBWC nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Butterfly Center , has received a copy from Fisher since they requested it in April .
Courtois , the company attorney , did not comment on the maintenance issue , but he said the fence and roadway have performed as intended and are structurally sound .
He said Fisher had personally inspected the site last week and attributed the erosion to light surface sand and the parts where “ vegetation has not yet fully taken hold.
” Spener said the commission ’ s enforcement authority in terms of ordering fixes or changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the ongoing lawsuit .
U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro , D-Texas , called the privately funded wall an illegal vanity project that jeopardizes the property and safety of Texas landowners .
He urged the IBWC and courts to take the erosion seriously .
“ It ’ s clear that no degree of ‘ adjustments ’ to the wall will work , ” said Castro , vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee .
“ This unnecessary ‘ wall ’ must be taken down.
” The New Mexico and South Texas projects are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We Build the Wall .
They ’ ve both touted agreements with landowners in Texas for hundreds of miles of riverfront property , where the entities could conceivably build more walls like the one in Mission .
Kolfage declined to specify locations .
They ’ ve said they hope to sell or donate the walls to the U.S. government .
So far U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not agreed to take control of the Mission fence , but it has said it is not concerned about the private wall interfering with its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ include building a parallel wall on about 13 miles of newly refurbished levee — about a mile above the Fisher structure — as part of a larger $ 300 million project .
And following construction of the Mission fence , the Department of Homeland Security in May announced it was open to allowing private firms to pitch border fence projects .
Kolfage called the change a direct result of the private wall projects , which “ prov ( ed ) the power of private enterprise.
” Out of 30 possible locations identified by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 23 are in Texas .
Another federal court hearing is scheduled for next week , where Peña , the attorney for butterfly center , said he will urge the judge to order an immediate inspection .
Also unresolved is the IBCW ’ s push for a fix to the deflection problem , where the fence can obstruct the path of the river during a flood event , in violation of the international treaty .
Spener said they ’ ve asked Fisher for a plan detailing how they propose to address the issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has packed his equipment and moved out west again , where he is erecting a 30-foot fence along the southern Arizona border for the federal government .
“ They built the wall and left , ” Peña said .
“ They got their donations , their government contract and they left us .
”

This story first appeared at ProPublica and was co-published with the Texas Tribune. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Tommy Fisher billed his new privately funded border wall as the future of deterrence, a quick-to-build steel fortress that spans 3 miles in one of the busiest Border Patrol sectors.
Unlike a generation of wall builders before him, he said he figured out how to build a structure directly on the banks of the Rio Grande, a risky but potentially game-changing step when it came to the nation’s border wall system.
Fisher has leveraged his self-described “Lamborghini” of walls to win more than $1.7 billion worth of federal contracts in Arizona.
But his showcase piece is showing signs of runoff erosion and, if it’s not fixed, could be in danger of falling into the Rio Grande, according to engineers and hydrologists who reviewed photos of the wall for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. It never should have been built so close to the river, they say.
Just months after going up, they said, photos reveal a series of gashes and gullies at various points along the structure where rainwater runoff has scoured the sandy loam beneath the foundation.
“When the river rises, it will likely attack those areas where the foundation is exposed, further weakening support of the fence and potentially causing portions … to fall into the Rio Grande,” said Alex Mayer, a civil engineer professor at the University of Texas at El Paso who has done research in the Rio Grande basin.
Fisher dismissed the concerns. A company attorney, Mark Courtois, called the erosion “a normal part of new construction projects like this and does not in any way compromise the fence or associated roadway.” The company will seek to build drainage ditches to lessen the deterioration, he added. Neither Courtois nor Fisher responded to additional questions made through Courtois’ office.
The Mission private wall project, Fisher’s second following a similar undertaking outside El Paso, is a little known but crucial part of the effort to help President Donald Trump meet his campaign promise to build 450 miles of “big, beautiful wall” by the end of 2020. For the administration, Texas remains the biggest challenge. That’s because the Rio Grande has served as a natural divider, and, unlike other states, most land abutting it is privately owned.
Fisher’s New Mexico and South Texas private fence projects have gone up with financial and political help from We Build the Wall, an influential conservative nonprofit that counts former Trump political strategist Steve Bannon as a board member. The group says it has raised $25 million toward the private wall effort and claims to have agreements with landowners on 250 miles of riverfront property in Texas.
Fisher’s success and the $1.3 billion contract in Arizona he won in May — the largest border wall contract ever awarded — came despite repeated questions about his qualifications and work. Army Corps of Engineers officials have said the firm won because it submitted the lowest bid.
Last December, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., called for the Pentagon’s inspector general to review Fisher’s first $400 million fence contract, awarded in December over concerns of “inappropriate influence.” The audit is ongoing.
Victor Manjarrez, associate director for University of Texas at El Paso’s Center for Law and Human Behavior, said he would never have built along the river’s edge.
“That is nuts,” said Manjarrez, a former El Paso sector chief for the Border Patrol, who spent years working along the Rio Grande. “You’re going to get all the hydrology problems and not even from a flood, just normal ebb and flow. … If I was the sector chief and built something like that, I’d be in so much trouble.”
Building Challenges
Located on the southernmost tip of Texas, the Rio Grande Valley’s unique terrain has challenged wall builders for nearly two decades. The topography of the Valley includes a wide floodplain that has forced the government to construct barriers inland, on top of a levee system. That has left swaths of farmland, cemeteries and even homes in a kind of no man’s land south of the fence, which has been built in fits and starts.
Though tamed by a series of irrigation and flood control dams, the Rio Grande floods periodically, and sometimes catastrophically. In 2010, Hurricane Alex caused widespread damage along the banks of the river, including at the National Butterfly Center, just upriver from Fisher’s fence.
“People don’t appreciate the power of the Rio Grande when it does indeed wake up,” said Jude Benavides, who specializes in floodplain mapping in the Lower Rio Grande Valley at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. “It changes the landscape.”
Fisher has said his wall — about a mile south of where the government is already building its version — will finally bring “border security to the border” through a design that erases the flooding and erosion concerns that had scuttled earlier plans and vastly speeds up construction time.
It would be the first wall system that wouldn’t cause flooding or deflect water, We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage claimed in a tweet. “The best engineers in the world designed this for floods, not government employees.”
Fisher’s system uses excavators to hang bollard sections, and without having to obtain myriad permits and approvals, he built it in just a matter of weeks, in stark contrast to government projects that take months or years to complete.
When the government builds border fencing, it must meet a long list of requirements, including public meetings and stewardship plans, though critics say the process is fairly toothless since the Department of Homeland Security has waived many environmental requirements.
Fisher doesn’t have to meet even those scaled down requirements.
Government builders have also been slowed by eminent domain battles with landowners reluctant to sell. Fisher said his riverside building plan is more attractive to those hoping to avoid a fence bisecting their land and leaving acres behind a fence.
How Fisher Started Building
Fisher’s strategy was years in the making. Soon after the 2016 election, he became a frequent guest on Fox News, where he caught the attention of Trump. Last year, The Washington Post reported that the president “latch(ed) on” to Fisher’s claims of speed and quality and “aggressively pushed” for the firm in conversations with top Homeland Security officials.
But Fisher’s border wall business got off to a rocky start, despite paying a lobbying firm tens of thousands of dollars to push for contracts. In 2017, the firm, founded in 1952 and best known for large highway projects, had its wall prototype rejected by the Department of Homeland Security. It later attempted to join an elite group of preapproved border wall bidders, but it was again turned down by the Army Corps of Engineers, which said it failed to meet its requirements or obtain the necessary regulatory approvals.
In response, Fisher sued the department and was added to the list of preapproved bidders thanks to White House pressure, administration officials told the Post last year.
Fisher was also aided by a close relationship with freshman U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who advocated for the company with Trump and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Fisher and family members donated at least $24,000 during Cramer’s victorious 2018 bid, according to campaign finance records. Cramer’s spokesperson did not return emails for comment.
Fisher’s ambition was matched by his brashness, another quality that observers say drew him to the president. Last year, he compared traditional government wall building to a horse and carriage. “But I have a Lamborghini, and there’s gonna be this concrete road, and we can do two hundred miles an hour, not ten,” he told Texas Monthly.
As Cramer lobbied for the company, which included bringing Fisher to Trump’s 2018 State of the Union address, Fisher embarked on two private ventures alongside We Build the Wall, whose board members include immigration hardliners such as former Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo, former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
The first was in a mountainous area of Sunland Park, New Mexico, just outside of El Paso, where a half-mile wall of fencing appeared seemingly overnight to the surprise of local residents around Memorial Day 2019.
Sunland Park officials temporarily halted the group’s fence project because it lacked proper building permits, prompting We Build The Wall to launch a campaign to flood town personnel with pushback.
“So Sunland Park officials support open borders, the sex slaves and illegal drugs coming into their communities?” Kolfage responded on Twitter, and he directed followers to “burn up the phone lines.”
Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea said he received several death threats and thousands of messages, some telling him to watch his back and that opposition to the wall is equivalent to treason. “I will support legislation to that effect,” one email read. “I would attend the hangings.”
“If they had followed the rules from the very beginning, this wouldn’t have been so much chaos and controversy,” he told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune. “But that was not their intention, their intention was to bring attention to the issues and fundraising.” The city ultimately issued the permits and the wall is still standing.
Six months later, Fisher moved 800 miles east, and as his companies did in Sunland Park, he began building, this time along the sandy banks of the Rio Grande.
A Lawsuit Slows Building
The $42 million project, which included a $1.5 million contribution from We Build the Wall, sputtered at the start. As Fisher began clearing a path for the wall, his company was sued by the federal government and a neighboring wildlife refuge in December.
The National Butterfly Center and the International Boundary and Water Commission brought Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. and its subsidiaries to court to stop it from building the fence until it submitted a detailed engineering study to determine the fence’s impact on the flow of the Rio Grande and nearby properties.
The IBWC is a binational body that regulates building in the floodplain between the U.S. and Mexico because structures can worsen flooding and alter the course of the river, potentially violating international water treaties. Here, the international boundary is an imaginary line through the middle of the river.
The commission had dealt with Fisher in New Mexico, where it also raised concerns after his team built on federal property without permission. In turn, Kolfage, a decorated Iraq War veteran, responded with a social media campaign implying the IBWC and its commissioner, Jayne Harkins, a Trump appointee, were letting unauthorized immigrants into the country and undermining the president.
That pattern repeated in Texas. Kolfage took aim at the National Butterfly Center as well as Rev. Roy Snipes, the parish priest at La Lomita church, an iconic sanctuary built along the Rio Grande in 1899. Both are critics of the private wall effort and previously convinced lawmakers to exempt their properties from future government wall-building plans.
Kolfage tweeted that they were “promoting trafficking of children,” and that the butterfly center was home to a “rampant sex trade.”
The center’s executive director Marianna Treviño-Wright also received death threats. One irate Facebook user told her, “You need to all be in jail or hanged.”
It was “shocking” to be on the receiving end of such hate, said Treviño-Wright, who worries about the financial impact on the 100-acre wildlife center, which educates the public about biodiversity and relies on grants and donations.
In court, the IBWC complained to U.S. District Judge Randy Crane that instead of submitting the required comprehensive hydraulic models, Fisher and his team had turned in a six-page document with basic drawings that lacked necessary details.
Despite repeated requests for the additional information and assurances that construction would stop until the U.S. section of the IBWC could analyze the model and confer with its Mexican counterparts, Fisher Industries continued to dig trenches, remove vegetation and grade the banks, court testimony shows.
Fisher insisted that he was acting in good faith and that he had met with IBWC officials, including Harkins, before the project to show them what his builders planned to do. The agency, he testified, didn’t raise any red flags with the project and told him its jurisdiction was limited on private property.
Crane ruled in Fisher’s favor in January, saying that even though the engineering studies hadn’t been completed, government attorneys had failed to show that the project would violate the treaty with Mexico. He allowed Fisher to proceed with construction, but the lawsuit continued as the IBWC ran the hydraulic models. Two months later, with the nation’s attention fixated on the COVID-19 outbreak, Kolfage hailed the fence’s completion with a highly produced video.
In March, the IBWC’s model determined the fence violated the treaty by deflecting too much water at one point along its length. But overall, it found the wall’s impacts to be minor and recommended small design changes, such as installing a gate.
Lawrence Dunbar, an environmental and civil engineer who reviewed the report on behalf of ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, said the model was off, in part because it used flawed bollard width measurements that would show less blockage. The IBWC also needed to start the model farther upstream from the fence for it to work properly, he said.
“I would have expected that the fence would increase the water level (during a flooding event), the only question was by how much,” said Dunbar, who has 30 years of experience in flood and drainage matters and is a former lead hydrologist for the Army Corps of Engineers in the development of various floodplains for FEMA.
“You are putting in an obstruction, a barrier, in the middle of the floodplain of a major river that has a levee back away from it,” said Dunbar, who has served as an expert witness on a number of state and federal lawsuits, including before the U.S. Supreme Court. “It’s important they get it right, and they clearly did not get it right.”
Sally Spener, a spokeswoman for the IBWC, said the commission couldn’t comment on specifics of the model because of the pending lawsuit against Fisher, but she said the commission’s engineers have “top-notch qualifications and experience.”
Critics say the commission’s decision reflects relaxed oversight at the agency, which in recent years has allowed more construction-friendly hydrology models in part because of political pressure.
“They still know the U.S. cannot guarantee that the fence will not adversely affect Mexico and will not affect the boundary in a flood,” said Stephen Mumm, a political science professor at Colorado State University, who has spent decades studying U.S.-Mexico water diplomacy.
But, he added, each section has to represent its respective governments and be responsive to their presidents.
For the first time in February, IBWC Commissioner Harkins donated a total of $500 to the Trump campaign and a Republican political action committee, even as her agency was suing Fisher for failing to prove its fence would not violate the treaty she oversees. None of her three predecessors made similar contributions during their tenure, according to federal campaign contribution records. Through a spokeswoman, Harkins said, she “simply responded to a routine solicitation for a political contribution.”
While Mexico has opposed border wall projects, it has done so quietly. Officials refused to comment for this story, referring all questions to the U.S. section of the commission. Spener said their Mexican counterparts are still reviewing the updated hydraulic model.
But they are concerned about potential obstruction that could raise water elevation as a result, she said, and that the fence could be knocked down during a flood, causing downstream impacts.
Why Border Walls Aren’t Built by the River
There’s a reason neither the government nor the private sector has built large structures so close to the river. Given the dynamics of the water, the type of terrain and the distance, it wasn’t a matter of whether there would be issues, experts said, it was a matter of how soon.
ProPublica and The Texas Tribune consulted six hydrologists and engineers, with expertise in wall construction, building near waterways or familiarity with the Rio Grande. They analyzed a combination of the six-page analysis from Fisher Industries; a 24-page hydraulic analysis by the IBWC from March; a series of photos of the fence and project details taken from court testimony.
Unlike the bollard fences that the government builds 6 to 7 feet into the ground, Fisher’s wall has roughly a 2 1/2-foot foundation that stretches 8 feet wide. During court testimony, Greg Gentsch, the project’s engineer, downplayed the impact of wind on the fence’s shallow foundation and said he was confident that the footing design was appropriate for the area.
“To me, that was the biggest mistake they made,” said Joseph Jarvis, an engineer who worked on border wall segments 12 years ago. “While they focused on the velocity of the water that would go through the bollards, the bigger problem is the water that runs parallel (to the fence), that’s the one that’s going to erode the dirt that’s supporting the foundation.”
Amy Patrick, a Houston forensic structural and civil engineer and court-recognized expert on wall construction, said she worries about its stability long-term. “They are relying on a very shallow foundation to prevent overturning and then not taking care to ensure the bank on the Rio Grande side of the fence does not erode,” said Patrick, who has questioned the engineering viability of border walls generally along the southern border.
Fisher’s team stripped the bank of its vegetation. They said it had been reseeded but the photographs still show bald spots. Native vegetation is key, said Adriana E. Martinez, a Southern Illinois University Edwardsville professor and geomorphologist who has studied the impact of the barriers on her hometown of Eagle Pass, Texas. It helps slow erosion and minimize the amount of sediment going into the river, which can affect water quality. The Rio Grande supplies drinking water for more than 6 million people.
Solutions to the fence’s erosion range from filling the areas that are eroded and thoroughly revegetating with native species to installing piers beneath the foundation, some more costly than others. It will also require constant monitoring and maintenance, the experts said, as debris can clog the fence during heavy storms potentially worsening flooding.
Spener, who confirmed the erosion, said the IBWC has advised Fisher that the company needs to monitor the slope and repair any issues “in a timely manner.”
But it’s unclear what Fisher’s maintenance plan is. Neither the IBWC nor Javier Peña, the attorney representing the National Butterfly Center, has received a copy from Fisher since they requested it in April.
Courtois, the company attorney, did not comment on the maintenance issue, but he said the fence and roadway have performed as intended and are structurally sound. He said Fisher had personally inspected the site last week and attributed the erosion to light surface sand and the parts where “vegetation has not yet fully taken hold.”
Spener said the commission’s enforcement authority in terms of ordering fixes or changes to a completed structure would be decided in the ongoing lawsuit.
U.S. Rep. Joaquín Castro, D-Texas, called the privately funded wall an illegal vanity project that jeopardizes the property and safety of Texas landowners. He urged the IBWC and courts to take the erosion seriously.
“It’s clear that no degree of ‘adjustments’ to the wall will work,” said Castro, vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “This unnecessary ‘wall’ must be taken down.”
More Border Wall to Build
The New Mexico and South Texas projects are likely only the beginning for Fisher and We Build the Wall. They’ve both touted agreements with landowners in Texas for hundreds of miles of riverfront property, where the entities could conceivably build more walls like the one in Mission. Kolfage declined to specify locations.
They’ve said they hope to sell or donate the walls to the U.S. government. So far U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not agreed to take control of the Mission fence, but it has said it is not concerned about the private wall interfering with its own efforts in the region, which include building a parallel wall on about 13 miles of newly refurbished levee — about a mile above the Fisher structure — as part of a larger $300 million project.
And following construction of the Mission fence, the Department of Homeland Security in May announced it was open to allowing private firms to pitch border fence projects. Kolfage called the change a direct result of the private wall projects, which “prov(ed) the power of private enterprise.”
Out of 30 possible locations identified by the government for potential private wall projects, 23 are in Texas.
Another federal court hearing is scheduled for next week, where Peña, the attorney for butterfly center, said he will urge the judge to order an immediate inspection.
Also unresolved is the IBCW’s push for a fix to the deflection problem, where the fence can obstruct the path of the river during a flood event, in violation of the international treaty. Spener said they’ve asked Fisher for a plan detailing how they propose to address the issue.
At least for now, Fisher has packed his equipment and moved out west again, where he is erecting a 30-foot fence along the southern Arizona border for the federal government.
“They built the wall and left,” Peña said. “They got their donations, their government contract and they left us.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-02--Herman Cain Hospitalized For COVID-19 Two Weeks After Attending Trump’s Tulsa Rally

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19 , according to a statement posted to his Twitter account .
The statement said that Cain “ developed symptoms serious enough ” that required hospitalization , and he spent Wednesday night in an Atlanta-area hospital .
As of Thursday , he did not require a respirator and is “ awake and alert.
” Although Cain ’ s statement said that “ there is no way of knowing for sure how or where ” he contracted the coronavirus , it ’ s worth noting that Cain posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Tulsa rally a couple weeks ago , which was held indoors and did not require face masks to be worn .
Responding to Cain ’ s hospitalization after testing positive for COVID-19 , Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement that “ contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals.
” Murtaugh also denied that Cain met with the President at the Tulsa rally .
Editor of HermanCain.com Dan Calabrese said in a post that he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be fine ” but that staffers at his site “ honestly have no idea where he contracted it.
” “ I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally , but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week , including to Arizona where cases are spiking , ” Calabrese wrote .
“ I don ’ t think there ’ s any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected .
We ’ ll never know.
” The 74-year-old former pizza restaurant executive was previously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but beat the odds upon becoming cancer-free in 2011 .
His previous history with cancer puts him at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 .
Last year , President Trump nominated Cain to serve on the Federal Reserve Board , saying that Cain is “ a very terrific man , a terrific person.
” Cain ’ s nomination , however , was met with controversy when he was accused by at least two women of sexual harassment during his time leading the National Restaurant Association , which paid out settlements to the women .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he withdrew his name from consideration for the Fed position because the $ 183,100 salary would amount to a pay cut .

Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement posted to his Twitter account.
The statement said that Cain “developed symptoms serious enough” that required hospitalization, and he spent Wednesday night in an Atlanta-area hospital. As of Thursday, he did not require a respirator and is “awake and alert.”
We are sorry to announce that Herman Cain has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently receiving treatment in an Atlanta-area hospital. Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers. Our full statement appears below. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/lDRW7Rla4e — Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) July 2, 2020
Although Cain’s statement said that “there is no way of knowing for sure how or where” he contracted the coronavirus, it’s worth noting that Cain posted a photo of himself at Trump’s Tulsa rally a couple weeks ago, which was held indoors and did not require face masks to be worn.
Responding to Cain’s hospitalization after testing positive for COVID-19, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement that “contact tracing was conducted after the Tulsa rally but we do not comment regarding the medical information of individuals.”
Murtaugh also denied that Cain met with the President at the Tulsa rally.
Editor of HermanCain.com Dan Calabrese said in a post that he’s “confident” that Cain “will be fine” but that staffers at his site “honestly have no idea where he contracted it.”
“I realize people will speculate about the Tulsa rally, but Herman did a lot of traveling the past week, including to Arizona where cases are spiking,” Calabrese wrote. “I don’t think there’s any way to trace this to the one specific contact that caused him to be infected. We’ll never know.”
The 74-year-old former pizza restaurant executive was previously diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006, but beat the odds upon becoming cancer-free in 2011. His previous history with cancer puts him at higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
Last year, President Trump nominated Cain to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, saying that Cain is “a very terrific man, a terrific person.”
Cain’s nomination, however, was met with controversy when he was accused by at least two women of sexual harassment during his time leading the National Restaurant Association, which paid out settlements to the women.
After denying the harassment allegation, Cain said he withdrew his name from consideration for the Fed position because the $183,100 salary would amount to a pay cut.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-02--It’s Not Just More Testing: Giroir Says COVID Spike Is ‘A Real Increase In Cases’

Assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir said Thursday that the rate of positive COVID-19 cases has increased , challenging an earlier claim made by President Trump that the only reason the U.S. has seen such a spike in coronavirus cases was because of expanded testing for the virus .
“ There is no question that the more testing you get , the more you will uncover , ” Giroir , the Trump administration ’ s point person on coronavirus testing , told a select House subcommittee on the coronavirus .
“ But we do believe this is a real increase in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s are going up .
So , this is real increases in cases.
” Giroir was responding to a question about Trump ’ s argument that new COVID-19 hot spots and spiking cases are largely due to increased testing efforts .
At Trump ’ s rally last month in Tulsa , the President infamously said he had asked his administration to “ slow the testing down.
” Giroir also cautioned that while country had “ flattened the curve ” at one time in the early days of the pandemic , that is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some states .
“ The curve is still going up , ” he said , adding that infections in Arizona , California , Florida and Texas now account for 50 % of the nation ’ s new cases as they continue to set new daily records in positive test results .
In a separate committee briefing on Wednesday , Giroir suggested that the country ’ s coronavirus testing is close to pushing the limits of its capacity .
Testing lines have been known to stretch for miles at some sites .
Young people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 35 , who are gathering and not wearing proper protection such as masks , are key actors in perpetuating the outbreaks , Giroir said .
Although many states have made progress in slowing the spread of the virus , Giroir said spikes in hotspot states are “ very concerning to all in public health .
”

Assistant Health Secretary Brett Giroir said Thursday that the rate of positive COVID-19 cases has increased, challenging an earlier claim made by President Trump that the only reason the U.S. has seen such a spike in coronavirus cases was because of expanded testing for the virus.
Asst. Health Secretary Brett Giroir said of positive cases in COVID-19 testing on Thursday: "There is no question that the more testing you get, the more you will uncover – but we do believe this is a real increase in cases, because the percent positivities are going up." pic.twitter.com/01q4V8QDzl — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 2, 2020
“There is no question that the more testing you get, the more you will uncover,” Giroir, the Trump administration’s point person on coronavirus testing, told a select House subcommittee on the coronavirus. “But we do believe this is a real increase in cases, because the percent positivity’s are going up. So, this is real increases in cases.”
Giroir was responding to a question about Trump’s argument that new COVID-19 hot spots and spiking cases are largely due to increased testing efforts. At Trump’s rally last month in Tulsa, the President infamously said he had asked his administration to “slow the testing down.”
Giroir also cautioned that while country had “flattened the curve” at one time in the early days of the pandemic, that is no longer the reality as cases surge in some states.
“The curve is still going up,” he said, adding that infections in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas now account for 50% of the nation’s new cases as they continue to set new daily records in positive test results.
In a separate committee briefing on Wednesday, Giroir suggested that the country’s coronavirus testing is close to pushing the limits of its capacity. Testing lines have been known to stretch for miles at some sites.
Young people, particularly those under the age of 35, who are gathering and not wearing proper protection such as masks, are key actors in perpetuating the outbreaks, Giroir said.
Although many states have made progress in slowing the spread of the virus, Giroir said spikes in hotspot states are “very concerning to all in public health.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--New COVID Outbreaks Push Inmate Cases Past 50,000

COLUMBUS , Ohio ( AP ) — The number of prison inmates testing positive for the coronavirus soared well past the 50,000 mark last month , as recent outbreaks threatened to undo control measures put in place earlier in the pandemic .
At the end of June , the total number of coronavirus cases among prisoners had reached at least 52,649 , an increase of 8 % from the week before , according to data compiled by the Marshall Project , a nonprofit news organization focusing on criminal justice , and The Associated Press .
Of those , at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 616 inmates have died , the data showed .
Among staff , more than 11,180 cases of coronavirus have been reported , including 43 deaths .
As of June 30 , only Wyoming and Hawaii still had not identified any confirmed cases of coronavirus among prisoners .
New cases in prisons began to drop last month , with less of the rapid growth seen in the spring when Michigan , Ohio , Tennessee , Texas and other states began mass testing of prisoners , the data shows .
But by the end of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California and Texas began to push the numbers up again .
The rising cases in prisons is mirroring a large increase in cases across the U.S. , where there have been some 50,000 total per day over the past few days and hot spots are exploding in multiple states , including Arizona , Florida and Texas .
Prisons have been of specific concern because of social distancing worries , and the fear that outbreaks inside crowded facilities can affect surrounding communities as employees and vendors come and go .
The federal Bureau of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 94 .
Ohio led states with the most deaths , with 86 reported through the end of June .
More than 5,000 federal inmates have tested positive .
Coronavirus outbreaks in prison are an indictment of mass incarceration in the U.S. , with many systems warehousing people in situations that make social distancing impossible , said Nicole Porter , director of advocacy for The Sentencing Project .
Porter said the response by governors has been inadequate , with only minimal releases of inmates in most states in an effort to free up space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should be moving to release all inmates scheduled to get out this year , she said .
In Louisiana , for example , a state panel tasked with examining up to 1,100 inmates for release ultimately approved just 100 , of which 63 will be released , The Advocate reported .
“ A global pandemic creates a level of urgency that people should not be kept in prison one day longer than necessary , ” Porter said .
“ Many of those people pose absolutely no threat to public safety and their liberty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” California saw a setback this week in its efforts to control the virus , when a third of the 3,500 inmates at San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco tested positive after officials transferred 121 inmates from the heavily affected California Institution for Men in Chino on May 30 without properly testing them for infections .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom has defended his administration ’ s handling of the pandemic in prisons , noting that he has ordered about 3,500 early releases , plans about 3,500 more , and halted transfers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prisons for social isolation .
Six states — Arkansas , Connecticut , Michigan , New Jersey , Ohio and Tennessee — now have infection rates higher than one of every 10 inmates , according to the Marshall Project data .
In Ohio , cases have now been reported in nearly all prisons , but two account for the majority of cases : Pickaway Correctional Institution in central Ohio , which includes a medical wing , and Marion Correctional Institution in north-central Ohio , where virtually all inmates tested positive .
Thirty-six inmates died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction .
Prison advocates in Ohio are using the pandemic to promote legislation working its way through the Statehouse that would reduce the number of people sent to prison for drug crimes .
“ They could save lives by reducing the prison population as the COVID-19 death toll continues to rise behind bars , ” said Piet van Lier , a researcher for Policy Matters Ohio .
The state says it reduced Ohio ’ s prison population by 3,170 inmates — a 6.5 % drop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including releasing inmates early , the normal expiration of sentences , and temporarily suspending intakes of male prisoners from county jails , though that policy has since ended .
The population of around 47,000 is now the lowest since 2006 .
The Ohio prison system ’ s goal in responding to the pandemic “ was to reduce the prison population in a manner which maintained public safety , ” spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said Friday .
Associated Press data journalist Meghan Hoyer in Washington , D.C. , contributed to this report .

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The number of prison inmates testing positive for the coronavirus soared well past the 50,000 mark last month, as recent outbreaks threatened to undo control measures put in place earlier in the pandemic.
At the end of June, the total number of coronavirus cases among prisoners had reached at least 52,649, an increase of 8% from the week before, according to data compiled by the Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization focusing on criminal justice, and The Associated Press.
Of those, at least 35,796 have recovered, and at least 616 inmates have died, the data showed.
Among staff, more than 11,180 cases of coronavirus have been reported, including 43 deaths.
As of June 30, only Wyoming and Hawaii still had not identified any confirmed cases of coronavirus among prisoners.
New cases in prisons began to drop last month, with less of the rapid growth seen in the spring when Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and other states began mass testing of prisoners, the data shows.
But by the end of June, new outbreaks in Arkansas, California and Texas began to push the numbers up again.
The rising cases in prisons is mirroring a large increase in cases across the U.S., where there have been some 50,000 total per day over the past few days and hot spots are exploding in multiple states, including Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Prisons have been of specific concern because of social distancing worries, and the fear that outbreaks inside crowded facilities can affect surrounding communities as employees and vendors come and go.
The federal Bureau of Prisons recorded the most inmate deaths at 94. Ohio led states with the most deaths, with 86 reported through the end of June. More than 5,000 federal inmates have tested positive.
Coronavirus outbreaks in prison are an indictment of mass incarceration in the U.S., with many systems warehousing people in situations that make social distancing impossible, said Nicole Porter, director of advocacy for The Sentencing Project.
Porter said the response by governors has been inadequate, with only minimal releases of inmates in most states in an effort to free up space. At the very least, authorities should be moving to release all inmates scheduled to get out this year, she said.
In Louisiana, for example, a state panel tasked with examining up to 1,100 inmates for release ultimately approved just 100, of which 63 will be released, The Advocate reported.
“A global pandemic creates a level of urgency that people should not be kept in prison one day longer than necessary,” Porter said. “Many of those people pose absolutely no threat to public safety and their liberty would have been restored anyway this year.”
California saw a setback this week in its efforts to control the virus, when a third of the 3,500 inmates at San Quentin State Prison near San Francisco tested positive after officials transferred 121 inmates from the heavily affected California Institution for Men in Chino on May 30 without properly testing them for infections.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has defended his administration’s handling of the pandemic in prisons, noting that he has ordered about 3,500 early releases, plans about 3,500 more, and halted transfers from local jails to create more space in prisons for social isolation.
Six states — Arkansas, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee — now have infection rates higher than one of every 10 inmates, according to the Marshall Project data.
In Ohio, cases have now been reported in nearly all prisons, but two account for the majority of cases: Pickaway Correctional Institution in central Ohio, which includes a medical wing, and Marion Correctional Institution in north-central Ohio, where virtually all inmates tested positive.
Thirty-six inmates died at Pickaway and 13 at Marion, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
Prison advocates in Ohio are using the pandemic to promote legislation working its way through the Statehouse that would reduce the number of people sent to prison for drug crimes.
“They could save lives by reducing the prison population as the COVID-19 death toll continues to rise behind bars,” said Piet van Lier, a researcher for Policy Matters Ohio.
The state says it reduced Ohio’s prison population by 3,170 inmates — a 6.5% drop — since March through several measures, including releasing inmates early, the normal expiration of sentences, and temporarily suspending intakes of male prisoners from county jails, though that policy has since ended.
The population of around 47,000 is now the lowest since 2006. The Ohio prison system’s goal in responding to the pandemic “was to reduce the prison population in a manner which maintained public safety,” spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said Friday.
___
Associated Press data journalist Meghan Hoyer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--Trump Admin Plans To Launch Pandemic Office Similar To One It Disbanded At NSC

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to launch an office at the State Department similar to the National Security Council ’ s pandemic response office that it disbanded in 2018 amid surging coronavirus cases in several cities .
According to a CNN report on Thursday night , citing a senior administration official , plans for the new office were discussed during an interagency meeting hosted by the National Security Office earlier in the day .
The office will reportedly fall under the leadership of a brand new role : coordinator for pandemics .
Attendees at he meeting aimed to figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposal for President Trump to approve .
However , efforts to launch a new office has sparked uproar from health experts and former officials .
Some of the criticisms include questioning whether the new office will be located at the State Department instead of the NSC — a move that would contrast the Obama administration ’ s effort .
CNN reported that officials who had worked for the NSC ’ s Directorate for Global Health and Security and Biodefense were dismayed by the Trump administration ’ s move to disband the office .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reassigned staff and streamlined bureaucracy .
Former officials told CNN that the Trump administration “ absolutely ” could have had a more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic if it had not gutted the original office in the first place .
Lisa Monaco , who served as President Barack Obama ’ s homeland security adviser and oversaw the creation of the NSC ’ s global health directorate , told CNN that the Trump administration ’ s new pandemic response office “ is deja vu all over again.
” Monaco noted to CNN that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directorate under the NSC “ because in an epidemic like Ebola , in a pandemic like Covid-19 , what you need is a whole of government response and you need swift action.
” “ And you need swift decisions from the President , and you need that policy coordinated across the entire government , ” Monaco told CNN .
“ This move now to set this unit , re-set this unit up , although in a different building , on the one hand is the recognition that you do indeed need a specific @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic response .
That is good .
On the other hand , really what we are seeing here is the risk of repeating mistakes all over again.
” Health experts told CNN that the State Department has a key role to play in a pandemic response , but that the White House should primarily be in charge of coordination .
Some health experts are concerned about the possibility of the new office further endangering global health efforts such as draining funding and resources from the highly successful US Agency for International Development .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration officials believe that their proposal for a new office would focus on public health and diplomacy , which they argue is why they view the State Department as the appropriate place to house the new office .
According to CNN , the same official said that there is congressional support for the new office due to higher chances of longevity and less turnover if housed under the State Department .

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to launch an office at the State Department similar to the National Security Council’s pandemic response office that it disbanded in 2018 amid surging coronavirus cases in several cities.
According to a CNN report on Thursday night, citing a senior administration official, plans for the new office were discussed during an interagency meeting hosted by the National Security Office earlier in the day. The office will reportedly fall under the leadership of a brand new role: coordinator for pandemics.
Attendees at he meeting aimed to figure out details and come up with a proposal for President Trump to approve. However, efforts to launch a new office has sparked uproar from health experts and former officials. Some of the criticisms include questioning whether the new office will be located at the State Department instead of the NSC — a move that would contrast the Obama administration’s effort.
CNN reported that officials who had worked for the NSC’s Directorate for Global Health and Security and Biodefense were dismayed by the Trump administration’s move to disband the office. The White House argued that it simply reassigned staff and streamlined bureaucracy.
Former officials told CNN that the Trump administration “absolutely” could have had a more efficient response to the COVID-19 pandemic if it had not gutted the original office in the first place.
Lisa Monaco, who served as President Barack Obama’s homeland security adviser and oversaw the creation of the NSC’s global health directorate, told CNN that the Trump administration’s new pandemic response office “is deja vu all over again.”
Monaco noted to CNN that the Obama administration had purposefully placed the directorate under the NSC “because in an epidemic like Ebola, in a pandemic like Covid-19, what you need is a whole of government response and you need swift action.”
“And you need swift decisions from the President, and you need that policy coordinated across the entire government,” Monaco told CNN. “This move now to set this unit, re-set this unit up, although in a different building, on the one hand is the recognition that you do indeed need a specific identified place to constantly be focusing on pandemic response. That is good. On the other hand, really what we are seeing here is the risk of repeating mistakes all over again.”
Health experts told CNN that the State Department has a key role to play in a pandemic response, but that the White House should primarily be in charge of coordination. Some health experts are concerned about the possibility of the new office further endangering global health efforts such as draining funding and resources from the highly successful US Agency for International Development.
A senior administration official told CNN that Trump administration officials believe that their proposal for a new office would focus on public health and diplomacy, which they argue is why they view the State Department as the appropriate place to house the new office.
According to CNN, the same official said that there is congressional support for the new office due to higher chances of longevity and less turnover if housed under the State Department.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--Despite COVID Spike, Texas GOP Committee Votes For In-Person State Convention

The state convention of Texas ’ Republican Party could bring thousands of people to an enclosed space in the middle of a COVID-19 spike in the state .
The state party ’ s executive committee voted 40-20 on Thursday in support of an in-person convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center , in Houston .
The vote to hold the convention in-person , the Houston Chronicle noted , took place during a virtual meeting of the committee .
“ Under the circumstances , we have adjusted our attendance estimates to about 6,000 people potentially attending , ” party chairman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new executive order from Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott on Thursday , masks are now required statewide where social distancing isn ’ t possible — even though , just weeks ago , another executive order from the governor prevented localities from enforcing local mask rules with fines or penalties .
Abbott ’ s rule includes some exceptions — such as religious services — but specifically does not exempt “ any person attending a protest or demonstration involving more than 10 people.
” On Tuesday , Dickey told the Texas Tribune that moving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultimate contingency plan.
” The same day the president of the Texas Medical Association , Diana L. Fite , urged the state party to cancel the in-person convention , writing that “ [ w ] hile much of our state has so far been spared the brunt of the coronavirus attack , our metropolitan areas in general – and Houston in particular – are now among the national epicenters of current COVID-19 outbreaks.
” “ I think it ’ s a horrible idea to proceed with holding the in-person convention , ” State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Houston , told the Tribune Tuesday .
“ Houston is the last place we need to have a crowd of 6,000 gathering , given our COVID-19 positivity rate increases.
” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner , a Democrat , has expressed concerns about politicizing the situation by stepping in himself to cancel it , the Chronicle reported .
After Thursday ’ s vote , he told the paper that “ the city will decide what steps must be taken to protect the health and safety of employees , visitors , and the general public.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in July 13 , Monday .
The convention will begin the following Thursday and end on Saturday .

The state convention of Texas’ Republican Party could bring thousands of people to an enclosed space in the middle of a COVID-19 spike in the state.
The state party’s executive committee voted 40-20 on Thursday in support of an in-person convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in Houston.
The vote to hold the convention in-person, the Houston Chronicle noted, took place during a virtual meeting of the committee.
“Under the circumstances, we have adjusted our attendance estimates to about 6,000 people potentially attending,” party chairman James Dickey told CNN.
According to a new executive order from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday, masks are now required statewide where social distancing isn’t possible — even though, just weeks ago, another executive order from the governor prevented localities from enforcing local mask rules with fines or penalties.
Abbott’s rule includes some exceptions — such as religious services — but specifically does not exempt “any person attending a protest or demonstration involving more than 10 people.”
On Tuesday, Dickey told the Texas Tribune that moving the convention online would represent the “ultimate contingency plan.”
The same day the president of the Texas Medical Association, Diana L. Fite, urged the state party to cancel the in-person convention, writing that “[w]hile much of our state has so far been spared the brunt of the coronavirus attack, our metropolitan areas in general – and Houston in particular – are now among the national epicenters of current COVID-19 outbreaks.”
And some Republican officeholders agreed.
“I think it’s a horrible idea to proceed with holding the in-person convention,” State Rep. Sarah Davis, a Republican from Houston, told the Tribune Tuesday. “Houston is the last place we need to have a crowd of 6,000 gathering, given our COVID-19 positivity rate increases.”
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, has expressed concerns about politicizing the situation by stepping in himself to cancel it, the Chronicle reported. After Thursday’s vote, he told the paper that “the city will decide what steps must be taken to protect the health and safety of employees, visitors, and the general public.”
Committee meetings are set to begin in July 13, Monday. The convention will begin the following Thursday and end on Saturday.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--White Michigan Couple Charged After Pulling Gun On Black Family

A white couple face criminal charges after one of them was captured on video pulling a handgun on a Black woman and her daughters in a restaurant parking lot in Michigan .
Jillian Wuestenberg , 32 , and Eric Wuestenberg , 42 , were arrested after Wednesday night ’ s confrontation and charged Thursday with felonious assault , Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said in a release .
They were later arraigned and are free on a $ 50,000 personal bond , according to the Oakland County sheriff ’ s office .
As a condition of the bond they must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in “ assaultive behavior ” and not leave Michigan , Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement .
It was not clear whether they have attorneys yet who could comment on the allegations .
The Wuestenbergs are next scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause hearing on July 14 , the sheriff ’ s office said in a release .
Cellphone video captured the confrontation outside a Chipotle in Orion Township , about 40 miles ( 64 kilometers ) northwest of Detroit .
Jillian Wuestenberg can be seen outside her vehicle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) away !
Get away !
” while pointing a handgun .
She eventually gets back in her vehicle , which her husband drives away .
Bouchard told reporters that the couple are from Independence Township and both have concealed pistol licenses .
Deputies seized two handguns from the couple after they were detained .
The Detroit News first reported on the three-minute video posted online that shows part of the interaction .
Takelia Hill , who is Black , told the newspaper that it happened after the white woman bumped into Hill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entering the fast food restaurant .
The video footage starts after that , in the parking lot .
A woman since identified as Jillian Wuestenberg is heard arguing with Hill and her daughters .
Wuestenberg climbs into the vehicle , rolls down the window and says , “ White people aren ’ t racist , ” and , “ I care about you , ” before the vehicle she was in starts to back away .
Her husband , who had led his wife to the vehicle , turns to the camera and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think you guys are ?
” using an expletive .
Then , as someone is behind the vehicle , Jillian Wuestenberg jumps out and points a handgun in the direction of a person who ’ s recording .
She screams at people to get away from her and her vehicle .
A woman shouts , “ She ’ s got a gun on me !
” and urges someone in the parking lot to call the police .
Wuestenberg then lowers the gun , climbs into the passenger seat and the vehicle drives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told The Associated Press that her office viewed the available video before filing charges .
“ It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that tempers run high over , basically , not much of an incident , ” she said of what led to the confrontation .
“ There ’ s a lot of tension in our society , a lot of tension among folks and people with each other , ” Bouchard , the sheriff , said “ I would just say this , we are asking and expect our police — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation they possibly can , and we should be doing that .
But I would say that needs to happen with us individually in our own lives and situations , that we interact with each other and deescalate those moments.
” After the video surfaced , Eric Wuestenberg was fired from his job at Oakland University near Detroit , a spokesman said .
He worked as a veterans support services coordinator , according to a university website .
“ We have seen the video and we deem his behavior unacceptable , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The employee has been notified that his employment has been terminated by the university.
” Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin said in a statement that Eric Wuestenberg also had participated in one of her voluntary advisory boards , on veterans ’ issues .
She said the conduct she saw in the video “ is beyond the pale of acceptable behavior ” and that she removed him from the advisory board Thursday .

A white couple face criminal charges after one of them was captured on video pulling a handgun on a Black woman and her daughters in a restaurant parking lot in Michigan.
Jillian Wuestenberg, 32, and Eric Wuestenberg, 42, were arrested after Wednesday night’s confrontation and charged Thursday with felonious assault, Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said in a release. They were later arraigned and are free on a $50,000 personal bond, according to the Oakland County sheriff’s office. As a condition of the bond they must turn over all firearms, not engage in “assaultive behavior” and not leave Michigan, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement.
It was not clear whether they have attorneys yet who could comment on the allegations. The Wuestenbergs are next scheduled to appear in court for a probable cause hearing on July 14, the sheriff’s office said in a release.
Cellphone video captured the confrontation outside a Chipotle in Orion Township, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Detroit.
Jillian Wuestenberg can be seen outside her vehicle shouting, “Get the (expletive) away! Get away!” while pointing a handgun. She eventually gets back in her vehicle, which her husband drives away.
Bouchard told reporters that the couple are from Independence Township and both have concealed pistol licenses. Deputies seized two handguns from the couple after they were detained.
The Detroit News first reported on the three-minute video posted online that shows part of the interaction. Takelia Hill, who is Black, told the newspaper that it happened after the white woman bumped into Hill’s teenage daughter as they were entering the fast food restaurant.
The video footage starts after that, in the parking lot. A woman since identified as Jillian Wuestenberg is heard arguing with Hill and her daughters. Wuestenberg climbs into the vehicle, rolls down the window and says, “White people aren’t racist,” and, “I care about you,” before the vehicle she was in starts to back away.
Her husband, who had led his wife to the vehicle, turns to the camera and asks, “Who … do you think you guys are?” using an expletive.
Then, as someone is behind the vehicle, Jillian Wuestenberg jumps out and points a handgun in the direction of a person who’s recording. She screams at people to get away from her and her vehicle. A woman shouts, “She’s got a gun on me!” and urges someone in the parking lot to call the police.
Wuestenberg then lowers the gun, climbs into the passenger seat and the vehicle drives off.
Cooper, the prosecutor, told The Associated Press that her office viewed the available video before filing charges.
“It is an unfortunate set of circumstances that tempers run high over, basically, not much of an incident,” she said of what led to the confrontation.
“There’s a lot of tension in our society, a lot of tension among folks and people with each other,” Bouchard, the sheriff, said “I would just say this, we are asking and expect our police — and rightfully so — to deescalate every situation they possibly can, and we should be doing that. But I would say that needs to happen with us individually in our own lives and situations, that we interact with each other and deescalate those moments.”
After the video surfaced, Eric Wuestenberg was fired from his job at Oakland University near Detroit, a spokesman said. He worked as a veterans support services coordinator, according to a university website.
“We have seen the video and we deem his behavior unacceptable,” the university said in an emailed statement. “The employee has been notified that his employment has been terminated by the university.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin said in a statement that Eric Wuestenberg also had participated in one of her voluntary advisory boards, on veterans’ issues. She said the conduct she saw in the video “is beyond the pale of acceptable behavior” and that she removed him from the advisory board Thursday.
___
Burnett reported from Chicago.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--With Fireworks Sales Booming, Risks Shoot Up For Injury And Fires

ATLANTA ( AP ) — For many Americans , the Fourth of July will be more intimate this year .
It also could be riskier .
Saturday will be unlike any Independence Day in recent memory .
From Atlanta to San Diego , hundreds of fireworks shows have been canceled as officials restrict large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic , especially as infections surge across the U.S. With fewer professional celebrations , many Americans are bound to shoot off fireworks in backyards and at block parties .
And they already are : Sales have been booming .
Some public safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means greater danger of injuries and wildfires in parts of the country experiencing dry , scorching weather .
“ The general public is buying more than ever before , ” said Steve Houser , president of the National Fireworks Association .
While it ’ s not clear exactly what is driving people to shops , some sellers think fireworks are a diversion for people who have been stuck at home during the pandemic .
“ We ’ re seeing new customers … who usually don ’ t come to the fireworks tents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fireworks , which has locations across Arizona .
Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have received more complaints of illegal fireworks this summer than in previous years .
While most states allow at least some types of consumer fireworks , many cities prohibit them , even non-explosive sparklers .
But they acknowledge it is difficult to stop people from buying them just outside city limits where they ’ re legal .
In Arizona , which has battled wildfires for weeks , thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer .
Delanie Thompson , 28 , said she started the petition after seeing a neighbor ’ s house engulfed in flames last week during a wildfire in Phoenix .
She said she and her boyfriend were forced to evacuate their home for 30 hours .
Thompson said she got angry when she later saw a roadside tent selling fireworks in a nearby town .
The Fourth of July is “ about our independence , ” she said .
“ Not just about fireworks.
” Authorities in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale seized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week after getting a tip about an illegal sales operation at a house .
Fireworks can be a big danger as many parts of the American West struggle with drought , turning vegetation into tinder for flames .
“ It definitely compounds the risk for starting wildfires , ” Jessica Gardetto , a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise , Idaho , said of fireworks .
The center is predicting more wildfires than usual in July across a swath of the U.S. West .
And fires started by retail fireworks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gardetto , who has heard them explode every day for the last week in her neighborhood .
Fires are just one cause for concern .
Some doctors fear injuries will increase this year as more people experiment with fireworks at home .
Dr. Erin Miller , a hand surgeon at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle , said she amputated 42 fingers due to fireworks injuries last year while she was on call during the Fourth of July .
She has simple advice for revelers : Do not use larger fireworks like mortars and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alcohol or any other substances if you ’ re choosing to use fireworks , ” she added .
But not everyone is as alarmed by the increased interest in consumer fireworks .
“ It ’ s business as usual for us , ” said Chris James , a spokesman for the Glendale Fire Department .
The agency will have extra units on standby like usual for the holiday , he said .
He recommends having water and a fire extinguisher nearby .
“ It ’ s basic common sense we try to preach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and many sellers also urge people to have a sober “ designated shooter , ” said Houser of the National Fireworks Association .
Some in the industry believe monthslong lockdowns during the pandemic explain the increased interest in blowing off steam with fireworks .
“ We ’ ve all been cooped up at home .
We all have a lot of added stresses , ” said James Fuller , a spokesman for TNT Fireworks .
“ I think a lot of folks want to feel good again .
”

ATLANTA (AP) — For many Americans, the Fourth of July will be more intimate this year. It also could be riskier.
Saturday will be unlike any Independence Day in recent memory. From Atlanta to San Diego, hundreds of fireworks shows have been canceled as officials restrict large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, especially as infections surge across the U.S.
With fewer professional celebrations, many Americans are bound to shoot off fireworks in backyards and at block parties. And they already are: Sales have been booming. Some public safety officials say consumer fireworks in more hands means greater danger of injuries and wildfires in parts of the country experiencing dry, scorching weather.
“The general public is buying more than ever before,” said Steve Houser, president of the National Fireworks Association.
While it’s not clear exactly what is driving people to shops, some sellers think fireworks are a diversion for people who have been stuck at home during the pandemic.
“We’re seeing new customers … who usually don’t come to the fireworks tents,” said Robert Fletcher of Desert Sky Fireworks, which has locations across Arizona.
Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have received more complaints of illegal fireworks this summer than in previous years. While most states allow at least some types of consumer fireworks, many cities prohibit them, even non-explosive sparklers. But they acknowledge it is difficult to stop people from buying them just outside city limits where they’re legal.
In Arizona, which has battled wildfires for weeks, thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for Gov. Doug Ducey to ban fireworks this summer.
Delanie Thompson, 28, said she started the petition after seeing a neighbor’s house engulfed in flames last week during a wildfire in Phoenix. She said she and her boyfriend were forced to evacuate their home for 30 hours.
Thompson said she got angry when she later saw a roadside tent selling fireworks in a nearby town.
The Fourth of July is “about our independence,” she said. “Not just about fireworks.”
Authorities in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale seized nearly 4,000 pounds of banned fireworks this week after getting a tip about an illegal sales operation at a house.
Fireworks can be a big danger as many parts of the American West struggle with drought, turning vegetation into tinder for flames.
“It definitely compounds the risk for starting wildfires,” Jessica Gardetto, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, said of fireworks.
The center is predicting more wildfires than usual in July across a swath of the U.S. West. And fires started by retail fireworks tend to burn near homes, said Gardetto, who has heard them explode every day for the last week in her neighborhood.
Fires are just one cause for concern. Some doctors fear injuries will increase this year as more people experiment with fireworks at home.
Dr. Erin Miller, a hand surgeon at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said she amputated 42 fingers due to fireworks injuries last year while she was on call during the Fourth of July.
She has simple advice for revelers: Do not use larger fireworks like mortars and cherry bombs.
“Do not mix alcohol or any other substances if you’re choosing to use fireworks,” she added.
But not everyone is as alarmed by the increased interest in consumer fireworks.
“It’s business as usual for us,” said Chris James, a spokesman for the Glendale Fire Department.
The agency will have extra units on standby like usual for the holiday, he said. He recommends having water and a fire extinguisher nearby.
“It’s basic common sense we try to preach,” James said.
Fire departments and many sellers also urge people to have a sober “designated shooter,” said Houser of the National Fireworks Association.
Some in the industry believe monthslong lockdowns during the pandemic explain the increased interest in blowing off steam with fireworks.
“We’ve all been cooped up at home. We all have a lot of added stresses,” said James Fuller, a spokesman for TNT Fireworks. “I think a lot of folks want to feel good again.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--Under Pressure, D.C. Football Team Will ‘Undergo A Thorough Review’ Of ‘Redskins’ Name

Washington , D.C. ’ s football team us undergoing a “ thorough review ” of its “ Redskins ” name , the team said Friday .
The name , which Native American activists have said for years constitutes a slur , has come under increased fire lately in light of protests for racial justice around the country .
“ In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community , the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team ’ s name , ” read a team statement released Friday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.
” That “ community ” no doubt includes thousands of fans — but it also includes FedEx , which on Thursday confirmed to AdWeek that it wanted the name changed .
FedEx ’ s CEO Fred Smith is part owner of the team , which currently plays at FedExField in Landover , Maryland .
The ‘ Redskins ’ name is now also absent from Nike ’ s online store , and scores of deep-pocketed investors have pushed for a change .
Federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the district ’ s non-voting congresswoman Rep. Elanor Holmes Norton ( D ) , have said that the team won ’ t be able to pursue a desired move to the current site of RFK Stadium , which is owned by the federal government , without a new name .
“ There is no viable path , locally or federally , for the Washington football team to return to Washington , D.C. , without first changing the team name , ” D.C. ’ s deputy mayor , John Falcicchio , told the Washington @ @ @ @

Washington, D.C.’s football team us undergoing a “thorough review” of its “Redskins” name, the team said Friday.
The name, which Native American activists have said for years constitutes a slur, has come under increased fire lately in light of protests for racial justice around the country.
“In light of recent events around our country and feedback from our community, the Washington Redskins are announcing the team will undergo a thorough review of the team’s name,” read a team statement released Friday. “This review formalizes the initial discussions the team has been having with the league in recent weeks.”
That “community” no doubt includes thousands of fans — but it also includes FedEx, which on Thursday confirmed to AdWeek that it wanted the name changed. FedEx’s CEO Fred Smith is part owner of the team, which currently plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland.
The ‘Redskins’ name is now also absent from Nike’s online store, and scores of deep-pocketed investors have pushed for a change.
Federal and local officials in Washington, including the district’s non-voting congresswoman Rep. Elanor Holmes Norton (D), have said that the team won’t be able to pursue a desired move to the current site of RFK Stadium, which is owned by the federal government, without a new name.
“There is no viable path, locally or federally, for the Washington football team to return to Washington, D.C., without first changing the team name,” D.C.’s deputy mayor, John Falcicchio, told the Washington Post on Wednesday.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-03--Rubio Rips ‘Derangement’ Of Political Debate Over Masks As COVID-19 Cases Spike

Sen. Marco Rubio ( R-FL ) on Friday expressed his dismay over the political debate that has ensued over wearing masks in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as cases surge in several cities .
In a Friday morning tweet , Rubio argued that “ politics has made us so crazy ” that the practice of choosing or refusing to wear facial coverings amid rising coronavirus cases has devolved into a “ derangement ” roiling the country .
Rubio ’ s Friday tweet expands on his remarks last week as he left a GOP lunch where Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to CNN , Rubio said “ everyone should just wear a damn mask , like you guys are , like I am right now , ” a message he claimed that he also shared with his Republican colleagues during the GOP lunch .
Rubio ’ s demand for the public to comply with mask wearing requirements came amid growing calls from Republicans to wear masks despite President Trump ’ s reluctance to do so publicly .
Vice President Mike Pence ; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) ; Sens .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romney ( R-UT ) ; Rep. Liz Cheney ( R-WY ) ; and former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney have all urged the public recently to adopt the practice in light of surging coronavirus cases .
During an interview on Fox Business Network on Wednesday , Trump finally said that he is “ all for masks ” after repeatedly punting to local officials on the matter .
However , the President wouldn ’ t commit to making mask requirements mandatory and has yet to wear a mask in public .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wear masks after spending most of last weekend deferring to local officials and governors on mask requirements , the VP told CNBC on Thursday that he doesn ’ t think “ there ’ s a need for a national mandate ” because the Trump administration supports local officials ’ efforts .

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Friday expressed his dismay over the political debate that has ensued over wearing masks in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 as cases surge in several cities.
In a Friday morning tweet, Rubio argued that “politics has made us so crazy” that the practice of choosing or refusing to wear facial coverings amid rising coronavirus cases has devolved into a “derangement” roiling the country.
Politics has made us so crazy that using or refusing to use a mask has been turned into a social or political statement Fortunately this derangement has not infected the vast majority of Americans,normal people who don’t spend every moment thinking about politics & culture wars — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 3, 2020
Rubio’s Friday tweet expands on his remarks last week as he left a GOP lunch where Vice President Mike Pence gave a coronavirus update. According to CNN, Rubio said “everyone should just wear a damn mask, like you guys are, like I am right now,” a message he claimed that he also shared with his Republican colleagues during the GOP lunch.
Rubio’s demand for the public to comply with mask wearing requirements came amid growing calls from Republicans to wear masks despite President Trump’s reluctance to do so publicly. Vice President Mike Pence; Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Mitt Romney (R-UT); Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY); and former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney have all urged the public recently to adopt the practice in light of surging coronavirus cases.
During an interview on Fox Business Network on Wednesday, Trump finally said that he is “all for masks” after repeatedly punting to local officials on the matter. However, the President wouldn’t commit to making mask requirements mandatory and has yet to wear a mask in public.
Despite Pence finally encouraging the public to wear masks after spending most of last weekend deferring to local officials and governors on mask requirements, the VP told CNBC on Thursday that he doesn’t think “there’s a need for a national mandate” because the Trump administration supports local officials’ efforts.