talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-21--Politicians and Business Interests Pushed Health Officials Aside to Control Reopening. Then Cases Ex

Politicians and Business Interests Pushed Health Officials Aside to Control Reopening. Then Cases Exploded.

This story first appeared at ProPublica .
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
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Back in April , when public health officials were still helping lead Utah ’ s response to the coronavirus , the spread of the disease had slowed , stabilizing at fewer than 200 reported cases a day .
Then came a shift in power , and priorities .
State legislators who felt Gov .
Gary Herbert was not moving quickly enough to lift restrictions on businesses created a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It ’ s not meant to give economic outcomes a higher weight , but it is time to give them some weight , ” said Sen. Daniel Hemmert , a Republican who sponsored the bill and took his seat on the commission alongside other politicians , bureaucrats and business leaders .
Email correspondence and interviews with more than a dozen state and local officials in Utah show that the health of the state ’ s businesses was prioritized over the health of the public , as officials stopped slowing the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick people its health system could bear .
Dr. Joseph Miner , executive director of the Utah Department of Health , told ProPublica that state leaders originally planned to relax restrictions as cases decreased .
But “ because of the concern that you can ’ t keep the economy closed this long , ” they reopened before that happened and shifted their attention to how many cases hospitals and contact tracers could handle .
“ We know there ’ s going to be increased cases .
We just said , amongst ourselves , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressing : our capacity to respond rather than decreasing numbers.
” With key health experts cut out of the decision-making process , including the state epidemiologist and local officials who were stripped of their ability to issue their own restrictions , the governor and the commission quickly swept aside restrictions meant to slow the virus ’ s advance in Utah .
You can now hold indoor events with up to 3,000 people and outdoor events with up to 6,000 .
You can drink at bars , eat in restaurants and go to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to work ; new unemployment claims from early July dropped 78 % since the peak from early April , when most businesses were closed , and its unemployment rate is just above 5 % , which is under half of the national average .
Utah was considered one of the states best-prepared to weather the pandemic ’ s economic downturn .
But experts say that rising infections could threaten any state ’ s recovery .
And in Utah , infections are rising .
The percentage of tests that come back positive is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , compared with 3 % to 5 % in April .
On July 14 , the state reported its highest number of deaths on a single day since the pandemic began .
Since late May , the seven-day average of daily case counts statewide has quadrupled .
Utah ’ s story is mirrored in states across the country , where leaders sidelined public health experts and forged ahead without meeting criteria scientists say are necessary to reopen .
In Florida , the governor loosened restrictions as cases rose ; Miami is now the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left it up to businesses to decide how much to scale back service in the middle of a pandemic ; South Carolina let the hospitality industry write its own reopening guidelines .
The virus is now spreading uncontrolled in those two states , with some of the highest rates in the country .
Texas , whose governor took advice on reopening from a panel stacked with corporate executives and business leaders , reopened restaurants and malls after reaching a record in daily deaths ; its hospitals are now stretched to the brink .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to questions about how he ’ s managed the pandemic .
In an emailed statement , Jefferson Burton , the commission ’ s co-chair , said the group regularly reviews Utah ’ s reopening guidelines and makes changes based on new data , federal guidance and input from stakeholders .
Decisions on when to lift restrictions are based on hospital utilization , infection growth rates and the number of tests performed , among other factors , the statement said .
“ There are not hard-and-fast data points that automatically trigger a move .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ evaluated looking at their specific trends over time.
” Dr. Michael Good , CEO of University of Utah Health and the only physician on the commission , said the “ goal has always been to slow the spread of the virus.
” The commission is trying to balance decisions on reopening in a way that keeps infections low while not inadvertently causing other social and economic problems , he said .
Epidemiologists say that one of the biggest risks of reopening prematurely is that it suggests formerly banned activities are now safe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ died after going to a party in Riverside County , California , said he had been careful until the government eased restrictions .
The timing of Utah ’ s spikes in cases clearly overlaps with the loosening of restrictions , said Dr. Emily Spivak , an infectious disease physician at University of Utah Health .
People assumed the risk was over .
Spivak has seen group barbecues and young people taking party trips to Lake Powell with “ full-on 20-year-old summer social behavior.
” Of course case numbers went up , she added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science.
” Initially , Utah acted decisively to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus .
In March , working with health advisers , Herbert decided to shut down schools days before New York City and restricted businesses based on their level of risk .
Restaurants could not offer dine-in service ; gyms and salons were closed .
While Herbert refused to issue a statewide shutdown , saying he didn ’ t want to overrestrict less affected areas , mayors and local health officials wrote their own stay-at-home orders , which came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violations .
The state was a patchwork of legally binding rules , as The Salt Lake Tribune reported .
“ We give local control for the regional differences , ” Herbert said at the time , “ and I think we ’ ve struck the right balance.
” Senate President Stuart Adams , a Republican businessman , disagreed .
On April 8 , he confirmed that lawmakers would convene to address the pandemic and consider limiting the power of local governments , saying their rules were creating confusion .
It was time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for “ a new phase ” focused on the economy .
Sen. Hemmert and Rep. Mike Schultz co-sponsored a bill to establish the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission , a 10-member team that would guide the reopening and advise Herbert .
Staff from the Governor ’ s Office of Management and Budget would provide support .
Apart from two health care system CEOs , none of the members had a medical or public health background .
Among them : Adams , the two Republican legislators who sponsored the bill , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chamber of Commerce and the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies , which includes sports teams such as the Utah Jazz as well as a chain of Megaplex Theatres across the state .
By the time the commission assembled , there was a new leader in charge of the state ’ s coronavirus response .
Miner , a physician who had headed the state Health Department since 2015 , has a lung condition and had been unable to attend in-person meetings .
To be the “ boots on the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the governor appointed Burton , a retired military leader with no medical training who had experience in disaster management .
Burton once headed Utah ’ s National Guard and is running for a seat in the state House of Representatives .
While Miner said he has remained “ very much involved , ” he was not present , even virtually , for key decisions ProPublica asked about .
He said he was briefed on outcomes by Burton ’ s deputy .
During the time that Burton has served as co-chair of the commission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have donated ( either personally or through their campaigns ) a total of $ 4,000 toward his run for state office , one-fifth of what his campaign has raised .
He won the Republican primary in June and has no Democratic challenger in the general election .
The governor ’ s office and a large team of advisers had createda color-coded system for reopening that could be turned up or down like a dial “ based on the health risk.
” The system had four levels that dictated how businesses could operate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , orange ( “ moderate risk ” ) , yellow ( “ low risk ” ) and green ( “ new normal risk ” ) .
All of Utah was under the red designation in late April ; each successive level would open more businesses and ease limitations .
The commission took the governor ’ s guidelines and added specific rules for every industry , including restaurants , schools , entertainment venues and religious services .
Five days after the group was created , it recommended moving the state to orange .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the “ moderate risk ” level on May 1 .
Hotels and gyms opened .
Groups of 20 could congregate with masks and social distancing .
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say one of the key factors for relaxing restrictions is evidence of a 14-day decline in new cases .
By May 12 , cities and counties were expressing an interest in moving into the yellow , “ low risk ” level .
Cases had plateaued , but had not dropped .
Dr. Angela Dunn , the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on an “ optimistic ” timeline , some parts of the state might be ready to move into yellow on June 1 .
But on May 14 , just 13 days after moving the state into orange , the governor and the commission announced they were moving most of the state into the “ low risk ” level , on May 16 .
It was impossible to see , at that point , the full effects of the orange phase after half a month , because of the incubation period of the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and test results .
Jenny Wilson , the mayor of Salt Lake County , petitioned to keep her county in orange ; she noted that the active positive case rate there was several times higher than the state ’ s .
She could have kept the restrictions before the bill creating the commission passed , but now she needed the governor ’ s approval .
Herbert denied the appeal , but he approved similar petitions from the two largest cities in her county — Salt Lake City and West Valley City — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state relaxed further into the phase labeled “ low risk.
” All businesses could resume with certain precautions .
Public swimming pools opened ; close-contact team sports were allowed with temperature checks .
Restaurants could serve buffets .
“ Speaking [ with ] my public health voice , I feel that this is a mistake , ” Jennifer Dailey-Provost , a Democratic state representative who ’ s pursuing a doctorate in public health , tweeted in reaction .
“ To say I ’ m frightened is an understatement .
I hope I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on May 27 , cases began to surge .
A spokesman from the Salt Lake County Health Department said it ’ s hard to say if the county would have fewer cases today if the entire county ( and not just two cities ) had stayed in orange .
Commuting patterns make it impossible to separate different municipalities , and the piecemeal approach left some streets orange on one side and yellow on the other .
County data shows that throughout June , on days with a particularly high number of new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas that went yellow before the mayor felt they were ready .
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the commission has made it more cumbersome for local leaders to pass their own rules , but she gives the governor credit for allowing her city to remain in orange and approving the county ’ s mandate for wearing face masks in public .
One of the counties Herbert had allowed to stay in orange was Grand County , home to Arches National Park .
But that changed on May 28 .
When local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they moved to yellow — such as leaving hotel rooms empty for 24 hours between bookings — the governor ’ s office denied the request .
The rural county has logged few cases , though it is impossible to tell how many tourists may have caught the virus there before returning home .
Bradon Bradford , director of the Southeast Utah Health Department , which covers Grand County , said the local numbers started going up in July .
The commission ’ s top-down approach is “ uncharacteristic ” of Utah , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health Department for San Juan County in the southeastern corner of the state .
“ Most politicians claim that they like local authority and they like local decisions .
In an emergency , to immediately strip that … I felt , was a mistake at the time.
” Top health officials and other legislators have little insight into the commission ’ s actions .
Miner told ProPublica he has never attended a meeting .
Nor has Dunn , the state epidemiologist .
Both are part of a work group that provides input on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but they aren ’ t involved in the final decisions of when and how restrictions are loosened .
Dailey-Provost , the legislator with public health training , said her offers to help and suggest health experts went nowhere .
She co-authored a study in April that predicted how coronavirus cases would peak in Utah .
Reality has outstripped the study ’ s worst projections .
One of the commission ’ s most significant decisions occurred in late May , when they suggested redefining the yellow phase , which capped gatherings at 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3,000 and outdoor gatherings of 6,000 .
The proposal caught Dunn and other health officials off guard .
They discussed it at their work group meeting of health and business experts .
Burton ’ s deputy , Richard Saunders , who often attends commission meetings , was also present .
Benge , the health officer for San Juan County , said he was “ 100 % against ” the change .
Many businesses were still transitioning into the yellow phase and hadn ’ t had time to open up , Benge said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the guidelines any further .
Dunn and Miner shared similar concerns .
Miner said he recalls the group was being asked to figure out how to implement the change as safely as possible .
He said they concluded that if the venues were required to track where everyone sat , at least they could do contact tracing if anyone got sick .
The numbers were headed in the wrong direction .
A day earlier , on May 28 , the Tribune reported the biggest single-day spike in new cases statewide , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that infected more than half the residents .
One county in northern Utah saw a 33 % increase in cases .
Health officers fretted about the decision in emails released to ProPublica .
“ This change happened on a timeline contrary to my recommendations and the recommendations of the state epidemiologist and other health officers , ” Benge wrote to his county health board .
“ I don ’ t think we ’ ll need to move to Green because it ’ s all being phased into Yellow , ” Bradford wrote to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who is going to count to see when they reach 6001 participants ?
” another officer replied .
Herbert accepted the commission ’ s changes in June .
Jordan Mathis , the officer for the TriCounty Health Department that oversees Daggett , Duchesne and Uintah counties , said the numbers seemed arbitrary .
“ Why 3,000 ?
Why 6,000 ?
Where ’ d we pull those from ?
” Good , the commission member , said he doesn ’ t recall the exact reasons behind those numbers , but those discussions “ were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 1,000 Utahns did not have a coronavirus infection , ” he said .
Today , the situation is more serious , with four times as many active cases as there were back then , he said .
“ Those are not the conversations we would be having today.
” Brian Hatch , the health officer for Davis County , sits on a medical team that is supposed to advise the commission .
He doesn ’ t recall the commission ever asking for its advice on the phase guidelines .
The medical team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 .
Hatch said the idea for 6,000 people outdoors might have come from his county .
When the state moved to yellow , there was no reopening plan for Lagoon Amusement Park , the only amusement park in the state .
The park owners worked with Hatch .
They settled on 6,000 people , which is 15 % of its usual capacity .
With social distancing , mandated masks and other precautions like timed tickets , they could operate safely , Hatch said .
The park reopened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s approval , a week before the commission meeting on May 29 .
A spokesman for the park said it reached the 6,000-person limit only a few times since opening .
Hatch said there have been no outbreaks connected to the park , and having a large crowd dispersed outdoors is very different from cramming 3,000 spectators indoors .
Since the risk of infection is much higher inside , “ I ’ m concerned with 20 people together , ” he said .
Hatch said he doesn ’ t know where the 3,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t point to any recent events with thousands gathered indoors .
A spokeswoman for the Larry H. Miller Group , whose CEO sits on the commission , said the company ’ s movie theaters have kept indoor crowds at 50 and have not hosted any sporting events at their large venues .
The indoor guidelines require assigned seating ( to enable contact tracing ) and masks whenever social distancing isn ’ t possible .
Dunn and Benge said masks alone aren ’ t enough .
Masks need to be used in concert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr. Georges Benjamin , executive director of the American Public Health Association .
“ ( The commission is ) using the masks as an excuse to break all the other science rules.
” Shortly after the May 29 meeting where the work group discussed the changes to the yellow guidelines , the commission held its own meeting .
According to meeting minutes , the commission wanted to determine how and when the state could switch to green , the “ new normal.
” One of the people present was Burton ’ s deputy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the work group meeting with Dunn and Miner .
Saunders told commission members that the potential impact from recent events — including Memorial Day celebrations and the opening of the amusement park — would become clear in the coming week .
He said epidemiologists in the state Health Department advised staying at yellow until June 30 .
Adams motioned to move most of the state to green by June 5 , as long as the data supported it .
The transition meant large crowds could gather without assigned seating .
Religious services would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between families and sports competitions could resume .
The six commission members who were present voted unanimously for the idea .
They waited several days to announce the news .
Utah had cycled through two phase changes in one month .
Dunn worried residents saw it as permission to abandon precautions like masks .
After all , the yellow phase was labeled “ low risk.
” “ I am concerned that we are providing the public with false information regarding their risk for contracting COVID-19 , ” she wrote to Miner , Burton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our % positive is at 7 % , just a short jump away from the 8 % positive at the beginning of this outbreak when we were only testing hospitalized patients .
Our growth rate is sharply increasing.
” The very next day , the commission said the state was ready to go to green .
When Benge heard the news , he told colleagues he was “ concerned that the current ‘ Phased Health Guidelines ’ have gradually shifted at the state level , from being focused on protecting health to being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The commission acknowledged coronavirus cases “ may continue to rise ” as restrictions are lifted .
But case numbers are “ a poor indicator of health risk for all Utahns , ” as 99 % of COVID-19 patients recover , they said in a press release that cited low hospitalization rates , low death rates and increased testing and contact tracing .
They called for a “ smart ” green level where everyone should still wear masks and stay socially distant .
They didn ’ t mention the racial disparities that persisted throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s population is Latino , but they make up 40 % of cases .
The proportion of patients who die from the virus is three times as high for Native Americans as it is for white residents .
Navajo Nation , which extends into Utah , Arizona and New Mexico , recently imposed stay-at-home orders over several weekends because of the worsening situation in surrounding areas .
Most of the roads leading to Utah ’ s national parks go through the reservation , said Pete Sands , a spokesman for Utah Navajo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ visitors refuse to take precautions , it directly affects Navajo citizens .
Too many states are letting their cases grow based only on health care capacity , said Benjamin , the American Public Health Association director .
“ Why open the economy and allow needless death and illness and disability … [ when ] this single-minded strategy is eroding the economy in the long term ?
” he said .
“ Sick people can ’ t work .
People who are afraid to go out and shop [ or ] eat aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say there ’ s more at play than ensuring hospital beds ; workers face personal protective equipment shortages and burnout .
There ’ s no surefire way to prevent COVID-19 deaths , and many survivors are left with heart damage , scarred lungs , neurological problems and other long-term effects doctors are just beginning to understand .
A day after the commission ’ s announcement on June 2 , Dunn told reporters that no community in Utah was ready for green .
Herbert waited until June 12 before moving one county to green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requests from nine other counties to do the same .
As Herbert finalized the partial shift to green , Dunn sent an urgent memo to state and local health officials , which the Tribune published several days later on June 22 .
“ If we do not reach a rolling 7-day average of 200 [ cases ] per day by July 1 , we need to move the entire state to orange , ” Dunn wrote .
“ This will send the message to Utahns that this outbreak continues to be a serious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last chance for course correction , ” she warned .
“ Contact tracing and testing alone will not control this outbreak.
” Dunn recommended a statewide requirement for face masks .
If that wasn ’ t possible , she wrote , “ we need to be clear with the public about why decisions are being made lessening restrictions — economic , not health.
” Herbert said he appreciated Dunn ’ s analysis but would not close down the economy .
The seven-day average stood at 485 cases per day .
By mid-July , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per day .
A growing number of health and business interests want a statewide mask mandate .
That includes the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Larry H. Miller Group , whose leaders sit on the commission .
Adams has come out against the idea .
Herbert has required masks in state buildings and in K-12 schools starting this fall but stopped short of a blanket rule , citing individual freedom and local control .
The issue has become so politicized in Utah that one county commissioner compared the idea of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , residents crowded into a county commission meeting to protest the school mask requirement .
Darin Mellott , a real estate executive who serves on a separate economic task force on the pandemic , describes himself as an establishment Republican .
But he personally feels masks are an easy way to stem the tide .
“ I think future generations , if we do nothing , are going to look back and say , ‘ Why did you subject so many people … to this threat , because of some imagined threat to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Herbert has a tough balancing act — “ I think we would be in a much worse situation if it weren ’ t for him ” — but that the governor and other state leaders need to give more health professionals a seat at the table .
“ This is a war against the virus , and the medical professionals are the generals , ” he said .
“ So listen to the generals.
” In a recent press conference , Herbert acknowledged that labeling the different phases based on risk might have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security .
He challenged residents to voluntarily wear masks and set a goal to keep average new cases below 500 a day by August 1 .
Herbert cited 800 a day as the absolute maximum the state can handle .
Dunn told ProPublica she suggested 200 cases a day because it allows the state to do contact tracing within 24 hours .
Because of the lag time between infections and hospitalizations , any preventative measures taken today won ’ t have an effect for another two to four weeks , so there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You can ’ t wait until you ’ re already underwater , ” she said .
The state is hiring more contact tracers , but can now handle only 300 cases a day .

This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Back in April, when public health officials were still helping lead Utah’s response to the coronavirus, the spread of the disease had slowed, stabilizing at fewer than 200 reported cases a day.
Then came a shift in power, and priorities.
State legislators who felt Gov. Gary Herbert was not moving quickly enough to lift restrictions on businesses created a commission to set guidelines to reopen. “It’s not meant to give economic outcomes a higher weight, but it is time to give them some weight,” said Sen. Daniel Hemmert, a Republican who sponsored the bill and took his seat on the commission alongside other politicians, bureaucrats and business leaders.
Email correspondence and interviews with more than a dozen state and local officials in Utah show that the health of the state’s businesses was prioritized over the health of the public, as officials stopped slowing the spread of the virus and instead calculated how many sick people its health system could bear.
Dr. Joseph Miner, executive director of the Utah Department of Health, told ProPublica that state leaders originally planned to relax restrictions as cases decreased. But “because of the concern that you can’t keep the economy closed this long,” they reopened before that happened and shifted their attention to how many cases hospitals and contact tracers could handle.
“We know there’s going to be increased cases. We just said, amongst ourselves, this is really what we’re addressing: our capacity to respond rather than decreasing numbers.”
With key health experts cut out of the decision-making process, including the state epidemiologist and local officials who were stripped of their ability to issue their own restrictions, the governor and the commission quickly swept aside restrictions meant to slow the virus’s advance in Utah. You can now hold indoor events with up to 3,000 people and outdoor events with up to 6,000. You can drink at bars, eat in restaurants and go to the movies.
People in Utah are going back to work; new unemployment claims from early July dropped 78% since the peak from early April, when most businesses were closed, and its unemployment rate is just above 5%, which is under half of the national average. Utah was considered one of the states best-prepared to weather the pandemic’s economic downturn. But experts say that rising infections could threaten any state’s recovery.
And in Utah, infections are rising. The percentage of tests that come back positive is at 10% as of July 13, compared with 3% to 5% in April. On July 14, the state reported its highest number of deaths on a single day since the pandemic began. Since late May, the seven-day average of daily case counts statewide has quadrupled.
Utah’s story is mirrored in states across the country, where leaders sidelined public health experts and forged ahead without meeting criteria scientists say are necessary to reopen. In Florida, the governor loosened restrictions as cases rose; Miami is now the national epicenter of the virus. Georgia left it up to businesses to decide how much to scale back service in the middle of a pandemic; South Carolina let the hospitality industry write its own reopening guidelines. The virus is now spreading uncontrolled in those two states, with some of the highest rates in the country. Texas, whose governor took advice on reopening from a panel stacked with corporate executives and business leaders, reopened restaurants and malls after reaching a record in daily deaths; its hospitals are now stretched to the brink.
Herbert’s office did not respond to questions about how he’s managed the pandemic. In an emailed statement, Jefferson Burton, the commission’s co-chair, said the group regularly reviews Utah’s reopening guidelines and makes changes based on new data, federal guidance and input from stakeholders. Decisions on when to lift restrictions are based on hospital utilization, infection growth rates and the number of tests performed, among other factors, the statement said. “There are not hard-and-fast data points that automatically trigger a move. … Rather, individual geographic areas are evaluated looking at their specific trends over time.”
Dr. Michael Good, CEO of University of Utah Health and the only physician on the commission, said the “goal has always been to slow the spread of the virus.” The commission is trying to balance decisions on reopening in a way that keeps infections low while not inadvertently causing other social and economic problems, he said.
Epidemiologists say that one of the biggest risks of reopening prematurely is that it suggests formerly banned activities are now safe. The family of a diabetic man who died after going to a party in Riverside County, California, said he had been careful until the government eased restrictions.
The timing of Utah’s spikes in cases clearly overlaps with the loosening of restrictions, said Dr. Emily Spivak, an infectious disease physician at University of Utah Health. People assumed the risk was over. Spivak has seen group barbecues and young people taking party trips to Lake Powell with “full-on 20-year-old summer social behavior.” Of course case numbers went up, she added. “It’s not rocket science.”
A Shift in Power
Initially, Utah acted decisively to try and stop the spread of the coronavirus. In March, working with health advisers, Herbert decided to shut down schools days before New York City and restricted businesses based on their level of risk. Restaurants could not offer dine-in service; gyms and salons were closed.
While Herbert refused to issue a statewide shutdown, saying he didn’t want to overrestrict less affected areas, mayors and local health officials wrote their own stay-at-home orders, which came with fines and even criminal penalties for violations. The state was a patchwork of legally binding rules, as The Salt Lake Tribune reported. “We give local control for the regional differences,” Herbert said at the time, “and I think we’ve struck the right balance.”
Senate President Stuart Adams, a Republican businessman, disagreed. On April 8, he confirmed that lawmakers would convene to address the pandemic and consider limiting the power of local governments, saying their rules were creating confusion. It was time, he told the local paper in Ogden, for “a new phase” focused on the economy.
Sen. Hemmert and Rep. Mike Schultz co-sponsored a bill to establish the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission, a 10-member team that would guide the reopening and advise Herbert. Staff from the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget would provide support.
Apart from two health care system CEOs, none of the members had a medical or public health background. Among them: Adams, the two Republican legislators who sponsored the bill, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, which includes sports teams such as the Utah Jazz as well as a chain of Megaplex Theatres across the state.
By the time the commission assembled, there was a new leader in charge of the state’s coronavirus response.
Miner, a physician who had headed the state Health Department since 2015, has a lung condition and had been unable to attend in-person meetings. To be the “boots on the ground” for the the virus response, the governor appointed Burton, a retired military leader with no medical training who had experience in disaster management. Burton once headed Utah’s National Guard and is running for a seat in the state House of Representatives. While Miner said he has remained “very much involved,” he was not present, even virtually, for key decisions ProPublica asked about. He said he was briefed on outcomes by Burton’s deputy.
During the time that Burton has served as co-chair of the commission, the three legislators on the commission have donated (either personally or through their campaigns) a total of $4,000 toward his run for state office, one-fifth of what his campaign has raised. He won the Republican primary in June and has no Democratic challenger in the general election.
The governor’s office and a large team of advisers had createda color-coded system for reopening that could be turned up or down like a dial “based on the health risk.” The system had four levels that dictated how businesses could operate, labeled red (“high risk”), orange (“moderate risk”), yellow (“low risk”) and green (“new normal risk”). All of Utah was under the red designation in late April; each successive level would open more businesses and ease limitations.
The commission took the governor’s guidelines and added specific rules for every industry, including restaurants, schools, entertainment venues and religious services. Five days after the group was created, it recommended moving the state to orange.
Herbert accepted the plan and moved Utah to the “moderate risk” level on May 1. Hotels and gyms opened. Groups of 20 could congregate with masks and social distancing.
Another Shift in “Risk”
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say one of the key factors for relaxing restrictions is evidence of a 14-day decline in new cases.
By May 12, cities and counties were expressing an interest in moving into the yellow, “low risk” level. Cases had plateaued, but had not dropped. Dr. Angela Dunn, the state epidemiologist, told KSL News Radio that on an “optimistic” timeline, some parts of the state might be ready to move into yellow on June 1.
But on May 14, just 13 days after moving the state into orange, the governor and the commission announced they were moving most of the state into the “low risk” level, on May 16. It was impossible to see, at that point, the full effects of the orange phase after half a month, because of the incubation period of the virus and the lag between symptoms, testing and test results.
Jenny Wilson, the mayor of Salt Lake County, petitioned to keep her county in orange; she noted that the active positive case rate there was several times higher than the state’s. She could have kept the restrictions before the bill creating the commission passed, but now she needed the governor’s approval. Herbert denied the appeal, but he approved similar petitions from the two largest cities in her county — Salt Lake City and West Valley City — and three other counties.
The rest of the state relaxed further into the phase labeled “low risk.” All businesses could resume with certain precautions. Public swimming pools opened; close-contact team sports were allowed with temperature checks. Restaurants could serve buffets.
“Speaking [with] my public health voice, I feel that this is a mistake,” Jennifer Dailey-Provost, a Democratic state representative who’s pursuing a doctorate in public health, tweeted in reaction. “To say I’m frightened is an understatement. I hope I’m wrong.”
Two weeks later, on May 27, cases began to surge.
A spokesman from the Salt Lake County Health Department said it’s hard to say if the county would have fewer cases today if the entire county (and not just two cities) had stayed in orange. Commuting patterns make it impossible to separate different municipalities, and the piecemeal approach left some streets orange on one side and yellow on the other.
County data shows that throughout June, on days with a particularly high number of new cases, more than half came from areas that went yellow before the mayor felt they were ready.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the commission has made it more cumbersome for local leaders to pass their own rules, but she gives the governor credit for allowing her city to remain in orange and approving the county’s mandate for wearing face masks in public.
One of the counties Herbert had allowed to stay in orange was Grand County, home to Arches National Park. But that changed on May 28. When local officials asked to maintain extra protections as they moved to yellow — such as leaving hotel rooms empty for 24 hours between bookings — the governor’s office denied the request.
The rural county has logged few cases, though it is impossible to tell how many tourists may have caught the virus there before returning home. Bradon Bradford, director of the Southeast Utah Health Department, which covers Grand County, said the local numbers started going up in July.
The commission’s top-down approach is “uncharacteristic” of Utah, said Kirk Benge, who leads the Public Health Department for San Juan County in the southeastern corner of the state. “Most politicians claim that they like local authority and they like local decisions. In an emergency, to immediately strip that … I felt, was a mistake at the time.”
A Mysterious Decision
Top health officials and other legislators have little insight into the commission’s actions. Miner told ProPublica he has never attended a meeting. Nor has Dunn, the state epidemiologist. Both are part of a work group that provides input on what activities are allowed under each phase, but they aren’t involved in the final decisions of when and how restrictions are loosened.
Dailey-Provost, the legislator with public health training, said her offers to help and suggest health experts went nowhere. She co-authored a study in April that predicted how coronavirus cases would peak in Utah. Reality has outstripped the study’s worst projections.
One of the commission’s most significant decisions occurred in late May, when they suggested redefining the yellow phase, which capped gatherings at 50 people, to allow indoor gatherings of 3,000 and outdoor gatherings of 6,000.
The proposal caught Dunn and other health officials off guard. They discussed it at their work group meeting of health and business experts. Burton’s deputy, Richard Saunders, who often attends commission meetings, was also present.
Benge, the health officer for San Juan County, said he was “100% against” the change. Many businesses were still transitioning into the yellow phase and hadn’t had time to open up, Benge said, so it was too early to loosen the guidelines any further. Dunn and Miner shared similar concerns.
Miner said he recalls the group was being asked to figure out how to implement the change as safely as possible. He said they concluded that if the venues were required to track where everyone sat, at least they could do contact tracing if anyone got sick.
The numbers were headed in the wrong direction. A day earlier, on May 28, the Tribune reported the biggest single-day spike in new cases statewide, as well as an outbreak in a nursing facility that infected more than half the residents. One county in northern Utah saw a 33% increase in cases.
Health officers fretted about the decision in emails released to ProPublica.
“This change happened on a timeline contrary to my recommendations and the recommendations of the state epidemiologist and other health officers,” Benge wrote to his county health board.
“I don’t think we’ll need to move to Green because it’s all being phased into Yellow,” Bradford wrote to other local health officials.
“So who is going to count to see when they reach 6001 participants?” another officer replied.
Herbert accepted the commission’s changes in June.
Jordan Mathis, the officer for the TriCounty Health Department that oversees Daggett, Duchesne and Uintah counties, said the numbers seemed arbitrary. “Why 3,000? Why 6,000? Where’d we pull those from?”
Good, the commission member, said he doesn’t recall the exact reasons behind those numbers, but those discussions “were occurring at a time when 999 out of 1,000 Utahns did not have a coronavirus infection,” he said. Today, the situation is more serious, with four times as many active cases as there were back then, he said. “Those are not the conversations we would be having today.”
Brian Hatch, the health officer for Davis County, sits on a medical team that is supposed to advise the commission. He doesn’t recall the commission ever asking for its advice on the phase guidelines. The medical team has focused on recommendations for high-risk residents who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
Hatch said the idea for 6,000 people outdoors might have come from his county. When the state moved to yellow, there was no reopening plan for Lagoon Amusement Park, the only amusement park in the state. The park owners worked with Hatch. They settled on 6,000 people, which is 15% of its usual capacity. With social distancing, mandated masks and other precautions like timed tickets, they could operate safely, Hatch said.
The park reopened Memorial Day weekend with the governor’s approval, a week before the commission meeting on May 29. A spokesman for the park said it reached the 6,000-person limit only a few times since opening. Hatch said there have been no outbreaks connected to the park, and having a large crowd dispersed outdoors is very different from cramming 3,000 spectators indoors. Since the risk of infection is much higher inside, “I’m concerned with 20 people together,” he said.
Hatch said he doesn’t know where the 3,000 number came from. Health officials couldn’t point to any recent events with thousands gathered indoors. A spokeswoman for the Larry H. Miller Group, whose CEO sits on the commission, said the company’s movie theaters have kept indoor crowds at 50 and have not hosted any sporting events at their large venues.
The indoor guidelines require assigned seating (to enable contact tracing) and masks whenever social distancing isn’t possible.
Dunn and Benge said masks alone aren’t enough. Masks need to be used in concert with distancing and hand washing, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “(The commission is) using the masks as an excuse to break all the other science rules.”
The High Risk of “Low Risk”
Shortly after the May 29 meeting where the work group discussed the changes to the yellow guidelines, the commission held its own meeting.
According to meeting minutes, the commission wanted to determine how and when the state could switch to green, the “new normal.” One of the people present was Burton’s deputy, Saunders, who had just attended the work group meeting with Dunn and Miner.
Saunders told commission members that the potential impact from recent events — including Memorial Day celebrations and the opening of the amusement park — would become clear in the coming week. He said epidemiologists in the state Health Department advised staying at yellow until June 30.
Adams motioned to move most of the state to green by June 5, as long as the data supported it. The transition meant large crowds could gather without assigned seating. Religious services would no longer require 6 feet of space between families and sports competitions could resume.
The six commission members who were present voted unanimously for the idea. They waited several days to announce the news.
Utah had cycled through two phase changes in one month. Dunn worried residents saw it as permission to abandon precautions like masks. After all, the yellow phase was labeled “low risk.”
“I am concerned that we are providing the public with false information regarding their risk for contracting COVID-19,” she wrote to Miner, Burton and others on June 1. “Our % positive is at 7%, just a short jump away from the 8% positive at the beginning of this outbreak when we were only testing hospitalized patients. Our growth rate is sharply increasing.”
The very next day, the commission said the state was ready to go to green.
When Benge heard the news, he told colleagues he was “concerned that the current ‘Phased Health Guidelines’ have gradually shifted at the state level, from being focused on protecting health to being more focused on protecting the economy.”
The commission acknowledged coronavirus cases “may continue to rise” as restrictions are lifted. But case numbers are “a poor indicator of health risk for all Utahns,” as 99% of COVID-19 patients recover, they said in a press release that cited low hospitalization rates, low death rates and increased testing and contact tracing. They called for a “smart” green level where everyone should still wear masks and stay socially distant.
They didn’t mention the racial disparities that persisted throughout the pandemic. Fourteen percent of Utah’s population is Latino, but they make up 40% of cases. The proportion of patients who die from the virus is three times as high for Native Americans as it is for white residents. Navajo Nation, which extends into Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, recently imposed stay-at-home orders over several weekends because of the worsening situation in surrounding areas. Most of the roads leading to Utah’s national parks go through the reservation, said Pete Sands, a spokesman for Utah Navajo Health Systems. So when residents or visitors refuse to take precautions, it directly affects Navajo citizens.
Too many states are letting their cases grow based only on health care capacity, said Benjamin, the American Public Health Association director. “Why open the economy and allow needless death and illness and disability … [when] this single-minded strategy is eroding the economy in the long term?” he said. “Sick people can’t work. People who are afraid to go out and shop [or] eat aren’t going to go out.”
Experts say there’s more at play than ensuring hospital beds; workers face personal protective equipment shortages and burnout. There’s no surefire way to prevent COVID-19 deaths, and many survivors are left with heart damage, scarred lungs, neurological problems and other long-term effects doctors are just beginning to understand.
A day after the commission’s announcement on June 2, Dunn told reporters that no community in Utah was ready for green.
Herbert waited until June 12 before moving one county to green. A week later, he approved requests from nine other counties to do the same.
As Herbert finalized the partial shift to green, Dunn sent an urgent memo to state and local health officials, which the Tribune published several days later on June 22.
“If we do not reach a rolling 7-day average of 200 [cases] per day by July 1, we need to move the entire state to orange,” Dunn wrote. “This will send the message to Utahns that this outbreak continues to be a serious problem.”
“This might be our last chance for course correction,” she warned. “Contact tracing and testing alone will not control this outbreak.”
Dunn recommended a statewide requirement for face masks. If that wasn’t possible, she wrote, “we need to be clear with the public about why decisions are being made lessening restrictions — economic, not health.”
Herbert said he appreciated Dunn’s analysis but would not close down the economy. The seven-day average stood at 485 cases per day.
Beyond Capacity
By mid-July, the seven-day average had reached 650 cases per day.
A growing number of health and business interests want a statewide mask mandate. That includes the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Larry H. Miller Group, whose leaders sit on the commission. Adams has come out against the idea.
Herbert has required masks in state buildings and in K-12 schools starting this fall but stopped short of a blanket rule, citing individual freedom and local control. The issue has become so politicized in Utah that one county commissioner compared the idea of a mask mandate to Nazism. In Provo, residents crowded into a county commission meeting to protest the school mask requirement.
Darin Mellott, a real estate executive who serves on a separate economic task force on the pandemic, describes himself as an establishment Republican. But he personally feels masks are an easy way to stem the tide. “I think future generations, if we do nothing, are going to look back and say, ‘Why did you subject so many people … to this threat, because of some imagined threat to our liberty?’”
Mellott said Herbert has a tough balancing act — “I think we would be in a much worse situation if it weren’t for him” — but that the governor and other state leaders need to give more health professionals a seat at the table. “This is a war against the virus, and the medical professionals are the generals,” he said. “So listen to the generals.”
In a recent press conference, Herbert acknowledged that labeling the different phases based on risk might have given the public a false sense of security. He challenged residents to voluntarily wear masks and set a goal to keep average new cases below 500 a day by August 1. Herbert cited 800 a day as the absolute maximum the state can handle.
Dunn told ProPublica she suggested 200 cases a day because it allows the state to do contact tracing within 24 hours. Because of the lag time between infections and hospitalizations, any preventative measures taken today won’t have an effect for another two to four weeks, so there’s no time to lose. “You can’t wait until you’re already underwater,” she said.
The state is hiring more contact tracers, but can now handle only 300 cases a day.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-21--WH Denies Any ‘Secretive Operations Going On’ In Portland As Unidentified Forces Prowl Streets

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday denied any “ secretive operations ” happening in Portland as unidentified federal law enforcement officers are being deployed to quell ongoing protests .
Last week , videos from protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the city showed Department of Homeland Security personnel arresting protesters and placing them in unmarked SUVs .
On Friday , Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum ( D ) and the American Civil Liberties Union sued federal agencies over DHS ’ detention of protesters .
On Sunday , President Trump — who touted last month that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order ” as he pushed for an aggressive federal response to protests nationwide in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death — tweeted that his administration is “ trying to help Portland , not hurt it.
” When asked during a press briefing on Tuesday about why the President has not invoked the Insurrection Act to have a “ big show of force ” in Portland — citing California Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s ( D ) move last month to deploy the National Guard in front of Los Angeles City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that she will leave it up to Trump and denied any “ secretive operations ” happening in Portland .
“ We don ’ t have secretive operations going on — it ’ s very clear what ’ s going on in Portland , ” McEnany said , before adding that it ’ s also “ very clear ” what ’ s happening in Kansas City regarding protests .
McEnany said that when it comes to invoking the Insurrection Act , the Trump administration looks to local officials to quell the unrest that has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with regard to the Insurrection act , we believe that it should be governors and mayors doing what they have the constitutional power to do , ” McEnany said .
“ The police power rests with them so it ’ s up to this President whether he ever decides to invoke that.
” McEnany went on to slam Democratic governors and mayors who she said “ really need to step it up ” when streets are “ out of control.
” McEnany ’ s remarks come a day after six big city mayors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Congress objecting to the unsolicited deployment of federal forces in their cities , arguing that the move is political and reminiscent of authoritarian regimes .
McEnany ’ s latest briefing echoes her remarks during an interview on Fox News the day before when she accused Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for being “ a mayor who is unwilling to admit that he lost control of his city .
”

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday denied any “secretive operations” happening in Portland as unidentified federal law enforcement officers are being deployed to quell ongoing protests.
Last week, videos from protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the city showed Department of Homeland Security personnel arresting protesters and placing them in unmarked SUVs. On Friday, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum (D) and the American Civil Liberties Union sued federal agencies over DHS’ detention of protesters.
On Sunday, President Trump — who touted last month that he is the president of “law and order” as he pushed for an aggressive federal response to protests nationwide in the wake of George Floyd’s death — tweeted that his administration is “trying to help Portland, not hurt it.”
When asked during a press briefing on Tuesday about why the President has not invoked the Insurrection Act to have a “big show of force” in Portland — citing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) move last month to deploy the National Guard in front of Los Angeles City Hall to quell protests — McEnany said that she will leave it up to Trump and denied any “secretive operations” happening in Portland.
“We don’t have secretive operations going on — it’s very clear what’s going on in Portland,” McEnany said, before adding that it’s also “very clear” what’s happening in Kansas City regarding protests.
McEnany said that when it comes to invoking the Insurrection Act, the Trump administration looks to local officials to quell the unrest that has ensued in their cities.
“But with regard to the Insurrection act, we believe that it should be governors and mayors doing what they have the constitutional power to do,” McEnany said. “The
police power rests with them so it’s up to this President whether he ever decides to invoke that.”
McEnany went on to slam Democratic governors and mayors who she said “really need to step it up” when streets are “out of control.”
McEnany’s remarks come a day after six big city mayors issued a letter to the Trump administration and Congress objecting to the unsolicited deployment of federal forces in their cities, arguing that the move is political and reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.
McEnany’s latest briefing echoes her remarks during an interview on Fox News the day before when she accused Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler for being “a mayor who is unwilling to admit that he lost control of his city.”
Watch McEnany’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-21--Reports: OH House Speaker Arrested In Connection With $60m Public Corruption Case

The speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and several others were arrested Tuesday morning as part of a federal public corruption case , multiple Ohio outlets reported .
The FBI arrived at House Speaker Larry Householder ’ s ( R ) farm in Glenford , Ohio Monday morning , and sometime after that took Householder into custody , the Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch reported , citing unnamed law enforcement sources .
Also arrested , according to the reports , were the state Republican party ’ s former chairman Matt Borges , lobbyists Neil Clark and Juana Cespedes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Longstreth .
All five men are expected to appear via video before Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman at 1 p.m , the Toledo Blade reported .
The FBI told the newspaper that it was conducting a “ court-authorized law enforcement activity ” at Householder ’ s farm .
The arrests are reportedly connected to a planned press conference Tuesday afternoon featuring the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio .
A planning document for the press conference says law enforcement officials will discuss “ a public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House speaker from 2001 to 2004 , when he left the post due to term limits .
He was reelected to the statehouse in 2016 and reelected speaker in 2019 .
Citing an unnamed source , the Toledo Blade reported that the federal investigation revolved around House legislation last year to bail out two nuclear power plants in the state .
“ House Bill 6 ” was extremely controversial in- and out-of-state for propping up the aging plants while lowering statewide standards for renewable energy and energy efficiency .
Vox News ’ David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ the most counterproductive and corrupt piece of state energy legislation I can recall in all my time covering this stuff .
”

The speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and several others were arrested Tuesday morning as part of a federal public corruption case, multiple Ohio outlets reported.
The FBI arrived at House Speaker Larry Householder’s (R) farm in Glenford, Ohio Monday morning, and sometime after that took Householder into custody, the Cincinnati Enquirer and Columbus Dispatch reported, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
Also arrested, according to the reports, were the state Republican party’s former chairman Matt Borges, lobbyists Neil Clark and Juana Cespedes, and an adviser to Householder, Jeff Longstreth. All five men are expected to appear via video before Magistrate Judge Stephanie Bowman at 1 p.m, the Toledo Blade reported.
The FBI told the newspaper that it was conducting a “court-authorized law enforcement activity” at Householder’s farm.
The arrests are reportedly connected to a planned press conference Tuesday afternoon featuring the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.
A planning document for the press conference says law enforcement officials will discuss “a public corruption racketeering conspiracy involving $60 million.”
Househoulder was the House speaker from 2001 to 2004, when he left the post due to term limits. He was reelected to the statehouse in 2016 and reelected speaker in 2019.
Citing an unnamed source, the Toledo Blade reported that the federal investigation revolved around House legislation last year to bail out two nuclear power plants in the state.
“House Bill 6” was extremely controversial in- and out-of-state for propping up the aging plants while lowering statewide standards for renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Vox News’ David Roberts wrote at the time that HB6 was “the most counterproductive and corrupt piece of state energy legislation I can recall in all my time covering this stuff.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-21--Cotton Compares Portland BLM Protesters To Confederate Secessionists

Two things that are the same to Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-AR ) : Demonstrators in Portland , Oregon protesting against racist police brutality , and pro-slavery insurgents in the South breaking from the Union to preserve slavery .
“ These insurrectionists in the streets of Portland are little different from the insurrectionists who seceded from the Union in 1861 in South Carolina and tried to take over Fort Sumter , ” Cotton argued during a “ Fox and Friends ” interview on Tuesday morning .
“ And just like President Lincoln wouldn ’ t stand for that , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vandalism , the fire bombing or any attacks on federal property , ” the senator added .
Cotton has fervently pushed for militant crackdowns on anti-police brutality protests that have emerged across the country in wake of George Floyd ’ s death in May .
Last month , the hardline conservative called on the government to “ send in the troops ” as a response to the protests in a widely criticized New York Times op-ed , which the Times later disavowed due to the “ rushed editorial process ” that led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf ’ s direction , anonymous federal agents have been occupying Portland against state and city leaders ’ wishes in the name of combating “ violent anarchists , ” which has included tactics like whisking away nonviolent protesters in unmarked vans .

Two things that are the same to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR): Demonstrators in Portland, Oregon protesting against racist police brutality, and pro-slavery insurgents in the South breaking from the Union to preserve slavery.
“These insurrectionists in the streets of Portland are little different from the insurrectionists who seceded from the Union in 1861 in South Carolina and tried to take over Fort Sumter,” Cotton argued during a “Fox and Friends” interview on Tuesday morning.
“And just like President Lincoln wouldn’t stand for that, the federal government today cannot stand for the vandalism, the fire bombing or any attacks on federal property,” the senator added.
Cotton has fervently pushed for militant crackdowns on anti-police brutality protests that have emerged across the country in wake of George Floyd’s death in May. Last month, the hardline conservative called on the government to “send in the troops” as a response to the protests in a widely criticized New York Times op-ed, which the Times later disavowed due to the “rushed editorial process” that led to the column’s publication.
Under Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf’s direction, anonymous federal agents have been occupying Portland against state and city leaders’ wishes in the name of combating “violent anarchists,” which has included tactics like whisking away nonviolent protesters in unmarked vans.
Watch Cotton below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-22--Abbott’s Statewide Orders Limit Options For Local Officials Trying To Curb Spread Of COVID-19

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ( R ) held back on supporting a shelter-at-home order for a Texas county that has been dealt a staggering blow by the coronavirus and that ’ s scheduled to begin Wednesday .
While Abbott acknowledged in an interview with CNN affiliate KRGV Tuesday night that some counties continue to experience “ record breaking ” numbers of positive tests and hospitalizations as well as “ far too many deaths ” — he said a mandated stay-at-home order was not enforceable .
The new emergency order , issued earlier this week by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a requirement for facial coverings for Hidalgo residents .
It states that it is “ highly encouraged and recommended ” that all commercial businesses discontinue their activities , unless they are essential , providing necessary supplies or services related to health and safety .
The order excludes curbside , drive-thru and takeout services from its recommendation for closure .
The situation has grown so dire that Hidalgo County officials threatened Tuesday to criminally prosecute people who refuse to quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus .
“ There are parts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enforce , such as the curfew , ” Abbott told KRGV .
“ That is the authority that the local County judges always have been including right now , and it ’ s my understanding that in Cameron and Hidalgo County they intend to be enforcing curfews .
That is one of the strategies to make sure they reduce the number of people out and about.
” But the governor ’ s response stopped short of agreeing that a stay-at-home requirement was the best answer to the panic at hospitals as beds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Abbott ’ s office had also said earlier Tuesday the mandate lacked the legal authority and was more of a recommendation .
Earlier this week , a spokesman from Abbott ’ s office , John Wittman told the Texas Tribune in a statement late Monday that the order “ has no enforcement mechanism , ” which made it “ simply a recommendation for those to stay home if they can , which Governor Abbott supports.
” Under Abbott ’ s current statewide orders , local governments can not enforce their own stay-at-home orders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order does not force businesses to shut down in the Rio Grande Valley.
” Cortez said the mandate was a response to a frightening reality that hospitals are quickly hitting capacity .
“ Unfortunately , our hospital rooms look like war zones because there are just so many from so many sick people there , ” Cortez told CBS News .

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) held back on supporting a shelter-at-home order for a Texas county that has been dealt a staggering blow by the coronavirus and that’s scheduled to begin Wednesday.
While Abbott acknowledged in an interview with CNN affiliate KRGV Tuesday night that some counties continue to experience “record breaking” numbers of positive tests and hospitalizations as well as “far too many deaths” — he said a mandated stay-at-home order was not enforceable.
The new emergency order, issued earlier this week by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, includes a curfew, travel limitations and a requirement for facial coverings for Hidalgo residents.
It states that it is “highly encouraged and recommended” that all commercial businesses discontinue their activities, unless they are essential, providing necessary supplies or services related to health and safety. The order excludes curbside, drive-thru and takeout services from its recommendation for closure.
The situation has grown so dire that Hidalgo County officials threatened Tuesday to criminally prosecute people who refuse to quarantine after testing positive for the coronavirus.
“There are parts of the orders which I have the complete latitude to enforce, such as the curfew,” Abbott told KRGV. “That is the authority that the local County judges always have been including right now, and it’s my understanding that in Cameron and Hidalgo County they intend to be enforcing curfews. That is one of the strategies to make sure they reduce the number of people out and about.”
But the governor’s response stopped short of agreeing that a stay-at-home requirement was the best answer to the panic at hospitals as beds fill up. According to CNN, Abbott’s office had also said earlier Tuesday the mandate lacked the legal authority and was more of a recommendation.
Earlier this week, a spokesman from Abbott’s office, John Wittman told the Texas Tribune in a statement late Monday that the order “has no enforcement mechanism,” which made it “simply a recommendation for those to stay home if they can, which Governor Abbott supports.”
Under Abbott’s current statewide orders, local governments cannot enforce their own stay-at-home orders. Wittman also clarified that “this order does not force businesses to shut down in the Rio Grande Valley.”
Cortez said the mandate was a response to a frightening reality that hospitals are quickly hitting capacity.
“Unfortunately, our hospital rooms look like war zones because there are just so many from so many sick people there,” Cortez told CBS News.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-22--DHS Chief Says His Federal Agents Are ‘Proactively’ Arresting People In Portland

Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf spun his unidentified federal agents ’ random detainment of nonviolent anti-police brutality protesters in Portland , Oregon as some kind of pre-crime measure on Tuesday night .
“ Because we don ’ t have that local support , that local law enforcement support , we are having to go out and proactively arrest individuals , ” Wolf said during an interview on Fox News .
“ And we need to do that because we need to hold them accountable.
” He derided the “ ridiculous ” notion that federal law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city without local leaders ’ permission .
“ You need to hold individuals accountable , and when we don ’ t do that , I think we get what we see in Portland today , ” the Trump administration official said .
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has repeatedly demanded that the Trump administration withdraw the feds from his city , asserting during a CNN interview on Sunday that their presence is “ actually leading to more violence and more vandalism.
” “ People are being literally scooped off the street into unmarked vans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wheeler said .
“ They are being denied probable cause .
And they are denied due process .
”

Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf spun his unidentified federal agents’ random detainment of nonviolent anti-police brutality protesters in Portland, Oregon as some kind of pre-crime measure on Tuesday night.
“Because we don’t have that local support, that local law enforcement support, we are having to go out and proactively arrest individuals,” Wolf said during an interview on Fox News. “And we need to do that because we need to hold them accountable.”
He derided the “ridiculous” notion that federal law enforcement shouldn’t take over a city without local leaders’ permission.
“You need to hold individuals accountable, and when we don’t do that, I think we get what we see in Portland today,” the Trump administration official said.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has repeatedly demanded that the Trump administration withdraw the feds from his city, asserting during a CNN interview on Sunday that their presence is “actually leading to more violence and more vandalism.”
“People are being literally scooped off the street into unmarked vans, rental cars, apparently,” Wheeler said. “They are being denied probable cause. And they are denied due process.”
Watch Wolf below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-22--Trump Trashes Dems While Describing Fed ‘Surge’ To Chicago, Albuquerque

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he ’ d be expanding a federal “ surge ” of law enforcement into two cities , Chicago and Alburquerque .
But the President couldn ’ t help but turn the announcement into a political attack .
“ Other cities need help , ” he said .
“ They need it badly .
They should call .
They should want it .
They are too proud or they are too political to do that.
” Referring to “ sanctuary cities , ” whose local law enforcement limits cooperation with ICE , Trump condemned “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ My vision for America ’ s cities could not be more different from the lawlessness being pushed by the extreme radical left , ” he added .
“ While others want to defund , defame and abolish the police , I want to support and honor our great police.
” Chad Wolf , the acting Homeland Security secretary , said leadership in the cities “ should not stand behind the status quo — they should stand with America.
” ICE agents will be among those mobilized in Chicago , he and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is distinct from the federal agents policing protests in Portland .
Whereas that federal force has ( mostly ) been stationed around federal property , the federal law enforcement sent to Illinois and New Mexico will focus on gun violations and violent crime .
Attorney General Bill Barr announced the launch of “ Operation Legend ” — named after the four-year-old shooting victim — in Kansas City two weeks ago .
He said Wednesday that the “ surge ” in federal resources — including FBI agents and others from ATF , the DEA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulted in 200 arrests .
That confused local reporters in Kansas City , who noted that federal authorities announced the first arrest stemming from the surge just two days ago — a man charged with being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms .
Or as U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison called him , “ a crime waiting to happen.
” On Wednesday , Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas voiced concern about mission creep and said Trump was “ exploiting the pain of our particularly Black community ” in an election year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote to Trump on Monday urging him not to bring “ secret , federal agents ” to Chicago .
At the same time , she voiced support for “ adequate federal enforcement ” of existing gun laws .
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller — who like Lightfoot and Lucas is a Democrat — released a statement Tuesday accusing the administration of trying to “ incite violence by targeting our city and our residents.
” Barr said Wednesday that federal law enforcement agencies had sent over 200 personnel to Kansas City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number would be sent to Chicago .
Thirty-five agents additional agents would go to Albuquerque , he said .
Trump and Barr also said the cities would receive federal grants to hire more cops locally .

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he’d be expanding a federal “surge” of law enforcement into two cities, Chicago and Albuquerque.
But the President couldn’t help but turn the announcement into a political attack.
“Other cities need help,” he said. “They need it badly. They should call. They should want it. They are too proud or they are too political to do that.”
Referring to “sanctuary cities,” whose local law enforcement limits cooperation with ICE, Trump condemned “deadly policies” and “deadly politicians.”
“My vision for America’s cities could not be more different from the lawlessness being pushed by the extreme radical left,” he added. “While others want to defund, defame and abolish the police, I want to support and honor our great police.”
Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security secretary, said leadership in the cities “should not stand behind the status quo — they should stand with America.” ICE agents will be among those mobilized in Chicago, he and Trump noted.
The surge announced Wednesday is distinct from the federal agents policing protests in Portland. Whereas that federal force has (mostly) been stationed around federal property, the federal law enforcement sent to Illinois and New Mexico will focus on gun violations and violent crime.
Attorney General Bill Barr announced the launch of “Operation Legend” — named after the four-year-old shooting victim LeGend Taliferro — in Kansas City two weeks ago.
He said Wednesday that the “surge” in federal resources — including FBI agents and others from ATF, the DEA and the U.S. Marshals — had resulted in 200 arrests.
That confused local reporters in Kansas City, who noted that federal authorities announced the first arrest stemming from the surge just two days ago — a man charged with being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms. Or as U.S. Attorney Tim Garrison called him, “a crime waiting to happen.”
On Wednesday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas voiced concern about mission creep and said Trump was “exploiting the pain of our particularly Black community” in an election year, the Kansas City Star reported.
And Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote to Trump on Monday urging him not to bring “secret, federal agents” to Chicago. At the same time, she voiced support for “adequate federal enforcement” of existing gun laws.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller — who like Lightfoot and Lucas is a Democrat — released a statement Tuesday accusing the administration of trying to “incite violence by targeting our city and our residents.”
Barr said Wednesday that federal law enforcement agencies had sent over 200 personnel to Kansas City. He said a “comparable” number would be sent to Chicago. Thirty-five agents additional agents would go to Albuquerque, he said. Trump and Barr also said the cities would receive federal grants to hire more cops locally.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-22--The Top Wildly Misleading Criticisms Of Dr. Fauci, Debunked

As the pandemic has worsened , top administration officials have sought to undertake the tough , but necessary work of discrediting Dr. Anthony Fauci , the country ’ s leading public health official combatting the coronavirus .
As the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases , Fauci has spent much of the pandemic responding to COVID-19 case and hospitalization totals , and issuing public health recommendations in response in an attempt to limit the spread of the disease .
But over the past month , top Trump administration officials and the right-wing media have taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Fauci ’ s , trying to cast him as perpetually wrong and fundamentally unreliable .
The attempts to discredit Fauci have spread around right-wing websites and come from the mouths of White House officials themselves , running the full gamut of the fever swamp ecosystem , but they all share a common misunderstanding : that single errors or misinterpretations completely discredit the broader thrust of public health advice .
Take Mick Mulvaney ’ s claim in a July 13 CNBC appearance that it was early hesitation on mask-wearing which fatally damaged Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same point made in an oppo sheet circulated by the White House .
“ I really admire Dr. Fauci , but I was also one of the persons he told to go on television and tell people not to wear masks , ” Mulvaney said , before adding that “ it ’ s tough when you don ’ t have credibility to work with the president of the United States — I think that ’ s a fair concern to have .
If you ’ ve been wrong a couple times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re wrong again — that ’ s only human nature.
” Without litigating the mask-wearing issue , it ’ s hard to take Mulvaney ’ s point seriously given the months that Trump has refused to wear a mask .
It also overlooks that we are still learning how the virus itself infects people .
The recommendations that public health officials began to issue in February were based on far less than is known now — consider early public health recommendations based on the virus infecting people from surfaces , and via airborne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media has seized upon goes to a July 8 press conference at which Fauci appeared with Sen. Doug Jones ( D-AL ) , in which Fauci described the country ’ s then-declining COVID-19 death rate as a “ false narrative ” because the virus was “ dangerous and bad ” in other ways , before warning the public not to “ get yourself into false complacency.
” Breitbart described Fauci as “ downplaying ” the then-declining death rate , and Peter Navarro cited the statement as an example of the public health official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a falling mortality rate doesn ’ t matter when it is the single most important statistic to help guide the pace of our economic reopening , ” Navarro wrote .
“ The lower the mortality rate , the faster and more we can open.
” Other , arguably more innocuous remarks have drawn ire from those seeking to cast Fauci as perpetually wrong .
Fauci described the COVID-19 pandemic in a Georgetown University webinar last week as being “ of historic proportions , ” before adding that “ if you look at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 50 to 75 to 100 million people died , I mean that was the mother of all pandemics and truly historic .
I hope we don ’ t even approach that with this , but it does have the makings of the possibility of … approaching that in seriousness , though I hope that the kinds of interventions that we ’ re going to be , and are implementing would not allow that to happen.
” It was then left to Mark Meadows , the current White House chief of staff , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supposed comparison to 1918 , calling the remarks “ false ” and “ irresponsible.
” HHS Assistant Secretary Adm. Brett Giroir said on Meet the Press this month that Fauci ’ s focus on matters of public health obscured his ability to take in “ the whole national interest.
” “ And I respect Dr. Fauci a lot , but Dr. Fauci is not 100 percent right , and he also doesn ’ t necessarily , and he admits that , have the whole national interest in mind , ” Giroir told Meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He looks at it from a very narrow public health point of view.
” It ’ s not clear how public health relates to the “ whole national interest ” in this instance .

It’s the scientific method.
As the pandemic has worsened, top administration officials have sought to undertake the tough, but necessary work of discrediting Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading public health official combatting the coronavirus.
As the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, Fauci has spent much of the pandemic responding to COVID-19 case and hospitalization totals, and issuing public health recommendations in response in an attempt to limit the spread of the disease.
But over the past month, top Trump administration officials and the right-wing media have taken to pouncing on past and current statements of Fauci’s, trying to cast him as perpetually wrong and fundamentally unreliable.
Litigating masks
The attempts to discredit Fauci have spread around right-wing websites and come from the mouths of White House officials themselves, running the full gamut of the fever swamp ecosystem, but they all share a common misunderstanding: that single errors or misinterpretations completely discredit the broader thrust of public health advice.
Take Mick Mulvaney’s claim in a July 13 CNBC appearance that it was early hesitation on mask-wearing which fatally damaged Fauci’s credibility before President Trump — the same point made in an oppo sheet circulated by the White House.
“I really admire Dr. Fauci, but I was also one of the persons he told to go on television and tell people not to wear masks,” Mulvaney said, before adding that “it’s tough when you don’t have credibility to work with the president of the United States — I think that’s a fair concern to have. If you’ve been wrong a couple times, it makes somebody wonder if you’re wrong again — that’s only human nature.”
Without litigating the mask-wearing issue, it’s hard to take Mulvaney’s point seriously given the months that Trump has refused to wear a mask. It also overlooks that we are still learning how the virus itself infects people. The recommendations that public health officials began to issue in February were based on far less than is known now — consider early public health recommendations based on the virus infecting people from surfaces, and via airborne transmission.
False narratives
Another statement that the right-wing media has seized upon goes to a July 8 press conference at which Fauci appeared with Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), in which Fauci described the country’s then-declining COVID-19 death rate as a “false narrative” because the virus was “dangerous and bad” in other ways, before warning the public not to “get yourself into false complacency.”
Breitbart described Fauci as “downplaying” the then-declining death rate, and Peter Navarro cited the statement as an example of the public health official contradicting himself.
“Now Fauci says a falling mortality rate doesn’t matter when it is the single most important statistic to help guide the pace of our economic reopening,” Navarro wrote. “The lower the mortality rate, the faster and more we can open.”
Flashback to 1918
Other, arguably more innocuous remarks have drawn ire from those seeking to cast Fauci as perpetually wrong.
Fauci described the COVID-19 pandemic in a Georgetown University webinar last week as being “of historic proportions,” before adding that “if you look at the magnitude of the 1918 pandemic where anywhere from 50 to 75 to 100 million people died, I mean that was the mother of all pandemics and truly historic. I hope we don’t even approach that with this, but it does have the makings of the possibility of … approaching that in seriousness, though I hope that the kinds of interventions that we’re going to be, and are implementing would not allow that to happen.”
It was then left to Mark Meadows, the current White House chief of staff, to chide Fauci last week for the supposed comparison to 1918, calling the remarks “false” and “irresponsible.”
Never 100 percent
HHS Assistant Secretary Adm. Brett Giroir said on Meet the Press this month that Fauci’s focus on matters of public health obscured his ability to take in “the whole national interest.”
TODAY on #MTP: Admiral Brett Giroir says “Dr. Fauci is not 100 percent right.” #MTP #IfItSunday@HHS_ASH: “He looks at it from a very narrow public health point of view.” pic.twitter.com/EE07SYXEAd — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 12, 2020
“And I respect Dr. Fauci a lot, but Dr. Fauci is not 100 percent right, and he also doesn’t necessarily, and he admits that, have the whole national interest in mind,” Giroir told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd. “He looks at it from a very narrow public health point of view.”
It’s not clear how public health relates to the “whole national interest” in this instance.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-22--A Straight-Faced Conway Just Scolded States For Reopening ‘Too Quickly’

In a breathtaking display of shameless gaslighting , White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday accused the states plagued with skyrocketing COVID-19 cases of being too hasty with reopening their economies – you know , the thing President Donald Trump desperately pushed them to do for months .
“ Some of these states blew through our criteria , blew through our phases and they opened up some of the industries a little too quickly , like bars , ” Conway told reporters outside of the White House Wednesday .
The administration official argued that governors were the ones who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump can not be held responsible for the subsequently disastrous COVID spike consequences .
“ Remember , the governors wanted complete latitude over when they would open their states , ” Conway said .
“ They pushed back heavily , handsomely , Republicans and Democrats , when it was falsely rumored that the President was going to be in charge of opening the states .
He ’ s a federalist .
He believes in states ’ rights.
” The White House adviser cited Trump ’ s rebuke of Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the President having a more cautious stance on reopening states than governors .
However , not only was Trump ’ s public condemnation reportedly motivated by his private resentment toward Kemp , it was also the exception in Trump ’ s overall enthusiastic endorsement of GOP-led states lifting their stay-at-home restrictions .
Additionally , Trump threatened to “ take very strong action ” against states that didn ’ t reopen quickly enough to his liking and falsely claimed that he had the “ total ” authority to do so .
And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were protesting their governors ’ stay-at-home orders — often while armed with military-grade weapons — Trump called on the demonstrators to “ LIBERATE ” their states .
Conway ’ s jaw-dropping remarks on Wednesday also come in the middle of Trump ’ s crusade to pressure states into reopening their schools in the fall despite health experts ’ warning that doing so puts students , teachers and their families at serious risk .

In a breathtaking display of shameless gaslighting, White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday accused the states plagued with skyrocketing COVID-19 cases of being too hasty with reopening their economies – you know, the thing President Donald Trump desperately pushed them to do for months.
“Some of these states blew through our criteria, blew through our phases and they opened up some of the industries a little too quickly, like bars,” Conway told reporters outside of the White House Wednesday.
The administration official argued that governors were the ones who chose to reopen their states and therefore Trump cannot be held responsible for the subsequent spikes in COVID-19.
“Remember, the governors wanted complete latitude over when they would open their states,” Conway said. “They pushed back heavily, handsomely, Republicans and Democrats, when it was falsely rumored that the President was going to be in charge of opening the states. He’s a federalist. He believes in states’ rights.”
The White House adviser cited Trump’s rebuke of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) in April as evidence of the President having a more cautious stance on reopening states than governors.
However, not only was Trump’s public condemnation reportedly motivated by his private resentment toward Kemp, it was also the exception in Trump’s overall enthusiastic endorsement of GOP-led states lifting their stay-at-home restrictions. Additionally, Trump threatened to “take very strong action” against states that didn’t reopen quickly enough to his liking and falsely claimed that he had the “total” authority to do so.
And when right-wingers in Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia were protesting their governors’ stay-at-home orders — often while armed with military-grade weapons — Trump called on the demonstrators to “LIBERATE” their states.
Conway’s jaw-dropping remarks on Wednesday also come in the middle of Trump’s crusade to pressure states into reopening their schools in the fall despite health experts’ warning that doing so puts students, teachers and their families at serious risk.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-07-22--Philly DA Threatens To Charge Fed Law Enforcement If Trump Deploys ‘Fascist Playbook’

Philadelphia ’ s district attorney on Wednesday decried President Donald Trump ’ s threats to send federal agents into his city , saying that Trump ’ s “ fluffy ” rhetoric about occupying cities “ comes out of the fascist playbook.
” Philadelphia is one of a number of cities on which Trump has threatened to sic federal agents , arguing that local Democratic leaders aren ’ t responding to protesters forcefully enough .
Krasner ’ s response is part of a wave of local officials telling Trump ’ s flashy federal force to , essentially , keep out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities on cases involving things like drugs and gun offenses , Krasner told Bloomberg CityLab Wednesday .
But , he said , “ what ’ s unusual here is the fluffy rhetoric about taking over cities.
” “ What ’ s unusual is the politicization of a normal relationship between federal law enforcement and local law enforcement .
And what is really unusual is the apparently illegal Stormtrooper tactics that have been used by federal law enforcement in Portland.
” In Portland , local officials have urged federal agents to leave after on-the-ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demonstrators while wearing camouflage fatigues with little identifying information .
( At a press conference Tuesday night , acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said of Portland authorities , “ If you did your job from a local perspective , we wouldn ’ t be there.
” ) In a lawsuit Friday , Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said “ state law enforcement officers are not being consulted or coordinated with on these federal detentions ” — leading to local police potentially wasting time on kidnapping calls “ when federal agents snatch people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identification.
” “ It is not OK when there is no probable cause to jump out of a rental van and just requisition people off the street , ” Krasner told Bloomberg .
“ That looks like a dictatorship .
That looks like a kidnapping .
That looks like a crime.
” It may not end in Portand : Recent reports have indicated that DHS may send around 150 ICE agents to Chicago in coming days , though the department has not clarified its plans publicly .
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration on Monday comparing the scene in Portland to “ authoritarian regimes.
” And in a separate letter to the President Monday , Lightfoot urged Trump to focus federal efforts on gun reform and community investment , rather than sending federal agents whose presence she said “ would foment a massive wave of opposition.
” ( Read the full letter below . )
Krasner on Wednesday repeatedly referred to the federal deployment in Portland — and Trump ’ s threat to take the show national — as a political stunt .
“ We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the president is waving around to distract from his outrageous failures in many other areas , ” he said .
“ And to try to use his usual tactics of neo-fascist division , hate , and racism to improve his almost deceased campaign.
” “ This is fluff , ” he added separately .
“ This is politics .
This has nothing to do with actual law enforcement .
It is a diversion of tax funds to try to bolster a campaign that is close to defunct.
” The D.A .
said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to charge “ anyone , including federal law enforcement , who unlawfully assaults and kidnaps people.
” Tom Ridge , who was elected twice as Pennsylvania ’ s Republican governor and went on to be the first secretary of Homeland Security in 2003 , struck a similar tone the following day .
DHS , Ridge told SiriusXM ’ s Michael Smerconish , “ was not established to be the president ’ s personal militia.
” “ It ’ d be a cold day in hell before I would consent to a unilateral , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Krasner also highlighted the racial dynamics at play : Trump has repeatedly vilified the Black and Latino leadership of major cities .
“ He has an agenda , ” the D.A .
said .
“ It is a strictly political , racist , divisive , fear-based fictional agenda .
All of this stuff comes out of the fascist playbook .
All this stuff comes out of the white supremacist playbook .
”

Philadelphia’s district attorney on Wednesday decried President Donald Trump’s threats to send federal agents into his city, saying that Trump’s “fluffy” rhetoric about occupying cities “comes out of the fascist playbook.”
Philadelphia is one of a number of cities on which Trump has threatened to sic federal agents, arguing that local Democratic leaders aren’t responding to protesters forcefully enough. Krasner’s response is part of a wave of local officials telling Trump’s flashy federal force to, essentially, keep out.
Federal law enforcement routinely works with local authorities on cases involving things like drugs and gun offenses, Krasner told Bloomberg CityLab Wednesday.
But, he said, “what’s unusual here is the fluffy rhetoric about taking over cities.”
“What’s unusual is the politicization of a normal relationship between federal law enforcement and local law enforcement. And what is really unusual is the apparently illegal Stormtrooper tactics that have been used by federal law enforcement in Portland.”
In Portland, local officials have urged federal agents to leave after on-the-ground footage showed them teargassing and detaining non-violent demonstrators while wearing camouflage fatigues with little identifying information. (At a press conference Tuesday night, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said of Portland authorities, “If you did your job from a local perspective, we wouldn’t be there.”)
In a lawsuit Friday, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said “state law enforcement officers are not being consulted or coordinated with on these federal detentions” — leading to local police potentially wasting time on kidnapping calls “when federal agents snatch people walking through downtown Portland without explanation or identification.”
Krasner raised similar concerns.
“It is not OK when there is no probable cause to jump out of a rental van and just requisition people off the street,” Krasner told Bloomberg. “That looks like a dictatorship. That looks like a kidnapping. That looks like a crime.”
It may not end in Portand: Recent reports have indicated that DHS may send around 150 ICE agents to Chicago in coming days, though the department has not clarified its plans publicly.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was one of six mayors who wrote to the administration on Monday comparing the scene in Portland to “authoritarian regimes.”
And in a separate letter to the President Monday, Lightfoot urged Trump to focus federal efforts on gun reform and community investment, rather than sending federal agents whose presence she said “would foment a massive wave of opposition.” (Read the full letter below.)
Krasner on Wednesday repeatedly referred to the federal deployment in Portland — and Trump’s threat to take the show national — as a political stunt.
“We’re dealing with a shiny object that the president is waving around to distract from his outrageous failures in many other areas,” he said. “And to try to use his usual tactics of neo-fascist division, hate, and racism to improve his almost deceased campaign.”
“This is fluff,” he added separately. “This is politics. This has nothing to do with actual law enforcement. It is a diversion of tax funds to try to bolster a campaign that is close to defunct.”
The D.A. said Monday that he wouldn’t hesitate to charge “anyone, including federal law enforcement, who unlawfully assaults and kidnaps people.”
Tom Ridge, who was elected twice as Pennsylvania’s Republican governor and went on to be the first secretary of Homeland Security in 2003, struck a similar tone the following day.
DHS, Ridge told SiriusXM’s Michael Smerconish, “was not established to be the president’s personal militia.”
“It’d be a cold day in hell before I would consent to a unilateral, uninvited intervention in one of my cities.”
Krasner also highlighted the racial dynamics at play: Trump has repeatedly vilified the Black and Latino leadership of major cities.
“He has an agenda,” the D.A. said. “It is a strictly political, racist, divisive, fear-based fictional agenda. All of this stuff comes out of the fascist playbook. All this stuff comes out of the white supremacist playbook. ”
Read Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s letter to the President: