hotair--2020-07-09--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: SCOTUS surprise, Biden's tries, NFL lies, Minneapolis cries, and more!

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Duane “ Generalissimo ” Patterson brings us up to date on the week ’ s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow ’ s Hugh Hewitt show .
We will review today ’ s surprises from the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to unwind .
Did Donald Trump win by losing in one case ?
• We ’ ll also talk about why the NFL is dead to me , Joe Biden ’ s determination to make sure nuns pay for contraception , the latest from Minneapolis , and much more !
• And stay tuned for a preview of my guest-hosting gig on Relevant Radio at 6 pm ET !
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page .
Be sure to join us , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the debate on my Facebook page , too !
How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016 ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Duane “Generalissimo” Patterson brings us up to date on the week’s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow’s Hugh Hewitt show. We will review today’s surprises from the Supreme Court, which will take quite a bit to unwind. Did Donald Trump win by losing in one case?
We’ll also talk about why the NFL is dead to me, Joe Biden’s determination to make sure nuns pay for contraception, the latest from Minneapolis, and much more!
And stay tuned for a preview of my guest-hosting gig on Relevant Radio at 6 pm ET!
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!


hotair--2020-07-09--More Biden: You'd better believe I'll make those nuns account for contraception if I'm elected

So the moderate position on contraception is that nuns still have to comply with a mandate for it ?
Joe Biden wants to position himself in a general election as someone who can bridge the gap between the Left and the … well , not-so-Left in reality , but more someone who can bring sense and sanity back to public policy .
And that means , in Biden ’ s mind , that the most obviously insane outcome of the Obama administration ’ s contraception-mandate policy must immediately be restored .
In other words , the Little Sisters of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help : I am disappointed in today ’ s U.S. Supreme Court decision that will make it easier for the Trump-Pence Administration to continue to strip health care from women – attempting to carve out broad exemptions to the Affordable Care Act ’ s commitment to giving all women free access to recommended contraception .
As a result of the Affordable Care Act , more than 60 million women – including at least 32 million women of color – gained access to this preventative health care .
The Obama-Biden Administration did this while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worship and an accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions .
As disappointing as the Supreme Court ’ s ruling is , there is a clear path to fixing it : electing a new President who will end Donald Trump ’ s ceaseless attempts to gut every aspect of the Affordable Care Act .
If I am elected , I will restore the Obama-Biden policy that existed before the Hobby Lobby ruling : providing an exemption for houses of worship and an accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions .
The accommodation will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contraceptive coverage , not through their employer-provided plan , but instead through their insurance company or a third-party administrator .
In the first place , Biden clearly hasn ’ t read Clarence Thomas ’ opinion yesterday on Little Sisters v Pennsylvania .
It didn ’ t actually rule in favor of the exemption granted to the Little Sisters as a matter of law ; it only ruled that HHS had full authority to craft the exemption .
Thomas avoided the RFRA issue entirely , likely because he didn ’ t have John Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dispute , but also because the court has ruled on that in the past .
The mandate itself is not based in statute but regulation , and the court has already ruled that the Obama-era policies intruded too far on free exercise of religious belief .
Hobby Lobby forced HHS to revise its policies , and the court didn ’ t even entertain the religious-exercise issues that the new policy does or does not present .
This statement makes it sound like Biden only read the media reports on Little Sisters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hysterical coverage made it sound like Thomas had broadly cut out a swath of religious exemptions .
What Biden is actually objecting to in this case is Thomas ’ affirmation of Biden ’ s authority should he win the election .
Little Sisters confirmed that the next administration can set whatever policies it likes ( with Hobby Lobby being a boundary ) , since Congress didn ’ t create the contraception mandate itself .
How that is “ disappointing ” is a question only Biden himself can answer .
Still , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the previous administration was in its pursuit of employer-provided contraception .
It even wanted to force Catholic nuns to provide it or to comply with a shameful dodge that would have allowed their insurance carrier to comply in their stead .
In any rational world , a diktat forcing nuns to provide contraception as a condition of providing aid to the poor and dying would be the stuff of satire .
In this declaration , Biden proves that he himself is the stuff of satire — and that his administration would be just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not more so given the people driving Team Biden now .

So the moderate position on contraception is that nuns still have to comply with a mandate for it? Joe Biden wants to position himself in a general election as someone who can bridge the gap between the Left and the … well, not-so-Left in reality, but more someone who can bring sense and sanity back to public policy. And that means, in Biden’s mind, that the most obviously insane outcome of the Obama administration’s contraception-mandate policy must immediately be restored.
In other words, the Little Sisters of the Poor will still need all that legal help:
I am disappointed in today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that will make it easier for the Trump-Pence Administration to continue to strip health care from women – attempting to carve out broad exemptions to the Affordable Care Act’s commitment to giving all women free access to recommended contraception. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, more than 60 million women – including at least 32 million women of color – gained access to this preventative health care. The Obama-Biden Administration did this while also providing an exemption for houses of worship and an accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions. As disappointing as the Supreme Court’s ruling is, there is a clear path to fixing it: electing a new President who will end Donald Trump’s ceaseless attempts to gut every aspect of the Affordable Care Act. If I am elected, I will restore the Obama-Biden policy that existed before the Hobby Lobby ruling: providing an exemption for houses of worship and an accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions. The accommodation will allow women at these organizations to access contraceptive coverage, not through their employer-provided plan, but instead through their insurance company or a third-party administrator.
In the first place, Biden clearly hasn’t read Clarence Thomas’ opinion yesterday on Little Sisters v Pennsylvania. It didn’t actually rule in favor of the exemption granted to the Little Sisters as a matter of law; it only ruled that HHS had full authority to craft the exemption. Thomas avoided the RFRA issue entirely, likely because he didn’t have John Roberts on board for a final settlement of the dispute, but also because the court has ruled on that in the past. The mandate itself is not based in statute but regulation, and the court has already ruled that the Obama-era policies intruded too far on free exercise of religious belief. Hobby Lobby forced HHS to revise its policies, and the court didn’t even entertain the religious-exercise issues that the new policy does or does not present.
This statement makes it sound like Biden only read the media reports on Little Sisters. That’s a big mistake; the hysterical coverage made it sound like Thomas had broadly cut out a swath of religious exemptions. What Biden is actually objecting to in this case is Thomas’ affirmation of Biden’s authority should he win the election. Little Sisters confirmed that the next administration can set whatever policies it likes (with Hobby Lobby being a boundary), since Congress didn’t create the contraception mandate itself. How that is “disappointing” is a question only Biden himself can answer.
Still, this serves to remind us just how radical the previous administration was in its pursuit of employer-provided contraception. It even wanted to force Catholic nuns to provide it or to comply with a shameful dodge that would have allowed their insurance carrier to comply in their stead. In any rational world, a diktat forcing nuns to provide contraception as a condition of providing aid to the poor and dying would be the stuff of satire. In this declaration, Biden proves that he himself is the stuff of satire — and that his administration would be just as radical as the previous one, if not more so given the people driving Team Biden now.


hotair--2020-07-09--About the professor who had her name removed from the Harper's letter

Tuesday 150 academics and authors signed a letter against cancel culture which was published by Harper ’ s Magazine .
Before the day was even out there was a furious backlash online and lots of drama , especially at Vox .
The following day Ed wrote about some of the signatories who had chosen to walk back their endorsements of the statements made in the letter .
One of those was historian Kerri K. Greenidge who asked that Harper ’ s remove her name from it .
Harper ’ s said they would do so even as Greenidge ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added without her knowledge .
Today , the Daily Beast has more on professor ’ s Greenidge ’ s about face and the claims by her family members that she ’ d never even seen it before it was published .
The Tufts historian ’ s sisters—novelist and New York Times opinion writer Kaitlyn Greenidge and playwright Kirsten Greenidge—claimed that Kerri was blindsided by her inclusion among the bold-faced names at the bottom of the Harper ’ s letter .
“ A colleague in a professional org my sis belongs to added my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Kaitlyn tweeted .
“ So mad at this person rn.
” She added : “ That @ Harpers letter came to me last week and I was so mad about it when I read it have been angry about it for days .
My sister does not condone it either and does not agree with its contents .
This is a mess.
” Kirsten Greenidge , in an email reviewed by The Daily Beast , wrote to the magazine : “ I suggest your editorial staff check on the veracity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greenidge did not sign the letter , and only became aware of its existence when it came to her attention on Twitter.
” That email claiming Greenidge wasn ’ t even aware of the letter copied her , meaning she saw that this claim was being made on her behalf .
But the Daily Beast has also seen Kerri Greenidge ’ s prior emails with Harper ’ s in which she clearly agreed to sign the letter .
In a June 29 email soliciting Greenidge ’ s participation , a letter organizer wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to love every last phrase .
But we hope you ’ ll feel comfortable enough with the language to sign on without tinkering…We would be enormously grateful for your endorsement here .
Thanks for considering it.
” ( The sender ’ s name was redacted from the email reviewed by The Daily Beast . )
“ Yes , I will add my signature .
It reads well , ” Greenidge replied the same day from her Tufts email address .
“ Let me know what more you need from me.
” … On @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Dear Kerri , We now have over 125 signatories on our list , which is quite diverse .
The final version of the letter is attached .
Thank you for your support .
Harper ’ s has agreed to publish it online .
It should run next week…Again , thank you for your support.
” Professor Greenidge , who even specified by email that she would be identified simply as “ historian ” next to her name , has locked her Twitter feed .
Meanwhile , her sister Kirsten Greenidge , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Beast , maintained that Harper ’ s didn ’ t get Prof. Greenidge ’ s permission .
The fact that she and her family are claiming things that obviously aren ’ t true ought to be far more embarrassing to Prof. Greenidge than anything in the anodyne letter of support for free speech , but these days that ’ s simply not the case .
In any case , it ’ s worth noting that many on the left are still desperate to ignore the actual point of the letter and to claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cancel culture ” even as people like Prof. Greenidge are clearly terrified to be caught agreeing with the wrong people .
Here ’ s a sample : The ‘ cancel culture ’ debates have been a staple for a few years now , mostly fueled by media figures with a shocking level of internet illiteracy who were in need of a new stick to batter the young folks with now that the avocado jokes have gotten stale .
The rhetoric is always the same : Those oversensitive leftist millennials with their virtue signaling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speech or robust discourse so they must destroy people ’ s lives over the most minute of perceived slights .
How dare they come for the rich and powerful .
Look at how they killed Rowling ’ s career… What Rowling and her cohorts see as cancel culture simply can not operate in the manner they seem to think it will because capitalism ’ s poison will never allow it to .
Instead , what they fear is accountability .
Hell , not even real accountability but the mere potential of it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shields will be dented , that the people who they depend upon to willingly swallow whatever bile they are offered will refuse and start to question the status quo .
They ’ re all for free speech — for themselves .
The rest of the plebs can stay in their place .
As is typical for this type of rant , the author ignores actual victims of recent left-wing cancel culture mobs , people referenced in the letter like progressive data specialist David Shor , and focuses instead on J.K. Rowling so she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exist .
People on the left have made the same argument regarding Dave Chappelle , i.e .
he still has a career so cancel culture can ’ t be real .
Granted , there ’ s a difference between the mob ’ s appetite for canceling and it ’ s ability .
It ’ s mouth is writing checks its collective body can ’ t cash .
But that doesn ’ t mean it isn ’ t real .
It just means that , for now , it ’ s only really capable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t world famous millionaires or billionaires .
But they still deserve credit for trying in my view .
And if they become more powerful , you can bet they will try again to cancel some of these people they can ’ t currently destroy .
They have the will just not the numbers .
So even when it fails , cancel culture is poisonous .
The response to the Harper ’ s letter proves it .

Tuesday 150 academics and authors signed a letter against cancel culture which was published by Harper’s Magazine. Before the day was even out there was a furious backlash online and lots of drama, especially at Vox. The following day Ed wrote about some of the signatories who had chosen to walk back their endorsements of the statements made in the letter. One of those was historian Kerri K. Greenidge who asked that Harper’s remove her name from it. Harper’s said they would do so even as Greenidge’s sisters publicly claimed her name had been added without her knowledge.
Today, the Daily Beast has more on professor’s Greenidge’s about face and the claims by her family members that she’d never even seen it before it was published.
The Tufts historian’s sisters—novelist and New York Times opinion writer Kaitlyn Greenidge and playwright Kirsten Greenidge—claimed that Kerri was blindsided by her inclusion among the bold-faced names at the bottom of the Harper’s letter. “A colleague in a professional org my sis belongs to added my sister’s name without her consent,” Kaitlyn tweeted. “So mad at this person rn.” She added: “That @ Harpers letter came to me last week and I was so mad about it when I read it have been angry about it for days. My sister does not condone it either and does not agree with its contents. This is a mess.” Kirsten Greenidge, in an email reviewed by The Daily Beast, wrote to the magazine: “I suggest your editorial staff check on the veracity of the signers of the letter. Kerri Greenidge did not sign the letter, and only became aware of its existence when it came to her attention on Twitter.”
That email claiming Greenidge wasn’t even aware of the letter copied her, meaning she saw that this claim was being made on her behalf. But the Daily Beast has also seen Kerri Greenidge’s prior emails with Harper’s in which she clearly agreed to sign the letter.
In a June 29 email soliciting Greenidge’s participation, a letter organizer wrote: “Not every signatory is going to love every last phrase. But we hope you’ll feel comfortable enough with the language to sign on without tinkering…We would be enormously grateful for your endorsement here. Thanks for considering it.” (The sender’s name was redacted from the email reviewed by The Daily Beast.) “Yes, I will add my signature. It reads well,” Greenidge replied the same day from her Tufts email address. “Let me know what more you need from me.”… On July 1, the organizer emailed: “Dear Kerri, We now have over 125 signatories on our list, which is quite diverse. The final version of the letter is attached. Thank you for your support. Harper’s has agreed to publish it online. It should run next week…Again, thank you for your support.”
Professor Greenidge, who even specified by email that she would be identified simply as “historian” next to her name, has locked her Twitter feed. Meanwhile, her sister Kirsten Greenidge, when asked about the discrepancy by the Daily Beast, maintained that Harper’s didn’t get Prof. Greenidge’s permission.
The fact that she and her family are claiming things that obviously aren’t true ought to be far more embarrassing to Prof. Greenidge than anything in the anodyne letter of support for free speech, but these days that’s simply not the case.
In any case, it’s worth noting that many on the left are still desperate to ignore the actual point of the letter and to claim there is no such thing as “cancel culture” even as people like Prof. Greenidge are clearly terrified to be caught agreeing with the wrong people. Here’s a sample:
The ‘cancel culture’ debates have been a staple for a few years now, mostly fueled by media figures with a shocking level of internet illiteracy who were in need of a new stick to batter the young folks with now that the avocado jokes have gotten stale. The rhetoric is always the same: Those oversensitive leftist millennials with their virtue signaling and outrage culture cannot handle free speech or robust discourse so they must destroy people’s lives over the most minute of perceived slights. How dare they come for the rich and powerful. Look at how they killed Rowling’s career… What Rowling and her cohorts see as cancel culture simply cannot operate in the manner they seem to think it will because capitalism’s poison will never allow it to. Instead, what they fear is accountability. Hell, not even real accountability but the mere potential of it. They’re worried that their impenetrable shields will be dented, that the people who they depend upon to willingly swallow whatever bile they are offered will refuse and start to question the status quo. They’re all for free speech — for themselves. The rest of the plebs can stay in their place.
As is typical for this type of rant, the author ignores actual victims of recent left-wing cancel culture mobs, people referenced in the letter like progressive data specialist David Shor, and focuses instead on J.K. Rowling so she can argue cancel culture doesn’t exist. People on the left have made the same argument regarding Dave Chappelle, i.e. he still has a career so cancel culture can’t be real.
Granted, there’s a difference between the mob’s appetite for canceling and it’s ability. It’s mouth is writing checks its collective body can’t cash. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. It just means that, for now, it’s only really capable of taking down people who aren’t world famous millionaires or billionaires. But they still deserve credit for trying in my view. And if they become more powerful, you can bet they will try again to cancel some of these people they can’t currently destroy. They have the will just not the numbers. So even when it fails, cancel culture is poisonous. The response to the Harper’s letter proves it.


hotair--2020-07-09--Biden's new economic pitch sounds familiar: "Buy American"

My God .
The sonofabitch went full MAGA .
By no means do I think Joe Biden would have embraced a “ Buy American ” agenda if left to his own political devices .
A guy from Scranton who ’ s presented himself as working-class for decades should have made repatriating American jobs one of his foremost agenda items , but Sleepy Joe is “ associated with the more neoliberal and trade-friendly instincts of centrist Democrats , ” as Greg Sargent puts it .
He ’ s very much a free-trading post-NAFTA mainstream Democrat , VP in an administration that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” is a no-brainer for him under the political circumstances in which he finds himself .
On the one hand , it should help him claw back some of the white blue-collar votes that went to Trump in 2016 , ultimately making the difference that year in Rust Belt states .
Trump ’ s been urging the public to buy American since his first months in office and reportedly has been planning a new initiative about it for campaign season — only to wake up today and find that Biden ’ s stolen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American ” can only help Biden with workers who disliked both candidates four years ago but opted for Trump in the belief that he cared more about their jobs .
On the other hand , Biden ’ s also under pressure from the left to make some concessions to the progressive populist agenda .
Sargent reports that Team Joe consulted with Elizabeth Warren and her team on this rollout , hoping to emulate their “ economic patriotism ” pitch from the primaries .
Likewise , Bernie Sanders ’ s campaign website included in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies this item : “ We must also expand ‘ Buy American , ’ ‘ Buy Local , ’ and other government policies that will increase jobs in the U.S. ” The left is watching Biden to see if he intends to do anything meaningful for the working class or if it ’ ll be neoliberal business as usual once he ’ s elected .
“ Buy American ” is his answer .
So it ’ s a no-brainer .
If the idea helps Biden take votes from Trump in the center and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left , he has every reason to propose it .
It ’ s cynical in the sense that Sleepy Joe ’ s probably not a true believer , but one might have said the same in 2016 about Trump and various right-wing cultural priorities , like ending abortion .
In the end it doesn ’ t matter what he believes , it matters that he ’ s identified a real concern among constituents and is prepared to respond to it .
The weird thing about Trump is that he ’ s only ever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ s had numerous opportunities lately to reposition himself as a centrist by addressing concerns of swing voters , from making containing coronavirus a higher priority than reopening businesses to showing more conciliation towards anti-racism protesters , but he just keeps doubling down on his base .
Biden , by contrast , is making a play for undecideds : Joe Biden plans to unveil a proposal Thursday to spend $ 700 billion on American products and research , challenging President Trump ’ s “ America First ” agenda with a competing brand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for an election-year showdown over the country ’ s financial future… “ Biden does not accept the defeatist view that the forces of automation and globalization render us helpless to retain well-paid union jobs and create more of them here in America , ” says a 15-page summary .
“ U.S .
manufacturing was the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II and must be part of the Arsenal of American Prosperity today , helping fuel an economic recovery for working families.
” … His new platform focuses heavily on using the power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. domestic manufacturing base .
He is advocating a $ 400 billion procurement initiative to spur demand for American products and services , as well as a $ 300 billion investment in U.S. research and breakthrough technologies .
Half of the $ 300 billion is in clean-energy initiatives that were previously announced , the campaign said .
The plan also calls for the government to launch a 100-day “ supply chain review ” that could require federal agencies to buy only medical supplies and other goods manufactured in the United States .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tees him up to keep attacking Trump over America ’ s COVID disaster .
The country ’ s still coping with shortages of PPE as cases surge in the south and California .
That ’ s certainly not all Trump ’ s fault ; in fact , a Trumpier manufacturing agenda in prior administrations might have averted our difficulties in keeping the shelves stocked .
But presidents inevitably are blamed for the crises that happen on their watch so Democrats are going to leverage that .
“ Buy American ” does something else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major vulnerabilities as a candidate , one being whether he ’ s fit for office .
That judgment will be rendered in November based on how he performs in the public eye over the next four months .
The other is Trump ’ s advantage on the economy .
Even now , with his polling sinking in virtually every other aspect of policy , POTUS continues to hold an edge on Biden on the economy .
The logical thing for Biden to do under those circumstances is to coopt some of the more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda that are simpatico with liberalism .
Tax cuts are out , obviously .
But “ Buy American ” is the sort of thing he can do to signal to lower-income voters that the White House ’ s interest in repatriating jobs won ’ t end if they roll the dice on a change in presidents in January .
You can have the sweet parts of Trumpism without the bitter parts , he ’ s telling them .
Sounds like he ’ s already picked up one voter !
Whether Biden will actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaining about rising costs is a separate matter , but one he and Democrats won ’ t need to start worrying about until November 4 .
By the way , “ Buy American ” isn ’ t the only bone he ’ s thrown to the left this week .
Yesterday a “ unity task force ” of Biden and Bernie allies released a joint policy program aimed at making lefties more comfortable with voting for Biden this year .
E.g.
, they ’ re going to expand federal health-care programs but not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for All.
” One noteworthy participant was pleased with the results : The price of that 15-year “ shave ” was omitting any reference to the Green New Deal and avoiding any call for a ban on fracking , which would be a campaign-killer for Biden in Pennsylvania .
Whether progressives would be as willing to compromise on matters like that if they were facing a Republican president less unpalatable to them than Trump is unclear , but since it ’ s Trump they ’ re facing the “ kumbaya ” moments come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great Democratic uniter .
I ’ m … not sure this is the soundbite Biden wanted out of the “ unity ” huddle , though .
Sure , it ’ ll help with progressives , but increasingly it looks like progressives are in the bag .
It ’ s centrists he may need to win over .
No surprise that the RNC would clip this soundbite and start circulating it , hoping that centrists will see it .

My God. The sonofabitch went full MAGA.
By no means do I think Joe Biden would have embraced a “Buy American” agenda if left to his own political devices. A guy from Scranton who’s presented himself as working-class for decades should have made repatriating American jobs one of his foremost agenda items, but Sleepy Joe is “associated with the more neoliberal and trade-friendly instincts of centrist Democrats,” as Greg Sargent puts it. He’s very much a free-trading post-NAFTA mainstream Democrat, VP in an administration that pushed TPP.
But “Buy American” is a no-brainer for him under the political circumstances in which he finds himself. On the one hand, it should help him claw back some of the white blue-collar votes that went to Trump in 2016, ultimately making the difference that year in Rust Belt states. Trump’s been urging the public to buy American since his first months in office and reportedly has been planning a new initiative about it for campaign season — only to wake up today and find that Biden’s stolen some of his thunder.
Peter Navarro crafted a "Buy America" executive order more than 3 months ago but it has been held up over objections from Mnuchin/Kushner. Potentially huge implications for 2020https://t.co/W9x7a1PAcn — Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) July 9, 2020
“Buy American” can only help Biden with workers who disliked both candidates four years ago but opted for Trump in the belief that he cared more about their jobs. On the other hand, Biden’s also under pressure from the left to make some concessions to the progressive populist agenda. Sargent reports that Team Joe consulted with Elizabeth Warren and her team on this rollout, hoping to emulate their “economic patriotism” pitch from the primaries. Likewise, Bernie Sanders’s campaign website included in his program for “fair trade” policies this item: “We must also expand ‘Buy American,’ ‘Buy Local,’ and other government policies that will increase jobs in the U.S.” The left is watching Biden to see if he intends to do anything meaningful for the working class or if it’ll be neoliberal business as usual once he’s elected. “Buy American” is his answer.
So it’s a no-brainer. If the idea helps Biden take votes from Trump in the center and shores up his own base on the left, he has every reason to propose it. It’s cynical in the sense that Sleepy Joe’s probably not a true believer, but one might have said the same in 2016 about Trump and various right-wing cultural priorities, like ending abortion. In the end it doesn’t matter what he believes, it matters that he’s identified a real concern among constituents and is prepared to respond to it. The weird thing about Trump is that he’s only ever applied that logic to the right: He’s had numerous opportunities lately to reposition himself as a centrist by addressing concerns of swing voters, from making containing coronavirus a higher priority than reopening businesses to showing more conciliation towards anti-racism protesters, but he just keeps doubling down on his base. Biden, by contrast, is making a play for undecideds:
Joe Biden plans to unveil a proposal Thursday to spend $700 billion on American products and research, challenging President Trump’s “America First” agenda with a competing brand of economic nationalism and setting the stage for an election-year showdown over the country’s financial future… “Biden does not accept the defeatist view that the forces of automation and globalization render us helpless to retain well-paid union jobs and create more of them here in America,” says a 15-page summary. “U.S. manufacturing was the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II and must be part of the Arsenal of American Prosperity today, helping fuel an economic recovery for working families.”… His new platform focuses heavily on using the power of the federal government to promote a U.S. domestic manufacturing base. He is advocating a $400 billion procurement initiative to spur demand for American products and services, as well as a $300 billion investment in U.S. research and breakthrough technologies. Half of the $300 billion is in clean-energy initiatives that were previously announced, the campaign said. The plan also calls for the government to launch a 100-day “supply chain review” that could require federal agencies to buy only medical supplies and other goods manufactured in the United States.
The last part is shrewd, as it tees him up to keep attacking Trump over America’s COVID disaster. The country’s still coping with shortages of PPE as cases surge in the south and California. That’s certainly not all Trump’s fault; in fact, a Trumpier manufacturing agenda in prior administrations might have averted our difficulties in keeping the shelves stocked. But presidents inevitably are blamed for the crises that happen on their watch so Democrats are going to leverage that.
“Buy American” does something else important for him. Biden has two major vulnerabilities as a candidate, one being whether he’s fit for office. That judgment will be rendered in November based on how he performs in the public eye over the next four months. The other is Trump’s advantage on the economy. Even now, with his polling sinking in virtually every other aspect of policy, POTUS continues to hold an edge on Biden on the economy. The logical thing for Biden to do under those circumstances is to coopt some of the more popular parts of Trump’s economic agenda that are simpatico with liberalism. Tax cuts are out, obviously. But “Buy American” is the sort of thing he can do to signal to lower-income voters that the White House’s interest in repatriating jobs won’t end if they roll the dice on a change in presidents in January. You can have the sweet parts of Trumpism without the bitter parts, he’s telling them.
Sounds like he’s already picked up one voter!
👀 Former senior Trump adviser Steve Bannon today says that Biden's Buy America proposal is "very smart" — "the campaign and White House have been caught flat-footed … Biden has very smart people around him, particularly on the economic side." https://t.co/8dS9Cbj5As — Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) July 9, 2020
Whether Biden will actually stick to this agenda once corporations begin complaining about rising costs is a separate matter, but one he and Democrats won’t need to start worrying about until November 4.
By the way, “Buy American” isn’t the only bone he’s thrown to the left this week. Yesterday a “unity task force” of Biden and Bernie allies released a joint policy program aimed at making lefties more comfortable with voting for Biden this year. E.g., they’re going to expand federal health-care programs but not quite to the point of “Medicare for All.” One noteworthy participant was pleased with the results:
Today the 6 Biden-Sanders Unity Task Forces are unveiling final language. The Climate Task Force accomplished a great deal. It was an honor to serve as co-chair w/ Sec. @JohnKerry. Among the notable gains: we shaved *15 years* off Biden’s previous target for 100% clean energy. https://t.co/pnLj7uufeg — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 8, 2020
The price of that 15-year “shave” was omitting any reference to the Green New Deal and avoiding any call for a ban on fracking, which would be a campaign-killer for Biden in Pennsylvania. Whether progressives would be as willing to compromise on matters like that if they were facing a Republican president less unpalatable to them than Trump is unclear, but since it’s Trump they’re facing the “kumbaya” moments come more easily. He’s the great Democratic uniter.
I’m … not sure this is the soundbite Biden wanted out of the “unity” huddle, though. Sure, it’ll help with progressives, but increasingly it looks like progressives are in the bag. It’s centrists he may need to win over. No surprise that the RNC would clip this soundbite and start circulating it, hoping that centrists will see it.


hotair--2020-07-09--Two heroic men rescued young children from a burning building in Phoenix

This story is heartbreaking but it ’ s also heroic .
Two men who didn ’ t know each other before last week rescued the children of a complete stranger when an apartment in Phoenix caught on fire .
The first save was caught on video and is like something out of a movie rather than real life .
As a teenager a decade ago at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan , Phillip Blanks was a star football player .
Last week , his athletic instincts helped save a toddler from an apartment fire that killed the child ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a retired U.S. Marine , was at a friend ’ s apartment in Phoenix on Friday morning when he heard frantic screaming and a commotion .
He immediately ran outside , barefoot , and saw the top floor of the apartment complex was ablaze and enveloped in smoke .
He looked up and saw a petrified woman on a third-floor balcony with a child .
Flames quickly crept up behind her .
“ People started yelling for the lady to throw her kids down , ” Blanks said .
Blanks said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw the child falling .
There was another man standing closer but Blanks reacted quicker .
At the last second he dove and caught the falling 3-year-old boy before he landed in the rocks and then carried him away .
Here ’ s the video : The tragic part of the story is that the 30-year-old mother didn ’ t survive .
After dropping her toddler son to safety she went back inside , probably to try and rescue her 8-year-old daughter who was still in the apartment , and succumbed to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second hero there that day in the form of 42-year-old D ’ Artagnan Alexander , a barber who happened to be passing by on his way to do some shopping .
He heard there were kids inside and ran up the stairs into the flaming 3rd floor .
“ I heard someone scream for help and I found the girl on the floor and carried her outside , ” he said .
Alexander had rescued the 8-year-old sibling of the boy who ’ d been dropped off the balcony .
In the chaos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police and firefighters at the scene , Alexander and Blanks never met .
But they both learned about the other and wanted to meet .
Eventually , Blanks got Alexander ’ s phone number from a reporter and texted him .
The two met and now say they feel bonded for life by the experience .
The two men also met with the father of the two children they rescued , Corey Long , who was at work when the fire happened .
Long didn ’ t want to be interviewed for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a photo of him in the story with his arm around Blanks and Alexander .
Blanks said of the mood of that encounter , “ We became family , all three of us.
” There ’ s a racial element to this story which really cuts against the grain of a lot of what is in the media these days .
Phillip Blanks and D ’ Artagnan Alexander are black .
Corey Long and his children are white .
None of that mattered for even an instant in the midst of this disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids of his own , said , “ I didn ’ t have time to think , my body just kicked into action and I went in.
” That ’ s the kind of thing that real life heroes say .
I ’ ll leave the larger lessons for the reader to ponder but here ’ s what this story says to me : We ’ re all capable of being heroes for each other and race doesn ’ t have to enter into it .
It feels like some people have forgotten @ @

This story is heartbreaking but it’s also heroic. Two men who didn’t know each other before last week rescued the children of a complete stranger when an apartment in Phoenix caught on fire. The first save was caught on video and is like something out of a movie rather than real life.
As a teenager a decade ago at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan, Phillip Blanks was a star football player. Last week, his athletic instincts helped save a toddler from an apartment fire that killed the child’s mother. Blanks, now 28 and a retired U.S. Marine, was at a friend’s apartment in Phoenix on Friday morning when he heard frantic screaming and a commotion. He immediately ran outside, barefoot, and saw the top floor of the apartment complex was ablaze and enveloped in smoke. He looked up and saw a petrified woman on a third-floor balcony with a child. Flames quickly crept up behind her. “People started yelling for the lady to throw her kids down,” Blanks said.
Blanks said he got “tunnel vision” when he saw the child falling. There was another man standing closer but Blanks reacted quicker. At the last second he dove and caught the falling 3-year-old boy before he landed in the rocks and then carried him away. Here’s the video:
The tragic part of the story is that the 30-year-old mother didn’t survive. After dropping her toddler son to safety she went back inside, probably to try and rescue her 8-year-old daughter who was still in the apartment, and succumbed to the smoke.
Fortunately, there was a second hero there that day in the form of 42-year-old D’Artagnan Alexander, a barber who happened to be passing by on his way to do some shopping. He heard there were kids inside and ran up the stairs into the flaming 3rd floor. “I heard someone scream for help and I found the girl on the floor and carried her outside,” he said. Alexander had rescued the 8-year-old sibling of the boy who’d been dropped off the balcony.
In the chaos after the fire, with over 100 police and firefighters at the scene, Alexander and Blanks never met. But they both learned about the other and wanted to meet. Eventually, Blanks got Alexander’s phone number from a reporter and texted him. The two met and now say they feel bonded for life by the experience.
The two men also met with the father of the two children they rescued, Corey Long, who was at work when the fire happened. Long didn’t want to be interviewed for the Post story, but there’s a photo of him in the story with his arm around Blanks and Alexander. Blanks said of the mood of that encounter, “We became family, all three of us.”
There’s a racial element to this story which really cuts against the grain of a lot of what is in the media these days. Phillip Blanks and D’Artagnan Alexander are black. Corey Long and his children are white. None of that mattered for even an instant in the midst of this disaster. As Alexander, who has two kids of his own, said, “I didn’t have time to think, my body just kicked into action and I went in.” That’s the kind of thing that real life heroes say.
I’ll leave the larger lessons for the reader to ponder but here’s what this story says to me: We’re all capable of being heroes for each other and race doesn’t have to enter into it. It feels like some people have forgotten that.


hotair--2020-07-09--How Joe Biden might avoid debating Trump

It ’ s a highly uncomfortable subject for Democrats and their media allies , but it ’ s also a glaringly obvious truth .
Nobody supporting Joe Biden wants to see him go into a debate with Donald Trump .
Biden can barely manage reading a teleprompter in front of a camera in his own basement these days , even if he has multiple chances to get the words right .
And his “ aw , shucks ” Uncle Joe routine probably won ’ t look very impressive when he has to answer a barbed attack .
The fact is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every minute he ’ s on camera .
This has many liberals frightened of the prospect of a presidential debate between these two .
That ’ s particularly true of Thomas Friedman .
In a recent column at the New York Times , Friedman provides some refreshing honesty in saying that he really doesn ’ t want to see Biden have to go toe-to-toe with Trump and he ’ s come up with a plan to avoid this pending disaster .
I worry about Joe Biden debating Donald Trump .
He should do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ s giving Trump unfair advantages .
First , Biden should declare that he will take part in a debate only if Trump releases his tax returns for 2016 through 2018 .
Biden has already done so , and they are on his website .
Trump must , too .
No more gifting Trump something he can attack while hiding his own questionable finances .
And second , Biden should insist that a real-time fact-checking team approved by both candidates be hired by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the debate this team report on any misleading statements , phony numbers or outright lies either candidate had uttered .
That way no one in that massive television audience can go away easily misled .
It was a valiant effort , Tom , but you ’ ve fallen well short of the mark .
All Friedman has done here is put into words what most of the Democrats are already thinking .
Forcing Joe Biden to try to debate Donald Trump is a disaster waiting to happen and it must be avoided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smart enough to realize that just having Biden refuse to debate is a losing play .
It just makes it obvious that he ’ s afraid and worried that Trump will make him look like a fool .
( It ’ s a valid concern , to be fair . )
So if Biden can ’ t afford to bail out on his own , Friedman is looking to get the Commission on Presidential Debates to do Joe ’ s dirty work for him .
Change the rules in such a way that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own by failing to qualify or potentially hand Biden an unexpected pile of information to attack the President with at the last moment .
It would almost be an admirably clever scam if it weren ’ t so obvious .
The Commission has been using the same sets of rules ( with minor modifications for fine-tuning ) for ages .
As Friedman rightly points out , the debates do have ground rules .
But they are consistent ground rules that affect all candidates equally and don ’ t put a thumb on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they turn around and introduce new rules that have never been in place before , just because Donald Trump is one of the players involved , they will make it obvious that the supposedly nonpartisan process has been hijacked and turned to the favor of the Democrats .
No debate participant in the past has ever been forced to release their tax returns as a condition of participation because releasing tax returns isn ’ t a legal requirement to run .
Most candidates have traditionally done so , but that was their own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the public as to whether or not that is a large enough consideration to affect their decision at the ballot box .
Candidates have also traditionally posed for photos while they kiss babies on the campaign trail .
That doesn ’ t mean that five baby-kissing pictures should be a requirement to take to the podium at the debates .
( Particularly with the novel coronavirus hanging around . )
As to the idea that there should be some sort of “ nonpartisan fact-checking team ” on hand to fact-check everything the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their results near the end of the debate , that ’ s the sort of malarkey I ’ d normally only expect to hear from a lying , dog-face pony soldier .
Nearly every fact-checker you ’ ll find working the political beat is consistently more “ energetic ” in checking what one side says over the other .
And fact-checking anything takes time if you ’ re going to do a thorough job and provide links to all of your references .
Expecting them to do any sort of thorough , competent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through the questions and put it all together for an expose with ten minutes left in the event is a fantasy .
Of course , Friedman doesn ’ t really want a blue-ribbon fact-checking panel in any event .
First of all , Biden ’ s odds of being able to keep all of his facts straight during a high-pressure , late evening event like this are probably slim to none at this point .
And besides , what he ’ s really looking for is something else that Trump might refuse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
This is all nonsense , amounting to nothing more than a desperate attempt to keep Joe Biden off the stage and protect him from himself .
Trump and the RNC should insist on the same rules that have been used in the past and just get on with the show .
If the debates are to be abandoned , make Joe Biden flee the field in fear .
It ’ s only fair .

It’s a highly uncomfortable subject for Democrats and their media allies, but it’s also a glaringly obvious truth. Nobody supporting Joe Biden wants to see him go into a debate with Donald Trump. Biden can barely manage reading a teleprompter in front of a camera in his own basement these days, even if he has multiple chances to get the words right. And his “aw, shucks” Uncle Joe routine probably won’t look very impressive when he has to answer a barbed attack. The fact is that Trump is just 100% Trump every minute he’s on camera. This has many liberals frightened of the prospect of a presidential debate between these two. That’s particularly true of Thomas Friedman. In a recent column at the New York Times, Friedman provides some refreshing honesty in saying that he really doesn’t want to see Biden have to go toe-to-toe with Trump and he’s come up with a plan to avoid this pending disaster.
I worry about Joe Biden debating Donald Trump. He should do it only under two conditions. Otherwise, he’s giving Trump unfair advantages. First, Biden should declare that he will take part in a debate only if Trump releases his tax returns for 2016 through 2018. Biden has already done so, and they are on his website. Trump must, too. No more gifting Trump something he can attack while hiding his own questionable finances. And second, Biden should insist that a real-time fact-checking team approved by both candidates be hired by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates — and that 10 minutes before the scheduled conclusion of the debate this team report on any misleading statements, phony numbers or outright lies either candidate had uttered. That way no one in that massive television audience can go away easily misled.
It was a valiant effort, Tom, but you’ve fallen well short of the mark. All Friedman has done here is put into words what most of the Democrats are already thinking. Forcing Joe Biden to try to debate Donald Trump is a disaster waiting to happen and it must be avoided at all costs. But Friedman is smart enough to realize that just having Biden refuse to debate is a losing play. It just makes it obvious that he’s afraid and worried that Trump will make him look like a fool. (It’s a valid concern, to be fair.)
So if Biden can’t afford to bail out on his own, Friedman is looking to get the Commission on Presidential Debates to do Joe’s dirty work for him. Change the rules in such a way that Trump will either pull out on his own by failing to qualify or potentially hand Biden an unexpected pile of information to attack the President with at the last moment. It would almost be an admirably clever scam if it weren’t so obvious.
The Commission has been using the same sets of rules (with minor modifications for fine-tuning) for ages. As Friedman rightly points out, the debates do have ground rules. But they are consistent ground rules that affect all candidates equally and don’t put a thumb on the scale for the most part. If they turn around and introduce new rules that have never been in place before, just because Donald Trump is one of the players involved, they will make it obvious that the supposedly nonpartisan process has been hijacked and turned to the favor of the Democrats.
No debate participant in the past has ever been forced to release their tax returns as a condition of participation because releasing tax returns isn’t a legal requirement to run. Most candidates have traditionally done so, but that was their own choice. It’s left up to the public as to whether or not that is a large enough consideration to affect their decision at the ballot box. Candidates have also traditionally posed for photos while they kiss babies on the campaign trail. That doesn’t mean that five baby-kissing pictures should be a requirement to take to the podium at the debates. (Particularly with the novel coronavirus hanging around.)
As to the idea that there should be some sort of “nonpartisan fact-checking team” on hand to fact-check everything the candidates say in real-time and spit out their results near the end of the debate, that’s the sort of malarkey I’d normally only expect to hear from a lying, dog-face pony soldier. Nearly every fact-checker you’ll find working the political beat is consistently more “energetic” in checking what one side says over the other. And fact-checking anything takes time if you’re going to do a thorough job and provide links to all of your references. Expecting them to do any sort of thorough, competent job as the candidates freestyle their way through the questions and put it all together for an expose with ten minutes left in the event is a fantasy.
Of course, Friedman doesn’t really want a blue-ribbon fact-checking panel in any event. First of all, Biden’s odds of being able to keep all of his facts straight during a high-pressure, late evening event like this are probably slim to none at this point. And besides, what he’s really looking for is something else that Trump might refuse to agree to as an excuse to disqualify him.
This is all nonsense, amounting to nothing more than a desperate attempt to keep Joe Biden off the stage and protect him from himself. Trump and the RNC should insist on the same rules that have been used in the past and just get on with the show. If the debates are to be abandoned, make Joe Biden flee the field in fear. It’s only fair.


hotair--2020-07-09--GOP convention in the balance? Lawsuit filed in Jacksonville against RNC and Trump campaign

A lawsuit has been filed against the RNC and President Trump ’ s campaign in hopes of stopping the national convention in Jacksonville in August .
Several business owners brought the lawsuit , reasoning that the convention will be detrimental to the health of the community .
Some of the wording here is sounding pretty familiar , especially if you have watched the drama with the Republican Party of Texas ’ state convention in Houston .
Yesterday I updated my latest post on it to include the news that Mayor Sylvester has , in fact , canceled the convention .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ danger to the health and well-being of convention attendees , workers , local hotel and restaurant owners and Houstonians ” .
The term “ force majeure ” is used .
A clause in the contract allows one side to cancel for an occurrence out of its control .
The definition included “ epidemics in the City of Houston.
” The lawsuit in Jacksonville states the convention will “ constitute a nuisance.
” On Wednesday , attorney W.C. Gentry argued the RNC “ may cause COVID-19 to spread beyond anything experience in the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing , reports The Florida Times-Union .
“ Unless restricted by the court , the congregation of thousands of people in close proximity for extended periods will constitute a nuisance and result in massive spread of COVID-19 , ” the suit read .
A Jacksonville attorney asked a judge Wednesday to require the GOP convention shrink to a smaller size with face masks and social distancing in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
The convention is planned for Aug. 24-27 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena .
The arena holds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not expected to attend the convention .
The lawsuit was filed in circuit court .
Also cited is the fact that the arena is near a neighborhood with Black and older residents – those most at risk for the coronavirus .
“ We received the lawsuit late this afternoon and our legal team is currently reviewing the documents , ” city spokeswoman Nikki Kimbleton said .
The suit cites a 1917 state law letting citizens go to court to get relief from nuisances that affect the public in general and sue in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is also listed as a plaintiff .
The other plaintiffs are attorneys Dexter Davis and Tad Delegal ; Curtis L. Booker , pastor of God ’ s Way of Living International Church ; Duval schools employee Albert L. Buckner III ; civic figure and certified pubic accountant Jack Meeks ; and Dana Miller and Robin Wallace , owners of hair care businesses near the arena that the suit says will have to close during the convention .
The suit notes that Black and elderly people are statistically more likely to be harmed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arena is next to a neighborhood with a lot of Black and older residents .
The lawsuit wants the convention to be canceled .
If not canceled , then the convention should not be bigger than 2,500 people .
During a news conference on Tuesday , Mayor Lenny Curry told reporters that Gov .
Ron DeSantis ’ s executive orders limit all venues like the arena to 50 percent occupancy limit .
It is not clear if that restriction will be in place in August .
As in Texas , the coronavirus is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawmakers , including Senators Grassley , Mitt Romney , Lamar Alexander , Susan Collins , and Lisa Murkowski have already declared they will not attend the convention , most due to health concerns .
President Trump , during an interview with Greta Van Susteren , said he would consider a smaller convention as an acceptable compromise for holding the convention in Florida .
He acknowledged it depends on the status of the coronavirus outbreak .
Trump is expected to accept the party ’ s nomination in Jacksonville .
He said the GOP is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re always looking at different things .
When we signed in Jacksonville , we wanted to be in North Carolina .
That almost worked out , but the governor didn ’ t want to have people use the arena , essentially .
And so I said , ‘ Too bad for North Carolina , ’ “ Trump told Van Susteren on her show , “ Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren , ” which will air Sunday on Gray Television .
“ Look , we ’ re very flexible .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but we ’ re very flexible , ” the president added , according to a transcript of the interview provided to the Miami Herald .
Trump said that when the RNC announced it was changing venues from Charlotte to Jacksonville on June 11 , Florida “ looked good.
” And even if cases are spiking up , he expects “ that ’ s going to go down.
” Mayor Lenny Curry , a Republican , enacted a mandatory mask requirement for public and indoor spaces in Duval County on June 29 .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is time for the situation on the ground to change before it is convention time .
He said the convention has to adhere to state orders .
“ I would just remind people that the convention is many , many weeks away , in late August , ” Curry said .
“ We are currently under a statewide executive order by the governor .
Facilities can not participate in anything over 50 % capacity .
That ’ s where we are right now.
” On Monday it was announced that the attendees will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Curry is a co-chair of the convention ’ s host committee .
Tuesday , Mayor Curry announced that he is self-quarantining after he came in contact with someone who has the coronavirus .
He says he has tested negative for the virus but will continue to work from home and follow guidelines from the CDC .
Will the GOP convention go the way of the Texas state convention ?
It looks like that will depend on the coronavirus and its severity in Florida as the time grows closer .

A lawsuit has been filed against the RNC and President Trump’s campaign in hopes of stopping the national convention in Jacksonville in August. Several business owners brought the lawsuit, reasoning that the convention will be detrimental to the health of the community.
Some of the wording here is sounding pretty familiar, especially if you have watched the drama with the Republican Party of Texas’ state convention in Houston. Yesterday I updated my latest post on it to include the news that Mayor Sylvester has, in fact, canceled the convention. He cites a “clear and present danger to the health and well-being of convention attendees, workers, local hotel and restaurant owners and Houstonians”. The term “force majeure” is used. A clause in the contract allows one side to cancel for an occurrence out of its control. The definition included “epidemics in the City of Houston.” The lawsuit in Jacksonville states the convention will “constitute a nuisance.”
On Wednesday, attorney W.C. Gentry argued the RNC “may cause COVID-19 to spread beyond anything experience in the world to date,” during a court hearing, reports The Florida Times-Union. “Unless restricted by the court, the congregation of thousands of people in close proximity for extended periods will constitute a nuisance and result in massive spread of COVID-19,” the suit read.
A Jacksonville attorney asked a judge Wednesday to require the GOP convention shrink to a smaller size with face masks and social distancing in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The convention is planned for Aug. 24-27 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The arena holds 15,000 people though that amount of people are not expected to attend the convention. The lawsuit was filed in circuit court. Also cited is the fact that the arena is near a neighborhood with Black and older residents – those most at risk for the coronavirus.
“We received the lawsuit late this afternoon and our legal team is currently reviewing the documents,” city spokeswoman Nikki Kimbleton said. The suit cites a 1917 state law letting citizens go to court to get relief from nuisances that affect the public in general and sue in the name of the state, which is also listed as a plaintiff. The other plaintiffs are attorneys Dexter Davis and Tad Delegal; Curtis L. Booker, pastor of God’s Way of Living International Church; Duval schools employee Albert L. Buckner III; civic figure and certified pubic accountant Jack Meeks; and Dana Miller and Robin Wallace, owners of hair care businesses near the arena that the suit says will have to close during the convention. The suit notes that Black and elderly people are statistically more likely to be harmed by the coronavirus. It adds that the arena is next to a neighborhood with a lot of Black and older residents.
The lawsuit wants the convention to be canceled. If not canceled, then the convention should not be bigger than 2,500 people. During a news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Lenny Curry told reporters that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s executive orders limit all venues like the arena to 50 percent occupancy limit. It is not clear if that restriction will be in place in August. As in Texas, the coronavirus is spiking in Florida right now.
Many lawmakers, including Senators Grassley, Mitt Romney, Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski have already declared they will not attend the convention, most due to health concerns. President Trump, during an interview with Greta Van Susteren, said he would consider a smaller convention as an acceptable compromise for holding the convention in Florida. He acknowledged it depends on the status of the coronavirus outbreak. Trump is expected to accept the party’s nomination in Jacksonville. He said the GOP is “flexible”
“Well, we’re always looking at different things. When we signed in Jacksonville, we wanted to be in North Carolina. That almost worked out, but the governor didn’t want to have people use the arena, essentially. And so I said, ‘Too bad for North Carolina,’ “ Trump told Van Susteren on her show, “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren,” which will air Sunday on Gray Television. “Look, we’re very flexible. We can do a lot of things, but we’re very flexible,” the president added, according to a transcript of the interview provided to the Miami Herald. Trump said that when the RNC announced it was changing venues from Charlotte to Jacksonville on June 11, Florida “looked good.” And even if cases are spiking up, he expects “that’s going to go down.”
Mayor Lenny Curry, a Republican, enacted a mandatory mask requirement for public and indoor spaces in Duval County on June 29. He said he is reminding people that there is time for the situation on the ground to change before it is convention time. He said the convention has to adhere to state orders. “I would just remind people that the convention is many, many weeks away, in late August,” Curry said. “We are currently under a statewide executive order by the governor. Facilities cannot participate in anything over 50% capacity. That’s where we are right now.”
On Monday it was announced that the attendees will be tested daily for the coronavirus. Mayor Curry is a co-chair of the convention’s host committee.
“The RNC is committed to holding a safe convention that fully complies with local health regulations in place at the time,” said Michael Ahrens, a Republican National Committee spokesman. “The event is still almost two months away, and we are planning to offer health precautions including but not limited to temperature checks, available PPE, aggressive sanitizing protocols, and available Covid-19 testing.”
Tuesday, Mayor Curry announced that he is self-quarantining after he came in contact with someone who has the coronavirus. He says he has tested negative for the virus but will continue to work from home and follow guidelines from the CDC.
Will the GOP convention go the way of the Texas state convention? It looks like that will depend on the coronavirus and its severity in Florida as the time grows closer.


hotair--2020-07-09--Uh oh: Three hot-spot states set daily records for COVID deaths

A follow-up to this post from Tuesday is in order in light of last night ’ s new daily data .
“ We ’ re only a week or two away from solving our national mystery about whether an uptick in deaths is merely ‘ lagging ’ the rise in cases nationally or if something fundamental has changed about the epidemic to make COVID-19 durably less deadly , ” I wrote there , although that really shouldn ’ t have been presented as an either/or .
It could be ( and maybe is likely to be ) that both are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see some rise in deaths as case counts in hard-hit states skyrocket but maybe nothing like the rise we saw in New York and New Jersey earlier in the pandemic .
Doctors have gotten better at treating COVID-19 .
Some who would have died in April will survive now .
But we may be getting early confirmation of the first part of that analysis .
Arizona , Texas , and California all recorded more coronavirus deaths in one of the past two days than they have on any other day since the start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across California reported 151 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday , far surpassing the previous single-day high of 122 deaths set on May 19 , according to data compiled by this news organization .
Earlier Wednesday , before the record-breaking number of deaths was reported , Gov .
Gavin Newsom warned that people should not let fatigue or an apparently falling mortality rate from COVID-19 obscure “ the reality still of hundreds of people across this country dying on a daily basis from this disease.
” … Hospitalizations have been on the rise as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus that are coming back positive has been growing : The seven-day average of that rate reached 7.5 percent this week , compared to 4.4 percent a month ago .
Texas recorded 98 deaths , “ far surpassing ” the previous record ( set just a day before ) of 60 .
A day earlier , Arizona recorded 117 deaths , “ far surpassing ” the previous record of 88 .
These aren ’ t modest increases ; as a percentage , they ’ re big leaps .
Maybe , hopefully , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over July 4th weekend — that is , maybe some counties got backlogged in recording deaths for a day or two and what we ’ re seeing in the past 48 hours is them clearing those backlogs .
But the national picture suggests otherwise : Deaths are up week over week through Wednesday .
Since they ’ re a lagging indicator of a surge in cases , it ’ s reasonable to fear that trend will hold for awhile .
POTUS continues to try to convince the public that what they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sets another record daily high in confirmed cases , is merely an artifact of more testing : But it ’ s not true and the rising death toll is evidence .
If the total number of infections in the population were stable or declining , with case counts rising simply because we ’ ve been testing more , we should expect to see hospitalizations and deaths stable or declining as well .
In fact , we should expect severe cases of COVID to decline even if the number of infections is steady thanks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the hospitalizations graph looks like this… …is the best proof we could ask for that the number of infections really is rising ominously .
It ’ s not a function of testing .
In fact , notes Ari Schulman , the percentage of total tests that are turning up positive has risen over the past two weeks in 37 states .
If infections in the population were steady or declining , the opposite would be true as testing increases .
As for comparing ourselves to other countries : Here ’ s another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence of a surging epidemic from one of the hardest-hit cities in the country , Houston .
There ’ s a rash of people dropping dead there at home before EMTs can reach them , just as there was in New York City in March and April : Dr. Peter Hotez , dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston , said the surge in at-home deaths reflects the nature of the way COVID-19 attacks the body .
Early on , he said , doctors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case studies in New York and elsewhere showed the virus also causes serious heart problems that can lead to sudden deaths .
“ And it seems to be happening both early and late in the course of the illness , ” Hotez said .
“ So patients are recovering and then they ’ ll come home from the hospital and they ’ ll die .
Or they were never diagnosed , and the first manifestation is sudden death .
So that ’ s a very frightening aspect of COVID-19 and why we need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread , because you don ’ t even get the chance to seek medical attention.
” … Data from the Houston Fire Department shows a 45 percent jump since February in the number of cardiac arrest calls that ended with paramedics declaring people dead upon their arrival at the scene .
In March , the department recorded about 250 dead-on-arrival calls , the most of any month in the past two years up until that point .
In June , the number grew to nearly 300 , more than 75 in excess of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And on July 3 , officials said the department experienced the most such calls on a single day in recent memory : 18 .
The raw numbers of deaths are much , much smaller than they were in New York , but whether that ’ ll be true durably or whether it ’ s true merely at the moment , with vastly higher counts to come , is still unknown .
This piece on the various ways doctors have learned to better treat the disease and save lives is encouraging .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help them breathe , using nasal cannula more for oxygen to try to avert the ordeal of being placed on a ventilator , watching for blood clots that have been known to afflict some COVID patients .
They have drugs like remdesivir that have proven to hasten recovery and dexamethasone that have proven to save lives in severe cases .
It ’ s hard to imagine we ’ d see anything like the death tolls we saw in April and May *if* infections don ’ t keep growing exponentially .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sheer number of patients should logically produce the scale of death we saw a few months ago .
ICUs in hard-hit states are already filling up and spaces like convention centers are being prepared for excess capacity .
There are only so many doctors and so much medicine to try to prevent severe cases from turning fatal .
Which brings us to a lingering mystery : How many people were really infected in March and April , when testing was abysmal ?
We ’ re setting daily records in case counts now but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that capacity has grown so much over the past two months .
If we were testing at this scale when 800 people a day were dying in NYC , how many confirmed daily cases would we have had ?
50,000 ?
Or more like 200,000 ?
As ominous as the epidemic looks right now in the south , it may still be just a fraction of what the northeast experienced this past spring .
Go read Derek Thompson ’ s five theories for why the current death toll , although rising , isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all familiar , especially the fact that infections have been trending younger over the past month , but it ’ s useful to have them presented side by side .

A follow-up to this post from Tuesday is in order in light of last night’s new daily data. “We’re only a week or two away from solving our national mystery about whether an uptick in deaths is merely ‘lagging’ the rise in cases nationally or if something fundamental has changed about the epidemic to make COVID-19 durably less deadly,” I wrote there, although that really shouldn’t have been presented as an either/or. It could be (and maybe is likely to be) that both are true. We’re destined to see some rise in deaths as case counts in hard-hit states skyrocket but maybe nothing like the rise we saw in New York and New Jersey earlier in the pandemic. Doctors have gotten better at treating COVID-19. Some who would have died in April will survive now.
But we may be getting early confirmation of the first part of that analysis. Arizona, Texas, and California all recorded more coronavirus deaths in one of the past two days than they have on any other day since the start of the pandemic.
Public health officials across California reported 151 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, far surpassing the previous single-day high of 122 deaths set on May 19, according to data compiled by this news organization. Earlier Wednesday, before the record-breaking number of deaths was reported, Gov. Gavin Newsom warned that people should not let fatigue or an apparently falling mortality rate from COVID-19 obscure “the reality still of hundreds of people across this country dying on a daily basis from this disease.”… Hospitalizations have been on the rise as well. And the percentage of tests for coronavirus that are coming back positive has been growing: The seven-day average of that rate reached 7.5 percent this week, compared to 4.4 percent a month ago.
Texas recorded 98 deaths, “far surpassing” the previous record (set just a day before) of 60. A day earlier, Arizona recorded 117 deaths, “far surpassing” the previous record of 88. These aren’t modest increases; as a percentage, they’re big leaps. Maybe, hopefully, they’re partial artifacts of the slowdown over July 4th weekend — that is, maybe some counties got backlogged in recording deaths for a day or two and what we’re seeing in the past 48 hours is them clearing those backlogs.
But the national picture suggests otherwise:
There are possibly still some lingering effects from the 3-day weekend, but that isn't that much consolation. There were a total of 2,576 deaths over the 5-day period Saturday-Wednesday, as compared with 2,407 for the same period a week ago. — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) July 8, 2020
Deaths are up week over week through Wednesday. Since they’re a lagging indicator of a surge in cases, it’s reasonable to fear that trend will hold for awhile.
POTUS continues to try to convince the public that what they’re seeing right now, as the U.S. sets another record daily high in confirmed cases, is merely an artifact of more testing:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1281206354334625793
But it’s not true and the rising death toll is evidence. If the total number of infections in the population were stable or declining, with case counts rising simply because we’ve been testing more, we should expect to see hospitalizations and deaths stable or declining as well. In fact, we should expect severe cases of COVID to decline even if the number of infections is steady thanks to improved treatments. The fact that that the hospitalizations graph looks like this…
…is the best proof we could ask for that the number of infections really is rising ominously. It’s not a function of testing. In fact, notes Ari Schulman, the percentage of total tests that are turning up positive has risen over the past two weeks in 37 states. If infections in the population were steady or declining, the opposite would be true as testing increases. As for comparing ourselves to other countries:
This is incorrect. The US is testing slightly more than similar places (113 tests/1000 people, vs 99 in the UK, 92 in Italy, 73 in Germany.) But it's finding a proportionately greater share of cases (U.S.: 9,250 cases/million, vs. 4,400 in UK, 3,900 in Italy and 2,500 Germany.) https://t.co/6AXXRtlTUU — Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) July 9, 2020
Here’s another ominous, and familiar, piece of evidence of a surging epidemic from one of the hardest-hit cities in the country, Houston. There’s a rash of people dropping dead there at home before EMTs can reach them, just as there was in New York City in March and April:
Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said the surge in at-home deaths reflects the nature of the way COVID-19 attacks the body. Early on, he said, doctors were focused on respiratory symptoms, but case studies in New York and elsewhere showed the virus also causes serious heart problems that can lead to sudden deaths. “And it seems to be happening both early and late in the course of the illness,” Hotez said. “So patients are recovering and then they’ll come home from the hospital and they’ll die. Or they were never diagnosed, and the first manifestation is sudden death. So that’s a very frightening aspect of COVID-19 and why we need to work so hard to slow the spread, because you don’t even get the chance to seek medical attention.”… Data from the Houston Fire Department shows a 45 percent jump since February in the number of cardiac arrest calls that ended with paramedics declaring people dead upon their arrival at the scene. In March, the department recorded about 250 dead-on-arrival calls, the most of any month in the past two years up until that point. In June, the number grew to nearly 300, more than 75 in excess of either of the previous two Junes. And on July 3, officials said the department experienced the most such calls on a single day in recent memory: 18.
The raw numbers of deaths are much, much smaller than they were in New York, but whether that’ll be true durably or whether it’s true merely at the moment, with vastly higher counts to come, is still unknown. This piece on the various ways doctors have learned to better treat the disease and save lives is encouraging. They’re “proning” patients reliably now to help them breathe, using nasal cannula more for oxygen to try to avert the ordeal of being placed on a ventilator, watching for blood clots that have been known to afflict some COVID patients. They have drugs like remdesivir that have proven to hasten recovery and dexamethasone that have proven to save lives in severe cases. It’s hard to imagine we’d see anything like the death tolls we saw in April and May *if* infections don’t keep growing exponentially.
But if they do, at some point the sheer number of patients should logically produce the scale of death we saw a few months ago. ICUs in hard-hit states are already filling up and spaces like convention centers are being prepared for excess capacity. There are only so many doctors and so much medicine to try to prevent severe cases from turning fatal. Which brings us to a lingering mystery: How many people were really infected in March and April, when testing was abysmal? We’re setting daily records in case counts now but that may be due to the fact that capacity has grown so much over the past two months. If we were testing at this scale when 800 people a day were dying in NYC, how many confirmed daily cases would we have had? 50,000? Or more like 200,000? As ominous as the epidemic looks right now in the south, it may still be just a fraction of what the northeast experienced this past spring.
Go read Derek Thompson’s five theories for why the current death toll, although rising, isn’t exploding. They’re all familiar, especially the fact that infections have been trending younger over the past month, but it’s useful to have them presented side by side.