Summary
From me and Joan E Greve:
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Negotiations over the next coronavirus relief package fell apart. The White House and congressional Democratic leaders had an unproductive meeting this afternoon. The Democrats previously said the White House had rejected their offer to compromise on a $2tn topline for the relief package.
- During an impromptu Friday evening press conference at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump said he was likely too pass executive orders in lieu of working out a deal with Democrats. His proposals: to defer payroll tax and enhance unemployment benefits until the end of the year, defer student loans and forgive interest and extend eviction moratoriums.
- Trump also said he was pursuing an executive order to protect patients from insurance hikes due to pre-existing conditions. But that protection is already part of the Affordable Care Act, which the Trump administration is seeking to have struck down.
- At the golf club, wealthy members who came to watch the president’s press conference did not practice social distancing. Many did not wear masks and were drinking. Their presence was also apparently in violation of New Jersey guidelines for golf clubs, which asks that patrons not eat or drink indoors and wear masks. Trump defended them by saying they were engaging in “peaceful protest” of the “fake news”.
- A senior US intelligence official said China is against Trump’s re-election while Russia is spreading disinformation about Joe Biden. National Counterintelligence and Security Center director William Evanina said in a new statement that China, Russia and Iran are all working to influence US public opinion in the final months before the presidential election.
- The new jobs report showed the US economy regained 1.8 million jobs in July. That figure, while promising, represents a steep drop-off from June, indicating the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic will be long and difficult. The US unemployment rate also remains alarmingly high, at 10.2%.
- New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced all schools would have the option to reopen for the new academic year. Every region in the state has successfully lowered its rate of coronavirus transmission, Cuomo said, so schools have the option to reopen for at least part of the week. But the ultimate decision of how and when to reopen will be made by local leaders and school officials.
Updated
Asked whether the press conference, which was attended by members of his golf club, some of whom were not wearing masks and who were not maintaining social distance, was violating New Jersey guidelines for golf clubs, Trump said no, “Because it’s a political activity they have exceptions.”
Their gathering and refusal to wear masks is “also a peaceful protest,” Trump said, because his wealthy golf club members “know the news is fake.”
The crowd cheered.
The president recently reversed his anti-mask stance and suggested that wearing face coverings to stop the spread of coronavirus is “patriotic” - but he seems to have changed his mind again.
Updated
Contradicting the intelligence community’s assessment, the president said, “The last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump.”
Pressed on the matter, he said: “I don’t care what anybody says”
Asked if he’s worried about legal challenges to his proposed executive orders, Trump responded: “We’ll see, yeah. Probably we’ll get sued.”
Democrats have indicated that they will challenge executive orders that bypass negotiations.
Updated
The president has now turned to the topic of policing, and the protests against police brutality. The news conference has morphed into a campaign rally, with Trump stirring up fear about “left-wing violent extremism”.
My colleague Lois Beckett recently reported this illuminating piece, headlined “Anti-fascists linked to zero murders in the US in 25 years”. Have a read:
Updated
Trump said he is also seeking to sign an executive order to require health insurance companies to cover “all pre-existing conditions”.
“This has never been done before,” Trump said. But patients with pre-existing health conditions are currently protected by the Affordable Care Act - which the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to strike down. Twenty million Americans covered by the landmark healthcare law could lose coverage if Trump’s challenge is successful.
Moreover, Trump previously backed Republican efforts to remove protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
Fact check: Testing and cases
“We’re constantly showing cases, cases, cases, cases,” Trump said - and said that’s because the US is doing more testing than other cases. “We’re doing tremendous testing, and we’re especially doing big testing at nursing homes.”
Trump often makes the false claim that increased testing can explain the coronavirus surge. We can give him some credit here for hedging a bit saying that more testing is “one of the reasons” cases are up.
While testing is catching a greater proportion of positive cases, the main reason we’re seeing more cases is that - there are more cases. In many regions, hospitalizations and deaths are also increasing.
Updated
Trump said that if no coronavirus relief deal is reached, he will also defer the payroll tax until the end of the year, “and it’ll be retroactive to July 1,” and might extend it past the end of the year, defer student loan payments and extend an eviction moratorium.
The extent of Trump’s authority here is unclear. His executive orders would be vulnerable to legal challenges - as it’s Congress, not the executive, that is responsible for allocating funds.
Updated
Trump indicates he might extend unemployment benefits via executive order
Trump is boasting about the 1.8m jobs added in July and 9.3m jobs added since May. But when the pandemic struck, 22 million jobs were lost in March and April.
He said he will extend unemployment benefits through the end of the year via an executive order, though he doesn’t say how much the extra jobless benefit would be. Democrats want to extend the $600 per week benefit, but Republicans have been opposed - and suggested $200 per week.
Updated
Trump's golf club press conference begins
Trump has begun by discussing the economy. Per usual, he is using a racist term to refer to the coronavirus.
Donald Trump is preparing for a press conference from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. According to Politico’s Meridith McGraw, who is part of the press pool at the event, “dozens and dozens of club members, in golf gear and some holding wine glasses - have filed into the ballroom,” where the conference will take place.
“Only a handful of the dozens of club members were seen wearing masks, and their temperatures were being taken as they went into the ballroom. It’s unclear if the club members will be present for the news conference with the President,” McGraw said.
Country club members awaiting the president pic.twitter.com/cm9FOvtoC9
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) August 7, 2020
In New Jersey, the regulations for golf courses prohibit “the consumption of food or beverages and smoking in indoor areas” and require patrons to wear masks indoors.
Updated
Joe Biden is expected to announce his running mate very soon. Here’s a closer look at one of the top contenders, California congresswoman Karen Bass:
In Karen Bass’s home state, colleagues across the political spectrum sing her praises.
Most of America is just getting to know the 66-year-old congresswoman from Los Angeles who in recent weeks emerged as a top contender to be Joe Biden’s vice-presidential running mate. But in California, Bass has built a reputation as a progressive and a pragmatist – a community organizer who fought police brutality and addiction in Los Angeles and a practical politician who helped dig the state out of a historical fiscal crisis in 2008.
The congresswoman is “someone who can heal our country – not just from the pandemic, but also from the racial divisions, the economic divisions”, the legendary labor organizer Dolores Huerta told the Guardian.
Biden is expected to announce his running mate in the coming days. When the former vice-president earlier this year committed to choosing a woman to join his ticket, public speculation immediately coalesced around Kamala Harris, the California senator who ran against him in the Democratic presidential primaries. Buzz also circled Susan Rice, the Obama administration national security adviser, and Val Demings, the Florida congresswoman. But in recent weeks, Californians who worked with Bass – including Huerta – have openly campaigned for her as vice-president, propelling her to the top of Biden’s shortlist.
Donald Trump has said he will hold a press conference at 7pm Eastern Time, from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club.
We’ll provide live coverage. In a tweet, Trump indicated that he will discuss the pandemic, and the economy, in light of jobs numbers released today. It is unclear whether he will also announce an executive order on coronavirus relief.
Brent Scowcroft, a national security adviser to Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, and a Republican voice against the Iraq war, has died. He was 95.
President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, said Scowcroft “was an especially important advisor to my father — and an important friend,” and expressed their condolences to his family.
“His dedication transcended political ideology, which is why presidents, vice presidents, and foreign policy thinkers of both Republican and Democratic administrations sought and valued his counsel,” Joe Biden wrote in a statement.
You can read more about Scowcroft in the Associated Press’ obituary.
The head of the conservative evangelical Liberty University has been forced to take an “indefinite leave of absence” after he shared a photo of himself with his pants unzipped to reveal his underwear.
Jerry Falwell Jr, a prominent backer of Donald Trump and one of America’s most powerful evangelical leaders, was accused of hypocrisy after posting the photo to Instagram this week.
Liberty University, based in Virginia, has strict rules over dress code and social activities.
In a statement on Friday the university said:
“The executive committee of Liberty University’s board of trustees, acting on behalf of the full board, met today and requested that Jerry Falwell Jr take an indefinite leave of absence from his roles as president and chancellor of Liberty University, to which he has agreed, effective immediately.”
Updated
“We are going a different way” on economic relief, Trump tweeted, indicating his administration was not willing to compromise on a coronavirus relief package with Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
“Pelosi and Schumer only interested in Bailout Money for poorly run Democrat cities and state,” the president said. But the $1tn in aid at issue here would benefit cities and states run by both Democrats and Republicans.
Pelosi and Schumer only interested in Bailout Money for poorly run Democrat cities and states. Nothing to do with China Virus! Want one trillion dollars. No interest. We are going a different way!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2020
And here’s what the Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh had to say about the same report:
In 2016 it was the Democrats who actively solicited help from foreign nationals in an unsuccessful effort to beat President Trump, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Democrat operatives were once again up to no good. If anyone should face questions about foreign interference in 2020, it’s Joe Biden’s campaign. We don’t need or want foreign interference, and President Trump will beat Joe Biden fair and square. The intelligence community’s assessment that both China and Iran are trying to stop President Trump’s re-election is concerning, but clearly because he has held them accountable after years of coddling by politicians like Joe Biden. The Trump Administration has been tougher on Russia than any administration in history, imposing sanctions and expelling diplomats, in contrast with the Obama-Biden administration, which choked in the face of Russian interference after Susan Rice gave the ‘stand down’ order and let Russia get away with it.”
A couple of key points to note, here:
- The assertion that Democrats “actively solicited help from foreign nationals” is misleading. In 2016, lawyers for Hillary Clinton’s campaign paid a company called FusionGPS to do opposition research. That company hired a former British spy, Christopher Steele to compile research. But hiring or contracting a foreigner to work for a campaign is allowed by campaign finance law, according to experts.
- Murtaugh singles out Susan Rice, a top contender to be Biden’s running mate, and repeats a misleading claim that Rice — a former national security adviser during the Obama administration — told the White House cyber coordinator Michael Daniel to “stand down” from responding to Russian interference. Daniel told the Senate Intelligence Committee that while Rice told him to stand down, it was because she didn’t want too many cooks in the kitchen — the response to Russian interference continued, but without Daniel’s team. “The decision at that point was to neckdown the number of people that were involved in developing our ongoing response options,” he said.
Updated
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Committee chair Adam Schiff issued a joint statement calling on the ODNI to release more information on election security and foreign election interference.
“Today’s statement still treats three actors of differing intent and capability as equal threats to our democratic elections,” they write. According to the ODNI report, While Russia is spreading disinformation about Joe Biden to boost Trump, China and Iran are against the president. According to Pelosi and Schiff the three countries have “different and unequal aims, current actions, and capabilities”:
Members of Congress have now been briefed on the specific threats facing the 2020 election, and we have been clear with the Intelligence Community that the American people must be provided with specific information that would allow voters to appraise for themselves the respective threats posed by these foreign actors.
Hi there, it’s Maanvi Singh, reporting from the west coast.
The Biden campaign’s Tony Blinken, in light of the ODNI report, said: “Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections.”
From Blinken, who served as deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration, noted:
[Trump] urged Russia to hack the emails of his opponent in 2016, sided with Vladimir Putin over his unprecedented violation of American sovereignty that year, publicly called on China to investigate Joe Biden while begging them to help him win re-election, and attempted to blackmail his Ukrainian counterpart into propagating a widely-debunked conspiracy theory about the Vice President -- getting impeached in the process.”
Joe Biden, on the other hand, has led the fight against foreign interference for years, and has refused to accept any foreign materials intended to help him in this election - something that Donald Trump and his campaign have repeatedly failed to do.
Updated
Today so far
That’s it from me this week. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Negotiations over the next coronavirus relief package fell apart. The White House and congressional Democratic leaders had an unproductive meeting this afternoon, and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would urge Trump to sign executive orders this weekend to extend unemployment benefits and eviction protections.
- A senior US intelligence official said China is against Trump’s relection while Russia is spreading disinformation about Joe Biden. National Counterintelligence and Security Center director William Evanina said in a new statement that China, Russia and Iran are all working to influence US public opinion in the final months before the presidential election.
- The new jobs report showed the US economy regained 1.8 million jobs in July. That figure, while promising, represents a steep drop-off from June, indicating the country’s economic recovery from the pandemic will be long and difficult. The US unemployment rate also remains alarmingly high, at 10.2%.
- New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced all schools would have the option to reopen for the new academic year. Every region in the state has successfully lowered its rate of coronavirus transmission, Cuomo said, so schools have the option to reopen for at least part of the week. But the ultimate decision of how and when to reopen will be made by local leaders and school officials.
Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer pledged that Democrats would “not stop fighting” for a coronavirus relief package after negotiations with the White House fell apart.
President Trump & Senator McConnell for months have refused to act and downplayed the threat of COVID.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 7, 2020
Now they seem to be walking away from the table. What will it take for Republicans to take COVID seriously?
Democrats will not stop fighting for Americans across this country. pic.twitter.com/PtUGF2Chay
“President Trump & Senator McConnell for months have refused to act and downplayed the threat of COVID,” Schumer said in a tweet.
“Now they seem to be walking away from the table. What will it take for Republicans to take COVID seriously? Democrats will not stop fighting for Americans across this country.”
But Democrats and Republicans remain trillions of dollars apart on how much the package should cost, so progress on the negotiations seems difficult if not impossible at the moment.
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump would instead sign executive orders on coronvirus relief over the weekend.
Trump is now expected to sign executive orders on coronavirus relief over the weekend after negotiation talks between the White House and congressional Democrats deteriorated.
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said the president would sign orders aimed at extending unemployment benefits, renewing the moratorium on evictions and postponing student loan repayment.
However, those orders may be vulnerable to legal challenges because Congress, not the president, is meant to approve the allocation of such funds.
The orders also may not address many other issues raised by lawmakers, such as aid for state and local governments and funding to help schools reopen.
White House urges Trump to sign executive orders on coronavirus relief
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said they would urge Trump to issue executive orders on coronavirus relief after an unproductive meeting with Democratic congressional leaders.
Leaving the meeting with Mnuchin and Meadows, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said, “It was a disappointing meeting.”
House speaker Nancy Pelosi added, “I’ve told them: come back when you are ready to discuss a higher number.”
The Democrats previously said the White House had rejected their offer to compromise on a $2 trillion topline for the relief package.
“We did not make any progress today,” Mnuchin told reporters after the meeting. “We discussed the same issues.”
Mnuchin said he would recommend to Trump that he sign executive orders on additional unemployment benefits, eviction protections and student loan repayment.
“We’re going to take executive orders to try to alleviate some of the pain that people are experiencing,” Meadows said. “This is not a perfect answer, we’ll be the first ones to say that. But it is all that we can do and all the president can do within the confines of his executive power, and we’re going to encourage him to do that.”
When asked for a timeline on when Trump would sign the executive orders, Meadows said it would likely happen “over the weekend.”
Meadows and Mnuchin said they were open to restarting the talks if a new offer emerges. But for the time being, it appears that legislative negotiations over the next relief package are dead.
In his statement, National Counterintelligence and Security Center director William Evanina cited a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian lawmaker’s attacks on Joe Biden as one example of Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2020 election.
Evanina’s statement says, “We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment.’ This is consistent with Moscow’s public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administration’s policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia.
“For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption – including through publicizing leaked phone calls – to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party.”
Derkach, who has past links to Russian intelligence, was mentioned during the Trump impeachment inquiry because Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, met with the lawmaker in Kyiv late last year.
In May, Derkach also released recordings of private phone calls that took place several years ago between Biden and former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee have issued a joint statement in support of the new ODNI warning on election interference.
Acting committee chairman Marco Rubio and vice chairman Mark Warner said in the statement, “NCSC Director Evanina’s statement today builds on and provides additional context to his previous statement two weeks ago. We thank him for providing this additional information to the American people, and we look forward to his continued engagement, along with other members of the Intelligence Community and the Administration, with the public over the next 87 days.
“Evanina’s statement highlights some of the serious and ongoing threats to our election from China, Russia, and Iran. Everyone — from the voting public, local officials, and members of Congress — needs to be aware of these threats. And all of us should endeavor to prevent outside actors from being able to interfere in our elections, influence our politics, and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions.”
Intelligence Acting Chairman Sen. @MarcoRubio and I released a joint statement in response to @NCSCgov Director Bill Evanina’s statement on election security.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) August 7, 2020
Read it here: https://t.co/pruo82Fxlm pic.twitter.com/M1DO2sL4JU
Rubio, a Republican of Florida, and Warner, a Democrat of Virginia, commended Evanina for providing more information about these intererence attempts, describing government transparency as “one of the best ways to combat such efforts.”
The statement closes by urging lawmakers to “refrain from weaponizing intelligence matters for political gain, as this only furthers the divisive aims of our adversaries.”
Updated
More details from Daniel Strauss on the ODNI statement:
The statement from National Counterintelligence and Security Center director William Evanina specifies the agency’s assessment of what China, Russia and Iran are each doing to interfere in the US elections:
CHINA – We assess that China prefers that President Trump – whom Beijing sees as unpredictable – does not win reelection. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China’s interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China. Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current Administration’s COVID-19 response, closure of China’s Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues. For example, it has harshly criticized the Administration’s statements and actions on Hong Kong, TikTok, the legal status of the South China Sea, and China’s efforts to dominate the 5G market. Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race.
RUSSIA – We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment.’ This is consistent with Moscow’s public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administration’s policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia. For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption – including through publicizing leaked phone calls – to undermine former Vice President Biden’s candidacy and the Democratic Party. Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television.
IRAN – We assess that Iran seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections. Iran’s efforts along these lines probably will focus on on-line influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-U.S. content. Tehran’s motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump’s reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.
The US intelligence community concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to boost Trump’s chances of election, so these efforts appear to be a continuation of that strategy.
The president has repeatedly expressed doubt about the IC’s findings, even though the Republican-controlled Senate intelligence committee issued a report agreeing with the IC’s conclusions.
ODNI accuses Russia, China and Iran of election interference
The Guardian’s Daniel Strauss reports:
The office of the director of national intelligence warned Friday that Russia, China and Iran are all taking steps to influence US elections in 2020.
The statement by National Counterintelligence and Security Center director William Evanina warns that “foreign states will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway U.S. voters’ preferences and perspectives, shift U.S. policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people’s confidence in our democratic process.”
NCSC Director William Evanina has today issued another election threat update for the American public, building on his July 24, 2020 public statement on foreign threats to the #2020Election. See: https://t.co/0eRd6GgMgF pic.twitter.com/fyXmLIbBQ1
— NCSC (@NCSCgov) August 7, 2020
The statement interestingly specifies the election preferences of each of the three countries. According to Evanina, China would prefer Trump to lose reelection because he is seen as “unpredictable.”
The statement adds, “We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia ‘establishment.’”
Evanina’s statement goes on to say that the intelligence community “is also doing everything in its power to combat both cyber and influence efforts targeting our electoral process and continues to support [the Department of Homeland Security] and [the Federal Bureau of Investigations] in their critical roles safeguarding the election.”
The statement emphasizes previous warnings by intelligence experts and will likely amplify the ongoing worry of some voters that foreign adversaries are working to influence the 2020 presidential election.
Updated
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo has reportedly warned Russia against offering bounties to Taliban insurgents to kill US troops.
The New York Times reports:
Mr. Pompeo delivered the warning in a call on July 13 with the minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, choosing to do so during a conversation that, officially, was about an unrelated topic — the possibility of a meeting of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the U.S. officials said in the past week.
The secretary of state did not explicitly point to the covert bounties scheme organized by a Russian military intelligence unit that was first reported in late June by The New York Times, most likely because the details of what American intelligence has learned and how it gathered the information remain classified, one of the officials said. ...
In the call, Mr. Pompeo made it clear to Mr. Lavrov in language about payouts and red lines that the United States was strongly opposed to the program, the official said, adding that the secretary of state had been livid about what the intelligence had said about the bounties.
Pompeo’s warning stands in stark contrast to public statements from Trump, who has sought to downplay the reports and has even suggested the issue may be a “hoax.”
Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and other high-ranking Democrats have written to the United States Postal Service (USPS) inspector general, Tammy Whitcomb, to ask for an investigation into recent changes to the agency’s operations.
The Democrats write in a letter that they are concerned about changes to USPS “staffing and policies” put in place by the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Trump appointee and ally of the president.
The letter claims DeJoy made “fundamental changes” that have had “an adverse effect on postal service operations that have led to ‘slower and less reliable delivery,’” and “threaten the well-being of millions of Americans” who rely on the mail for their social security checks and prescriptions.
It also says the changes “appear to pose a potential threat to mail-in ballots and the 2020 general election.”
The group, which also includes House oversight committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York, ask the inspector general to examine how and why the changes were being made, and their impact, especially on the agency’s “ability to provide services needed” for the November elections.
Lawmakers ask for @USPS IG probe pic.twitter.com/ZGk9iZDdsW
— davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) August 7, 2020
Mnuchin says $2tn compromise on relief bill is a 'non-starter'
Here’s some thoroughly unsurprising news: Democrats and Republicans remain in a stalemate over the next coronavirus relief package.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said they offered to compromise on a topline of roughly $2 trillion for the package, but treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows rejected that offer.
Walking into his next meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, Mnuchin was asked about whether he was open to a $2 trillion topline, which would be about $1 trillion more than originally proposed in the Republican bill.
Mnuchin told reporters, “That’s a non-starter.”
Secretary Mnuchin called it a “non-starter,” when asked about Speaker Pelosi saying him and Meadows needed to come up a trillion dollars in negotiations. pic.twitter.com/m9ApxFEQle
— Jason Donner (@jason_donner) August 7, 2020
So to sum up, Republicans say they refuse to even consider a relief bill that costs $2 trillion, but Schumer said today that Democrats would not support a bill with less than $2 trillion in funding.
The odds of a compromise being reached today are appearing infinitesimal.
Updated
New York schools can reopen, Cuomo says
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced today that schools across the state would be allowed to reopen for the new academic year.
Cuomo said the state had successfully lowered the rate of transmission of coronavirus, allowing schools to hold in-person classes for at least part of the week as long as students wear masks.
Every region is well below our COVID infection limit, therefore all school districts are authorized to open.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) August 7, 2020
If the infection rate spikes, the guidance will change accordingly.
School districts are required to submit plans to NYS for review.
“Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established,” the Democratic governor said during a conference call with reporters. “If there’s a spike in the infection rate, if there’s a matter of concern in the infection rate, then we can revisit.”
Specifically in New York City, which is home to the country’s largest school district, Mayor Bill de Blasio has said schools can reopen only if the positivity rate remains below 3 percent.
“It will not be easy, but I think most parents feel strongly that even some time in school is a lot better for their kids than none,“ de Blasio said earlier today.
Cuomo made clear that the ultimate decision of when and how to resume in-person instruction would be left up to local leaders and school officials, who must be transparent with parents about their reopening plans.
“They have to communicate with the parents and explain the plan and answer the questions of the parents,” Cuomo said.
Today so far
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- The new jobs report showed the US economy regained 1.8 million jobs in July. That figure, while promising, represents a steep drop-off from June, indicating the country’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will be long and difficult. The US unemployment rate also remains alarmingly high, at 10.2%.
- Democrats said the White House rejected their compromise on the next coronavirus relief bill. House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said they offered to cut $1 trillion off their topline proposal for the relief package if the White House would raise their topline offer by $1 trillion. According to Schumer, treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows “vehemently” rejected that offer.
- Pelosi, Schumer, Mnuchin and Meadows will soon meet again to discuss the relief package. The White House had set a Friday deadline to reach an agreement, but Democrats have vowed to continue working until a deal is struck. Trump has said he will sign an executive order today or tomorrow to extend unemployment benefits and eviction protections, but that action would almost certainly be vulnerable to legal challenges.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi has released a “Dear Colleague” letter outlining the remaining points of contention in negotiations over the next coronavirus relief bill.
And the list is not short.
Pelosi specifies seven parts of Republicans’ proposal that House Democrats feel are insufficent to address the financial needs of the country amid the pandemic.
The speaker identifies funding for testing, aid to state and local governments and financial assistance for school reopenings as a few of the remaining sticking points between Democrats and the White House.
“[T]he Administration’s failure has enabled the virus to pick up steam,” Pelosi wrote in her letter. “It is coming like a freight train, and the GOP response is like a convoy going only as fast as the slowest ship.
“In our discussions, Republicans’ have demonstrated their disdain for working families, but we must find common ground for the children.”
Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer will soon meet with treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to discuss the relief package.
White House rejected compromise on relief bill, Democrats say
The White House rejected Democrats’ offer to compromise on the topline of the next coronavirus relief package, according to House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
Pelosi and Schumer are holding a press conference on Capitol Hill before meeting again with treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Pelosi and Schumer said they offered to cut $1tn from their top line offer if the White House would raise their top line by $1tn, which would result in an overall cost of around $2 trillion.
But Mnuchin and Meadows “vehemently” rejected that offer, Schumer said. “We are willing to make compromises,” Schumer said. “They’ve got to meet us in terms of moving.”
Schumer said Meadows in particular has been immovable in many of his demands for the relief bill, more so than Mnuchin.
Updated
The White House believes the biggest sticking point preventing a deal on coronavirus relief is Democrats’ call for nearly $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments, according to a CNN reporter.
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows reportedly voiced those concerns during a private call with Republican senators today.
On a private call with GOP senators today, Mnuchin and Meadows said they believed that the Democrats’ demands for nearly $1 trillion for state and local government is the biggest sticking point over a deal, per multiple sources.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 7, 2020
Democrats have proposed giving $915 billion to state and local governments in the next relief package, but the White House has called for a much lower figure.
Mnuchin and Meadows will likely raise the issue when they meet with House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer in the next hour.
Democrats and White House negotiators to meet again today
The White House team will meet again with congressional Democratic leaders today to try to reach a deal on the next coronavirus relief package.
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said he and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows would meet with House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer in about an hour to continue their negotiations.
@MarkMeadows and I will be meeting with @SpeakerPelosi and @SenSchumer at 1PM today to continue our discussions. More to follow...
— Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) August 7, 2020
Pelosi and Schumer had called on the White House to agree to another meeting today after this morning’s jobs report indicated the US unemployment rate remains alarmingly high, at 10.2%.
Pelosi appeared on MSNBC this morning, and her comments indicated the White House and Democrats remain far apart on the scope of the relief bill, although she said they were open to compromise on the length of spending on food assistance and utilities.
Joe Biden has released a statement on this morning’s jobs report, arguing the lingering economic effects of the pandemic demonstrate “why leadership matters.”
“While I am grateful for the people who got their jobs back, my heart goes out to the more than 16 million workers who are without a job and a paycheck, and to their families who are without peace of mind. It did not have to be this bad,” Biden said in the statement.
“We are in a deeper economic hole than we should be because of Donald Trump’s historic failure to respond to the pandemic, and the pace of recovery has now slowed because of Trump’s continuing inability to come up with a plan to control the virus.”
While I am grateful for the people who got their jobs back, my heart goes out to the more than 16 million Americans still out of work. The truth is it didn't have to be this bad, but Donald Trump failed to act. He's the one person who should lose his job. https://t.co/eIHGRjwJd3
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 7, 2020
The White House has celebrated the report, insisting the 1.8 million jobs regained last month indicate the country is in the process of a rapid economic recovery.
However, Democrats have said the 10.2% unemployment rate demonstrates the urgent need to pass another coronavirus relief package as quickly as possible.
“Trump’s surrender to the pandemic has led to a resurgence of the virus and more economic pain and anxiety for millions of Americans. After six months of a nation in crisis, he still has no plan to get us through,” Biden said in his statement. “He is the one person in the country who should lose his job.”
This is one of those days in Washington where everyone is taking the same set of facts and crafting their own narrative around them to suit their needs.
Here are the facts: the new jobs report showed the US economy regained 1.8 million jobs last month as the unemployment rate dropped slightly to 10.2%.
That jobs number, while impressive, represents a steep drop-off from June, indicating the country’s economic recovery will be long and difficult as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold.
Those are the facts, but Republicans and Democrats are painting two very different pictures about the jobs report.
Republicans are celebrating the news, claiming the report marks a victory for Trump and is “proof that we will rebuild the greatest economy ever,” as House minority leader Kevin McCarthy said.
Today’s incredible jobs report is proof that we will rebuild the greatest economy ever. President Trump and Republicans did it once, and we are going to do it again.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 7, 2020
Democrats would rather Destroy, but Republicans will Rebuild!
But Democrats say the report underscores the urgent need to pass another coronavirus relief bill to help the tens of millions of American families who have lost jobs and income since the start of the pandemic.
With those two radically different perceptions, it’s hard to see how the White House and Democratic congressional leaders will be able to reach an agreement on the relief package anytime soon.
Democrats call on White House to return to negotiating table
Congressional Democratic leaders are calling on the White House to return to the negotiating table today to reach an agreement on the next coronavirus relief bill.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement moments ago, saying the new jobs report underscores the urgency of the issue.
The latest #JobsReport shows that the economic recovery spurred by the investments Congress has passed is losing steam and more investments are still urgently needed to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 7, 2020
“The latest jobs report shows that the economic recovery spurred by the investments Congress has passed is losing steam and more investments are still urgently needed to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people,” Pelosi and Schumer said.
“Millions of Americans are still hurting and yet, despite this reality, President Trump and Republicans appear ready to walk away from the negotiating table to do unworkable, weak and narrow executive orders that barely scratch the surface of what is needed to defeat the virus and help struggling Americans.”
Trump, who is at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this weekend, has said he plans to sign an executive order extending unemployment benefits and eviction protections either today or tomorrow morning.
“We remain committed to continue negotiating and reaching a fair agreement with the Administration, but we will not go along with the meager legislative proposals that fail to address the gravity of the health and economic situation our country faces,” Pelosi and Schumer said.
“We call upon the White House’s negotiators to join us once again at the negotiating table today to secure a bipartisan agreement to put children, families and workers first.”
A federal appeals court has ruled that the House judiciary committee has standing to enforce its subpoena of Don McGahn, Trump’s former White House counsel.
The DC circuit court of appeals ruled that Article III of the Constitution grants the committee the power to sue to enforce its subpoenas.
BREAKING: The Appeals Court rules that the House Judiciary Committee has standing to enforce its MCGAHN subpoena. pic.twitter.com/kb4MOjwUQr
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 7, 2020
The House judiciary committee subpoenaed McGahn last year to obtain his testimony in connection to the findings from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
But the Trump administration has consistently fought the Democratic-led House’s ability to subpoena current and former administration officials as part of its overall strategy to block congressional oversight.
The federal court’s ruling clears one road block in the House’s effort to hear from McGahn, but the White House can (and likely will) appeal to the supreme court on the issue.
The White House is reportedly leaving open the possibility of signing executive orders on coronavirus relief even if a deal is reached with Democrats.
Axios reports:
The White House is finalizing a series of executive orders addressing key coronavirus stimulus priorities if negotiations with Congress fall apart, and it’s leaving the door open for President Trump to use them even if a deal is reached that doesn’t encompass all of his priorities, two administration officials tell Axios.
What we’re hearing: ‘I wouldn’t be surprised that, if something gets left off the table, we’d be like ‘we can take this executive action too and be able to win on it anyway,’’ one official said.
Details: The most likely executive orders would be one to suspend payroll taxes and another to let states use money already allocated in the CARES Act to make unemployment insurance supplemental payments.
Trump said yesterday that he planned to sign an executive order to extend unemployment benefits and eviction protections either today or tomorrow morning, although that action will likely be vulnerable to legal challenges.
Trump is celebrating this morning’s jobs report, which showed the US added 1.8 million jobs in July.
Great Jobs Numbers!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2020
“Great Jobs Numbers!” the president wrote in a tweet.
His reelection campaign said in a statement, “President Trump’s policies continue to bring the economy roaring back with another jobs report that defied economists’ expectations and brought good news to Americans recovering from the global pandemic.”
However, the July numbers represented a steep drop-off from June, and unemployment remains above 10%, indicating it will be a long and slow economic recovery as the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold.
As White House negotiators and congressional Democratic leaders struggle to reach a deal on the next coronavirus relief bill, Trump is at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The White House has just called a “lid” for the day, meaning the president does not plan to leave Bedminster or see the press pool for the rest of the day.
The early call could intensify questions about just how much Trump is personally involved in the negotiations on the next relief package.
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.
Today marks the White House’s self-imposed deadline to reach a deal with congressional Democratic leaders on the next coronavirus relief package.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows previously said that the president would take executive action if an agreement was not reached by Friday.
Trump told reporters yesterday that he would sign an executive order to extend unemployment benefits and eviction protections either today or tomorrow morning.
However, top Democrats have seemed skeptical of that deadline, and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday that they intended to keep working until a deal was struck.
And as Martin covered, an executive order aimed at allocating relief funds would almost certainly be vulnerable to a legal challenge because that power lies with Congress.
When asked about the potential executive order yesterday, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “I don’t think they know what they’re talking about.”
Donald Trump has repeatedly touted that he might take unilateral action over some kind of coronavirus economic rescue plan. Patricia Zengerle at Reuters has been looking at how that might take shape in practice – and whether he can really do it at all:
What does Trump want to do?
Trump said on Twitter he is considering executive orders to continue expanded unemployment benefits, reinstate a moratorium on evictions, cut payroll taxes. There have been no specifics.
Can he do it?
The Constitution puts control of federal spending in the hands of Congress, not the president, so Trump does not have the legal authority to issue executive orders determining how money should be spent on coronavirus. Democrats said executive orders would prompt a court fight, and the legal action could take months. But, he has managed to side-step this before to shift billions of dollars from the Pentagon budget to pay for the southern border wall.
Would Democrats or Republicans object?
The $600 per week enhanced unemployment benefit has been a major sticking point in negotiations. Democrats want to continue the payment, which expired on 24 July, and have rejected a short-term extension. Republicans have argued that is too high a payment, contending it is a disincentive to work. Which might also tell you something about wages. The moratorium on evictions was less contentious, and could be covered by reprogramming money that Congress has already approved for housing. Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike reject cutting the payroll tax. A cut would disproportionately benefit Americans with high salaries, and only benefits people still getting paychecks, not those who have lost their jobs.
Anyways, that’s it from me today, I’m about to hand over to Joan Greve in Washington. I’ll see you next week, take care and stay safe.
US economy added just 1.8m jobs in July after record June gain
My colleague Dominic Rushe in New York has obviously recovered from the power outage there earlier today and written about the economic news on jobs data that has dropped this morning.
The US economy added just 1.8m jobs in July after a record gain in June, as signals mounted that a resurgence of coronavirus cases in some states is weighing on the labor market recovery. The unemployment rate has now fallen for three months in a row, but it remains above the 10% peak of the Great Recession and is three times the 3.5% rate from February.
Read the full report here: US added just 1.8m jobs in July as states grapple with Covid-19 resurgence
Donald Trump is up and firing off his usual morning salvo of tweets. As well as retweeting some news reports of his TikTok ban, he has stated that Joe Biden has “lost the Black vote” with his comments yesterday.
Sleepy Joe Biden just lost the Black Vote. This statement is a disaster from which their is no recovery! https://t.co/NmxVW7L2ae
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2020
He has also claimed that he never called coronavirus a hoax, only the politicisation of it.
I called the politicization of the China Virus by the Radical Left Democrats a Hoax, not the China Virus itself. Everybody knows this except for the Fake and very Corrupt Media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2020
Here’s what Trump said at a rally in February:
The Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus… One of my people came up to me and said “Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia, that didn’t work out too well. They couldn’t do it. They tried the impeachment hoax that was on a perfect conversation. They tried anything, they tried it over and over, they’ve been doing it since you got in… And this is their new hoax.
That does appear to back up his claim, that it wasn’t the virus itself that he said was a hoax. However, what may have caused the confusion is that in that speech he also immediately then went on to say:
But you know, we did something that’s been pretty amazing. We’re 15 people [coronavirus cases] in this massive country. And because of the fact that we went early, we went early, we could have had a lot more than that.
The country has now had 4,884,406 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The president has no official appointments in his diary today, but is understood to be heading to New Jersey’s Bedminster Trump National Gold Club.
Reuters are reporting the somewhat underwhelmed reaction of Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousav to the announced changeover between Brian Hook, who is leaving the role, and Elliott Abrams as the top US envoy to Iran.
“There’s no difference between John Bolton, Brian Hook or Elliott Abrams” Mousavi said in a tweet under the hashtag #BankruptUSPolicy.
“When US policy concerns Iran, American officials have been biting off more than they can chew. This applies to Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump and their successors” he added.
Hook’s surprise departure comes at a critical time when Washington has been intensely lobbying at the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran.
Abrams, 72, a Republican foreign policy veteran, was named US special representative for Venezuela in January 2019, and has led a hawkish approach aimed at removing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He now adds Iran to his role.
Pompeo did not give a reason for the change, but wrote in a tweet that Hook was moving on to the private sector.
Megan Botel and Isaiah Murtaugh have been looking for us at how the climate in the country in the wake of the widespread protests over George Floyd’s killing have energised an enfranchisement effort of a scale not seen since the civil rights era:
“This has been the story of multiple generations,” said Jennifer Lawson, a veteran civil rights activist who marched in the Children’s Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. “I have a profound appreciation for what the younger activists are doing in the streets today in terms of building awareness and trying to create change in this country.”
For many, the pandemic and concurrent Black Lives Matter resurgence created a unique and complex moment ripe for widespread political engagement.
“Everyone is so frustrated,” said Harleigh Tensen, an attorney and civil rights activist in Brooklyn. “It’s the same thing over and over and over again. Change is only going to happen through voting.”
Read it here: ‘The protests were an awakening’: Black voters’ mobilization surge
What are virtual conventions going to look like? Well, Politico think they have an inside-track at least on who will be talking at the slimmed-down Democratic party event in a couple of weeks time.
Bernie Sanders and John Kasich will share a night in the spotlight, and both Clintons are slated to have prominent speaking roles. Others who’ve been tapped for coveted speaking slots during an event that’s been shrunk down to eight prime-time hours over four nights are Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Jill Biden. And it goes without saying that the party’s two most popular figures, Barack and Michelle Obama, will be featured prominently.
Politico speculate, though, that rising progressive star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may not make the cut.
Read it here: Politico – Who made the cut — or got axed — for coveted Democratic convention speaking slots
We’ve got a very moving photo essay on the site today, following the repatriation flight to Mexico of the remains of workers who had caught coronavirus and passed away from it during the pandemic in the US.
Most of the urns carrying ashes on the flight came from three east coast states – New York, New Jersey and Connecticut– and nearly half were destined for the state of Puebla, the home that many Mexicans had not returned to for years while they were working in the US. Two days later the families of the dead lined up to receive the ashes, which had been transported from the capital all the way to the state government’s palace
Read it here: Mexican families mourn workers claimed by Covid in the US
More confusingly on the “legislators test positive for coronavirus” front, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has now tested negative for Covid-19, after having previously testing positive early on Thursday before he was to meet with Donald Trump.
According to a statement from his office, his wife, Fran DeWine, also tested negative, as did staff members. They underwent a different type of test in Columbus; one considered to be more accurate than the rapid-result test which showed DeWine to be positive for Covid-19 just ahead of the planned meeting with the president in Cleveland, report the Associated Press.
The conflicting results underscore the problems with both kinds of tests. Many people in the US can’t get lab results on the more accurate version for weeks, rather than the few hours it took the governor to find out. The governor and first lady plan to undergo another test Saturday.
DeWine, an early advocate among Republicans of wearing masks and taking other pandemic precautions, said he took a test arranged by the White House in Cleveland as part of standard protocol before he was to meet Trump at an airport. He had planned to join the president on his visit to the Whirlpool Corp. plant in northwest Ohio.
Instead, he received the news he tested positive, called his wife, and returned to central Ohio where he took the other test that showed him to be negative.
The positive result from the first test was “a big surprise to our family,” DeWine said at a late afternoon news conference broadcast from his porch on his farm in Cedarville in southwestern Ohio, where he planned to quarantine for 14 days.
Dewine, 73, said he didn’t know how he would have contracted the coronavirus and that he’s already been spending much of his time at his farm, keeping his distance from family members and staff.
DeWine said he feels fine with no symptoms and has already received some “not nice texts” from people claiming the news proves that mask-wearing is pointless.
“The lesson that should come from this is that we’re all human, this virus is everywhere, this virus is very tough,” DeWine said before getting the negative result. “And yes you can contract it even when you’re being very, very careful and even when you’re wearing a mask.”
But, the governor said, “the odds are dramatically better” of avoiding a positive test if people wear a mask.
A top Republican legislator in Kansas has angered Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly after it emerged he was hospitalized last month after testing positive for coronavirus, and didn’t disclose it to colleagues, report the Associated Press.
Kelly said that she’ll now get tested because the two of them attended a meeting together after he was hospitalized.
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr.’s delayed acknowledgment of his hospitalization in an email to fellow House Republicans after Tuesday’s primary concerned colleagues.
Ryckman is the highest-ranking official in Kansas known to have been infected. In an interview he said that he tested positive on 13 July, began showing symptoms that evening and was hospitalized for about a week starting 16 July.
He said he remained isolated, both at home and in the hospital and was cleared by a doctor to attend of the State Finance Council on 29 July. The governor and eight top legislative leaders make up the council, and state law has required it to review orders from Kelly to deal with the pandemic.
“I was hospitalized, have followed doctor’s orders, and self-isolated during that time,” Ryckman, a Kansas City-area Republican, said in his email to colleagues. “I am now past what doctors consider the contagious stage and am on the road to recovery.”
The governor said she wishes Ryckman good health and is glad he is recovering but added that she was “dismayed” to learn that he’d been infected.
“Speaker Ryckman’s decision to attend the State Finance Council meeting after being released from the hospital, while concealing his diagnosis from those of us in the room and taking his mask off, was reckless and dangerous,” Kelly said in a statement.
“As elected officials, we have a unique responsibility to set the right example for the people of Kansas, and to follow the common sense guidance from medical experts.”
Oh, and by the way, if you are a bit puzzled by what WeChat is, and why Trump is targeting it, we’ve got you covered:
WeChat is an immensely popular and all-encompassing Chinese social media platform. In 2018, it surpassed 1 billion users worldwide. Within China people use WeChat for an endless list of services including communication, e-payments, banking, ride-hailing and online shopping, all integrated directly into the service. During the pandemic, it also runs a large portion of the various government-mandated health code apps that designate people as being under quarantine or allowed to travel. Most western messaging apps, such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp, are banned in China, so users in the US use WeChat to communicate with friends and family in China, as well as conduct business transaction and advertise.
Read it here: What is WeChat and why is Trump targeting it?
There’s been a bit of Chinese response this morning to the ongoing China-US trade disputes.
Reuters are reporting the words of top diplomat Yang Jiechi from an essay published on China’s foreign ministry website which urged the United States to stop “bullying” Chinese firms and to create a fair, open, non-discriminatory environment for them. Yesterday, Donald Trump banned US transactions with Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat.
Yang argued that cooperation between China and the United States would be beneficial to both countries and to the world, whereas confrontation would be “a sure disaster”.
Yang reiterated China’s call for all sectors from both countries to engage in dialogue, adding that the door for communication “has always been fully open”.
He also urged the military in both countries to engage more and make good use of confidence-building mechanisms. “Military ties should become the stabilising factor for bilateral relations,” wrote Yang.
Here’s Alexander Bolton this morning for The Hill, looking at the stalled attempts to get a deal for a coronavirus rescue package through.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who as a conservative lawmaker in the House lambasted congressional dealmakers from the outside, is now the guy in the room where it happens that Republicans are depending on to craft a coronavirus relief package. Meadows, the former chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is in a difficult spot. A a thorn in the side of former speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan at points in his congressional career, Meadows telling whoever will listen that he’s willing to make a deal.
Bolton posits that the rumbling noises from Donald Trump that he’s prepared to take unilateral action is “designed to pressure Democrats into thinking that Trump is willing to go ahead on his own if they don’t deal” and get them to shift their position. It’s a good read about the dynamics at play within the Republican group as a whole.
Read it here: The Hill – Wary GOP eyes Meadows shift from brick-thrower to dealmaker
Herman Cain, the former Republican presidential candidate, businessman and close ally of President Donald Trump, will be mourned at a private funeral in Atlanta today. The 74 year old died on 30 July of complications from Covid-19. He was a cancer survivor, having contracted cancer of the colon in the early 2000s.
Cain had been ill with the coronavirus for several weeks. A statement on his Twitter account said he tested positive for Covid-19 on 29 June and was hospitalized 1 July.
It’s not clear when or where he was infected, but his hospitalization came less than two weeks after attending Trump’s campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on 20 June.
Cain had been co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. The president called him “a powerful voice of freedom and all that is good.”
Here’s just a few of the #BlackVoicesForTrump at tonight’s rally! Having a fantastic time!#TulsaRally2020 #Trumptulsa #TulsaTrumprally #MAGA #Trump2020 #Trump2020Landslide pic.twitter.com/27mUzkg7kL
— Herman Cain (@THEHermanCain) June 20, 2020
“Herman had an incredible career and was adored by everyone that ever met him, especially me,” Trump said on Twitter shortly after he died. “He was a very special man, an American Patriot, and great friend.”
Cain briefly rose to the top of polls during the 2012 race for the Republican presidential nomination. You can watch the ceremony later today, which is being live-streamed at 11 at hermancaincelebrations.com.
While we wait for that Joe Biden VP pick, my colleague Maanvi Singh in San Francisco has been assessing one of the names that has been in the frame: Karen Bass
Most of America is just getting to know the 66-year-old congresswoman from Los Angeles who in recent weeks emerged as a top contender to be Joe Biden’s vice-presidential running mate. But in California, Bass has built a reputation as a progressive and a pragmatist – a community organizer who fought police brutality and addiction in Los Angeles and a practical politician who helped dig the state out of a historical fiscal crisis in 2008. The congresswoman is “someone who can heal our country – not just from the pandemic, but also from the racial divisions, the economic divisions”, said legendary labor organizer Dolores Huerta
Read it here: Karen Bass – the progressive congresswoman who could be Biden’s vice-president
What a tease.
Several sources tell me that Joe Biden has chosen his VP running mate.
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) August 7, 2020
David Smith in Washington has been looking for us today about the unfolding lawsuit between New York attorney general, Letitia James, and the National Rifle Association.
The NRA has been the most powerful gun lobby in the world since another former president of the group Charlton Heston promised to resist efforts to prise firearms “from my cold, dead hands”. It has fought to suppress research on the danger of guns in society, keep open loopholes for background checks on gun sales and even for firearms to be present in schools.
The NRA also has been an electoral ally of Donald Trump, spending $30m to help him beat Hillary Clinton in 2016. Democrats, gun control activists and others have fought long and hard to curb its influence. But in the end, the NRA’s worst enemy was the NRA. Victim of its own success and hubris, it strayed from its core purpose and shot itself in the foot.
Read it here: ‘I don’t trust them any more’: how the NRA became its own worst enemy
Progressive Black activist Marquita Bradshaw wins Democratic primary in Tennessee
Memphis environmentalist and Black activist Marquita Bradshaw has won the Democratic primary for an open US Senate seat in Tennessee. It’s an upset victory over an opponent favoured by the Democratic party establishment - Army helicopter pilot James Mackler - and was achieved with a campaign war chest of less than $25,000.
“We didn’t raise a million dollars, but the dollars that we raised came from hard-working people in Tennessee and around this nation,” Bradshaw told the Associated Press. “Some of them are housekeepers, some of them pushcarts from WalMart, some of them are scientists. But they are people who want us to head on and deal with the issues.”
The progressive movement is undeniable! Thank you all so much for your support and this victory. It’s time to put hardworking people first.
— Marquita Bradshaw (@Bradshaw2020) August 7, 2020
Onward. ✊🏾#Bradshaw2020 #MBforUS
In November she will face the former US ambassador to Japan, Bill Hagerty, who fended off a challenge from Nashville trauma surgeon Manny Sethi in the Republican primary for the seat.
The 46-year-old single mother from Memphis will have an uphill battle though: Republicans have held both Senate seats in Tennessee since 1994, and Trump remains popular enough in the red state that Hagerty made sure he mentioned the president at every turn.
Milwaukee police chief demoted after multiple incidents, including use of tear gas and pepper spray on BLM demonstrators
An oversight board has demoted Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, after questioning how he handled multiple incidents, including ordering officers to fire tear gas and pepper spray at Black Lives Matter protesters demonstrating over George Floyd’s death.
The city’s Fire and Police Commission unanimously voted Thursday evening to demote Morales to captain after three-and-a-half years on the job.
The chief’s attorney, Franklyn Gimbel, says Morales’ relationship with the commission has been deteriorating since he refused the chairman’s demand to fire an officer involved in the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown in January 2018. Most recently the commission criticized Morales for authorising tear gas to disperse protesters. The board has also raised broaders questions over how the department has policed Black communities.
Morales joined the Milwaukee department in 1993 and was appointed chief in February 2018.
“His conduct is unbecoming, filled with ethical lapses and flawed decisions, making it inconsistent with someone who has the privilege of leading the Milwaukee Police Department,” Commissioner Raymond Robakowski said.
Milwaukee’s Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett said Thursday night he was angered by the commission’s action and that Morales should have been given a chance to respond to directives the panel had issued.
“The discussion surrounding this decision tonight was completely lacking in transparency. The action taken by the commission tonight was not good government,” Barrett said.
According to the Associated Press, Gimbel said problems began for Morales when officers arrested Brown for parking illegally in January 2018. Officers used a stun gun on him when he didn’t remove his hands from his pockets. The commission’s chairman, Steven DeVougas, told Morales to fire one of the officers involved but Morales refused, the attorney said. “From there it got stressful,” Gimbel said.
Milwaukee police used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse protesters demonstrating over Floyd’s death in May and June, a decision which drew criticism from Mayor Barrett. The commission in July banned the police department from using tear gas.
Good morning, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics, coronavirus crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement for Friday.
- 1,036 new coronavirus deaths and 57,128 new cases were reported yesterday. Nationally that is around 16% lower than the average was a fortnight ago, but it brings the total number of cases to over 4.88m, and the total number of deaths is now recorded as 160,104
- White House officials and Democratic leaders ended a three-hour negotiation session last night without a coronavirus relief deal on the horizon
- Trump bans US transactions with Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat. TikTok responded about an hour ago – it could have a significant impact on Apple’s revenues too
- He’s also claimed that presidential election opponent Joe Biden is ‘against God’. Biden has frequently spoken about how his Catholic faith helped him cope with the deaths of his first wife and daughter, and has described Trump’s comments as ‘shameful’
- Biden was forced to clarify remarks he made comparing the relative diversity of America’s black and Latinx communities, on the same day his campaign released a new ad aimed at black Americans
- It’s New York vs the NRA. We have profiles of the four people that Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, has sued
- Mike Pence called supreme court justice John Roberts a ‘disappointment’
- Herman Cain will be mourned today at a private funeral in Atlanta
- The president’s public diary is completely empty for today. Presumably background talks will resume at some point over the bail-out bill. The Senate is adjourned until Monday, and the House is in recess
I’m Martin Belam and I’ll be here for the next couple of hours. You can get in touch with me at martin.belam@theguardian.com
