Summary
From me and Joan E Greve:
- Donald Trump announced that the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville is canceled. The move comes after Trump shifted the venue to Jacksonville from Charlotte after North Carolina’s governor expressed concerns about hosting a full-scale convention amid the pandemic.
- Florida voters disapproved of both their governor Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump, according to a Quinnipiac poll released today. As the state sees record numbers of cases, a majority Floridians polled said masks should be mandated.
-
The justice department inspector general announced an investigation into the actions taken by federal agents in Portland. DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz said his office would also investigate federal agents’ forceful removal of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square near the White House last month.
- The mayor of Portland was teargassed last night during protests against the presence of federal agents in the city. The incident occurred hours after Trump announced plans to send federal troops to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well.
- The number of US coronavirus cases surpassed 4 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The country hit the grim milestone as dozens of states report increases in new cases.
- Another 1.4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. The figure marks a slight uptick from the week before, ending four months of declines in the country’s weekly unemployment claims. Additional unemployment benefits are set to expire next week.
-
A federal judge ruled Michael Cohen should be released from prison. US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein said the president’s former lawyer should be allowed to return to home confinement, concluding that Cohen’s imprisonment was “retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights.” Cohen announced earlier this month that he was nearing completion of his book on the president.
For coronavirus updates from around the world, follow the Guardian’s global blog:
Dr. Anthony Fauci threw the first pitch, at an empty baseball stadium, to kick off the Nationals vs Yankees game in DC.
Major League Baseball finally returned today — with several coronavirus safety measures in place. Games will be played between teams in the same region, to limit travel. And fans will have to watch from home - though the venues may play crowd noises to make the players feel more at ease.
Ahead of the moment, Fauci told Washington Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman he was nervous about throwing the first pitch. “Don’t worry about it,” Zimmerman responded. “If you bounce it, there’s nobody there to boo you. So, you’ll be good to go.”
Here’s how he did:
Fauci first pitch. 😂 pic.twitter.com/7bvIiEaw2t
— Rudy Gersten (@DCBarno) July 23, 2020
I can’t say I’d do any better.
Updated
Poll: Florida voters disapprove of Trump and governor DeSantis
Nearly 80% of voters in Florida said the state should mandate face masks, according to a Quinnipiac poll released today.
Facing a record number of coronavirus cases, 70% of Floridians who were polled said the virus was “out of control” in the state. A majority felt it was unsafe to send children to school in the fall, and that Governor Ron DeSantis reopened the economy “too quickly”.
More from Quinnipiac:
Voters give Governor DeSantis a negative job approval for his handling of the response to the coronavirus, as 38 percent approve, while 57 percent disapprove. In April, 50 percent approved, while 41 percent disapproved.
Voters give President Trump a negative job approval for his handling of the response to the coronavirus; 37 percent approve, while 59 percent disapprove. In April, 46 percent approved, while 51 percent disapproved.
Updated
Trump adviser Judd Deere confirmed that the president spoke with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman today. They discussed the coronavirus pandemic and economy, and “President Trump also expressed his well wishes” to Bin Salman, Deere said.
Earlier today, Trump spoke with Vladimir Putin, for the first time since the New York Times reported that Russia paid the Taliban bounties to kill US troops.
Today, President @realDonaldTrump spoke with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The two leaders discussed the latest positive developments in defeating the coronavirus pandemic and re-energizing global economies.
— Judd Deere (@JuddPDeere45) July 23, 2020
Updated
The Trump campaign has released a statement on the decision to cancel the RNC convention in Jacksonville:
“Leading by example, President Trump has put the health and safety of the American people first with his decision on the Jacksonville convention,” said campaign manager Bill Stepien. He promised that the campaign would arrange for “exciting, informative, and enthusiastic programming” in lieu of a traditional convention.
My colleague Mario Koran reports:
As US school districts finalize plans for the fall semester and classes in some districts are set to remain online, some parents have begun teaming up to form “pods” with other families and arrange their own forms of education.
Elyssa Katz, a Santa Monica mother of three, is growing a matchmaking service to connect families with tutors, or “Zutors”, as she calls them – a word she’s in the process of trademarking.
“The role of a Zutor is a tutor, a nanny, and an angel for a parent,” Katz told the Guardian, someone who can take over parental demands, help children with online homework and take them outside when it’s time for “recess”.
Katz’s clients range from the rich and famous, to everyday people who need childcare because they can’t look after their children while they have to work. Katz said she had gotten calls from parents as far away as the Hamptons.
For a matchmaking fee that can range from $700 to $1,000 (£549 to £785), Katz and her team will interview tutor candidates, run background and reference checks, then match them to the right families.
Fees for tutors and child care can range from $20 to $65 (£15 to £51) an hour, which would amount to $1,625 (£1,276) a week if a tutor was hired for five hours a day, five days a week – though Katz said fees vary by the type of service.
“Some services are charging as much as $125 (£98) an hour. This is LA. There are some people for whom money isn’t really an object, people who say ‘I want this for my kids and I’ll do anything I can for them’,” Katz said.
Trump had initially lobbied for a full-scale convention, packed with guests without face-coverings. In early June, when North Carolina’s Democratic governor Roy Cooper said that would be impossible to arrange amid a pandemic, noting in a letter to the RNC that “it is unlikely that we would be to the point at the end of August to be able to have a jam-packed 19,000-person convention,” Trump said they were “forced” to choose a different city to host the event.
Updated
That’s it for the briefing. Trump said he’ll throw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on August 15.
Dr. Anthony Fauci - the health official in charge of the US response to the coronavirus pandemic who has been sidelined during these daily briefings - is throwing the first pitch at the Washington Nationals vs Yankees game today.
Updated
Trump bragged that the US has conducted more coronavirus tests than any other country. This may well be true but here’s some context:
Per the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus resource center: “In order for governments to identify new cases and effectively respond to the pandemic through tracing and treatment, testing programs should be scaled to the size of their epidemic, not the size of the population.”
Part of the reason that US needs to conduct so much testing - even more than it is already doing – is because the size of the outbreak here is so big. There are more cases of coronavirus in the US than anywhere else in the world.
Updated
Trump once again called for schools to reopen. “Districts may need to delay reopening for a few weeks,” he acknowledged, as cases surge.
If public schools don’t open, Trump said that funding should “follow” students to private and charter schools.
The Republican National Committee had recently announced it would restrict attendance at its Jacksonville convention as Florida’s coronavirus cases and deaths spiked, limiting the number of guests that delegates are able to bring and spreading the event across two venues.
Florida reported its largest number of deaths in a single day from the coronavirus today, and more than 10,000 Floridians have tested positive for Covid-19 so far.
The convention was originally meant to be held in Charlotte, but the RNC moved the location after North Carolina’s governor Roy Cooper was reluctant about hosting large, crowded events amid the pandemic without distancing and safety measures.
“When we made these changes, we had hoped to be able to plan a traditional convention celebration to which we are all accustomed,” RNC chair Ronna McDaniel wrote in a letter to committee members at the time. “However, adjustments must be made to comply with state and local health guidelines.”
Updated
Trump cancels the Jacksonville Republican national convention
Trump said that it is “not the right time” for a big convention in Jacksonville.
“I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida component of the convention,” he said.
Jacksonville, Florida residents filed a lawsuit against the city, the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign earlier this month to stop the convention in August, concerned that a big event would accelerate the spread of disease in a state that is already a coronavirus hotspot.
Updated
Hi there, it’s Maanvi Singh, reporting from the West Coast.
Donald Trump’s coronavirus briefing had just begun - follow along for updates and fact checks.
Trump’s Republican foes place his oratory in context
The Lincoln Project, who are not the biggest fans of President Trump, have been carefully weighing up his recent descriptions of his cognitive tests.
Historic. pic.twitter.com/dBovf0tIE9
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) July 23, 2020
Updated
Ben Carson revokes Obama-era rule designed to diversify the suburbs
The Associated Press has news of the Trump administration’s latest rollback of an Obama-era rule, this one from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) secretary Ben Carson.
The rule was designed to eliminate racial disparities in the suburbs but President Trump has characterized it as an existential threat to the suburban way of life that will bring about more crime and lower home prices.
On Thursday in a statement, Carson said regulation known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, or the AFFH rule, was “unworkable and ultimately a waste of time for localities to comply with”.
Fair housing advocates have decried the move as an election year stunt designed to appeal to white voters.
Updated
More than 915,000 new cases in last two weeks
As states continue to dial back reopening efforts, nearly every metric for tracking the coronavirus outbreak has shown a worsening spread.
“I don’t see this disappearing,” Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told tuberculosis researchers during a live stream on Wednesday. “It is so efficient in its ability to transmit from human to human that I think we ultimately will get control of it. I don’t really see us eradicating it.”
More than 915,000 new cases have been confirmed in just the past two weeks, totaling more than the entire month of June. The US has now exceeded 140,000 deaths, with Texas alone reporting a state record 197 new fatalities on Wednesday.
Updated
Today so far
That’s it from me today. My Guardian colleagues will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- The justice department inspector general announced an investigation into the actions taken by federal agents in Portland. DOJ inspector general Michael Horowitz said his office would also investigate federal agents’ forceful removal of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square near the White House last month.
- The mayor of Portland was teargassed last night during protests against the presence of federal agents in the city. The incident occurred hours after Trump announced plans to send federal troops to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well.
- The number of US coronavirus cases surpassed 4 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The country hit the grim milestone as dozens of states report increases in new cases.
- Another 1.4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. The figure marks a slight uptick from the week before, ending four months of declines in the country’s weekly unemployment claims. Additional unemployment benefits are set to expire next week.
- Senate Republicans have not yet released their coronavirus relief bill, even though majority leader Mitch McConnell initially said their proposal would be unveiled today. Democrats have already signaled they will oppose the bill, arguing it will not go far enough to help American families who are financially suffering because of the pandemic.
- A federal judge ruled Michael Cohen should be released from prison. US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein said the president’s former lawyer should be allowed to return to home confinement, concluding that Cohen’s imprisonment was “retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights.” Cohen announced earlier this month that he was nearing completion of his book on the president.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
It took only 15 days for the total number of coronavirus cases in the US to go from 3 million to 4 million.
In contrast, the number of US coronavirus cases surpassed 1 million 99 days after the country’s first case was confirmed.
The United States just reached 4 million reported coronavirus cases:
— Ryan Struyk (@ryanstruyk) July 23, 2020
0 to 1 million cases: 99 days
1 to 2 million cases: 43 days
2 to 3 million cases: 28 days
3 to 4 million cases: 15 days
The rapid escalation underscores the severity of the recent surge in new cases across dozens of US states.
The US currently accounts for about a quarter of all confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide, according to the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
US coronavirus cases surpass 4 million
The number of coronavirus cases in the US has now surpassed 4 million, as dozens of states report increases in new infections.
According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the US has confirmed 4,005,414 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic. Of those cases, 143,820 Americans have died of the virus.
The US hit the alarming milestone a day after Fox News aired an interview with Trump in which the president argued coronavirus tests are “overrated.”
“To me, every time you test a case it gets reported in the news, we found more cases,” Trump said. “If instead of 50 we did 25, we have half the number of cases. So I personally think it’s overrated, but I am totally willing to keep doing it.”
But public health experts have actually blamed the recent surge in cases on states reopening and Americans abandoning social distancing practices because the rate of new infections is outpacing the expansion of testing.
Trump urged the “Suburban Housewives of America” to read a negative op-ed about Joe Biden, as the president seeks to turn around his plummeting polling numbers in suburban communities.
“The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article,” Trump said in a tweet linking to a New York Post op-ed. “Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better!”
The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article. Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better! https://t.co/1NzbR57Oe6
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020
Surveys indicate the president has lost serious ground with suburban voters since his 2016 victory, and pollsters blame much of Trump’s sinking re-election fortunes on that erosion of support.
The president is clearly aware of this trend, and he has sought to scare suburban voters back into supporting him by warning Biden’s policies “will totally destroy the beautiful suburbs”.
But many commentators were more focused on Trump’s use of the outdated term “housewives” to describe women living in American suburbs.
I don't think referring to women -- which research show run much of the household decision making and finances -- by the anachronistic term "housewives" is a good play https://t.co/uI8P9MGR7C
— Amber Phillips (@byamberphillips) July 23, 2020
Updated
The interior department inspector general announced an investigation into the forceful dispersal of protesters from Lafayette Square last month.
The justice department inspector general, Michael Horowitz, said his office would coordinate with the interior department’s team in their investigation of the actions taken against the DC protesters.
The Trump administration received intense criticism after federal agents used tear gas to remove anti-racism protesters near the White House shortly before the president’s photo op at St John’s church.
Updated
DoJ watchdog announces investigation into feds' actions in Portland
The justice department inspector general has announced an investigation into the actions taken by federal agents against protesters in Portland.
“In response to congressional requests, complaints received by the OIG, and a referral from the US attorney in Oregon, the DoJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has opened an investigation into use of force allegations involving DoJ law enforcement personnel in Portland, Oregon, in July 2020,” Michael Horowitz, inspector general, announced in a statement.
Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today initiation of work.https://t.co/KCrDirNLSp pic.twitter.com/8NaLOwcIIV
— Justice OIG (@JusticeOIG) July 23, 2020
Horowitz said the investigation would be conducted with the department of homeland security’s inspector general office.
Horowitz announced his office would also be “initiating a review to examine the DoJ’s and its law enforcement components’ roles and responsibilities in responding to protest activity and civil unrest in Washington DC, and in Portland, Oregon over the prior two months”.
The statement specifically references “events in Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020”, when federal agents teargassed peaceful protesters near the White House.
Updated
Washington’s football team will be known as (wait for it) the Washington Football Team this season, after management bowed to pressure to change the team’s former racist name.
“The decision to use ‘Washington Football Team’ for this season allows the franchise the ability to undertake an in-depth branding process to properly include player, alumni, fan, community and sponsor input,” the team said in a statement.
“To date, we have been pleased to see so many people putting forward their vision of what the new name and design should be on their social media channels and we look forward to including their feedback as this process progresses.”
The team’s owner, Dan Snyder, resisted calls to change the team’s name for years, despite persistent criticsm that the former name was blatantly offensive to Native Americans.
But Snyder had a change of heart earlier this month, as protests against racism and police brutality put more pressure on the team to change its name.
Three out of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans, are in favor of requiring people to wear face coverings while outside their homes due to concerns over spiking coronavirus cases, a new poll conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has found.
The AP reports that the survey also found that “about two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling the outbreak, an unwelcome sign for the White House in an election year shaped by the nation’s battle with the pandemic.”
Facing dire poll numbers, surging cases and sharp criticism for lack of leadership, Trump reversed his previous stance on masks this week, and publicly urged Americans to wear them.
“Get a mask, whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact. They’ll have an effect, and we need everything we can get,” the president said at a White House press conference on Tuesday, after months of refusing to wear a mask in public.
“I carry the mask ... I have the mask right here. I carry it and I will use it gladly.”
Democrats are already signaling their dissatisfaction with the Republican coronavirus relief bill, which has not yet been released.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats expected the bill to lack money for child food assistance, rental assistance and hazard pay for frontline workers.
“It won’t get the job done,” Schumer said.
From what we know, the GOP COVID relief proposal won’t include:
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 23, 2020
Food assistance for hungry kids
Rental assistance
Hazard pay for essential workers
New funding for state and local governments
Investments in communities of color
It won't get the job done.
Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling to even reach a final decision on what their proposal will look like.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell was supposed to release the text of the bill this morning, but that was pushed back.
McConnell instead met with treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows this morning, but he has not yet unveiled the legislation
All of the delays do not inspire much confidence that Congress will be able to pass a bill by next week, when additional unemployment benefits are set to expire.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney reacted to Trump’s tweet this morning criticizing her after several of the president’s closest congressional allies called on her to step down as chairwoman of the House Republican conference.
“It’s no secret the president and I disagree on some foreign policy issues,” the Republican congresswoman told a Politico reporter.
But Cheney also vowed to continuing speaking out when it comes to foreign policy issues — a sign she has no intention of backing down.
— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) July 23, 2020
Trump tweeted this morning, “Liz Cheney is only upset because I have been actively getting our great and beautiful Country out of the ridiculous and costly Endless Wars.”
But Cheney said her top priority, as a member of the House armed services committee, is to “provide for the defense of the nation.”
She added that she would continue to speak out on matters of foreign policy, virtually ensuring future dust-ups with the president.
The White House has released a readout from Trump’s call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. President Trump and President Putin discussed efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic while continuing to reopen global economies,” the readout says.
“The two leaders also discussed critical bilateral and global issues. President Trump reiterated his hope of avoiding an expensive three-way arms race between China, Russia, and the United States and looked forward to progress on upcoming arms control negotiations in Vienna.”
The readout makes no mention of Trump pressing Putin on reports that Russia offered bounties to Taliban insurgents to kill American troops.
The US president also does not appear to have asked his Russian counterpart about allegations that Kremlin-backed hackers targeted coronavirus vaccine researchers in the US, the UK and Canada.
Today so far
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Another 1.4 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. The figure marks a slight uptick from the week before, ending four months of declines in the country’s weekly unemployment claims. Additional unemployment benefits are set to expire next week.
- The mayor of Portland was teargassed last night during protests against the presence of federal agents in the city. The incident occurred hours after Trump announced plans to send federal troops to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well.
- A federal judge ruled Michael Cohen should be released from prison. US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein said the president’s former lawyer should be allowed to return to home confinement, concluding that Cohen’s imprisonment was “retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights.” Cohen announced earlier this month that he was nearing completion of his book on the president.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Trump incorrectly placed the blame squarely on Democrats for quashing his effort to add a payroll tax cut to the next coronavirus relief bill.
“The Democrats have stated strongly that they won’t approve a Payroll Tax Cut (too bad!). It would be great for workers,” Trump said in a tweet.
“The Republicans, therefore, didn’t want to ask for it. Dems, as usual, are hurting the working men and women of our Country!”
The Democrats have stated strongly that they won’t approve a Payroll Tax Cut (too bad!). It would be great for workers. The Republicans, therefore, didn’t want to ask for it. Dems, as usual, are hurting the working men and women of our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020
In reality, many Republican lawmakers made clear they were against a payroll tax cut and would not support adding it to the next relief bill.
A number of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle argued it did not make sense to provide a tax cut to working Americans when the unemployment rate is in double digits.
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed in an interview this morning that the tax cut would not be in the “base bill” of the next relief package.
“The president’s preference is to make sure that we send out direct payments quickly, so that in August, people get more money,” Mnuchin said.
The Guardian’s Valerie Yurk reports:
Forty states lack mandates to fully protect citizens from electricity, gas and water disconnections as leniency measures for paying bills expire, making Americans affected by the economic downturn vulnerable to one of the hottest summers on record and the continued spread of the coronavirus, according to a report from Senate Democrats.
Breaking: Most states aren't protecting Americans from utility shut offs, according to Senate dems report, meaning:
— Valerie Yurk (@valerie_yurk) July 23, 2020
- No clean water to wash your hands during a pandemic
- No AC in one of the hottest summers on record
- No word on when utilities are turning back on
Among the states offering no protection for its residents are Texas and other southern states that have seen a rise in coronavirus cases in recent weeks. Most states only partially protect citizens from utility shut offs – meaning utility companies have voluntarily agreed to suspend disconnections but are not mandated to do so.
Some state utility shutoff moratoriums don’t apply to publicly-owned utilities, which, in Ohio, accounts for 70% of residential water sources, according to the report.
Greer Ryan, energy policy analyst for the Center for Biological Diversity, said this particularly impacts communities of color, who were not only more vulnerable to utility insecurity before the pandemic, but also are more likely to get Covid-19 and suffer from the effects of rising temperatures.
“Most people who have their utilities disconnected don’t know when they’re coming back on,” Ryan said. “Add that to the stress of the economic crisis, this is extra horrifying for families.”
Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is urging Congress to consider offering financial assistance to those struggling with utility bills due to unemployment or illness while also requiring utilities stay connected during the COVID-19 crisis. More than 830 organizations, 113 members of Congress and hundreds of thousands of people have joined Carper’s call.
“I would ask my colleagues to imagine what it’s like to manage a fever without access to air conditioning on a 100-degree day. I would ask my colleagues to imagine what it’s like to go without running water at a time when we’re being encouraged to wash our hands with soap and clean water to slow the spread of this deadly virulent disease,” Carper said. “This is not just about ensuring a fair and basic quality of life in our country, this is also a public health imperative.”
US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein said Michael Cohen should be released from prison by 2 pm tomorrow.
Trump’s former lawyer was taken back into federal custody on July 9, a week after he tweeted that he was nearing completion of his book on the president.
...anticipated release date will be late September.
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) July 2, 2020
Probation officials said Cohen’s home confinement was revoked after he refused to sign a form banning him from publishing his book or publicly communicating in other forums.
In May, Cohen was released from prison early due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus among inmates.
Judge orders Cohen released from prison, blames imprisonment on 'retaliation'
A federal judge has ruled Michael Cohen, the president’s former lawyer and fixer, should be released from prison.
US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein said Cohen should be allowed to return to home confinement, concluding that his imprisonment was “retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights.”
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the administration earlier this week, arguing Cohen had been imprisoned because of his plans to write a book about Trump.
“He is being held in retaliation for his protected speech,” the ACLU lawsuit said, “including drafting a book manuscript that is critical of the president – and recently making public his intention to publish that book soon, shortly before the upcoming election about President Trump.”
House speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated she is against a short-term extension of additional unemployment benefits, which are set to expire next week.
“We cannot piecemeal this,” the Democratic speaker said at her weekly press conference, as Republicans work to craft their own proposal for the next coronavirus relief package.
Democrats have pushed for extending the additional unemployment benefits at their current level of $600 per week, but their Republican colleagues are looking to reduce the benefits in the next relief bill.
Chuck Schumer appeared alongside Pelosi at her press conference, and the Senate minority leader was asked whether he thought Congress could pass a bill by the end of next week.
“I hope so, but they’re so divided, and there’s no leadership from the president,” Schumer said.
Joe Biden has shared his full conversation with Barack Obama, a day after his presidential campaign released teasers from the two politicians’ discussion about the coronavirus pandemic.
Over the course of the 16-minute socially distanced conversation, the former president and former vice president sharply criticized Trump’s response to the pandemic.
Biden specifically chastized the president’s administration for continuing its legal battle against the Affordable Care Act amid a global pandemic. “I don’t think he has any sense of empathy,” Biden said of Trump.
Obama noted, “You can’t separate out the public health crisis, from the economy. If you want the economy growing again, people have to feel safe.”
Obama also described the ACA, a key part of his presidential legacy, as the first building block of strengthening the American healthcare system.
“I always used to say the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, it’s like a starter house,” Obama said. “It’s the first house you get, and it’s not the end of the process. It’s the beginning of the process.”
The former president closed the conversation by making a values-based pitch for electing Biden in November.
Obama said, “For all the specific policies that we’re going to need, more than anything it’s just that basic decency and an understanding about what’s best in America that I think people are going to be hungry for. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
Biden replied, “Thank you, and I have faith in the American people.”
AOC condemns culture of accepting violence against women after Yoho confrontation
Progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivered a searing floor speech about one of her Republican colleagues, Ted Yoho, accosting her on the Capitol steps earlier this week.
“In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, ‘a fucking bitch,’” Ocasio-Cortez said, referencing a report from the Hill.
“These were the words that Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman -- a congresswoman who represents not just New York’s 14th congressional district but every congresswoman and every woman in this country because all of us have had to deal with this in some form, some way, some shape at some point in our lives.”
Ocasio-Cortez said Yoho’s words were “not deeply hurtful or piercing” because she has heard them far too many times before.
“This is not new, and that is the problem,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “This issue is not about one incident. It is cultural. It is a culture of lack of impunity; of accepting of violence and violent language against women; and an entire structure of power that supports that.”
Ocasio-Cortez also criticized Yoho for using his wife and daughters as “shields for poor behavior” to avoid taking responsibility for his actions.
“I am two years younger than Mr Yoho’s youngest daughter. I am someone’s daughter, too,” Ocasio-Cortez said, getting choked up as she reflected on her gratitude that her father was not alive to hear Yoho’s words.
The congresswoman added, “I am here because I have to show my parents that I am their daughter and that they did not raise me to accept abuse from men.”
Updated
Trump has insisted that a cognitive test he took recently was “difficult”, using the example of a question in which the patient is asked to remember and repeat five words.
“Person, woman, man, camera, TV,” Trump explained, saying that listing the words in order was worth “extra points”, and that he found the task easy.
“They said nobody gets it in order, it’s actually not that easy. But for me it was easy. And that’s not an easy question,” he told Fox News medical analyst and New York University professor of medicine Marc K Siegel in an interview that aired last night.
Trump’s description of a cognitive test is mesmerizing pic.twitter.com/Gx4o9HNaXR
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) July 23, 2020
Trump said that a year ago he asked former White House physician Ronny Jackson whether there was “some kind of cognitive test” he could take, he said, “Because I’ve been hearing about it. Because I want to shut these people up. They’re fake news. They’re making up stories.’”
Trump went on to explain the test, saying that after several questions, the doctor returned to the list of words, asking Trump to repeat them. “And you go, ‘person, woman, man, camera, TV.’ They say, ‘That’s amazing. How did you do that?’ ‘I do it because I have like a good memory? Because I’m cognitively there.’”
The president then went on to suggest that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden should take the test.
Trump will do another coronavirus briefing today at 5 pm ET, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany just told Fox News.
This will mark the president’s third briefing in as many days, as Trump seeks to reverse his sinking approval and polling numbers.
The past two briefings have not been quite as eventful as the president’s April briefings, when Trump infamously suggested Americans could protect themselves from contracting coronavirus by ingesting disinfectants. (That is dangerously false.)
However, this week’s briefings have included some of the president’s traditional exaggerations about his achievements in office.
Yesterday, for example, Trump once again claimed he had “done more for black Americans than anybody with the possible of exception of Abraham Lincoln,” who ended slavery.
Trump lashed out against former secretary of the department of homeland security Tom Ridge, who has criticized the president’s decision to send federal agents to Portland to crack down on recent protests against racism.
“Recently watched failed RINO Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security, trying to justify his sudden love of the Radical Left Mayor of Portland, who last night was booed & shouted out of existence by the agitators & anarchists. Love watching pathetic Never Trumpers squirm!” Trump said in a tweet.
Recently watched failed RINO Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security, trying to justify his sudden love of the Radical Left Mayor of Portland, who last night was booed & shouted out of existence by the agitators & anarchists. Love watching pathetic Never Trumpers squirm!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020
Ridge, who served as the first DHS secretary under Republican president George W Bush, said yesterday, “The department was established to protect America from the ever-present threat of global terrorism. It was not established to be the president’s personal militia.”
The former Pennsylvania governor added, “Had I been governor even now, I would welcome the opportunity to work with any federal agency to reduce crime and lawlessness in any of the cities, but ... it would be a cold day in hell before I would consent to an unilateral, uninvited intervention in one of my cities.”
Ridge’s comments came as protests continued in Portland over the presence of federal agents in the city. Portland’s Democratic mayor, Ted Wheeler, participated in last night’s protests and was teargassed, but he also faced criticism from some of the demonstrators for not defunding the local police.
Mnuchin confirms payroll tax cut will not be in coronavirus relief bill
Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin previewed the Republican coronavirus relief bill in a CNBC interview this morning.
“The president’s priority is about kids and jobs,” Mnuchin said of the Republican proposal, which has not yet been released.
The GOP coronavirus relief plan will extend enhanced unemployment insurance “based on approximately 70% wage replacement,” Treasury Sec. Mnuchin says. https://t.co/vc2GRgXOgB pic.twitter.com/KkowGqMH4j
— CNBC (@CNBC) July 23, 2020
Mnuchin acknowledged additional unemployment beenfits would be reduced in the bill, saying Republicans hoped to give unemployed Americans a “reasonable wage replacement” that will be based on “approximately 70%” of their usual paycheck.
The additional unemployment benefits are set to expire next week, and Democrats have called for continuing them at their current level of $600 per week.
The treasury secretary also confirmed the president’s payroll tax cut, which has attracted little Republican support, will not be in the “base bill” of the next relief package.
“We think the payroll tax cut is a very good, pro-growth policy, but the president’s focus is, he wants to get money into people’s pockets now because we need to reopen the economy,” Mnuchin said.
“The president’s preference is to make sure that we send out direct payments quickly, so that in August, people get more money.”
Updated
US weekly unemployment claims rise after four months of decline
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week rose again last week after four months of falls as the surge in coronavirus cases led states, including California and Texas, to pause the reopening of businesses shuttered to slow the coronavirus’s spread.
The labor department announced on Thursday that 1.4m claims had been received last week, up 109,000 from the previous week. The previous week’s figure was also revised up by 7,000.
The latest proof of Covid 19’s devastating impact on the US job market comes as Congress debates an extension to a $600 a week lifeline for those on benefits that experts argue has kept many in their homes amid a wave of unemployment unseen in decades.
Claims for unemployment have dropped sharply since the shutdown orders in March which triggered more than 6m claims in just one week. But they remain stubbornly high and in recent weeks have hovered around 1.3m a week, twice as high as the pre-pandemic record of 695,000 set in 1982.
There are signs that claims could rise higher as more states report increases in infections and reconsider their reopening plans. In the week ending 11 July the largest increases were in California, Florida and Georgia, all states struggling with rising infection rates, the labor department announced.
Trump criticizes Liz Cheney on foreign policy
The president has already tweeted dozens of times this morning, and one of his messages took aim at congresswoman Liz Cheney, the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.
“Liz Cheney is only upset because I have been actively getting our great and beautiful Country out of the ridiculous and costly Endless Wars,” Trump said.
Liz Cheney is only upset because I have been actively getting our great and beautiful Country out of the ridiculous and costly Endless Wars. I am also making our so-called allies pay tens of billions of dollars in delinquent military costs. They must, at least, treat us fairly!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020
Trump’s tweet came two days after Cheney was sharply criticized by her colleagues during a closed-door meeting of House Republicans.
During the meeting, some of Trump’s most loyal congressional allies, including congressman Matt Gaetz, went after Cheney for breaking with the president on foreign policy and defending Dr Anthony Fauci.
Some Republicans, including Gaetz, have since called on Cheney to step down as the party’s third-ranking House leader, arguing the caucus would be better served by a conference chair “who doesn’t chide our President.”
But House minority leader Kevin McCarthy has defended Cheney and the “amazing job” she has done as conference chair.
However, with the president himself now weighing in on the issue, it’s likely McCarthy will feel more pressure to respond to complaints about Cheney, and Republicans who challenge Trump have paid dearly for it in the past.
Portland mayor teargassed amid protests over presence of federal agents
Good morning, live blog readers, and greetings from Washington.
The protests continued last night in Portland, as residents of the Oregon city called on Donald Trump to recall the federal agents that have been sent to crack down on recent demonstrations against racism.
The city’s Democratic mayor, Ted Wheeler, was actually teargassed during last night’s protest. The AP reports:
[Wheeler] said it was the first time he had been teargassed and appeared slightly dazed as he put on a pair of goggles someone had handed to him, coughed and drank water. He did not move from his position.
Around Wheeler the protest raged late on Wednesday, with protesters lighting a large fire in the space between the fence and the courthouse. Federal agents deployed teargas and stun grenades into the crowd. It was not immediately clear if the agents knew Wheeler was in the crowd when they used the teargas.
The protest came hours after the president announced he would send federal agents to two more Democratic-controlled cities – Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico – to supposedly help fight violent crime.
But Democratic mayors are trying to fight back against Trump’s tactics, denouncing the federal agents’ deployment in a letter sent to attorney general William Barr and acting secretary of the department of homeland security Chad Wolf earlier this week.
“These are tactics we expect from authoritarian regimes – not our democracy,” wrote the group of mayors, which included Wheeler and Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot.
“Unilaterally deploying these paramilitary-type forces into our cities is wholly inconsistent with our system of democracy and our most basic values.”
Every day I hear from folks who tell me how important health care is to their families — well, it's deeply personal for President @BarackObama and me, too. I'll fight to protect and build on Obamacare and make sure everyone gets the care they need.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 23, 2020
Watch our conversation: pic.twitter.com/ZyrBmLrjCJ
Here’s what else is going on today:
- Trump has no events on his public schedule, but White House officials could still add a coronavirus briefing to his schedule, as they did yesterday.
- Joe Biden will share his recent conversation with Barack Obama at 10am ET.
- The Louisville Metro Council will discuss a resolution to probe the handling of the police shooting of Breonna Taylor at 6pm ET.
That’s all still coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
