The Commentariat -- July 26, 2020

Afternoon Update:

Rick Rojas of the New York Times: John "Lewis, who died on July 17, crossed the [Edmund Pettus Bridge] one last time on Sunday, his coffin carried by horses as part of a valedictory pilgrimage retracing the arc of his life. The trek started on Saturday in Troy, county seat of Pike County where he grew up on a cotton farm, and continues this week onto Washington, where he served in Congress, and Atlanta, which became his home." ~~~

~~~ Sydney Trent of the Washington Post: "For the last two decades, the 17-term congressman from Georgia..., led an annual march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to kindle hope in the ongoing struggle for racial justice. On the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2015, he made the trip with the nation's first black president, Barack Obama. Now, as Lewis was carried across the span Sunday before lying in state at the U.S. Capitol, a revived effort to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in honor of the civil rights giant is gaining traction.... There are two petitions now, on Change.org and the [John Lewis Bridge Project's] website, that have picked up steam since Lewis' death. As of Saturday, about 715,000 people had signed them, including 'Selma' director Ava DuVernay, Kerry Washington, Paul McCartney, Dan Rather and Pettus' great-great-granddaughter, Caroline Randall Williams, who is black.... Pettus was a U.S. senator for Alabama from 1897 to 1907, a Confederate Army officer and, after the Civil War, a grand dragon in the Ku Klux Klan."

Marianne Levine & Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Even before Senate Republicans roll out a proposal on the next coronavirus relief package, top Trump administration officials are already pushing a backup plan in case negotiations stall. During media appearances Sunday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested Congress could take an issue-by-issue approach to coronavirus relief, an idea House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has already rejected."

Axios: "FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver said on ABC's 'This Week' that while President Trump's reelection bid is 'clearly in trouble' due to his dismal coronavirus approval ratings and polling in swing states, he does not believe the president's 'fate is sealed.'... 'We found historically that when there are lots of major news events and economic disruptions, an election becomes harder to predict,' Silver said.... 'A turnaround in the COVID situation by the fall could make the election more competitive.'"

Hate-Statement Masks & Cheeseballs. Rachel Hutton of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Just before noon Saturday, police officers in Marshall, Minn., were called to the town's Walmart on a report that two shoppers were wearing masks emblazoned with swastikas. Another shopper, Raphaela Mueller, the vicar of a southwest Minnesota parish, filmed the swastika-wearing man and woman as they were confronted by others in the store. Then she posted the video on Facebook, where it went viral. 'If you vote for Biden, you're going to be living in Nazi Germany,' the woman with the swastika mask told Mueller, as her companion bagged up toilet paper and an enormous canister of cheeseballs. The two were apparently using the masks to protest Minnesota's mask mandate, which took effect Saturday.... Per the store's request, law enforcement served trespass notices to the 59-year-old man and 64-year-old woman, warning them that if they will face arrest should they return. The two departed without incident and charges were not pursued."

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The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday.)

Trump's Suicide Cult. Tom Nichols in USA Today: "America has now passed the milestone of 4 million COVID cases, and we're still arguing with doctors and epidemiologists about masks and school closures. I expected some of this, because I literally wrote the book over three years ago on why so many Americans think they're smarter than experts. What I did not expect is that this resolute and childish opposition to expertise would be hijacked by the president of the United States and an entire American political party, and then turned into a suicide cult." --s

David Corn of Mother Jones: "This month, Stephen Miller, the extremist anti-immigrant Trump adviser who has promoted white nationalist ideas, lost [Ruth Glosser, who was Miller's maternal grandmother] to the coronavirus pandemic, and his uncle [David Glosser] tells Mother Jones that the Trump administration is partly to blame for this death.... In response to a request seeking comment from Miller, a White House spokesperson sent Mother Jones this statement: 'This is categorically false, and a disgusting use of so-called journalism when the family deserves privacy to mourn the loss of a loved one. His grandmother did not pass away from COVID. She was diagnosed with COVID in March and passed away in July so that timeline does not add up at all.'... Ruth Glosser's death certificate — which her son shared with Mother Jones -- lists her cause of death as 'respiratory arrest' resulting from 'COVID-19.'" --s

Eoin Higgins of Common Dreams: "As Senate Republicans headed home for the weekend without extending unemployment insurance benefits or approving other economic relief programs that could help millions of Americans weather the ongoing financial catastrophe of the coronavirus pandemic, progressives and congressional Democrats warned that disaster is on the horizon.... House Democrats took to Twitter to decry their Senate GOP colleagues for abdicating their responsibility to the American people, noting that Republicans found time to vote for a mammoth $740 billion Pentagon budget but failed to approve anything to meet the needs of struggling workers and families." ~~~

~~~ Jessica Corbett of Common Dreams: "Housing and human rights advocates on Saturday slammed the Republican-controlled Senate for skipping town and allowing a federal moratorium on evictions to expire, putting millions of households across the country at risk for losing their homes in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Despite objections from Democrats, the upper chamber adjourned Thursday evening without lawmakers taking action to extend the eviction moratorium -- which expired Friday -- or the $600-per-week addition to unemployment benefits that Congress enacted earlier this year in response to the current public health and economic crises. The eviction moratorium put in place by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March protected more than 12 million people who live in homes with federally backed mortgages from being forced onto the streets. Other local and state moratoria have also recently expired." Mrs. McC: No doubt Republican senatos have noticed that more of their backers are landlords than tenants. ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE. Nicky Robertson of CNN: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he hopes in the next two to three weeks the Senate will be able to get the next coronavirus relief bill to the House.... McConnell said he will begin talking to Democrats as soon as next week on the bill." Mrs. McC: Knock yourself out, Mitch. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: In fairness to Mitch, one reason it is taking so long for him to get a bill to the House is that he also has to negotiate with the President*, who is a very busy man. Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "... Donald Trump reportedly golfed on Saturday while on vacation at his Bedminster resort in New Jersey. Deputy White House press secretary Judd Deere reportedly told Reuters correspondent Steve Holland that Trump was golfing with retired quarterback Brett Favre.... Trump's latest round of golf occurred as coronavirus continues to devastate America, with total fatalities approaching 150,000." ~~~

     (~~~ AND This. I Can See Texas from My Golf Cart. Jordan Muller of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Saturday said his administration is 'closely monitoring' a pair of major storms in Texas and Hawaii as the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic season made landfall along the pandemic-stricken Texas coast. 'We continue to coordinate closely with both states,' the president tweeted from his Bedminster, N.J., golf club, urging residents to listen to emergency management officials to protect families and property.")

Florida. Cleve Wootson, et al., of the Washington Post: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) "health department has sidelined scientists, halting briefings last month with disease specialists and telling the experts there was not sufficient personnel from the state to continue participating.... As the virus spread out of control in Florida, decision-making became increasingly shaped by politics and divorced from scientific evidence, according to interviews with 64 current and former state and administration officials, health administrators, epidemiologists, political operatives and hospital executives. The crisis in Florida, these observers say, has revealed the shortcomings of a response built on shifting metrics, influenced by a small group of advisers and tethered at every stage to the Trump administration, which has no unified plan for addressing the national health emergency but has pushed for states to reopen.... The response -- which DeSantis boasted weeks ago was among the best in the nation -- has quickly sunk Florida into a deadly morass." ~~~

~~~ Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "A longtime staffer for Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) died from the coronavirus on Friday, the congressman announced, becoming the first known congressional aide to die from the illness. Buchanan said in a statement that he was 'devastated' by the death of Gary Tibbetts, a field representative who had been a member of the congressman's staff since 2011." (Also linked yesterday.)

Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd. Insider Trading on a Grand Scale. David Gelles & Jesse Drucker of the New York Times: "The race is on to develop a coronavirus vaccine, and some companies and investors are betting that the winners stand to earn vast profits from selling hundreds of millions -- or even billions -- of doses to a desperate public. Across the pharmaceutical and medical industries, senior executives and board members are capitalizing on that dynamic. They are making millions of dollars after announcing positive developments, including support from the government, in their efforts to fight Covid-19. After such announcements, insiders from at least 11 companies -- most of them smaller firms whose fortunes often hinge on the success or failure of a single drug -- have sold shares worth well over $1 billion since March, according to figures compiled for The New York Times by Equilar, a data provider.... [Some] senior officials appear to be pouncing on opportunities to cash out while their stock prices are sky high. And some companies have awarded stock options to executives shortly before market-moving announcements about their vaccine progress."

Meryl Kornfield of the Washington Post: "After facing intense scrutiny for planning to air a baseless conspiracy theory that infectious-disease expert Anthony S. Fauci helped to create the coronavirus, conservative TV broadcaster Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Saturday that it will delay the segment to edit the context of the claims.... [A person interviewed in the film, Judy] Mikovits, claimed that Fauci 'manufactured' the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated.... The show was released online earlier this week before it was to be aired on local news channels.... As of Saturday afternoon, the show was pulled from Sinclair websites." Mrs. McC: Yes, better to air this crap closer to the election. ~~~

~~~ David Bauder of the AP: "Meanwhile, Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, talked in detail in a new podcast about the 'serious threats' and hate mail directed his way.... [Fauci] talked about [recent death threats] in some detail on 'The Axe Files' podcast with former Obama aide David Axelrod this past week. Fauci said he's seen ... a far greater level of anger than he heard in the 1980s when he was working to combat HIV. Fauci says he is receiving 'not only hate mail, but actual serious threats against me.' 'I mean against my family, my daughters, my wife,' he said." --s

Trump's Stormtroopers Cause Mayhem Across the U.S.

Mike Baker & Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs of the New York Times: "Weeks of violent clashes between federal agents and protesters in Portland, Ore., galvanized thousands of people to march through the streets of American cities on Saturday, injecting new life into protests that had largely waned in recent weeks. One of the most intense protests was in Seattle, where a day of intense clashes left a trail of broken windows, slashed tires and burning trailers. At least 45 protesters had been arrested as of early evening, and both protesters and police officers suffered injuries.... In Austin, Texas, the police said one man was shot and killed just before 10 p.m. during a protest in the city's downtown. In a live video from the scene, protesters are seen marching through an intersection when a car blares its horn.... The man who was killed may have approached a vehicle with a rifle before he was shot and killed, Officer Katrina Ratcliff said. Ms. Ratcliff said the person who shot and killed the man had fired from inside the vehicle. That person was detained and is cooperating with officers, she said.... In Los Angeles, protesters clashed with officers in front of the federal courthouse downtown. Videos showed people smashing windows and lobbing water bottles at officers after protesters said the police fired projectiles at them. The federal courthouse in Portland has been the scene of nightly, chaotic demonstrations for weeks, which looked likely to continue again on Saturday, as thousands participated in marches around the city...."

Kentucky. Chris Kenning, et al., of the Louisville Courier Journal: "Two opposing, heavily armed militia groups came within a few dozen yards of each ... other in downtown Louisville on Saturday in a tense standoff that ended without violence, but marked an escalation after two months of ongoing protests over the police shooting of a Black woman. More than 300 members of the Atlanta-based Black militia NFAC, or 'Not F**king Around Coalition' came to Louisville demanding justice for 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, an ER technician who was fatally shot by officers in March. Wearing all black and carrying assault rifles, members marched in military-style formation from Baxter Park in the Russell neighborhood to Metro Hall where they stopped around 2:45 p.m. at police barricades. Right across was a smaller group of 50 far-right 'Three Percenter' militia members, who were also heavily armed.... Police kept the sides apart and tensions eventually dissipated. Both militias had said they wanted to avoid violence."

Oregon. Piper McDaniel of the Oregonian: "Thousands of Portlanders amassed late Friday downtown and witnessed another tense face-off with federal officers, who used tear gas and shot impact munitions toward protesters.... At least 4,000 people poured Friday night into the city's core. It was the largest crowd since early weeks of the protests that started 58 days ago.... By 10:30 p.m., a line of veterans stood in front of the federal courthouse, preparing for the looming confrontation. A row of women tied to the Wall of Moms group also staged near the courthouse." As unwashed points out in today's Comments, both sides were using leaf blowers! to throw the gas back on the other side. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Obviously, Trump has sent troops (or whoever they are) in with the purpose of making the situation worse, not better. He wants the news to lead with his dystopian shows of force against Americans. "There's nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe," Trump said this week. That's true; that's his main job. And he is wantonly doing the opposite. ~~~

~~~ Here's a terrific WashPo story by Marissa Lang on Portland's "leaf-blower dads" that unwashed has pointed out in today's Comments. "The loud, pressurized air machines typically used to clear grass, leaves and other lawn debris are surprisingly effective tools at clearing caustic chemicals from the air. They're so effective that on Friday night, federal agents frustrated at being caught in up in a redirected cloud of tear gas, showed up to the demonstration with their own handheld blowers. The leaf-blower wars were on. 'I'm totally impressed with all the courage we're seeing from just normal people who have taken it on themselves to come out here and stand up for our right to protest,' said Eddie, a 35-year-old Portlander who declined to give his last name out of fear of retaliation from federal officers." Mrs. McC: Wish they'd use their leaf-blowers on whatever that is on Trump's head.

Gillian Brassil of the New York Times: "The W.N.B.A. season started with 26 seconds of silence and an empty court. 'We are dedicating this season to Breonna Taylor,' Layshia Clarendon, a New York Liberty guard and member of the new W.N.B.A. Social Justice Council, said at the game's start. 'We will be a voice for the voiceless.' The 2020 season, which is being played in a 22-week 'bubble' tournament at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., is expected to be charged with social justice initiatives alongside a full championship schedule. Symbols and logos declaring 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Say Her Name' were prominent on the court, and players wore jerseys that bore the name of Ms. Taylor."

Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "For Trump, this has been a week of retreat. Rather than bending others to his will, the president has been the one backing down from long-held positions in the face of resistance from fellow Republicans or popular opposition, scrambling to reinvigorate his reelection campaign while the coronavirus continues to ravage the nation. Weakened politically by his response to the pandemic, Trump changed course after polls showed his positions did not align with public attitudes or -- as was the case with the payroll tax cut -- his Republican allies on Capitol Hill declined to advance his interests.... White House officials rejected the characterization of the president's sudden advocacy for mask usage and cancellation of the convention festivities in Jacksonville, Fla., as a retreat.... Trump's safety rationale [for cancelling the convention] was inconsistent, however, with his stance last month in regard to staging a large campaign rally in Tulsa. He was adamant about holding the event, despite repeated warnings from local health officials that convening thousands of people in an indoor arena could further spread the virus. In the days that followed the rally, the rate of coronavirus cases in the Tulsa area increased."

** Nomaan Merchant of the AP: "The Trump administration is detaining immigrant children as young as 1 in hotels, sometimes for weeks, before deporting them to their home countries under policies that have effectively shut down the nation's asylum system during the coronavirus pandemic, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. A private contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking children to three Hampton Inn & Suites hotels in Arizona and at the Texas-Mexico border, where they are typically detained for several days, the records show. The hotels have been used nearly 200 times, while more than 10,000 beds for children sit empty at government shelters." ~~~

~~~ Edward Moreno of the Hill: "A federal judge denied a request from the Trump administration to delay its deadline to release migrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ruled in late June that children in ICE detention centers must be released 'with all deliberate speed,' due to coronavirus infections within facilities. The judge have the federal government a deadline of July 17 to comply. She later extended the deadline to July 27 after a motion from the Trump administration. The administration sought another extension, which Gee denied Saturday."

Andy Greenberg of Wired: "[I]t appears the [Russia's] GRU [military intelligence agency] has been hitting US networks again, in a series of previously unreported intrusions that targeted organizations ranging from government agencies to critical infrastructure. From December 2018 until at least May of this year, the GRU hacker group known as APT28 or Fancy Bear carried out a broad hacking campaign against US targets, according to an FBI notification sent to victims of the breaches in May and obtained by WIRED.... The FBI declined to comment on how many victims the APT28 campaign may have targeted, or how many of those attempts were successful.... A new GRU hacking campaign targeting US organizations in 2020 also raises the specter of another round of election meddling, given the GRU's notorious campaign of electoral interference in 2016." --s ~~~

~~~ BBC: "The US and UK have accused Russia of testing a weapon-like projectile in space that could be used to target satellites in orbit. The US State Department described the recent use of 'what would appear to be actual in-orbit anti-satellite weaponry' as concerning. Russia's defence ministry earlier said it was using new technology to perform checks on Russian space equipment.... [I]t is the first time the UK has made accusations about Russian test-firing in space. They come just days after an inquiry said the UK government 'badly underestimated' the threat posed by Russia.... This Russian test of what the Americans say is an anti-satellite weapon is part of a pattern of recent Russian space activity. In February, the US military said that two Russian satellites manoeuvred close to an American one, and in April Moscow test-fired a ground-based satellite interceptor." --s ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: And yet. And yet. Donnie still regularly phones up Vlad to exchange pleasantries.

Samantha Vinograd of CNN: "While US news feeds are dominated by unspeakable tragedies and trivial Trump pursuits, a series of events unfolding in Iran warrants close attention. Over the last few weeks, as the world has grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic, multiple explosions and fires have occurred at Iranian nuclear military and& industrial facilities.... Some analysts suspect the United States and its ally Israel, which have reportedly carried out cyberattacks against Iran before, may have played a role in these recent explosions.... Almost four years into his term, President Donald Trump has expressly failed to mitigate the threats from Iran. Instead, he's exacerbated them." --s

Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "A Christian nonprofit organization that fights world hunger asked Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) to resign from its board after he confronted a female colleague and then reportedly used a sexist expletive after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was out of earshot. Bread for the World announced Yoho's resignation in a statement on Saturday, saying that his 'recent actions and words as reported in the media are not reflective of the ethical standards expected of members of our Board of Directors.'" CNN's story is here. Mrs. McC: Funny how Congressional Republicans can criticize Liz Cheney (R-Female) for promoting mask-wearing but can't criticize Ted Yoho (R-MachoMan) for calling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Female) a "fucking bitch," then lying about it while profanely invoking God in a House floor speech.

Presidential Race

Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute ... has demanded that President Trump and the Republican National Committee (RNC) quit raising campaign money by using Ronald Reagan's name and likeness.... What came to the foundation's attention -- and compelled officials there to complain -- was a fundraising email that went out July 19 with 'Donald J. Trump' identified as the sender and a subject line that read: 'Ronald Reagan and Yours Truly.'The solicitation offered, for a donation of $45 or more, a 'limited edition' commemorative set featuring two gold-colored coins, one each with an image of Reagan and Trump. The coins were mounted with a 1987 photograph of Reagan and Trump shaking hands in a White House receiving line -- the type of fleeting contact that presidents have with thousands of people a year.... As of Saturday afternoon, it appeared that the coin sets were still available on the joint fundraising committee website." The Hill's story is here. ~~~

~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Tumulty also reprises this story, which I had not heard before: "This isn't the first time the 45th president has traded on the name or likeness of the 40th ... for his own purposes. In July 2019, he shared as 'Cute!' a fake quote by Reagan that was making its way around social media. According to the apocryphal story, Reagan upon meeting Trump supposedly said: 'For the life of me, and I'll never know how to explain it, when I met that young man, I felt like I was the one shaking hands with the president.' Trump continued to spread the made-up quote, even though Joanne Drake, the chief administrative officer of the Reagan Foundation, had already told the fact-checking website PolitiFact that Reagan 'did not ever say that about Donald Trump.'" I don't know why Trump cares; he has already declared himself a better president than Reagan.

Stephen Nellis of Reuters: "Microsoft Corp and the NBA said on Friday they have joined forces to put 'virtual' fans in the stands of each game using Microsoft's Teams app and giant screens. The two will equip each game court with 17-foot-tall (5.2 m) LED screens that wrap three sides of the arena. The virtual stands will be filled with fans who use the Teams app to log in and sit alongside each other using a new feature of the app called 'Together mode' meant to simulate a group of people sitting in a room." In yesterday's Comments, Bobby Lee suggested this could work for Trump. Say, it could work for Biden, too.

Kim Chandler of the AP: "Civil rights icon and longtime Georgia congressman John Lewis was remembered Saturday -- in the rural Alabama county where his story began -- as a humble man who sprang from his family's farm with a vision that 'good trouble' could change the world. The morning service in the city of Troy in rural Pike County was held at Troy University, where Lewis would often playfully remind the chancellor that he was denied admission in 1957 because he was Black, and where decades later he was awarded an honorary doctorate." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Rick Rojas of the New York Times: "The memorial service [in Troy, Alabama], which drew a crowd to the campus of Troy University, was the start of a series of tributes that mirrored Mr. Lewis's path through life. It began on Saturday with a final journey to his home state of Alabama, and on Sunday, his body will be carried across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., where he helped lead the demonstrators beaten down by the authorities as they marched on March 7, 1965. He will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday, he will be brought to the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. On Thursday, his funeral will be held in Ebenezer Baptist Church, a sanctuary in Atlanta with deep ties to the civil rights movement, as it had been the home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

Way Beyond the Beltway

Israel. Isabel Kershner of the New York Times: "For three nights this week thousands of young Israelis, provoked by what they see as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's flubbed response to the coronavirus scourge, shook off a long political slumber, blocked the streets outside his official residence and demanded that he quit.... Their anger signaled that his storied political survival skills are confronting a new risk.... While the fury reflects a multitude of grievances, they have converged around one man: a prime minister who is a defendant in a corruption trial is now blamed for a colossal failure in dealing with the health and economic crises caused by the virus pandemic, and is resorting to what critics call undemocratic measures to retain power."

Russia. Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: "... protests in Khabarovsk, a city 4,000 miles east of Moscow, drew tens of thousands of people for a three-mile march through central streets for the third straight week on Saturday. Residents were rallying in support of a popular governor arrested and spirited to Moscow this month -- but their remarkable outpouring of anger, which has little precedent in post-Soviet Russia, has emerged as stark testimony to the discontent that President Vladimir V. Putin faces across the country.... Protesters chanting 'Freedom!' and 'Putin resign!' while passing drivers honked, applauded and offered high-fives...."

News Ledes

Weather Channel: "Tropical Storm Hanna continued to lash South Texas and northeastern Mexico on Sunday with high winds and torrential downpours. Flash flood warnings were issued across the Rio Grande Valley as the storm continued to push inland. A flash flood emergency was declared in Mission, Texas, where as much as 10 inches of rain had fallen. Officials with the city of Mission asked people to stay away because motorists were becoming stranded in the flooding and that was taking time away from first responders. A flash flood emergency also was declared for frontage roads and city streets around U.S. Highway 83 in Hidalgo County. Chris Birchfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Brownsville, Texas, said even though Hanna's winds had weakened, the heavy rainfall was still a real threat."

AP: "Hawaii prepared for Hurricane Douglas on Sunday, with predictions of high winds, rain and storm surge. 'It's definitely going to be a triple threat,' said National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Vanessa Almanza, adding that rainfall could be anywhere from 5in-15in. Douglas weakened on Saturday to a category 1 hurricane as it approached Hawaii, but officials warned people should not be lulled into complacency. The NWS said Douglas should remain a hurricane as it moved through the islands on Sunday."

New York Times: "Olivia de Havilland, an actress who gained movie immortality in 'Gone With the Wind,' then built an illustrious film career, punctuated by a successful fight to loosen the studios' grip on contract actors, died on Sunday at her home in Paris. She was 104 and one of the last surviving stars of Hollywood's fabled Golden Age."

The Commentariat -- July 25, 2020

Late Morning Upate:

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Saturday are here.

Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "A longtime staffer for Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) died from the coronavirus on Friday, the congressman announced, becoming the first known congressional aide to die from the illness. Buchanan said in a statement that he was 'devastated' by the death of Gary Tibbetts, a field representative who had been a member of the congressman's staff since 2011."

Piper McDaniel of the Oregonian: "Thousands of Portlanders amassed late Friday downtown and witnessed another tense face-off with federal officers, who used tear gas and shot impact munitions toward protesters.... At least 4,000 people poured Friday night into the city's core. It was the largest crowd since early weeks of the protests that started 58 days ago.... By 10:30 p.m., a line of veterans stood in front of the federal courthouse, preparing for the looming confrontation. A row of women tied to the Wall of Moms group also staged near the courthouse." As unwashed points out in today's Comments, both sides were using leaf blowers! to throw the gas back on the other side. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Obviously, Trump has sent troops (or whoever they are) in with the purpose of making the situation worse, not better. He wants the news to lead with his dytopian shows of force against Americans. "There's nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe," Trump said this week. That's true; that's his main job. And he is wantonly doing the opposite.

Kim Chandler of the AP: "Civil rights icon and longtime Georgia congressman John Lewis was remembered Saturday -- in the rural Alabama county where his story began -- as a humble man who sprang from his family's farm with a vision that 'good trouble' could change the world. The morning service in the city of Troy in rural Pike County was held at Troy University, where Lewis would often playfully remind the chancellor that he was denied admission in 1957 because he was Black, and where decades later he was awarded an honorary doctorate."

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The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here: "The top U.S. public health agency issued a full-throated call to reopen schools in a package of new 'resources and tools' posted on its website Thursday night that opened with a statement that sounded more like a political speech than a scientific document, listing numerous benefits for children of being in school and downplaying the potential health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the new guidance two weeks after President Trump criticized its earlier recommendations on school reopenings as 'very tough and expensive,' ramping up what had already been an anguished national debate over the question of how soon children should return to classrooms. As the president was criticizing the initial C.D.C. recommendations, a document from the agency surfaced that detailed the risks of reopening and the steps that districts were taking to minimize those risks." Mrs. McC: This is a straight news report that rightly fingers the CDC for putting Trump before science. It's appalling. Here's hoping some CDC scientists will cry foul. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ ** Laura Meckler & Rachel Weiner of the Washington Post: "The leader of the nation's premier public health agency Friday amplified President Trump's call for schools to reopen, releasing new documents edited by the White House that gloss over risks and extol the benefits of in-person learning. Still, Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there should be exceptions for 'hot spots,' and he used a metric that would include parts of at least 33 states. The mixed messaging was another indication of how public health officials at the CDC have been squeezed between Trump's demand for a normal school year and an out-of-control virus.... On Friday, Redfield told reporters the new documents were cleared by the White House, and officials familiar with them, speaking on the condition of anonymity..., said at least one was substantially edited by White House officials. The opening statement was written at the Department of Health and Human Services, Redfield said." Emphases added. ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I wonder if Redfield is aware he has turned the CDC into a second- or third-rate public health agency, an agency that until recently was considered the best in the world. Those "suburban housewives" who don't want to send their children to school are better at public health policy than the CDC.

Erika Edwards of NBC News: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledged Friday that a significant number of COVID-19 patients do not recover quickly, and instead experience ongoing symptoms, such as fatigue and cough. As many as a third of patients who were never sick enough to be hospitalized are not back to their usual health up to three weeks after their diagnosis, the report found."

Bill Saporito of the New York Times: "... with the president trying to distance himself from responsibility for the coronavirus crisis, and Southern governors amplifying the damage with their flawed reopening strategies, the nation's retailers have become the first line of defense against the pandemic. From the headquarters of Walmart (which includes Sam's Club) and Starbucks came the directive that all customers must wear masks. The conservative Southeasterner and liberal Northwesterner were followed by other national retailers, including Kohl's, CVS, Walgreens, Publix and Target.... [A] vacuum of responsibility ... is compelling the businesses that are expert at selling coffee, underwear and groceries to manage the pandemic across their swath of the economy. That they are doing a better job than the Trump administration is beyond pathetic." (Also linked yesterday.)

Jeff Stein & Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "With days to go before enhanced jobless benefits expire, the White House and Senate Republicans are struggling to design a way to scale back the program without overwhelming state unemployment agencies and imperiling aid to more than 20 million Americans. The hang-up has led to an abrupt delay in the introduction of the GOP's $1 trillion stimulus package. The White House and Democrats have said they want a deal by the end of the month, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested Friday that reaching an agreement could take several weeks, a timeline that could leave many unemployed Americans severely exposed." Emphasis added. Mrs. McC: House Democrats passed a bill extending the coronavirus stimulus package in mid-May. So that's more than two months that Republicans have left Americans twisting, twisting slowly in the wind.

Texas. Paging Sarah Palin. Chacour Coop of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "The situation [in Starr County] was not always as dire in this rural South Texas county.... In April, its aggressive and successful approach to beating the coronavirus was spotlighted by NBC News.... But after Gov. Greg Abbott issued orders for the reopening of the state, overriding local control and decision-making, COVID-19 cases surged.... Now Starr County is at a dangerous 'tipping point,' reporting an alarming number of new cases each day, data show. Starr County Memorial Hospital -- the county's only hospital -- is overflowing with COVID-19 patients. The county has been forced to form what is being compared to a so-called 'death panel.'... A committee will deem which COVID-19 patients are likely to die and send them home with family[.]" --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request from a church in Nevada to block enforcement of state restrictions on attendance at religious services. The vote was 5 to 4, with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joining the court's four more liberal members to form a majority. The court's brief order was unsigned and gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. The court's four more conservative members filed three dissents...."

Severely Fake News Coming to a TV Station Near You. Oliver Darcy of CNN: "Local television stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group are set to air a conspiracy theory over the weekend that suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci ... was responsible for the creation of the coronavirus. The baseless conspiracy theory is set to air on stations across the country in a segment during the program 'America This Week' hosted by Eric Bolling. The show, which is posted online before it is broadcast over the weekend, is distributed to Sinclair Broadcast Group's network of local television stations, one of the largest in the country. A survey by Pew Research Group earlier this year showed that local news was a vital source of information on the coronavirus for many Americans, and more trusted than the media overall."

U.K. Peter Walker of the Guardian: "Boris Johnson has labelled people opposed to vaccinations 'nuts' as he urged the public to use an expanded flu jab programme to ease pressure on the NHS if there is a second wave of coronavirus this winter. Visiting a doctor's surgery in east London to promote the extension of free flu jabs to more people, Johnson told staff: 'There's all these anti-vaxxers now. They are nuts, they are nuts.' The prime minister's comments highlight the worries in government and among NHS leaders that a potential rise in Covid-19 infections in the coming months, coupled with a bad winter flu season, could overwhelm health services." (Also linked yesterday.)

Trump's Stormtroopers, Ctd.

Rebecca Ellis of Oregon Public Broadcasting: "U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon has temporarily curbed the use of force by federal officers deployed to Portland, restricting their interactions with legal observers and journalists observing nightly protests against police violence. On Thursday afternoon, Simon issued a temporary restraining order on officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service sent to Portland to guard federal buildings. The restrictions will last for two weeks. The judge is still considering a longer-lasting injunction against federal law enforcement. The order comes as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in Oregon, alleging law enforcement has been targeting and attacking journalists at the protests." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Zoe Tillman of BuzzFeed News: "A federal judge on Friday denied a request by the Oregon attorney general's office for an order that would require federal law enforcement officers in Portland to identify themselves when making arrests and place limits on the detention and arrests of protesters. US District Judge Michael Mosman found that state Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum lacked standing to bring a lawsuit on behalf of Oregon residents because her office hadn't articulated any specific state interest beyond the constitutional rights of individuals." That is, Mosman ruled that the issue was one of "standing" and he did not address the meat of the suit.

No, They're Not Merely Protecting Federal Property. Mike Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "The aggressive incursion of federal officers into Portland has been stretching the legal limits of federal law enforcement, as agents with batons and riot gear range deep into the streets of a city whose leadership has made it clear they are not welcome.... [In one instance,] they moved down Main Street and continued up the hill, where one of the agents announced over a loudspeaker: 'This is an unlawful assembly.' By the time the security forces halted their advance, the federal courthouse they had been sent to protect was out of sight -- two blocks behind them.... The arrival of the federal agents caused the protests to swell and focused the ire of protesters onto the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, across from a park shaded by mature trees. What began as a movement for racial justice became a broader campaign to dislodge the federal forces from the city.... More than 40 protesters have been arrested, and dozens now face federal criminal charges."

How to Get Around a Supreme Court Decision: Ignore It. Andrew Crespo in a Washington Post opinion piece: 'The deputy director of President Trump's new federal police force does not know what the word 'arrest' means." Richard Cline claimed at a news conference this week that grabbing an individual off the street & holding him in a van was not an "arrest" and therefore not subject to Fourth Amendment probable cause requirements. Cline is wrong. According to a 1979 Supreme Court decision, "such conduct is 'indistinguishable from a traditional arrest,' which need not be accompanied by bureaucratic processes like fingerprinting, booking or a formal arrest record to count as an arrest for purposes of the Fourth Amendment."

Siobhán O'Grady of the Washington Post: "The United Nations human rights office called on U.S. security forces to limit their use of force against peaceful protesters and journalists Friday, as clashes between federal agents and demonstrators continue in Portland, Ore.... In June, the U.N. Human Rights Council decried violent police tactics and called for an inquiry into systemic racism in the United States. The resolution came after an unusual debate on 'systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests' in the United States, requested by all 54 countries in Africa. It was adopted unanimously by the 47 countries that belong to the council.... The United States withdrew from the council in 2018." Mrs. McC: So in case you're one of those American "patriots" touting "American exceptionalism," the U.N. is here to remind you that you live in an exceptionally violent, racist nation. (Also linked yesterday.)

How to Get Around a Supreme Court Decision: Ignore It. Emily Davies of the Washington Post: "Trump administration officials said during a federal court hearing Friday that they have not 'granted nor rejected' any applications for a program designed to protect young undocumented immigrants from deportation, but rather have put them 'on hold' as the government discusses the future of the program. The virtual hearing in the U.S. District Court in Maryland was the first time the administration addressed reports that the Department of Homeland Security was not accepting applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program -- despite a recent Supreme Court ruling and a federal judge's order requiring the government to resume accepting applications." Mrs. McC: It appears the Trumpies are following John Yoo's advice.

Keith Bradsher & Steven Myers of the New York Times: "As the United States lashed out against the 'new tyranny' of China, Beijing on Friday ordered the closure of the American consulate in Chengdu, a retaliatory move that threatens to drive the two powers into an even deeper divide. Beijing blamed the Trump administration for the deterioration in relations, calling its own action justified after Washington told China this week to shutter its consulate in Houston and accused its diplomats of acting illegally. A Chinese official, in turn, denounced American diplomats in Chengdu, a southwestern city, for interfering in China's affairs." (Also linked yesterday.)

Joseph Rich of Bloomberg: "On July 22, 27 distinguished District of Columbia attorneys, including former bar presidents and a former senior lawyer in the D.C. Bar disciplinary office, filed a comprehensive D.C. Bar complaint detailing the pattern of Attorney General William Barr's ethical violations over the last 16 months. The meticulously researched, 37-page complaint details how Barr has continuously violated the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct prohibiting deceitful and dishonest conduct, interference with the administration of justice, conflicts of interest and a failure to support the Constitution.... Over the last several months, up to 2,500 former Department of Justice attorneys have strenuously objected on three occasions to Barr's unethical actions and political interference in the DOJ';s law enforcement decisions. Our democracy depends on a Department of Justice that acts as an independent arbiter of equal justice, not as an arm of the president's political apparatus." --s (Also linked yesterday.)

Jeremy Stahl of Slate: "On Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed retiring Republican Rep. Ted Yoho's nonapology for calling her a 'fucking bitch' earlier in the week. In 10 devastating minutes, Ocasio-Cortez shamed the Florida congressman as emblematic of a culture of misogyny and workplace harassment, tied the Republican Party to that abuse, and once again demonstrated that she is one of the most impactful voices in the House Democratic Caucus.... The speech linked her political opponents directly to crudely sexist language, attitudes, and culture, which has been turning a critical swing-voting bloc of college-educated white women away from the Republican Party in droves." (Also linked yesterday.)

Presidential Race

Annie Karni, et al., of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump ... attributed ... [his] abrupt cancellation of the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Fla..., to Florida's soaring rate of coronavirus cases.... But the timing ... was influenced by the imminent need for the Republican Party to book an enormous number of hotel rooms in Jacksonville and sign other costly service agreements.... There were other urgent factors involved in the decision, including the health of party officials and delegates coming from across the country, and Mr. Trump's sinking political standing, which was largely attributable to months of inattentiveness to the virus.... Jacksonville organizers were facing open resistance from local officials.... Faced with all that tumult, Mr. Trump chose instead to cancel the convention in an effort to cast himself as putting safety first. But many of Mr. Trump's top political advisers had already become convinced that the convention stood a better chance of generating embarrassing news stories -- like his recent, unsuccessful rally in Tulsa, Okla. -- than a bounce in the polls." ~~~

But I looked at my team, and I said, 'The timing for this event is not right. It's just not right with what&'s happened recently -- the flare up in Florida -- to have a big convention.... I have to protect the American people. That's what I've always done. That's what I always will do. That's what I'm about. They said, 'Sir, we can make this work very easily. We have great enthusiasm. Incredible enthusiasm. Even the polls say about the most enthusiasm they've seen. We can do this safely, and we can do it responsibly.' And I said, 'There's nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe.... So, I told my team, 'It's time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the GOP Convention.' -- Donald Trump, Thursday, claiming it was his idea to cancel the GOP convention (includes "sir" tell) ~~~

~~~ Michael Scherer, et al., of the Washington Post: "Advisers convinced Trump that canceling the convention could help him politically ... as he tries to pay closer attention to the coronavirus, show that he cares about the health of Americans and improve his sagging poll numbers.... The president publicly mocked former vice president Joe Biden on Twitter for planning a virtual convention 'where he doesn't have to show up.' He accused Democratic governors of denying him rally permits for political advantage and dismissed the warnings against mass gatherings."

"One of the Great Memories of All Time" Didn't Happen. I was going into a thing called the Robin Hood Foundation. I'll never forget it. It was just about the night I announced [I would run for president] or whatever. My wife looked at me, she said, 'You know, I hear people booing.'... You know, it's the first time in my life I was ever booed. -- Donald Trump, in an interview this week

This story could not possibly be true: Trump has not attended the Robin Hood Foundation gala since 2011. Also, the 2015 gala was held in May, a month before Trump announced his candidacy. Also, Trump had been booed in public on multiple occasions before 2015.... [Trump] has previously called [the incident] 'one of the great memories of all time.' --Daniel Dale of CNN

News Ledes

Weather Channel: "Hurricane Hanna's eye is now coming ashore in South Texas ahead of landfall later today, with the potential for dangerous rainfall flash flooding extending well inland into northeast Mexico. Sustained winds have increased to 85 mph according to the Hurricane Hunters. The hurricane's eyewall is moving inland south of Corpus Christi. Some areas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville will get a break in the wind and rain as Hanna's eye moves ashore. Conditions are deteriorating in much of South Texas, with increasing rainfall and wind gusts, as Hanna intensifies. A 79 mph gust has been reported in Laguna Madre, Texas."

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: "A hurricane warning has been issued for Oahu, while Hawaii County and Maui County remain under a hurricane watch.... As of 11 a.m., the storm was located about 325 miles east of Hilo and about 520 miles east-southeast of Honolulu with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. Douglas was moving toward the west-northwest near 18 mph and expected to continue in the same motion over the next couple of days with a slight decrease in forward speed today, forecasters said. Douglas is forecasted to be near the main Hawaiian islands late tonight and move over the other islands Sunday and Monday."

New York Times: "Regis Philbin, the talk- and game-shows host who regaled America over morning coffee with Kathie Lee Gifford and Kelly Ripa for decades, and who made television history in 1999 by introducing the runaway hit 'Who Wants to Be A Millionaire,' died on Friday night. He was 88.”"

The Commentariat -- July 24, 2020

Late Morning/Afternoon Update:

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Friday are here: "The top U.S. public health agency issued a full-throated call to reopen schools in a package of new 'resources and tools' posted on its website Thursday night that opened with a statement that sounded more like a political speech than a scientific document, listing numerous benefits for children of being in school and downplaying the potential health risks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published the new guidance two weeks after President Trump criticized its earlier recommendations on school reopenings as 'very tough and expensive,' ramping up what had already been an anguished national debate over the question of how soon children should return to classrooms. As the president was criticizing the initial C.D.C. recommendations, a document from the agency surfaced that detailed the risks of reopening and the steps that districts were taking to minimize those risks." Mrs. McC: This is a straight news report that rightly fingers the CDC for putting Trump before science. It's appalling. Here's hoping some CDC scientists will cry foul.

Bill Saporito of the New York Times: "... with the president trying to distance himself from responsibility for the coronavirus crisis, and Southern governors amplifying the damage with their flawed reopening strategies, the nation's retailers have become the first line of defense against the pandemic. From the headquarters of Walmart (which includes Sam's Club) and Starbucks came the directive that all customers must wear masks. The conservative Southeasterner and liberal Northwesterner were followed by other national retailers, including Kohl's, CVS, Walgreens, Publix and Target.... [A] vacuum of responsibility ... is compelling the businesses that are expert at selling coffee, underwear and groceries to manage the pandemic across their swath of the economy. That they are doing a better job than the Trump administration is beyond pathetic."

Paging Sarah Palin. Chacour Coop of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "The situation [in Starr County] was not always as dire in this rural South Texas county.... In April, its aggressive and successful approach to beating the coronavirus was spotlighted by NBC News.... But after Gov. Greg Abbott issued orders for the reopening of the state, overriding local control and decision-making, COVID-19 cases surged.... Now Starr County is at a dangerous 'tipping point,' reporting an alarming number of new cases each day, data show. Starr County Memorial Hospital -- the county's only hospital -- is overflowing with COVID-19 patients. The county has been forced to form what is being compared to a so-called 'death panel.'... A committee will deem which COVID-19 patients are likely to die and send them home with family[.]" --s

Peter Walker of the Guardian: "Boris Johnson has labelled people opposed to vaccinations 'nuts' as he urged the public to use an expanded flu jab programme to ease pressure on the NHS if there is a second wave of coronavirus this winter. Visiting a doctor's surgery in east London to promote the extension of free flu jabs to more people, Johnson told staff: 'There's all these anti-vaxxers now. They are nuts, they are nuts.' The prime minister's comments highlight the worries in government and among NHS leaders that a potential rise in Covid-19 infections in the coming months, coupled with a bad winter flu season, could overwhelm health services."

Rebecca Ellis of Oregon Public Broadcasting: "U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon has temporarily curbed the use of force by federal officers deployed to Portland, restricting their interactions with legal observers and journalists observing nightly protests against police violence. On Thursday afternoon, Simon issued a temporary restraining order on officers from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Marshals Service sent to Portland to guard federal buildings. The restrictions will last for two weeks. The judge is still considering a longer-lasting injunction against federal law enforcement. The order comes as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union in Oregon, alleging law enforcement has been targeting and attacking journalists at the protests."

Siobhán O'Grady of the Washington Post: "The United Nations human rights office called on U.S. security forces to limit their use of force against peaceful protesters and journalists Friday, as clashes between federal agents and demonstrators continue in Portland, Ore.... In June, the U.N. Human Rights Council decried violent police tactics and called for an inquiry into systemic racism in the United States. The resolution came after an unusual debate on 'systemic racism, police brutality and violence against peaceful protests' in the United States, requested by all 54 countries in Africa. It was adopted unanimously by the 47 countries that belong to the council.... The United States withdrew from the council in 2018." Mrs. McC: So in case you're one of those American "patriots" touting "American exceptionalism," the U.N. is here to remind you that you live in an exceptionally violent, racist nation.

Joseph Rich of Bloomberg: "On July 22, 27 distinguished District of Columbia attorneys, including former bar presidents and a former senior lawyer in the D.C. Bar disciplinary office, filed a comprehensive D.C. Bar complaint detailing the pattern of Attorney General William Barr's ethical violations over the last 16 months. The meticulously researched, 37-page complaint details how Barr has continuously violated the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct prohibiting deceitful and dishonest conduct, interference with the administration of justice, conflicts of interest and a failure to support the Constitution.... Over the last several months, up to 2,500 former Department of Justice attorneys have strenuously objected on three occasions to Barr's unethical actions and political interference in the DOJ's law enforcement decisions. Our democracy depends on a Department of Justice that acts as an independent arbiter of equal justice, not as an arm of the president's political apparatus." --s

Keith Bradsher & Steven Myers of the New York Times: "As the United States lashed out against the 'new tyranny' of China, Beijing on Friday ordered the closure of the American consulate in Chengdu, a retaliatory move that threatens to drive the two powers into an even deeper divide. Beijing blamed the Trump administration for the deterioration in relations, calling its own action justified after Washington told China this week to shutter its consulate in Houston and accused its diplomats of acting illegally. A Chinese official, in turn, denounced American diplomats in Chengdu, a southwestern city, for interfering in China's affairs."

Jeremy Stahl of Slate: "On Thursday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed retiring Republican Rep. Ted Yoho's nonapology for calling her a 'fucking bitch' earlier in the week. In 10 devastating minutes, Ocasio-Cortez shamed the Florida congressman as emblematic of a culture of misogyny and workplace harassment, tied the Republican Party to that abuse, and once again demonstrated that she is one of the most impactful voices in the House Democratic Caucus.... The speech linked her political opponents directly to crudely sexist language, attitudes, and culture, which has been turning a critical swing-voting bloc of college-educated white women away from the Republican Party in droves."

~~~~~~~~~~

The Trumpidemic, Ctd.

Maggie Fox & Nick Valencia of CNN: "New US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on education and child care come down hard in favor of opening schools, saying children don't suffer much from coronavirus, are less likely than adults to spread it and suffer from being out of school. But the new guidelines posted Thursday do recommend that local officials should consider closing schools, or keeping them closed, if there is substantial, uncontrolled transmission of the virus. The CDC has been promising new guidelines for more than a week, after demands from ... Donald Trump that the agency alter its recommendations for opening schools.... The guidelines recommend against screening all students for coronavirus." Mrs. McC: Okay, then. Trump gets Redfield to put Trump over children & families.

The New York Times' live updates of coronavirus developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here: "The United States has reached a grim milestone of 4 million coronavirus cases, doubling the total number of infections in just six weeks as deaths and hospitalizations continue a sharp rise in many states. Despite the rosy picture painted by President Trump at his latest White House briefing, almost every metric shows America losing its fight against the virus. Positivity rates are at alarming levels in numerous states, hospitalizations are soaring, and for the third straight day on Thursday, more than 1,000 new coronavirus deaths were reported, according to Washington Post tracking. The rolling seven-day average of infections has doubled in less than a month, reaching more than 66,000 new cases per day Wednesday. The U.S. death toll now exceeds 141,000." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Erica Werner, et al., of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans killed President Trump’s payroll tax cut proposal on Thursday but failed to reach agreement with the White House on a broader coronavirus relief bill. This set off a frantic scramble with competing paths forward, as administration officials floated a piecemeal approach but encountered pushback from both parties, and the entire effort appeared to teeter chaotically on the brink of failure.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had planned to roll out a $1 trillion GOP bill Thursday morning but that was canceled in a head-spinning series of events. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows emerged from a meeting with McConnell to insist there was 'fundamental agreement' on the overall deal -- but simultaneously suggested breaking up the effort into smaller pieces of legislation and trying to move forward on an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits that are about to expire. Meanwhile, it appeared that many parts of the GOP package remained unresolved, and Republicans hadn't even begun negotiating with Democrats yet." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Déjà vu All Over Again. Katherine Wu of the New York Times: "As the number of known coronavirus cases in the United States fast approaches 4 million..., new shortages of pipette tips and other lab supplies are once again stymieing efforts to track and curb the spread of disease. Some people are waiting days or even weeks for results, and labs are vying for crucial materials.... 'It's like Groundhog Day,' said Scott Shone, director of the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

A Fan, Not a Pitcher:

~~~ Howard Fendrich of the AP: "The Nationals and Yankees knelt in unison before the first game of the baseball season as part of an opening day ceremony Thursday night that featured references to the Black Lives Matter movement, the coronavirus pandemic -- including an off-the-mark first pitch by Dr. Anthony Fauci -- and the home team's 2019 championship. Players from both clubs wore T-shirts saying Black Lives Matter during batting practice, and the letters 'BLM' were stenciled into the back of the mound at the center of the diamond. In a poignant reference to the racial reckoning happening in the U.S., players and other members of both teams held a long black ribbon while standing spaced out along the two foul lines. After they placed the ribbon on the ground, everyone then got on their knees. They all then rose for a taped performance of the national anthem. That followed a series of videos: about Black Lives Matter, showing major league players such as New York's Aaron Judge and Washington's Howie Kendrick; about the Nationals' postseason run; about the COVID-19 outbreak."

AP: "Virginia's largest school system is removing the name of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from one of its high schools in favor of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis. The Fairfax County School Board approved the change during a meeting Thursday. A news release posted on the school district's website says the new name will be effective for the 2020-21 school year. The board had already voted unanimously last month to remove Lee's name. It adopted John R. Lewis as the new name Thursday one day after numerous people spoke in favor of the change at a public hearing."

The Trumpocalypse, Ctd.

Kevin Liptak & Caroline Kelly of CNN: "... Donald Trump said Thursday that he's willing to send as many as 75,000 federal agents into American cities to quell violent crime, a recent campaign theme for the President. Speaking in a telephone interview on Fox News, Trump began by saying he was ready to dispatch '50,000, 60,000 people' into American cities. But eventually he upped the figure to 75,000 -- but said it would require local authorities asking for help. 'We have to be invited in. At some point we'll have to do something much stronger than being invited in,' Trump said.... According to a 2019 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were approximately 100,000 federal law enforcement officers in the entire United States in 2016, the last year for which data was available.... Earlier on Thursday, Trump took to Twitter to address the 'The Suburban Housewives of America,' warning that 'Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better!'" See related story, linked below, on Trump's "saving suburbia" for white people.

We Shall Fight in the Streets..., We Shall Never Surrender." Asawin Suebsaeng & Erin Banco of the Daily Beast: "In the week leading up to his announcement of a 'surge' of hundreds of FBI, Justice Department, and Homeland Security personnel to Chicago, Donald Trump wanted a bigger, more public, more violent fight on the streets of the Windy City. According to three people familiar with the president's private remarks, Trump previously envisioned an ostentatious, camera-ready show of force. He wanted to go after what he saw as violent gang leaders, flush them out of hiding in ways that would have them 'shaking in their boots' like they never had before, and have alleged perpetrators marched out in front of the news cameras.... Trump insisted that with the right leader, and the right muscle, crime there could be reduced 'very quickly.'... '... if it were up to him, we would return to the old days where it was eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth -- or we would forget about proportionality altogether. He would talk about lining up drug dealers and gang members in front of a firing squad...[, said a former administration official]." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump seems to think he is the commanding general of a "beautiful war," and the enemies are the American people led by Democrats of color.

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, et al., of the New York Times: "The Trump administration, which has pledged to use the full force of the government to protect federal property, expanded that effort on Thursday by sending a team of tactical border officers to stand by for duty in Seattle. The Special Response Team being deployed is similar to the tactical teams currently operating in Portland, Ore., where local officials have vehemently objected to their efforts to subdue street protests. Seattle officials have also said they do not want federal agents sent to target protesters.... 'The C.B.P. team will be on standby in the area, should they be required,' the Federal Protective Service said in a statement about the Seattle effort."

Matt Zapotosky & Annie Gowen of the Washington Post: "Federal agents began descending in earnest on Kansas City, Mo., this week as part of an operation that will have them working with local detectives to interview suspects and witnesses and sift through evidence in an effort to quell violent crime, U.S. officials said. The operation, in any other administration, might have been largely seen as inoffensive for a city that has experienced a massive spike in homicides from the prior year. But the timing -- just after federal officers in military garb violently cracked down on racial justice demonstrators in Portland, Ore., and President Trump threatened to dispatch U.S. law enforcement to other cities -- could hardly be worse. In no small part because of Trump's politically charged rhetoric, local activists and officials have come to view with suspicion the more than 200 [federal] agents sent to Missouri...."

Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Two federal inspectors general announced Thursday they will investigate how Justice Department and Homeland Security agents used force, detained people and conducted themselves at high-profile clashes with protesters in Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will investigate how U.S. marshals have used force in Portland, and how other parts of the Justice Department -- such as the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- were used to quell unrest in the nation's capital. The Department of Homeland Security inspector general, Joseph Cuffari, said in a letter to lawmakers that he opened an investigation into allegations that Customs and Border Protection agents 'improperly detained and transported protesters' in Portland, and that he would review the deployment there of DHS personnel in recent weeks." The AP's story is here.

Saving Suburbia for Healthy White People -- Trump Goes Back to His Roots. Brett Samuels of the Hill: "The Trump administration on Thursday repealed an Obama administration rule meant to combat housing discrimination that President Trump has cited as he portrays presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden as a threat to suburban voters.... Under the new rule, local officials have significantly more jurisdiction in determining what qualifies as fair housing and how to promote its accessibility.... The Obama rule previously required localities to draw up plans to address housing discrimination in order to receive certain federal funding. The Trump administration gutted it more than two years ago, making it largely toothless.... The action follows weeks of rhetoric from Trump warning about threats to the suburbs as he courts those voters ahead of November's election. He specifically cited the Obama-era housing rule, arguing that it took zoning decisions out of the hands of local officials." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Donald Trump got his start in the real estate business working for his father and turning away applicants for rental units whose only "disqualifying" characteristic was the color of their skin. Fittingly, he is ending his "professional" career (or so I hope) on that very note. ~~~

~~~ Toluse Olorunnipa & Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "President Trump moved Thursday to repeal a fair housing rule that he claimed would lead to 'destruction' of the country's suburbs, continuing an aggressive push that coincides with his campaign's attempt to paint Democrats as angry mobs on the brink of upturning peaceful, mostly white neighborhoods.... 'The Suburban Housewives of America must read this article,' Trump wrote Thursday on Twitter, linking to a New York Post op-ed by former New York lieutenant governor Betsy McCaughey that argued that Biden would ruin the country's bedroom communities. 'Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better!' Trump said in his tweet.... Julián Castro, Obama's second HUD secretary, who oversaw the finalization of the fair housing regulation, said Trump was barely concealing his racial animus with 'code words,' stereotypes and old tropes." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump seems to think "suburban housewives" are home baking cookies and worrying that the chocolate chips in the cookies foretell a black family embedding itself in their neighborhood.

Trump & the Bounty Hunter. Morgan Chalfant of the Hill: "President Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Thursday, discussing the novel coronavirus, arms control negotiations and other matters. The call marked Trump's first phone conversation with Putin since last month, and comes days after the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada accused Moscow of attempting to hack coronavirus vaccine research. The phone call is also Trump's first with Putin since the explosive New York Times report about a U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia offered bounties to Taliban insurgents for launching attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The White House, which has disputed elements of the Times's account, made no mention of either issue coming up during the call." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

No, I never spoke to Woody Johnson about that, about Turnberry. Turnberry is a highly respected course, as you know, one of the best in the world. And I read a story about it today and I had never, I never spoke to Woody Johnson about doing that. No. -- Donald Trump, claiming Wednesday he had not asked the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. to steer the British Open toward Trump's Scottish golf course

~~~ Steve Benen of MSNBC on Turnberrygate: "First, there's ample reason to believe Trump's denial is a lie [because several people, including Ambassador Johnson, have effectively confirmed the ask]. After all, there's no reason for Johnson, the president's financial supporter and handpicked ambassador, to make this up. Second, even the denial reeks of corruption. In response to a question about misusing his office to help his business, the president used the White House podium to praise and promote his business.... NBC News added yesterday than a [State Department] IG report 'was completed and marked classified as of May; an unclassified version has yet to be released.'... It also puts a new light on Trump's decision in May to fire the State Department's inspector general -- late on a Friday night...." Mrs. McC: Everything Trump says or does has a corrupt purpose. That's almost impressive.

Dan Mangan of CNBC: "A federal judge on Thursday ordered the release from prison of ... Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen by Friday afternoon. Judge Alvin Hellerstein found that Cohen was sent back to prison on July 10 in retaliation for failing to agree a day earlier to not to publish a book about Trump as one of multiple conditions for serving the remainder of his three-year prison term on home confinement.... 'I've never seen such a clause, in 21 years in being a judge, Hellerstein said at a Manhattan federal court hearing, where he questioned the condition that Cohen not publish a book while in home confinement. 'How can I take any other inference but that it was retaliatory?' the judge asked." See related story linked below. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~

~~~ Benjamin Weiser & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: "Judge Hellerstein's decision was a remarkable rebuke of prison and probation officials and, by extension, the Trump administration. It raised concerns that the authorities had used the penal system to squelch the free speech rights of one of Mr. Trump's enemies in an effort to protect the president."

Peter Baker of the New York Times: "The House Judiciary Committee staff initially drew up 10 articles of impeachment against President Trump last year, alleging a wide range of high crimes and misdemeanors before the case was whittled down to his interactions with Ukraine, according to a book to be published next week. The staff members, working for Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the committee chairman, drafted a sweeping indictment of Mr. Trump charging him with, among other things, obstructing the Russia investigation, authorizing hush money for women to cover up sexual affairs, illegally diverting money to his border wall and profiting personally from his office.... new book by Norman L. Eisen, a former White House official and ambassador who served as a lawyer for Mr. Nadler, is the first inside account to emerge from only the third impeachment of a president in American history.... Mr. Eisen offers tantalizing details from the committee's own investigation of the president that did not make it into the final impeachment articles...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Ed Shanahan & Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: "Homeland Security officials made false statements in a bid to justify expelling New York residents from programs that let United States travelers speed through borders and airport lines, federal lawyers admitted on Thursday. The unusual admission, contained in a court filing, said the inaccuracies 'undermine a central argument' in the Trump administration's case for barring New Yorkers from the programs after the state passed a law enabling undocumented immigrants to get driver's licenses.... Against that backdrop, the filing said, 'The acting secretary of homeland security has decided to restore New York residents' access to' what is officially known as the Trusted Traveler Program 'effective immediately.' The filing on Thursday came in response to lawsuits filed by New York State and the New York Civil Liberties Union over the decision to kick New Yorkers out of the programs." Mrs. McC: Hmm, at least some of these false statements must have been made under oath. Seems as if perjury charges would be in order.

Seeing Themselves As Others See Them -- Not a Pretty Picture. Caitlin Dickerson of the New York Times: "In early 2017, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement prepared to carry out the hard-line agenda on which President Trump had campaigned, agency leaders jumped at the chance to let two filmmakers give a behind-the-scenes look at the process. But as the documentary neared completion in recent months, the administration fought mightily to keep it from being released until after the 2020 election. After granting rare access to parts of the country's powerful immigration enforcement machinery that are usually invisible to the public, administration officials threatened legal action and sought to block parts of it from seeing the light of day.... The filmmakers said they were told that the administration's anger over the project came from 'all the way to the top.'... Some of the contentious scenes include ICE officers lying to immigrants to gain access to their homes and mocking them after taking them into custody. One shows an officer illegally picking the lock to an apartment building during a raid."

Sylvan Lane & Jordain Carney of the Hill: "Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Thursday he will vote against President Trump's controversial nomination of Judy Shelton to the Federal Reserve Board, impeding her path to confirmation.... Romney is the first Republican senator to announce his opposition to Shelton, who will also likely be opposed by all 47 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, so the opposition of three more Republicans would effectively doom her nomination. Romney, like several GOP senators, had previously expressed concerns about Shelton's past support for linking the value of the dollar to gold, along with her inconsistent stances on the Fed interest rates." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Daniel Lippmann & Nahal Toosi of Politico have a long piece in the Magazine on what a buttinski Mike Pompeo's wife Susan is now & always has been. Pompeo responded to the reporters' questions for the article by writing, in part, "Politico's continued efforts to smear her are both sad and wrong. Instead of being slandered, she should be applauded and thanked." (Also linked yesterday.)

** Allan Smith of NBC News: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., excoriated Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., on the House floor Thursday, a day after he denied having called her a 'f[uck]ing b[itch],' 'crazy' and 'disgusting' on the steps of the Capitol this week. 'I walked back out and there were reporters in the front of the Capitol, and in front of reporters Rep. Yoho called me, and I quote, a f[uck]ing b[itch] -- f[uck]ing b[itch],' she said of their encounter Monday. 'These are the words Rep. Yoho levied against a congresswoman.'... She said she was rising to speak after Yoho's speech from the House floor Wednesday, when he said that he apologized for the 'abrupt manner' of his discussion with Ocasio-Cortez but that he did not say the 'offensive name-calling words attributed' to him.... '... Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of my language,' Yoho said, adding later that he cannot apologize for 'my passion or for loving my God, my family and my country.'... [Ocasio-Cortez] said [Thursday], 'I am two years younger than Mr. Yoho's youngest daughter. I am someone's daughter, too.'" ~~~

~~~ A Remarkable Speech. If you can't listen now, save it for later:

     ~~~ Monica Hesse of the Washington Post: "If you click on only one thing today, let it be Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Thursday morning speech, delivered from the House floor and directed to a fellow member of Congress, but really to us all." ~~~

~~~ The Gray Lady Goes There. Luke Broadwater & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "On Thursday, [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)] had her most norm-shattering moment yet when she took to the House floor to read into the Congressional Record a sexist vulgarity that Representative Ted Yoho, a Florida Republican, had used to refer to her. 'In front of reporters, Representative Yoho called me, and I quote: "A fucking bitch,"' she said, punching each syllable in the vulgarity. 'These are the words Representative Yoho levied against a congresswoman.' Then Ms. Ocasio-Cortez ... invited a group of Democratic women in the House to come forward to express solidarity with her. One by one, they shared their own stories of harassment and mistreatment by men, including in Congress. More even than the profanity uttered on the House floor, where language is carefully regulated, what unfolded over the next hour was a remarkable moment of cultural upheaval on Capitol Hill." ~~~

~~~ Yoho Can't Stop Lying. Alan Fram of the AP: "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's outrage over a Republican lawmaker's verbal assault broadened into an extraordinary moment on the House floor Thursday as she and other Democrats assailed a sexist culture of 'accepting violence and violent language against women' whose adherents include ... Donald Trump.... [Ted] Yoho, one of Congress' most conservative lawmakers, said Ocasio-Cortez doesn't have the 'right to inflate, talk about my family, or give an account that did not happen for political gain. The fact still remains, I am not going to apologize for something I didn't say.'" Mrs. McC: Mike Lillis of the Hill, who first reported Yoho's remarks to and about AOC, said her floor remarks about the confrontation were "1,000 percent accurate."

Presidential Election

"A Socially Distanced Conversation": ~~~

It's really something that for me, I have to protect the American people. That's what I've always done. That's what I always will do. That's what I'm about. -- Donald Trump, American martyr, announcing he was cancelling the GOP's Jacksonville, Florida, convention for the good of the American people ~~~

~~~ ** Colby Itkowitz & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "President Trump made a surprise announcement Thursday that he has canceled the Republican national convention scheduled for next month in Jacksonville, Fla., saying he wanted to keep his supporters safe from the coronavirus pandemic and protesters. Trump, who delivered the news at the beginning of a coronavirus news briefing, said he was presented with plans for the nominating convention in the afternoon, but told his staff it wasn't the right time to hold the event.... Trump said the formal nominating process scheduled to take place in Charlotte will proceed, but the large convention with all its pomp and circumstance planned for Jacksonville is canceled.... Trump said thousands of people 'desperately' wanted to attend and were already making travel arrangements. 'The pageantry, the signs, the excitement were really, really top of the line,' he said." A CNN story is here. Thanks to Bobby Lee for the heads-up. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)

Backfire. The Trump campaign wanted everyone raising eyebrows at the things Biden was saying. Trump, though, got every person -- every woman and man -- talking about himself, thanks to looking into that camera and appearing on TV. I get extra points for using the words in order. -- Philip Bump of the Washington Post on Trump's boast that he had the amazing ability to remember a sequence of words like "person, woman, man, camera, TV." Related story linked yesterday

Alex Isenstadt of Politico reports that Trump campaign staffers are dishing on Kimberly Guilfoyle, who heads a campaign fundraising unit. Mrs. McC: But the most shocking part of the story to me was the lede: "News that Kimberly Guilfoyle contracted the coronavirus had barely surfaced on July 3 before she hopped on a private flight from Mount Rushmore back to New York with her boyfriend, Donald Trump, Jr." Quite a few stories reported that "the couple plans to drive back from South Dakota to the East Coast." I was picturing that road trip: the arguments, the recriminations, the pitstops at dirty gas station bathrooms. Now it turns out I was imagining an imaginary road trip.

Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "Troy Young, the global president of Hearst Magazines, resigned Thursday evening, a day after a New York Times report detailed inappropriately sexual comments he allegedly made to employees at titles such as Cosmopolitan and a 'toxic culture' at the company. Earlier in the day, Young had apologized in a memo to staffers while also disputing the story, which he said 'misrepresented the culture we have built.' He had pushed back even more vehemently in the Times report, responding in a statement that 'specific allegations raised by my detractors are either untrue, greatly exaggerated or taken out of context.' But by Thursday evening, the corporate calculation seemed to have changed. Young's resignation was announced by Hearst president and chief executive Steven R. Swartz in a terse email to staffers." ~~~

     ~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Oh, for instance, people became uncomfortable when Young told a young female staffer "she should have inserted her fingers into herself and asked her date if he liked her smell." (From the NYT story.)