President Trump on Tuesday morning found another reason to slam Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden amid speculation that Biden will announce his vice presidential pick midweek. Continue reading “Trump Suggests Some Men Would Be ‘Insulted’ Over Biden Choosing Woman For VP Slot”
More On Schools
Since it’s what I know most about and it’s the largest school district in the country, I’ve been focusing a lot on the school reopening issue in New York City. I want to encourage you to let me know what is happening in your communities whether you’re a parent, a teacher or just a concerned observer. I found this letter from a New York City school principal very enlightening. This person corrects some misunderstandings I had about the level of flexibility the city Department of Education is giving individual schools. They also make an interesting and compelling point about why many educators are eager to have at least some in-person instruction at the beginning of the year.
Here’s TPM Reader ANON … (and remember, let me know what is happening in your community.)
At last, a topic I can claim some expertise on, since I’m the principal of an NYC public school (you can google it and me, but I’d rather remain anonymous, since the DoE is know for retaliating against publicly critical statements, and a few are coming).
DNC Announces Speakers For Largely Virtual Convention
The Democratic National Convention next week features speeches from the Obamas, the Clintons and Biden’s most formidable competitor for the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT). Biden’s much-anticipated running mate, who has not yet been named, is also scheduled to address the convention on Wednesday.
The schedule, provided by Democratic officials involved in the planning, includes speeches from several of the women who had made a list of potential running mates for the former Vice President, including the reportedly short-listed Sens. Kamala Harris (CA) and Elizabeth Warren (MA), as well as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (MI). Other contenders for the position slated to speak at next week’s convention include Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms. Former Obama national security adviser, Susan Rice, is not mentioned in the list of speakers.
In an effort to unite the Democratic establishment with a delegation of political progressives, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York lawmaker who has become a firebrand progressive voice especially among young voters, is also scheduled to deliver remarks.
Sanders, whose primary role is likely to shore up support among more liberal skeptics, is expected to speak on Monday night just before Michelle Obama.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a prominent critic of President Donald Trump’s bungled response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 160,000 people, will also speak on Monday.
Former President Bill Clinton will speak on Tuesday, after Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general who briefly oversaw the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is expected to speak on Wednesday, the same evening that Biden’s VP pick is slotted to speak.
Russia Approves Coronavirus Vaccine Despite Intense International Skepticism
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Tuesday became the first country to clear a coronavirus vaccine and declare it ready for use, despite international skepticism. President Vladimir Putin said that one of his daughters has already been inoculated.
Putin emphasized that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proven efficient, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus. However, scientists at home and abroad have been sounding the alarm that the rush to start using the vaccine before Phase 3 trials — which normally last for months and involve thousands of people — could backfire.
Continue reading “Russia Approves Coronavirus Vaccine Despite Intense International Skepticism”
Biden Expected To Announce VP Pick Midweek
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is planning an announcement of his vice presidential pick midweek, people briefed on the selection process said on Monday.
The New York Times reported that people briefed on the selection process had confirmed that a four-member committee responsible for helping Biden screen his potential running mates has completed its work and disbanded.
Biden allies told the Times that in the quickly dwindling days ahead of the Democratic National Convention, there is little left aside from Biden making up his mind.
Biden could announce his decision as soon as Tuesday, though according to the Times more Democrats expect the decision to be made public on Wednesday.
The former vice president, previously said that he would announce his decision by the first week of August and that deadline was later pushed back after reports that Biden allies had urged the candidate to make an announcement after August 10, within just one week of the party’s convention.
Biden has spoken with the vice-presidential candidates through a combination of in-person sessions and remote meetings over the last few weeks. Over the weekend, the AP reported that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) had flown to Baltimore on August 2 in the first known example of an in-person screening session for the job.
Along with Whitmer, some of the strongest competitors for the slot have been Senators Kamala Harris (CA) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) as well as Susan Rice, former national security adviser to President Barack Obama. Biden and his team have also closely considered Senator Tammy Duckworth (IL) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM) and Representatives Karen Bass (CA) and Val Demings (FL).
All of them were interviewed by Mr. Biden’s search team, a panel of advisers and party luminaries informally led by former Senator Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut.
Trump Claims He Wouldn’t Have Called For Obama To Resign In His Shoes Amid Staggering COVID Death Toll
President Donald Trump on Monday claimed he wouldn’t have called for former President Barack Obama’s resignation if his predecessor had been in his shoes during the current coronavirus pandemic and more than 160,000 people in the country had died.
Speaking to reporters at a White House briefing Monday, Trump defended a staggering COVID-19 death toll and his own mismanagement of the virus by saying that he wouldn’t have blamed Obama if the Democratic leader had been leading the country through a pandemic that netted similarly dismal results.
“No, I wouldn’t have done that,” Trump said when a reporter asked if he would have called for Obama’s resignation. “I think it’s been amazing what we’ve been able to do.”
Trump’s comments on Monday reflect a leader scrambling to save face amid his own bungled response to the pandemic.
“If we didn’t close up our country, we would’ve had one-and-a-half or two million people already dead,” Trump said, defending a death toll that outpaces all other countries in the world.
But President Trump repeatedly called for Obama’s resignation in campaigns ahead of the 2016 elections and within a year of announcing his own presidential bid.
Looking back on his social media record, Vox reported back in February that President Trump had posted roughly 100 panicked tweets about the Ebola virus in 2014, often attacking then-President Obama for his handling of the outbreak.
If this doctor, who so recklessly flew into New York from West Africa,has Ebola,then Obama should apologize to the American people & resign!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2014
Trump demanded that Obama “apologize to the American people & resign” over a doctor’s flight during the Ebola outbreak, even though the virus did not ultimately spread in the United States. Two out of 11 people who were infected, died in the United States during a 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, according to the CDC.
Hitting a new milestone on Sunday the United States reported five million coronavirus cases – and exceeded more than 1,000 deaths per day for a five day stretch last week.
Trump Briefly Ushered Out Of Presser By Secret Service After Shots Fired Near WH
President Donald Trump on Monday was quickly ushered out of a press briefing by a Secret Service agent. He returned a few minutes later and said there had been a shooting outside the White House.
Continue reading “Trump Briefly Ushered Out Of Presser By Secret Service After Shots Fired Near WH”
More Than 200,000
It’s been months – ghastly months – since we made excess mortality data a central aspect of our coverage of the COVID Crisis. To review, this is epidemiologists’ and population statisticians’ way of looking at the total number of fatalities for all causes across society and comparing it to baseline trends in recent years. Josh Kovensky is back with a new report based on CDC-collected data which shows that the US has seen more than 200,000 fatalities normal so far this year.
Johnson Releases 11-Page Text Outlining What He Wants From Biden Probe
The November elections are only 11 weeks away.
And, it seems, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has taken note, laying out in a memo new justifications for his probe into Vice President Joe Biden amid criticisms — including from the U.S. intelligence community — that it serves as a vehicle for Russian propaganda. Johnson’s memo also lays out where he believes his effort is going.
Sasse Posts Interoffice-Like Memo To Defend His Criticism Of Trump’s Executive Actions
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) on Monday afternoon issued an interoffice memo-like response to President Trump accusing him of having “gone rogue, again” earlier in the day. Continue reading “Sasse Posts Interoffice-Like Memo To Defend His Criticism Of Trump’s Executive Actions”