Vulnerable GOP senators prep for COVID-response blowback

BY JACK CROWE

July 20, 2020

AS WE NEAR SUMMER'S HALFWAY POINT, vulnerable Senate Republicans seem to be awakening to the possibility that blowback for what the public deems an insufficient response to COVID may land squarely on their shoulders.

Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill Monday with just three weeks to pass what will likely be at least a trillion-dollar relief package. Republicans are reportedly hung up on ensuring businesses are shielded from liability related to COVID transmission, while Democrats have emphasized the importance of extending a $600 additional unemployment benefit that will otherwise expire at the end of the month. Meanwhile, President Trump, who will be represented in negotiations by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, seems intent on passing a payroll tax cut.

This impending relief bill is almost certainly the last major piece of legislation to come to the floor before election day and, as such, it represents the last opportunity for Senate Republicans to distance themselves from a White House that is perceived to be flailing and a president who continues to slide in the polls. Over the weekend, some prominent Republican senators began to do just that.

Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska mocked White House officials for the petty infighting that's been on display in recent days between Dr. Fauci and top trade adviser Peter Navarro.

"I want more briefings but, more importantly, I want the whole White House to start acting like a team on a mission to tackle a real problem," Sasse told the New York Times. "Navarro's Larry, Moe and Curly junior-high slap fight this week is yet another way to undermine public confidence that these guys grasp that tens of thousands of Americans have died and tens of millions are out of work."

Republican Senator Roy Blunt of Missouri struck a similar note: "The more they turn the briefings over to the professionals, the better," he said.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell remains reluctant to directly challenge the president but his description of the scale of the threat posed by COVID highlights the distance between himself and the White House.

"The straight talk here that everyone needs to understand is: This is not going away until we get a vaccine," Mr. McConnell said on Wednesday, striking a markedly different tone than that of the president who said Sunday that the virus would eventually "disappear."

McConnell then went on to praise Fauci, saying he has "total confidence" in the man who the president just called a "alarmist."

Trump Claims 'It's Going To Be Under Control' as Coronavirus Cases Continue to Surge

Coronavirus cases continued to rise throughout the country as President Trump attempted to reassure Americans that the outbreak would soon be brought under control.

Florida reported over 12,000 new cases on Sunday, the fifth straight day in which the state saw over 10,000 daily new cases. Various areas of California including Los Angeles and San Francisco have reimposed business closures after a partial reopening, and new cases throughout the state have risen to almost 10,000 per day.

Meanwhile, Texas reported 7,300 new cases on Sunday, the first day in almost a week below 10,000.

"We have embers and we do have flames," Trump said of the ongoing outbreaks in an interview on Fox News. "Florida became more flame-like, but it's ─ it's going to be under control."

Trump added, "Many of those cases are young people that would heal in a day. They have the sniffles and we put it down as a test."

Federal Judge's Son Killed, Husband Shot by Gunman Disguised as Delivery Driver

The son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas was killed and her husband critically injured by a gunman who attacked them at their home Sunday night, according to multiple reports.

The judge herself was not injured but her son Daniel Anderl, 20, died after he was shot and her husband Mark Anderl, 63, is in critical but stable condition.

A shooter disguised as a Federal Express delivery driver appeared at Salas's home in North Brunswick around 5 p.m. on Sunday, and her son answered the door.

"He was shot through the heart," said North Brunswick Mayor Francis "Mac" Womack.

As of Sunday night, the shooter, who fled, was still at large, law enforcement said. The Newark FBI also said it is investigating and "looking for one subject."

Salas's son was a freshman at Catholic University and had reportedly planned on attending law school.

Salas has presided over a number of prominent cases, including sentencing an accused gang leader to decades in prison, and had received threats. She also recently dealt with a case involving Deutsche Bank investors who sued over the bank's failure to "properly monitor" customers who were "high-risk," including the late financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. (WaPo)

China Uses Forced Uighur Labor in Global Medical Supply Chain

China is using Uighur labor as part of the global supply chain for personal protective equipment in an effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

The workers are assigned as part of a Chinese program to turn Muslim minorities in Xinjiang Province, mostly Uighurs and Kazakhs, into factory workers and indoctrinate them to become more obedient and loyal to the state. The program is considered by observers to employ forced labor, in an attempt to eradicate the workers' ethnic and religious identity.

Out of 51 companies in Xinjiang that currently produce medical equipment, primarily for domestic use, 17 participate in the labor program. Several other companies outside of Xinjiang that produce supplies for export also make use of Uighur labor. (NYT)

Portland Police Union Head Slams City Officials: They 'Have Condoned the Destruction and Chaos'

Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner slammed elected officials at a press conference on Sunday, a day after the union's offices were set on fire amid continuing riots in the city.

Since the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers, Portland has seen 50 days of protests and riots. Federal law enforcement officers have deployed to the city over the past several weeks, clashing with protesters.

Turner alleged that Oregon officials have allowed the violence to continue unabated.

"The elected officials have condoned the destruction and chaos," Turner said on Sunday, standing with 20 faith and business leaders from Portland. "They have placed their political agenda ahead [of the] safety and welfare of the community. This must stop."

Turner continued, "This is no longer about George Floyd, racial equity, social justice reform or the evolution of policing," Turner said. "This is about violence, rioting and destruction. Our city is under siege by rioters." (The Oregonian)