Cases soar as unemployment drops
As we observe Independence Day this year, without the large gatherings for barbecues, fireworks displays, and other festivities that we’re used to on the Fourth of July, let’s take a moment to celebrate a Declaration of Independence that is still very much alive and well. The Declaration isn’t just a piece of parchment sent to a British king long ago. It’s a way of life in these United States, and an ongoing commitment to a style of government that, though imperfect, has allowed the will of the people to be asserted freely for 244 years. That indeed is something to celebrate, as it will see us through our current challenges.
THE TOPLINE Team will be off tomorrow for the holiday. We’ll see you next week. Happy Fourth!
P.S. Welcome to all new readers of THE TOPLINE. Please use the links below to share your stories and reactions with us. And don’t forget to pass THE TOPLINE along to your friends and family, who will surely thank you (more details below). —Mindy Finn
1. Russia wants US out
Days after reports surfaced that Russian intelligence agents were paying bounties to Taliban-connected fighters for killing U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Pentagon confirmed that Russia has been working alongside the Taliban to drive out U.S. troops. In a report released yesterday, the Pentagon says Russia wants the U.S. out of the region so it can expand its own influence there (sound familiar?). Russia reportedly hoped the tenuous peace deal the U.S. struck with the Taliban in February would help it achieve its aim. However, the Taliban has become more violent since the deal and has failed to keep up its end of the bargain. What a surprise. —The Independent
— Russian bounties are nothing new. If an ex-Taliban member is to be believed, Mullah Manan Niazi, once the spokesman for Taliban leader Mullah Omar, says, "The Taliban have been paid by Russian intelligence for attacks on U.S. forces—and on ISIS forces—in Afghanistan from 2014 up to the present." —The Daily Beast
— The Afghan middleman. Afghan businessman Rahmatullah Azizi has been identified as a key middleman who for years handed out money from a unit of the GRU to Taliban-linked fighters for targeting American troops. U.S. security agencies carried out sweeping raids to arrest dozens of his relatives and associates about six months ago but discovered that Azizi had sneaked out of Afghanistan and is likely back in Russia. —The New York Times
— So did he know or not know? National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said yesterday that the senior career CIA officer who personally briefs President Trump made the decision not to verbally brief him on the Russian scheme "because she didn't have the confidence in the intelligence that came up." —CBS News
— Meeting with resistance, intel agencies gave up. Trump's aversion to intelligence warnings about Russia led some members of his national security team, including those who deliver the President's Daily Brief, to brief him verbally less often on Russia-related threats to the U.S., say multiple former Trump Administration officials. —CNN
MORE: Russia bounty flap highlights intel breakdown under Trump —Politico
2. McFaul: See no evil, hear no evil?
"Trump isn't going to change the way he acts toward Russia; he's too invested in his personalized approach to diplomacy and his shambolic decision-making process. But imagine what four more years of this might mean for our troops abroad, our allies, or our national security generally. It's not hard to picture Trump traveling to Moscow to watch the annual May 9 military parade and celebrating the end of the Great Patriotic War with his friend [President Vladimir] Putin; or lifting sanctions on Russia and abandoning Ukraine; or trying to pull the United States out of NATO. Trump's weak response to the bounty revelations is a warning of worse things to come." —The Washington Post
Ed. Note: Michael McFaul is director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and a Hoover fellow at Stanford University. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.
MORE: Trump gives Putin a pass on bounties so he can target leakers instead —The Daily Beast
3. Daily COVID-19 cases surpass 50,000
In a new daily record, a total of 50,655 cases of the coronavirus were reported in the U.S. yesterday, passing the 50,000 mark for the first time, according to Johns Hopkins University. The nation’s total death toll climbed above 128,000, as hospitalizations rose sharply in a number of areas, mainly in southern and western states. The U.S. now accounts for roughly a quarter of the world's 10.6 million COVID-19 infections. —The Wall Street Journal
— Hi ho Silver. A day after Republican lawmakers pressured President Trump to wear a face mask in public to set a good example for Americans, Trump said in an interview on Fox Business, "I'm all for masks. I think masks are good," adding that it makes him look like the Lone Ranger. Speaking about the pandemic more generally, he said, "I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus. I think that, at some point, that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope." —Associated Press
— State mask mandates on the rise. Pennsylvania officials announced yesterday that residents must wear face coverings when outside the home, joining California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington in instituting a universal mask mandate. "Wearing a mask is not only safe—but it is necessary to avoid another shutdown," Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said. —NPR
— And now for some good news. The jobs report released by the Labor Department this morning shows that nonfarm payrolls rose by 4.8 million in June, marking the largest single-month gain in U.S. history. The unemployment rate dropped to 11.1%, beating the 12.4% estimate. Michael Pearce, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, cautions, "But that still leaves employment 9.6% below its February level, and with the spread of the virus accelerating again, we expect the recovery from here will be a lot bumpier and job gains far slower on average." —CNBC
MORE: Five US airlines reach deals with Treasury Department for billions in coronavirus loans —CBS News
4. Trippe: The impact of 'Putin forever'
"The spirit of the new Russian constitution is likely to be felt by others, as well. Backed by this vote, the Kremlin will feel emboldened to continue to propagate its model of governance. All over Europe, populists on both the left and the right of the political spectrum can look forward to an even heavier promotion of autocracy by Moscow." —Deutsche Welle
MORE: Russian voters agree to let Putin seek two more terms —Associated Press
5. SCOTUS gives POTUS a win
President Trump was awarded a small victory today when the Supreme Court denied Congress access to secret grand jury testimony from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation through the November election.
— The court's actions will keep the documents out of congressional hands at least until the case is resolved, which is not likely to happen before 2021, with arguments most likely not occurring before the election.
— Rep. Jerrold Nadler said the court's decision is disappointing. "Unfortunately, President Trump and Attorney General [William] Barr are continuing to try to run out the clock on any and all accountability. While I am confident their legal arguments will fail, it is now all the more important for the American people to hold the president accountable at the ballot box in November," he said.
— Trump's cases concerning his banking and other financial records are expected to be decided in the coming days or weeks. —Associated Press
6. ST Ed Board: Keep VOA independent
"Voice of America must not become a Trump propaganda organ. It's not too late to save VOA and the other international broadcasting outlets. Congress has the power to rein in [U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael] Pack, to reaffirm the value of independent, unbiased, ethical journalism organizations, and to not allow them to be the playthings of a wannabe authoritarian. Does it have the will?" —The Seattle Times
MORE: Senators to review federal media agency funding after CEO Michael Pack purges staff —CNBC
7. Bye, Stonewall Jackson. So long, Columbus Day?
Republican Sens. Ron Johnson and James Lankford introduced an amendment yesterday that would replace Columbus Day with Juneteenth as a federal holiday. The proposal follows last week's introduction of a bipartisan Senate bill that would establish Juneteenth—which celebrates the emancipation of remaining enslaved African-Americans in the former Confederate states—as a federal holiday. The amendment is intended to offset the cost associated with the bill, as each new federal holiday costs an estimated $600 million in paid time off for government employees. —National Review
— Virginia. Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney yesterday ordered the immediate removal of all Confederate statues from city land. The first to go was an imposing statue of Gen. Stonewall Jackson, which was promptly removed by work crews from its pedestal along Monument Avenue. —Associated Press
— Washington. Squads of riot police reclaimed Seattle's so-called Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area yesterday, pulling aside barricades, arresting protesters, and retaking the police station they had abandoned several weeks earlier. CHOP, which was taken over by protesters after the death of George Floyd, was the site of at least four shootings last month. —The New York Times
— New York. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said yesterday that a Black Lives Matter mural will be painted outside Trump Tower, along Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, "in a matter of days." Via tweet, Trump condemned the mural as a "symbol of hate" and criticized De Blasio's plan to reallocate $1 billion from the NYPD's budget. —Axios
MORE: Cuomo dives into NYC police reform debate, says De Blasio, City Council should go back to the drawing board —CBS News
8. Ayer: Barr is unfit to serve
"[I]t is highly relevant to [Attorney General Bill] Barr's fitness for office that, in connection with official actions, he regularly makes statements that appear highly questionable. Along with his continuing media discussions to make Americans believe that the FBI conspired against Trump, his statements about the Mueller report, his assertion that U.S. Attorney [Geoffrey] Berman had supposedly resigned, and Barr's own role in the events at Lafayette Park, come quickly to mind. So does his practice of regularly shrouding himself in the rhetoric and trappings of the rule of law, even as he desecrates and undermines the institutions that make it possible." —CNN
Ed. Note: Donald Ayer, an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law School, served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, as principal deputy solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan, and as an assistant U.S. attorney under President Jimmy Carter.
9. Bush alums stumping for Biden
Last month, it was revealed that a group of former George W. Bush officials had formed a new super PAC in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, but few other details were available at the time. Known as "43 Alumni for Biden," the group has announced that it has recruited at least 200 former White House officials, campaign aides, and Cabinet secretaries to join its effort.
— Many members of the group still consider themselves Republicans but see the need to defeat Donald Trump as beyond their personal politics, according to Kristopher Purcell, who worked in the Office of Communications in the White House.
— Though unaffiliated with the former president, 43 Alumni for Biden is one of several Republican groups that have come out publicly amid criticism of Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and race relations. It has reached out to other Republican organizations opposed to Trump as well as the Biden campaign to coordinate some of its activities going forward.
— Some of the group's plans include rolling out supportive testimonial videos featuring high-profile Republicans and launching a voter turnout effort in key states, aimed at turning out disaffected Republican voters. —Voice of America
MORE: Another group is running TV ads against the president—and they’re Republicans —The Charlotte Observer
10. An American Story: Striking up an important conversation
Appliance technician Ernest Skelton was answering a routine call to Caroline Brock's home in Myrtle Beach, S.C., when the two shared an impromptu conversation about racial inequality. Brock initially asked Skelton how he was doing, and at first, he thought it was about coronavirus, but she specified that she was curious about his experience as a Black man in the U.S. Their conversation went viral on Facebook, receiving more than 180,000 shares.
— The conversation pushed Brock to examine her own biases. "We can push for policies and laws to protect the most vulnerable and to dismantle parts of the system. And that's really important. But in the South, there needs to also be some heart healing…where we start to change our hearts," she said. “I don't want to see another four or five generations going by with these issues. America doesn't deserve that. Black people don't deserve that.”
— Skelton shared a message to fellow Black Americans. "I’m saying this from experience, I know you are walking around with a lot of anger and frustration because of the way we've been treated," he said. "The only thing I can tell you is to find someone like Caroline to open up to and…you see the results afterward. I'm living proof. If I can do it, then anybody else can do it. It took a lot, but I was able to, you know, open up to Caroline and look where it got me…a friendship, and I can’t ask for anything else." —ABC News
Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest, and promoting American values. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to editor@topline.com. Thank you!
I'm a registered Republican, but I want nothing to do with President Trump or the elected officials who are letting him run rampant over and destroy our Constitution, our health, our environment, and our civility, and run away from our allies worldwide—all in the name of self-interest, personal profit, and a stranglehold on power.
If the Republican Party wants to retain power, it should do it legally and responsibly:
1. Stand up for what is right.
2. Distance yourself from President Trump and nominate a decent candidate for president.
3. Stop gerrymandering.
4. Support vote-by-mail and other initiatives that will help Americans participate in their civic right to vote.
5. Listen to the voice of the people, not your own wallets or vain ambition.
6. If these don't help you get re-elected, then you've left the majority of the people behind and shouldn't be in office.
If Republicans don't do these things, they shouldn't be surprised if there's a landslide in November, in which the other party consolidates power in the White House, the House, and the Senate. It'll be their own fault. —Keith R., Oregon
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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