Trump delivers Fourth of July manifesto
What good is protecting the symbols of our history if we ignore their meaning? Pontificating about the importance of statues while denigrating and eroding the hard-won rights and national character many are meant to symbolize is a cynical pursuit. We must collectively discern between the parts of our history that deserve to be publicly memorialized and those that deserve to be remembered only so that the same mistakes are not repeated. Without this debate, we are in danger of being trapped by our history, rather than informed by it, and unable to make further progress towards a more perfect union. —Evan McMullin
1. 'A merciless campaign to wipe out our history'
On Friday evening, President Trump delivered an unusually divisive Independence Day speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, S.D. As he and onlookers largely flouted pandemic conventions, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, he lamented the removal of Confederate statues and described "cancel culture" as "the very definition of totalitarianism." He warned of a "new far-left fascism" that was teaching children in schools to hate their country, but said Americans would not succumb to the "web of lies." He also announced that he would sign an executive order to establish the National Garden of American Heroes, an outdoor park that would hold statues of the "greatest Americans to ever live." —NPR
— Biden's contrasting vision. Former Vice President Joe Biden vowed Saturday to “rip the roots of systemic racism out of this country” in his Fourth of July message, delivered via a video posted on Twitter. "We have a chance now to give the marginalized, the demonized, the isolated, the oppressed, a full share of the American dream,” he said. —Los Angeles Times
— Columbus goes back to sea. Baltimore protesters pulled down a statue of Christopher Columbus and threw it into the city's Inner Harbor on Saturday night. Demonstrators used ropes to topple the monument from the perch where it has stood since 1984. —USA Today
— And on the right. Several groups of right-wing militias descended on Gettysburg National Park in Pennsylvania on Saturday after conspiracy theory websites spread a quickly debunked rumor that Antifa was going to burn American flags at the Civil War battlefield. —New York Daily News
MORE: The Boogaloo tipping point: what happens when a meme becomes a terrorist movement? —The Atlantic
2. Pitts: Restoring national grace will take work
"Who among us any longer expects statesmanship, dignity, honor, selflessness, or compassion from a president? Who expects accountability, intellectual honesty, or even intellect itself? Who expects bipartisan action in the common good? As a nation that was never bound by blood and that is bound less every day by culture, such notes of grace assume outsized importance in binding us as a people. Unfortunately, if the last four years have done nothing else, they have made grace an endangered species." —Savannah Morning News
MORE: How Trump could lose the election—and still remain president —Newsweek
3. 'We need to live with it'
That's the new narrative from the White House, as coronavirus cases nationwide spiral out of control. There are so many cases in Arizona, Florida, and Texas, that state officials are admitting that they reopened too quickly after the shutdowns earlier this year. “Wishful thinking is neither good economic policy, nor good public health policy,” Texas Judge Lina Hidalgo said. “If we had stayed shut down for longer and opened more slowly, we would probably be in a more sustainable place in our economy.” —WHDH
— As the U.S. neared 130,000 deaths from COVID-19 over the holiday weekend, President Trump asserted in a speech that the U.S. has tested 40 million people and that 99% of coronavirus cases are “harmless”—a claim his own FDA Commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, refused to either defend or contradict. —TIME
— Virus samples sent to the Wuhan Institute of Virology seven years ago closely resemble COVID-19, according to a new report about the origins of the global pandemic. Scientists in 2013 sent frozen samples to the lab from a bat-infested former copper mine in southwest China after six men who had been working there contracted a severe pneumonia. —Bloomberg
— Why don’t some people take the pandemic seriously? A new academic journal article by Communications Prof. Kenneth Luck explains how and why conspiracy theories challenge government leaders and public health officials as they try to convince the public to follow coronavirus pandemic-related safety measures. —Times Herald-Record
MORE: Facebook groups shift from attacks on coronavirus mitigation to Black Lives Matter —Associated Press
4. Kasparov: How Putin destroyed Russia's democracy
"Along with the fear-mongering and violence, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin exploited the legitimate grievances of the Russian people for his own gain. His themes were familiar ones: security, cultural preservation, ethnic tension. Twitter didn't exist then, but if it had, Putin would have been tweeting 'Law & order!' in Russian.
Those of us in the Russian pro-democracy movement had the dual challenge of protesting Putin's crackdowns while acknowledging the other problems the country faced. I watched as Putin destroyed our fragile democracy by focusing only on his own power and wealth while mouthing nationalist rhetoric and attacking the free press." —CNN
Ed. Note: Garry Kasparov is the chair of the Renew Democracy Initiative.
MORE: Election monitors allege Putin referendum saw unprecedented ballot fraud —ABC News
5. ICYMI: Quick takes from the weekend
If you were too busy with Fourth of July festivities this weekend to check on the news, good for you. Here's a roundup of stories you may have missed...
— A violent weekend. A rash of shootings in Chicago and Atlanta marred the holiday weekend and left at least three children dead. —ABC News
— Jeffrey Epstein conspirator behind bars. British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on charges of luring underage girls so that Epstein could sexually abuse them. The case is being handled by the Southern District of New York's public corruption unit. —The Daily Beast
— Solider identified. Army investigators have identified the remains of Spc. Vanessa Guillén, who disappeared more than two months ago from Fort Hood. The sole suspect in the case, Spc. Aaron Robinson, killed himself as officers closed in. Guillén's family alleges she was sexually harassed. —The Washington Post
— No confirmations without a guarantee. Sen. Tammy Duckworth announced that she will block the Senate confirmation of 1,123 senior U.S. Armed Forces promotions until Defense Sec. Mark Esper confirms that he will not block the promotion of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman to colonel. —The Hill
— It's official...Flynn's lost it. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn posted a video on Independence Day in which he and five others recite an oath for QAnon conspiracy theorists. —Mother Jones
—How the West was undone. Rapper and provocateur Kanye West announced a 2020 presidential bid on Saturday night via Twitter. Since he has already missed the deadline to register as an independent candidate in some states, the announcement is widely viewed as a publicity stunt. —Forbes
— Inner circle hit with virus again. Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump, Jr., and a top Trump campaign official, became the latest person close to the president to test positive for coronavirus, ahead of the president’s speech in South Dakota on Friday. —Politico
6. SCOTUS: Keep the faith
The Supreme Court ruled today that states can block members of the Electoral College from ignoring the popular vote on Election Day. "The Constitution's text and the nation’s history both support allowing a state to enforce an elector's pledge to support his party’s nominee – and the state voters’ choice – for president," Associate Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the unanimous opinion.
— The ruling will prevent most of the 538 presidential electors from seeking to change the results of the presidential race when carrying out their ministerial duties a month after the election.
— Thirty-two states already require the people chosen on Election Day to cast ballots for the winner of their states' popular vote. In some of those states, rogue electors can be replaced or fined. Eighteen states have no such requirement.
— Justices on both sides of the aisle expressed apprehension about the limits of state powers to force electors' hands. But they were more concerned that electors could be bribed, particularly by the losing party in a close election—as the upcoming presidential election is expected to be. —USA Today
7. Peterson: We can stand up for Hong Kong
"In 1975, in the midst of our existential struggle with the then-Soviet Union, America and its European allies concluded the Helsinki Accords with the Soviets and their satellites. This occurred even as delicate arms control negotiations continued. Article VII of the accords called for 'respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief.' That article became a potent lever in the struggle against the Soviets.
There is no reason we cannot stand up strongly to China in support of basic freedoms and still continue a dialogue on other matters, be they trade or sanctions on North Korea..." —Daily Herald
Ed. Note: Keith Peterson served for 29 years as a press and cultural officer for the United States Information Agency and Department of State.
MORE: Hong Kong security law: Pro-democracy books pulled from libraries —BBC News
8. A coronavirus windfall for lobbyists
According to a new report from the watchdog group Public Citizen, 40 lobbyists with ties to President Trump helped clients secure more than $10 billion in federal coronavirus aid. The lobbyists either worked in the Trump executive branch, served on his campaign or inauguration committee, or were part of his presidential transition. Many are donors and prolific fundraisers for his re-election.
— Trump pledged to clamp down on Washington’s influence peddling with a "drain the swamp" campaign mantra. Shortly after he took office, he signed an executive order prohibiting former administration officials from lobbying the agency or office where they were formerly employed for a period of five years.
— But during his administration, the lobbying industry has flourished, a trend that intensified once Congress passed more than $3.6 trillion in coronavirus stimulus. Five lobbyists during the coronavirus lobbying boom are former administration officials, who have apparently violated Trump's own policy.
— Public Citizen intends to file ethics complaints with the White House. But Craig Holman, a spokesperson for the organization, says he filed more than 30 complaints last year, all of which were either ignored or rejected. "There does not appear to be anyone who is enforcing the executive order," Holman said. —Associated Press
9. Mancuso: GOP must stand up to protect elections
"No one knows what the state of our nation will be in regards to the pandemic this November. But the one thing we know is, Americans should not have to choose between their health and exercising their civic duty on Election Day. The best way to ensure a free and fair election on Nov. 3 is to give voters across the country the option to vote by mail this election." —The Palm Beach Post
Ed. Note: Mary Anna Mancuso is a political strategist and the media manager at Stand Up Republic.
MORE: Potter: Virginia leading the way on democracy reform in critical election year —The Roanoke Times
10. An American Story: Sikhs help L.A. community
A Sikh temple has teamed up with the city of Los Angeles to provide meals for protesters, the homeless, and the disabled amid the coronavirus pandemic and civil unrest. The Khalsa Care Foundation Gurdwara has served the area for 15 years by supplying packaged meals containing curry, Thai, pasta, and a sweet treat with a bottle of water to communities in need.
— The meals go from the Sikh center to about a dozen L.A. Department of Transportation buses each day, and from there they go to the L.A. Zoo, where a fleet of Access Paratransit vans deliver to households where disabled and senior residents and their families receive the meals. The center is also leveraging the goodwill of its members in the Sikh community.
— "In this pandemic, if anything is going to happen, all walks of life, whether you're sick or not, no matter what race, what gender, we all need to come together and help our community. This is our home. My kids are going to grow up here. Generations are growing up here," said Jaspreet Singh, leader of the initiative. —Los Angeles Daily 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 am surprised that about 40% of Americans want Trump to be reelected. What else does he have to do to lose their support? Allow a pandemic to ravage the country? Stand by while Russia pays bounties for U.S. servicemen and women to be killed? Lie to the American public? Make racist statements? Terrorize immigrant children? Brag about assaulting women? Brag about bankruptcies? Demonstrate ignorance of the constitution? Award medals to undeserving people? Grovel at the feet of Putin? Degrade NATO? Disrupt international trade? Bankrupt farmers? Ignore diplomatic agreements? Ask foreign powers to interfere in our elections? Defy congressional oversight? Use his office to enrich himself? Fire inspectors general? Demonstrate incompetence? Exchange love letters with North Korea's great leader and claim that the threat of their nuclear weapons program is now over? Engage in cover-ups? Draw lines on a hurricane path chart, because he couldn't admit to a simple mistake? Misappropriate funds to build a border wall? Change his positions with the breeze? Alienate our allies? There must be something that he could do that would cause his followers to renounce him, but so far, whatever that may be apparently is not yet known. —Bill M., Pennsylvania
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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