The Serious Side - part 8

And yet our denier-in-chief is still saying children are immune, and they only get mild cases, and they recover really fast (from the virus they don't get!), and that only a few of them die! Open the schools! Everything's fine! It will go away!

What needs to go away is drumpf. I don't know which is worse - him or the virus.  I don't know how we're going to survive either of them, but I think this country has a better chance of surviving the virus than of surviving the effects of the drumpf "presidency".

Drumpf, covid-19, economic collapse, global warming causing higher than normal number of hurricanes, a 5.6 earthquake in Mississippi, wildfires in California ....I'm beginning to think this whole year is a test from God.

You might appreciate this, Lizzy....by Republicans opposed to Drumpf....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F9D8KvhQuM&feature=youtu.be

PAN - Though I hadn't seen that ad I have seen many of the Lincoln Project's other ads. They're brilliant, as are the ads put out by The Meidas Touch (often the most vicious of the bunch) and Republican Voters Against Trump. There are more popping up every day.

As much as I enjoy all of this I'm not sure how much of an effect any of it will have  on the actual vote. I think the increase in the spread of the virus ,and unemployment because of it, will have more of an effect. I just hope drumpf's supporters realize that most of their problems are down to him.

P.S. Just saw a brilliant opinion piece in today's Washington Post by George Conway, III (husband of  drumpf advisor KellyAnne Conway and one of the founders of The Lincoln Project). It's too long to post here, but well worth a read.

https://people.com/politics/joe-biden-picks-vice-president-running-mate/

[size=48]Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as His Running Mate: 'a Fearless Fighter'
Harris becomes the first Black woman to be a running mate on a major party's presidential ticket
By Sean Neumann 
August 11, 2020 04:18 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Fjoe-biden-picks-vice-president-running-mate%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200811%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F08%2F11%2Fkamala-harris.jpg&description=Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as His Running Mate%3A %27a Fearless Fighter%27][/url]

From left: former Vice President Joe Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris
 
ANDREW HARNIK/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK; LORENZO BEVILAQUA/WALT DISNEY TELEVISION/GETTY
Ending weeks of ever-more-fervent speculation, former Vice President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that California Sen. Kamala Harris was making history by becoming his running mate.
"I have the great honor to announce that I’ve picked @KamalaHarris — a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants — as my running mate," he tweeted.
Harris, 55, is the first Black woman and first Indian-American on either major party's presidential ticket.
She is the fourth woman on a major presidential ticket, after Democratic vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro in 1984, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in 2008 and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Biden's choice was long in the making: He announced in March, early in the Democratic primary, that his running mate would be a woman if he won the nomination and he said in July that the potential picks included four Black women.

Harris — a former prosecutor who challenged Biden, 74, for the Democratic nomination with her own presidential bid last year, including a viral bit of debate face-off — had remained high on any prospective shortlist of running mates.

Looking Back at Kamala Harris' Career

The first-term senator was elected to Congress in 2016 after serving as the California attorney general since 2011.
In that role — another first for her — Harris struck up a friendship with Biden's late son Beau, who was then the attorney general of Delaware, Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir, The Truths We Hold.
According to The News Journal, Beau and Harris became friends and professional allies as outliers in a multi-state investigation into banks and foreclosure abuse during the housing crisis.

"There were periods, when I was taking the heat when Beau and I talked every day, sometimes multiple times a day," she wrote in her memoir. "We had each other’s backs."
Beau died in 2015 from brain cancer and Harris attended his funeral, maintaining a bond with the former vice president as well.
The elder Biden endorsed her in her Senate bid as she transitioned from attorney general to the national political scene with her 2016 congressional campaign.
Biden noted Harris' friendship with Beau in his announcement on Tuesday.
"I watched as they took on the big banks, lifted up working people, and protected women and kids from abuse," Biden tweeted. "I was proud then, and I'm proud now to have her as my partner in this campaign."
RELATED: Kamala, Warren & More: The Notable Names Joe Biden Has Considered to Be His Running Mate


Harris and Biden came face-to-face throughout the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. But the most notable moment was during an emotional exchange about race at a debate last summer, when Harris called out Biden for what she described as his previous stance in the 1970s, opposing mandatory school busing legislation.
(Biden later clarified that he opposed specific types of school busing requirements after the debate, according to The Washington Post.)
While Harris saw a brief polling surge last July, her momentum soon withered and she left the race in December, citing a lack of funds.
Upon suspending her campaign, Harris vowed to "do everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump and fight for the future of our country and the best of who we are.”
She endorsed Biden in March, weeks before the novel coronavirus pandemic caused mass shutdowns across the U.S.
Biden’s running-mate announcement this week comes 84 days before the Nov. 3 election, as the pandemic and nationwide unrest over racial injustice has continued in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in May.
The coronavirus has killed at least 163,000 people in the U.S. and become the defining national issue of 2020.


Minutes after Tuesday's announcement, Harris received an immediate outpour of support from other candidates who were reportedly considered by the Biden campaign.
Rep. Karen Bass tweeted that Harris was a “great choice” and wrote the California senator’s “tenacious pursuit of justice and relentless advocacy for the people is what is needed right now.”
Susan Rice, who many speculated to be a top contender for the ticket alongside Harris, shared her “warmest congratulations” for Biden’s new running mate.
“Senator Harris is a tenacious and trailblazing leader who will make a great partner on the campaign trail,” Rice said in a statement. “I am confident that Biden-Harris will prove to be a winning ticket.”
Stacey Abrams, who publicly made her case to be Biden’s running mate throughout the summer, said she’s “thrilled to support” the Biden-Harris ticket.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer tweeted that she’s “extraordinarily proud to support” Harris and Biden, referencing the Biden campaign slogan in saying: “They will be a fierce team to Build America Back Better.”
Biden and Harris will appear together and deliver joint remarks on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post, from Wilmington, Delaware.
Harris was one of PEOPLE's Women Changing the World in 2019 — a group of women changing American politics and the way we view the political landscape in the United States — alongside fellow senators and former democratic presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar.
“I think it’s really important for America to just have further evidence of the breadth and depth of what women are and what we can do," Harris told PEOPLE then.
“Each woman who breaks a barrier and expands the minds of people in terms of what’s possible and what that looks like, they do our country a great service,” Harris added. “I certainly do think about it that way.”

I hope the other women contenders will be well represented in his cabinet. All that talent can't be left to go to waste.

Lizzy I saw the George Conway opinion piece today in the Post.  It was clever and brilliant like you said.  Conway simply highlights the blatant denial that Trump supporters and his cult followers live in. Don’t think it will change any minds tho

I’m excited with Biden’s pick of Kamala for V.P.  I think that they will work really well together.  She is really smart and savvy.  Obama responded today that Biden “nailed it” when he chose Harris. I am optimistic that Biden will fill his cabinet with smart and forward thinking women.  I especially would like to see Susan Rice and Elizabeth Warren added to his administration.  We shall see.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/aug/14/state-troopers-portland-donald-trump-joe-biden-kamala-harris-coronavirus-covid-19-live-updates


Mailboxes are being removed at the behest of the President and his new Postmaster General

Obama condemns Trump attempt to 'kneecap' USPS to discourage voting – live

• Ex-president attacks Trump’s ‘explicit’ effort to deter voters
  
• President gives brief statement on Kevin Clinesmith
  
• Trump’s brother hospitalized – report
  
• CDC: death toll set to reach 200,000 by Labor Day
  
• Surge in cases among children fuels fears over school reopenings
  
• Sign up to our First Thing newsletter
  

LIVE Updated 48m ago





 Barack Obama said of Trump: ‘What we’ve seen in a way that is unique to modern political history is a president who is explicit in trying to discourage people from voting.’ Photograph: Alyssa Pointer/Reuters
Kari Paul (now), Kenya Evelyn, Joanna Walters and Martin Belam (earlier)
Fri 14 Aug 2020 17.47 EDTFirst published on Fri 14 Aug 2020 06.43 EDT

• 
  
• [url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Obama condemns Trump attempt to %27kneecap%27 USPS to discourage voting %E2%80%93][/url]
  
  

22m ago23:13
Backlash around the postal service continues: Representative Maxine Waters reportedly will hold a presser at the Los Angeles post office at 4 pm PST today, to bring attention to the new USPS rules from the Trump administration and their effects on postal operations.



Elizabeth Warren has also demanded action surrounding Trump’s USPS actions. She called for a probe of new Trump-appointed postmaster Louis DeJoy and promised to use “every in the toolbox to stop Trump & DeJoy from sabotaging the USPS.”
Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Obama condemns Trump attempt to %27kneecap%27 USPS to discourage voting %E2%80%93]Twitter[/url]

48m ago17:47
Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal endorsed new Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in a Los Angles Times Op-Ed on Friday.
Jayapal highlighted Harris’s immigrant background and their shared South Asian heritage and said Harris is uniquely equipped to take on Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric. From the piece:

Sen. Harris’ nomination offers a clear contrast to a xenophobic president who has attacked immigrants and asylum seekers and the very idea of immigration at every turn, issuing a Muslim ban, separating families, caging children and even threatening student visa programs that allowed Sen. Harris’ mother and me to come to America in the first place.

Jayapal said that in 2016 when she became the first South Asian American woman to be elected to the House, Harris became the first South Asian American woman to be elected to the Senate. Together they represent just two of 79 women of color to ever have served in Congress.
This Op-Ed comes as Trump recently targeted Harris with racist birther theories. The president, who first gained momentum in politics with a racist campaign claiming Barack Obama was not born in the US, said in a press conference on Thursday that he “heard she doesn’t meet the requirements” to be vice president.
Jayapal does not comment on that specific controversy in her Op-Ed, but cites the immigrant experience as an asset.
“Immigrants and the children of immigrants are resilient,” Jayapal wrote. “We push boulders up mountains and succeed because we have to. And that’s the kind of leadership we need.”
Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Obama condemns Trump attempt to %27kneecap%27 USPS to discourage voting %E2%80%93][/url]Twitter

1h ago17:35
Former Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill weighed in on Donald Trump’s post office drama in a tweet on Friday, calling him a “liar” who is “trying to steal an election in broad daylight”.
Her tweet came in response to a report that showed Trump had met with new postmaster general Louis DeJoy last week despite saying he had not spoken to the new official.
Trump has named DeJoy, a North Carolina ally and Republican National Convention Fundraiser, to the helm of the Postal Service. The action has many concerned Trump will leverage this ally’s new position to block funds from the postal service, which Trump has advocated for to suppress mail-in voting.
Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Obama condemns Trump attempt to %27kneecap%27 USPS to discourage voting %E2%80%93][/url]Twitter
1h ago17:35
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1h ago17:28
California governor Gavin Newsom announced on Friday two executive orders that would “jump start” the state’s mail-in ballot process.



The orders include the provision of safe voting sites and drop off sites for ballots, in addition to an extension of 17 days to collect ballots.
They came in direct response to Donald Trump’s statements that he refuses to provide additional funding to the US Post Office ahead of November elections that will rely largely on mail-in ballots in an effort to suppress votes.
Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Obama condemns Trump attempt to %27kneecap%27 USPS to discourage voting %E2%80%93][/url]Twitter

1h ago17:24
Kari Paul here in Oakland, California, blogging for you over the next few hours. Stay tuned for more news.
Facebook[url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Obama condemns Trump attempt to %27kneecap%27 USPS to discourage voting %E2%80%93][/url]Twitter

1h ago17:12

Time for a late day recap

Here‘s what we’ve covered thus far in the latter half of the day. Be sure to keep following the blog as our West Coast team keeps you in-the-loop:

• Donald Trump in his presser briefing addressed charges filed against an former FBI lawyer, avoids rebuking a newly elected QAnon-supporter, before denying invoking misogyny and racism against California senator and VP pick Kamala Harris and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren
  
• New Jersey will mostly vote-by-mail this election, even as
  
• Chaos continues between the Trump administration and USPS, including hundreds of sorting machines that have been removed, forcing even Barack Obama to speak out.
  
• A GAO report found Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf, among others, were illegally appointed
  

Try this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsLaAbzVb9E

Thank you PAN.  Another brilliant and damning ad by The Lincoln Project.

USPS mailboxes being taken away yesterday.......


https://twitter.com/POVHighPlains/status/1294165146412003330

This is what many so called Americans voted for. I hope they are happy with their choice and are paying for the decision in every painful way possible.

https://people.com/health/sharon-stone-sister-hospitalized-coronavirus/
[size=48]Sharon Stone's Sister 'Who Already Had Lupus' Is Hospitalized with COVID-19: 'Fighting for a Breath'
Sharon Stone shared a plea to her fans and posted photos of her sister Kelly's hospital room
By Karen Mizoguchi 
August 16, 2020 07:15 PM[/size]



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RODIN ECKENROTH / WIREIMAGE
Sharon Stone's younger sister, Kelly, remains in the hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The actress, 62, shared photos of Kelly's hospital room on Instagram Saturday, along with a plea to her fans and followers to wear a mask. "My sister Kelly, who already has lupus, now has COVID-19. This is her hospital room. One of you Non-Mask wearers did this," Stone captioned three photos of her sister's room.
"She does not have an immune system. The only place she went was the pharmacy. There is no testing in her county unless you are symptomatic, & then it’s 5 day wait for results. Can YOU FACE THIS ROOM ALONE? Wear a mask! For yourself and others. Please," Stone added.
On Friday, Kelly shared a photo of her and her husband, Bruce Singer, from a trip they took months prior to her hospitalization.

"This is us. March 13. Drove to our paradise in Montana. We thought covid wouldn’t and couldn’t find us. No shopping, no parties, barely saw a human. Now fighting for a breath. you don’t want covid," she wrote.

RELATED: Celebrities Open Up About Their Coronavirus Symptoms
On Sunday, Sharon shared a nearly four-minute video, which was captioned: "VOTE TO LIVE."
"As many of you know, I posted about my sister being in the hospital in a COVID room and that she has Lupus and she's fighting for her life. I didn't let you know that her husband Bruce is also in a COVID room in the same ward, fighting for his life, and that they stayed at home as long as they could," she said.

"In Montana, where they live, you can't get tested unless you're symptomatic, and then you don't get your test results for five days. Also, the people that they came in contact with, like my mother who's had two heart attacks, five stents and a pacemaker in the last five months, couldn't get a test because she wasn't symptomatic even though she could've been near asymptomatic contact that gave them COVID," she said. "The nurses in the hospital that are taking care of them can't get tested because they don't have tests to test them with. Those nurses are risking their lives and cannot get tested."
Near the end of her video, Sharon, who said her grandmother and godmother "died of COVID," endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. "With women in power, we will fight for our families. We will fight for people to live. We will fight for people to get tested," she said. "Because the only countries that are doing well with COVID are the ones that have women in leadership. Please vote. And please whatever you do, don't vote for a killer."


Also on Sunday, Kelly shared a video from her hospital room. "I beg you to know that this is real. I'm gasping for every breath without oxygen," she said. "Please do this for the people that you love. stand behind more tests, more masks. Demanding everyone wear a mask. You never, ever want to feel like this. I promise you."
Kelly added, "I only have love. My heart is breaking for people who can't breathe."
She also shared photos from her hospital room on her Instagram Story, writing, "You don't want to be here not being able to breathe."
In more slides, Kelly expressed her thanks to frontline workers and also shared an x-ray of her lungs. "Would you be scared? Or is this still a f---ing liberal hoax?" she wrote. "I hope no one you love has to gasp for air."

How tragic for their family. I pray they all recover and I hope their story convinces at least some people to stop supporting the abomination in the White House.

I also have an autoimmune disease, and have since I was a teenager, and I really really

hope that this poor lady has been, and is, taking Vitamin D3 everyday to help boost her

system. I have been taking it for many years, and apparently it is one of the few things you

should arm yourself with against this virus - in the absence of anything else.

That - and lose weight of course!!

https://people.com/health/georgia-county-closes-third-school-coronavirus-outbreak/

[size=48]Georgia County Closes Third School amid Coronavirus Outbreak as 500 Students Are Quarantined
Although the district encourages students to wear masks at school, the use of protective face coverings is not currently required
By Maria Pasquini 
August 17, 2020 12:20 PM[/size]




Creekview High School
 
GOOGLE MAPS
A Georgia school district has announced that a third high school will be temporarily closed due to a coronavirus outbreak.
The Cherokee County School District announced on Sunday that Creekview High School would close through the end of August after having reported 25 positive COVID-19 cases. Additionally, 500 of the 1,800 students who had opted for in-person learning were put under a “precautionary quarantine.”
The school district went on to note that additional test results may “significantly increase the quarantine total.”
The school will undergo a deep cleaning and teachers are expected to return to the school on Tuesday, when classes, which will all be conducted online, will resume.
Although the district encourages students to wear masks at school, the use of protective face coverings is not currently required. Georgia does not have a state mandate.

Superintendent Brian Hightower has also recommended that students wear masks, noting that while “all parents do not believe the scientific research that indicates masks are beneficial” they are “an important measure to help us keep schools open.”
RELATED: Georgia Second Grader Tests Positive for Coronavirus After First Day of School
Creekview is the third high school to close in the district within two weeks of returning to classrooms earlier this month.
The closure of Etowah High was announced last Tuesday after 14 positive coronavirus cases were identified, with an additional 15 tests pending and 294 students and staff put under quarantine.
That number has since grown to 29 confirmed cases, with 359 students and staff under quarantine, according to a district list. Woodstock High, which has also been closed, has 16 confirmed cases and 331 students and staff under quarantine.

So far, more than 1,900 students and staff are in quarantine across the district.
All three schools are currently expected to reopen on August 31.
RELATED VIDEO: Alyssa Milano Tests Positive for COVID-19 Antibodies After 3 Negative Results: 'I Thought I Was Dying'





Earlier this month, one day after schools reopened in the district, an elementary school student tested positive for COVID-19.
News of the confirmed case occurred one day after Georgia's largest school district, Gwinnett County Public Schools, reported that around 260 employees have either tested positive or been exposed to the virus.
Additionally, after footage went viral on social media of mask-less students not following social distance rules in the hallways at another local high school in the Paulding County School District, six students and three staff members tested positive for COVID-19, according to a letter sent to parents obtained by ABC News.
This week, the district reported 27 new cases, according to information shared on its website.
As of Monday, Georgia has had at least 220,165 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 4,600 deaths, according to a New York Times database.

https://people.com/health/italy-closing-nightclubs-mandating-masks-coronavirus-cases-rise/

[size=48]Italy Closing Nightclubs and Mandating Masks with Coronavirus Cases on the Rise
The country relaxed their restrictions after a nationwide lockdown considerably slowed their COVID-19 cases, but infections are ticking up again
By Julie Mazziotta 
August 17, 2020 05:42 PM[/size]



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Tourists walk near the Spanish Steps in Rome
 
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/GETTY IMAGES
Italy is closing nightclubs and requiring that all citizens wear masks in the hopes of slowing a new spike in COVID-19 cases.
The new restrictions are the country’s first since they ended a nationwide lockdown in mid-May, which helped Italy go from one of the world’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19 to recording around 200 cases a day for most of June and July.
But with cases on the rise — Italy reported 477 new infections on Sunday, and cases have hovered over 350 since Aug. 5 — officials are hoping that these new measures will send infections back down as citizens return from August vacations and students head back to school.
“We cannot jeopardize the sacrifices made in these last months,” Italy's health minister, Roberto Speranza, said, according to the Washington Post. “Our priority must be to safely reopen schools in September.”

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Italy was the hardest-hit country with upwards of 6,000 cases a day in mid-March, quickly outpacing China. Cases were concentrated in northern Italy, in older citizens, and over 35,400 people in the country have died since the start of the outbreak. Epidemiologists believe that many of the U.S.’s cases, particularly on the East Coast, came from travelers to and from Italy.
RELATED: See How the Coronavirus Infected Millions Throughout the U.S. with This Interactive Map
Italian health officials instituted the nationwide lockdown on March 10, and cases steadily dropped during the two months that non-essential citizens were required to stay home.





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But now, cases have started to rise in younger Italians — the average age of an infected person is now 35, down from the mid-60s at the peak of their outbreak — and officials say that traveling is likely to blame.

“The reason [for the new cases] is mostly young people gathering and behaving like nothing has happened,” Walter Ricciardi, the World Health Organization’s Italian government adviser, said, according to the Post. “There is quite a lot of movement by young people, going out of Italy for holidays and coming in. The circulation of the virus has been very intense.”
According to Italy’s National Institute of Health, around 20 percent of the new cases are from citizens traveling outside the country. The nightclubs are also a likely source, said government officials, as many have not been following reduced capacity regulations.

Just saw on the news that they're removing mailboxes from the streets in the Bronx. drumpf is making sure the election is rigged in his favor. When Putin gets here for their "summit" it will cement my belief that they're working together to rig the election. If he wasn't such a power hog I'd think drumpf wanted the US to become part of a new USSR, but he'd never want to be second in command to Putin. He's just a loser sucking up to anyone who'll support him. We have got to get rid of him!

Just saw this, Lizzy

https://politicalwire.com/2020/08/18/at-least-20-states-will-sue-postal-service/


and Mr De Joy is in front of the likes of Katie Porter next week..........

https://politicalwire.com/2020/08/18/at-least-20-states-will-sue-postal-service/

You are here: Home / State House / At Least 20 States Will Sue Postal Service

At Least 20 States Will Sue Postal Service

August 18, 2020 at 1:13 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“At least 20 states plan to file lawsuits this week against the U.S. Postal Service and its new postmaster, Louis DeJoy, seeking to reverse service changes that have prompted widespread reports of delays and accusations of an intentional effort to thwart voters from mailing their ballots this fall,” the Washington Post reports.
“The suits, expected to be filed in federal court imminently, will argue that the Postal Service broke the law by making operational changes without first seeking approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission. They will also argue that the changes will impede states’ ability to run free and fair elections.”
CNBC: GOP and Trump ties run deep on the U.S. Postal Service’s board of governors.

https://people.com/politics/donald-trump-pardons-susan-b-anthony/

[size=48]Donald Trump Says He Will Pardon Susan B. Anthony on 19th Amendment Anniversary
Anthony was arrested in 1872 for the crime of voting as a woman 
By Ally Mauch 
August 18, 2020 12:32 PM


FB[url=https://www.twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Donald Trump Says He Will Pardon Susan B. Anthony on 19th Amendment Anniversary]Tweet[/url]
More
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President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will be posthumously pardoning women’s suffrage leader Susan B. Anthony.
Anthony was arrested in 1872 for the crime of voting as a woman in Rochester, New York. She was found guilty and fined $100, but never paid the fee.
“She was never pardoned. What took so long?” Trump said Tuesday at an event on the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, as several female supporters stood behind him. He said the pardon would be signed later that day.
“She was guilty for voting. And we are going to be signing a full and complete pardon. And I think that’s really fantastic,” he said. “She deserves it.”

RELATED: President Trump Cracks That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is 'a Real Beauty'
[/size]

Anthony, an early voting rights activist and women's suffrage leader, has become a controversial figure in recent years. Some anti-abortion groups have used her as a model, claiming she would have supported their cause. She has also been criticized for sidelining Black women's activists.
Trump’s pardon announcement came as the White House commemorated the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women over 21 the right to vote in the U.S. However, many women of color were still left unable to vote due to discriminatory laws at the state and local level.
The president, who has a history of making lewd comments about women and has been accused by at least 25 women of sexual misconduct (all of which he denies), has been making appeals to female voters in recent weeks as the Nov. 3 election approaches.

RELATED: Donald Trump Reacts to Michelle Obama's Speech Denouncing Him: 'Your Husband' Is Reason I Got Elected

The outreach comes as several polls point toward problems for Trump among suburban women falling. Two recent polls from Politico and Morning Consult show that support from that demographic is at 34 percent.
Last week, a bright pink “Women for Trump” bus started a tour across the country, and Trump has made repeated references to “suburban housewives” in press conferences and on Twitter.
“The ‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me,” Trump wrote on Twitter last week. “They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood.”

https://people.com/health/california-resident-diagnosed-with-the-plague-in-first-state-case-since-2015/

[size=48]California Resident Diagnosed with the Plague in First State Case Since 2015
The patient, whose identity has not been revealed, is currently under the care of medical professionals and is recovering at their home
By Nicholas Rice 
August 18, 2020 09:21 AM[/size]


FB[url=https://www.twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=California Resident Diagnosed with the Plague in First State Case Since 2015 https://people.com/health/california-resident-diagnosed-with-the-plague-in-first-state-case-since-2015/%3futm_source=twitter.com%26utm_medium=social%26utm_campaign=social-share-article]Tweet[/url]
[size=14]More[/size]
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Hospital bed
 
GETTY
A California resident has been diagnosed with the plague, making it the first human case in the state since 2015.
On Monday, El Dorado County health officials were notified by the California Department of Public Health that a resident in South Lake Tahoe had tested positive for the disease, according to a news release.
Per the statement, it is believed that the person confirmed to have the plague is an avid walker who may have been bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog along the Truckee River Corridor. Health officials continue to investigate the situation.
The patient, whose identity has not been revealed, is currently under the care of medical professionals and is recovering at their home.

RELATED: Squirrel in Colorado Tests Positive for the Bubonic Plague
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According to the release, plague bacteria are most often transmitted by fleas that have acquired it from infected squirrels, chipmunks and other wild rodents. Dogs and cats can also carry plague-infected fleas.
Symptoms of the plague often appear within two weeks of exposure and can include fever, nausea, weakness and swollen lymph nodes. If the deadly and infectious disease is detected early enough, it can effectively be treated with antibiotics.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

"Plague is naturally present in many parts of California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County," El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams said. "It's important that individuals take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially while walking, hiking and/or camping in areas where wild rodents are present. Human cases of plague are extremely rare but can be very serious."
The last reported human cases of the plague in The Golden State were in 2015 when two people were exposed to infected rodents or their fleas in Yosemite National Park. Both were treated and have since recovered. Before 2015, there hadn't been a reported case in the state since 2006.
RELATED: New Mexico Man Dies of Plague 2 Weeks After the State's First Reported Case of 2020
Since the recent plague case was announced, several areas of South Lake Tahoe have now posted signs advising the public of its presence, as well as ways to prevent potential exposure, including using insect repellent, wearing long pants, not feeding wild animals, not touching sick or dead animals and protecting your pets with flea control products.
In recent decades, an average of seven cases of human plague has been reported each year in the United States, with a range of one to 17 cases per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
[/size][size]
Earlier this month, a New Mexico man died of septicemic plague just two weeks after the state reported its first human plague case of the year.
The Rio Arriba County man was in his 20s and had been hospitalized before his death, the New Mexico Department of Health said in a news release. His death marked the first for the state in 2020 and the second reported case of plague in the state.[/size]

Former Chief of Staff of Trump's DHS is the newest Republican Voter Against Trump


https://youtu.be/OgQZExTciQM

https://people.com/crime/white-long-island-couple-charged-after-alleged-years-long-racist-harassment-of-black-neighbor/

[size=48]White Long Island Couple Charged After Alleged Years-Long Racist Harassment of Black Neighbor
Jennifer McLeggan said the alleged behavior targeting her began after she bought a home in April 2017 in Valley Stream, N.Y.
By Jeff Truesdell 
August 18, 2020 04:58 PM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fcrime%2Fwhite-long-island-couple-charged-after-alleged-years-long-racist-harassment-of-black-neighbor%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200818%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F08%2F18%2Fjennifer-mcleggan-2.jpg&description=White Long Island Couple Charged After Alleged Years-Long Racist Harassment of Black Neighbor][/url]

Jennifer McLeggan
 
EYEWITNESS NEWS ABC7NY / YOUTUBE
A white couple who allegedly harassed a Black neighbor by throwing feces on her lawn and repeatedly firing a pellet gun across her yard has been arrested and charged after what the Nassau County prosecutor termed "a pattern of intolerable conduct that cannot be left unchecked."
The alleged victim, Jennifer McLeggan, a registered nurse and single mother of a 2-year-old girl, had drawn attention to her neighbors' alleged behavior with a poster she affixed to her property last month, tallying the actions she said she was subjected to after moving in April 2017 into her home in the Long Island community of Valley Stream.
"My neighbors have been racially harassing me since I purchased my home," McLeggan wrote on the poster.  "I took video footage to court and won a $5000 judgment from my videos. They have thrown Human Feces on my property and it was recorded."

"They are now planting dead squirrels on my property and have told me to go back to where I came from. They have their friends come spit on my property and it was recorded. A blow torch was taken to my home at 3 a.m."
"They have said that I can be 'erased.' ... The police have said, I need to be harmed for them to make an arrest," she wrote. "I live in FEAR for my life at home."


In announcing the arrests of John McEneaney, 57, and Mindy Canarick, 53, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said: "The sign on Jennifer McLeggan’s door broke my heart and rallied a community to her aid. It also moved my office to investigate this matter because nobody should have to live in fear of harassment from their neighbors."

McEneaney was charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief in the fourth degree and misdemeanor harassment in the first degree. He faces a maximum of one year in jail if convicted.
Canarick was charged with misdemeanor criminal tampering in the third degree, and faces three months in jail if convicted.


The couple was arrested Monday and released on their own recognizance, and told to return to court Oct. 9. Judge Erica Prager also issued a protection order for McLeggan. An attorney for the couple was not immediately identified.
The alleged harassment began "immediately" after a pregnant McLeggan moved into the home, according to the prosecutor, and continued until last month.

"John McEneaney allegedly, as a form of harassment to annoy or alarm the victim, shot pellet guns repeatedly across the victim’s lawn, from April 2017 until July 2020, striking a nearby street sign at least 20 times," the prosecutor's office said in a statement. "Ms. McLeggan said that she has been fearful that she or her young daughter would be hit by a pellet, at least four of which were found on her lawn.
On May 30, 2019, upon returning home from an overnight nursing shift, McLeggan allegedly saw Canarick drop dog feces onto her property, according to the prosecutor.
McLeggan and the neighbor couple each filed complaints against the other, police said in July, according to WABC.  "At this time, we do not have any evidence of any bias," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder told the outlet at that time. "But that does not mean that it is not there. We have more work to do."
After posting her sign, McLeggan told WABC: "In case something happens to me here, then somebody would know I'm in the house with a baby. If I die in here, at least cops would see the sign."
On Monday the prosecutor said: "I hope that this prosecution, and the order of protection issued by Judge Prager today, afford Ms. McLeggan and her daughter the security they deserve."

party animal - not! wrote:
Just saw this, Lizzy

https://politicalwire.com/2020/08/18/at-least-20-states-will-sue-postal-service/


and Mr De Joy is in front of the likes of Katie Porter next week..........

PAN - Even better: Rep. Bill Pascrell of NJ is asking for a Grand Jury indictment of Dejoy on charges of election tampering. If the Monday hearings don't get satisfactory results this could be the next step - and if it can be proved to track back to drumpf he could be indicted, too. Wouldn't that be lovely?

And De Joy has called a halt...no doubt fed up with protesters outside his apartment.


This is huge here tonight too

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/18/donald-trump-us-senate-report-russia-campaign?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1597778415

PAN- 1. Nanct Pelosi has said that Dejoy took three steps forward and one little step back, so I don't think they're done with him. We'll see what happens in the next few days.

2. The report is getting some coverage,but it seems there wasn't much in the report that wasn't already known or suspected. There are still 2 committees "investigating" for drumpf to try and prove there shouldn't have been an investigation in the first place.

It's possible the talking heads of the media aren't discussing the report because the Democratic National Convention is airing and they're all busy analyzing every little detail they can think of.

https://people.com/politics/trump-administration-approves-plan-to-drill-alaska-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge/

[size=48]Trump Administration Approves Plan to Drill in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Alaskan lawmakers are praising the decision while environmentalists are raising concerns
By Claudia Harmata 
August 18, 2020 07:40 PM[/size]



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U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE/GETTY
The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to allow for an oil leasing program in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
On Monday, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt confirmed that the administration has approved for the program to begin auctioning off oil drilling leases in the area towards the end of this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The new confirmation comes after Congress passed a law requiring the Department of the Interior to lease oil from part of the refuge in 2017, when both the House of Representatives and Senate were under Republican control.
"President Trump’s leadership brought more than three decades of inaction to an end,” Bernhardt told reporters in a conference call, The 

Environmentalists have long raised concerns about the program, which will allow oil companies to drill on the 1.6 million-acre coastal plain that is home to more than 270 different species, including 900 polar bears, 250 musk oxen and 300,000 snow geese.
Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, denounced the program in a statement to the Post.
“Our climate is in crisis, oil prices have cratered, and major banks are pulling out of Arctic financing right and left. And yet the Trump administration continues its race to liquidate our nation’s last great wilderness, putting at risk the indigenous peoples and iconic wildlife that depend on it," Kolton said. “We will continue to fight this at every turn, in the courts, in Congress and in the corporate boardrooms.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
However, Bernhardt insisted to reporters on Monday that the plan was "carefully tailored" to minimize its impact on the surrounding environment.
"This is no ordinary oil and gas program on public lands," he said.

"Congress gave us a very clear directive here, and we have to carry out that directive consistent with the directive that they gave, and consistent with the procedural statutes,” Bernhardt continued. "I have a remarkable degree of confidence that this can be done in a way that is responsible, sustainable and environmentally benign."
Critics have also raised questions about how much oil is actually available on the refuge as there has not been any seismic testing for potential deposits since the 1980s. The government estimates that there is about 11 billion gallons of recoverable oil, but the results of any new testing will not be released to companies before the leasing auction.
"I think a lot of people will bid for leases without seismic data," Bernhardt said
RELATED: Donald Trump's Brother Robert Dies After Hospitalization: 'He Will Be Greatly Missed,' President Says
Meanwhile, Republican Alaskan lawmakers, such as Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young, are also praising the administration for moving forward with the program.
"This is a capstone moment in our decades-long push to allow for the responsible development of a small part of Alaska's 1002 Area," Murkowski said in a statement Monday, per CNN. "Through this program, we will build on our already-strong record of an increasingly minimal footprint for responsible resource development."

https://people.com/politics/trump-says-that-the-covid-19-pandemic-is-god-testing-me/

[size=48]Trump Says That Coronavirus Pandemic Is 'God Testing Me' to Rebuild the U.S. Economy
Elsewhere in his speech, the president suggested that he should run for a third term after he wins a second in November
By Sean Neumann 
August 19, 2020 01:34 PM[/size]



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President Donald Trump speaks to supporters in Mankato, Minnesota, on Monday.
 
C-SPAN
President Donald Trump on Monday told supporters during a campaign speech that the novel coronavirus pandemic was "God testing me" to rebuild the economy.
At least 171,300 people have died in the U.S. from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a New York Times tracker; and some 40 million people across the country had lost their jobs at one point during the pandemic, data shows.
The U.S. unemployment rate fell in July to 10.2 percent, down from 14.7 percent in April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in February, when Trump said the Democrats were trying to politicize the coronavirus as a "hoax" designed to damage him.
He has since struck a contradictory tone about the health crisis — at times sound serious, at others saying it would go away;

The president, 74, told supporters during the Monday stop in Mankato, Minnesota, that his administration had "built the greatest economy" in the world "and now I have to do it again." His campaign sees his economic record as key to his re-election argument and the damage wrought by the pandemic has upended his strategy against rival Joe Biden.
Trump has repeatedly inflated or skewed his impact on the economy — making hundreds of false claims publicly about what he's done in regards to growing the economy, according to a Washington Post fact check prior to the pandemic.
The Trump 2020 campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks Monday.
RELATED: Michelle Obama Says Donald Trump Is 'Clearly in Over His Head' During Passionate DNC Speech


Throughout the year, Trump has downplayed the impact of the virus — first discovered in late 2019 — and has blamed China, Democratic lawmakers, state governors and past presidents for the virus' harm.

Roughly half a year later, with the pandemic ongoing, in his latest Trump re-focused his blame toward the heavens on Monday.
"You know what that is? That’s God testing me,” Trump told supporters, with his characteristic — almost sarcastic — exaggeration. “He said, ‘You know, you did it once.’ And I said, ‘Did I do a great job, God? I’m the only one that could do it.’ He said, 'That you shouldn't say, now we're going to have you do it again.' "
RELATED: Bishop Denounces President Trump's 'Incendiary' Photo-Op at St. John's Church amid Protests
Elsewhere in his speech the president suggested that because of claims of Obama-era espionage ("they spied on me"), he should run for a third term after he wins a second in November. Trump was referring to the FBI's controversial decision to legally surveil a Trump campaign adviser as part of the Russia investigation before and during his first years in office.
Biden, the former vice president and Democratic nominee, is leading Trump in polls heading into the final two and a half months of the campaign, as both parties are hosting their political conventions this month to rally voters.
Biden, 77, named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate earlier this month, making her the first Black woman and first person of Asian descent to join a major parties' ticket.
Harris, 55, took aim at Trump's economic history in her first public remarks as the Democratic running mate last week.
“He inherited the longest economic expansion in history from Barack Obama and Joe Biden," Harris said then. "And then, like everything else he inherited, he ran it straight into the ground."

https://people.com/crime/steve-bannon-arrested-alleged-fraud-border-wall-crowdfunding/

[size=48]Steve Bannon Arrested for Allegedly Defrauding People with Border Wall Crowdfunding Campaign
Prosecutors allege that Steve Bannon and three co-defendants fraudulently claimed that 100 percent of the money raised would be put toward construction of the wall
By Steve Helling 
August 20, 2020 11:51 AM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fcrime%2Fsteve-bannon-arrested-alleged-fraud-border-wall-crowdfunding%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200820%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2019%2F12%2Fsteve-bannon.jpg&description=Steve Bannon Arrested for Allegedly Defrauding People with Border Wall Crowdfunding Campaign][/url]

Steve Bannon
 
ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES
Former senior White House adviser Steve Bannon was arrested on Thursday morning on accusations he defrauded people who donated money to build a wall on the U.S./Mexico border.
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bannon and three other people -- Brian Kolfage, Timothy Shea, and Andrew Badolato -- "orchestrated a scheme to defraud hundreds of thousands of donors...in connection with an online crowdfunding campaign ultimately known as 'We Build The Wall' that raised more than $25 million to build a wall along the southern border of the United States."
Bannon, Kolfage, Shea and Badolato are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The indictment alleges Bannon misled people by claiming that 100 percent of the donated money would be used for the project. According to federal prosecutors, the defendants misused several hundred thousands of dollars to enrich themselves.

"The defendants defrauded hundreds of thousands of donors, capitalizing on their interest in funding a border wall to raise millions of dollars, under the false pretense that all of that money would be spent on construction," Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in the statement.
"While repeatedly assuring donors that Brian Kolfage, the founder and public face of We Build the Wall, would not be paid a cent, the defendants secretly schemed to pass hundreds of thousands of dollars to Kolfage, which he used to fund his lavish lifestyle," Strauss continued.
The indictment alleges that they faked invoices and sham "vendor" arrangements to hide where the money was actually going.
Added Inspector-in-Charge Philip R. Bartlett:  “The defendants allegedly engaged in fraud when they misrepresented the true use of donated funds.  As alleged, not only did they lie to donors, they schemed to hide their misappropriation of funds by creating sham invoices and accounts to launder donations and cover up their crimes, showing no regard for the law or the truth."

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
Within a week of Kolfage's launching the campaign in December 2018, they raised roughly $17 million, prosecutors allege. That's when Bannon created the nonprofit We Build the Wall Inc.
According to the indictment, Kolfage, Bannon, and Badolato learned in the Fall of 2019 that the endeavor was under federal investigation.
Prosecutors allege that they "took additional steps to conceal the fraudulent scheme," including using encrypted messaging, stopping Kolfage's salary payments, and removing text from their website claiming that Kolfage would not be compensated.
Bannon worked in right-wing media before being tapped to serve as chief executive officer of President Trump's 2016 campaign. After the election, he served as chief strategist during the first few months of  Trump’s administration before being fired in August 2017.
Bannon has not yet entered a plea. Alexandra Preate, a representative for Bannon, and Bill Burck, a lawyer for him, did not immediately return calls or emails from PEOPLE seeking comment.
Attorney information for the other defendants wasn't immediately available.

Meanwhile in East Kentucky, the Russians have arrived, helped along by Mitch McConnell:


https://eu.courier-journal.com/story/news/2020/08/19/senate-report-russian-investor-braidy-mill-kremlin-proxy/5607217002/

At this point I don't think there's anyone associated with drumpf who isn't corrupt. But, of course, he doesn't know anything about any of it and isn't sure he knows any of these people, but he'll pardon them after they're convicted because they're good guys.

Hide in plain sight ...

https://people.com/politics/trump-holds-funeral-service-robert-trump-white-house/

[size=48]President Trump Holds Funeral Service for Younger Brother Robert at White House
Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Donald Trump, died Aug. 15 
By Ally Mauch 
August 22, 2020 11:15 AM[/size]



[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-holds-funeral-service-robert-trump-white-house%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpinterest.com%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-share-article%26utm_content%3D20200822%26utm_term%3Dundefined&media=https%3A%2F%2Fimagesvc.meredithcorp.io%2Fv3%2Fmm%2Fimage%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F20%2F2020%2F08%2F22%2Fdonald-trump.jpg&description=President Trump Holds Funeral Service for Younger Brother Robert at White House][/url]

NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
A funeral service for Robert Trump, the younger brother of President Donald Trump, was held Friday at the White House.
Trump family members attended the ceremony, which was held in the White House’s East Room, according to CNN. The outlet also reported that the family was anticipating "several dozen" guests at the funeral.
Both Trump and First Lady Melania Trump accompanied Robert’s casket as it was loaded into a hearse, but they did not make remarks to the nearby reporters. The costs of the service were privately paid for by the president, a White House official told CNN.
Although guests were not made to wear protective face masks at the service, they were tested for COVID-19 beforehand, according to The New York Times.

The last time a body was brought to the White House for a funeral service was in 1963, following the death of President John F. Kennedy, ABC News reported.


RELATED: Donald Trump's Brother Robert Dies After Hospitalization: 'He Will Be Greatly Missed,' President Says
Robert died last weekend at the age of 71 following a summer of ill-health. The White House announced his death on Saturday, August 15.
"It is with heavy heart I share that my wonderful brother, Robert, peacefully passed away tonight. He was not just my brother, he was my best friend. He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace," Trump, 74, said in a statement at the time.

Ann Marie Pallan, Robert’s wife whom he married in March, was also at the funeral service, according to Page Six. However, his ex wife, Blaine Trump, shared on her Instagram that neither she nor her son Christopher, whom Robert helped raise, were in attendance.
“Godspeed Robert!” Blaine wrote on Friday, sharing a photo of her and Robert renewing their vows at a Las Vegas chapel. “I received this yesterday, reminding me of the time we renewed our wedding vows."
“Thank you for the memories, it was a great ride starting in 1980 ending in 2009," she added. "Christopher and I are sad not to be included today at the funeral but we will be thinking of you and there in spirit. RIP”

RELATED: President Trump's Younger Brother May Have a White House Funeral, He Says
Trump previously said that Robert would have a White House funeral, telling reporters on Monday that he was looking at doing a “small service.”
"We’re looking at doing that,” Trump said. “That would be, I think, a great honor to him. I think he’d be greatly honored."
“He loved our country so much,” he continued of Robert. “He was so proud of what we were doing and what we are doing for our country. So I think it would be appropriate."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8658665/Melania-touts-Donald-Trumps-work-women-opens-art-exhibit-celebrating-19th-Amendment.html

[size=34]Melania touts Donald Trump's work for women as she opens art exhibit celebrating 19th Amendment[/size]

• Melania Trump revealed a new art exhibit tied to the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage 
  
  
• She touted President Donald Trump's work for women at a time his support among them is eroding
  
  
• She also encouraged people to vote in November
  
  
• Speech comes ahead of her remarks to GOP convention on Tuesday night 
  
  
• 'I encourage you all to vote so that we may continue to build the brightest future for all of our children,' she said 
  
  

By EMILY GOODIN, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:19 EDT, 24 August 2020 | UPDATED: 13:42 EDT, 24 August 2020

     



Melania Trump on Monday revealed a new art exhibit tied to the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage ahead of her debut at the Republican National Convention.
And, in her remarks, she touted President Donald Trump's work for women at a time his support among them is eroding.
'Since taking office, my husband and this administration have taken historic measures to empower and support women in the United States - and around the world,' she said. 



Top Articlesby Daily MailDonald Trump is officially nominated as Republicans'2020 candidate


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'Under our administration, the child tax credit has been doubled. American women, who comprise over half of the workforce, experienced their lowest rate of unemployment in over 65 years,' she added. 'In addition to these achievements, this administration has filled many of its senior positions with women.'
[size=10][size=18]Melania Trump praises husband's administration for 'empowering women'




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Melania Trump revealed a new art exhibit tied to the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage


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First Lady Melania Trump hugs Joy Barnard, from Michigan, as Second Lady Karen Pence looks on; the children were tested for COVID ahead of the event
It was a rare, almost campaign-like moment from the first lady, who tends to focus her work on children's issues and leave politics to the side.
She also encouraged everyone to vote - although she did not specify how they should vote. President Trump has railed against mail-in voting as causing election fraud - without offering any proof. Both the president and first lady vote by absentee ballot in Florida, which is their permanent residence.  
'We, as women, must continue using our greatest tool of empowerment – our voice. Now in 2020, the American woman's voice is more important than ever. Our Nation is depending on each of you. I encourage you all to vote so that we may continue to build the brightest future for all of our children,' the first lady said. 
Melania Trump was touting her new project tied to the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which includes includes one piece of art work from each of the 50 states and U.S. territories tied to the women's suffrage movement. It is available to be viewed online here. 
The first lady walked among the exhibit to view the art and talk to the children who created it. About 30 children were present and all had received a COVID test before the event, an official with the East Wing said.


Some kids gave the first lady hugs. She posed for a group photo with them afterward.
And she told the parents that the kids 'did a great job.' 
Joining the first lady at the event were second lady Karen Pence, White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, the first lady's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza.
Announced in June, the 'Building the Movement: America's Youth Celebrate 100 Years of Women's Suffrage' initiative solicited drawings from children between grades 3 and 12 depicting imagery related to the suffrage movement.
Her remarks come ahead of her speech Tuesday night to the Republican National Convention. 
'The first lady's speech is amazing. It's the highlight of the week,' outgoing White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters after the event on Monday. 
President Trump, in the 2016 election, won white women without a college degree by 27 per cent. And he won suburban voters by 4 points.
But polling indicates Democratic nominee Joe Biden is closing the gap with women, in part because of the law marks they give President Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The poll numbers sparked some alarm among Republicans.
A YouGov poll out earlier this month found that 37 per cent of women approve of Trump while 57 per cent disapprove. Biden leads Trump overall in national polling on the race.
And a Washington Post-ABC poll out last month found women trusted Biden over Trump on questions of 'crime and safety' by a 23 points: 57 per cent to 34 per cent.  Women also said they trusted Biden more on handling the coronavirus pandemic by 28 points. 


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Outgoing White House adviser Kellyanne Conway (center) was at the event with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (left) and Melania Trump's Chief of Staff Stephanie Grisham (right)


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During her remarks, which come ahead of her Tuesday speech to GOP convention, Melania Trump touted President Trump's work for women


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After she spoke, the first lady visited the art exhibit which featured art made by children in honor of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment



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Melania Trump joined President Trump last week when he announced the pardon of suffragette Susan B. Anthony
Melania Trump, in the closing days of the 2016 election, held an event for women's votes for her husband in Pennsylvania.
It's unclear what her campaign role will be this cycle but she speaks at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night from her newly renovated White House Rose Garden.
She is the one of the most high-profile women in Trump's administration, along with first daughter Ivanka Trump, who spent Monday traveling with her father to North Carolina and will introduce him on Thursday when he addresses the Republican National Convention from the White House's South Lawn.
Kellyanne Conway, the senior adviser who helped run Trump's 2016 campaign, is also one of the most visible women in the administration but announced on Sunday she would leave the White House at the end of the month.  
The first lady was at the president's side last week when he announced he was going to pardon Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the movement that gave women the right to vote, who was arrested for voting in 1872 at a time when only men were allowed to do so.
But some women criticized the president for his move, arguing Anthony did nothing wrong and should not be treated like a criminal.
'I was deeply troubled to learn that Trump went ahead and treated her like a criminal,' Kathy Hochul, the Democratic lieutenant governor of New York, said. 'Susan B. Anthony was guilty of nothing.' 
She called on Trump to rescind the pardon during remarks at the Susan B. Anthony House on Tuesday.
'She was proud of her arrest to draw attention to the cause for women's rights, and never paid her fine. Let her Rest in Peace,' Hochul said. 'I stopped a long time trying to figure out why he does what he does, but this was not to honor her. I don't know why he did what he did ,but I assure you it was not with the best interest of the public at heart.' 
The 19th Amendment states that 'The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.' 
Congress passed it in 1919, and the amendment was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920.
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From across the pond - about another 'lovely' guy:

Last Thursday, Alexej Navalny, Putin's strongest opponent who spent a lot of time in prison for daring to run against Putin and for telling voters that they actually have a choice, drank tea on an inland flight in Russia and fell into coma shortly after. He was taken to a hospital in Omsk (Sibirua), where doctors said they couldn't find any poison in his blood but diagnosed disorders of his metabolism. Navalny's friends and family didn't trust them and wanted him to be brought to a very good hospital in Berlin which the hospital in Omsk denied because they said he wasn't fit for a flight. Then, suddenly, they changed their minds (maybe they thought that the poisoning couldn't be diagnosed anymore), so he was flown to Berlin, still in coma. Now the Charite in Berlin found out that he had been poisened  (but of course can't tell who poisened him), the Russian government denied it. He's still in danger but not hovering between life and death, so hopefully he'll fully recover.

I always find it interesting when reading comments to these reports, how people react: Many wish him well, others critisize that our government pays for the transport and medical treatment (although it's written in these reports that his supporters pay for it), others start critisizing his supporters, saying that they can't have made their money legally, others start critisizing Navalny for critisizing Putin, for having made money in Russia before starting to critisize Putin, for having critisized others. And, if course, start critisizing our government for allowing Navalny to come to Germany bevause that might complicate our elations with Russia and for not allowing Snowdon to come to Germany instead.
It's a strange world...

Well, Carol it's good to know we aren't alone over here in this strange world.

I guess it doesn't help that Putin is spreading the word via bots etc across the States during



the US election and  everywhere else in the world with lots of disinformation on Facebook.


I think Navalny is an amazing and incredibly brave man, but I'm not sure that it was a good idea to  


have a drink in a cafe. Alexander Litvinenko did that in a hotel in London and died as a result. People on Putin's hit list e g


Bill  Browder, do not eat or drink anything anywhere because of threats from Putin

https://people.com/politics/trump-praises-turkish-president-man-held-captive/

[size=48]Trump Praises Turkish President to Man Once Held Captive in Country for 2 Years
"I have to say that, to me, President Erdoğan was very good," Trump told pastor Andrew Brunson, who was held hostage in Turkey for two years
By Eric Todisco 
August 25, 2020 09:57 AM[/size]



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Donald Trump and Pastor Andrew Brunson
During the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday, President Donald Trump spoke highly of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to an American pastor who was held captive in Turkey for two years.
In a pre-recorded segment that aired during the RNC on Monday night, Trump, 74, sat down in the White House with six former hostages, including pastor Andrew Brunson, who was freed from captivity in Turkey in 2018 after being arrested on espionage and terrorism charges in 2016.
"I was held in Turkey for two years and you took unprecedented steps to secure my release and your administration really fought for me," Brunson told Trump. "I think if you hadn't done that, I may still be in Turkey."
After Brunson told the president he was "grateful" for his administration, Trump praised Erdoğan, which he has previously done during his presidency.

"I have to say that, to me, President Erdoğan was very good," Trump said. "I know they had you scheduled for a long time and you were a very innocent person, and he ultimately, after we had a few conversations, he agreed."


"So we appreciate the people of Turkey," the president said, adding to Brunson, "and you still appreciate the people of Turkey I understand, right?"
"We love the Turkish people," Brunson said.
"That's great," Trump said. "It's great to have you back Andrew."

RELATED: The Trump Family & More: Here's Who Is Speaking At the Republican National Convention This Week
According to The Hill and the Huffington Post U.K., Brunson worked in Turkey for 23 years as the pastor of the Resurrection Church before he was detained for an alleged connection to a failed coup against Erdoğan in 2016, though he denied any wrongdoing.

After the White House imposed tariffs and threatened political pressure on the Turkish government, Brunson was ultimately released in 2018, both outlets reported.
RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Reacts to Michelle Obama's Speech Denouncing Him: 'Your Husband' Is Reason I Got Elected







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Trump previously praised Erdoğan, 66, in November 2019 following the pair's meeting in the Oval Office, which came just one month after the president's withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria triggered a Turkish onslaught, CNN reported at the time.
During the meeting, Trump reportedly told Erdoğan that it was "an honor" to host him.
"You're doing a fantastic job for the people of Turkey," Trump said, according to CNN, adding later that Erdoğan has a "great relationship with the Kurds," a group Turkey has deemed terrorists.
After the leaders' discussion, Trump reportedly left declaring himself a "big fan" of Erdoğan.

https://people.com/politics/nikki-haley-sometimes-donald-trump-critic-at-rnc/

[size=48]Nikki Haley Lauds Trump's Coarse Rhetoric in RNC Speech After Previously Criticizing Him for It
Haley is the former governor of South Carolina and served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump
By Sean Neumann 
August 24, 2020 11:37 PM[/size]



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Nikki Haley speaking at the Republican National Convention on Monday night
 
NBC NEWS
On a night that saw Republicans primarily showcase and thank Donald Trump, former Trump appointee Nikki Haley joined in embracing the president on everything from policy to rhetoric.
Haley, 48, is the former governor of South Carolina and served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from January 2017 through the end of December 2018.
Her remarks Monday night were made from Washington, D.C., during the remote Republican National Convention, which is taking place without crowds this week due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Much of Haley's speech was a warning-filled hypothesis of what Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's presidency could look like. She championed Trump's disdain for "cancel culture" — even as he has called for boycotts of various businesses — and aligned herself with a number of his policies and beliefs.

Haley invoked her own Indian-American ancestry while arguing that the country as a whole is "not racist," in clear reference to ongoing protests against racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd in police custody in late May.
“This is personal for me,” Haley said. “My father wore a turban. My mother wore a sari. I was a brown girl in a Black and white world.”
"In much of the Democratic Party, it's now fashionable to say that America is racist. That is a lie," she said. "America is not a racist country."
RELATED: Black Man Shot by Wisconsin Police in Front of 3 Sons, Says Lawyer, as Video Sparks Protests


Haley, who was born to two Indian-American immigrants, graduated from Clemson University with a degree in accounting and briefly worked in finances before entering government.

She was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2004 and served as the state's governor from 2011 to 2017, when she was appointed to her role in the Trump administration.
Given her pedigree, and how she handled the response to the mass shooting in a black church in Charleston in 2015, she is seen as a top contender for the presidency once Trump leaves office.
Haley's December 2018 resignation reportedly caught most off-guard — including White House staff — but President Trump appeared supportive of her decision, according to Fox News.
"Hopefully you'll be coming back at some point, maybe in another capacity," Trump told Haley after she resigned. "You can have your pick."
RELATED: The Trump Family & More: Here's Who Is Speaking At the Republican National Convention This Week


After leaving her post as U.N. ambassador, Haley went on to serve on the board of directors for airline giant Boeing before she resigned from the lucrative position in March because of her disagreements over airline bailouts amid the pandemic, according to NPR.
In her time outside of politics, Haley authored a memoir about working in the Trump administration. Unlike others who have left the Trump administration only to write scathing accounts of their time in his White House, Haley only provided "glancing" critiques of the controversial president, according to The Washington Post.
Haley did, however, write about having private objections to Trump's 2018 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his lack of condemnation for a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that resulted in a counter-protestor's death.
“A leader’s words matter in these situations. And the president’s words had been hurtful and dangerous,” Haley wrote in her book. “I picked up the phone and called the president.”
Elsewhere, she has sometimes pushed back on his infamously provocative and pugilistic social media style.
"This is so unnecessary," she tweeted back at Trump last year after he posted about a political opponent's home being burgled.
On Monday, she celebrated Trump's rhetoric, saying that he “tells the world what it needs to hear" and said, “he knows that political correctness and cancel culture are dangerous and just plain wrong."

https://people.com/politics/georgia-rep-vernon-jones-featured-rnc/

[size=48]Ga. Democrat Is Featured at RNC for His Trump Support — After Colleagues Called Him 'Embarrassment'
Vernon Jones initially endorsed Trump in April, immediately drawing criticism from his fellow Democrats in Georgia
By Sean Neumann 
August 24, 2020 11:32 PM[/size]



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Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones speaking at the Republican National Convention on Monday night
 
NBC NEWS
Democratic lawmaker Vernon Jones, a state representative from Georgia, initially turned heads when he endorsed President Donald Trump in April.
Jones did so again with a pointed speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday, accusing the Democratic Party of holding Black people in the U.S. back from progress — repeating a common criticism from Trump himself.
"The Democratic Party does not want Black people to leave their mental plantation," Jones, 59, said. "We have been forced to be there for decades and generations."
Jones pointed to a mid-June photo of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats sharing a moment of silence for George Floyd while wearing kente cloths.
"As if pandering were enough to keep us satisfied," Jones said, before diving into his background growing up in North Carolina.

Jones’ appearance at the opening night of his rival party’s national convention comes as polls show Trump badly faring among Black voters. A CBS News poll fielded just before last week’s Democratic National Convention showed that 90 percent of Black likely voters nationwide planned to cast their ballot for  Joe Biden.
Democratic lawmakers in Georgia had been quick to rebuke Jones for endorsing Trump back in April. State Sen. Nikema Williams, the chairwoman of Georgia's Democratic Party, called Jones an "embarrassment" soon after the endorsement, according to the The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The AJC also reported that a number of Democratic lawmakers in the state responded to Jones by endorsing his primary opponent, community activist Rhonda Taylor.
"We're not sure what was on Vernon's mind. It's antithetical to what we believe in," Democratic state Rep. James Beverly said then, according to the AJC. "We can't support an ideology that's diametrically opposed to who we are and what we value."


Following his endorsement of Trump, Jones said he would not seek re-election in November, leaving Taylor to run unopposed. "I have left the plantation," he said, the AJC reported.
Jones' endorsement echoed that of New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who left the Democratic Party late last year after voting against Trump's impeachment. Jones' support, however, was even more notable given his background as a Black lawmaker in Georgia, where Black voters are a crucial Democratic constituency.
RELATED: Trump Swipes at Late Civil Rights Icon John Lewis: 'I Really Don’t Know' How History Will Remember Him


Trump, 74, has a long history of racist and inflammatory remarks: He built his national political profile in part on spreading the conspiracy that Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. and he notoriously took out a full-page ad in New York City newspapers in implicit reaction to case of the "Central Park Five," arguing that “muggers and murderers” should receive the death penalty if their victims die. (The suspects in that case, who were Black and Hispanic boys, had been wrongly imprisoned.)
In an episode that Vice President Biden has made key to his campaign against Trump, the president said there were "very fine people on both sides" after a  Unite the Right rally in Virginia in 2017 that resulted in one counter-protester's death.
RELATED: The Trump Family & More: Here's Who Is Speaking At the Republican National Convention This Week
At the RNC on Monday night, some of the speakers pushed back on the perception of Trump as a racist. Former football star Herschel Walker was one such supporter; Rep. Jones was another.
The Democrats similarly invited Republican politicians to speak out against Trump, and in favor of Biden during last week's DNC (which, like the RNC, went all-remote during the novel coronavirus pandemic).
“I’m a lifelong Republican, but that attachment holds second place to my responsibility to my country," former Ohio Gov. John Kasich said last week. "That’s why I’ve chosen to appear at this convention. In normal times, something like this would probably never happen, but these are not normal times.”

I wonder if the African Americans supporting drumpf take into consideration the effect on the black and hispanic communities of the decades of redlining his family did in the NY real estate market. Forget the propaganda spewing from his cult. How many families of color were stuck in "ghettos" because drumpf and his ilk considered them undesirable tenants and refused to rent to them? If that isn't racist I don't know what is.

A lady in the village reads tea cups ... now she didn’t have Donald’s cup, but her neighbor is American ... and she told him (and he told the petrol pump guy) that Trump will defo lose!!! But refuse to go home initially/immediately, like a 3 year old at his first party....

Good enough for me ...

WWHS - Too soon to relax. There are tons of drumpf supporters who would take to the streets if he loses. He has to be defeated by so many votes that his loss can't be contested, and right now that doesn't look probable. IMO this will be a close election. Every vote is going to count.

Some pretty powerful media out there, folks. Here's the latest from the Lincoln Project i e

Republicans, some still serving in the White House

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMBnvGj6e1s. One out every day

Also Colbert a day ago from 1 minute 12 onwards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbIAQxVv83M&t=89s

Lord take the wheel these people who support him are crazier than I could have imagined.

LizzyNY wrote:WWHS - Too soon to relax. There are tons of drumpf supporters who would take to the streets if he loses. He has to be defeated by so many votes that his loss can't be contested, and right now that doesn't look probable. IMO this will be a close election. Every vote is going to count.

I hear you ... and appreciate your genuine fear, but Donalds convention this week talks of terror and violence... I can’t help but think that Joe has it right ... bread (nourishments) is stronger than the gun ... stick to what your saying and you have to win... 

All we can offer you is prayer and positive support...

But I agree... it has to be An OVERWHELMING VOTE ... if I could I would, but that would be playing into his hand...

And the world holds its breath ... and your hand x

WWHS - Your support and well wishes are much appreciated. The terror and violence drumpf keeps spouting off about have mostly been caused by him since he took office. He has brought everything ugly in our country to the surface and given it free reign. Maybe if enough people around the world pray for us we can get this country back on track. Four more years of drumpf will destroy us.

https://people.com/human-interest/auschwitz-museum-tiktok-trend-of-teens-roleplaying-as-holocaust-victims/

[size=48]Auschwitz Museum Calls TikTok Trend of Teens Role-Playing as Holocaust Victims 'Offensive'
Through the trend, users of the popular social media app talk about dying during the mass genocide as they wear striped uniforms reminiscent of those worn by concentration camp prisoners
By Nicholas Rice 
August 28, 2020 03:46 PM




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GALERIE BILDERWELT/GETTY
The Auschwitz Museum is condemning a new TikTok trend in which teens role-play as victims of the Holocaust as "hurtful and offensive."
The museum's memorial site tweeted a statement on Wednesday, responding to the videos shared on the popular social media app, where certain users talk about dying during the mass genocide as they wear striped uniforms reminiscent of those worn by concentration camp prisoners, fake bruises or Star of David armbands.
"The 'victims' trend on TikTok can be hurtful & offensive. Some videos are dangerously close or already beyond the border of trivialization of history," the Auschwitz Museum tweeted, before adding that they did not want to shame the young people involved.
"But we should discuss this not to shame & attack young people whose motivation seem very diverse," the organization said. "It's an educational challenge."

RELATED: 75 Years Later, Powerful Photos from the Liberation of Auschwitz

The museum then attached a longer statement to their tweet, critiquing the role of social media in remembering the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis.
"The stories of people who were imprisoned and murdered in Auschwitz are incredibly tragic, painful and emotional," the statement began. "It is crucial to share the individual stories to commemorate and educate. It's also important to place the stories within the context of accuracy and respect. We also need to remember about ethical challenges and psychological dangers of roleplaying while teaching about this history. While it is essential to use personal stories, we are not allowed to put people in a victim's position."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
They continued, "The trend visible on TikTok can be indeed hurtful and even considered offensive. Some of the examples online are dangerously close or are already beyond the border of trivialization of history and being disrespectful to the victims. Some were not created to commemorate anyone, but to become part of an online trend. This is very painful."
The organization went on to say that because social media is "part of our everyday lives and communication," people "should continuously raise awareness that not every social media activity can commemorate the Holocaust."
The statement concluded by calling out dangerous algorithms "promoting antisemitism or the presence of Holocaust denial that is a dangerous & hidden character of antisemitism & hatred."
RELATED VIDEO: Woman Reunites with Holocaust Survivors She Helped Save








[/size]
A rep for the social media app told The New York Post on Thursday that they have been "redirecting searches for the videos, which users were posting with the hashtag #holocaustchallenge."
"We do not condone content like this and are redirecting searches for it to our Community Guidelines to further educate users about our policies and the supportive, inclusive community we are working to foster on TikTok," a spokesman for the company told the outlet.

https://people.com/human-interest/hurricane-laura-knocks-down-confederate-statue-two-weeks-after-vote/

[size=48]Hurricane Laura Knocks Down Confederate Statue 2 Weeks After Jury Voted to Keep It
Powerful winds in Louisiana knocked down a Confederate statue, the South's Defenders Monument, after a jury decided to keep it
By Jason Duaine Hahn 
August 28, 2020 04:51 PM[/size]



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MICKEY WELSH/THE ADVERTISER VIA USA TODAY NETWORK/SIPA
Just two weeks after a police jury in Louisiana voted to keep a Confederate statue amid calls to remove it, Hurricane Laura's strong winds took down the century-old monument.
The hurricane made landfall in the United States on Thursday morning, inflicting significant structural damage to areas around Louisiana. Despite Laura being downgraded to a tropical storm from a Category 4 hurricane, its 150-mph winds were enough to topple the South's Defenders Monument located in front of Calcasieu Parish Courthouse in downtown Lake Charles, according to CNN.
The statue had stood in front of the courthouse for 105 years, and recently became a point of contention amid calls to remove monuments to the Confederate States of America — a breakaway government that fought against the U.S. in the American Civil War — around the country today as many view them as symbols of racism.
"In the year 2020, a courthouse lawn is not the place for this monument," Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter wrote in a Facebook post on June 26. "The statue should not be destroyed or erased."

"It should be relocated with thoughtfulness and modern context, and while I do not have the answer for where it should be relocated to, I am willing to be a part of a constructive conversation about this and how to move forward together," he continued.
RELATED: Photos of the Devastation Caused By Hurricane Laura & How You Can Help in the Aftermath


Pictures after Laura hit the area showed the statue on the ground, bent and broken. On Aug. 13, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury voted 10-4 to keep the statue in front of the courthouse, CBS News reported.

"Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish has been filled with controversy and tension after our parish government by a vote of 10-5 refused to take down the Confederate South’s Defenders Monument," Davante Lewis of the Louisiana Budget Project said of the monument being toppled. "Hurricane Laura had other plans and brought it down herself."
RELATED: Hurricane Laura Makes Landfall in U.S. as a Category 4 Storm, Bringing 'Unsurvivable' Storm Surge
In June, a statue of English enslaver Edward Colston was thrown into a harbor in Bristol, England in a display of solidarity with Black Lives Matters activists in America. Colston was responsible for trafficking some 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to North America through the Royal African Company, the BBC reported.
A short time after the monument was removed, a statue of a Black Lives Matter protester was erected in its place, only to be removed after Mayor Marvin Rees said the citizens should choose what stood there.
RELATED VIDEO: Hurricane Laura Makes Landfall in U.S. as a Category 4 Storm







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Laura has caused extensive damage in the south since making landfall. The storm has claimed six lives in Louisiana so far, according to NBC News. One of the youngest victims, a 14-year-old girl, was killed when a tree fell on her home.
"It is clear that we did not sustain and suffer the absolute, catastrophic damage that we thought was likely based on the forecast we had last night," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday, NBC News reported. "But we have sustained a tremendous amount of damage. We have thousands and thousands of our fellow citizens whose lives are upside down."