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Coronavirus/COVID-19 Update
- The U.S. reported 49,561 new cases and 519 additional deaths – the second day in a row deaths were under 1,000.
- Dr. Anthony Fauci explained why it can be so difficult to contain community spread of the virus.
“Nursing home outbreaks, meatpacking plant outbreaks, prison outbreaks – it’s unfortunate that they occur, but you know exactly what you’re dealing with, and you could go in there, and try and suppress the infection and contain it,” he said. “Whereas when you have community spread, it’s insidious. There are people who are spreading it who have no symptoms at all, and we know that definitely occurs. It’s difficult to identify it, and it’s difficult to do identification, isolation and contact tracing.”
- Two new studies have arrived at the same conclusion: young children not only transmit the coronavirus efficiently, but may be major drivers of the pandemic as well.
- In a racially charged tweet, President Trump publicly ripped Dr. Deborah Birx, who is coordinating the White House’s coronavirus response, suggesting she was hurting him after she bluntly acknowledged that the pandemic is widespread across the United States.
“So Crazy Nancy Pelosi said horrible things about Dr. Deborah Birx, going after her because she was too positive on the very good job we are doing on combatting (sic) the China Virus, including Vaccines & Therapeutics. In order to counter Nancy, Deborah took the bait & hit us. Pathetic!”
- As President Trump continues to downplay the surge in U.S. cases and to attribute it to increased testing, White House officials were told on Monday they will now be subjected to random testing for the virus.
- A major organization representing deaf Americans and a group of deaf individuals are suing the White House over the lack of a sign language interpreter at the administration’s COVID-19 briefings.
- A Trump campaign email, typically used for soliciting donations, made a different request of his supporters: consider wearing a mask.
“We are all in this together, and while I know there has been some confusion surrounding the usage of face masks, I think it’s something we should all try to do when we are not able to be socially distanced from others,” the email, sent by the Trump campaign and signed by the President, read.
- President Trump signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to telehealth and improving rural health care.
- President Trump said that he is considering taking executive action to halt evictions and suspend payroll tax collection as coronavirus relief talks see slow progress on Capitol Hill.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said extension of the federal $600 unemployment insurance provisions in the next stimulus bill is not negotiable.
- Michigan State Sen. Tom Barrett (R) who has been outspoken in opposition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s (D) use of emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic has tested positive for COVID-19.
- Police officers Saturday morning in Lehigh County shot and wounded Adam M. Zaborowski, the shooter in a Friday incident at a Bethlehem Township cigar store, where a mask dispute ended in gunfire.
Local police and state police troopers were monitoring the man’s house and pickup truck awaiting the arrival of a Municipal Emergency Response Team.
Zaborowski then left the house and got into his vehicle. Police followed and attempted to stop him when he got out of his truck and opened fire with an AK-47.
- Northwestern University stopped football workouts after a student-athlete tested positive for coronavirus.
- Seven St. Louis Cardinals players and six team staffers have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past week. Major League Baseball announced the team’s scheduled four-game series against the Detroit Tigers this week has been postponed.
- The NHL announced on Monday afternoon that it has had zero positive COVID-19 test results since its 24 playoff teams reported to their bubble cities of Toronto and Edmonton.
- The Liberty Belle, a large riverboat, was used on Saturday to host a party with more than 170 guests, violating New York state and local social-distancing rules. Deputy Sheriffs intercepted the Liberty Belle at Pier 36 & arrested two owners of the boat, Ronny Vargas and Alex Suazo, and the boat’s captain for violating social distancing provisions of the Mayor’s and Governor’s Emergency Orders and operating an unlicensed bar and bottle club, the Sheriff’s Office said.
- Students will be required to wear masks in school buildings unless they have a medical condition or certain disabilities, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said.
Murphy tightened restrictions on indoor gatherings. Murphy scaled back indoor limits to 25 people, with exceptions for weddings, funerals and religious and political events.
- Maryland recorded 870 new cases and eight new deaths.
- Georgia reported 2,271 new cases and two new deaths.
- Florida reported 4,752 new cases and 73 additional deaths.
- A 14 year old and a 17 year old in Florida have died from COVID-19 complications. Seven children have now died in the state due to COVID-19.
- Florida’s top business regulator, met with brewery and bar owners to discuss ideas about reopening.
- Ohio reported 932 new cases and 10 additional deaths.
- Public schools in Columbus, Ohio, will start the school year completely remotely for grades K-12 until at least Oct. 27.
- During a call with governors, Dr. Deborah Birx warned Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) that his state would likely see an increasing number of deaths from coronavirus in the coming two weeks.
- For the thirteenth day in a row, Illinois reported over 1,000 new cases. There were 1,298 new cases in the state on Monday.
- 85 Chicago police officers tested positive for Covid-19 in the month of July, bringing the total to 677 total officers this year.
- City officials issued 20 tickets to Denver businesses over the weekend for violations of public health orders, including customers and staff not wearing masks, no social distancing and other compliance issues.
- California reported 5,719 new cases and 32 additional deaths.
Protests/Racial and Social Justice
- The U.S. Navy SEALs have announced an investigation into a video showing a man wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey being attacked by dogs at a demonstration at the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Trump Administration
- The Manhattan district attorney’s office implied that its subpoena for President Trump’s tax returns is part of an investigation into “possibly extensive and protracted criminal conduct at the Trump Organization,” including potential fraud allegations detailed in media reports in recent years.
- President Trump said Monday that TikTok will be shut down in the U.S. if it hasn’t been bought by Microsoft or another company by Sept. 15.
Trump said he wants the government to receive a portion of the sale price.
- President Trump signed an executive order aimed at blocking U.S. agencies from outsourcing jobs to foreign workers, a move partly sparked by outrage among some conservatives over outsourcing plans from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The order specifically targets the use of H-1B visas and requires federal agencies to prioritize hiring U.S. residents and green card holders before outsourcing contract jobs to foreign workers.
Presidential Campaign
- House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA) blasted President Trump’s repeated attacks on mail-in voting, accusing him of deliberately sabotaging the U.S. Postal Service. “Trump put Postmaster DeJoy in charge of the postal service to dismantle the USPS & sabotage vote by mail. New procedures are causing massive delays,” Waters tweeted.
- President Trump claimed to have the authority to issue an executive order addressing the expected influx of mail-in voting in the November election and said he hadn’t ruled out doing so, in spite of the Constitution expressly giving states the right to run their elections.
“I have the right to do it,” Trump insisted, adding: “We haven’t got there yet, but we’ll see what happens.”
Sources: ABC News, Associated Press, The Atlantic, Axios, Bloomberg, CBS News, CNN, Financial Times, Fox News,The Hill, Independent, NBC News, NJ.com, NPR, NY Times, Politico, Reuters, Salon, Slate, Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post
The Past 24 Hours Or So 