Lock and Load those AR-15’s!
The Ron DeSantis Florida Supreme Court has just made gun rights Floridians very happy when they “shot down” the assault weapons ban measure the David Hogg’s of the world have been trying to shove down the throats of voters.
The court found the language in the summary as deceptive. Wait! Stop the presses! The looney anti-gun lobby is being “deceptive” in trying to ban semi-automatic guns and ammunition!? Nooooooo! (Sarcasm) READ MORE
Chinese Chow Mein or Pharmaceutical Peking Duck?
Sen. Marco Rubio, who we all know is as anti-Chinese government as they come, made the case for why Americans need to start making their own drugs and not rely on China for filling the existing Rx drug void that exists. READ MORE
All Lives Matter, Even the Blue Ones
Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D) continues to push his anti-Police agenda, this time defending a woman arrested for battery on a police officer. Rep. Smith wanted to see bodycam footage, and he got it. Unfortunately for him and others hoping to score points against police, the bodycam and actual footage from the woman’s cellphone taken from inside the car shows when she purposely assaulted the officer by deliberately closed the window on his hands.
The officer was able to pull his hands free but not before the window snagged his left hand while doing so. The police were respectful prior to the assault and kindly asked her to step out of the car, but she refused.
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“Murkowski Says Mattis Rebuke Were ‘True and Honest and Necessary and Overdue’” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) praised former Defense Secretary James Mattis statement that condemned President Trump handling of the current protest plaguing the nation, saying his words were “true, and honest and necessary and overdue,” adding that she is ‘struggling” with whether to support the president. “When I saw General Mattis’ comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we are getting to a point where we can be more honest with the concerns that we might hold internally and have the courage of our own convictions to speak up,” Murkowksi told reporters on Capitol Hill. “I was really thankful. I thought General Mattis’ words were true, and honest and necessary and overdue,” Murkowski added. “And, I have been struggling for the right words, and I was encouraged a couple of nights ago when I was able to read what President Bush had written. And I found that to be empowering for me as one leader.” Mattis on Wednesday slammed Trump for his handling to the ongoing nationwide protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, denouncing his former boss in a fiery statement that the president only wants “to divide” the American people. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) also praised Mattis comments, calling them “stunning and powerful.”
“OPINION: Disgraced China Should Not Be Honored With Hosting The Olympics” by Kat Cammack via The Floridian – I recently sat down for dinner with my husband who is a firefighter. He had just finished another long 24 hour shift, which has been consistent in the first responder community since the beginning of the COVD-19 outbreak. We happened upon the topic of the Olympics and how we both loved cheering on the United States as the world’s greatest athletes compete. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and stay at home orders, it was nice to talk about something other than the day’s news. We Googled where the next winter olympics were, as my husband’s favorite sport to watch, curling, is a winter sport. We were disappointed to learn the 2022 Winter Olympics will be played in Beijing, China. Our disappointment quickly turned into fury and anger. Personally, I have been continually outraged by China’s actions around the world over the past couple of decades. As Chairman of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Nonproliferation, Rep. Ted Yoho was tasked with the issues and fallout of Chinese communist policy and aggression. As Rep. Yoho’s former Deputy Chief of Staff, I had a front row seat to world affairs and the Chinese government’s march across the world stage with an authoritarian boot.
“Biden Leads Trump Nationally by 11 Points” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the national protests regarding the murder of George Floyd, President Trump (R) and former Vice President Joe Biden (D), the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, are still embroiled in campaigning for the upcoming 2020 presidential elections that are to be held in November. With that being said, a Monmouth University poll has just revealed that Vice President Biden has a double-digit lead over President Trump, an 11-point lead that shows 52% of registered voters supporting Biden while only 41% of registered voters are supporting the President. Speaking on the results, Patrick Murray, the director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, commented that “the race continues to be largely a referendum on the incumbent,” adding that “the initial reaction to ongoing racial unrest in the country suggests that most voters feel Trump is not handling the situation all that well.” This comes at a time when the former Vice President is still facing criticism over comments made during an appearance on the Breakfast Club when he said that Trump voters “aint black.” Murray added that “the lack of a public campaign during the pandemic may be hurting Trump, but it is not necessarily helping Biden,” noting that “Trump has not been able to lean on the large rallies that generate positive feedback for him, but Biden has not been much of a presence at all on the public stage.” Murray concluded that “many voters think the Democrat could do a good job, but they haven’t seen enough of him to judge for certain.”
“Rubio: U.S. needs to make its own pharmaceuticals” by The Floridian’s Daniel Molina – As the coronavirus continues to pose a threat to the United States and the globe, lawmakers continue to press for actions against China, citing their mishandling of the virus along with the spread of misinformation as factors that have put the world at great risk. With numerous legislations being introduced to hold the Chinese Communist government accountable, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) is now commenting on China’s production of pharmaceuticals and the role that U.S. territories could play in the matter. At a recent academia, Rubio said that the United States needs “more domestic capabilities in that field, as this recent pandemic has proven.” Specifically, Rubio believes that “we need to improve our own domestic capabilities, as I think you’re going to see a growing amount of biomedical nationalism around the world because countries have faced the abyss of running out of materials and are going to look for ways to be able to produce more by themselves.” Moreover, he added that “we’re going to have to have that same capability, but also because it produces great jobs.” And, “it would also help with Puerto Rico’s economic recovery, by producing high paying jobs available to the graduates in Puerto Rico and those who see to return from the mainland and back to the island.”
“Internal investigation of Michelle Cook disappears from her file” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – The recent murder of George Floyd at the hands of overzealous police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, law enforcement agencies across the country are under tremendous scrutiny over their policing policies and are being pressed to conduct an investigation into any and all alleged crimes and potential crimes committed against Black Americans. After being accused by a former Black Navy Chief of falsely arresting him, it appears that City of Atlantic Beach, Florida, Chief of Police Michelle Cook may have a lot more to answer for. Chief Derek Cashaw accused Chief Cook of having him falsely arresting him over a dog bite incident back when she worked for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office. Cashaw filed a formal complaint against Cook, and an internal police investigation was launched, but all records of that internal appear to have vanished. Every police officer has a concise record or an accounting for any and all complaints and reprimands filed against them over the course of their career. In Cook’s case, 2014 Cashaw’s complaint and subsequent internal investigation do not appear in her concise report. Why is that? Cook’s attorney reached out to The Floridian several weeks back and asserted that his client was cleared by internal police investigators of any wrongdoing and offered to furnish documentation connected to the incident.
“DeSantis: ‘We want to get to yes’ on hosting RNC in Florida” by Politico’s Quint Fogey – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday made his pitch to host the 2020 Republican National Convention in the Sunshine State — arguing it would be a “mistake” to altogether preclude the physical staging of the party’s quadrennial presidential nominating event over concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. “The shape of the epidemic is just simply going to be different. Hopefully, it’s a lot better, but I think we’ll be able to make those decisions about what precautions need to be taken as you get closer,” DeSantis, a Republican, said in an interview on “Fox & Friends.” “But to just rule out a convention at this stage, I think, is a mistake,” he continued, responding to a question about hosting the August event in Florida. “So we’ve said we want to get to ‘yes’ on it, and I think you’ll be able to do it.” The governor’s remarks come after President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the GOP would seek another state instead of North Carolina to accommodate the high-profile gathering of party delegates. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, had rejected hours earlier the GOP’s plans for a full-fledged convention in Charlotte, telling Republican officials the only way the event could proceed was with proper health protocols in place. The editorial board of The Charlotte Observer expressed agreement with Cooper on Wednesday, writing that “Roy Cooper wanted to protect the health of North Carolinians. Donald Trump was thinking about himself.”
“Nine firefighters injured in Florida ship explosion” by NBC’s Tim Stelloh – Nine firefighters were injured Thursday after an explosion on an auto-hauling ship on the Florida coast, officials said. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue tweeted about the explosion shortly after 7 p.m. and the injuries. Citing the department, NBC affiliate WTLV reported that nine had been taken to a hospital, including some with serious injuries. The ship was at Blount Island, near Jacksonville, the department said. None of the ship’s crew members were hurt in a fire that began on the ship’s seventh deck, the station reported. Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Powers called a ship fire “one of the most dangerous situations a firefighter can encounter,” the station reported. Ship records show the vessel is Norwegian and was scheduled to leave Jacksonville. It wasn’t immediately clear what started the fire.
“Florida cops arrest man accused of threatening to 'blow up' police station, turn it into 'Swiss cheese'” by Fox News’ Louis Casiano – A Florida man allegedly posted to Facebook that he would blow up a police station and kill police officers, and also purportedly said he would turn the department into "Swiss cheese," according to authorities. Daravius Toliver, 20, of Sanford, allegedly made the threat Tuesday as nationwide demonstrations continued over the death of George Floyd, the Orlando Sentinel reported. “Sanford Police Department I wish y’all would try some [expletive]" Toliver allegedly wrote. "I’ll kill all y’all n blow up the station.” In another post, he allegedly said: “Spd pull up here boy boy ima Swiss cheese that [expletive].” He tagged the police department in the post. He is charged with writing or sending a threat to kill or injure, as well as threatening to bomb or discharge a destructive device, according to Seminole County Jail records. He faces up to 15 years in prison, the newspaper reported. He is being held on $30,000 bail. It was unclear whether or not he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
“Florida governor was warned about unemployment system issues in 2018” by WESH’s Bob Hazen – A 2018 memo from current head of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to Gov. Ron DeSantis' transition team called the state’s unemployment system a "potential threat." The memo was sent by Ken Lawson, the current head of the DEO, in December 2018 to DeSantis’ transition team as he took over from former Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The governor has said audits detailing problems with the state’s unemployment system never got to his desk. Lawson, who at the time was running Visit Florida, laid out an action plan for the DEO and listed some of potential threats the DEO faces. The first thing on the list of the threats was the state’s unemployment system. “The technological and administrative capabilities of the reemployment assistance program may struggle in the event claims volume increases in the future,” Lawson wrote. That warning to DeSantis comes on top of years of audits WESH 2 News has reported on showing dozens of problems with DEO’s CONNECT website, which, in March and April blocked hundreds of thousands of people from applying for benefits. The governor has admitted it was a broken system. “It was not looking good. It was a very, very problematic system. So we’ve worked really hard at it,” DeSantis said when addressing the unemployment woes during a news conference.
“Florida Supreme Court Shoots Down Assault Weapons Ban” by CBS Miami – The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a proposed constitutional amendment seeking to ban possession of assault-style weapons does not meet requirements to go before voters. Supporters of the Ban Assault Weapons NOW initiative did not submit enough petition signatures to make it on the 2020 ballot but needed support from the Supreme Court to go before voters in 2022. The group began the initiative after 17 people were killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Attorney General Ashley Moody, the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation opposed the measure at the Supreme Court, while national gun-control groups such as Brady and several South Florida cities backed the proposal. The Supreme Court plays a key role in the ballot-initiative process. It reviews initiatives to determine whether ballot titles and summaries — the wording that voters would see at polling places — meet legal requirements. It does not decide on the merits of the initiatives. Thursday’s 4-1 decision focused on part of the ballot summary that said the initiative “exempts and requires registration of assault weapons lawfully possessed prior to this provision’s effective date.” The court majority, made up of Chief Justice Charles Canady and justices Ricky Polston, Alan Lawson, and Carlos Muniz, said that provision “affirmatively misleads voters regarding the exemption” because of a contradiction with the broader text of the proposed constitutional amendment.
“Florida Sen. Marco Rubio thinks this hilariously bad antifa video is 'interesting and timely'” by Orlando Weekly’s Colin Wolf – Marco Rubio, a Florida Senator who cheers for civil rights protests in other countries but just not in the U.S., decided to share “an interesting and timely” video claiming to “expose” the inner workings of antifa, a non-existent organization the Trump Administration wants to deem “domestic terrorists.” “Interesting & timely uncover expose on #Antifa, a violent movement some continue to deny exists,” tweeted Rubio this afternoon, with zero self-reflection or notes of irony. The video, which was published Thursday, was created by James O’Keefe’s widely discredited right wing attack group Project Veritas, which has a long history of incredibly fake stories. Remember when they tried to plant a fake story at the Washington Post, and then proceeded to dunk on themselves? Or the time they claimed to have "exposed CNN," by getting a former contractor to secretly film a happy hour with an intern, and playing recordings from CNN president Jeff Zucker saying bombshells like "Let's focus on Trump's impeachment." Like O'Keefe's past works, the new Project Veritas video has quite a few intensely stupid things about it, but one of the worst is the fact they claim a bookstore that was once parodied in Portlandia is now used as the headquarters for the Portland antifa.
“Layoffs push more workers into Florida’s overwhelmed unemployment system” by Sun Sentinel’s David Lyons – Even with Florida reopening its economy, layoffs continue to pile up as businesses realize that economic conditions are not improving as fast as expected. Hospitality companies in South Florida laid off hundreds of workers in the last week of May. The Loews Miami Beach Hotel cut 723 workers on May 27, for example, while the nearby Royal Palm laid off 141 employees. A variety of hotel, transportation and other service companies have imposed rolling furloughs dating back to mid-March and continuing into the final week of May, according to a list maintained by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. As a result, the number of people filing new unemployment claims increased again in the week ending May 30, bucking a downward trend nationwide, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday. A backlog of cases, snarled in the state’s overwhelmed unemployment system, also contributed to higher new claims. Months-old cases show up when they finally get through the system. Florida saw its new claims jump by more than 31,000 from the previous week. Nationwide, filings again showed a slight overall decline, as the number of workers seeking benefits stood at 1,877,000, a decrease of 249,000 from the week ending May 23.
“CDC Director: George Floyd protests could be coronavirus 'seeding event'” by Fox News’ Ronn Blitzer – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield expressed concern Thursday that the mass protests that have been taking place in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death could exacerbate the coronavirus pandemic, as crowds of people gather in close proximity, often without masks. Redfield appeared before a House Appropriations subcommittee to address the government’s response to COVID-19 when the protests were mentioned on more than one occasion. “I do think there is a potential, unfortunately, for this to be a seeding event,” Redfield told Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla. Redfield suggested that protesters get tested to prevent spreading the virus. Frankel asked what states can do if the numbers end up going up to the point of overwhelming contact tracing abilities. Redfield said he is working to make sure that does not happen, but noted “this is not a time to be understaffed.” At another point in the hearing, in response to a question from Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., Redfield addressed the protests and people crowding on beaches without face masks by saying that the CDC is “very concerned that our public health message isn’t resonating.” Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., addressed an incident that took place in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, when officers cleared a crowd from Lafayette Square before a presidential photo op by using what had initially been reported to be tear gas -- before the U.S. Park Police said they used smoke canisters and pepper balls.
“House Democrats to unveil legislation to combat police brutality and racial injustice next week” by CNN’s Clare Foran and Haley Byrd – The Congressional Black Caucus will put forward a proposal for addressing police brutality and racial injustice on Monday of next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday. During a press conference, Pelosi said House Democrats are "on the brink" of announcing the initiative, and the package will include provisions to end racial profiling, the excessive use of force, qualified immunity for police officers, "and addressing the loss of trust between police departments and the communities they serve."
"We want to see this as a time where we can go forward in a very drastic way. Not incrementally, but in an important way to redress those problems," she said. The effort comes amid nationwide demonstrations and protests over George Floyd's death, which has put pressure on lawmakers to take action regarding police brutality against black Americans. A memorial service for Floyd took place on Thursday in Minneapolis. Pelosi described it as a "a national day of mourning." It is unclear if there will be bipartisan support for any major legislation. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday urged Pelosi to bring the House back to Washington, saying that lawmakers would be better equipped to reach agreement if they could discuss the matter in person. "What causes real damage is not having Congress together," he said in his weekly press conference. "Our nation needs to come together to heal, and we need our Congress in Washington."
“Republican Senators Approve Subpoena Power in Russia-Linked Probes” by WSJ’s Dustin Volz – A Republican-controlled Senate committee voted to grant itself expansive subpoena power to seek documents from federal agencies and dozens of Obama-era officials related to the Russia investigation launched in 2016, rejecting Democratic complaints that the effort was a political errand for President Trump. The subpoena authority will allow the Senate Homeland Security Committee to open up wide lanes for Republicans to pursue additional investigations into the FBI’s handling of its Crossfire Hurricane probe into Russian election interference, which special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to run after Mr. Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Thursday’s vote, which passed with unanimous Republican approval and no Democratic support, also grants the committee subpoena authority to probe Obama administration officials’ requests to “unmask” a U.S. citizen cited in foreign-intelligence reports. Those efforts disclosed the identity of Michael Flynn, who briefly served as President Trump’s national security adviser. The committee also enabled itself to issue subpoenas related to an application to surveil one-time Trump campaign adviser Carter Page that the Justice Department’s inspector general found contained several serious flaws and omissions but was justified. Another body, the Senate Judiciary Committee, also debated Thursday granting itself subpoena authority to pursue similar Russia-linked investigations. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the committee, postponed the vote until next week to allow more time for discussion, but the committee is also expected to approve the authority along partisan lines.
“US Navy veteran detained in Iran is freed, Fox News on the ground for Zurich transfer” by Fox News’ Rich Adson and Nick Kalman – Michael White, the first American detained in Iran during the Trump administration, has been released and tells Fox News, “It’s great to be free."
The United States Navy veteran arrived on a plane Thursday from Tehran on a Swiss government flight. He was transferred into U.S. custody here in Zurich before heading home, after nearly four months of negotiations between State Department officials and the Iranian government, according to a senior U.S. official. Fox News was on the ground in Zurich for the transfer. The State Department’s Iran envoy Brian Hook completed the transfer and walked White off the plane, into American custody and back into freedom. Speaking to Fox News exclusively after landing, White expressed his appreciation to the president, whom he spoke to by phone after landing. “I want to extend my personal thanks to President Trump for his efforts both diplomatically and otherwise,” he said. “He is making America great again and I look forward to what is going to happen here in the future.” Asked about his health, White said he is “improving” but was sick with COVID-19 while in prison. “I am recovering pretty decently, getting back into shape,” he said. “I was really in poor shape then. But I am getting a lot better as a result of Swiss embassy and all of the efforts of the Trump administration.” White also revealed the first thing he wants to do when he gets home: “I am going to Disney World,” he said.
“'He's withstood a lot of pressure': Keith Ellison prepares to take on the George Floyd case” by CNN’s Gregor Krieg – The whole world is watching Keith Ellison. When Ellison made the eleventh hour announcement that he would leave Congress in 2018, and enter the attorney general's race in Minnesota, many viewed it as his exit from the national stage. But Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's decision this week to hand over the investigation and cases arising from the killing of George Floyd to Ellison has thrust the trailblazing former congressman into the crucible of a legal and political fight poised to grip the country for months. Walz brought Ellison in to lead the prosecution, he said, after speaking to Floyd's family, who had lobbied for the attorney general's involvement amid growing anger with an already controversial county prosecutor's office. "I just want to let everyone know that we're going to bring to bear all the resources necessary to achieve justice in this case," Ellison said at the Sunday press conference announcing the decision. Two days earlier, state lawmakers released a letter urging Walz to transfer the case to the attorney general's office, writing that Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman had lost the "faith" of their constituents to "fairly and impartially investigate and prosecute these cases." On Wednesday, more than a week of Floyd's killing while in police custody, Ellison announced new and more severe charges -- Derek Chauvin, the former officer who pinned Floyd, by his neck, to the ground with his knee, had his count upped to second-degree murder and the other three officers at the scene were charged with aiding and abetting it. Scores of protesers, activists and leading progressive organizers cheered the news -- "Great, great, great," said Kenza Hadj-Moussa, of TakeAction Minnesota, as word of the stepped-up charges broke during an interview. She said Ellison is "deeply trusted and respected" in the community.
“Presidential Campaigns Targeted by Suspected Chinese, Iranian Hackers” by WSJ’s Robert McMillan – Campaign staffers working on the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Joe Biden have been targeted with online attacks coming from Iran and China respectively, Google said, in a sign that the meddling four years ago in the U.S. presidential election by Russia could be pursued more widely this time. Google said Thursday that the staffers were targeted with so-called phishing attacks that often are an attempt to gain access to online email accounts. They raise the specter of a repeat of the 2016 campaign, during which Russian hackers stole information from Democratic staffers and posted them online. While neither China nor Iran are thought to have previously engaged in the kind of hacking and public dumping of emails that disrupted Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign four years ago, some cybersecurity experts believe that Russia’s success in 2016 may spur copycat activity. The fact that the attacks targeted campaign staff should put campaigns on alert for a possible attempt to hack and dump information, said Graham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. “It should be a major red flag.” Russia has denied interfering in the 2016 election. The attacks don’t appear to have been successful, Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., said. The company has notified federal authorities and the targeted users of the attacks, said Shane Huntley, who runs Google’s in-house counterespionage group, known as the Threat Analysis Group. The Biden campaign was targeted by a China-based group, known as APT 31, Mr. Huntley said in a Twitter message on Thursday. This group has been linked by security companies to the Chinese government. The Trump campaign was targeted by an Iranian group called APT 35, he said. APT stands for advanced persistent threat, a shorthand used by cybersecurity professionals for sophisticated adversaries that are backed by nation-states.
“Police union official says Biden’s gone ‘off the deep end,’ as tensions mount over reform call” by Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser – The executive director of a national group that represents more than 200,000 police offices is taking aim at former Vice President Joe Biden. National Association of Police Organizations director Bill Johnson said the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has kept “moving left” and has gone “off the deep end” with his calls for law enforcement reforms. Johnson’s comments – in an interview with Politico that was published early Thursday – come amid peaceful protests, violent clashes and rioting in cities across the country the past nine days that were sparked by the death last week of George Floyd, a black man in Minnesota who died after a white police officer put his knee on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. In a speech on Tuesday, President Trump’s Democratic challenger in the November election called on Congress “to act this month on a measure that would be the first step in this direction, starting with real police reform.” Pointing to a bill by Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York that would outlaw chokeholds, Biden said that “Congress should put it on the president’s desk in the next few days. There are other measures to stop transferring weapons of war to police forces, to improve oversight and accountability, to create a model use of force standard, that also should be made law this month.” Biden also vowed if elected president to create a national police oversight commission during his first 100 days in the Oval Office. He said that the federal government needs to give the cities and states tools and resources to implement police reforms.
“Emotional debate erupts over anti-lynching legislation as Cory Booker and Kamala Harris speak out against Rand Paul amendment” by CNN’s Clare Foran and Lauren Fox – In an emotional exchange on the Senate floor, Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California spoke out Thursday against an amendment that GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was trying to add to anti-lynching legislation. As the memorial service for George Floyd was beginning in Minnesota, Paul, who has been holding up popular bipartisan legislation to make lynching a federal crime, came to the Senate floor in Washington to add an amendment to the anti-lynching legislation and then pass it. He argued the bill as written is overly broad and said that his amendment "would apply the criminal penalties for lynching only and not for other crimes." The GOP senator then asked for unanimous consent to pass the bill with that amendment. However, both Harris and Booker spoke against the effort and Booker formally objected. "Senator Paul is now trying to weaken a bill that was already passed -- there's no reason for this, there's no reason for this," Harris said. In emotional remarks, Booker said he felt "so raw today," saying, "of all days we're doing this right now when God, if this bill passed today, what that would mean for America. That this body and that body have finally agreed." "It would speak volumes for the racial pain and the hurt of generations," Booker said. Raising his voice, he continued, "I do not need my colleague, the Senator from Kentucky, to tell me about one lynching in this country. I've stood in the museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and watched African-American families weeping at the stories of pregnant women lynched in this country and their babies ripped out of them while this body did nothing."
“GOP Sen. Murkowski Unsure if She Will Support Trump in November” by WSJ’s Natalie Andrews – Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday that she was struggling with whether to support President Trump in his re-election this year, putting a crack in the president’s wall of support from his own party over his handling of the civil unrest after the death of George Floyd. The Alaska senator praised former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s admonishment of Mr. Trump as “honest and necessary and overdue” and said she hopes it encourages others to speak out. “When I saw Gen. Mattis’s comments yesterday I felt like perhaps we’re getting to the point where we can be more honest with the concerns we might hold internally and have the courage of our convictions and speak up,” she told reporters. Asked specifically if she could vote for Mr. Trump in his re-election this fall, Ms. Murkowski said: “I am struggling with it. I have struggled with it for a long time.” Mr. Mattis on Wednesday denounced Mr. Trump for exacerbating the divisions in American society and said that he has fueled the current disorder plaguing U.S. cities. Mr. Trump responded on Twitter, calling Mr. Mattis an overrated general. “Glad he is gone!” Mr. Trump said. In a pair of tweets Thursday night, Mr. Trump said that he would oppose Ms. Murkowski’s re-election bid in 2022 and back anyone who would run against her. “Few people know where they’ll be in two years from now, but I do, in the Great State of Alaska (which I love) campaigning against Senator Lisa Murkowski,” the president wrote on Twitter, noting that she has sometimes voted against his priorities.
President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump-Sleepy Joe Biden’s 1994 Crime Bill was a total disaster. It was mass incarceration for Black people, many of them innocent. I did Criminal Justice Reform, something Obama & Biden didn’t even try to do - & couldn’t do even if they did try. Biden can never escape his Crime Bill!
Adam Schiff @RepAdamSchiff - More alternative facts. More truth isn’t truth:
It was a bunker “inspection.” Gas wasn’t used. Antifa is the issue. Trump continues to gaslight Americans, begging the question: Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes? We know the truth, and the truth matters.
US Rep. Al Lawson Jr @RepAlLawsonJr -We helped to feed more than 500 families in #Jacksonville at last weekend's #FarmShare. Thank you to our community partners, Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church, BOAT (Blessing Others All the Time) and a host of local organizations.
Commissioner Nikki Fried @NikkiFriedFL - With restaurants opening up, we're reminding Floridians that the @FDACS Farm To You Commodities List is still working to connect Florida farmers with consumers.
Rick Scott @SenRickScott -Today’s 31st anniversary of Tiananmen Square shows that little has changed under Communist China’s control. We cannot allow human rights violations to continue and we cannot allow the people of #HongKong to live in oppression.
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell @RepDMP -.@HouseDemocrats worked swiftly to pass legislation to give our small businesses more flexibility & time to use #PPP funds. I’m glad to see the Senate finally passed our legislation. Now POTUS must sign it into law immediately to get our local businesses the help they need.
Bob Rommel @bob_rommel -Yeah millionaire players and billionaire owners need you to protect them how about the small business owners that you are destroying. Just because you went to Harvard and made hundreds of millions at Goldman Sachs doesn't mean you're smart.
Rep. Ted Deutch @RepTedDeutch -I'm very happy to hear of Michael White's release from Iran, & I encourage the Admin. to continue to bring home Siamak & Baquer Namazi & other Americans held abroad. But during these negotiations, do not forget about Bob Levinson and his family, who deserve closure and justice.
