Mornings on the Mall
Friday, May 22, 2020
Hosts; Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter
Executive Producer: Heather Hunter
Guests: Fr. Frank Pavone, ReOpen MD’s Jim Wass, Memorial Day Concert’s Michael Colbert, ReOpen PWC’s Chris Lee, Zack McDonald, Bret Baier and ReOpen Loudoun’s Jon Tigges
GUEST INTERVIEWS:
7:05 AM — INTERVIEW – FATHER FRANK PAVONE – National Director of Priests for Life
TOPIC: React to FX’s documentary “AKA Jane Roe”:
7:35 AM — INTERVIEW – JIM WASS — ReOpen Maryland
https://www.facebook.com/ReopenMaryland/
8:05 AM — INTERVIEW – MICHAEL COLBERT – executive producer of The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT
JOE MANTEGNA AND GARY SINISE HOST A SPECIAL PRESENTATION OF PBS’ NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT: AMERICA’S NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE. The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT airs on PBS Sunday, May 24, 2020, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. E.T., as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The concert will also be streaming on Facebook, YouTube and www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert
8:15 AM — INTERVIEW – CHRIS LEE and ZACK MCDONALD – organizers of ReOpen Prince William County Rally This Weekend — May 23, 1 pm, at the Olde Town Courthouse.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2788518838043087/
https://www.visitpwc.com/listing/old-manassas-courthouse/86/
8:35 AM – INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of “Special Report” on Fox News Channel weekdays at 6 pm and author of the latest book “Three Days at the Brink: FDR’s Daring Gamble to Win World War II”
8:45 AM — INTERVIEW – JON TIGGES – organizer for this morning’s ReOpen Loudoun rally
SHOW RUNDOWN:
5 AM HOUR
5-A/B/C — THE WORKING AT HOME TREND:
- FACEBOOK GOING REMOTE: Mark Zuckerberg says up to half of Facebook could be working remotely in 5-10 years.
- WORKING AT HOME MORE PRODUCTIVE AND LONGER HOURS: Feds say they’re as productive or more while teleworking. Federal employees say they’re more productive and working longer hours at home than they were at the office. A Federal News Network survey of nearly 1,200 respondents found by and large most employees are enjoying their time teleworking, though most were mixed on whether their agencies would expand or more fully embrace remote work programs in the future. When asked to describe all the lessons they and their coworkers have learned while teleworking, 81% of federal employees said they enjoyed not having to commute to the office, 76% said work is what they do, not where they do it and 58% said they were impressed by the tasks they were able to accomplish remotely. (Federal News Network link)
5-D — SENATE CONFIRMS RATCLIFFE FOR DNI
- The US Senate has confirmed Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-TX) as Director of National Intelligence. The vote was 49-44 on Ratcliffe’s nomination to a position that has been filled in an acting capacity since former DNI Dan Coates stepped down in August. The vote was one of the final items on the Senate’s to-do list before the chamber leaves town for a weeklong Memorial Day recess. And it comes only days after the Senate Intelligence Committee advanced Ratcliffe’s nomination along party lines.
- Sean Davis @seanmdav: Ric Grenell was so devastating to the Deep State and congressional collusion hoaxers that they fast-tracked the confirmation of the very guy they spent last summer trying to destroy with lies and smears, just to get rid of Grenell. Pretty remarkable how effective he was as DNI. https://twitter.com/seanmdav/status/1263512567923855360
5-E — ARBERY UPDATE:
- Man who filmed Ahmaud Arbery’s death arrested on murder charges, Georgia authorities say. Georgia authorities on Thursday arrested a third person connected to the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, the black 25-year-old whose family says he was jogging when two white men in a pickup truck approached and killed him, prompting nationwide calls for justice. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested William “Roddie” Bryan, Jr., 50, who recorded the graphic cellphone video of Arbery’s death in February, which was leaked earlier this month. He is charged with felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment, according to the GBI. Bryan’s arrest comes two weeks after the GBI apprehended Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, who confronted Arbery with firearms while he was running in a residential neighborhood in Brunswick, Ga., on Feb. 23. Both McMichaels were charged with murder and aggravated assault, and the GBI has confirmed that Travis McMichael shot and killed Arbery during the encounter.
6 AM HOUR
6-A — TRUMP TRIP TO MICHIGAN
- Pandemic politics shadowed President Donald Trump’s trip to Michigan to highlight lifesaving medical devices, with the president and officials from the electoral battleground state clashing over federal aid, mail-in ballots and face masks.
- President Trump tours Ford plant in Michigan without a mask, while Ford employees wear masks.
- THE MEDIA’S OBSESSION… Trump doesn’t wear coronavirus mask in public at Ford plant
- Michigan AG: Trump Isn’t Allowed To Come Back To Michigan Because He Wasn’t Wearing A Mask
6-B/C — MORE MICHIGAN NEWS:
- Judge rules in favor of Michigan barber allowing him to stay open despite lockdown order. A Michigan judge has ruled that a barber who defied the state’s stay-at-home order and opened his business does not have to close. Karl Manke, 77, has kept his Owosso, Michigan, barbershop open since May 4, despite a license suspension, a cease and desist order, and a temporary restraining order from the state’s attorney general. A Shiawassee County judge ruled Thursday he can remain open, according to the Lansing State Journal. Shiawassee County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Stewart opted not to grant Attorney General Dana Nessel her request to force Manke’s closure, which effectively allows Manke to keep cutting hair. Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Borrello had ordered Stewart to hold a hearing on the temporary restraining order and issue his decision by end of business hours on Thursday.
6-D/E/F — NEW YORK:
- ‘Ask President Trump’: Cuomo Blames Trump For Nursing Home COVID Deaths. “Anyone who wants to ask, ‘Why did the state do that with COVID patients in nursing homes?’ It’s because the state followed President Trump’s CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance,” Cuomo told reporters when asked whether he regretted the directive that appears to have resulted in the deaths of thousands of nursing home residents. He continued: “They should ask President Trump. I think that will stop the conversation.” Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik criticized Cuomo for blaming Trump. “Governor Cuomo continues to point fingers at the federal government. But here are the FACTS regarding CDC guidance: The Governor’s decisions to MANDATE that nursing homes accept COVID-19 patients completely disregards the case-by-case approach recommended by CDC,” she said in a Thursday tweet.
- Janice Dean slams Cuomo nursing home policy after losing in-laws to COVID-19: ‘Not just numbers on a curve’ (VIDEO). Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Thursday that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s failed nursing home policy should be “one of the biggest” stories of the year after both of her parents-in-law lost their lives to the coronavirus. “I have not seen the coverage of this … ,” an emotional Dean said. “Twenty percent of our lost loved ones are from nursing homes … because Governor Cuomo and several other governors forced COVID-recovering patients into nursing homes.” Dean, who rarely comments on political issues, felt compelled to speak out after watching a CNN interview in which anchor Chris Cuomo — the governor’s younger brother — failed to address the growing controversy and instead performed prop comedy with giant cotton swabs. “The fact that I am seeing, last night, him … making fun, inappropriate jokes and insensitive jokes, cruel jokes … make no mistake,” Dean said, “I am glad that Chris Cuomo has recovered from COVID because he apparently did have it. And I’m glad that their family is well, but my family is not well. And that is not something to joke about.”
7 AM HOUR
7-A – 7:05 AM — INTERVIEW – FATHER FRANK PAVONE – National Director of Priests for Life – responded to FX’s documentary “AKA Jane Roe”:
- Norma McCorvey Reveals In ‘AKA Jane Roe’ She Was Paid To Turn Pro-Life, Admits It Was All An Act. In FX’s first documentary AKA Jane Roe, the real-life Norma McCorvey, who was known as plaintiff “Jane Roe” in the historic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case, tells us that what she said in the feature is her “deathbed confession”. During the docu, she dropped a bomb, confessing that she went from pro-choice to pro-life because she was paid. In one jaw-dropping part of the Nick Sweeney-directed docu, McCorvey, who was interviewed a few months before her death in 2017 was asked if she was being used as a trophy by anti-abortion groups. “I was the big fish,” she admitted. “I think it was a mutual thing. I took their money and they’d put me out in front of the cameras and tell me what to say. That’s what I’d say.” She gave an example of what she was told to say as the “former Jane Roe,” then she admitted it was all an act. “I did it well too. I am a good actress,” McCorvey said in the docu as people watched the footage in shock. (Deadline link)
- Father Frank Pavone was quick to reject the notion that McCorvey was lying about being pro-life. “So #abortion supporters are claiming Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of Roe v Wade, wasn’t sincere in her conversion,” Father Pavone posted to Twitter, Tuesday afternoon. “She was[.] I was her spiritual guide for 22 years, received her into the Catholic Church, kept regular contact, spoke w her the day she died, & conducted her funeral.” “One would think that any normal or honest person who wants to understand the journey of Norma McCorvey would talk with those who journeyed with her,” the priest further explained to LifeNews. “I knew her and was one of her key spiritual guides for 22 years, starting in 1995 with her baptism, right through the conversation we had on the day she died. Yes, she not only rejected abortion, but she became a new creation in Christ. I received her into the Catholic Church and rejoiced together with her as she discovered day by day the joy of prayer, and in her final years made rosaries by hand to help others experience that same joy. Her desire to protect children in the womb was no act.” “I was privileged to lead and preach at her funeral. I knew her struggles and her pain. She didn’t just have positions; she had deep wounds because of her involvement with Roe vs. Wade, and I guided her through the healing of those wounds, in the quiet hours of struggle that nobody saw or heard about,” he continued. “Those are things you don’t fake.” “There have always been people who have tried to re-shape her story, or get her to reshape it,” Father Pavone added. “She resented that and would resent it today. Norma was not somebody you could come to know in a snapshot, in an interview, or even in years of interviews. I’ll have a lot more to say about this once I see the documentary.” (Daily Wire link)
7-B/C — 7:15 AM – ZOOM BIAS:
- BE AWARE OF YOUR UNCONSCIOUS BIAS IN ZOOM MEETINGS! THERE’S AN UNCONSCIOUS BIAS IN VIRTUAL MEETINGS. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN AVOID IT. While employees use videoconferencing now more than ever, there’s an issue happening beneath the surface with platforms like Zoom, Teams and Skype beyond stress and mental health that’s affecting its users. Amy Bonomi, a social science researcher from Michigan State University, and Nelia Viveiros from University of Colorado, said that these platforms are a ripe setting for unconscious bias — or, when people act based on prejudice and stereotypes without intending to do so. “Unconscious bias includes using language, symbolism and nonverbal cues that reinforce normative social identities with respect to gender, race, sexual preference and socioeconomic status,” Bonomi said. “For example, when the virtual background of a Zoom meeting attendee has pictures of his or her wedding, it unintentionally reinforces the idea that marriage is most fitting between opposite sexes.” In fact, even a simple icebreaker — common for videoconferencing settings —can be a pathway for reinforcing dominant social norms and identities. “In a recent videoconference, we were asked the ‘most fun thing you’ve done with your family during quarantine.’ Participant answers ranged from ‘gardening with my husband’ to ‘dance parties with my family,’” Viveiros said. While these experiences are valid, Viveiros said that they can crowd out the experiences of people with minoritized social identities. For example, asking about “fun family things” prevented several Latinx attendees from sharing their experiences of losing family members to novel coronavirus. Additionally, microaggressions are also communicated in virtual meetings just as they are in face-to-face meetings, Bonomi said. Microaggressions are brief, commonplace verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative racial slights. For example, during a recent virtual meeting, the white facilitator lamented that there weren’t any diverse people to help with an analysis. Yet, when several participants clarified that they were persons of color, the facilitator said, “I mean someone who can speak eloquently about this topic.” So, what can we do? The researchers offer tips on how to mitigate unconscious bias and improve inclusivity.
- Use inclusive language. Using inclusive language validates participants’ diversity of experiences, including participants whose lives may be unduly affected by the novel coronavirus. “This can be done by acknowledging that there are a range of diverse experiences of participants and by establishing conversational norms that respect these differences,” Bonomi said.
- Approach conversations with sensitivity to differences. Instead of opening with the typical “tell us what your lives are like during shelter in place,” consider framing a question around what participants are noticing about communities around them. “Meeting hosts need to prepare follow-up questions, like whether participants know anyone going through this crisis alone,” Viveiros said.
- Symbolism. Be conscious about what your “virtual environment” might symbolize. It’s unlikely that in face-to-face meetings, participants be seated in front a wall of family photos. While virtual backgrounds may be a way for participants to express themselves, it is important to understand who is being excluded and included with these types of actions. “To mitigate the potential of exclusion, some organizations are guiding participants to consider background choices to reflect the organization’s values, as opposed to personal choice,” Bonomi said.
- Challenge microaggressions. Be a strategic ally in calling out microaggressions when they occur. This can be done by naming microaggressions on the spot or addressing them privately. It is important to share how the microaggression affected you and may have affected others and to provide tools for improving skills, they said.
- Time bounding. Respect people’s space in long videoconference settings by building in frequent breaks. “Due to a variety of factors, such as the need to care for self or for a family member with a disability, participants may need frequent breaks,” Viveiros said. By understanding unconscious bias in virtual settings, Bonomi and Viveiros say we can mitigate and counter its effects. “Without paying attention to how unconscious bias and how dominant paradigms get reinforced, we risk unintentionally alienating and potentially harming minoritized people,” Bonomi said. (MSU study link)
7-D – 7:35 AM — INTERVIEW – JIM WASS — ReOpen Maryland / https://www.facebook.com/ReopenMaryland/
- NOTE FROM JIM: We might talk about PIA requests that we have filed. None have received any substantive responses. Our request for task force minutes was denied. From the letter: “Please note that the Maryland Coronavirus Advisory Team and Maryland Strong Recovery Team are not units or instrumentalities of the State, and therefore do not have public records available for inspection. We lost our federal suit at the District Court level and are in the process of mounting an appeal to the 4th Circuit. Our interpretation of the judge’s statements preventing gatherings is that it might apply to the General Assembly, a fascinating result if true.
- MARYLAND NEWS:
- Over 51,000 Filed Unemployment Claims In Maryland Last Week. Over 51,000 Marylanders and nearly 2,500,000 Americans overall filed unemployment insurance benefits claims last week.A total of 51,108 Maryland residents filed unemployment insurance claims in the week ending May 16, 2020, a decrease of 14,697 from the previous week, labor officials report. Last week, 65,805 Marylanders filed for unemployment insurance benefits claims with the Maryland Department of Labor Division of Unemployment Insurance amid the coronavirus pandemic. The week ending May 2, 2020, 109,263 Marylanders filed claims overall. The unemployment numbers sharply increased the week ending in May 2 due to expanded filing under the federal CARES Act and the new website implemented by labor officials. (WBAL link)
- Montgomery might lift some restrictions within a week. Maryland’s most populous county said Wednesday that it may lift some social distancing restrictions within the next week, another tentative step toward reopening the Washington region as the rates of novel coronavirus infections and deaths show signs of slowing. “We are moving in the right direction,” Travis Gayles, head of Montgomery County’s health department, said about plans to join other parts of the state in partially lifting restrictions on gatherings and nonessential businesses. (Washington Post link)
- Prince George’s County may move to a “modified reopening” as soon as June 1. Part of the region hit hardest by coronavirus, Prince George’s County, could begin a phased reopening as soon as June 1, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced Thursday. “After reviewing recent data, we are cautiously moving toward a modified phase one reopening by June 1. While the data has improved, we are not out of the woods yet,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. Both COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are declining in the county, the executive said. But Alsobrooks urged residents to observe the still-active stay-at-home order over the coming Memorial Day weekend, “so that we can stay on track to begin reopening by our target date.” (DCist)
- Baltimore County is to allow “nonessential” retailers to reopen if no more than 10 customers and staff are inside at a time. TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) — Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced Thursday morning that he would allow retail stores and some personal services to reopen Friday morning. “Today, we are announcing the next steps in the reopening of Baltimore County. I’ve just signed an executive order, so that beginning tomorrow at 9 a.m. retail establishments under the governor’s phase one announcement in Baltimore County will be able to be open to customers,” the county executive said. Beginning May 22 at 9 a.m., any businesses covered under Gov. Larry Hogan’s phase 1 reopening plan can reopen but are limited to 10 people, including staff inside. (CBS Baltimore link)
- Baltimore cancels all major events through August. BALTIMORE, Md. – All large public events in Baltimore have been canceled through Aug. 31, including the Fourth of July fireworks and the Artscape festival, officials announced Wednesday. Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young made the announcement as the city continues to battle the spread of the coronavirus, The Baltimore Sun reported. (Fox 5 DC link)
- “Dear Mr. President, please stay home!” Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young asked President Donald Trump to not make his planned Memorial Day visit to the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine due to coronavirus concerns. BALTIMORE (WBFF) — On Thursday, Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young released a statement in regards to President Donald Trump’s planned visit on Memorial Day to Baltimore’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. The White House says the president and first lady will participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at the site on Monday “to honor the American heroes who have sacrificed their lives serving in the US Armed Forces.”
- Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces 17 new COVID-19 test sites at CVS locations across the state. May 21, 11:05 a.m.: Eligible Marylanders will soon have access to COVID-19 testing at 17 CVS locations throughout the state, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday. Individuals who meet Centers for Disease Control criteria and age guidelines will be able to register for self-swab tests at CVS.com beginning this Friday. The 17 locations are distributed across the state, with three locations in Montgomery County and four in Prince George’s County. In Montgomery County, tests will be offered at CVS locations in Bethesda, Rockville, and Gaithersburg. The Prince George’s testing sites are located in New Carrollton, Upper Marlboro, and Capitol Heights. A list of participating pharmacies can be found on the governor’s website. “Patients will be required to stay in their cars and directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window, where they will be provided with a test kit and given instructions,” says a press release from Hogan’s office. “A CVS Pharmacy team member will observe the self-swab process to ensure it is done properly.” Results will be available in about three days, according to Hogan’s office. (DCist link)
- MD Governor Hogan Announces Launch of Robust Contact Tracing Operation to Support Local Health Departments. ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today announced that Maryland’s statewide contact tracing operation across all 24 of the state’s jurisdictions will be fully operational next week. To launch this operation, Maryland has more than quintupled its disease investigation capacity, and will have more than 1,400 case investigators statewide. “To support our local health officials, the state has built a robust contact tracing operation and massively expanded Maryland’s disease investigation capacity,” said Governor Hogan. “This will be a partnership across all 24 jurisdictions, and an all-hands-on deck effort to ensure health officials on the ground can trace and isolate the virus.” “This is a way everyone can contribute to keeping each other safe and healthy, while helping us find and fight the virus,” said Fran Phillips, Deputy Secretary for Public Health at the Maryland Department of Health. “Participating with the state’s contact tracing program helps keep you, your family, your neighbors, co-workers, and community safe from this disease. Please answer the phone if you see ‘MD COVID’ on the screen; working with our COVID-19 case investigators truly can help save lives.” MORE THAN 1,400 TRACERS STATEWIDE: At the start of the crisis, the state had a total of 250 case investigators working at local health departments. On April 22, Governor Hogan announced a contract with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), the nation’s oldest and largest university-based research firm, to hire and train additional case investigators. Maryland is on track to have more than 1,400 case investigators statewide. (Gov. Hogan website link)
7-E — 7:45 AM – BIDEN NEWS:
- Mueller’s ‘Pit Bull’ To Headline Fundraiser For Joe Biden. A top prosecutor on the special counsel’s team will headline a fundraiser in June for former Vice President Joe Biden. Andrew Weissmann, a former Justice Department official, will take part in a “fireside chat” for the Biden Victory Fund to be held online on June 2. The event will be moderated by Anne Milgram, the former attorney general for New Jersey. Weissmann’s support for Biden is certain to renew allegations of political bias from one of the special counsel team’s top lawyers.
- BYRON YORK: This is the prosecutor who also attended Hillary Clinton’s tear-filled election night event in 2016. Doing his best to discredit the investigation.
- Biden’s campaign responds to pool reporter being booted from Wall Street fundraising call, The pool reporter who was designated to cover a Joe Biden fundraising call with Wall Street players Thursday evening apparently had an early night. The NBC News pool reporter said she was able to listen to Biden’s opening remarks but was “quickly kicked off the phone call” once the likely Democrat nominee opened the floor to questions. “The last thing your pooler heard was Biden thanking donors and saying he was “open to questions” before a robotic voice exclaimed “goodbye,” Marianna Sotomayor wrote. She noted that her report was “written based just on his opening remarks because your pooler was quickly kicked off the phone call when Biden said he was ready to take questions from any of the 25 donors present.” […] The abrupt end of the call raised speculation about transparency. Rufus Gifford, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, said in a statement that “tonight’s event was a new format as we enter a new phase of the general election campaign.”
- POLITICO: WARREN Backs Off Of ‘Medicare For All’ In Bid To Become BIDEN’S VP… In the thick of primary season, Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden brawled over “Medicare for All”: He called her approach “angry,” “elitist,” “condescending”; she shot back, anyone who defends the health care status quo with industry talking points is “running in the wrong presidential primary.” Six months later, with Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee and Warren in the running for VP, she is striking a more harmonious chord. “I think right now people want to see improvements in our health care system, and that means strengthening the Affordable Care Act,” she told students at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics this week, while adding that she still wants to get to single payer eventually. The shift is the latest public signal Warren has sent Biden’s way in recent weeks that she wants the job of vice president — and wants Biden to see her as a loyal governing partner despite their past clashes, which go back decades.
- FLASHBACK: EARLIER THIS WEEK: Biden, Warren team up in new video to surprise supporters with personal calls. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) teamed up to call several small-dollar donors to his presidential campaign for a new video released Sunday by the Biden campaign. In the video, Biden and Warren thank several of the former vice president’s supporters for their donations, mirroring videos released by Warren during her own campaign for the Democratic nomination over the past year. “We’re gonna do our best not to disappoint you, and we’re gonna take this country back and build a better country in the process with your help,” Biden tells one supporter in the video. (The Hill link)
- Biden asks Klobuchar to undergo vetting for potential running mate role. Former Vice President Joe Biden has asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to undergo vetting to be a potential running mate, according to a source with knowledge of the discussion. The source did not provide details on the discussion, which was first reported on Thursday by CBS News. A spokesperson for the Biden campaign declined to comment on the matter. It’s not yet clear if Klobuchar has consented to the vetting, which would delve deep into her private and public life to uncover any potential weaknesses or vulnerabilities as a vice presidential candidate. The vetting process will be handled by a select committee led by former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) and longtime Biden adviser Cynthia Hogan. (The Hiil link)
- HUFFPO: Sanders Campaign Asks Delegates To Sign Pledge They Won’t Openly Attack Biden. Now, Sanders’ presidential campaign is asking those delegates to sign a social media policy and code of conduct agreement ahead of the party’s convention later this summer in an attempt to minimize party infighting or online attacks against Biden akin to the rampant mudslinging by supporters in 2016. The Washington Post first reported that the Sanders campaign sent out the 5-page agreements that threaten delegates can be removed the delegation should they violate any provisions. The campaign also asks signatories to “refrain from making “negative statements about other candidates, party leaders, Campaigns, Campaign staffers, supporters, news organizations or journalists.” “Before tweeting or posting from your personal social media accounts, ask yourself these questions: If this appeared on the front page of The New York Times, would it compromise Bernie Sanders’s message, credibility, or reputation?” the social media policy reads in part. It continues: “This Campaign is about the issues and finding solutions to America’s problems. Our job is to differentiate the senator from his opponents on the issues — not through personal attacks.” While the Post reported the agreement angered some delegates, Sanders’ campaign said those individuals were representative of the senator and had a “serious responsibility” going into the Democratic National Convention, set to take place in some form in August (organizers are still looking at how to do so amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic). “When delegates attend the Democratic convention, they will be representing Sen. Sanders, the ideas he ran on and the millions of working people who supported his campaign,” Mike Casca, Sanders’ campaign spokesman, told HuffPost in a statement. “That is a serious responsibility and we’re asking them to follow a basic code of conduct while carrying out that duty.”
8 AM HOUR
8 – A — 8:05 AM – INTERVIEW – MICHAEL COLBERT – executive producer of The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT
- JOE MANTEGNA AND GARY SINISE HOST A SPECIAL PRESENTATION OF PBS’ NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT: AMERICA’S NIGHT OF REMEMBRANCE. The NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT airs on PBS Sunday, May 24, 2020, from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. E.T., as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The concert will also be streaming on Facebook, YouTube and www.pbs.org/national-memorial-day-concert and available as Video on Demand, May 24 to June 7, 2020.
- Also participating in new and some past selected performances are members from The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Chorus, The U.S. Army Voices and Downrange, The Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, The U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, The U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants, and Service Color Teams provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C.
- The program is a co-production of Michael Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA, Washington, D.C. Executive producer Michael Colbert has assembled an award-winning production team that features the top Hollywood talent behind some of television’s most prestigious entertainment awards shows including the ACADEMY AWARDS, GRAMMY AWARDS, COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS, TONY AWARDS, and more.
8-B/C — 8:15 AM – INTERVIEW – CHRIS LEE and ZACH MCDONALD – organizers of ReOpen Prince William County Rally This Weekend
- ReOpen Prince William County Rally: May 23, 1 pm, at the Olde Town Courthouse.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2788518838043087/
https://www.visitpwc.com/listing/old-manassas-courthouse/86/
- Prince William County-owned pools and waterparks won’t open this summer. Prince William County-owned outdoor pools and waterparks will not open during the 2020 summer season due to health and operational concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We came to the conclusion it is not feasible without placing people at risk and safety is our top priority,” said Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Director Seth Hendler-Voss. “We understand how disappointing this must be for the thousands of visitors who depend on us for summer memories and relief from the heat. We regret we could not find a way forward.” Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism spokesperson Brent Heavner said the biggest barrier to opening the pools for the upcoming season is the inability to train and prepare seasonal staff in time to operate during the summer of 2020 due to ongoing social distancing guidance. During a regular summer season, DPRT normally hires 600-800 seasonal staff and is the largest seasonal employer of youth in Prince William County. “The county’s pools and waterparks rely on a large seasonal staff including lifeguards, park attendants, cooks, concessionaires, and other team members,” says Heavner. “Much of the safety training these positions require, especially our lifeguards, requires close contact. That training cannot begin until social distancing guidance guidelines are lifted, as anticipated in Phase III of the Commonwealth’s Forward Virginia Blueprint.” With Phase I reopening for Northern Virginia anticipated to begin at the end of May, and social distancing guidelines anticipated to remain through Phase II, the training required for many seasonal pool positions would not likely be able to begin until mid-July. (InsideNova link)
- Some tough calls are being made elsewhere, too. In Fairfax County, they’ve announced some pools will be closed all summer. In Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, pools will remain closed until further notice. Meanwhile, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to make an announcement about the District’s pools Friday morning. (Fox 5 DC)
- VIRUS AND SMIMMING POOLS: ‘No Evidence’ That Coronavirus Spreads In Swimming Pools, According To CDC. As temperatures inch upward and Memorial Day quickly approaches, pools across the country remain closed due to coronavirus restrictions. Many are likely concerned about going for a swim, citing the possibility that coronavirus could be spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, says that there is “no evidence” that the virus can be spread to people through pool water, hot tubs, spas, or water play areas, as long as social-distancing measures are taken. “Proper operation and maintenance (including disinfection with chlorine and bromine) of these facilities should inactivate the virus in the water,” the CDC online guideline says. (Daily Caller link)
8-D — 8:35 AM – INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of “Special Report” on Fox News Channel weekdays at 6 pm and author of the latest book “Three Days at the Brink: FDR’s Daring Gamble to Win World War II”
- Fox News poll: Biden opens up 8-point lead over Trump http://hill.cm/mxMqsEK
- Joe Biden: “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
8-E — 8:45 AM — INTERVIEW – JON TIGGES – organizer for this morning’s ReOpen Loudoun rally
- NOTE FROM JON: We’re going to be back in front of the Loudoun County Building for Reopen LoCo Rally #2 again today and every Friday until Loudoun reopens. Get ready for Chairman Randall to say we’ve got an uptick in cases since she offered free testing to 1,700 asymptomatic cases yesterday. The skewing of data is a story in itself. We call it the Randall Scandal. Decisions without data.
- Here’s the details: Press Advisory: Reopen LoCo Rally II
- What: Reopen LoCo Rally #2: Rain or shine, the LoCo Patriot’s ARE BACK for Reopen LoCo Rally #2 – Friday (5/22) from 9 to noon.
- Where: Loudoun Government Building, 1 Harrison St, Leesburg, VA
- When: 9 – 12 on Friday, May 22nd.
- Why: Voice or support for the safe reopening of Loudoun County small businesses, churches, and schools. Loudoun should not be grouped in with the other Northern Virginia counties — it’s key metrics are better than the state average. Chairman Randall has made her decisions without data. The Randall Scandal is her playing partisan politics while her citizens are suffering irreparable harm to business through this crushing lockdown. She is ignoring that data forecasts did not materialize and that free states are not experiencing a spike by reopening.
- Who: Loudoun County residents and business owners who believe that there is no Pandemic Exception Clause to the Bill or Rights.
- Facebook event link for this week’s rally: https://www.facebook.com/events/574994486460979/
