Some days you find the 24-hour news networks repeating the same stories hour after hour. On other days, there is simply too much to report, yet they keep trying. Today is one of those days. There are so many pieces moving around the national chessboard that it is hard to follow.
Here are a few of the highlights that are currently being covered, in case you missed them.
Coronavirus
Today marks a sad milestone in the pandemic as the United States surpasses three million cases. We are also approaching 132,000 deaths in America alone. Even as these numbers are being reported, the Coronavirus Task Force held its first briefing in weeks, with the goal of addressing reopening schools around the country. Noticeably absent from this briefing is Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has warned of the dangers of the current surge in cases. This was in direct contrast to Trump’s assertion that “we are in a good place” regarding fighting the virus.
As the task force addresses reopening schools, Trump is threatening to withhold funding from schools to force them to reopen. Given the economic disparities between school districts, this can be seen as a form of social genocide as the more affluent school districts are able to open safely while the poorer districts will undoubtedly see a rise in cases.
Even as the number of cases is skyrocketing, Trump is seeking to change the narrative, citing the fact that, despite the dramatic increase in cases, which Trump attributes to increased testing, the death rate is dropping. While Trump is using this to claim that 99 percent of cases are “totally harmless”, experts attribute this drop to the younger people, who are able to combat the illness better than their older counterparts, who are the ones contracting the virus.
Military
The unexpected retirement of a key figure in the impeachment hearings, the insult to a Purple Heart recipient and the continuing revelations about a Russian bounty on American soldiers in Afghanistan are the top military stories of the day.
Citing a White House campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation, Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman unexpectedly announced his retirement. Vindman testified in the Ukraine investigation about the disturbing irregularities in Trump’s contact with the Ukrainian president. This resulted in his pending promotion being threatened and a hostile work environment that made it impossible for Vindman to work in his area of expertise, which is Eurasia.
The right-wing media, in particular Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson, continued to attack those they viewed as a threat to Trump. This time, Carlson took to the airwaves to call Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth (D- IL) “a coward” and “a moron” for refusing to appear on his show. Duckworth is a dedicated veteran who lost both legs in Iraq, while Carlson, despite enjoying high ratings, is losing advertisers due to his explosive rhetoric.
And while the administration continues its denials, more information is coming out about a Russian bounty on American soldiers. Despite these revelations, Republicans in Congress are refusing to hold Benghazi-like hearings to investigate these allegations. This could cause Trump to lose support among veterans in the 2020 elections.
The Election
Speaking of the elections, Trump is ramping up his hate-filled rhetoric that he premiered during his Mount Rushmore speech. Using fear and innuendo, Trump attacked Democrats as enemies of America, citing the Black Lives Matter movement and the removal of statues of Confederate soldiers.
Calling these traitors to America “heroes”, Trump spoke to his base to rally their support while further dividing the country on this key issue.
With polls showing Trump trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Trump is using to same attack-based tactics that gave him the Electoral College victory in 2016.
With the pandemic running rampant, the economy struggling and a key election on the horizon, there is so much to cover.This was definitely NOT a slow news