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In an America that prides itself on individual freedom and pluralism, everyone must have the power to pursue happiness in the way they choose, even while some disagree or make other choices. Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision is consistent with this fundamentally American philosophy, ensuring that people in the LGBTQ community have the same rights to fair and equal treatment in the workplace as everyone else. If we're unable to accept our differences and live, work, and serve together with shared respect for each other's liberty, we'll never truly be able to call this nation the "land of the free." Even though doing so can be challenging, part of being an American is constantly strengthening our personal commitment to the equal worth and liberty of all. —Evan McMullin
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3. Pence pushes misleading coronavirus claim
Vice President Mike Pence encouraged governors yesterday to adopt a misleading claim that the Trump Administration has pushed, which purports that the rise in new coronavirus cases is caused by an increase in testing. Pence's recommendation came after President Trump stated, "If we stop testing right now, we'd have very few cases, if any." —The New York Times
- — Trump's coronavirus "preventative" is pulled. The Food and Drug Administration withdrew emergency use authorizations for the anti-malarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 yesterday. The agency now believes that the suggested dosing regimens "are unlikely to produce an antiviral effect," according to FDA chief scientist Denise Hinton. —Politico
— Who's spreading corona conspiracies? People from around the world, including the U.S. In fact, Russia, the king of online conspiracies, has concluded it's easier to identify divisive content from real Americans and help it spread through low-profile networks of social media accounts than create tales of their own. "The Kremlin doesn't need to make fake news anymore," said Clint Watts, a former FBI special agent and information warfare expert. "It's all American made." Ugh. —The New York Times-
- — On the take? At least four members of Congress, from both sides of the aisle, have reaped benefits from the half-trillion-dollar Paycheck Protection Program they helped create—and some even opposed legislation requiring lending transparency. There are likely more, but only the Small Business Administration and Treasury Department have that information. —Politico
More: Collinson: Trump's wish for an end to the pandemic contradicts reality (CNN)
4. Top VOA executives resign
Following the Senate confirmation of Michael Pack, a close ally of President Trump and his former adviser Steve Bannon, as head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Voice of America Director Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara have resigned from their positions. Trump has long criticized VOA, and his nomination of Pack to lead the agency in charge of VOA is seen as an attempt to exert control over the organization.
- — "Nothing about you, your passion, your mission, or your integrity changes," said Bennett in a farewell message. "Michael Pack swore before Congress to respect and honor the firewall that guarantees VOA's independence, which in turn plays the single most important role in the stunning trust our audiences around the world have in us."
— Trump is a frequent and vocal critic of VOA. "If you heard what's coming out of the Voice of America, it's disgusting. What things they say are disgusting toward our country. And Michael Pack would get in and do a great job," he said at a recent press briefing.
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- — Critics fear that Pack would jeopardize VOA's independence, giving more favorable coverage of the Trump Administration. Despite serving as a U.S. government media agency, VOA's charter requires that its reporting be "accurate, objective, and comprehensive." —NPR
10. An American Story: Unity and dialogue over beer
Two best friends from New York, Benjamin Smith, who is white, and Marcus Ellis, who is black, wanted to start a community dialogue about race while relaxing on lawn chairs and drinking some beers together. So they set up a sign that reads, "Black or white, relax and have a beer."
- — For both men, the recent death of George Floyd and the protests that followed struck a chord. "I fought for a free America, a just America," Smith, a former U.S. Marine, said. "When I heard about the George Floyd incident, it really, really upset me. That's not what I fought for."
— "Another one down. It's pretty sad," Ellis said. "People have a right to protest, people have a right to share their voice, but there's a right way going about things, and a wrong way going about things."
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- — The image of Smith and Ellis sharing a beer together spread across social media and received thousands of positive reactions, including from country star Brad Paisley, who chatted with the men by Zoom...and sent them more beer to continue their community gatherings. —CBS News
Ed. Note: We are spotlighting ways that Americans are helping each other through the coronavirus crisis and recent unrest, and promoting American values. Would you like to suggest an "American Story" from your local news? If so, please forward a link to the story to [email protected]. Thank you!
This article highlights the desire of the African nations to see equality in the United Nations Human Rights Council. I hope the Council can also talk about human rights in African nations. Where I live, we have a lot of refugees from countries who tell us of gross violations of human rights...like nothing we have ever seen here. The flow of African refugees shows the civil rights violations going on in Africa.
Also, I hope the Council can focus again on trafficking. I have never seen anything like it until I moved to my current town. It is modern-day slavery in the U.S. and around the world. The Africans who allow kids to be raped there are allowing it here with the help of influential Americans who act like Jeffrey Epstein.
To me, this type of slavery is the greatest inequality: 30% of victims are children
Unfortunately, due to the poverty of the refugees when they arrive, some are lured right into trafficking with the consent of their parents. I recently read it is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the U.S. It is affecting lots of people, as declared by the UN.
Africans all over the world need our prayers. —Anonymous
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