Fauci warns US could see 100,000 COVID-19 cases per day

Many Americans who proudly voted Republican for years or even decades did so in part because they supported policies that defend human rights and democratic principles around the world. Under our current leadership, we’re struggling even to defend our own. As the White House continues to equivocate on what the president knew about Russian bounties paid to Taliban terrorists to target American troops, Republicans in Congress blocked a measure that would require presidential candidates to report illicit offers of foreign backing. These are inexcusable failures to support American interests, and it will take a wholesale change in leadership if the party is to find its way again.

A sincere welcome to all of our new TOPLINE readers! We hope you find “Democracy’s Daily Digest” to be a key source of news and opinions you can trust. We encourage you to share it with your friends and family (more details are included below). Thank you for your support! —Evan McMullin
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** 1. Maybe this will change Trump's mind on masks
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If the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases across the country—and the dire predictions from epidemiologists that we're on the precipice of an even greater disaster if we don't take steps soon—won't get President Trump to get serious about face masks, perhaps this will. A team of Goldman Sachs economists, led by the investment bank’s chief economist, Jan Hatzius, has published an analysis suggesting more painful shutdowns could be averted if the U.S. implements a nationwide mask mandate. "A face mask mandate could potentially substitute for lockdowns that would otherwise subtract nearly 5% from GDP," the team wrote. Wear a mask! —The Washington Post ([link removed])
* — "Our wartime president has surrendered." Ouch. Harsh words from former Vice President Joe Biden, who called out the president in a speech in Wilmington, Del., yesterday. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee lambasted Trump for his early dismissals of the coronavirus as well as his more recent refusals to wear a mask in public appearances. —CNN ([link removed])
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* — Things are looking up in the EU. As cases decline in the European Union, the bloc will open its borders to visitors from 15 countries, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The U.S., Brazil, and Russia are among the notable absences on the safe list. —The New York Times ([link removed])
*
* — Small biz may get more help. The Senate passed legislation by unanimous consent late yesterday that would extend the Paycheck Protection Program through Aug. 8. The small-business rescue program, which was set to close down with $130 billion left unspent, will continue if the House passes the legislation and it is signed by the president. —Politico ([link removed])

MORE: Florida is "not going back" on reopening, governor says —Axios ([link removed])


** 2. Sullivan: Real-world dangers of hyperpartisanship
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"For too long, many devotees of most right-wing news decided they didn't need to stay home. Others absorbed the idea that wearing a protective mask was an act of left-leaning partisanship. But disease leaps across the political aisle quite nimbly. And so, it's tragic—but again not all that surprising—to see the virus spiking now in red states where governors and other public officials joined Trump and his favorite news outlets early on in downplaying the dangers." —Everett Herald ([link removed])

MORE: Canadian minister urges democracies to unite in fight against disinformation —Global News ([link removed])


** 3. So foreign interference is okay now?
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Senate Republicans shot down a measure yesterday that would require presidential campaigns to report any attempts by foreign entities interfering in U.S. elections as a condition of passing the National Defense Authorization Act.
* — "I fear the Senate is about to fail once again to protect our elections from foreign interference," Sen. Mark Warner said on the Senate floor. "In a different time, with a different president, this bill wouldn’t be controversial at all."
*
* — Warner criticized his Republican colleagues for forcing the deletion of the foreign assistance reporting provision as part of a condition to combine the intelligence legislation with the annual defense policy bill. Republicans accused the Democrats of "politicizing" the legislation with the provision.

* — "If we can't trust the President of the United States and his campaign to do the right thing and report foreign interference, then it must required by law," Warner concluded. —USA Today ([link removed])

MORE: Trump's ties to Putin under new scrutiny in wake of Russia bounty reports —The Guardian ([link removed])


** 4. POTUS sides with statues
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Yesterday, President Trump reaffirmed that he would veto this year's proposed $740 billion annual defense bill if an amendment is included that would require the Pentagon to change the names of bases honoring Confederate military leaders.
* — Trump tweeted just before midnight that he would "not even consider the renaming" of military bases as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, which would change the names of 10 bases named after Confederate generals as well as remove Confederate likenesses, symbols, and paraphernalia.
*
* — "I dare President Trump to veto the bill over Confederate-base naming," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. "It’s in the bill. It has bipartisan support. It will stay in the bill." —The Washington Post ([link removed])

MORE: DHS launches task force to protect US monuments, memorials, and statues —Newsweek ([link removed])


** 5. Bernoff: Facebook vs the forces of decency
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"It's easy to imagine a straight line between cause and effect—Black Lives Matter supporters call for a boycott, advertisers pull dollars, and [Facebook CEO Mark] Zuckerberg caves. But that's not what happened. What happened was a shift in public attitudes about race, tolerance, hate, and Trump, galvanized by the Black Lives Matter protests. This shift changed the perspective of voters, advertisers, and Facebook employees. Fighting that tide became impossible." —The Boston Globe ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Josh Bernoff is the author or co-author of six business books.

MORE: Facebook removes anti-government 'Boogaloo' groups —The Daily Beast ([link removed])


** 6. China wastes no time enforcing law
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On the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China, police have already begun making arrests of citizens accused of violating China's sweeping national security law, which came into force yesterday. The law stipulates that anyone who "undermines national unification" of Hong Kong with the mainland faces punishment of up to a lifetime in prison. Under the new regulation, many of Hong Kong's protests that took place last year would be punishable by law. The first apprehension under the law was of a man simply holding a Hong Kong independence flag. —Reuters ([link removed])
* — Hongkongers take to the streets. In an all-too-familiar scene, Hong Kong police fired a water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 protesters who marched in defiance of the legislation, chanting slogans such as "Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong." —CNBC ([link removed])
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* — The new law is expansive in another unprecedented way. It covers not just Hong Kong residents, but also anyone living abroad. That means foreign nationals, the Hong Kong diaspora, and Hongkongers studying or working abroad.
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* — It's "asserting extraterritorial jurisdiction over every person on the planet," wrote Donald Clarke, a professor of law at George Washington University. The law has even broader reach than mainland Chinese criminal law, which only holds a foreigner liable for a crime committed outside of China if the effect of that crime occurs in China. —Quartz ([link removed])

MORE: China announces new retaliation against US news outlets —The New York Times ([link removed])


** 7. Olson: The trouble with 'buddymandering'
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"Many people who hate partisan gerrymandering hate 'buddymandering' too, but others are willing to let it slide or even are fine with it. The animating logic is: We’ll protect our guys, and you can protect yours. It’s outwardly different from extreme partisan gerrymandering, since the main goal is not to take away seats from the opposition. But the two spring from the same underlying temptation: When the system gives insiders wide discretion over line-drawing, they are apt to use it to advance their own interests." —Cato Institute ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Walter Olson is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies and is the author of "The Rule of Lawyers."


** 8. Primary results are in
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Like other states before it, Colorado experienced a flurry of vote-casting in its primary yesterday. As of 4 p.m., nearly 1.4 million ballots had been returned to clerk's offices statewide, surpassing the record set in the 2018 primary, which itself set a record for the largest primary turnout among Colorado registered voters in at least a decade. In the state's most significant race, former Gov. John Hickenlooper defeated challenger Andrew Romanoff and will face Sen. Cory Gardner, one of the most vulnerable Republican senators, on the ballot this fall. —The Denver Post ([link removed])
* — McGrath will face McConnell. In a tight race, former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath fended off progressive Charles Booker to clinch the Democratic nomination for Senate in Kentucky, setting up a high-profile showdown with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in November. —Politico ([link removed])
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* — Also of note in Kentucky... Democrats have flipped a State Senate seat that was held by the GOP for 25 years. In a special election for retiring Republican Sen. Ernie Harris’ seat, Democrat Karen Berg beat her Republican challenger, Bill Ferko, to represent the 26th district. —WLKY ([link removed])
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* — QAnon supporter wins in Colorado. Trump-backed candidate Rep. Scott Tipton was defeated in Colorado's third congressional district by primary challenger Lauren Boebert. Boebert, a gun rights advocate who manages a gun-themed restaurant called Shooters Grill, argued that Tipton wasn't sufficiently supportive of President Trump. —Business Insider ([link removed])

MORE: Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2020 —Media Matters ([link removed])


** 9. Weiser: Protect democracy. Expand vote by mail
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"Rather than arguing over whether to expand mail voting, we should accept that it is happening and do everything possible to make sure that states are prepared to run credible, safe, and fair elections this year. The alternative is an election meltdown on an unprecedented scale. COVID-19 is testing our democracy. By taking the steps needed to expand mail voting (while ensuring safe polling places) ahead of the November election, we can prevent it from also undermining our democracy." —Brennan Center for Justice ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Wendy Weiser directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.

MORE: Trump campaign sues Pennsylvania over mail-in voting and other election issues —PA Post ([link removed])


** 10. An American Story: Artwork honors essential workers
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Three children got a big surprise when their artwork thanking essential workers appeared on a billboard in Times Square in New York City last week. Shutterfly chose the designs from more than 450 works of art submitted from children across the nation during the company's #CreateThanks campaign on Twitter and Instagram.
* — Four-year-old Amarry London Alhassan wanted to share "a heart and a helping hand" to show appreciation for healthcare workers everywhere, including his mom, who is a physician's assistant.

* — Five-year-old Xavier Garcia wanted to thank frontline workers for being there for those who are sick and in need, especially his aunt, who is a nurse’s assistant at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital.
*
* — Seven-year-old Kelli-Rose Simpson Forde, the granddaughter of a New York City transit worker, wanted to show her appreciation for those helping people commute to work safely on the city transit system. —Good News Network ([link removed])

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] (mailto:[email protected]) . Thank you!
Regarding Russia and the bounty on our soldiers, after several iterations of what the stable genius knew and when, here's my prediction. Trump will claim he asked Putin on one of the many calls they had with no read-outs, Putin said it was not true, Trump believed him, and so there's nothing to see here. Then Trump and Putin will call it a hoax and fake news together, and Trump will go after the "leakers." Gee, how could I predict such a thing? Oh yeah, past history. —Bill T., Arizona

Since the three Marines who were murdered by the bounty-hunting Taliban were assigned to a battalion in Garden City, N.Y., after Trump is defeated in November, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should subpoena Trump to testify as to what he knew and when he knew it.

And if he doesn't come to New York to testify voluntarily, he should be extradited to New York. Unless, of course, he hides away in Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would provide Trump with safety and sanctuary, similar to that enjoyed by Nazi war criminals in Paraguay and Argentina after World War II. —Jim V., New York
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