White House rejects coronavirus relief offer

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Several stories in today's TOPLINE highlight why truth is so integral to democracy. Whether it's foreign disinformation campaigns, homegrown conspiracy theories, or news outlets that closely resemble state propaganda channels—all amplified by social media—we've never encountered such blatant assaults on truth. We are paying a price for that in the loss of faith in our democratic institutions. None of these sources of discord are likely to go away anytime soon, so how can we fight back? Refute disinformation—kindly, but firmly—wherever you see it. And vote for leaders who seek to strengthen institutions of truth, science, and knowledge rather than tear them down. —Evan McMullin

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** 1. Back to Bedminster
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And still no deal. Talks have broken down again between the White House and Democratic congressional leaders on another coronavirus stimulus package, with little progress made on bridging differences over major parts of the plan. The standoff led President Trump to threaten to bypass Congress with an executive order, addressing "Payroll Tax Cut, Eviction Protections, Unemployment Extensions, and Student Loan Repayment Options." But any hope of seeing such action before the weekend was dashed when Trump left Washington for his golf resort in Bedminster, N.J., last night. —Bloomberg ([link removed])
* — If they ever get around to voting... A federal judge has ruled that the House can vote by proxy—a measure embraced by Democrats to permit members to cast votes from their district to avoid traveling during the coronavirus crisis. Judge Rudolph Contreras determined that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's suit was out of bounds because courts have no ability to review purely legislative functions, affirming the power of the House to set its own rules and processes. —Politico ([link removed])
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* — China unhappy about Azar visit. The country is so opposed to Health and Human Services Sec. Alex Azar's upcoming trip to Taiwan—ostensibly to "strengthen cooperation" in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic—that it plans to conduct live-fire military drills in the East China Sea for the next two weeks in protest. —South China Morning Post ([link removed])
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* — You are free to travel. Well, sort of. The State Dept. has lifted its international travel advisory, in place since mid-March, which advised Americans against traveling during the coronavirus pandemic. The department will return to its earlier practice of issuing advisories on a case-by-case basis, depending on each country's current infection status. —Independent ([link removed])

MORE: Clarke & Klarevas: COVID-19 is a threat to national security. Let's start treating it as such —Just Security ([link removed])


** 2. Boehm: The Kodak scam
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"Even if you give the White House the benefit of the doubt on the question of whether America needs to invest in API production, why does it makes sense for a bankrupt camera company to be the government's champion? Will spending $765 million to boost Kodak stock and create 300 jobs materially shift the global supply chains for pharmaceutical drugs—a market that's worth well over $1 trillion annually? The answers, of course, lead right back to [The Daily Beast's Lachlan] Markay's reporting. Lobbyists have seized on the Trump Administration's 'economic nationalist' agenda because it is little more than a cronyist attempt at propping up domestic companies with taxpayer cash under the guise of geopolitics." —Reason ([link removed])


** 3. Court rules against Trump
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Sorry, Donnie. A federal appeals court ruled against President Trump today, determining that the House can sue to enforce the subpoena of former White House counsel Don McGahn. The 7-2 decision from the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses an earlier ruling from a divided three-judge D.C. Circuit panel that declared the House had no standing to sue. ([link removed])
* — Not anytime soon though. Although the ruling is a victory for congressional Democrats, McGahn will not be testifying for a while. The majority decision did not address the Trump Administration's claim that White House officials are immune to congressional subpoena, so even if McGahn does not appeal the ruling, the two sides will still have more to litigate before the D.C. Circuit. ([link removed])
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* — McGahn was McGone. The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed McGahn last year, but Trump directed him not to comply with the subpoena. The Justice Dept.'s Office of Legal Counsel said the president and his inner circle were immune from congressional subpoenas, leading the House to sue. ([link removed])
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* — Jerry proclaims justice. "Today's decision is a profound victory for the rule of law and our constitutional system of government," House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler said. "[The ruling] strikes a blow against the wall of impunity that President Trump has tried to build for himself." —The Hill ([link removed])


** 4. The Economist: What OANN says about America
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"The bigger reason to worry about OANN, however, is that TV is a lagging indicator of opinion. Talk shows are less about persuasion than about affirmation: of views formed online, on social media, and in forwarded emails and WhatsApp messages. Viewers don't tune in...to learn about the world, but to experience an expression and celebration of the opinions and the identity they have already been introduced to on the fringes of the internet." —The Economist ([link removed])

MORE: 'Sobering' report shows hardening attitudes against media —ABC News ([link removed])


** 5. Disinfo becomes a weapon of choice
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Russia isn't the only country spreading disinformation in an attempt to manipulate Americans, according to Nina Jankowicz, author of the book "How to Lose the Information War." "China's certainly been engaging in similar tactics, although they're a little bit less...practiced at exploiting our societal fissures" than Russia, she said. "Iran has been doing it again in support of Iranian policy. We've also seen Venezuela and North Korea. I mean, it's easy for anyone to do, unfortunately." Jankowicz says there were "not enough" consequences for Russia's meddling in the 2016 election to deter other countries, and disinfo campaigns will continue in the absence of a "joined-up government response." —CBS News ([link removed])
* — It's working for Russia in Afghanistan. By promoting anti-American conspiracies on Russian-owned state media outlets that reach an Afghan audience in their native language, the Kremlin is successfully using disinformation as a weapon of war against the U.S. in order to achieve its own aims in Afghanistan. —Foreign Policy ([link removed])
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* — Don't look at us. Sens. Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley, who are spearheading the investigations of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, denied on Wednesday that they are pushing Russian disinformation. Responding to Democratic demands for public disclosures about the Kremlin's interference in the 2020 presidential election, the two Republicans maintain that they have "neither sought out, relied upon, nor publicly released anything that could even remotely be considered disinformation." —Politico ([link removed])
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* — Fighting back. As a scourge of faux facts, viral hoaxes, and social media charlatans continue to afflict American politics, a counter-insurgency is beta-testing an arsenal of weapons to fight back. One group, Win Black/Pa'lante, has launched a campaign to specifically arm Black and Latino voters with tools to detect and avoid online manipulation. —Los Angeles Times ([link removed])

MORE: Deepfakes are getting better, easier to make, and cheaper —Defense One ([link removed])
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** 6. This week in voting
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Thousands of Iowans who have served felony sentences will now be allowed to vote. Joined by legislators, activists, and community leaders, Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed an executive order to restore felon voting rights, effective immediately. The order also allows Iowans convicted of a felony to run for public office once they have finished their sentence. "This is a cause on which so many Iowans have worked for years," Reynolds said. "It boils down to our fundamental belief in redemption and second chances." —KCCI Des Moines ([link removed])
* — Minnesota. The state has agreed to amend its mail-in voting process through the 2020 election cycle due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new ruling eliminates the state's requirement that voters get a notary or witness to sign their ballot envelope, and allows for absentee ballots to be counted if they are postmarked on or before Election Day and received by 8 p.m. —CNN ([link removed])
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* — Tennessee. The state Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a lower court ruling that would have allowed all eligible voters to vote via absentee ballot. Under the ruling, those with underlying medical conditions who have determined it's "impossible or unreasonable" to vote in-person due to COVID-19 are eligible to vote via absentee ballot, but fear of contracting or spreading the virus will not apply as a valid excuse. —CNN ([link removed])
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* — Wisconsin. At a hearing on Wednesday, federal judge William Conley questioned the necessity of relaxing Wisconsin's absentee voting and voter registration regulations and deadlines for the general election—as he previously decided ahead of the state's April primary, before being overruled by higher courts. He said the coronavirus might pose less of a threat to in-person voting by November. —The Seattle Times ([link removed])

MORE: How US Postal Service changes could complicate mail-in voting —ABC News ([link removed])


** 7. Warzel: The dangerous game of QAnon
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"Perhaps the best explanation I've heard for the movement's popularity comes from Adrian Hon, the chief executive of the gaming company Six to Start and a designer of alternate reality games or ARGs. Unlike video games, alternate reality games aren't played on a console—they use the world as their storytelling platform. There's no one particular medium. The story takes place in real time and seems to exist in the world. So game designers hide clues and puzzles in websites, apps, and even newspaper advertisements. It's a bit like a networked treasure hunt that turns the world around you into a game." — ([link removed]) The New York Times ([link removed])

MORE: What is QAnon? —WBUR ([link removed])


** 8. Racist...and not sorry about it
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A county government official in Michigan is rejecting calls for his resignation after he used the n-word at a public meeting and is also refusing to stop using the racial slur. Leelanau Co. Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle used the offensive language at a public meeting when explaining why he refused to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic. ([link removed])
* — Road Commission Chair Bob Joyce, a fellow Republican, strongly rebuked him, but Eckerle continued, accusing the Black Lives Matter movement of "taking the country away from us." He later defended the use of the slur on a local public radio station. ([link removed])

* — Eckerle's comments came the same week that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared racism a public health crisis in the state. Joyce said he "won't tolerate any kind of racism in our meeting room or in our organization." ([link removed])
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* — The county administrator, Chet Janik, said that because Eckerle is an elected official and not a county employee, there is little they can do to discipline him. —The Hill ([link removed])

MORE: Ex-USAID employee apologizes, denies sending explosive tweets —The Hill ([link removed])


** 9. Müller: The art of losing
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"To be sure, anyone can criticize the U.S. election system—after all, there is an awful lot to criticize, from voter suppression to out-of-control campaign finance designed to maximize plutocratic influence. Such criticism can strengthen democracy. What is not compatible with democracy is the populists' claim that a system in which they lose must, necessarily, be corrupt or dysfunctional. By pushing conspiracy theories and questioning the integrity of anything that doesn't deliver them victory, populists subvert citizens' trust in democratic institutions and thereby damage political culture—even if they never get close to the actual levers of power." —Boston Review ([link removed])

Ed. Note: Jan-Werner Müller is a professor of politics at Princeton University and the author of "Democracy Rules."


** 10. An American Story: Caesar the 'No Drama Llama'
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Who in the world wouldn't be comforted by 350 pounds of pure fluffy bliss? Caesar the "No Drama Llama" and his caretaker, Larry McCool, have been marching in Portland, Ore., Black Lives Matter protests, and he's been a calming influence on both demonstrators and the police. ([link removed])
* — "Everyone was immediately all smiles as soon as they saw him galloping past. Everyone was shocked there was a llama, but you could definitely feel the positive vibe he brought to the crowd," demonstrator Nakaycha Dent said. ([link removed])
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* — Caesar and McCool have attended 10 Black Lives Matter protests in Portland this year and, over the years, have been to more than 50 protests in support of a variety of civil and environmental causes. They also regularly visit retirement homes to cheer up elderly residents. ([link removed])
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* — "I don't care how big, how staunch, how intense that somebody is—it could be a big marcher in total riot gear, and they will come up and give Caesar a big hug," said McCool. — ([link removed]) Upworthy ([link removed]) (via Karunavirus ([link removed]) )

Ed. Note: 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!
Given what I'm seeing these days, I can't help but think about the fall of the Roman civilization and the Dark Ages that followed. Following examples from the leader of this country, a huge amount of the population now questions the value of science. It is just mind-boggling to believe that anyone with any education would entertain the validity of some of the quackery that has been put forth as valid science.

People are refusing to believe the science that masks help protect against the coronavirus and instead make the issues into one of personal preference and rights. Which forces people like my wife and me to stay home, because we can't take the chance of being around people who could be infected. We have to assume that everyone is infected, and if people won't wear a mask, then we have to stay home.

Telling people that this is something that is going away is a lie, and again, with over 157,000 people dead in less than six months, I can't understand how educated people can believe this, but some do. And all of this comes from the top down.

I find myself wondering what educated Romans were thinking when they saw their science and engineering being rejected as the empire fell. Engineering and science that would, in some cases, be lost for over a thousand years. Will the United States go the same way, with another Dark Ages to follow? —Michael W., Pennsylvania
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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