Trump doubles up with Maryland, Virginia Memorial Day events

In this Friday, May 22, 2020, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a "Rolling to Remember Ceremony," to honor the nation's veterans and POW/MIA, from the Blue Room Balcony of the White House in Washington. Trump booked back-to-back Memorial Day appearances despite the coronavirus pandemic, at Arlington National Cemetery and at a historic fort in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump booked back-to-back Memorial Day appearances despite the coronavirus pandemic, at Arlington National Cemetery and at a historic fort in Baltimore. Trump recently called Baltimore a “rat and rodent infested mess,” and its mayor has suggested Trump stay home.

Presidents typically honor fallen military members by laying a wreath and delivering a speech at the hallowed burial ground in Virginia. But the pandemic, which is expected to claim its 100,000th American this week, has led to changes this year. Trump will only lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

He is expected to speak later at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. It’s where a poem, written after a huge American flag was hoisted to celebrate an important victory over the British during the War of 1812, became “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Trump has been steadily ramping up his schedule in an effort to portray the nation as returning to its pre-pandemic ways as it emerges from a devastating economic shutdown intended to slow the virus.

The U.S. leads the world with more than 1.6 million confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 97,000 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

This month, Trump has toured factories in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan that make pandemic supplies. He planned to be in Florida on Wednesday to watch two NASA astronauts rocket into space, and he played golf at his private club in Virginia on Saturday and Sunday.

Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young has criticized Trump’s visit, saying the trip sends the wrong message about stay-at-home directives and that the city cannot afford the added cost of a presidential visit at a time when it is losing $20 million a month because of the pandemic.

“That President Trump is deciding to pursue nonessential travel sends the wrong message to our residents,” Young, a Democrat, said in a statement last week. He referenced the disproportionate effect the virus has had on his city and called on Trump to “set a positive example” by not traveling during the holiday weekend.

The White House sounded unmoved.

“The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the president will not either as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation’s history,” White House spokesman Judd Deere said in an emailed statement Sunday.

Trump will visit Baltimore just over a week after Maryland began to lift some of the restrictions it had put in place for the coronavirus, though they remain in effect in Baltimore. Baltimore and the Washington, D.C., area have the nation’s highest percentages of positive cases, according to Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force.

Trump last summer described a congressional district that includes Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”

Memorial Day weekend draws crowds and triggers warnings

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida. (AP) — Big crowds turned out for the Memorial Day weekend in the U.S. amid warnings from authorities about people disregarding the coronavirus social-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans.

On the Navajo Nation, which sprawls across the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, the number of virus cases rose by 56 on Sunday to 4,689, according to the local health department.

Meanwhile, the White House broadened its travel ban against countries hit hard by the virus, saying it would deny admission to foreigners who have recently been in Brazil.

Japan moved further toward reopening Monday, with plans to end the state of emergency in Tokyo and surrounding areas that has lasted for more than a month and a half.

Millions of Australian children returned to school as the number of coronavirus patients across the country continues to fall. The states of New South Wales and Queensland were the latest to resume face-to-face learning.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Monday that students and teachers had to observe one key message: Stay home if sick. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” she said. “We have to take each day as it comes, each week as it comes and we keep our fingers crossed.”

China reported 11 new cases of the coronavirus, 10 of them among passengers arriving from overseas in the vast Inner Mongolia region north of Beijing, according to the National Health Commission.

China, where the virus was first detected late last year, is holding the annual session of its ceremonial parliament, part of efforts to show that the country is returning to normal and shaking off the devastating economic efforts of having locked down tens of millions of citizens in order to contain the pandemic.

South Korea reported 16 new cases as 2 million more children begin returning to school this week. Thirteen of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where more than 200 infections have been linked to nightclubs and other entertainment outlets. The transmissions have raised concern as officials proceed with a phased reopening of schools.

All South Koreans will be required to wear masks while using public transportation starting Tuesday, Health Ministry official Yoon Taeho told reporters. Masks will also be required on all domestic and international flights beginning Wednesday.

Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, said she was “very concerned” about scenes of people crowding together over the weekend.

“We really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you can’t social distance and you’re outside, you must wear a mask,” Birx said on ABC’s “This Week.”

In Missouri, people packed bars and restaurants at the Lake of the Ozarks, a vacation spot popular with Chicagoans.

On Georgia’s Tybee Island, the beach was filled with families, but at a nearby grocery store, staff members handed customers gloves and a number to keep track of how many people were inside.

In California, beaches and parks were open for swimming, running and other activities.

At New York’s Orchard Beach in the Bronx, kids played with toys, and people sat in folding chairs. Some wore winter coats on a cool and breezy day, and many wore masks and sat apart from others.

“Good to be outside. Fresh air. Just good to enjoy the outdoors,” said Danovan Clacken, whose face was covered.

The U.S. is on track to surpass 100,000 coronavirus deaths in the next few days, while Europe has seen over 169,000 dead, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University that almost certainly understates the toll. Worldwide, more than 5.4 million people have been infected and nearly 345,000 have died.

The issue of wearing masks in public and staying several feet apart has become fraught politically, with some Americans arguing that such rules violate their rights.

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who has been targeted by such demonstrations, insisted the precautions should not be a partisan issue.

“This is not about whether you are liberal or conservative, left or right, Republican or Democrat,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The Trump administration said Sunday that it would ban foreign nationals who have been in Brazil 14 days or less before planning to enter the United States. The ban does not apply to U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents or some of their relatives. Brazil is second only to the U.S. in reported coronavirus cases.

Across Europe, meanwhile, a mishmash of travel restrictions appears to be on the horizon, often depending on what passports visitors carry.

Beginning Monday, France is relaxing its border restrictions, allowing in migrant workers and family visitors from other European countries. Italy is only now allowing locals back to beaches in their own regions with restrictions.

For the first time in months, the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the traditional Sunday papal blessing. Some 2,000 Muslims gathered for Eid al-Fitr prayers at a sports complex in a Paris suburb, spaced 3 feet (1 meter) apart and wearing masks.

Greece restarted regular ferry services Monday as the country accelerates efforts to salvage its tourism season. Bars and restaurants were also accepting customers again.

Travel to Greece’s popular tourist islands had been generally off-limits since a lockdown in late March, with only goods suppliers and permanent residents allowed access.

___

Mahoney reported from New York. Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.

Trump says schools in US should be opened 'ASAP'

President Trump urged for the reopening of school throughout the U.S. on Sunday, as most remain closed to limit the coronavirus spread and protect the health of students during the pandemic.
His tweet was an apparent reaction to similar comments from Fox News' Steve Hilton on his program "The Next Revolution." Trump tagged Hilton and Fox News in a tweet Sunday where he mentioned reopening schools "ASAP."
"Schools in our country should be opened ASAP. Much very good information now available. @SteveHiltonx @FoxNews," Trump wrote.
Hilton had demanded on his show the need to, "Get on with it and reopen schools now before you do even more needless damage."
He said using masks to stop the virus' spread seems appropriate, but added that measures like temperature checks seem to be "totally pointless." He also called certain social distancing rules as "totally arbitrary."
"Only one or two people allowed in an elevator at one time, good luck trying to reopen New York on that," he said.
Hilton cited some studies that suggested students can't transmit the virus to others. He also referenced an NPR report this month that said the mental health of children has been impacted as they stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was cautious about reopening schools -- even in the fall -- due to the emergence of a severe inflammatory condition found in children believed to be associated with the coronavirus.
While the coronavirus in normally less harmful in children -- who typically have only mild symptoms -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an advisory earlier this month regarding the potentially severe condition.
Doctors describe the inflammatory condition (MIS-C), to be similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes swelling in medium-sized arteries throughout the body. MIS-C can cause persistent fever and symptoms that include hypotension, rashes, gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, as well as elevated inflammatory markers, the CDC said.
At least four children have died of apparent MIS-C in recent weeks, the Washington Post reported.
"We don't know everything about this virus, and we really better be very careful, particularly when it comes to children," Fauci said, according to NPR.

Trump slams Biden ad critical of golf outing

President Trump late Sunday lashed out at Joe Biden after the likely Democrat nominee criticized his golf outing earlier in the day as the country approaches 100,000 coronavirus deaths.

Biden has been a fierce critic of Trump’s handling of the outbreak and the ad juxtaposed Trump playing golf at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., and the death toll numbers.
“Nearly 100,000 lives have been lost, and tens of millions are out of work,” Biden tweeted. “Meanwhile, the president spent his day golfing.”
Trump took to Twitter himself to call out “Sleepy Joe.”
He said Biden’s team apparently thinks he “should stay in the White House at all times."
"What they didn’t say is that it’s the first time I’ve played golf in almost 3 months, that Biden was constantly vacationing, relaxing & making shady deals  with other countries, & that Barack [Obama] was always playing golf, doing much of his traveling in a fume spewing 747 to play in Hawaii—Once even teeing off immediately after announcing the gruesome death of a great young man by ISIS!”

Trump did not specify the instance. But in 2014, then-President Obama faced criticism over his reaction to the death of James Foley, an American journalist. The New York Times reported at the time that Obama spoke with Foley’s parents and as soon as “the cameras went off,” he headed to a golf course on Martha’s Vineyard. The paper reported, “He spent the rest of the afternoon on the links even as a firestorm of criticism erupted over what many saw as a callous indifference to the slaughter he had just condemned.”
Trump critics likely see Biden engaging in the same technique Trump has employed to damage political rivals. Mediate pointed out that Trump has long criticized Obama for playing golf during his presidency.
“President Obama has a major meeting on the N.Y.C. Ebola outbreak, with people flying in from all over the country, but decided to play golf!” Trump wrote in 2014.
The Twitter exchange may be a preview of what is still to come before the 2020 elections. Trump has recently tried to go on the offensive over the unmasking tied to the Gen. Michael Flynn case. He told Fox News exclusively last week that the Russia probe was the “greatest political crime in the history of our country.”
Biden was recently asked by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos about the Obama administration’s investigation into Flynn and about a mystery Jan. 5, 2017 meeting at the Oval Office. He said he was “aware that there was—that they asked for an investigation, but that’s all  I know about it, and I don’t think  anything else…”
The 2020 election will likely hinge on the way the public perceives Trump’s handling of the virus. Democrats, like Biden, have been critical of what they said was a slow response and inconsistent messaging. Biden wrote in the Washington Post earlier this month that Trump has failed to unify the country and instead “is reverting to a familiar strategy of deflecting blame and dividing Americans.”
Trump said his early travel ban with China saved lives. He launched “Operation Warp Speed” in an effort to create and distribute a coronavirus vaccine by combining the military, private industry and other government agencies.

Trump said one of his top priorities is getting the country reopened.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Pompeo: China measure a ‘death knell’ for Hong Kong autonomy

 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing at the State Department on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Washington. (Nicholas Kamm/Pool Photo via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday condemned China’s effort to take over national security legislation in Hong Kong, calling it “a death knell for the high degree of autonomy” that Beijing had promised the territory.

Pompeo called for Beiing to reconsider the move and warned of an unspecified U.S. response if it proceeds. Meanwhile, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said China risked a major flight of capital from Hong Kong that would end the territory’s status as the financial hub of Asia. Shortly afterward, the Commerce Department announced new restrictions on sensitive exports to China.

The contentious measure, submitted Friday on the opening day of China’s national legislative session, is strongly opposed by pro-democracy lawmakers in semi-autonomous Hong Kong.

Pompeo called the proposal an effort to “unilaterally and arbitrarily impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.”

“Hong Kong has flourished as a bastion of liberty. The United States strongly urges Beijing to reconsider its disastrous proposal, abide by its international obligations, and respect Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and civil liberties, which are key to preserving its special status under U.S. law,” Pompeo said in a statement.

He said the decision to ignore the will of the people of Hong Kong would be a “death knell for the high degree of autonomy Beijing promised for Hong Kong” under a decades-old agreement known as the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

The U.S. has limited leverage with China over Hong Kong but it could end preferred economic privileges that Hong Kong currently enjoys if the Trump administration determines that the declaration, which was supposed to give the territory 50 years of special status after it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, has been violated.

The proposed bill is aimed at forbidding secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference and terrorism. It comes after months of pro-democracy demonstrations last year that at times descended into violence between police and protesters.

Speaking in an interview with the Fox Business Network on Friday, Hassett suggested the damage that would come from China’s proposal would be mostly self-inflicted.

“They’re going to see a lot of economic harm from what they’re doing,” he said, adding that businesses would not want to invest or keep money “in a place where they’re basically sneering at the rule of law.”

“And so, I would expect that they’re going to have serious capital flight problems,” Hassett said. “And Hong Kong, if they follow through this, will no longer be the financial center of Asia, and they themselves will bear very, very heavy costs.”

Later Friday the Commerce Department struck yet another blow to Chinese industry, announcing plans to bar the export of U.S. technology without a license to 33 companies and government institutions including major research labs.

It accused two dozen of the targeted entities of threatening U.S. national security because they could help China develop weapons. They include China’s top cybersecurity company, Qihoo 360, the robotics and artificial intelligence firm Cloudminds Inc., and various research isntitutes involved in laser and other advanced technology.

The other targets, named in a separate news release, included the Institute of Forensic Science at China’s public security ministry and companies that make facial recognition products. Commerce accused them of complicity in human rights abuses targeting Uighurs and other ethnic minorities.

The restrictions compound previous sanctions the Trump administration imposed on U.S. technology sales to Chinese companies involved in supercomputer development, facial recognition and other areas the White House deemed a threat to national security. That includes the technology giant Huawei.

A week ago, Commerce issued a new rule designed to bar foreign semiconductor makers from making chips for Huawei that it has designed.

China contends Washington is using national security as an excuse to try to crush its rise as a global competitor in the tech sector.

Tech expert Paul Triolo of the Eurasia Group political risk research firm said it appeared from the list of new targets that the Commerce Department was applying a rather sweeping definition of military end-use.

“It’s ratcheting up the pressure,” Triolo said of the newest sanctions. “I keep thinking, ’What’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back here” and provokes retaliation from Beijing against U.S. companies that do business in China.

China has threatened countermeasures against U.S. businesses — many of which have major manufactoring operations in its territories— but so far has held off.

———

Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report,

Trump considers panel to review complaints of anticonservative bias on social media

President Trump is considering establishing a panel to review complaints of anticonservative bias on social media, according to people familiar with the matter, in a move that would likely draw pushback from technology companies and others.
The plans are still under discussion but could include the establishment of a White House-created commission that would examine allegations of online bias and censorship, these people said. The administration could also encourage similar reviews by federal regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Election Commission, they said.
“Left-wing bias in the tech world is a concern that definitely needs to be addressed from our vantage point, and at least exposed [so] that Americans have clear eyes about what we’re dealing with,” a White House official said.

“Left-wing bias in the tech world is a concern that definitely needs to be addressed from our vantage point, and at least exposed [so] that Americans have clear eyes about what we’re dealing with.”
— White House official

Mr. Trump has long expressed that viewpoint, and in a recent Twitter post indicated that a plan to address complaints of bias is in the works.
Facebook Inc., which also owns Instagram, defended its practices when asked for a response to the nascent proposal.
“People on both sides of the aisle disagree with some of the positions we’ve taken, but we remain committed to seeking outside perspectives and communicating clearly about why we make the decisions we do,” the company said.

President Trump has long expressed concerns about left-wing bias in the technology sector.

Twitter Inc. said: “We enforce the Twitter Rules impartially for all users, regardless of their background or political affiliation. We are constantly working to improve our systems and will continue to be transparent and in regular communication with elected officials in regard to our efforts.”
A spokeswoman for Alphabet Inc.’s Google said the company builds its products “with extraordinary care and safeguards to be a trustworthy source of information for everyone, without any regard for political viewpoint.”

Virginia Gov. Northam criticized after not wearing mask or social distancing on beach

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam faced criticism on social media after appearing in Virginia Beach Saturday without a face mask and not practicing social distancing measures around members of the public.
Northam reportedly visited the beach with Mayor Bobby Dye on the second day of the beach’s reopening, according to local news outlet 13News Now. Virginia Beach's reopening is considered a test to see if people can safely follow social distancing rules before other beaches in Virginia reopen.
But Northam, who previously served as an Army doctor, came under fire when images of him surfaced on social media not wearing a face mask and apparently in close contact with other community members.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminded the public this week that the coronavirus mainly spreads person-to-person when in close proximity, while it also revealed that surface contamination is far less likely than previously thought.
According to the state-mandated rules, people are allowed to be outside without a mask when sunbathing, swimming and fishing as long as they remain distant from other parties.
The governor’s office told NBC in a statement: “The governor has repeatedly encouraged wearing face coverings inside or when social distancing is impossible. He was outside today and not expecting to be within 6 feet of anyone.”
The governor is expected to announce new mask protocols on Tuesday, according to an NBC source in the governor’s office.
All inside businesses will have new face-covering requirements as the state slowly returns to business as usual.
The state initiated Phase One of its reopening plan on May 15, but northern Virginia was allowed to wait until midnight May 28 to start reopening, to give local businesses more time to meet the new health and safety standards.
Phase One of the plan still bans social gatherings of 10 people or more, and the recommended social distancing guideline of six feet or more is still in place.
Northam could not be immediately reached by Fox News for comment on his violation of the state’s social distancing regulations at the beach.

Beto O’Rourke mocks Texas governor’s reopening message – then hears back from Crenshaw, Cruz

Democrat Beto O’Rourke Tried to get the upper hand late Friday, mocking the gradual reopening of the Texas economy from coronavirus shutdowns as “Dangerous, dumb and weak.”
But at least two Texas Republicans weren’t having it.
U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz each fired back at O’Rourke, the former congressman from El Paso who failed to unseat Cruz in 2018 and then ran an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination.
O’Rourke’s Twitter post was a reaction to a tweet by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who touted the Lone Star State’s reopening plan as “Safe, Smart, and Strong.”
“Dangerous, dumb and weak,” O’Rourke wrote in retweeting Abbott’s message.
“Is this the new Dem slogan?” Cruz snapped back.
Crenshaw derided O’Rourke’s post as “a condescending reaction.”
“The guy who wanted to be Texas’s Senator truly believes Texans can’t make decisions for themselves and that they are ‘dumb and weak’ for living their lives and trying to feed their families,” Crenshaw wrote.
“And yes, he’s talking to all Texans, not just our governor,” Crenshaw added. “Governor Abbott can’t force anyone to go back to work. Texans are choosing to do that, despite what people like Beto scream from their ivory towers.”
In a separate tweet, O’Rourke accused Crenshaw of “getting rich selling his own book to the GOP (and being Trump’s most reliable enabler in the House).”
O’Rourke then asked his Twitter followers to donate to Crenshaw’s election opponent, Democrat Sima Ladjevardian, a Houston attorney.

“Millionaires fundraising for millionaires,” Crenshaw responded. “All while telling middle-class Texans they’re ‘dumb and weak’ for wanting to get back to work.”

Crenshaw, who served in Afghanistan as a Navy SEAL, then invited his Twitter followers to donate to his campaign.
In more commentary on the Texas reopening plan, O’Rourke retweeted a Washington Post story that said Texas recently reported new single-day highs in both coronavirus infections and deaths.
“Despite what Trump & co. (Abbott & Patrick) say, stay home if you can & wear a mask if you have to go out. It will save lives,” O’Rourke wrote.”
Last week Gov. Abbott outlined Phase II of the Texas reopening plan. It permits child care centers, massage and personal care spas and youth clubs to reopen May 18, bars, bowling alleys, bingo halls and other entertainment events to resume May 22 – with restaurants at 50 percent of capacity – and sets a May 31 reopening date for youth camps and sporting events.
As of early Sunday, Texas – the nation’s No. 2 most populous state, with about 29 million residents – ranked No. 15 with about 1,400 coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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