President Trump speaks on admin. success in deregulation, tax relief

President Donald Trump speaks to the 2020 Council for National Policy Meeting, Friday, Aug. 21, 2020, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:35 PM PT – Friday, August 21, 2020

According to President Trump, Democrats painted an inaccurately dark picture of the U.S. during this year’s Democratic National Convention. During Friday’s 2020 Council for National Policy in Virginia, the president said his time in office has been the most successful in U.S. history.

He went on to tout his administration’s historic tax cuts and deregulation efforts, along with the American economy and way of life under his presidency. In contrast, he claimed Democrats want to quadruple taxes and regulations.

The president has suggested Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden and his leftist policies pose a threat to the country. He further asserted a Biden presidency would benefit China and violent anarchists across the country.

“No party can lead America that spends so much time tearing down America. But the biggest part of last night’s speech was what Biden didn’t talk about. He didn’t talk about law enforcement. He didn’t talk about bringing safety to Democrat run cities that are totally out of control and have no clue. China was never mentioned in any way, shape or form. China will own our country if he gets elected. They will own our country. Well, we’re not going to let that happened.” – Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States

The president also threw doubt on quick election results. He has said it could take “weeks, months or maybe never” if Democrats succeed with their universal mail-in voting push.

Vice President Mike Pence holds up a sign while greeting supporters following his speech at Tankcraft Corporation in Darien, Wis., Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (Anthony Wahl/The Janesville Gazette via AP)

Vice President Mike Pence has also expressed that Biden will only make matters worse for the economy as it starts to recover from the pandemic. During a recent interview, Pence stressed the economy is on the ballot in the upcoming November elections.

Though the U.S. has lost 22 million jobs since the beginning of the pandemic, he reiterated 9 million Americans have already gone back to work because of the president’s policies.

The vice president claimed Biden could threaten this progress. He pointed out the Democrat candidate wants to significantly raise taxes and spend trillions on a “Green New Deal.”

“Joe Biden said last night the economy is not going to come back until the coronavirus is over. News flash to Joe Biden: the economy is coming back. The only real threat to the economy is a Joe Biden presidency.” – Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States

Going forward, Pence added the Trump campaign will be focusing their message on the economy. He has suggested this is why they will win another four years in the White House.

MORE NEWS: VP Pence: Biden’s Vision Could Result In Socialism And Decline For America

Poll: Nearly half of Americans not confident presidential elections will be fair

FILE – In this Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, file photo, a person drops applications for mail-in-ballots into a mail box in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

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UPDATED 5:30 PM PT – Friday, August 21, 2020

As Americans across the country consider who they’re going to vote for this November, many voters have begun to realize how they’ll be voicing their stance could be just as important of an issue. According to a recent survey, more than four in 10 Americans are not confident this year’s elections will be conducted fairly and accurately.

The poll, which was conducted in late July and included responses from nearly 6,500 people, showed levels of concern about the integrity of the elections were similar across party lines and increased among voters who are older.

Of those planning to vote for Democrat candidate Joe Biden, 48% stated they are worried. 41% those looking to support President Trump responded similarly.

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FILE – In this June 30, 2020, file photo, a box of absentee ballots wait to be counted at the Albany County Board of Elections in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

This report came before the USPS announced it could not guarantee all ballots cast for the general elections would be delivered in time, even if mailed by states’ deadlines. In addition to delays, voters have said they are also concerned their ballot could get lost.

“I don’t know, I’m scared it might get lost in the mail,” stated one resident. “I just want to make sure my vote is submitted, that it actually counts.”

Meanwhile, many people echoed President Trump’s worries about the potential for voter fraud after primary elections revealed outdated voter rolls and discrepancies connected to mail-in voting.

“At this point we have identified 119 applications that appear to be false,” explained Lake County elections supervisor Alan Hays. “We have turned over these documents to the sheriff’s department.”

Volunteer Arsinia Dempsey cleans a voting booth between voters at the North End Senior Center, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, in Hartford, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Many Americans will still be looking to vote by mail this November. President Trump has encouraged those not at high risk for COVID-19 to exercise their right to vote in person.

On Twitter, he added “If you can protest in person, you can vote in person.”

Jessica Tarlov admits DNC was 'missed opportunity' for party to address urban violence, riots

Democrats are fighting for the soul of the U.S. and are clearly the "empathetic party" in the 2020 election, Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov argued on "The Story" Friday.

Tarlov conceded to host Martha MacCallum that this week's Democratic National Convention represented a "missed opportunity" for the party to address ongoing riots and violence in U.S. cities. However, she added that the election will come down to healthcare and the state of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.
"The contrast couldn’t be starker than listening to Joe Biden talk to the families of the 170,000 Americans who lost their lives versus Donald Trump, when asked about the COVID death toll, saying 'it is what it is,' which has become a catchphrase across all of the DNC with Michelle Obama most notably on Monday night using it," she said.
"So, I think that Joe Biden did a great job with the contrast of light versus darkness ... I think that we know who is really fighting for the soul of this nation and is the empathetic party, which is the Democrats."
Tarlov's fellow Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich disagreed, arguing that Democrats didn't exhibit empathy in their responses to either the pandemic or the riot.
"It is not empathetic to ignore rioting and burning down of businesses of the very people that Democrats claim to be standing up for, like immigrants in Minneapolis," she said. "For example, an African immigrant who came here, saved all of his money -- was a firefighter in Minneapolis -- to open a sports bar, it was closed for COVID-19 and he was about about to reopen it, and then it got burned down and Democrats didn't have anything to say about that.

"It's about the Ethiopian immigrant who owned a furniture store in Minneapolis that Democrats claim to be standing up for, but are completely ignoring on this issue," Pavlich added. "Yes, COVID is at the top of mind of all Americans, but so is law and order and safety, and for Democrats just to completely ignore it and then stand on the soapbox of empathy doesn’t really add up when it comes to policy positions and what they would actually do.
"And in terms of dealing with the pandemic, you know, last night, Joe Biden talked all about how it doesn’t have to be this way, he would have handle the pandemic differently, but didn’t give any details, and when he said that he would engage in PPE [personal protective equipment] and testing -- well, the Trump Administration has done a lot of that," Pavlich continued.
"The testing is a little slower than it should be, but they created a test from scratch, pulled off a lot of government regulation to do it and Democrats are the party that likes to put a lot of regulation onto private industry when the Trump Administration has taken it off to fight this virus. And COVID isn’t just about fighting the virus, by the way. It’s about people's economic livelihood, it's about children’s education, it's about suicide rates, it's about overdoses. So, the president has talked about all of those things and doing more than one thing at once, and Joe Biden hasn’t addressed any of it in detail."

Seattle mayor Durkan vetoes council's 2020 budget revision that would have cut police jobs

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Friday vetoed a City Council budget plan to slash funding to the police department and eliminate the city's homeless outreach team, among other programs.
The nine-member council approved the rebalanced budget that would have reduced police funding by 14% for the remainder of 2020. The move also would have resulted in the loss of 100 police officers through layoffs and attrition.
The cuts would have totaled around $23 million of the remaining $127 million in the budget, KOMO News reported.
“This veto was because the bills, as passed, did not have the type of collaboration that I think we will have going forward, and that I'm hopeful we will have going forward," Durkan said during a news conference. "There's some flaws in each of these (bills) that I hope the council can correct, or with discussions, we can find a path forward together.
"I continue to have concerns about council decisions to make cuts before they have a plan," she added. “I do not believe the 2020 budget in its current form moves us closer to those shared goals. I truly believe we can, and must, find common ground for the vision of SPD.”
Durkan, a Democrat, cited the lack of a plan for how to address public safety if the policies came to fruition, saying programs needed to first be in place before making substantial cuts to the police department.
Council President Lorena Gonzalez said she was "disappointed" to hear Durkan vetoed the proposals, "which were overwhelmingly supported by the City Council."
“I have to believe that we agree on more than we disagree, and I will strive to bridge the gap on our few but critical differences of opinion,” González said.
"I hope that the public knows that their elected leaders are committed to working together on achieving a long-overdue transformation of our law enforcement and criminal justice systems that have for far too long perpetuated trauma and harm on our black, brown and indigenous neighbors.”
Durkan said Friday she has spoken to González, and is optimistic that the council and her office can work out a compromise.
The sweeping proposals prompted Police Chief Carmen Best to issue her resignation days after the council vote. The plan also would have slashed her salary and that of several officers in her command. Best said she was leaving because of the “lack of respect” toward her officers, not the proposed pay cuts.
One of the programs on the chopping block was the city's Navigation Team, which consisted of police officers and homeless outreach workers. Some council members considered the officers on the team nothing more than "homeless camp sweepers."
Other units -- including the Harbor Patrol, SWAT, Public Affairs and Horse Unit -- also were slated to be dismantled.

Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best speaks during a news conference on Aug. 11. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The council is in the middle of a three-week recess. It can choose to override the veto when it reconvenes in September with a supermajority vote.
Durkan also announced she and the council agreed to provide $45 million in COVID-19 relief funds for 2020 and 2021.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik to target Biden’s ‘failed record’ in prime-time GOP convention speech: reports

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, considered by many to be a rising star in the Republican Party, will have a prime-time speaking spot next week when the GOP holds its presidential nominating convention, according to reports.
Stefanik, 36, represents the state’s 21st Congressional District, far north of New York City -- a region known as the “North Country.”
She said she will use her air time to attack what she described as Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s “47-year failed record of far-left policies.”
Her remarks also will include a defense of what she called President Trump’s “record of results,” the Albany Times Union reported.
Stefanik announced her selection to speak at the convention in a Twitter message on Friday.
“Honored to be invited to speak by @realDonaldTrump at #RNCConvention #RNC2020 next week,” she wrote.
“It’s a great opportunity for the North Country to have a national audience,” she added, using a quote she gave to the Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y.
Stefanik told the Daily Gazette she learned of her speaking spot only recently.
“The planning for the convention, given how unprecedented this year has been, has been updated throughout given the challenges,” Stefanik told the newspaper in a phone interview, referring to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The GOP convention was initially scheduled to be held in Charlotte, N.C., but concerns over the virus prompted the party to plan a split between North Carolina and Jacksonville, Fla.
Now further logistical updates will have most speakers, including President Trump, addressing the nation from Washington, the Times Union reported.
Other speakers are expected to include U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Tim Scott of South Carolina; Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence; Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a former governor of South Carolina; Andrew Pollack, the father of a Parkland, Fla., massacre victim; Abby Johnson, a pro-life activist; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Pennsylvania U.S. House candidate Sean Parnell.
Nick Sandmann, a Kentucky high school student who successfully sued media organizations after a confrontation in Washington last year, and Mark and Patricia McCloskey, St. Louis gun owners who used their weapons to defend their home from rioters, also are scheduled to appear, according to reports.
Stefanik will be seeking her fourth term in the House when she competes against Democrat Tedra Cobb in November, the Daily Gazette reported.

2020 DNC Convention Cartoons

Trump admin. issues guidance to designate teachers as essential workers

FILE – In this July 8, 2020, file photo, Des Moines Public Schools custodian Joel Cruz cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:18 PM PT – Thursday, August 20, 2020

President Trump has issued new guidance to label teachers as “critical infrastructure workers,” which could pave the way for them to return to the classroom this school year.

His announcement comes as the latest step in the Trump administration’s push to reopen schools, which they hope will enable students to receive a quality education and allow parents to return to work.

“We believe that we can safely reopen our schools. We know that it’s best for our kids. We don’t want them to fall behind academically, but also we don’t want our kids to miss out on the counseling that they receive. Special needs services, as well as all the nutrition programs that are available just at our schools. Finally, Mr. President, I know that you’ve recognized from early on that getting our kids back to school is first a priority for them, but also it’s important for working families.” – Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States

According to reports, multiple school districts in Georgia and Tennessee have already made plans to allow educators to teach in person.

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Teacher Michaelle Joseph, left, hands out books and iPads to Louna Dorcelien, right, as fellow teacher Jeffrey Phillipe, center, waits to place the items in a bag, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald via AP)

One Tennessee county voted to designate teachers as essential back in July. So far, five other counties have followed suit.

Earlier this week, Governor Bill Lee announced his state would accept such a mandate. He has said he would leave the decision up to individual school districts.

Lee added teachers will be provided with personal protective equipment. He emphasized they will not be going to schools if they are sick or have tested positive for the coronavirus.

“If a teacher tests positive, they won’t be in the school,” said Lee. “…If teachers are exposed, there are specific protocols to that as well.”

In the meantime, Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp has said he’s evaluating whether to implement the federal guidance in statewide reopening guidelines.

A different view of the Democrats on Fox News prime time

 

This combination photo shows, Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," left, and Sean Hannity, host of "Hannity" on Fox News. The Fox News and Fox Business channels are going international. A digital streaming service with the pair will launch in Mexico this month, expanding to Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom in September. (AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) — Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity are providing television viewers with a distinctly different vision of the Democratic National Convention each night from their perches on Fox News Channel.

Hannity calls the virtual convention “the worst infomercial ever made” and provides brief, annotated highlights of some Democratic speakers. Carlson said that if the Democratic National Committee was in direct marketing, it would “be bankrupt by now.”

Fox News is providing an hour of convention news coverage each night, the same as broadcast networks ABC, CBS and NBC. But as cable rivals CNN and MSNBC devote three hours in prime time to the convention — including showing the Democrats’ feed virtually uninterrupted — Fox will not dislodge its biggest opinion stars.

Carlson and Hannity offer a viewpoint familiar to supporters of President Donald Trump. In the first two nights, their guests have included Donald Trump Jr., Kellyanne Conway, former White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Trump campaign spokeswoman Erin Perrine.

No one minces words.

Hannity called the convention “a predictable dose of poorly produced, cult-like, psychotic rage (and) hysteria against all things Donald Trump. I thought they were the uniters.”

Carlson said it is the type of programming that appeals to people who enjoy mandatory corporate diversity seminars.

“The preaching, self-righteousness, the condescension, the shameless lying, the strange mixture of guilt and aggression — it probably all felt refreshingly familiar to you,” Carlson said. “For everyone else, it was a massive turnoff.”

The Democrats’ two-hour feed begins at 9 p.m. Eastern, when Hannity’s show airs, and for most of the time, convention proceedings are shown in a tiny box at the bottom of the screen with the sound turned off.

Hannity occasionally dips into a speech, cutting the sound off midstream to offer his own commentary. “There he goes, lying again,” he said after silencing former President Bill Clinton. He stopped New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to call him an idiot and dope who was offering “probably the biggest amount of revisionist history ever.”

He aired in full the 90-second speech of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite target of conservatives, saying at the end, “Did she just second the nomination of Bolshevik Bernie (Sanders)?”

Through two nights, the only portion of the convention he aired without ridicule or rebuttal was the moment of silence for George Floyd.

Carlson noted that former first lady Michelle Obama was considered off-limits for criticism, then called her a liar. He played clips of television analysts praising Obama’s speech Monday to suggest that it was over the top, while leaving out Fox’s Chris Wallace and Dana Perino, who had also complimented Obama’s address.

He mocked her assertion that she doesn’t like to get involved in politics.

“If she hates politics so much, why is she giving a political speech at a political convention?” he said. “Isn’t there anything else to do on Martha’s Vineyard in the summer?”

Both hosts questioned Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s health, with Hannity showing a Trump commercial pressing that point. “He seems frail, he seems weak, he seems confused,” Hannity said.

A Carlson guest, Fox analyst Brit Hume, called Biden senile.

“His age has left him without a full set of faculties so he forgets where he is at times and can’t remember basic things,” Hume said.

Carlson’s response: “Interesting.”

The two hosts even make their points to viewers with the sound muted. Onscreen headlines included “Dems Browbeat You into Accepting Their Agenda,” “Shamelessness on Full Display at the DNC,” “2020 Dems: They Don’t Believe a Word They Say,” “DNC is a Bizarre Parade of Desperate ‘Zoom’ Calls” and “From Hope + Change to Hate + Rage.”

From a business standpoint, Fox’s scheduling makes perfect sense. Carlson had more than 4 million viewers Monday and Tuesday, higher than both CNN and MSNBC. Hannity had 3.88 million viewers Monday, and many Fox viewers clicked away when news coverage of the convention began. Fox had 2.1 million viewers at 10 p.m. Monday, less than half of both MSNBC and CNN at the same time, the Nielsen company said.

Fox pointed out that its convention coverage schedule was the same as it was in 2016 and will be for next week’s Republican national convention.

Then, Fox’s audience is expected to swell significantly.

AP FACT CHECK: Dems on minimum wage and poverty

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans tuned into the Democratic National Convention were told Thursday that the higher minimum wage favored by presidential candidate Joe Biden would lift all full-time workers out of poverty. That’s not what $15 an hour is likely to do.

SEN. CORY BOOKER: “Together, with Joe and Kamala in the White House, we’ll raise the minimum wage so no one who works a full-time job lives in poverty.”

THE FACTS: That’s an improbable outcome for the $15 minimum wage supported by Biden.

A 2019 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour would lift 1.3 million Americans out of poverty, a small fraction of the roughly 38 million people living in poverty in 2018.

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Moreover, the report estimated a $15 minimum wage would cost 1.3 million people their jobs because they would be priced out of the market.

Altogether, some 17 million people might see higher pay, the office said, but not enough to raise most who are below the poverty line above it.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the working poor in 2018, 3.7 million people who usually worked full-time were below the poverty level. That finding suggests that a $15 federal minimum would not take all full-time workers out of poverty. And, of course, it would still leave millions of part-time workers and the unemployed in poverty.

___

Seitz reported from Chicago.

Trump backers slam Dems' 'socialist snoozefest' as 4-night convention concludes

Democrats may have been thrilled with their four-night, largely virtual convention, but Republicans backing President Trump didn't appear very impressed.
The Democratic Convention was a "socialist snoozefest," Boris Epshteyn, a Trump 2020 Campaign strategic adviser, quipped after the event concluded Thursday evening.
"It was terrible," Epshteyn added on the Trump campaign's convention recap show "The Real Joe Biden."
"The first night was boring, the second night was a bunch of losers like John Kerry, last night was retreads like Hillary Clinton … and tonight was supposed to be the big night. … Is this the worst major party convention in our lifetimes?”
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., agreed, saying she she saw 50 years of failed policies on display -- which was a feat considering she's 36 years old.
"What we did not hear from Joe Biden was standing up for our law enforcement," Stefanik said of Biden's speech accepting the Democratic nomination. "We did not hear from Joe Biden how he’s going to grow our economy and we deserve these answers."
Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson said convention speakers "negated every opportunity to provide a sensible policy because they don’t have anything," adding the only thing they had to offer was their "disdain" for the president.
She said she didn't think Biden attracted any new voters to his campaign.
"'Vote for me because I’m not Trump' is not a winning message," Pierson said.

"'Vote for me because I’m not Trump' is not a winning message."
— Katrina Pierson

She added that mothers in swing states want to make sure their kids can go outside without being attacked by a “violent mob” while Democrats were portraying the recent protests as peaceful.
Stefanik said voters were looking for “strong leadership,” which they see in Trump over Biden, adding that Trump has traveled more miles campaigning this week than Biden has his entire campaign. She said he’s the “swamp” that Trump is trying to beat.
Stefanik added she’s excited to hear the “voices of everyday Americans” at the Republicans' convention next week.
Pierson said minority voters won’t be fooled by Biden, claiming he is still “exuding racism out of his mouth," and Stefanik agreed, stating that no president has done more to combat anti-Semitism than Trump.
Trump-backing Democratic state Rep. Vernon Jones of Georgia came on the show and explained the Democratic Party has left him because it doesn't support law enforcement and wants to defund police. He added that Trump has a better record with minorities.
“According to Joe Biden, we’re not even capable of thinking for ourselves," Jones said, turning to Pierson. "And to say … if you don’t vote for him you’re 'not Black'? I am Black, I am a Democrat, but I ain’t voting for Joe Biden."
Looking forward to Trump’s acceptance speech, Pierson said viewers would see “his love and his passion for the American people and this country. Our president and his family have made so many sacrifices for us, for Americans."
“He’s winning,” she added of Trump’s position in the race. “He’s always winning, he’ll always be winning and he’s going to win in November."