New Jersey may have to cut 200K jobs if no federal help: report

Dumb Ass Demo

Gov. Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Democrat, said in an interview Thursday that without financial help from the federal government, his state will likely have to cut 200,000 public employees, including police officers and firefighters.
New Jersey is among several states facing serious financial hardships after the coronavirus outbreaks. There is debate in Washington about whether these states should have access to the funding. Some Republicans say poor fiscal management led them to this point.
“I don’t think there’s any amount of cuts or any amount of taxes that begin to fill the hole,” Murphy told Bloomberg Television. He continued, “The alternative to not getting that funding is a whole lot of layoffs—we think as much as 200,000 or more.”
Bloomberg reported that Murphy vowed to cut $5 billion, but the state’s expected to have about a $10.1 billion revenue shortfall.
The debate over the federal government bailing out states started when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said last month that states should be able to declare bankruptcy.
“I would certainly be in favor of allowing states to use the bankruptcy route. It saves some cities,” he said at the time. “And there’s no good reason for it not to be available. My guess is their first choice would be for the federal government to borrow money from future generations to send it down to them now so they don’t have to do that. That’s not something I’m going to be in favor of.”
There has been a debate ever since.
Scott Walker, the former governor of Wisconsin, wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times that bailing out states would be the wrong decision.
“This should not happen,” he wrote. “States already raise taxes on their residents.”
Walker said the federal government should maintain a laser focus on small businesses.
“Failure to do so will continue to hurt state economies, saddling them with insolvent balance sheets,” he wrote.
The Times reported that Democratic governors from Washington State, Nevada, Oregon and California claimed that all 50 states would require $1 trillion.
Congress is at a crossroads on the next virus relief bill. Democrats tout their 1,800-page bill as an opening salvo in negotiations, but Senate Republicans are wary of another round of negotiations where Democrats and the White House call the shots.
Republicans are also split on how much aid to provide state and local governments, as well as other parts of the Democrats’ proposal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

Twitter censors Trump's Minneapolis tweet for 'glorifying violence'

Twitter has once again taken action against President Trump, this time censoring a tweet for "glorifying violence" in his late-night response to the ongoing violence in Minneapolis.
Trump said he couldn't not just watch the city be overwhelmed by the unrest over the death of George Floyd.
“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,” Trump tweeted. “A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.
A second tweet continued, “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let this happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you.”
A few hours after the president sent those tweets, Twitter added a disclaimer onto the second tweet, which hides the message until users click "view."
"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible," the disclaimer read.

Critics on Twitter said Trump's comments had racial undertones and said the term "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" can be traced back to Miami Police Chief Walter Headley in 1967 as a threat to black protestors during the civil rights movement.
When asked for comment, Twitter pointed to a thread explaining the decision.
"This Tweet violates our policies regarding the glorification of violence based on the historical context of the last line, its connection to violence, and the risk it could inspire similar actions today," Twitter Comms wrote. "We've taken action in the interest of preventing others from being inspired to commit violent acts, but have kept the Tweet on Twitter because it is important that the public still be able to see the Tweet given its relevance to ongoing matters of public importance."
This marks the second time Twitter has cracked down on Trump's tweets. Earlier this week, the tech giant added a fact-checking label to the president's tweets sounding the alarm on potential fraud from mail-in voting.
That sparked escalated tensions between him and Twitter, prompting the president to sign an executive order on Thursday that interprets Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (CDA) as not providing statutory liability protections for tech companies that engage in censorship and political conduct.
Fox News' Edmund DeMarche and Gregg Re contributed to this report. 

Trump blasts Minneapolis mayor, vows military support if needed

President Trump took to Twitter early Friday to vow military support for the governor of Minnesota after another night of violent protest in Minneapolis, which included a police station being overrun and set on fire.
“I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis,” Trump tweeted. “A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right.
A second tweet continued, “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let this happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you.”
Mayor Jacob Frey said it was his decision to evacuate the precinct.
“The symbolism of the building cannot outweigh the importance of life, our officers or the public,” he said. “We could not risk serious injury to anyone. And we will continue to patrol the Third Precinct,” he said.
Frey said Trump "knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis. We are strong as hell. Is this a difficult time period? Yes. But you better be damn sure we are going to get through this."
Earlier in the day, Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, told reporters that the president was “very upset” when he watched the George Floyd video.
Floyd, a handcuffed black man, pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck and died in police custody earlier this week.
It was “egregious, appalling and tragic,” McEnany said. “He wants justice to be served.” She said that the video prompted Trump to “pick up the phone” while aboard Air Force One and ask the FBI to expedite its investigation.
Trump later told Buck Sexton, the radio host, that he watched the video “like everyone else did. That was a horrible thing that I watched. Horrible.”
A police spokesman confirmed late Thursday that staff had evacuated the 3rd Precinct station, the focus of many of the protests, "in the interest of the safety of our personnel" late Thursday. Livestream video showed the protesters entering the building, where fire alarms blared and sprinklers ran as blazes were set.
Protesters could be seen setting fire to a Minneapolis Police Department jacket and cheering.
More than 500 members of the National Guard were heading to the Twin Cities region, called in by Walz, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported.
Floyd's death has deeply shaken Minneapolis and sparked protests in cities across the U.S. Local leaders have repeatedly urged demonstrators to avoid violence.
"Please stay home. Please do not come here to protest. Please keep the focus on George Floyd, on advancing our movement and on preventing this from ever happening again," tweeted St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who is black.
Fox News' Dom Calicchio, Morgan Phillips and the Associated Press contributed to this report

Unmasking Cartoons

Trump claims 'Big win' after Texas court rules lack of coronavirus immunity not valid for mail-in ballot

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a lack of immunity to the coronavirus does not qualify as a disability under state law for requesting a mail-in ballot.
The all Republican-court agreed with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had filed a petition to order local officials to follow state laws regarding mail-in ballots after a Court of Appeals ruled to allow anyone in Travis County to request a ballot, according to FOX 7 in Austin.
President Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that mail-in voting is associated with widespread voter fraud, tweeted after the ruling.
“Big win in Texas on the dangerous Mail In Voting Scam!” the president wrote.
The ruling was a loss for the Texas Democratic Party and voter rights groups, which had sought expanding mail-in voting during the pandemic.
To receive a mail-in ballot in Texas, voters must either claim a disability, be over 65, in jail, or away from their home county during the election, according to the Texas Tribune.
“We agree with the State that a voter’s lack of immunity to COVID-19, without more, is not a ‘disability’ as defined by the Election Code,” the court’s ruling said, adding that voters must determine if they meet the definition of "disability” and “election officials have no responsibility to question or investigate a ballot application that is valid on its face,” FOX 7 reported.
Voters citing a disability when requesting a ballot are not required to to specify.
“The question before us is not whether voting by mail is better policy or worse, but what the Legislature has enacted. It is purely a question of law,” the ruling said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “Our authority and responsibility are to interpret the statutory text and give effect to the Legislature’s intent.”
Having the virus, however, could entitle a voter to a mail-in ballot.
Paxton, in a statement said he applauded the court “for ruling that certain election officials’ definition of ‘disability’ does not trump that of the Legislature, which has determined that widespread mail-in balloting carries unacceptable risks of corruption and fraud."
“Election officials have a duty to reject mail-in ballot applications from voters who are not entitled to vote by mail. In-person voting is the surest way to maintain the integrity of our elections, prevent voter fraud and guarantee that every voter is who they claim to be," he said, according to FOX 7. 

Mississippi businesses can reopen Monday – with restrictions, governor says

All businesses in the state of Mississippi can reopen Monday – provided they follow guidelines for combating the coronavirus, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday.
“At that time, there will be no more business closures. Everyone will be allowed to operate,” Reeves said at a news briefing, according to the Clarion Ledger of Jackson.
“We cannot have an endless shutdown,” the governor added.

“We cannot have an endless shutdown.”
— Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves

As of early Thursday, the state had recorded nearly 14,000 infections from the virus and 670 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
When the pandemic began, Mississippi had scattered rules for the public and businesses to help contain the spread of the virus but Reeves later issued a statewide stay-at-home order, the Clarion Ledger reported.
Reeves’ new guidance is titled his “Safe Return” order.
The plan calls for businesses to allow 50 people at a time indoors and 100 people at a time outdoors beginning Monday if they practice social distancing. In cases where distancing is not possible, the capacities will be lowered to 20 people indoors and 50 people outdoors, the newspaper reported.
While the new order allows businesses to reopen, “This does not mean the threat is gone," Reeves stressed.
“There are no perfect options, but freedom with risk is better than a prolonged shutdown,” he said, adding later, “I trust you. I trust the people of Mississippi.”
Although the number of daily cases in the state has been on the rise, Reeves said this week that the data has been “relatively flat.”
“We had a prolonged plateau where our cases have been relatively flat. Again, you can go up or down a hundred cases, or two hundred cases over a seven-day period on a rolling seven-day average, but we’ve been relatively flat for 60 days in Mississippi," Reeves said Tuesday, according to WLBT-TV of Jackson.
At the same briefing, state Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs advised residents to continue wearing masks and practicing social distancing, noting that Wayne County, near the Alabama line, has seen a “remarkable increase” in new infections.

House Dems adjourn without FISA vote after Trump announces veto threat

The House of Representatives adjourned late Wednesday without voting on whether to reauthorize advanced surveillance tools used by law enforcement -- a measure that had wide bipartisan support back in March, but which has drawn sudden GOP opposition amid news of apparent FBI misconduct.
President Trump threatened to veto the bill if passed earlier on Wednesday, and House Democrats delayed a vote three times throughout the day. Democrats can only lose 17 votes, and their failure to forge ahead indicated that they hadn't yet whipped that minimum number.
The House is set to reconvene Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. Fox News is told that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., still wants the House to pass the bill, align it with the Senate's version, and dare the president to veto it.
"If the FISA Bill is passed tonight on the House floor, I will quickly VETO it," Trump tweeted ahead of the vote. "Our Country has just suffered through the greatest political crime in its history. The massive abuse of FISA was a big part of it!"
Earlier, Pelosi and Democratic leadership marched forward with the scheduled vote to authorize Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provisions and said it will be up to Trump to decide whether he wants to undo the carefully drafted bipartisan effort.
"I don't know what the president will do. This is not the first time he's tweeted against a bill and then the next day comes out and says he would support it," said House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., of the Trump's Tuesday tweet urging Republicans to oppose the FISA plan. "It will be in his hands."
“Late night tweets are not a way to govern," McGovern added.
The House in March passed with broad bipartisan support a reauthorization of the surveillance measures plus new privacy protections to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) by a 278-136 vote. The Senate then passed its version of reforms with another strong bipartisan vote of 80-16 to reauthorize expiring provisions and revise how the Justice Department and FBI use the tools designed to fight terrorism.
The House Wednesday had been slated to pass the Senate version and to send the FISA bill to Trump's desk.
But Trump put a wrench in the plan when he tweeted Tuesday night that he's urging all Republicans to vote no on the FISA legislation "until such time as our Country is able to determine how and why the greatest political, criminal, and subversive scandal in USA history took place!”
DOJ URGES TRUMP VETO ON FISA LEGISLATION, VOTE IN LIMBO
Trump issued the warning on Twitter, referring to his longstanding belief that the intelligence community improperly used FISA authorities to surveil his presidential campaign for political reasons and launch the Russia probe.
Then the Department of Justice came out Wednesday morning urging Trump to veto the legislation saying it goes too far and would weaken national security tools.
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., urged House Democrats to pull the bill and Rep. Steve Scalise advised his members to vote "no." Republicans argued the House should wait until they can draft legislation that has the support of the Trump Administration.
"My support for the underlying legislation does not wane because of a presidential tweet," said Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga. "My belief that the legislation will be signed into law wanes because of a presidential tweet."
But House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer bashed Republicans who voted in favor of the FISA bill just a few weeks and then reversed course just now because of Trump's tweet.
"Your flailing around to find a rationalization for your change of vote is sad," Hoyer said.
If the legislation passes, it would go directly to Trump's desk for his signature or veto.
The surveillance tools have long been a concern for Trump who believes the intelligence community improperly abused the FISA court to surveil his former adviser Carter Page. A Department of Justice Inspector General report found the FBI made repeated errors and misrepresentations before the FISA Court in an effort to obtain the warrants against Page. Meanwhile, progressives and libertarians also wanted more privacy reforms to protect individual liberties.
"With a FISA bill, nobody is ever really that happy," Pelosi said about the legislation to reauthorize and reform national security authorities in the U.S.A. Freedom Act.  "But the fact is ... we have to have a bill. If we don't have a bill, our civil liberties are less protected."
Fox News' Chad Pergram and Gregg Re contributed to this report.

Barr asks US Attorney John Bash to review 'unmasking' before and after 2016 election, DOJ tells Fox News

Attorney General William Barr, left, has asked U.S. Attorney John Bash to review "unmasking" before and after the 2016 election. (File)

Attorney General Bill Barr has asked U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas John Bash to review the practice of "unmasking" before and after the 2016 presidential election, a controversy that has picked up steam after the Justice Department moved to drop charges against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, the DOJ told Fox News on Wednesday night.
Republican lawmakers have demanded more information about the extent of the practice after a previously clandestine list of Obama-era officials who sought to reveal what turned out to be the identity of Michael Flynn in intelligence reports was released earlier the month. The DOJ had moved to drop the Flynn case after internal memos were released raising serious questions about the nature of the investigation that led to his late-2017 guilty plea for lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts.
DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told Fox News' "Hannity" that U.S. Attorney John Durham, who has been reviewing the origins of the Russia investigation, was looking into "unmasking" but Barr determined certain aspects of the practice needed further review, and Bash has been assigned to do so.

"Unmasking inherently isn't wrong, but certainly, the frequency, the motivation and the reasoning behind unmasking can be problematic, and when you're looking at unmasking as part of a broader investigation -- like John Durham's investigation -- looking specifically at who was unmasking whom, can add a lot to our understanding about motivation and big picture events," Kupec said.

Unmasking is a tool frequently used during the course of intelligence work and occurs after U.S. citizens' conversations are incidentally picked up in conversations with foreign officials who are being monitored by the intelligence community. The U.S. citizens' identities are supposed to be protected if their participation is incidental and no wrongdoing is suspected. However, officials can determine the U.S. citizens' names through a process that is supposed to safeguard their rights. In the typical process, when officials are requesting the unmasking of an American, they do not necessarily know the identity of the person in advance.
Republicans became highly suspicious of the number of unmasking requests made by the Obama administration concerning Flynn, and have questioned whether other Trump associates were singled out.
The DOJ spokesperson also affirmed that the D.C. Court of Appeals has invited the DOJ to weigh in on the Flynn case, "and we will."
Kupec maintained that the DOJ had the ability to drop the case against Flynn. "We have the prosecutorial discretion to make that decision."
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Gillian Turner contributed to this report.