Kushner says it’s ‘disgusting’ that politicians are trying to politicize the coronavirus pandemic

 

Jared Kushner, the senior adviser to President Trump, told Fox News’ “The Next Revolution with Steve Hilton” Sunday that it is “absolutely disgusting” to see politicians trying to use the coronavirus to score political points in an election year.

Kushner, who is also Trump’s son in law, pointed to the recent anniversary of the attacks on 9/11 and recalled how--in the immediate aftermath-- Americans didn’t “politicize that crisis.”

“We came together as a country,” he said. “President Trump has continued to lead, continued to do the right thing. But it’s very sad for me to see how a lot of these politicians have tried to politicize this. But that’s what they do.”

The election season is in full swing and both Trump and Joe Biden are trying to present themselves as the leader who will keep Americans safe amid the deadly pandemic. Biden’s team has tried to describe Trump as someone who failed to rise to the occasion. Democrats have claimed that Trump did not take the virus seriously enough in its early stages and has been playing catchup ever since.

Biden has also appeared to struggle to make clear distinctions in how he would have approached the virus back in March.

Jake Sullivan, a senior policy adviser for Biden, was asked by Chris Wallace, the host of “Fox News Sunday” about the former vice president’s decision to hold rallies in March and played a video clip of Biden’s reaction to Trump’s decision to restrict travel from China.

“This is no time for Donald Trump's record of hysteria, xenophobia, hysterical xenophobia to -- and fearmongering, to lead the way instead of science,” Biden said.

Wallace asked Sullivan why it took Biden two months to publically approve the restrictions. Sullivan denied the time frame and Bidden said in a speech on March 12 that travel restrictions can slow the virus.

“But they can't stop the virus,” Sullivan said, regarding the restrictions. “His [Biden's] whole point was, the only way long-term for us to get this virus under control is for the president to stand up and do his job here at home where the virus was circulating”

Kushner told Steve Hilton, the host of the program, that Trump took the virus seriously from the start.

“They said we would have shortages on the frontline workers PPE; they said that we were going to have people dying because they weren’t in ventilators,” Kushner said.“That didn’t happen.”

Kushner also credited Trump for his leadership in the push for a vaccine. He said there are several vaccines that are now in Phase Three trials, which is “faster than anyone thought possible.”

Kushner said the coronavirus has brought a lot of heartbreak to Americans and has been challenging. But he said Trump is the man for the job and prevented the country from being in a “much worse position."

Trump defies Nevada governor with indoor rally near Las Vegas

 

President Trump on Sunday night held an indoor rally at a warehouse outside Las Vegas where he called the state’s governor a “political hack” and urged him to “open up your state.”

Speaking to thousands of supporters crammed inside the plant in Henderson, Trump targeted Gov. Steve Sisolak — who had earlier blasted the president for hosting the rally in violation of a state mandate limiting gatherings to 50 people.

“You have a governor right now who is a political hack,” Trump told the audience. “Tell your governor to open up your state, by the way. Open up your state.”

The state’s economy has been operating with restrictions on a per-county basis based on their individual coronavirus risk levels.

Casinos and restaurants, for example, in Las Vegas in Clarke County, are operating at 50 percent capacity. But bars and taverns in the county remain closed.

All counties must adhere to state mitigation mandates, including wearing face coverings and limiting gatherings larger than 50 people.

The president’s decision to host Sunday night’s rally — his second in as many days in Nevada with more than 50 people — was described by Sisolak as “reckless and selfish.”

“President Donald Trump is taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada,” Sisolak said in the statement. “The President appears to have forgotten that this country is still in the middle of a global pandemic.”

Trump assured his supporters Sunday night that he’ll back them in the event any issues arise from attending the indoor rally.

“If the governor comes after you, which he shouldn’t be doing, I’ll be with you all the way, I’ll be with you all the way, don’t worry about a thing,” he said.

Trump calls for swift justice in shooting of ambushed deputies as manhunt intensifies in LA

 

President Trump argued on Sunday for tougher criminal sentencing guidelines and faster courts as the manhunt continues for the suspect in the shooting of two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies over the weekend.

Trump, who was speaking at a roundtable campaign event in Las Vegas, used Saturday’s gruesome shooting to highlight his campaign’s “law and order” message, while also calling out Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as weak on crime.

“He’s not strong for law and order and everybody knows that,” Trump said of Biden during at a “Latinos for Trump” event. “When you see a scene like happened just last night in California with the two police people – a woman, a man – shot at stone cold short range.”

The president added: “We’re looking for him…and when we find that person, we’ve got to get much faster with our courts and we’ve got to get much tougher with our sentencing.”

Authorities in southern California were searching for the suspect who shot and critically wounded two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were sitting in their squad car early Saturday evening. There is currently a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery Saturday evening, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago, he said.

They were each in critical condition Sunday afternoon, said Deputy Trina Schrader.

The deputies were shot while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station in Compton and were able to radio for help, the sheriff said. Villanueva, whose department has been criticized during recent protests over racial unrest, expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the deputies.

Trump first responded to the ambush-style shooting early Sunday morning.

"Animals that must be hit hard!" Trump wrote, referring to criminals who target law enforcement.

"If [the deputies] die, fast trial death penalty for the killer. Only way to stop this!" Trump later wrote.

Trump and his Republican allies have continually attempted to cast Biden as weak on crime and in favor of measures to defund police departments across the country.

The “Defund The Police” movement began in force following the death in late May of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died while being detained by a Minneapolis police officer. Floyd’s death – and similar incidents across the country – sparked widespread protests against police brutality and racial injustice as well as calls to cut funding to law enforcement agencies.

Despite Trump and the GOP’s push to cast Biden as proponent of the “Defund the Police” movement, the Democratic candidate has called for police reforms by stopped short of defunding law enforcement departments.

"Let's get the facts straight, I not only don't want to defund the police,” Biden said during a campaign speech earlier this month. “I want to add $300 million to their local budgets to deal with community policing to get police and communities back together again.”

Biden said he wants reforms including more funding for public schools, summer programs and mental health and substance abuse treatment, including a $300 million investment in the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

Biden has previously said that Trump wants to cut funding for local law enforcement by roughly $500 million, a claim that PolitiFact has rated as "Mostly True." Trump's FY 2021 budget proposal would reduce Justice Department funding for state and local law enforcement by $380 million compared to FY 2020, and the president's budget would also cut COPS by $170 million, according to PolitiFact.

Biden also quickly condemned the shooting of the deputies in Compton, calling it “unconscionable” and demanding the suspect be apprehended quickly.

"This cold-blooded shooting is unconscionable and the perpetrator must be brought to justice," Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden tweeted. “Violence of any kind is wrong; those who commit it should be caught and punished.”

Fox News’ Evie Fordham and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Camel Harris Cartoons

 

Newt Gingrich: Kamala Harris is most radical major party VP nominee in US history

 

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., is the most radical person ever nominated for president or vice president of the United States by a major political party.

Last month, Rasmussen Reports published a survey that indicted 59 percent of likely voters do not think Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, 77, would finish his first term in office if he is elected in November.

Even nearly half (49 percent) of Democrats who were asked thought Biden would bow out before four years are up. This is a remarkable statistic and makes the 2020 election even more unique and important, because it means nearly half of Democrats believe they will actually be electing the vice-presidential candidate to eventually become president.

Historically, voters do not heavily consider the vice-presidential candidate, but it is essential this year to give Harris much more scrutiny than would normally be warranted.

Of course, the liberal media constantly try to pitch Biden as a moderate Democrat who could appeal to more people in the middle of the country. No doubt, the media will try to do the same with Harris, although it will be much more difficult.

I don’t want you to take my word for it or count on my judgment. That is why on Newt’s World, I captured some of Harris’s more radical positions — in her own words — so that Americans can hear directly from the senator how radical she is and keep that in mind as the November election approaches.

Harris, despite being a former prosecutor, has been incredibly supportive of efforts to defund police departments; to elect radical, pro-criminal, anti-police prosecutors who simply refuse to prosecute criminals; and to sow chaos in American cities.

On “Good Morning America” on ABC television June 9, Harris said she fully supports Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s decision to cut $150 million from policing to boost health and youth training programs. “I applaud Eric Garcetti for doing what he’s done,” she said.

Importantly, Harris said this on the same day that the local CBS affiliate reported crime in Los Angeles was up 250 percent in the first week of June.

In May 2017 Harris tweeted her support for Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, saying that “progressive prosecutors are key to criminal justice reform like rolling back mass incarceration and ending cash bail.”

And Harris has supported a slew of other pro-criminal, anti-police prosecutors in Chicago, Milwaukee and elsewhere who have decided to stop prosecuting theft, public drug-use, and other so-called quality of life crimes in the name of social justice.

Further, on June 18 Harris almost gleefully told “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert on his CBS program that the chaos happening in cities across the county is “not going to stop before Election Day in November and they’re not going to stop after Election Day. And that should be, everyone should take note of that on both levels that they are not going to let up and they should not.”

But Harris’ radical views on crime and public safety are only the tip of the left-wing radical iceberg. Over her years as California’s top prosecutor and later one of the state’s U.S. senators, Harris has made many more radical statements — and supported many more radical ideas.

On immigration, she would decriminalize illegal border crossings and offer free health care to every person in the country illegally.

On the environment, she would pass the destructive Green New Deal, ban all fracking, and decimate the American fossil fuel industry. She is so adamant on these issues, she would even ban plastic straws.

This is important, because anyone who votes for the Biden-Harris ticket will not be voting for moderation or anything close to the center. If more than half of likely voters are right, a vote for President Biden is really a vote for President Harris.

That would be a vote for a dramatically more radical, dangerous America.

 To read, hear, and watch more of Newt Gingrich’s commentary, visit Gingrich360.com. 

Trump rallies in Nevada to fight for votes in key battleground state

 

President Trump came out swinging Saturday evening at a rally in Nevada.

"The bottom line is, when we win, America wins," the president told a crowd of supporters in Minden, about 50 miles south of Reno, as part of a push to flip Nevada red this November.

Trump immediately called Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak a "political hack" after sparring with the Democrat over a rally originally scheduled for an airport hangar in Reno earlier this week, which the Trump 2020 Campaign was forced to cancel because of the governor's 50-person limit on outdoor gatherings amid the coronavirus.

"The bottom line is, when we win, America wins."

— President Trump

The rally was moved to an airport hangar in Minden, near Lake Tahoe.

State Republicans blamed the governor for trying to hurt Trump’s reelection chances, but the Reno rally was canceled by airport officials.

“This is the guy we are entrusting with millions of ballots, unsolicited ballots, and we’re supposed to win these states. Who the hell is going to trust him?” Trump asked the crowd about Sisolak, before suggesting again that Democrats would rig the election through mail-in ballots. However, U.S. Postal Service and state election officials say mail-in voting is safe and secure.

As part of his ongoing crusade against mail-in voting, lawyers for the president’s reelection campaign are urging a federal judge in Las Vegas to block a state law and prevent mail-in ballots from going to all active Nevada voters less than eight weeks before the election.

Trump told the audience he took deep offense at Joe Biden for an ad the Democratic nominee did about a magazine story that said Trump had called fallen service members "suckers" and "losers."

"There’s nobody who loves our military, respects them more than me. There were 25 witnesses on the record that said it never happened," Trump said of former and current staff members who defended his character.

Trump called Biden a “pathetic human being” for running the ad. “They’re a disgrace, but you know the good part, now I can be really vicious.”

He added because of the ad, he felt he didn't need to be "nice" anymore.

"Joe Biden cannot lead our country 'cause he doesn't really believe in our country," he said. "He is the worst candidate in the history of presidential politics."

"Joe Biden cannot lead our country 'cause he doesn't really believe in our country."

— President Trump

Trump claimed that the Democrat’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., would be president “in about a month” if Biden won, asserting that the former vice president would be a figurehead and that Harris would hold power.

He claimed that the media would treat Biden “like Winston Churchill” if he was able to merely stand on the debate stage on Sept. 29. And embarking on a swing that will also include stops in Las Vegas, Phoenix and California, Trump mocked Biden’s slower travel schedule amid the pandemic.

“You know where he is now? He is in his damn basement again!”

“You know where he is now? He is in his damn basement again!”

— President Trump

The president reiterated that Biden, if elected president, would run suburbanites out of their homes by allowing Antifa to move in. "Don't let them ruin the suburbs!" he told the crowd.

He said Democrats want to allow churches to burn while letting agitators riot in the streets.

"Biden's plan is to appease domestic terrorists and my plan is to arrest domestic terrorists," he said to cheers.

A crowd listens as President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at Minden-Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020. (Associated Press)

“These are far-left lunatics that Biden selects to staff his government," he said of rioters.

He said unlike Biden he would always stand with the "heroes in law enforcement." Trump didn't mention any of the alleged cases of police brutality that have sparked the protests across the country.

He also suggested that the "phony" polls showing him trailing Biden are an attempt at voter suppression.

"My people won't be suppressed!" he said to the cheering crowd.

He told the crowd they should become poll workers in November. “With you people watching the polls it’s going to be pretty hard to cheat," he laughed, adding that Democrats would still find a way to cheat.

He also mentioned polls showing him doing better with Hispanics, which would be key to a victory in Nevada.

While mentioning a list of potential Supreme Court justices he put out -- including Sens. Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton -- Trump claimed Biden would appoint "radical left maniacs" to the court.

He mentioned that he will be heading to California on Monday and said everyone's hearts are with those affected by the wildfires but said the key to keeping fires at bay is "forest management."

The president also expressed concerns over wind power and windmills while talking about renewable energy, saying they kill birds, break down too quickly and he joked that electricity powered by windmills wouldn't work if it wasn't windy. He said he likes solar power but claimed it's too expensive.

Trump said the country was "rounding the corner" on the coronavirus that has killed more than 190,000 Americans.

“If this was Sleepy Joe and Obama you wouldn’t have a vaccine for 3 years," he claimed. He has suggested a vaccine could be ready before the end of the year.

However, Fauci disagreed last week that the pandemic is nearly over, saying that Americans need to "hunker down" during the fall and winter when the flu season could make battling the pandemic even more difficult.

Several thousand people covered the tarmac in Minden, including Tom Lenz, 64, of Sparks, Nev., who said he didn’t vote for Trump last time.

“But I will this time. I think he knows what he’s doing,” said Lenz. “He’s pro-faith, pro-life, he’s made more peace in the world. Biden can’t even talk.”

Trump told the crowd "Joe Biden has been on the wrong side of history for 47 years," while mentioning Biden's vote for the Iraq War in 2003 and his own administration's successes against ISIS.

He said Biden would destroy Social Security and protections for pre-existing conditions. (Pre-existing conditions are protected under ObamaCare). He added that Biden wants to give health care for "illegal aliens" and abolish school choice.

"Never forget they're coming after me cause I am fighting for you!" He told his supporters, adding in his second term he would make America the manufacturing leader of the world, bring back jobs, hire police, ban sanctuary cities, and appoint conservative judges. "We want law and order. We have to have it!" he said.

"We will uphold religious liberty, free speech and the right to keep and bear arms," he said, adding that he's bringing troops home and will end "endless wars" and will even put the first woman on the moon.

He said his administration will teach children to always respect the American flag.

"For years you had a president who apologized for America now you have a president who stands up for America," he said, reminding the crowd to get out a vote on Nov. 3. "Together we are taking back our country."

The president lost Nevada’s six electoral votes to Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 2 percentage points, but the campaign has invested heavily in the state to change the outcome this go-around.

Nevada hasn’t voted for a Republican president since 2004.

“The Democrats are scared. They know President Trump has the momentum," said the state GOP chairman, Michael McDonald.

Some Democrats are concerned about possible Trump gains in Nevada, with the president showing increasing support from Latinos and non-college educated white voters, two important constituencies in the state.

The president plans to host a “Latinos for Trump” roundtable Sunday morning in Las Vegas, followed by an evening rally at a manufacturing facility in neighboring Henderson.

Trump also scheduled a high-dollar fundraiser in Las Vegas this weekend, where couples were asked for $150,000 to attend.

The president is scheduled to visit Arizona later Sunday, and tour California wildfire damage Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Oregon fire marshal departs amid wildfire destruction

 

Oregon’s top fire official resigned Saturday as wildfires continued to rage there and in other Western states.

Marshal Jim Walker submitted a resignation letter to the superintendent of the Oregon State Police after he was placed on paid administrative leave, FOX 12 Oregon reported.

No reason for Walker’s departure was officially disclosed but sources said State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton had lost confidence in Walker’s ability to handle the state’s wildfire crisis, OregonLive.com reported.

Chief Deputy Mariana Ruiz-Temple has been appointed the state’s new fire marshal. Before Walker was placed on leave, he had effectively delegated the job of managing the state’s wildfire response to Ruiz-Temple, a source told the news outlet.

“Mariana has led with grace, transparency and courage,” Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement. “She embodies the experience Oregon needs to face this crisis, in this moment.”

Oregon Fire Marshal Jim Walker resigned Saturday. Succeeding him is Chief Deputy Mariana Ruiz-Temple. (Office of the State Fire Marshal/Oregon State Police)

Hampton also issued a statement of support for Ruiz-Temple.

"Mariana is assuming this position as Oregon is in an unprecedented crisis which demands an urgent response,” he said, according to OregonLive.com.

“This response and the circumstances necessitated a leadership change. I have the absolute confidence in Mariana to lead OSFM [Office of the State Fire Marshal] operations through this critical time. She is tested, trusted and respected – having the rare combination of technical aptitude in field operations and administration.”

Wildfires burned 1 million acres in Oregon last week, with two of the largest occurring in the Portland metro area, in Marion County and Clackamas County, FOX 12 reported.

Oregon is one of seven Western states slated to receive assistance from the federal government for addressing wildfire damage. The others are California, Colorado, Montana, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Burgess Owens, a BLM critic, defends Utah Jazz coach over donation scrutiny

 

Utah U.S. House candidate Burgess Owens defended Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder last week, after the coach faced criticism for donating twice to Republican Owens’ campaign.

Owens, a former NFL defensive back and Super Bowl champion, is a critic of Black Lives Matter and racial injustice protests by NBA players -- while Snyder has been a vocal supporter of BLM and has kneeled with his team during the national anthem, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported.

“How much do ‘black lives matter’ to the people upset that a good man donated to the states ONLY BLACK CANDIDATE running for Congress, because he disagrees with their stance on BLM Inc.,” Owens tweeted Friday along with a retweet of a Tribune article reporting the donations. “Do black lives only matter when they think how you tell them to?”

“Do black lives only matter when they think how you tell them to?”

— Burgess Owens

Tribune reporter Andy Larson wrote that Snyder's two $500 donations to Owens, made in May and June, were “likely to surprise some given the public stances of the two men.”

Last month, Owens told Fox News the U.S. was at a crossroads and called Black Lives Matter "Marxist."

“We have one vision that says we the people are empowered by education, and we will give that power to the people and the other side is they want to empower themselves by stealing our education, stealing our history,” he told "The Story" host Martha MacCallum. “For those who can go to Google, you’ll find out that BLM inc. is nothing but a Marxist organization.”

Larson responded to Owens’ tweet Friday, writing “no one is attacking Quin here. This was public record, and public knowledge, widely discussed in Jazz circles. People asked us what happened here, I explained it. I like Quin.”

On Saturday, Owens denounced personal attacks on Larson by some on social media.

"While I think the criticism on the article is very fair. I'm noticing a lot of personal attacks on Andy I don't believe are fair, or right," Owens tweeted. "Argue content, argue what's 'news' but never forget you're talking to another human being who just sees things a little differently."

Larson reported that Snyder declined to comment on the donations.

After winning a GOP House primary June 30, Owens will face Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams for Utah's 4th Congressional District seat in November.