Biden enters the ice cream wars — and gets creamed

Biden loves ice cream, so much so it's right there in his Twitter profile: "Loves ice cream, aviators." But the presumptive Democratic nominee might love it too much.

April 24, 2020 President Trump has his hands full trying to rein in the pandemic, so Joe's the only one starring in pure 2020 presidential race headlines. Lucky for us he's making a lot of them. The former vice president says he'd pick Michelle Obama as his running mate "in a heartbeat" — but a friend of the former first lady says she's not interested. And while Biden's raking in campaign cash at a healthy clip, he's not pulling in nearly as much as Trump, who's put himself and the party in a strong position financially. Here's the latest edition of Election Wire. 1. Will She Or Won't She? Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank She's back. "Michelle Obama has been the most backed person in the market, accounting for almost 32% of all bets," Oddschecker.com says in a new assessment of who's betting on Biden's potential running mate. "Although her odds of +2500 [25-1] indicate that she remains an outsider with just an implied chance of 3.85%, you can expect to see that figure shoot up if she continues to receive bets at the same rate," spokesman Pete Watt says. In an interview with a CBS Pittsburgh affiliate on Monday, the host asked Biden, "If she said to you she'd be willing to be your running mate, would you ask her?" "Oh, I'd take her in a heartbeat," Biden said. "She's brilliant. She knows the way around. She is a really fine woman. The Obamas are great friends." But Valerie Jarrett, one of former President Obama's top advisers and a longtime friend to the couple, quickly poked a hole in that trial balloon. "No chance," she said. "She doesn't want the job." Pfffffft goes the balloon. 2. Biden way behind Trump in fundraising. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images Seems like 2020 is shaping up to be another billion-dollar campaign, which means Biden better get on the good foot and start collecting some cash. But at this point, Biden and the Democratic Party are behind the president's reelection effort by nearly $187 million. "Even after Biden enjoyed a record fundraising haul in March, the presumptive Democratic nominee would need to net close to $1 million a day for the rest of the campaign cycle to close the gap with Trump," The Daily Wire reported. Biden raised $33 million in the first half of March, but fundraising slipped after states began issuing stay-at-home orders and uncertainty around the virus began hitting markets. Over 26 million Americans have now lost their jobs, and giving cash to filthy rich politicians is not on their list. Meanwhile, Trump and the Republican National Committee are on track to have $400 million in cash on hand by July 4, which puts the president at "an incredibly strong financial position in this political environment," as the Chamber of Commerce's Scott Reed put it. 3. Biden enters the ice cream wars — and gets creamed. CBS via Getty Images Biden loves ice cream, so much so it's right there in his Twitter profile: "Loves ice cream, aviators." But the presumptive Democratic nominee might love it too much. He spent $9,942.60 on gourmet ice cream as gifts to donors from mid-May 2019 to the end of January 2020, according to Federal Election Commission data. In a weird twist, Biden hands out the same super expensive ice cream that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi keeps in her $24,000 sub-zero freezer in her Napa Valley mansion — which earned her jibes after she showed off her stash during a late-night TV show. Pelosi's (and Biden's) professed love for Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams — which costs up to $12 a pint — came as thousands of people across the country stood in line for hours at food banks just to survive and over 20 million Americans lost their jobs. You Might Like VERDICT WITH TED CRUZ Latest episode: "The Wuhan Coverup" Senator Ted Cruz and Michael Knowles sit down to discuss a shocking new revelation about the Wuhan Institute of Virology and how to restart the American economy. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your podcasts. 4. Trump channels Obama: "Anybody Who Wants A Test Can Get A Test." Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images "Anybody who wants a test can get a test." That's what Trump said back in mid-March, and it's reminiscent of former President Barack Obama's infamous 2012 tagline: "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." (For the record, the promise won the "Lie of the Year" award handed out by PolitiFact in 2013.) On Trump's promise, governors from both parties disagree. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said Trump is "just delusional" to be suggesting that the states have enough tests to conduct enough of them to reopen their economies any time soon. The same charge came from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, who said that "lack of testing" is "probably the number one problem in America, and has been from the beginning of this crisis." Remember, the investigations into how the Trump administration handled the coronavirus will be in full blossom just about the time Americans start paying attention to the presidential campaign. So get ready to hear that phrase a LOT. 5. Trump vs. Biden in the polls. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Not much has changed over the last few weeks in the polls. The national head-to-head polls still show Biden with about a 6-point lead by average, while the battleground state polling likewise gives the Democrat the edge. Here are the leads Biden holds in the three latest national polls: Economist/YouGov: Biden +6 Harvard/Harris: Biden +6 NBC News/WSJ: Biden +5 The best national poll for Trump was conducted two weeks ago by Fox News and showed the two tied at 42 apiece. Since then, Biden has held the lead in all the polls. In the end, of course, it comes down to the battleground states. Here's the latest from some of the key ones: Arizona: Biden +4 Florida: Biden +3 Michigan: Biden +5.5 North Carolina: Trump +1.3 Pennsylvania: Biden +6.7 Wisconsin: Biden +2.7 6. Meme of the week: Check out more on Instagram @realdailywire. Election Wire is a weekly email newsletter featuring the latest in election news, polling data, and analysis from The Daily Wire. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Request next week's Election Wire here and share it with your friends. The Daily Wire | 15021 Ventura Blvd #503, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 You received this email because you are subscribed to Election Wire from The Daily Wire. Update your email preferences to choose the types of emails you receive.  Unsubscribe from all future emails

Families shouldn’t have to risk their lives to cast a ballot

Dear Rob,

Blink. "Did that really just happen?" "Are people now supposed to risk their lives during a pandemic to stand in crowded lines to vote?"

Last week, voters in Wisconsin had to risk their lives to go out and cast a ballot in person, which was not okay! [1] The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election make it clear that now more than ever we need to be able to mail in our ballots. But rather than help make that possible, horrifyingly, the Trump Administration is refusing to fund the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as it too struggles to weather the impacts of the pandemic -- and the USPS is now in danger of going under right when we need it most. [2] This is a giant blow to our democracy, businesses, economy, and communities.

There's no time to waste! Your voice, power, help, and hope is needed.

*Join us in calling on Congress and the White House to save our democracy and our health by: Saving the U.S. Postal Service; advancing a national vote-by-mail option; guaranteeing online/same-day voter registration; expanding early voting; and providing additional voting facilities.

We're in this together, and together we will defend our democracy and rebuild our communities to be better.

We know President Trump's failure to protect our postal system and our ability to vote during a pandemic is part of a broader pattern of massive failures to address the threat of the coronavirus. Below are just a few examples from Trump's long list of failures during this pandemic:

• Shut Down White House Pandemics Office: In 2018, President Trump shut down the White House pandemics office even though concern was raised from experts about doing so. [3]
• Failure to Act Quickly = Lives Lost: Despite warnings from public health and policy experts in his own administration, as well as reports from the National Security Council in early January, President Trump took over six weeks after the first COVID-19 death in the U.S. to take major action to stem the tide of the pandemic. [4]
• Failure to Test: The lack of early and current testing has caused, and is causing, lives to be lost and our economy to be hurt because the absence of testing allowed COVID-19 to spread like wildfire. [5] To make matters worse, Trump and Pence repeatedly misinformed the public that testing was widely available when it was not. [6]
• Medical Supplies Crisis: The Trump administration's failure to act quickly to amp up the federal response to get medical supplies like ventilators and protective gear has caused a deadly delay in getting sufficient supplies out to healthcare workers and patients. [7]
• Failure to Delegate to Experts: By first appointing Vice President Mike Pence to run the White House Coronavirus Task Force, a person who doesn't have a history of strong success in public health crises; [8] and later bringing in his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has no public health experience, to leadership, [9] President Trump compounded the impact of his initial delays to take action by refusing to listen to scientists and public health experts, misleading the public, and erratically pushing forward policy. 
• Weakened Healthcare: Unbelievably, during this crisis the Trump administration continues a lawsuit to roll back the Affordable Care Act and has also declined to open up a special healthcare enrollment period. [10]
• Failure to Support Essential Workers: Healthcare, grocery, childcare, delivery, farm, first responders, domestic, and other essential workers have been putting their lives on the line to save our communities while Trump has been undermining their value. For instance, it's been reported that the Trump administration is working on policies to reduce farm workers' wages during the pandemic [11]; and the Trump administration also just passed a dangerous rule that pushes frontline workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to not quarantine and keep working until they have symptoms. [12] 
• Failure to Protect Vulnerable Populations, Including People Who Are Incarcerated: It is impossible to follow CDC COVID-19 guidelines in prisons, jails, and detention centers. Trump has failed to protect the most vulnerable including elderly, pregnant, and health-compromised men, women, and children. [13]
• Misleading the Public: Despite consistent fact checking, President Trump has misled the public and shared harmful misinformation, as well as medical half-truths, in his regular briefings. [14]
• Failure to Support Governors: President Trump not only flat out rejected taking the responsibility that his office holds, saying "I don't take any responsibility at all" in terms of the pandemic, he's also been telling governors to "try getting it for yourselves" in relation to key medical supplies, like ventilators, that the federal government normally coordinates. [15]

Why this list? We need to remember Trump's failures so we know exactly who put our families and economy at risk. The U.S. is currently the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in no small part because of this list of failures. [16] This could have been prevented if we had a leader who put the health and well-being of our families first, instead of petty politics and denial.

We also need to remember these failures so they aren't repeated in the future.

→ Help make sure that a failure to protect our postal service and our ability to vote in November aren't on the next list of President Trump's failures.

*Join us in calling on Congress and the White House to save our democracy and our health by: Saving the U.S. Postal Service; advancing a national vote-by-mail option; guaranteeing online/same-day voter registration; expanding early voting; and providing additional voting facilities.

The answer to the question of "Did that really just happen?" is too often a sad "Yes" these days, but together we can be present and powerful in this moment as we also work to build a better tomorrow.

→ So please take a moment, after you take action, to share this link on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and via email so others can take action too. Here's that action link again so you can share it with others: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/USPS_democracy_COVID/?t=5&akid=13757%2E847037%2Efvx3Xa 

Sending virtual hugs to you all, wishes for good health to you and your families -- and enormous gratitude for all you are doing to help protect our communities!

- Kristin, Tina, Monifa, Ruth, Karen, Donna, Elyssa, Gloria, Felicia, and the entire MomsRising/MamásConPoder Team

 

[1] The New York Times 
[2] The Washington Post 
[3] The Washington Post 
[4] The New York Times  
[5] The New York Times
[6] The New York Times 
[7] The New York Times 
[8] CNN  
[9] The Guardian  
[10] Forbes  
[11] The Hill 
[12] Politico  
[13] The Washington Post 
[14] CNN  
[15] Vox and The New York Times  
[16] NPR 

 

---

Paid for by MomsRising Together, not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

E-Newsletter: Coronavirus Updates

April 13, 2020   About Tim Services Media Center Legislative Work Dear fellow South Carolinians, Thank you for subscribing to my weekly e-newsletter, and please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Although this Easter weekend certainly felt different, I pray that you were able to spend time (even if virtual) with friends and family and to reflect on the blessings that remain. In the midst of so much pain and difficulty, Easter is a much-needed reminder that we have a constant, living hope in the resurrected Jesus. You can watch my brief Easter video message here. COVID-19 Health Updates As I mentioned last week, if you miss briefings from either Governor McMaster or the White House Coronavirus Task Force, you can visit my Facebook page for a summary of each one. Here are some highlights from last week’s conferences. Governor Henry McMaster issued a mandatory “home or work” order that went into effect on Tuesday at 5 p.m. South Carolinians should be home unless they are working, visiting family, exercising outdoors, or going to stores or pharmacies for essentials. Violators will face a penalty of 30 days in jail and/or a $100 fine. The order will remain in effect for the duration of South Carolina’s state of emergency, which the governor has now extended through April 27. On Friday, the White House announced that over two million tests had been completed, with more than 100,000 now being administered each day. Vice President Pence reported that recent data shows evidence of COVID-19 stabilization across the country. Hospital bed occupancy rates are decreasing, and the number of new cases nationwide is flattening, indicating that the country may be heading toward the downward slope. Vice President Pence also announced that CARES Act recovery checks – up to $1,200 for those making less than $75,000 per year – will begin to be distributed by the end of this week through direct deposits. More information can be found at www.treasury.gov. To see the latest data on COVID-19 testing and cases by county, click here. Addressing Reports of Racial Disparities Last Tuesday, as reports began showing COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, I wrote to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. In my letter, I wrote, “As you move forward with additional actions aimed at combating COVID-19, we ask that you use the tools and authorities available to the Department to identify, monitor, and analyze potential racial disparities in the prevalence, along with the hospitalization and mortality rates, of this disease.” The collection of this information, as stated in my letter, will enable us to “more effectively address the needs at hand and more aggressively combat this terrible disease” for all Americans. You can read the full letter here. Actions from South Carolina While faithfully practicing social distancing guidelines by working remotely, my office and I remain dedicated to serving South Carolinians in all ways possible. Last week, I held another telephone town hall to address constituent questions. I also joined colleagues from both sides of the aisle in sending two additional letters to federal government agencies and one letter to President Trump - all in an effort to reduce the financial burdens created by COVID-19. You can read about each of the letters by clicking here. Resources: If you are feeling ill, click here for information from the South Carolina Hospital Association on telehealth options. More complete information on resources for South Carolinians is also available on my website or my Facebook page. For your own safety and the safety of others, remember to wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds, use cloth masks in public (leaving medical-grade masks for medical personnel), and stay home when at all possible. More CDC guidelines and other helpful tips are available at www.coronavirus.gov. Final Words: Once again, I want to thank not only our healthcare workers, but also the brave folks who are continuing to deliver our mail, keep the shelves stocked at our local grocery stores, drive trucks across the state, and so much more. You are our heroes. As I announced last week, Senator Coons (D-DE) and U.S. Representatives Cleaver (D-MO-05) and Walker (R-NC-06) and I have called for April to be a National Month of Prayer. We invite you to join us in lifting up private prayer at noon each day for these heroes on the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle and for our nation as a whole. Many South Carolinians are performing their own heroic acts of generosity, from creating face masks for one another to donating to charities and more.  I am so inspired by our state’s individuals and corporations taking bold action to help others during this time. Keep up the good work! We will overcome this challenge together. Sincerely,  Tim Lowcountry 2500 City Hall Lane 3rd Floor Suite North Charleston, SC 29406 Phone: (843) 727-4525 Fax: (855) 802-9355 Midlands 1901 Main Street Suite 1425 Columbia, SC 29201 Phone: (803) 771-6112 Fax: (855) 802-9355 Upstate 104 South Main Street Suite 803 Greenville, SC 29601 Phone: (864) 233-5366 Fax: (855) 802-9355 Washington, DC 104 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6121 Toll Free: (855) 425-6324 Fax: (202) 228-5143                   Click here to open a plain text version of this email                Click here to forward this email              Click here to open this e-mail in its own browser window

religious liberty

Friday, 10 April 2020

Virginia Pastor Charged with Crime for Holding Service

Written by  C. Mitchell Shaw

RICHMOND, Va. — As government (at the local, state, and federal levels) continues to use the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext for increasing control over citizens and private businesses, another casualty is religion. In the most recent case in point, a Pastor in Chincoteague, Virginia, was issued a summons by police for holding a church service with 16 people spaced far apart in a building that seats nearly 300.

Pastor Kevin Wilson of Lighthouse Fellowship Church was charged Sunday April 5 with violating Virginia Governor Northam's COVID Order 55. If convicted, he may face up to a year in jail, a $2,500 fine, or both.

Wilson and his church are being represented by Liberty Counsel. The Liberty Counsel website describes the organization as "a nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics."

In response to questions about the case, Liberty Counsel referred The New American to a press release on the case. According to that release, besides issuing the summons, police threatened the church with further — and escalated — action, unless compliance is forthcoming:

Last Sunday before the service, a local police officer entered the church. He gave no introduction and did not ask for the pastor. He abruptly said they could not have more than 10 people spaced six feet apart. Then after the service, two police officers entered the church in full mask and gloves and asked to speak with the pastor. They issued Pastor Wilson a summons and informed him that if he had service on Easter, and if more than ten people attended, everyone would receive the same summons.

While businesses all over Virginia have continued to operate without any threat of police action, churches and other religious congregations have been deemed "non-essential" and are forbidden to meet. By contrast, this writer ran out to the grocery store recently and had to circle the parking lot to find a parking space. As an aside, I had less luck finding toilet paper.

That store was crowded — with at least 150 people milling around the store. But a pastor, who dares to minister to 16 people, is issued a summons. The incongruity is based in the liberal view of the value of religion. Because of the liberal worldview held by the Democrat leadership in Virginia, grocery stores are (correctly) considered "essential" while churches are not.

But, like many churches, Lighthouse Fellowship Church provides services to the poorest and most marginalized in its community. According to the press release:

Lighthouse Fellowship helps keep people free of drug addiction, brokenness, mental illness, poverty, and prostitution. Many of the members do not have driver's licenses and are dependent on the church family for rides to get food, supplies, and go to medical appointments and personal care services like haircuts. Many attendees are on limited income obtained from government assistance — whether disability or social security, Medicare or Medicaid. The church has helped various members with electric or gas bills, rent, groceries, physical labor and transportation for moving, donating time, expertise and resources for repairing and renovating houses and travel trailers, cooking meals, helping people to apply for disability benefits, providing rides to medical appointments, clothes, and wood for stoves, fuel for cars, and cutting grass. The church also offers a blanket ministry, prayer ministry, discipleship programs, and counseling services.

Besides the innate value of religion to society — understood and promulgated by generations of Americans, including the Founding Fathers — there is the salient fact that the charitable work provided by this and other churches is absolutely "essential" to those who receive it. But, a government run by people who can't see the value of religion is not likely to see the charity of a church as anything other than competition.

The stay-at-home order issued by Governor Ralph Northam — as liberal a Democrat as ever there was — arbitrarily assigns the number of people who can safely gather as 10.

As the press release explains:

Lighthouse Fellowship Church protected the health and safety of the 16 people by requiring them to be spread far apart in the 293-seat sanctuary. The church does not have internet.

Some people do not have cars and they depend on the ministry of the church for their physical and spiritual needs. But because the church had six more people than the 10 allowed by

Gov. Ralph Northam, the pastor is being criminally charged. There is not a 'one-size-fits-all' template that works for every church. We need to balance the First Amendment with protecting the health and welfare of people. Using an arbitrary number of 10 people for every church is not the answer.

Interestingly, the press conference Northam held to announce his order was itself a violation of that arbitrary number. It was heavily populated by journalists and others. Nor were Northam, members of his administration who were present, and media representatives spaced at least six feet apart.

Consistency, alas, is not a strong point of liberalism.

Hatred of religion, however, is.

Graphic: alexskopje/iStock/Getty Images Plus

C. Mitchell Shaw is a freelance writer and public speaker who addresses a range of topics related to liberty and the U.S. Constitution.