Elementary students on the first day of school in Godley, Texas (LM Otero/AP)
Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden addresses the “national emergency” of the Coronavirus pandemic, but Donald Trump ignores it in favor of advice to Americans to vote illegally in November’s elections.
Speaking from Delaware, Biden set out guidelines for “safely and effectively” carrying out instruction at schools this autumn: “This is an emergency. And Donald Trump and his FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] should treat it as one.”
The nominee called full access to federal disaster relief and emergency assistance, including for personal protective equipment and sanitation supplies. He said he would work with Congressional leaders for emergency resources for schools for more teachers, more school psychologists, and more ventilation and health measures.
Biden explained that school superintendents have estimated they need at least $200 billion and asked, “Mr. President, where are you? Where are you? Why aren’t you working on this?”
As Biden spoke, the US death toll reached 185,744, with 1,055 fatalities in 24 hours. Confirmed cases are 6,114,046, an increase of 38,394.
The former Vice President set out a basic task for the occupant of the White House:
Getting our kids back to school safely. Keeping schools safely able to remain open once they open. Not whipping up fear and division. Not inciting violence in our streets. Get off Twitter and start talking to the congressional leaders in both parties.
Trump: “Vote Twice”
Trump has demanded full in-class instruction at schools and universities, defying medical and public health advice and quashing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has effectively replaced the Government’s top experts, Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx, with Dr. Scott Atlas, a Fox TV commentator and neuroradiologist with no experience in epidemiology.
See also Coronavirus — Trump Dismisses Dr. Fauci, “I Inherited Him”, as Deaths Near 185,000
Trump’s line has already been challenged by large spikes in cases at universities within days of resuming classes. The University of South Carolina is the latest, with more than 1,000 active cases and a 28% positivity rates.
Among the other universities with clusters of more than 1,000 cases are the University of North Carolina, Michigan State University, Notre Dame University, and the University of Alabama.
Trump ignored the pandemic on a visit to North Carolina. Instead, he advised Americans to break the law and the electoral system, as he pursued his lie that mail-in ballots are fraudulent.
Let them send it [mail-in ballot] in and let them go vote [in person], and if their system’s as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote. If it isn’t tabulated, they’ll be able to vote. So that’s the way it is. And that’s what they should do.
Instead of pulling back, his political appointee Attorney General William Barr supported the falsehoods. repeating his claim to CNN that foreign countries could interfere with counterfeit ballots. Asked for evidence, he could not offer any. Instead, he said he was basing the assertion “on logic”.
Barr also denied that police discrimination against Black Americans is racism:
think there are some situations when statistics would suggest they are treated differently, but I don’t think that’s necessarily racism.
There appears to be a phenomenon in the country where African-Americans feel that they’re treated, when they’re stopped by police, frequently, as suspects before they are treated as citizens. I don’t think that that necessarily reflects some deep-seated racism.
