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News Analysis: COVID-19 surge abroad, high-profile cases serve as reminder to Biden: Pandemic isn’t over

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News Analysis: COVID-19 surge abroad, high-profile cases serve as reminder to Biden: Pandemic isn’t over

When President Biden walked maskless into the Home chamber for his first State of the Union earlier this month, the White Home hoped it could sign the nation had turned a nook on a pandemic that overwhelmed hospitals and killed practically 1 million nationwide.

Even so, Biden didn’t declare victory, as he did final summer season solely to see instances and hospitalizations spike because the U.S. was hammered by the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus. “I can’t promise a brand new variant gained’t come,” Biden mentioned. “However I can promise you we’ll do every part inside our energy to be prepared if it does.”

That balancing act highlights how Biden stays caught between a inhabitants keen to return to regular and the realities of a pandemic that doesn’t look like easing up. Not two weeks after his maskless deal with to Congress, a surge in infections is going on all over the world. In China, a spike in instances, attributed to the extraordinarily contagious Omicron variant, has prompted huge shutdowns. In Europe, instances are additionally on the rise, an ominous signal that yet one more surge in infections is likely to be across the nook within the U.S.

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White Home Chief of Employees Ron Klain on Thursday acknowledged the “nice danger of a brand new wave.”

These near the president have additionally been catching the virus. Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, examined constructive on Tuesday. Eire’s prime minister, Micheal Martin, examined constructive a day later — after attending a gala with U.S. lawmakers, together with Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who sat maskless beside him.

That constructive take a look at compelled Biden to cancel his in-person conferences with the taoiseach on St. Patrick’s Day. Former President Obama examined constructive on Monday.

These instances and the rise in infections all over the world are coming as native and state jurisdictions, managed by each Democrats and Republicans, have scaled again pandemic-related restrictions within the face of bipartisan exhaustion from such measures. Public well being consultants say the following wave couldn’t come at a worse time, and there isn’t a lot the Biden administration can do to mitigate it below present political circumstances.

It’s doubtless that the USA will see an increase in infections inside weeks, mentioned Dr. Lisa Maragakis, senior director of an infection prevention on the Johns Hopkins Well being System.

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The first cause for that potential enhance is a “dramatic shift in our conduct,” Maragakis mentioned. After hospitalizations waned earlier this yr, authorities officers had been “very enthusiastic to hurry ahead with taking away restrictions. That in and of itself units up the situations for the following surge, sadly.”

The White Home additionally seems to be adjusting its methods and personnel in searching for to fight the virus in mild of the general public’s eagerness to maneuver on.

This week, the administration introduced that it could substitute its coronavirus response coordinator, Jeff Zients, with Dr. Ashish Ok. Jha, the dean of the College of Public Well being at Brown College. Jha often seems on cable information reveals and tweets prolifically concerning the pandemic. Biden in an announcement mentioned Jha is acknowledged for his “sensible and calming public presence” and that he was “excellent for the job” of guiding the nation into the following section of the pandemic.

Whereas nonetheless touting the necessity to get vaccinated — 75% of adults are absolutely vaccinated, in line with federal statistics — the Biden administration can also be searching for greater than $15 billion from Congress to bolster the nation’s testing capability and to verify uninsured Individuals have entry to free therapies. The spending invoice has stalled in Congress, because of Senate Republicans who earlier this month handed a decision to terminate the nation’s emergency declaration.

White Home Press Secretary Jen Psaki mentioned the president is aware of learn how to handle the pandemic. But when Congress doesn’t approve new spending, the administration “is at nice danger of working out of cash to do precisely that,” she mentioned.

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“Simply because COVID isn’t disrupting a few of our lives in sure communities as a lot because it was a couple of weeks in the past, it doesn’t imply it’s gone,” Psaki mentioned. “It’s not gone.”

Well being consultants say the federal government could also be approaching the purpose the place it focuses extra on how the virus is affecting hospitals as an alternative of general infections.

American vaccines have proved a formidable protection in opposition to extreme sickness. As a result of the virus will doubtless proceed to unfold all through the world, “it may very well be argued that at this level within the pandemic, we shouldn’t fear about an infection,” mentioned Dr. Leana Wen, a public well being professor at George Washington College. As an alternative, she mentioned, the nation may very well be maintaining shut tabs on when extreme sickness “threatens to overwhelm our healthcare system.”

It is going to be difficult for the Biden administration to do that, nonetheless, with out further funding to spice up the stockpile of therapies, vaccines and checks, Wen mentioned.

“The window for preparedness and stopping is earlier than now we have one other disaster,” she mentioned. “We’ve instruments that we didn’t have earlier than in preventing COVID. We will enable individuals to return to normalcy and shield our healthcare system from being overwhelmed once more.”

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How the virus performs out within the coming months will doubtless have political implications for Biden and his celebration, particularly as polls present that voters are annoyed with the pandemic and inflation, they usually often take out their anger on the celebration in energy. Democrats narrowly management each chambers of Congress and face lengthy odds of retaining them as Biden’s approval ranking has not considerably risen since January.

A March 17 ballot carried out by Monmouth College reveals that simply 39% of Individuals approve of Biden’s job efficiency, whereas 54% disapprove. Biden additionally receives combined marks on how he has dealt with the pandemic.

Steve Israel, former New York consultant and former chair of the Democratic Congressional Marketing campaign Committee, mentioned that for Biden and Democrats to face any likelihood in November, they need to persuade voters that COVID-19 is considerably behind them and folks must “really feel of their bones that the financial system is getting higher.”

“The issue is that there isn’t any method of predicting or constructing a political technique that manages these exterior occasions,” he mentioned.

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Georgia activist steals the show after being introduced by Trump at Atlanta rally: 'Incredible'

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Georgia activist steals the show after being introduced by Trump at Atlanta rally: 'Incredible'

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A Georgia activist stole the show after being introduced by former President Trump at his rally in Atlanta Saturday.

Trump invited Michaelah Montgomery up on stage toward the end of his speech at the Georgia State University Convocation Center. He introduced Montgomery by explaining he met her at a restaurant this year.

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Trump said Montgomery, who attended Clark Atlanta University, had recognized him in public and commended him for funding historically Black colleges and universities.

“She looks at me, says ‘It’s President Trump. You saved my college.’ And I said, ‘How the hell do you know that?’ … This one is so smart, so sharp,” Trump recalled.

ALINA HABBA ACCUSES KAMALA HARRIS OF ‘COMMITTING A CRIME,’ COVERING UP BIDEN’S HEALTH

Michaelah Montgomery stole the show after being introduced by former President Trump at his Atlanta rally Saturday. (Getty Images/Fox News)

“She grabbed me. She gave me a kiss,” he added. “I said, ‘I think I’m never going back home to the first lady.’” 

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“You were supposed to keep that quiet,” Montgomery laughed.

The former president commended Montgomery, describing her as “incredible” with a “tremendous future,” and told her he would do “whatever I can to help you,” before giving her the podium.

“I do want to add on to some of the remarks that were made by others,” the conservative activist began. “And we do need to do our best to get the message out there. The fight is nothing if all we do is talk about it amongst ourselves.”

Montgomery added that she was a founder of an organization called Conserve the Culture, which helps “mobilize the HBCU students so that they may get this [conservative] message.”

THE ‘WEIRD’ CAMPAIGN: THE STUNNING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HARRIS AND VANCE COVERAGE

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Montgomery smiling at stage

Montgomery attended Clark Atlanta University and had recognized him in public recently. (Fox News)

“Nobody needs this message more than my folks, so do y’all care for real?” Montgomery said to the cheering audience. “Are y’all with us for real?

“I’ma give it back to Big T.”

The rally took place days after Trump was criticized by the White House for statements he made at the recent National Association of Black Journalists convention about Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity.

“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”

Montgomery waving

At the end of her speech, Montgomery mentioned her organization, Conserve the Culture. (Fox News)

On Wednesday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson praised Trump for “answering tough questions” at the conference.

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“I commend my friend @realdonaldtrump for going into a hostile environment at @NABJ today and answering tough questions,” Carson said in a post on X.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign, but did not immediately hear back.

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Opinion: Trump proved himself unfit to be commander in chief

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Opinion: Trump proved himself unfit to be commander in chief

When I was an officer in the U.S. military, I abstained from voting in national elections, one small way to keep the armed forces nonpartisan. Now, to uphold that same value and prevent the military from becoming a political tool, I believe that in November, everyone — civilians, service members, veterans, everyone — should vote for whoever has the best chance to keep Donald Trump out of office.

This is not a political statement. This is a strategic judgment based on fitness to lead — both to defend the United States and to protect the civilian-military balance that has enabled our nation to become the greatest in history.

Today’s U.S. military is the world’s most powerful weapon, and in the wrong hands it could become a potent political tool as well. This weapon must not be placed under an unfit commander in chief, as the former president showed himself to be during the previous administration and as he has vowed to be again if he regains power.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican, but an American who has fought in the forces that guard our country and our way of life, in the words of our military’s Code of Conduct. I fought in Iraq, earned two Bronze Stars and taught military strategy at West Point. My commitment to military values and nonpartisanship hasn’t changed since I rejoined civilian life. What’s changed is the choice presented in American politics. There really isn’t one, because one of the two major-party presidential candidates is clearly, demonstrably, irredeemably unfit to serve as commander in chief.

Only one candidate has suggested the execution of a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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Only one candidate has called our war dead — specifically, the Marines who fell at Belleau Wood in France during World War I — “suckers” and “losers.”

Only one candidate has suggested putting NASCAR drivers and college coaches in critical national security positions now held by lifelong military professionals who serve as generals and admirals.

All those are awful enough.

But what settles the question altogether is the certainty that former President Trump would end the military’s bedrock contract with the American people: nonpartisanship. He tried last time and came dangerously close.

Nonpartisanship isn’t simply a nice tradition. It’s the two-factor authentication that’s been at the heart of our nation’s defense for decades. The former president instead wants military leadership that mimics the Nazi high command.

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“You f— generals, why can’t you be like the German generals?” Trump complained to his chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, in 2018. Trump clarified that he wanted generals who were “totally loyal” and “yes-men,” like the Nazi commanders under Adolf Hitler.

Since America’s founding, there’s been a tension between the military and the rest of the nation’s leadership. The monopoly on violence is necessary. But monopoly means placing immense lethal power in a small, select group.

James Madison worried that “armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.” But the Revolution persuaded George Washington that a competent standing military was necessary for the country’s survival.

Over time a bargain solidified. America permitted a professional military, not loyal to a party or a president, but to all the people through an oath to uphold the Constitution. The country even granted a certain amount of autonomy in strategic matters. In exchange, the military would remain nonpartisan. It would work to earn the nation’s trust and subordinate itself to civilian leadership. Military leaders engage in an “unequal dialogue” with their civilian superiors, in scholar Eliot Cohen’s phrase. This preserves the best military advice possible while staying deferential to America’s civilian leaders. There is, of course, occasional friction between presidents and generals — well worth it to maintain this pillar of national defense.

Trump wanted to destroy that pillar. Given a second term, he probably would. In its place he would enforce a subservience that would end the ability of America’s military to provide its best (or much of any) advice on peace and war. Trump would deploy the military as a political prop in service of his own brand, as he already tried to do. And he would reshape the military and the national security apparatus so that Trumpists would rise and others would not. His second term would be staffed by those prepared to “rigorously review all general and flag officer promotions” based on pro-Trump partisan qualifications, as described in the Project 2025 playbook.

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This very same mistake was an enormous Nazi failure: Hitler broke the German generals, and so his decisions went unchecked and included some of the worst strategic moves in the history of warfare.

The immediate threat of a modern commander in chief who favors the Nazi approach would be the inappropriate use of military force on America’s streets (and perhaps even at polling places). The longer threat for this kind of recklessness is unknowable but foreseeable: eroding remaining trust in the military, eviscerating the civilian-military balance, ending America’s centuries-long success story.

“It is easy to destroy an organization,” wrote retired Adm. William McRaven, former commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, “if you have no appreciation for what makes that organization great.” McRaven penned those words five years ago, during the former president’s first term in office, and ended by suggesting that if nothing were to change, someone else must serve as commander in chief.

Nothing about Trump has changed. There is only one choice on Nov. 5.

ML Cavanaugh recently retired after 25 years in the U.S. Army. He co-founded the Modern War Institute at West Point. @MLCavanaugh

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JD Vance calls Trump's offer to debate Harris on Fox News ‘masterstroke’

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JD Vance calls Trump's offer to debate Harris on Fox News ‘masterstroke’

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on Saturday called former President Trump’s offer to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News in September a “masterstroke.”

“I think it’s great,” Trump’s vice presidential pick told SiriusXM’s “Breitbart News Saturday.”In some ways, it’s a masterstroke because, of course, the Kamala campaign has been saying for a long time that President Trump is afraid to debate Kamala Harris, which, of course, is absurd because the last time he debated their nominee, that nominee withdrew two weeks later.” 

President Biden pulled out of the race and endorsed Harris as the nominee last month after his weak debate performance in late June drew concerns from Democrats.

Late Friday night, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant, and I am in litigation against ABC Network and George Slopadopoulos, thereby creating a conflict of interest. 

KAMALA HARRIS FACES A DIFFICULT DECISION WITH VP PICK: STRATEGIST MATT KEELEN

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“The FoxNews Debate will be held in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, at a site in an area to be determined. The Moderators of the Debate will be Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, and the Rules will be similar to the Rules of my Debate with Sleepy Joe, who has been treated horribly by his Party – BUT WITH A FULL ARENA AUDIENCE!”

Sen. JD Vance on Saturday called former President Trump’s offer to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News in September a “masterstroke.” (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Trump and Biden had previously been scheduled to debate on Sept. 10 on ABC. 

Vance said Trump has “fairly” said about the previously scheduled debate, “I’m not going to do a debate before the Democratic National Convention because maybe they’ll switch out their nominee again.” 

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19-22. 

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The Ohio senator added that Trump was “throwing down the gauntlet of ‘I was willing to go to CNN,’ which is far more hostile to him than any network would be to Kamala Harris, and ‘Kamala Harris, why don’t you come and agree to a debate.

“The thing that we’ve learned about Kamala, Matt, over the last four years, is she’s incredibly bad if she’s not scripted, right?” 

13 DAYS: KAMALA HARRIS HAS NOT HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE EMERGING AS PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

Kamala Harris speaking

On Saturday, Harris hit back at Trump’s offer for a new debate on X, writing, “It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’ I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Vance added that the final reason he’s thinks “it’s so smart for the president” to want an audience at the debate is “he really feeds off of human beings, which is like natural and normal for a political leader.

“You’re supposed to lead people, and to lead people you actually have to sort of like people and engage with them well,” he said. “So, him having a crowd for this debate, I think, is really important because it will show his natural leadership ability. And it also shows, frankly, that people are kind of turned off by Kamala Harris. So, I think it’s good. Hopefully, it happens, and hopefully Kamala Harris agrees to it. If she doesn’t, then, clearly, she’s the one who’s afraid to debate.”

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Trump and Biden debating on June 27

President Biden dropped his bid for re-election after a weak debate performance against former President Trump June 27.  ( Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Harris hit back at Trump’s offer for a new debate on X Saturday, writing, “It’s interesting how ‘any time, any place’ becomes ‘one specific time, one specific safe space.’ I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there.”

In the spring, Trump had called on Biden for a debate “any time, any place.” 

“Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out,” Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler told Fox News Digital. “He needs to stop playing games and show up to the debate he already committed to on Sept 10.”

Tyler said Harris would be at the previously scheduled ABC debate “one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a primetime national audience. We’re happy to discuss further debates after the one both campaigns have already agreed to. Mr. Anytime, anywhere, anyplace should have no problem with that unless he’s too scared to show up on the 10th.”

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