The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - Crowds return during Memorial Day weekend
by Cate MartelPresented by Facebook
--> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*
The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Crowds return during Memorial Day weekend | Trump threatens to move GOP convention | Pence praises Americans’ ‘great personal sacrifices’ amid pandemic | House prepares for first-ever remote votes | Local members surge in popularity as members look for proxy votes | NYT’s powerful cover is the talk of social media | Trump visits Baltimore for Memorial Day | Parents’ viral candy temptation challenge | National Wine Day
IN CONGRESS
And finally, the award for ‘Getting Under The President’s Skin’ goes to … long pause for dramatic effect … Nancy Pelosi! ... *Democrats in the audience go wild*:
Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis, “Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has assumed many roles for Democrats in the Trump era, from top campaign strategist and party spokesperson, to impeachment chief and emblem of women's power. To that list, add another: leading agitator of the commander in chief.”
Last week — I had an out of body experience reading this: “Pelosi last week assailed President Trump with a series of biting take downs, characterizing her White House rival as a thin-skinned political neophyte with an obesity problem. Trump responded in kind, suggesting Pelosi suffers from an unspecified mental illness.”
Why this is significant: https://bit.ly/3d3STRt
It’s Monday — Happy Memorial Day! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.
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NEWS THIS MORNING
Trump threatens to move the Republican convention:
Trump tweeted: "I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena…”
He added: “[Republicans] must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find” another site.
Read Trump’s full reasoning: https://bit.ly/2LTsBWh
Pence thanks Americans for their sacrifices:
Vice President Pence published an op-ed on FoxNews.com today to praise Americans for their “great personal sacrifices” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Excerpt: “While our doctors, nurses, health care workers and first responders rendered care for our families as if they were their own, the American people stayed home from school, from work and from worship. Some closed down a business that took a lifetime to build. They have canceled weddings and graduations. They have foregone seeing parents, grandparents and loved ones. This Memorial Day, the American people have just come through a lot.”
Read the full op-ed: https://fxn.ws/2X0v1sz
HOW TO VACATION SAFELY DURING THE PANDEMIC:
Via ABC’s Erin Schumaker: https://abcn.ws/2ZyZZJG
YIKES — THE CROWDS HAVE RETURNED TO MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA BEACHES AND BOARDWALKS:
This looks like a business opportunity for Marty Byrde:
^If you know, you know.
Videos of the crowds: https://cbsn.ws/2X2ZBSl
Meanwhile in Staten Island — I would be TERRIFIED:
Watch: https://bit.ly/2A3hyam
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WHERE THINGS STAND
Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 1,646,495
Deaths in the U.S.: 97,794
Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y
For context: This time last week, 1,490,195 Americans had tested positive for the coronavirus and 89,636 Americans had died.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK
This could easily turn into picking teams in high school gym class:
Via The Hill’s Cristina Marcos, the House is preparing for its first-ever remote votes this week. https://bit.ly/2X28pI1
How it would work: Lawmakers who could not vote in person will need another member to vote for them by proxy.
So, will a few members cast dozens and dozens of votes?: No, House members are limited to representing only 10 colleagues each.
Hence, the popularity contest: Members who live near Washington, D.C., are now experiencing a sudden surge in popularity.
For example: “Within 48 hours, Rep. Don Beyer, a Northern Virginia Democrat whose commute to the Capitol is only about a 15-minute drive, had already received nearly the maximum number of requests from colleagues asking if he could serve as their proxy. Beyer said Friday that he had already agreed to serve as a proxy for nine others, leaving him only one slot to spare.”
The votes happening this week by proxy: “The House is scheduled to meet for two days after Memorial Day to vote on bills to extend government surveillance powers and give small businesses more flexibility while using the loans offered through the Paycheck Protection Program due to the pandemic.”
THE TALK OF SOCIAL MEDIA OVER THE WEEKEND
The New York Times’s powerful front page:
The stats are very powerful: https://nyti.ms/3bZxlUP
IN THE WHITE HOUSE
The Pentagon has its own coronavirus plan:
Via The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell, “The Pentagon is actively planning on living with the coronavirus well into 2021, putting it at risk of angering President Trump as he expresses confidence that the disease is on the wane.” https://bit.ly/36qJdOz
How so: “Defense officials have extended a freeze on troop movement, held ships in port and laid the framework for what the military will look like in an extended pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, a leaked Pentagon memo revealed that top Defense Department officials are planning for the possibility that the military could be dealing with the virus beyond this year.”
Why this could irk the White House: “The extended preparation cuts against White House messaging that the virus will recede in the coming months and that a vaccine could be available by the end of the year.”
The show must go on:
Via The Hill’s Niall Stanage, “President Trump is pushing on with his agenda even as the coronavirus crisis dominates the political scene.” https://bit.ly/36pq27M
For example: “Trump in recent days has sought to pull the United States out of the Open Skies Treaty and has suggested he will cease American funding for the World Health Organization. The administration has signed its biggest contract yet with a company promising to build a stretch of Trump’s long-promised southern border wall — a $1.3 billion deal for 42 miles of new fencing.” Oh and: “Trump has also kept up his usual spate of rhetorical attacks on the media and political opponents.”
What critics argue: “[Trump] is using the distraction of the COVID-19 pandemic as cover while making policy and personnel moves that would otherwise draw heated controversy.”
What defenders argue: “The president’s defenders counter that he is simply doing what he has always done, pursuing the issues he has advocated since first running for the presidency.”
NOTABLE TWEETS:
Some of these are pretty funny:
ON TAP:
The House and Senate are out. President Trump is briefly in Baltimore today and Vice President Pence is in Washington, D.C.
10 a.m. EDT: President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence and second lady Karen Pence participate in a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
11:15 a.m. EDT: President Trump and first lady Melania Trump leave for Baltimore.
Noon: President Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in a Memorial Day Ceremony at McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore.
1:30 p.m. EDT: President Trump and first lady Melania Trump get back to the White House.
9:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday: A pro forma session in the Senate.
June 1: The Senate returns. The Senate’s full schedule: https://bit.ly/3cVJrzA
WHAT TO WATCH:
Wednesday: The launch of the first manned space mission from the U.S. since 2011. Livestream: https://cs.pn/2ZFthX4
NOW FOR THE FUN STUFF...:
Today is National Wine Day!
The best thing I’ve seen this week: This challenge goes in one of two ways — and both are hilarious:
My personal favorite — this little girl’s reaction is so cute: https://bit.ly/2Tx3PiL
And to brighten your day, here’s a VERY independent dog taking care of itself: https://bit.ly/2zdS2iF