Former President Barack Obama blasted President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, his response to racial unrest and his fundamental unfitness for the job in his first in-person campaign pitch Wednesday for Joe Biden, his former vice president.
Watch his full speech below:
Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. led a Congressional effort to support postal workers and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) during the coronavirus public health crisis. The move comes at a time when letter carriers must handle a record-setting amount of mail-in election ballots despite efforts to undermine their effectiveness from President Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
Rep. Payne, Jr. wrote a letter yesterday to express this public show of support to the presidents of the American Postal Workers Union, National Association of Letter Carriers, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, and National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association. The letter stated that the members of Congress wanted to “ensure that postal workers know that they have our support to do everything in their power to protect the sanctity of the postal service, especially in a time such as the present.”
“We need to let the patriotic men and women of the Postal Service know we support them during this public health crisis,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. “They are doing everything they can to get our mail to us in a timely manner. We need them now more than ever to handle this unprecedented number of mail-in ballots to secure the integrity of the November election. I never thought I would see the day a sitting American President would attack the Postal Service.”
In the letter, Rep. Payne, Jr. outlined the lack of support from government officials and said that many “reports over the last two months… go into detail about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy actively sabotaging the USPS. Most shocking of all, President Donald Trump himself confirmed that these actions are intended to silence those who choose to vote by mail during a pandemic. While DeJoy has suspended further changes to USPS policies, he has yet to reverse any of the damaging policies he has already put in place.” The letter was co-signed by 19 members of Congress.
The full letter is listed below.
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October 19, 2020
Fredric V. Rolando Paul V. Hogrogian
President National President
National Association of Letter Carriers National Postal Mail Handlers Union
100 Indiana Avenue NW 815 16th St, NW, Ste. 5100
Washington, DC 20001 Washington, DC 20006
Ronnie W. Stutts Mark Dimondstein
President President
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association American Postal Workers Union
1630 Duke Street 1300 L Street NW
Alexandria, VA 22314 Washington, D.C. 20005
Dear President Rolando, President Hogrogian, President Stutts, and President Dimondstein:
We write to express our support for the men and women of the United States Postal Service (USPS). We want to ensure that postal workers know that they have our support to do everything in their power to protect the sanctity of the postal service, especially in a time such as the present. The full functionality of the USPS during this pandemic has provided a critical lifeline for millions of Americans and will be essential to state and local governments having the necessary assistance to counter the unprecedented levels of mailed ballots.
Unfortunately, USPS leadership’s actions over the past three months have only increased concerns. Daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 remain high, continuing to highlight the importance of allowing voters to vote safely and by mail if they choose. Many reports over the last two months also go into detail about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy actively sabotaging the USPS. Most shocking of all, President Donald Trump himself confirmed that these actions are intended to silence those who choose to vote by mail during a pandemic. While DeJoy has suspended further changes to USPS policies, he has yet to reverse any of the damaging policies he has already put in place.
These delays have forced Americans who rely on mail-order medications to wait weeks for deliveries that normally take 3-5 days to arrive. Mail-order prescriptions are an indispensable service that has saved some of the most vulnerable Americans from having to pick up prescriptions in-person, protecting them from exposure to COVID-19.
Ballots are already being mailed to voters nationwide, and it is no exaggeration to say that USPS workers are on the very front lines of the American experiment. We hope morale remains high amongst postal workers during this time. They are some of our most important essential workers and the work they do each day and will do in the coming months will help to protect or nation and our democracy.
Sincerely,
Donald M. Payne, Jr.
Member of Congress
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday, saying the former vice president "will pursue options that work towards healing the divide" worsened by President Donald Trump.
Steele was the first African American to be elected to statewide office in Maryland, serving as lieutenant governor from 2003 to 2007. He was also the first African American to serve as chairman of the RNC.
"Many of Donald Trump's supporters bring legitimate concerns to the table. During my time leading the GOP, I endeavored to address these and other grievances through the lens of unity and growth. But Trump has energized the party through the exact opposite means -- by focusing on stoking division and eroding our core principles," Steele said in a statement issued by the Lincoln Project.
"Although Vice President Biden and I disagree on some policy points, I believe he will earnestly pursue options that work towards healing the divide exacerbated by Trump and his administration," Steele added. "My support for Biden is because we share an everlasting loyalty to what is ultimately best for our nation."
Looks like Kentucky Attorney General was less than honest when he said that a grand jury agreed with prosecutors that no one should be directly charged with killing Taylor.
A grand juror who won a court fight to speak publicly about the Breonna Taylor investigation took issue Tuesday with statements by Kentucky's attorney general and said the jury was not given the option to consider charges connected to Taylor's shooting death by police.
The juror released the following statement through an attorney:
Being one of the jurors on the Breonna Taylor case was a learning experience.The three weeks of service leading up to that presntation showed how the grand jury normally operates. The Breonna Taylor case was quite different. After hearing the Attorney General Daniel Cameron's press conference, and with my duty as a grand juror being over, my duty as a citizen compelled action. The grand jury was not presented any charges other than the three Wanton Endangerment charges against Detective Hankison. The grand jury did not have homicide offenses explained to them. The grand jury never heard anything about those laws. Self defense or justification was never explained either. Questions were asked about additional charges and the grand jury was told there would be none because the prosecutors didn't feel they could make them stick. The grand jury didn't agree that certain actions were justified, nor did it decide the indictment should be the only charges in the Breonna Taylor case. The grand jury was not given the opportunity to deliberate on those charges and deliberated only on what was presented to them. I cannot speak for other jurors but I can help the truth be told.
Anonymous Grand Juror #1
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is displaying basketball icon Kobe Bryant’s basketball jersey in the “Sports: Leveling the Playing Field” gallery, beginning Oct. 15. Bryant wore this important piece of basketball history during Game Five of the 2008 NBA Finals, the year he won the league’s MVP award. Bryant’s jersey will be on view next to a pair of LeBron James 15 “Equality” sneakers by Nike.
As a five-time NBA champion, Bryant earned the NBA MVP in 2008 and NBA Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010 with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent his entire NBA career. Bryant was also part of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team that won gold medals in 2008 and 2012. The basketball icon’s life was tragically cut short in a helicopter crash Jan. 26, 2020.
The jersey is white with yellow panels and purple piping and accents. It features a sewn design across the front reading “Lakers/24” and on the back reading “Bryant/24.” The NBA logo is embroidered on the left shoulder. The display text accompanying the Bryant jersey reads: “In 1996, Kobe Bryant became the first guard to successfully make the leap from high school to the National Basketball Association. At the time, experts were skeptical that high school wing players could compete in the NBA. His success ushered in the modern era of younger players in the league.”
“Kobe’s contributions on and off the court are remarkable,” said Spencer Crew, interim director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “As a founding donor, he understood the significance of this museum to the nation and the world. After postponing the March installation due to COVID-19, we believe now is the perfect moment in history to honor his memory by placing his jersey on view.”
As a founding donor of NMAAHC, Bryant urged his Twitter followers to visit the museum in 2016 by tweeting, “There is no greater testament to this country than the stories in this building.” The Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation contributed at least $1 million to NMAAHC, and in 2017, Bryant donated his 2008 jersey to the museum.
For those who cannot visit the museum in person, Bryant’s jersey and more information about his career can be viewed online at https://nmaahc.si.edu/. Free timed-entry passes are required to access the museum and are available on the museum’s website.
NMAAHC is open Wednesdays through Sundays 11 a.m.–4 p.m. To protect visitors’ and staff’s health, the museum limits the number of passes to 1,100 per day. During this time, the museum will not accommodate any walk-up visitors.
