Welcome to Liberty Nation’s Daily Snapshot. All the top news of the day, the latest polls, and more.
What’s happening in the political sphere – the hot stories making the news today.
- The 2020 presidential campaign has, thus far, been a relatively low-key affair. The Coronavirus crisis has created an atmosphere in which highly-aggressive political attacks between the president and his presumed opponent, Joe Biden, would not have been viewed as appropriate. That may change very soon, though. Axios reports that the Trump campaign is about to unleash a barrage of “tailored, swing-state attacks” against the former vice president.
- Democrats in the House of Representatives have crafted another Coronavrius relief bill, which they plan on bringing up for a vote early this week. The $1.2 trillion package includes $1 trillion for state and local governments – which are apparently too big to fail – and a $25 billion bailout for the United States Postal Service.
- On May 12, four Trump administration officials will answer questions by video from the Senate Health Committee. CDC Director Robert Redfield, FDA Commissioner Stephan Hahn, Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir, and Dr. Anthony Fauci will participate in the hearing. Fauci, Redfield, and Hahn are all currently in quarantine.
The latest polls and trends impacting the United States.
- Poll after poll indicates that the overwhelming majority of Americans do not want the country to reopen yet or are afraid to return to pre-Coronavirus normality. If that is indeed the case, why are there so many people outside? Levels of traffic over the past few days suggest that these polls do not accurately reflect what America is really thinking.
- How many American adults are wearing face masks in public? In five states and the District of Columbia, a majority say they are. In another three states, about half of those polled said they wear a mask when they go out. In all other states, mask-wearing is practiced only by a minority of the population.
- According to a YouGov survey, which gathered data between Feb 2019 and Feb 2020, President Donald Trump is the third most popular Republican, behind Arnold Schwartzenegger and George W. Bush. Trump was rated the most famous Republican, with Bush ranked second and Schwartzenegger coming in third. The poll surveyed Americans’ opinions of 102 Republican “public figures” – most of them, politicians. Some other interesting notes from the survey: Ben Carson was the fourth most popular and Barry Goldwater the 20th. Sarah Palin was the highest-ranking woman on the list – coming in at number 9. The late John McCain was not ranked.
Something political to ponder as you enjoy your morning coffee.
Former President Barack Obama expressed dismay at the Justice Department’s decision to abandon the prosecution of Michael Flynn. In a May 8 telephone call to what Yahoo! News describes as “thousands of alumni of his administration,” Obama claimed that the “rule of law is at risk.” Clearly missing his beloved teleprompter, Obama stammered and stuttered his way through his remarks, but one wonders if he is not perhaps feeling the heat from the Flynn debacle. Former Congressman Trey Gowdy told Fox News: “Remember, [Flynn] was unmasked by somebody in Obama’s administration and then it was leaked… that is a 10-year felony, to disseminate classified information. Michael Flynn was a victim of that crime.” Flynn’s attorney, Sidney Powell, said during a May 10 interview on Fox News: “The whole thing was orchestrated and set up within the FBI, [former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper, [Former CIA Director John] Brennan, and in the Oval Office meeting that day with President Obama.” Perhaps Trump’s predecessor is beginning to realize that his legacy will not be what he had in mind.
A thought for the day from history’s most interesting thinkers.
America’s present need is not heroics but healing; not nostrums but normalcy; not revolution but restoration.
– Warren G. Harding
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