About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (July 18, 2020)
WASHINGTON/POLITICS The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Weekend Edition - July 18-19, 2020 9A Reality shows shortfalls of Trump’s claim to ‘best testing’ JOSH BELL I Associated Press A Tidelands Health medical professional changes latex gloves during a drive-through COVID-19 testing site Friday July 17, at Myrtle Beach Pelicans Ballpark in Myrtle Beach, S.C. BY ZEKE MILLER, DARLENE SUPERVILLE AND MICHAEL STOBBE Associated Press WASHINGTON - Here are some snapshots from what President Donald Trump describes as the nation with the “best test ing in the world” for the coronavirus: In Sun Belt states where the virus is surging, lines of cars with people seeking tests snake for hours in the beating sun, often yielding results so far after the fact that they’re useless. In Pittsburgh, adults who are afraid they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus are being asked to skip test ing if they can quarantine at home for 14 days to help reduce delays and backlogs. In Hawaii, the governor will wait another month to lift a two-week quarantine on visitors because of test sup ply shortages and delays that potential visitors are facing in getting results. “Testing has been a chal lenge everywhere,” says Utah Republican Gov. Gary Herbert. The White House insists it’s giving states whatever they need. But public health experts say the testing sys tem is in shambles and fed eral leadership is lacking. Trump’s persistent sales manship about the prowess of testing in the United States is colliding with a far differ ent reality for those affected by the explosion in coronavi rus cases. The long lines and process ing delays are contributing to the virus’ spread and upend ing plans to reopen stores, schools and other activities that are vital to the economic rebound that Trump himself is intent on bringing about. “We have the best testing in the world,” the president insisted Tuesday. He falsely claimed “the cases are cre ated because of the fact that we do tremendous testing.” But U.S. testing on a per- capita basis lags other coun tries that have done a far better job of controlling their outbreaks. And state, local and federal officials are warning of the consequences of testing bottlenecks — including tests rendered use less because results come too late. “It’s essentially worth less to have a test result that comes back after 48 hours,” said Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington Univer sity who previously served as Baltimore’s health commis sioner. She explained that after that time, the window to begin contact tracing and prevent additional infections has essentially closed. “We are nowhere near being able to rein in this virus with the amount of test ing we have available at the moment,” she added. “Test ing is the linchpin.” The Trump administra tion plays down the problem. Adm. Brett Giroir, assis tant health secretary, says more than half of U.S. states are processing test results in three days or less, adding “everybody is doing a really good job as much as they can.” Guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that states, as they lift final virus restrictions, have a turnaround time under two days. White House press secre tary Rayleigh McEnany sug gests that it’s states that need to do more. “There are various dif ferent types of tests in this country,” she said Thursday. “Some take longer to process than others. But we have surged testing to the states and we encourage them to use it to their best ability and to process those tests as quickly as possible.” Yet even Republican gov ernors say they need more federal help. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, chairman of the National Governors Asso ciation, is deeply critical of the administration’s testing response. “We expected something more than constant heck ling from the man who was supposed to be our leader,” Hogan wrote in an op-ed in The Washing ton Post this week. “Trump soon disabused us of that expectation. “On April 6, he declared that testing wasn’t Wash ington’s responsibility after all,” Hogan went on. “’States can do their own testing,”’ he quoted Trump as saying. “’We’re the federal govern ment. We’re not supposed to stand on street corners doing testing.’” Whoever is responsible for testing shortfalls, the result is working against Trump’s own goals to move beyond the virus and get the econ omy moving. In Hawaii, Democratic Gov. David Ige said a short age of chemical reagents used in testing was one rea son the state will delay a plan to make it easier for tourists to visit. It was a huge disap pointment to many in Hawaii hoping for a surge in tourism to reopen hotels, get people back to work and reduce the state’s 22.6% unemployment rate. In Pennsylvania’s Allegh eny County, which encom passes Pittsburgh and 1.2 million residents, health officials are trying to triage the demand for tests. Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the county’s Health Department, is asking adults who are concerned that they were exposed, but do not have symptoms, to put off getting tested. Biden’s bid touts faith, courts even conservatives BY ELANA SCHOR AND JACK JENKINS Associated Press President Donald Trump’s appeal to religious conserva tives is a cornerstone of his political identity. But Joe Biden is a different kind of foe than Trump has faced before: one who makes faith a central part of his persona — often liter ally wearing it on his sleeve. In fact, Biden’s practice of carrying a rosary that belonged to his late son Beau caught the attention of one of his Democratic presidential rivals when the two were awaiting a debate last year. Standing backstage next to Biden, Pete Buttigieg asked the lifelong Catholic about the prayer beads and fell into a conversation about loss, family and faith. Biden “often talks about the comfort and meaning that he’s drawn from faith,” said Buttigieg, Biden’s primary rival-turned-endorser. “That’s something that will resonate with Americans a lot more than usual.” Democrats are betting on Biden’s evident comfort with faith as a powerful point of contrast with Trump. The faith- focused work underway within Biden’s campaign suggests that, while he may not significantly undercut the presi dent’s popularity among white evangelicals, he could chip away at Trump’s base by appealing to pockets of conserva tive faithful. Biden’s identity as “a very devout Catholic and person of deep faith,” deputy political director John McCarthy said, is “baked into the core messaging and core functions of the campaign.” Biden has framed his presidential bid as a fight for “the soul of the nation,” a subtle invocation of the Catholic beliefs that have guided his life. His campaign has released three digital ads focused on faith, including one crediting his religious practices with instilling a “sense of solace.” It’s a notable contrast with Hillary Clinton, who lost in 2016 after a campaign that largely sidelined her Methodist faith. As Trump promises to be evangelicals’ “champion” on policy, Biden is making a less transactional play for reli gious support, betting that a beliefs-focused brand will be more persuasive than agreement on an agenda. “For faith and values voters,” McCarthy said, Biden’s spiritual authenticity is “the quality they’re looking for.” ANDREW HARNIKI Associated Press Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden touches his face as he speaks to members of the clergy and community leaders at Bethel AME Church Monday, June 1, in Wilmington, Del. Portland mayor to Trump: Get your troops out of city Protesters gather outside the East Side Police Station in Portland, Ore., Thursday, July 16. BY ANDREW SELSKY AND GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore.— The mayor of Portland demanded Friday that President Donald Trump remove militarized federal agents he deployed to the city after some detained people on streets far from federal property they were sent to protect. “Keep your troops in your own buildings, or have them leave our city,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said at a news conference. Democratic Gov. Kate Brown said Trump is look ing for a confrontation in the hopes of winning politi cal points elsewhere and to serve as a distraction from the coronavirus pandemic, which is causing spiking numbers of infections in Oregon and the nation. Brown’s spokesman, Charles Boyle, said Fri day that arresting people without probable cause is “extraordinarily concerning and a violation of their civil liberties and constitutional rights.” The ACLU of Oregon said the federal agents appear to be violating citizens’rights. “Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street we call it kidnap ping,” said Jann Carson, interim executive director of the American Civil Liber ties Union of Oregon. “The actions of the militarized federal officers are flat-out unconstitutional and will not go unanswered.” Federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes related to the protests so far, Oregon Pub lic Broadcasting reported Thursday. Some have been detained by the federal courthouse, which has been the scene of protests. But others were grabbed blocks away. “This is part of the core media strategy out of Trump’s White House: to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data,” Wheeler said. “And it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials.” One video showed two people in helmets and green camouflage with “police” patches grabbing a person on the sidewalk, handcuffing them and taking them into an unmarked vehicle. “Who are you?” someone asks the pair, who do not respond. At least some of the federal officers belong to the Department of Home land Security. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that its agents had information indicating the person in the video was sus pected of assaulting federal agents or destroying federal property. “Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob moved towards their location. For everyone’s safety, CBP agents quickly moved the suspect to a safer location,” the agency said. However, the video shows no mob. In another case, Mark Pettibone, 29, said a mini- van rolled up to him around 2 a.m. Wednesday and four or five people got out “look ing like they were deployed to a Middle Eastern war.” Pettibone told The Associ ated Press he got to his knees as the group approached. They dragged him into the van without identifying themselves or responding to SEAN MEAGHER I Associated Press his questions and pulled his beanie over his eyes so he couldn’t see, he said. “I figured I was just going to disappear for an indefi nite amount of time,” Petti bone said. Pettibone said he was put into a cell and officers dumped the contents of his backpack, with one remark ing: “Oh, this is a bunch of nothing.” After he asked for a law yer, Pettibone was allowed to leave. “Authoritarian govern ments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protest ers,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said in a tweet. U.S. Attorney Billy Wil liams in Portland said Fri day he has requested the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspec tor General investigate the actions of DHS personnel. In a letter Friday, Ore gon’s two senators and two of its House members demanded that U.S. Attor ney General William Barr and Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf immediately withdraw “these federal paramilitary forces from our state.” The members of Congress also said they’ll be asking the DHS inspector general as well as the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate “the unrequested presence and violent actions of federal forces in Portland.” gainesvilletimes.com/apps
