Feb 6, 2019

In State of the Union response, Stacey Abrams slams Trump

Former Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Photo: Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Stacey Abrams stepped back into the national political spotlight Tuesday night, delivering a blistering rebuke to President Trump in the Democratic response to his State of the Union.

Catch up quick: Abrams took Trump to task over the recent 35-day partial government shutdown, calling it a "stunt engineered [by Trump], one that defied every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people — but our values."

Why it matters: Abrams narrowly lost the Georgia gubernatorial election during the 2018 midterms and become the first black woman to ever deliver a State of the Union response.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s decision to tap her to deliver the party’s response comes as many Democrats are reportedly urging her to challenge incumbent Senator David Perdue (R-Ga.), a close ally of Trump, in 2020.

Some key highlights:

Abrams, a former minority leader of the Georgia state House of Representatives, highlighted her time working with state Republicans: "It should be no different in our nation’s capital. We may come from different sides of the political aisle; but, our joint commitment to the ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable."
She chastised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's recent rebuke of a sweeping House Democratic election reform and anti-corruption bill that he mocks as the "Democratic Politician Protection Act." Abrams said: "We must reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast and counted is a "power grab."
Abrams said she "acknowledged" the gubernatorial election results and emphasized that "I did not and we cannot accept efforts to undermine our right to vote. That’s why I started a nonpartisan organization called Fair Fight to advocate for voting rights."

Go deeper: Stacey Abrams is making State of the Union history tonight

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U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll hits 3,900

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The U.S. death toll from the novel coronavirus has just hit 3,900, per Johns Hopkins data.

Details: Tuesday night's grim milestone came hours after President Trump said it's "going to be a very painful two weeks," with projections indicating the novel coronavirus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans — even with strict social distancing guidelines in place. "They are going to be facing a war zone," he said of medical workers.

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The novel coronavirus pandemic is the "greatest test" the world has faced together since the formation of the United Nations just after the Second World War ended in 1945, UN chief António Guterres said Tuesday.

The big picture: COVID-19 cases surged past 858,000 and the death toll exceeded 42,000 Tuesday night, per Johns Hopkins data. Italy reported more than 12,000 deaths.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 857,957 — Total deaths: 42,139 — Total recoveries: 178,091.
U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 188,547 — Total deaths: 3,899 — Total recoveries: 7,068.
Business updates: Should you pay your rent or mortgage during the coronavirus pandemic? Find out if you are protected under the CARES Act.
Public health updates: More than 400 long-term care facilities across the U.S. report patients with coronavirus — Older adults and people with underlying health conditions are more at risk, new data shows.
Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
Coronavirus in custody: Inmates in all U.S. federal prisons are set to enter a 14-day quarantine on April 1. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release 10 detained immigrants who are at risk of contracting COVID-19 while in confinement.
U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt: Captain of nuclear aircraft carrier docked in Guam pleaded with the U.S. Navy for more resources after more than 100 members of his crew tested positive.
What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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