Jun 19, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump aides argue for overture to African Americans at Tulsa rally

Trump supporters at his upcoming rally site in Tulsa. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Some advisers to President Trump are urging him to lean into Juneteenth during his rally in Tulsa tomorrow.

Why it matters: Aides have been looking for ways to give Trump opportunities to hype the policies he believes have helped African Americans during his presidency — including criminal justice reform, support for historically black colleges and universities, and opportunity zones.

The context: Between the pandemic and nationwide protests, Trump is hurting with swing voters who like his policies but hate how he behaves.

  • His handling of the protests and their aftermath — including the incendiary tweet "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" — have damaged his standing with these key voters.

Go deeper: Trump claims he made Juneteenth "very famous"

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Jacob Knutson
Jun 18, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Trump claims he made Juneteenth "very famous"

Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump took credit for popularizing Juneteenth, the commemoration of the end of slavery in the U.S., in a wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal Thursday, saying: "I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous."

Driving the news: The president claimed that "nobody had ever heard" of the June 19 celebration before he planned a rally in Tulsa on that day. His campaign ultimately changed the date of the rally to June 20 after receiving pushback from African American leaders around the country.

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Rebecca Falconer
Updated 25 mins ago - Science

Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in North Carolina

People walk through floodwaters on Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Monday. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 1 storm near Ocean Isle Beach in southern North Carolina at 11:10 p.m. ET Monday, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, per the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

What's happening: Hurricane conditions were spreading onto the coast of eastern South Carolina and southeastern N.C., the NHC said in an 11 p.m. update. Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith told WECT News the eye of the storm triggered "a series of fires at homes" and "a lot of flooding." Fire authorities confirmed they were responding to "multiple structure fires in the area."

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET: 18,224,253 — Total deaths: 692,679 — Total recoveries — 10,865,548 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET: 4,713,500 — Total deaths: 155,401 — Total recoveries: 1,513,446 — Total tests: 57,543,852 — Map.
  3. Politics: White House will require staff to undergo randomized coronavirus testing — Pelosi says Birx "enabled" Trump on misinformation.
  4. Sports: 13 members of St. Louis Cardinals test positive, prompting MLB to cancel Tigers series — Former FDA chief says MLB outbreaks should be warning sign for schools.
  5. 1 🎥 thing: "Tenet" may be the first major film to get a global pandemic release.
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