White House chief of staff says 'things are a lot better in this country than they were a year ago' regarding economy, COVID — and gets torched



White House chief of staff Ron Klain told CNN's Jake Tapper that "things are a lot better in this country than they were a year ago" in regard to the economy and COVID-19 — and observers ripped Klain for his assessment.

What are the details?

Klain made his claim in an interview last week on "The Lead With Jake Tapper," in which Tapper hit the chief of staff right off the bat with inflation numbers, noting that "it's at a 30-year high" and "up 6.2%. That's worse than had been feared."

Tapper also cited a Monmouth University poll saying 42% of middle class families have not benefited under President Joe Biden — a number which is "up from 33% who said the same in July." The host then ran down a list of items that now cost more — "gas, used cars, bacon, beef, chicken, eggs, furniture, TVs, kids' shoes, electricity, rent."

Klain replied that Biden's infrastructure bill would help supply chain issues that lead to price increases and that his "Build Back Better" bill "is the best answer we have to bring those costs down."

'Things are a lot better in this country than they were a year ago'

Later in the interview, Tapper cited a new CNN poll saying the "majority of Americans, 58%, believe that President Biden is not paying attention to the nation's most important issues ... the economy is the most pressing problem, followed by coronavirus, immigration, climate change, national security, and so on."

Tapper added that "even Democrats are walking away from the idea that Biden has the right priorities. Ninety percent in April of Democrats polled said that the Biden had the right priorities, now it's 75%. So, how do you how do you fix this?"

Klain replied that "I think things are a lot better in this country than they were a year ago with regard to COVID, with regard to the economy, but we have a lot of work left to do."

WH Chief of Staff Ron Klain: "Things are a lot better in this country than they were a year ago. [...] We have problems to solve, but we're solving them."pic.twitter.com/IHQRl29del

— The Hill (@thehill) 1636939860

How did folks react?

Certainly Biden has his fans among hard-core Democrats, and they defended Klain's assessment that things are better in America now than they were this time last year with regard to the economy and COVID.

But others were flabbergasted by the chief of staff — who, not incidentally, recently endorsed the notion that issues like the stalling supply chain are "high class problems":

  • "You've got to be kidding right[?]" one commenter asked mockingly. "There is literally nothing that's better than it was a year ago."
  • "Except if you need to eat food, put gas in your car or heat your home," another user lamented. "Otherwise everything is peachy!"
  • "The national supply chain has collapsed, the Taliban occupies Afghanistan, millions more have left the labor force, and inflation is at a 31-year high," another commenter said. "Things are going great."
  • "By no metric is America better today than a year ago," another user declared. "Biden voters need to stop living in denial and admit they elected an administration full of globalist retards."
  • "Tell that knob that a year ago I still owned my rental property that I was forced to sell in July because the government mandated that people could live in it for FREE, for over a year, but still demanded that I pay my mortgage, utilities & property taxes," another commenter revealed.
  • "Exactly what 'things' @WHCOS?" another user wondered. "Gas prices? Inflation? Cost of living? Racism? Afghanistan? World leadership? Energy independence? North Korea? Border security? The only thing 'better' (according to you) is that Trump isn't POTUS. This administration is the worst since Carter."

Democrats now want to tax people’s stock gains before they sell them to help pay for Biden's massive social spending bill



Democratic leadership over the weekend began suggesting a new way to pay for President Biden's multitrillion-dollar social policy and climate action spending bill — a tax on wealthy people's unrealized capital gains.

Unrealized capital gains are increases in value of stock purchases that the purchaser has yet to "realize" by selling the stock at its new price.

"We probably will have a wealth tax," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) told CNN on Sunday.

In a separate interview with the network, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed that the policy is being discussed, though she was careful not to call it a wealth tax. According to Yellen, the policy would impose a tax on billionaires' stock gains as well as other assets like real estate.

"I wouldn't call that a wealth tax, but it would help get at capital gains, which are an extraordinarily large part of the incomes of the wealthiest individuals and right now escape taxation until they're realized," Yellen said.

.@SecYellen on the proposed tax which would pay for the Build Back Better act: "It's not a wealth tax, but a tax on… https://t.co/NSkcnMNMnV

— The Hill (@thehill) 1635118260.0

According to the New York Times, the policy is currently being put together by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.), who heads the Senate Finance Committee. It is expected to be unveiled sometime this week.

"It would affect people with $1 billion in assets or those who have reported at least $100 million in income for three consecutive years," the Times reported, adding that "Democrats hope it would generate at least $200 billion in revenue over a decade."

Yet even $200 billion is only a drop in the bucket compared to the total price tag of Biden's proposal, which now sits at roughly $2 trillion, according to reports.

The proposal started at $3.5 trillion but has required significant downsizing in recent weeks due to opposition to the proposal from members within Biden's own party — including Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.).

The bill's stagnation in Congress has left proponents scrambling to find agreeable ways to pay for it. But it remains to be seen whether a tax on unrealized capital gains will be acceptable to moderate Democrats.

The tax is certainly not popular with Republicans. During an interview with Mark Levin on Sunday, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) called the idea extremely problematic.

"Part of their strategy right now is not only to increase the tax rates but to find new ways to generate revenue from revenue that is not [in] your account yet," Scott said. "That is something that is not just problematic. That is something that actually discourages the system itself."

"We can't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs," Scott continued, adding, "This administration is antithetical to all things free enterprise, hoping for liberty and justice for all."

Barack Obama slapped with reality check after he denounces 'trumped up culture wars,' 'fake outrage'



Former President Barack Obama was slapped with a reality check Saturday after urging Virginia voters to ignore what he called "fake outrage" and "trumped up culture wars" that he claimed are being peddled by "right-wing media."

What did Obama say?

While campaigning for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia, Obama denounced focusing on cultural issues, instead saying that Americans should be concerned with recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We don't have time to be wasting on these phony trumped up culture wars, this fake outrage that right-wing media peddles to juice their ratings," Obama said.

Former President @BarackObama: "We don't have time to be wasted on these phony trumped-up culture wars, this fake o… https://t.co/k102Jlbu2r

— The Hill (@thehill) 1635024216.0

Obama appeared to be speaking about McAuliffe's opponent, Republican Glenn Youngkin, whose campaign platform includes supporting parents to have a voice over decisions made by school boards.

"Instead of stoking anger aimed at school boards and administrators, who are just trying to keep our kids safe, who are just doing their jobs, stoking anger to the point where some of them are actually getting death threats," Obama said. "We should be making it easier for teachers and schools to give our kids the world-class education they deserve, and do to so safely while they are in the classroom."

What was the response?

Obama's comments generated sharp rebuke.

Critics pointed out that children's education is not part of the "trumped up culture war" as Obama claimed, especially considering that McAuliffe has said parents shouldn't have a say in school board decisions.

As many others pointed out, Loudoun County Schools also stands accused of "covering up" two sexual assaults as they pushed controversial LGBT policies.

  • "Sorry, but McAuliffe saying that parents shouldn't be in charge of their children's education and the Loudoun County school board lying to parents about sexual assaults in bathrooms isn't 'trumped up cultural wars,'" Ben Shapiro said.
  • "Let's be clear: THEY are waging the culture war. WE are fighting back.Covering up a sexual assault in school restrooms to push a transgender policy in gov't schools is the definition of waging a culture war," radio host Larry O'Connor said.
  • "Barack Obama is telling parents they have fake outrage over school boards covering up sexual assaults and teaching critical race theory," Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) reacted.
  • "The 'right-wing media' tricked Terry McAuliffe into telling parents they should influence school boards. @GlennYoungkin is surging because he's got answers for Virginia's public education's failures," radio host Hugh Hewitt pointed out.
  • "Two girls were sexually assaulted on school property, and school admin officials publicly lied about their knowledge of it to parents," reporter Susan Crabtree pointed out.
  • "My child's education is not a trumped-up culture war," Michael Needham, chief of staff to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), fired back.
  • "Here in WA: I was fired for refusing an experimental vaccine, I saw the COVID pts. Vax passes start Monday in Seattle. An elementary school has a gender unicorn on the wall. A high school handed out a sexual survey asking when kids first had anal. But sure, it's Trumped up anger," another person said.
  • "Gaslighting at its finest," one person observed.
  • "Zero self-awareness. Zero accountability," another person said.
  • "Schools cover up sexual assault. That's not trumped up. That's not culture war. That's a dereliction of public duty. The failure to address it is a failure of leadership. Saying otherwise is a deflection," another person said.

Obama is the latest high-profile figure to stump for McAuliffe. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have also been campaigning for McAuliffe, which signals the race to become Virginia's next governor is much tighter than Democrats anticipated.

McAuliffe and Youngkin are separated by fewer than three points in an average of recent polling, according to FiveThirtyEight.

DeSantis says 'we have to protect the jobs,' vows to sue Biden over vaccine mandate: 'You are trying to plunge people into destitution'



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hammered President Joe Biden this week over the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The Republican governor of Florida vowed to sue the Biden administration over the vaccine mandate, and proclaimed that it is "fundamentally wrong to be taking people's jobs away," especially after they worked during the deadly pandemic.

"Let's not have Biden come in and effectively take away — threaten to take away — the jobs of people who have been working hard throughout this entire pandemic," DeSantis said during a Thursday press conference on monoclonal antibody treatments in Fort Myers, Florida. "I am offended that a police officer could potentially lose their job."

DeSantis maintained, "We have a responsibility at the state level to do whatever we need to do to protect Floridians from mandates that could result in them losing their jobs. We have to protect the jobs of Floridians."

DeSantis highlighted the health care workers who worked on the frontlines during the pandemic — the same workers that Biden previously called "heroes" — who would lose their jobs because of Biden's vaccine mandate.

"I just think its fundamentally wrong to be taking people's jobs away particularly given the situation that we see ourselves facing with the economy where you need people in a lot of these key areas," DeSantis remarked. "What's going to happen with these hospitals if these mandates are allowed to go in, where they already need more nurses?"

At another news conference on Friday, DeSantis continued to skewer Biden's vaccine mandate. DeSantis picked apart Biden's comments from this week, where the president said the vaccine mandates shouldn't "divide us."

Biden said on Thursday, "Let's be clear: Vaccination requirements should not be another issue that divides us. That's why we continue to battle the misinformation that's out there and companies and communities are stepping up as well to combat this misinformation."

DeSantis postured that taking away people's livelihood ignites divisiveness.

The Florida governor asserted, "Just think of Biden, he says, 'Don't make the vaccines divisive.' Don't make the vaccines divisive? You are trying to take peoples' jobs away over this issue. You are trying to plunge people into destitution."

"You are taking away their livelihoods. Nobody else is doing that. You are the one that's being divisive about this," he stated.

NOW - Florida's Gov. DeSantis accuses Biden to divide the country through vaccine mandates.https://t.co/C6U7ur3LoS

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) 1634318694.0

"No one should lose their job over these shots," DeSantis stated. "I think we want to protect people's jobs. These are folks that have been working throughout this whole time. They were put in situations where they were exposing themselves to risks knowingly to help others, and they did that, and we considered them heroes just a year ago. Now you're going to let them go by the wayside?"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on opposing Biden's mandate: "No one should lose their job over these shots. I think we w… https://t.co/z5P2skviqU

— The Hill (@thehill) 1634396460.0

DeSantis pledged to sue the Biden administration over a forthcoming rule requiring private businesses with 100 workers or more to force their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration-enforced rule would reportedly affect more than 130,000 U.S. businesses and apply to roughly two-thirds of the private sector workforce.

"We are going to contest that immediately. We think the state of Florida has standing to do it and we also know businesses that we're going to work with to contest it," DeSantis said. "I think the mandate is going lose in court."

DeSantis said that Florida-based lawsuits against federal vaccine mandates will be filed in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Monday that prohibits mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in the Lone Star State.

"The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and our best defense against the virus, but should remain voluntary and never forced," Abbott said in a statement.

On Tuesday, the White House stressed that the Biden administration would push for a nationwide vaccine mandate despite Texas and Florida opposing them.

"These requirements are promulgated by federal law, so when the president announced his vaccine mandates for businesses — that, of course, we're waiting on OSHA regulations for as a next step — that was pursuant to federal law," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

"Our intention is to implement and continue to work to implement these requirements across the country, including in the states where there are attempts to oppose them," she added.

"Governor Abbott's executive order banning mandates and, I would also note, the announcement by Gov. DeSantis this morning essentially banning the implementation of mandates, fit a familiar pattern that we've seen of putting politics ahead of public health," Psaki claimed.

Psaki on TX Gov. @GregAbbott_TX and FL Gov. @RonDeSantisFL banning vaccine mandates:"Our intention is to implemen… https://t.co/YaDh6tnaB1

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) 1634063064.0

New York City implements vaccine mandate for all indoor activities: 'If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated'



New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday morning that New York City will mandate vaccination for anyone who wants to participate in indoor activities, including dining at restaurants, going to the gym, and seeing musical or theatrical performances.

"It's time for people to see vaccination as literally necessary to living a good and full and healthy life," de Blasio said at a news conference announcing the vaccine mandate, which also applies to workers at those places.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: "If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated." https://t.co/UNHC9XInoY

— The Hill (@thehill) 1628001308.0

The program is called the "Key to NYC Pass," and a pass showing proof of vaccination against COVID-19 will be required of anyone who wants to participate in an indoor activity. The new requirement will go into effect on Aug. 16 and will begin being enforced on Sept. 13.

"The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you're vaccinated, at least one dose," de Blasio said. "This is crucial because we know that this will encourage a lot more vaccination."

The mandate comes as New York City is seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases mostly caused by the Delta variant, which is more contagious than other variants of the virus. In the face of rising cases, de Blasio previously mandated that all city workers get vaccinated or be regularly tested for COVID-19 to keep their jobs. The mayor also created a $100 incentive for anyone who gets a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly 66% of New York City adults are fully vaccinated, according to city data, but a significant number of people remain hesitant to take their vaccine doses.

Last week, de Blasio said the time for "voluntary" vaccination is over, blaming the unvaccinated and vaccine hesitant for the reintroduction of the coronavirus restrictions.

Speaking Tuesday, the mayor said that forcing people to be vaccinated is the only way to stop COVID-19 cases from rising.

"Not everyone is going to agree with this, I understand that," de Blasio said. "But for so many people this is going to be the life-saving act, that we're putting a mandate in place. It's going to guarantee a much higher level of vaccination in this city and that is the key to protecting people and the key to our recovery."

New Yorkers who wish to dine outdoors will be able to do so without showing proof of vaccination. But to dine indoors, city residents will need to use a new digital app, the New York state Excelsior app, or a paper card to show proof of vaccination.

"We know that this is what's going to turn the tide. And we also know that people are going to get a really clear message: If you want to participate in our society fully, you've got to get vaccinated," the mayor added.

President Biden claims that the GOP 'offers nothing but fear and lies and broken promises'



In his remarks at a virtual Democratic National Committee event on Monday President Biden claimed that the GOP "today offers nothing but fear and lies and broken promises," according to The Hill.

Some Twitter users responding to a tweet from The Hill concurred with the President's assessment, but others disagreed.

"Interesting cause I can think of a long list of things Biden has lied about," one tweet declared.

"Democrats are experts at projecting their own identity and faults on to Republicans," another post said.

@thehill Democrats are experts at projecting their own identity and faults on to Republicans.

— Peter Garrett (@TheUnrealPeterG) 1627958550.0

"Pot. Kettle," another tweet said.

"Sounds entirely like his presidency," another commenter wrote.

"He says as he lies and breaks his promises. So glad I voted third party," another tweet read.

"Obviously he's delusional since he actually meant to say Democrats," someone commented.

Some of the commenters Twitter agreed with the president.

"Yup. He nailed it. The @gop is a horrible group of ppl whose base rewards bad governing. Look at DeSantis and Noem," one tweet said.

"Fact check: all true," another tweet declared.

Last month during a campaign event for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McCauliffe, Biden also claimed that the GOP "offers nothing but fear, lies and broken promises." McCauliffe, who previously served as the governor of Virginia from early 2014 to early 2018, is aiming to win election to the role again.

President Biden: "The Republican Party today offers nothing but fear, lies, and broken promises." https://t.co/XCO0cz3cE6

— The Hill (@thehill) 1627147929.0

Biden's approval rating has declined since he took office earlier this year, sinking to 50 percent according to Gallup polling conducted last month.

Biden's political career has spanned many years. Prior to serving as vice president during the Obama administration, he spent more than three decades serving as a Senator from the state of Delaware.

Biden administration sues Georgia, accusing election integrity law of discriminating against black Americans



The Biden administration is suing the state of Georgia over its recently passed election reforms, alleging that the state is racially discriminating against black Americans by suppressing their right to vote.

"Today, the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia. Our complaint alleges that recent changes to Georgia's election laws were enacted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right of black Georgians to vote on account of their race or color," Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference Friday.

Georgia's election reforms, signed into law by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in March, implement stronger voter ID requirements, expand early voting throughout most of the state, require that counties have at least one absentee ballot drop box, and grant the state legislature more control over election administration.

Democrats have made several false claims about the bill, accusing Georgia Republicans of implementing "Jim Crow 2.0" in their state to squash the minority vote and stay in power.

AG Merrick Garland: "Today, the Department of Justice is suing the state of Georgia. Our complaint alleges that rec… https://t.co/v0rofNqmWZ

— The Hill (@thehill) 1624634347.0

Biden's Department of Justice contends that portions of the law "were adopted with the purpose of denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race." The lawsuit alleges that Georgia lawmakers knew their law would have a cumulative and discriminatory effect on black voters and adopted the law anyway.

Specific provisions of the Georgia law challenged by the DOJ include a provision banning government entities from distributing unsolicited absentee ballot applications; the imposition of fines on civic organizations, churches, and advocacy groups that distribute follow-up absentee ballot applications; the shortening of the deadline to request absentee ballots to 11 days before Election Day; the prohibition on using the last four digits of an voter's Social Security number as a substitute for photo identification issued by the Georgia Department of Driver Services or a photocopy of valid photo ID; changes to rules regarding absentee ballot drop boxes; the prohibition on activists and campaigns from providing food or water to persons waiting in long lines to vote; and the prohibition on counting out-of-precinct provisional ballots cast before 5 p.m. on Election Day.

Appearing at the press conference with Garland, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, claimed Georgia lawmakers passed SB 202 through a "rushed process" that bypassed normal legislative procedure. She said the law contained "new and unnecessarily stringent identification requirements to obtain an absentee ballot," noting that black Americans vote absentee in greater proportions than whites and are disproportionally affected by the law. Clarke also criticized provisions of the law that would disqualify provisional ballots cast in the wrong precinct and said black voters were also more likely to face long lines when forced to vote at polling stations.

"It's well documented that communities of color change residences more frequently than other populations," she said. "And because of this greater residential mobility and polling site closures and consolidations, Black voters are more likely to end up at the wrong precinct on Election Day."

Responding on Twitter, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp accused the Biden administration of spreading "lies and misinformation" about the law and "weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice."

"This lawsuit is born out of the lies and misinformation the Biden administration has pushed against Georgia's Election Integrity Act from the start. Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams, and their allies tried to force an unconstitutional elections power grab through Congress — and failed," the governor said. "Now, they are weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice to carry out their far-left agenda that undermines election integrity and empowers federal government overreach in our democracy.

"As Secretary of State, I fought the Obama Justice Department twice to protect the security of our elections — and won. I look forward to going three for three to ensure it's easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia."

Rudy Giuliani's son launches bid for NY governor, comes out swinging against Cuomo



Republican Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), announced Tuesday that he is officially running to become the next governor of New York state — and he came out swinging against the incumbent, embattled Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).

What are the details?

Giuliani, 35, told the New York Post, "Giuliani vs. Cuomo. Holy smokes. Its Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier," referring to the 1971 bout for the heavyweight title. "We can sell tickets at Madison Square Garden. It would be one of the epic showdowns in the state's history."

He says, "I know we can defeat Andrew Cuomo in 2022. I am going to be the 57th governor of New York."

"It was Andrew Cuomo's actions that killed 9,000 senior citizens in nursing homes in New York," Giuliani said, referring to Democrat's order early in the pandemic to force nursing homes to accept COVID-19 positive patients, which Giuliani called "the worst."

"He should have resigned," Giuliani said of the governor. "Cuomo didn't use the USS Comfort ship or the Javits Center to house seniors with COVID. He didn't want to give President Trump a political victory."

Giuliani says he will run on a platform focusing on supporting businesses, law enforcement and school choice.

He previously worked as associate director of the U.S. Office of Public Liaison for four years during former President Donald Trump's administration. While he has never been elected to an office, he told the Post, "I'm a politician out of the womb. It's in my DNA."

"It's time to bring New York back."Andrew Giuliani to run for New York governor https://t.co/eCsEo98tVj https://t.co/u5vZSfxLWQ
— The Hill (@thehill) 1621366906.0

Anything else?

Giuliani still has to make it through the GOP primary, but his announcement comes as both his Democratic opponent and his father are facing legal battles.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) is currently conducting an investigation into several sexual harassment allegation against Cuomo, along with a second probe into whether the governor used state resources to complete and promote his memoir on COVID-19 leadership.

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani's Manhattan apartment was raided by the FBI last month reportedly as part of "a criminal investigation into Mr. Giuliani's dealings in Ukraine," according to The New York Times.

On the day of the raid, Andrew held a press conference defending his father and blasting the DOJ.

"This is disgusting," Andrew told reporters. "This is absolutely absurd, and it's the continued politicization of the Justice Department."

"If this can happen to the former president's lawyer, this can happen to any American," he continued. "Enough is enough."

He added, "To all Americans out there, our Justice Department should be independent of politics. Enough is enough, ladies and gentlemen. We cannot stand for this anymore."

BREAKING: Andrew Giuliani speaks to press on raid against Rudy Giuliani in New York, NY on April 28, 2021 https://t.co/s2EkitOtS0
— Kyle Mazza (@KyleMazzaWUNF) 1619640867.0

News outlet attempts to disparage mask-less Trump supporters, but nearly everyone in the photo was masked



Left-leaning news website the Hill attempted to disparage Trump supporters in North Carolina on Tuesday, but seemingly disproved its own criticism with a photo from a Trump campaign rally.

What happened?

The news outlet published a story Tuesday about President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"Trump, supporters gather without masks in NC despite request from local GOP official," the headline blared.

The story went on to say:

President Trump and scores of supporters gathered for a rally in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday without masks, despite the urging of a local Republican official and a state mandate.

Dave Plyler, the GOP chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, told The Winston-Salem Journal that he felt Trump should abide by Gov. Roy Cooper's (D) order for individuals to wear a face covering when unable to socially distance."It's been ordered by the governor," Plyler told the news outlet. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in North Carolina, do as the governor says."

But Trump, who has only worn a mask a few times in public, did not wear a face covering while in North Carolina. And only a smattering of supporters could be seen wearing masks, some with "MAGA" emblazoned on them.

But, as it turned out, many of Trump's supporters did wear face masks at the rally.

The Hill even proved this by including a picture of Trump's supporters — a majority of whom are clearly seen with face masks — as the featured image on its story.

Image source: Twitter/@thehill screenshot

However, as video and images from the rally showed, many Trump supporters did not wear face masks, lending credibility to the Hill's angle of criticism.

What was the response?

The Hill was mocked for pushing narrative over truth.

"Not only can you zoom in on this photo and see everyone has a mask but in @thehill article they have a video that plays where you can see everyone wearing a mask. Journalism is dead," one person responded.

Another person noted, "In addition to lacking objectivity, the media also lacks eyesight as most Trump supporters seen in the picture are wearing a mask."

What did the Hill do?

The news outlet deleted its original tweet — which racked up more than 13,000 mostly critical responses — and retweeted the story with a new image.

However, the outlet did not change the headline on the story or the framing of its story. Editors did remove a claim that only a "smattering" of supporters wore masks.

The story now reads that images from the rally "showed many attendees were not wearing masks before or after Trump took the stage." This was true.

LMFAO they had to swap out the photo to match their narrative https://t.co/FyXLie7aS6
— Jason Howerton (@Jason Howerton)1599661689.0

Andrew Cuomo claims people are now fleeing to New York because it’s ‘safe’

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo claimed people are moving into New York to escape surging coronavirus cases in other states and threatening to cause another spike. Cuomo said that his state is now seen as a “safe” state while speaking at a Monday press conference. He declared a major victory in the ongoing fight against […]

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo claimed people are moving into New York to escape surging coronavirus cases in other states and threatening to cause another spike.

Cuomo said that his state is now seen as a “safe” state while speaking at a Monday press conference. He declared a major victory in the ongoing fight against the virus after New York reported zero deaths from coronavirus on July 12, the first time hitting that benchmark since March.

The Democratic governor now says that New York’s progress in fighting the virus has outpaced other states and that people are moving to New York looking for a safe haven from the pandemic. The people moving into the state may cause the virus to increase again, he said.

“The problem is you have it now increasing in 40 states across the nation. How do you keep the virus in 40 states from coming into New York? We now have people coming to New York fleeing from the other states because it’s the ‘safe’ state,” Cuomo said.

“We have people coming here just for the purpose of fleeing the virus in their state. Really the only answer is those other states have to get the virus under control,” Cuomo added. In May, a team of geneticists traced the origins of strains of the coronavirus from all over the country and sourced almost all of them back to New York.

“We now have enough data to feel pretty confident that New York was the primary gateway for the rest of the country,” Yale School of Public Health epidemiologist Nathan Grubaugh said at the time.

Cuomo also attacked President Donald Trump’s response to the virus and blamed the federal government in part for coronavirus cases that are rising across the South and West.

“The federal government has been incompetent on this situation. The federal government has been in denial on this situation. The federal government has pressured these other states to reopen recklessly, which they did,” Cuomo said.

“President ‘Liberate, Liberate, Liberate.’ All the protests against New York, how many times did I get into confrontations with protesters? ‘President Trump says you should reopen the economy,’” Cuomo continued. “I said if I reopen the economy recklessly, all it’s going to do is increase the virus, and if the virus goes up the economy is going to have to close back down. No, no, no, which is exactly what happened to these other states. Their mistake was they listened to the president.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo: "We now have people coming to New York, fleeing the other states because it's the 'safe' state." pic.twitter.com/fLHqDwbe3P

— The Hill (@thehill) July 20, 2020

New York continues to have the highest total number of cases of the virus among U.S. states at roughly 435,000. It also has the highest total number of deaths from the virus at nearly 33,000 and the second highest number of deaths per 1 million people, behind only New Jersey.

Cuomo has aggressively denied accusations that a measure he took early on the led to coronavirus-positive patients being forced into nursing homes with uninfected residents led to his state’s relatively high death toll. His administration conducted a study of New York’s response to the virus and blamed nursing home workers for spreading the virus among the state’s elderly, not his controversial policy.

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