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TexasTowelie's JournalMike Lee says senators who don't want to return to D.C. should consider new line of work
SALT LAKE CITY — Senators who don’t want to return to Washington amid the coronavirus pandemic should maybe get out of politics, Utah Sen. Mike Lee suggested Friday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s decision to bring the Senate back next week with no immediate plans to consider additional coronavirus legislation has left some members uneasy about traveling when stay-at-home orders remain intact in most states and the congressional attending physician recommends Congress stay away for now, according to NBC News.
“Legislate, or don’t legislate. But trying to legislate without convening is neither logical nor constitutional,” Lee wrote in a series of tweets.
“If some of my colleagues in the Senate are really concerned that they won’t survive the process of doing what they were hired to do, then perhaps they should consider another line of work.”
Read more: https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/5/1/21244192/coronavirus-covid-19-donald-trump-congress-mike-lee-mitch-mcconell-nancy-pelosi
McConnell is trying to push through as many federal judge confirmations as possible in the next six to eight months.
Utah should expect 2nd wave of COVID-19 in Utah this fall, state epidemiologist says
As the state loosened COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, the state epidemiologist warned Utahns to expect a second wave of the disease this fall — and for it to linger as a threat for perhaps a year.
“We are anticipating a second surge in cases to coincide with the flu season, given that they’re both viruses and spread in the same way,” Dr. Angela Dunn said at a Friday briefing.
She cautioned that exactly what will happen is unknown, and many different prediction models exist. “None are perfect in predicting what’s going to happen, especially with a novel pandemic.”
Still, she said the state is working with health care providers and local health officials to prepare for a second wave.
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/05/01/utah-should-expect-nd/
(Salt Lake Tribune)
'I'm so excited to sit down and have a meal' -- Utah restaurants open to eager diners
Angelic Quintana and Alex Olmos were walking in downtown Salt Lake City on Friday and spied something they hadn’t seen for many weeks: Diners eating inside a restaurant.
Bonus that it was at Siegfried’s Delicatessen, one of their favorite lunch spots.
“I’m so excited to sit down and have a meal,” Quintana said. “I’ve missed that.”
The German deli at 20 W. 200 South was one of many Utah eateries that opened on the first day that dine-in service was allowed by state and local state health officials.
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/05/01/im-so-excited-sit-down/
(Salt Lake Tribune)
From the photos included with the article, it doesn't look like either were famished.
Scrutinized malaria drug purchase to be refunded in Utah
Utah will be refunded $800,000 it spent to buy malaria drugs once touted by President Donald Trump for treating the new coronavirus despite warnings from doctors, officials said Wednesday.
Leaders in both Utah and Oklahoma have faced scrutiny for spending millions of dollars combined to purchase the drugs many other states obtained for free.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said the pharmacy has agreed to the refund, and an internal review found no wrongdoing in the no-bid contract with the Utah compounding pharmacy Meds in Motion. It was made at a time when it appeared the drug might help and there could be shortages of it, he said. Since then, though, warnings have mounted from the Food and Drug Administration and others.
"All involved acted proactively, preemptively and prudently during an emergency in an effort to save lives" and got a “fair price” for the medication, Hebert said in a statement.
Read more: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2020/04/30/utah-receive-refund-controversial-malaria-drug-purchase/3054998001/
(St. George, The Spectrum)
Mark Kelly stands by Joe Biden endorsement amid Tara Reade's sexual assault claim
Democratic Senate candidate Mark Kelly is standing by his endorsement of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who faces a sexual assault allegation by his former Senate staffer Tara Reade.
Biden is scheduled to address the allegations by Reade for the first time Friday on MSNBC’s "Morning Joe." Reade’s assault allegation dates to 1993, when she worked for Biden. His campaign has denied her allegation.
Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut who is seeking to unseat incumbent Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz, said during a radio interview with KTAR-FM (92.3) this week that all accusers should be heard, echoing the sentiments of some other Biden supporters.
Kelly, who is married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., said the accusations do not have him rethinking his endorsement. The couple came to know Biden well after the 2011 mass shooting near Tucson in which Giffords and others were shot.
Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/04/30/mark-kelly-joe-biden-endorsement-tara-reade-sexual-assault-allegation/3061886001/
Fann Warns Arizona Legislators Against Opposing Ducey's Stay-At-Home Order
On Thursday, Arizona legislators were warned by Senate President Karen Fann that they should think twice before challenging Governor Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home executive order extension. Fann advised legislators that any resolution to end the executive order would cost the state millions in federal dollars.
On Apr 30, 2020, at 6:57 AM, Karen Fann <KFann@azleg.gov<mailto:KFann@azleg.gov>> wrote:
At the same time, in an appearance on KFYI’s James T. Harris show, House Majority Leader Warren Petersen said he was encouraging lawmakers to join him in passing just such a resolution:
“I think it’s time to do that,” said Petersen of passing a resolution, “I’ve shared that with my colleagues, and I’m counting votes and I think we have a majority of Republicans who are willing to do that.”
“You’re not going to get any of the Democrats,” said Petersen referring to a resolution, “that’ just not going to happen because they benefit from a cratering economy, because I guess that is a wonderful thing for them.”
Read more: https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2020/04/30/fann-warns-arizona-legislators-against-opposing-duceys-stay-at-home-order/
Brnovich takes ballot harvesting case to U.S. Supreme Court
Attorney General Mark Brnovich is warning the U.S. Supreme Court that all of Arizona’s election laws could be subject to challenge if it doesn’t overturn an appellate ruling voiding the state’s “ballot harvesting” laws as racially motivated.
In a new filing Monday, Brnovich lays out for the justices why he believes the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals got it wrong earlier this year when it declared that the state acted illegally in making it a crime to return someone else’s early ballot. He said the state had good reason to act in a way to prevent the potential for fraud and intimidation of voters by political operatives who were collecting these ballots.
But Brnovich also told the justices they have to slap down the logic used by the appellate judges — that Arizona lawmakers enacted the ballot-harvesting law with the goal of suppressing minority vote — in voiding the law. He said if that verbiage is allowed to stand, it could pave the way for future challenges, and not just here.
“If you accept the logic of the 9th Circuit, it would jeopardize every voting integrity law in almost every state,” he told Capitol Media Services.
Read more: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/04/27/brnovich-takes-ballot-harvesting-case-to-u-s-supreme-court/
Attorney General says churchgoers, protesters may congregate closer than six feet apart
Arizonans who assemble to worship or protests don’t necessarily have to keep six feet between them to avoid violating the governor’s executive order and thereby subjecting themselves to arrest and jail, Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Thursday.
In a formal legal opinion, Brnovich pointed out that Gov. Doug Ducey, in his order, specifically permits people to engage in constitutionally protected activity, including religion and speech. But that order said these are allowed only to the extent they are “conducted in a manner that provides appropriate physical distancing to the extent feasible.”
Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, who requested the opinion, noted that that Ducey, in other parts of his executive order, specifically required separation of six feet.
So, she asked Brnovich whether getting closer than six feet would put parishioners and others in legal jeopardy and subject them to the $600 fine and six months.
Read more: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2020/04/30/attorney-general-says-churchgoers-protesters-may-congregate-closer-than-six-feet-apart/
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