#Good Morning DC. Today is World Press Freedom Day and a reminder that we have an obligation to defend the media from attacks on their independence
Good Morning DC!
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful,” said George Orwell.
Today is World Press Freedom Day and a reminder that we have an obligation to defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists like Jamal Khashoggi who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that the number of journalists killed in retaliation for their reporting doubled in 2020. The largest number of killings took place in Mexico and Afghanistan.
The countries that jailed the highest number of journalists for their reporting in 2020 are China, Turkey, and Egypt.
“The United States condemns the use of partial or complete government-imposed Internet shutdowns, among other tactics, to prevent the exercise of freedom of expression online and restrict the ability of independent journalists to serve the public,” said Secretary Blinken.
On this Press Freedom Day, it would be great to ask Blinken what does he think about censorship done by Twitter and other tech giants in the United States?
Today is also an excellent occasion to talk about excellence in journalism. Over the weekend, WaPo, NYT, and NBC had to issue retractions about the story they published claiming that the FBI had warned Rudy Giuliani that he was being used by Russians to spread disinformation.
How did the biggest and most respected of the media get themselves in a position to retract the story?
In the meantime, Dershowitz, who is consulting Giuliani, went on Newsmax to say that The FBI raid of Rudy Giuliani violated the spirit and the letter of the Constitution.
“To conduct a search warrant is to imply that Rudy Giuliani and the other lawyers who are subject to the search warrant would destroy evidence,” Dershowitz said. “Giuliani knew they were after the cell phones and the computers for months and months and months, and he didn’t destroy anything, so what’s the basis for the search warrant rather than the subpoena?”
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Trump may not be on social media but is still pulling strings in the Republican party. Susan Wright, a candidate he endorsed, came out on top of the Texas special election for the U.S. House with 19.21%. Adam Kizinger’s candidate Michael Wood got only 3.19% in the race of 23 candidates.
There’s more news about the declining power of Never Trumpers. At the Republican convention in Utah on Saturday, Senator Mitt Romney was booed by the members of his own party.
Liz Cheney may not survive this time around. Congressman Lance Gooden has a prediction that Cheney will be “out of her GOP leadership role by month’s end!”
Getting cozy with the Democrats gives voters no reason to choose Republicans. Writing OpEds in NYT and WaPo is helpful for Members of Congress with presidential ambitions to make their name on the national stage, but they are talking to the wrong audience. These readers are democratic voters who can’t move the needle in the Republican party against Trump’s supporters.
Republicans have to start defining who they are in contrast to Biden’s politics. They have plenty to choose from his ambitious policy buffet. When Trump was in power, the policy was not front and center, but with Biden, it’s all about the policy, making it much easier to build the opposition againts.
It ain’t personal, it’s factual, is the tagline republicans should embrace as the voters are likely to hear factual messages than irrational screaming into the Twitter void about how the Democrats wronged them.
Biden spent the weekend in his state, Delaware. On Sunday, he made a statement on the 10th Anniversary of the US operation that killed Osama bin Laden. “It is a moment I will never forget—the intelligence professionals who had painstakingly tracked him down; the clarity and conviction of President Obama in making the call; the courage and skill of our team on the ground,” said Biden. “We followed bin Laden to the gates of hell—and we got him,” he added.
Across the pond, Secretary Blinken is attending the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ Meeting today. He will meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss shared U.S.-UK priorities related to leading global issues.
Tensions with North Korea are on the rise. DPRK “will be compelled to press for corresponding measures, and with time the U.S. will find itself in a very grave situation,” a foreign ministry official in Pyongyang reacted to Joe Biden calling North Korea a “serious threat” to the security of the US and the world.
At 10 AM, WHO will hold a press briefing. Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, will joint to talk about financing the fight to end the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the ACT-Accelerator, in the context of the G7/G20.
What will Biden do today?
At 8:00 AM President will receive the President’s Daily Brief.
At 9 AM President Biden and the First Lady will travel to Yorktown, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia as part of the Getting America Back on Track Tour. They will try to highlight how the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan will benefit schools—including students, parents, teachers, and families.
At 10:30 AM, the President and the First Lady will visit Yorktown Elementary School.
At 1:05 PM, the President and the First Lady will visit an HVAC workshop and deliver remarks at Tidewater Community College.
At 1:30 PM President Biden and FLOTUS deliver remarks at Tidewater Community College.
At 4:00 PM President Biden and FLOTUS will be back at the White House.
LOOK AHEAD
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
The President will deliver remarks on the COVID-19 response and the state of vaccinations.
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
The President will deliver remarks on his Administration’s implementation of the American Rescue Plan.
Thursday, May 6, 2021
The President will travel to Lake Charles, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana as part of the Getting America Back on Track Tour to amplify the American Jobs Plan and its investments in water infrastructure.
The President will deliver remarks on the American Jobs Plan in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The President will tour the Carrollton Water Plant in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Friday, May 7, 2021
The President will deliver remarks on the economy.
The President will travel to Camp David, where he will remain over the weekend.
LOOK AHEAD: Douglas Emhoff and Jill Biden
On Wednesday, May 5, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, May 6, Douglas Emhoff will travel to Memphis, Tennessee, with Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh.
Both trips are part of the “Getting America Back on Track” tour.
On Wednesday, May 5, the First Lady will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah.
At 1:20 PM MT (subject to change), the First Lady will arrive at Salt Lake City International Airport.
At 2:00 PM MT (subject to change), the First Lady will visit Glendale Middle School.
At 3:00 PM MT (subject to change), the First Lady will deliver remarks at Glendale Middle School.
Following remarks at the Glendale Middle School, at 3:45 PM MT (subject to change), the First Lady will visit a vaccination clinic at Jordan Park.
And that’s a wrap for this Monday morning, May 3, 2021. Good Morning DC will be back tomorrow to give you the latest first.
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