I spoke with a few of the thousands of Trump supporters streaming into his indoor rally just outside Las Vegas. Here's why they say they're not wearing masks & are not concerned about the health risks of attending this rally.
(Fact: Masks work. Ignoring science does not.)
McGuigan also said people attending the rally said she knows she doesn't have Covid because: "I have beautiful skin tone. I have lungs, I was just singing God Bless America with these ladies back there. There’s nothing wrong with my breathing."
76-year-old Howard Ady said he's not concerned about getting coronavirus because "we’ve been walking five miles every morning, staying fit, for the last couple hundred days. That’s how we’re dealing with it."
Ady wasn't wearing a mask but said he would inside.
20-something Kyle Hackett said attending the rally is "my freedom as an American and if I catch COVID that’s the consequences of my actions, so I’m willing to take that risk and have a good time today."
I asked Hackett about potentially exposing others. He said he's not concerned, claiming he's "pretty careful" despite attending an indoor rally with thousands of others w/o a mask.
"Freedom as an American to do as we please, so..." he said
I asked Barber (the man in the above video) about Trump saying mask-wearing is patriotic.
His response: "Okay, he can say it all day long, but I’m not worried about that. He can say whatever he wants... I’m not going to let a government tell me what to do."
Barber said he's got no concerns about spreading the virus when he goes back home to Arizona
"No, not really, because the only person I deal with on a daily basis is my wife and my dog."
He notes his wife works at a grocery store and "she's been fine" so far.
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Woke up this morning to more instances of police unacceptably targeting and using force against journalists in the US over the last week. The list is far too long & this is unacceptable -- especially in the United States of America.
Time for a thread. This is just a sampling:
Let's start with my colleagues @OmarJimenez, Bill Kirkos & Leonel Mendez who were arrested while covering the aftermath of protests & riots in Minneapolis. It happened on live television: washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/medi…
In Louisville, a police officer fired pepper balls directly at a WAVE 3 News TV crew. Through the photojournalists lens, you can see the police officer aiming directly at him: wave3.com/2020/05/29/lmp…
In a primetime address to millions of Americans, President Trump misrepresented the travel restrictions he is imposing on travel between the United States and Europe.
They are severe -- but not the total suspension of travel from Europe to the US that Trump described.
THREAD:
Trump said "we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States for the next 30 days" before adding that there will be "exemptions for Americans who have undergone appropriate screenings."
In reality, all US citizens, legal permanent residents, their parents, spouses, siblings and children will be exempt from this ban. Other foreign nationals with specific circumstances are also exempt.
The restrictions are in fact very similar to those enacted vis-a-vis China.
The amount of gaslighting, false statements & misleading arguments emanating from the President’s Twitter feed this morning is quite something. Important to take note of that.
Claim: ISIS is merely a regional threat.
Reality: ISIS has inspired & directed terrorist attacks around the world. And Trump & his administration have repeatedly made clear they viewed ISIS as a global threat, hence the US-led global military coalition to defeat it.
Claim: Russia, Iran & Syria are “not happy about the US leaving”
Reality: Russia has said it is thrilled with the US decision. Trump’s own national security adviser said US forces served as a buffer to Iranian forces & proxies. Now that buffer has evaporated
Trump addresses explosive devices at top of rally: "We will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice. Any acts or threats of political violence are an attack on our democracy itself. No nation can succeed that tolerates violence or the threat of violence..."
"We want all sides to come together in peace and harmony -- we can do it, we can do it. We can do it, it'll happen. There's much we can do to bring our nation together. Those that are engaged in the political arena must stop treating political opponents as being morally defective
"No one should carelessly compare political opponents to historical villains, which is done often, it's done all the time. We've got to stop. We should not mob people in public spaces or destroy public property.