Comey Says Local Law Enforcement ‘Will and Should Ignore’ Any Trump Order to Go to Polling Places: ‘Sends a Chill Through All of Us’

Former FBI Director James Comey slammed President Donald Trump Tuesday over his comments on mail-in voting. Cooper asked Comey about the president’s attacks on mail-in voting and specifically his recent comments talking about sending law enforcement to polling places. The CNN anchor asked, “In your years working the FBI, have you ever seen widespread voter fraud, widespread mail-in voter fraud?” “Never,” Comey said. “And I’m used to operating in an evidence-based world, and so I have not seen any evidence nor have I heard anybody on Trump’s team offer any evidence. Instead they say, ‘Well, there’s no evidence that there’s not.’ Well, there’s no evidence that there’s not an invisible asteroid that’s about to hit the earth. We shouldn’t all run for the hills.”

Regarding the comments about law enforcement, Comey said that Trump “has no power over state or local law enforcement and so they should and they will ignore a suggestion like that.” “I suppose he could try something at the federal level. I can’t imagine how a federal agency would abide such a direction,” he continued. “But look, it sends a chill through all of us because that’s a.reminder of some days in America we thought we’d left behind.”

https://www.mediaite.com/tv/comey-says-local-law-enforcement-will-and-should-ignore-any-trump-order-to-go-to-polling-places-sends-a-chill-through-all-of-us/

CDC quietly drops 2-week quarantine recommendation for travel; will NY do same?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends people self-quarantine for two weeks after traveling from another state or country after months of coronavirus concerns. Will New York do the same? USA Today reports the CDC quietly updated its travel guidelines Friday, urging U.S. residents to “follow state, territorial, tribal and local recommendations or requirements after travel.” The CDC previously recommended a 14-day quarantine for anyone returning from international trips or any area with a high number of Covid-19 cases. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has required travelers to New York from states where coronavirus is spreading to self-quarantine for 14 days since June. As of last week, the quarantine list includes 33 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Update: Five states were removed from the list Tuesday.)

New York’s quarantine policy applies to areas with a positive coronavirus testing rate higher than 10 people per 100,000 residents or with an overall positive rate of 10% or higher, both based on seven-day rolling averages. It includes exemptions for essential workers and doesn’t apply if a traveler is in a location on the list for less than 24 hours. Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, who have similar quarantine lists, have not commented on the CDC’s updated guidelines. Cuomo has previously said he is concerned that people traveling from areas with more widespread cases of Covid-19 could cause it to spike in New York. The Empire State’s positive test rate has been below 1% for 17 straight days. The CDC still warns that coronavirus risk is high “regardless of where you traveled or what you did during your trip,” and continues to recommend practicing social distancing, wearing a face mask outside the home, washing hands often, and self-monitoring for Covid-19 symptoms. “You may have been exposed to COVID-19 on your travels,” the CDC says. “You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can be contagious without symptoms and spread the virus to others. You and your travel companions (including children) pose a risk to your family, friends and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus.”

https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/08/cdc-quietly-drops-2-week-quarantine-recommendation-for-travel-will-ny-do-same.html

CDC Guidelines

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html

Ohio Republicans draft articles of impeachment against GOP governor for coronavirus restrictions

Three Ohio Republican lawmakers are moving ahead with a bid to impeach the state's GOP governor regarding how he's handled the coronavirus pandemic. Reps. John Becker, Nino Vitale, and Paul Zeltwanger drafted 10 articles of impeachment against Gov. Mike DeWine, which include accusations of "unconstitutionally" closing down businesses and violating civil liberties and due process by implementing "stay-at-home" orders. The trio also accuse the governor of violating the First Amendment by issuing a mask mandate and violating the Constitution by temporarily banning liquor sales to non-Ohio residents. In addition, they accuse DeWine of "conspiring" with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to cancel the state's primary election in March and attempting to reschedule it for June.

The majority of the House would need to approve the resolution for DeWine to be removed from office, which is an unlikely feat, according to Cleveland.com. Two-thirds of the Ohio Senate would then have to vote to convict him. DeWine's spokesman Dan Tierney said the governor is unconcerned about the articles of impeachment. “Gov. DeWine is focused on saving lives during the pandemic," Tierney said. "He’s focused on the economy and getting Ohioans back to work. That’s what he’s focused on — not this.” Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp, a Republican, said he didn't believe impeachment was the right path forward, calling it an "imprudent attempt" to escalate disagreement with the governor to "a state constitutional crisis," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "Even serious policy disagreements do not rise to the level of impeachment under our constitution," Cupp said. DeWine received conflicting COVID-19 test results earlier this month. First, he tested positive, forcing him to miss President Trump's visit to Cleveland, and then found out it was a false positive.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ohio-republicans-draft-articles-of-impeachment-against-gop-governor-for-coronavirus-restrictions