Sunday School 11/27/22: Extra Credit

This week's Sunday School was all about the classroom panel discussions. For your Extra Credit, I'll nose around a few of the 'usual suspect' interviews, starting with Dana Bash and Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) on CNN's SOTU.

"A former president, an antisemite, and a white supremacist walk into Mar-a-Lago. There is no punchline." That was Bash's intro to her discussion with Hutchinson - and I love it. Now - on to the recap.

• Hutchinson said he hopes "someday, we won't have to be responding" to stuff Trump has said or done. About the dinner, it "empowers people when you meet with them... you want to diminish their strength, not empower them." He also said "You have got to be absolutely clear in your communication that this is not acceptable dogma, it's not acceptable conversation, it's not acceptable history, and you have to disavow it. it's as simple as that."

• In his upcoming speech at the Reagan Institute, he's going to talk about things that Republicans "historically" don't do: "attack America's democracy...denigrate our political system...undermine confidence in America...attack those institutions that are fundamental to the rule of law." He said the party "is in a good position coming out of the midterms," but his remarks are for "the individual candidates that strayed from" Republican principles.

• He signed a bill banning biological males from competing in women's sports, so he's "comfortable" with Herschel Walker's attack ad about trans athletes just days after the shooting at a LGBTQ+ bar in Colorado Spring. He also passed anti-hate legislation and said "we shouldn't be targeting anyone because of their race or their gender." He closed with, "What happened at that nightclub is a human tragedy... These are challenging issues. And what happened is just simply wrong."

On MTP, What's-his-name (WHN) talked with Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO). Colorado's been the site of several mass shootings over the years. 

• Polis said everyone's voices need to be heard to fix this. "I think what you really need to do if you're serious about reducing these kinds of gun violence events and mass violence events is try to take the best ideas from all sides that work." That means mental health, and gun policy, and dealing with anti-LGBTQ stuff. "We need to, as a society, as political leaders, walk and chew gum at the same time. We need to look at all the evidence and the facts and try to make decisions that lead to a safer country."

• He said it looks like "this would have been a good instance" for the use of Colorado's 'red flag' law. It's been used "several hundred times, but could have been used even more" to prevent mass shootings, self-harm, or suicide." He also said "it's never comfortable" to get involved in someone else's business, particularly when it's a mental health issue, but "it's certainly better than the alternative," which is doing nothing.

• We need a national solution on guns. One example? Colorado has universal background checks, but neighboring states don't. He also was "generally supportive of national efforts towards closing the gun show loophole, towards having a conversation about. having a "process where you need an additional license or background check for some of the most high-powered weapons, I did support that as a member of Congress."

Finally, Jon Karl talked with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in ABC's This Week classroom. 

• Unbanning Trump from Twitter is "a terrible mistake" and that Elon Musk did it via a user poll "further contradicts Musk and his claimed concern about bots on his own platform."

• Appointing a special counsel for Trump investigations is the right move, and "if the same prosecutors that have been investigating the former president and others can be moved on to the special prosecutor's team, then there is every reason to do it, no reason not to do it..." 

• Yes, we could have a trial of a candidate during a presidential campaign. He thinks the position that you can't indict a sitting president "is flawed as a constitutional matter," and he said DOJ can't now say "you also can't indict a former president who wants to run again."

• He doesn't want to "get ahead of" the decision the January 6th Committee issuing any criminal referrals. "I think the evidence is there to make a referral and we just have to decide whether that's the course we are going to take."

• Similarly, the potential for holding Trump in contempt for ignoring the Committee's subpoenas "is being discussed." He expressed frustration with the DOJ, saying "...even where we have held people in contempt, we're only batting 50 percent with the Justice Department in their willingness to enforce it."

• Kevin McCarthy probably will strip Schiff of his Intelligence Committee seat. "I suspect he will do whatever Marjorie Taylor Greene wants him to do. He is a very weak leader of his conference, meaning that he will adhere to the wishes of the lowest common denominator."

• He said the Ds "continually face a variation of the same question, which is should the Democrats do the right -- do the appropriate thing when Republicans have consistently refused to. I think we maintain the high ground. We follow the law. We follow our responsibilities under the separation of powers," and so yes, they should comply with "appropriate oversight."

• And finally, should now 80-year-old Joe Biden run for re-election? "I think he should. I think he's extremely capable. What he's been able to do in the last two years is an unprecedented level of accomplishment. If he wants to continue, I'm for him."

See you around campus. Chime in if you want - my office door's always open.

In Case You Missed it (v88)

I'm not sure why I was so busy last week, but I only managed three posts. Here's your week in review, in case you missed anything. And if I missed anything important last week, someone give me a heads up? Thanks!

For Sunday School, I dropped by three classrooms: Meet the Press, where Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) talked about COVID funding; Face the Nation, where Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) talked about the January 6th Committee, and State of the Union, where Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) talked about all kinds of fun stuff. Here's a bit of that. 

He said that cancelling student debt is a bad idea. Bash asked if doing that wouldn't be helpful to Arkansas families that are hurting now, even though he said his state is generally doing OK. 

Well, sure it'd be helpful to them. It would be helpful to cancel rent for them. It'd be helpful to pay all their utility bills. It'd be helpful to help on mortgage payments. But the question is, what is the right solution?

He also said that he's in the game for 2024, no matter what a certain orange-haired menace decides to do.

That's why he went to New Hampshire, and why he plans on being engaged this year in the national conversation, not just on the economy but on border security, going after the cartels, helping the states, and so on. And, what Trump does or doesn't do has no impact on Hutchinson. 

I have made it clear I think we ought to have a different direction in the future. And so, I'm not aligned with him on some of his endorsements, but also the direction he wants to take our country. I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go in a different direction. And so, that's not a factor in my decision-making process.

Also in the classrooms on Sunday? Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. His interview with  with Dana Bash in the State of the Union classroom, and one with What's-his-name on Meet the Press were featured in your Extra Credit. I wasn't that impressed, but I would have to give him an A+ for consistency, that's for sure.

He talked a lot about what's going to happen when Title 42 ends later this month, and he also talked about the latest free-for-the-asking talking point the Dems have put on the silver platter for the Republicans. I'm talking about the Disinformation Governance Board, or, as the GOP is calling it, The Ministry of Truth. Bash asked exactly what it'll do, and specifically if it will be monitoring Americans. On the latter, he said it will not be monitoring us, as it has no "operational authority or capability."

And so, what will it do? Well, after saying that they "probably could have done a better job of communicating" about the program, he delved into the whys and the whats.

So, what it does is, it works to ensure that the way in which we address threats, the connectivity between threats and acts of violence are addressed without infringing on free speech, protecting civil rights and civil liberties, the right of privacy. And the board, this working group, internal working group, will draw from best practices and communicate those best practices to the operators, because the board does not have operational authority.

...What it will do is gather together best practices in addressing the threat of disinformation from foreign state adversaries, from the cartels, and disseminate those best practices to the operators that have been executing in addressing this threat for years.

And, in response to What's-his-name's same general question?

So, we've set up essentially an internal working group. And I must say that we could have done a better job in communicating what it is and what it isn't. It's a working group that takes best practices with respect to our work that has been going on for years. Best practices on how to do that work, the work of addressing disinformation that presents a threat to the security of our country, how to do that work in a way that does not infringe on free speech, does not infringe on civil liberties. So, this working group takes best practices and disseminates those best practices to the operators.

He was bad; the interviewers were worse, I think, focusing on the stuff that doesn't matter much at all, other than for sound bites, and not asking hard questions about what the hell the administration's going to do about immigration - not because of the midterms, but because we need to do something about immigration... Of course, if anyone really cared about that, other than for the midterms, we'd be doing something. So a pox on all their House and Senate seats, or something.

Finally, I was Wondering on Wednesday about the leak heard 'round the world - and for a change, it wasn't anyone's January 6th texts. 

No, I'm talking about the Alito Draft, the "it probably shouldn't be released, except that we have to make sure the conservative justices toe the line, so we'll leak it and clutch our deeply rooted pearls and everyone on the Right will blame a clerk for one of the liberal justices, and that'll work for us too, so what the heck, drop the darn thing and let's sit back and watch" bombshell opinion eviscerating Roe and Casey and all of the other abortion-related cases of the past nearly 50 years.

I offered two quickly conceived and silly brain dumps of how it got out, because, as we know, wonderment and entertainment begin at conception and, on a more serious note, wondered

What else will fall? If the standard is things that are deeply rooted in our history, clearly additional attacks on voting rights will be affirmed, and encouraged.

Interracial marriage, and marriage equality, of course, are obvious targets. but there's more.

Another issue about which we can wonder? Can any of the alleged privacy protections in the Constitution actually protect women who want to use contraception? I mean, think about it. 

Our life expectancy is falling. 

The birth rate is falling. 

We're projected to be a minority-white country - by 2045.  

Is it really beyond our wildest imagination, I wonder, for some red-state pseudo-religious legislature to decide that what we need more than anything is more cute white babies, and act to make sure that happens by restricting access to contraception?

I know Alito said, in the draft, that this was just about abortion, but we know we can trust that about as far as we can throw him, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, or Coney Barrett.

That's all I had for you - hope your week was otherwise full. 

Happy Sunday, and Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate. 

Sunday School 5/1/22

Lots happening in yesterday's classrooms, including multiple appearances by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. I'll address those in your Extra Credit.

For Sunday School, we'll listen in on a Congressman, a Governor, and a Senator, which is where we'll start. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chatted with What's-His-Name on Meet the Press, who asked if we needed to change our posture if the Russia expands beyond Ukraine into Moldova. Menendez said it wasn't going to "change our calculus" about direct engagement.

We need to keep our eye on the ball. And that is about helping Ukraine and Ukrainians ultimately be able to defeat the butcher of Moscow. And if we do that, the world will be safer... and others who are looking at what is happening in Ukraine will have to think twice. 

And, whether there's "a limit in how much support we're going to give" Ukraine, Menendez thinks we'll do whatever it takes, because it's not just about Ukraine. 

If Ukraine does not win, if Putin can ultimately not only succeed in the Donbass but then be emboldened maybe to go further, if he strikes a country under NATO, under our treaty obligations with NATO, then we would be directly engaged.

Stopping that from happening is critical, Menendez says,

so that we don't have to send our sons and daughters into battle. And I think that ability not to have to send our sons and daughters into battle is priceless.

Moving down the hall to the State of the Union classroom, Dana Bash talked with term-limited Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), who said that the lack of growth in the last quarter, coupled with other issues, could be a sign of a coming recession.

Whenever you have high inflationary pressures, whenever you have interest rates going up to slow the economy down, these are stressors on it. You add that to the supply chain woes that we have, we have got challenges...this administration needs to address those. And they need to do it quickly.

He said that cancelling student debt is a bad idea. Bash asked if doing that wouldn't be helpful to Arkansas families that are hurting now, even though he said his state is generally doing OK. 

Well, sure it'd be helpful to them. It would be helpful to cancel rent for them. It'd be helpful to pay all their utility bills. It'd be helpful to help on mortgage payments. But the question is, what is the right solution?

He said his approach is different. 

... we're looking at not providing more relief, but trying to return more of what we're collecting in terms of taxes back to the taxpayers. That will help them. And it's a more long-term solution as well.

Here are his thoughts on other hot topics. 

• Kevin McCarthy (R-So What if I'm a Liar? I'm YOUR Liar!) will have some work to do if the Rs win and he wants to be Speaker. Hutchinson, a former Congressman, said "it all depends upon who the alternative is" when asked if he would vote for McCarthy if he had the chance.

• He feels the "tone has changed" in the GOP, from where people stood right after the insurrection to where they are now; he believes "that's an error." It won't be helpful for the folks who have "diminished the significance of that event," when we start having public hearings on it this summer.

• He thinks Disney handled the "Don't Say Gay" bill situation "very poorly." And, while he thinks we shouldn't be "teaching sexual orientation" in the lower grades, he doesn't buy into the government being "punitive against private businesses because we disagree with them." It's fine to debate special tax deals, but going after businesses is principled Republican behavior. 

And, the big question, "Are you seriously considering running for president?" He said yes, "that's an option that's on the table."

That's why he went to New Hampshire, and why he plans on being engaged this year in the national conversation, not just on the economy but on border security, going after the cartels, helping the states, and so on. And, what Trump does or doesn't do has no impact on Hutchinson. 

I have made it clear I think we ought to have a different direction in the future. And so, I'm not aligned with him on some of his endorsements, but also the direction he wants to take our country. I think he did a lot of good things for our country, but we need to go in a different direction. And so, that's not a factor in my decision-making process.

Finally, a recap of a Face the Nation conversation Margaret Brennan had with Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Stands for REAL Republican) about the January 6th Committee, and more.

• He expects we'll hear new information once the public hearings get under way. He made it clear the DOJ will make decisions on the legality of things; it'll be up to us "to take the work (the Committee has) done and decide what they want to do with it or what they want to believe after that."

• He'd love to talk to everyone they've asked to testify, but didn't offer anything specific on additional subpoenas, calling that "both a strategic, tactical decision and a question of whether or not, you know, we can do that and get the information in time." 

• If some of the, um, interesting candidates Trump has endorsed end up winning, he agrees "it would be a sign" of Trump's continued hold on the party (Brennan used the term "still the leader and kingmaker within the party"). 

• He said his organization, Country1st.com, is focused on "playing in some of those primaries to bring at least reasonable people to the forefront" and encouraging people - particularly if they're in a guaranteed red district -  to vote (and vote against the Trump people, of course).

• He also reminded us of Trump's tactics: "If somebody starts falling behind in the polls, he always finds a reason to un-endorse them, because he doesn't like having a losing track record." That's important to keep an eye on.

• He supports the $33B Ukrainian aid package, and hopes it'll pass. He's introduced an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) which would give President Biden "congressional leverage or permission to use it if WMDs, nuclear, biological or chemical are used in Ukraine." He said "also, it is a deterrent to Vladimir Putin." 

The all-Mayorkas Extra Credit should be fun - look for that later.

See you around campus.

Sunday School 1/2/22

Yesterday's classroom discussions focused mostly on the pandemic and the insurrection; I'll focus on the former here, and save the latter for your Extra Credit.

Dr. Anthony Fauci and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona made multiple appearances, while former FDA head Scott Gottlieb and Republican governors Larry Hogan (MD) and Asa Hutchinson (AR) were also roaming the halls. Here are some highlights.

Fauci, speaking with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week, gave this as his "key message on where things stand right now." 

Well, we are definitely in the middle of a very severe surge and uptick in cases...it is actually almost a vertical increase. We're now at an average of about 400,000 cases per day. Hospitalizations are up. One of the things that we hope for, George, is that this thing will peak after a period of a few weeks and turn around. 

And, in the State of the Union classroom, here's Fauci's response to a question from Dana Bash about the driver of the CDC's new relaxed guidelines on quarantining - science or social and business pressures.

There is no doubt that you do want to get people out into the workplace if they are without symptoms. And in the second half of a 10-day period, which would normally be a 10-day isolation period, the likelihood of transmissibility is considerably lower... the CDC made the judgment that it would be relatively low-risk to get people out. You're right. People are getting concerned about, why not test people at that time? I myself feel that that's a reasonable thing to do. I believe that the CDC soon will be coming out with more clarification of that, since it obviously has generated a number of questions...

Gottlieb appears regularly on Face the Nation, and touched on a few key issues in his discussion with Margaret Brennan. For example, he said that over 600 children have died from COVID since the beginning of the pandemic, compared to three pediatric deaths from the flu in the same time period. That said, 

In terms of going back to school, I think the prerogative clearly is to try to get schools reopened. We shouldn't be doing preemptive school closures, in my opinion, but there will be situations where we have reactive school closures, when there are large outbreaks.

Antigen tests work fairly well at detecting the omicron variant, but that "serial testing over a period of time" is the best way to protect a high-risk setting like a school. 

While any individual test could miss the infection, if you're doing serial testing, you're likely to pick it up. And we need to get tests into schools. We still don't have tests widely available to the schools, so that they can use these tests for tests-to- stay policies to prevent large quarantines when are cases diagnosed in the classroom.

He said we should be focused on getting schools open, and keeping them open, pointing out "with the tools we have, with prudence, with the knowledge we have," we can do "a pretty good job" of controlling large outbreaks in schools. However, he's not a fan of mandating boosters for school-age kids. He pointed to studies showing that there was "100% protection" in the 12-16 age group, and said in that group, the vaccinated "are getting a more robust response" from vaccines than others.

For his part, Secretary Cardona did his best to explain that the Biden administration wants kids in schools, they want everyone learning the best possible way they can, they want tests to be available, they want ventilation to be effective, and so on - but that's not enough, according to both Brennan and Gallagher. 

The hosts were skeptical of the efforts that have been undertaken, and how they are being perceived, particularly by teachers. Brennan wondered about teachers in Chicago, Massachusetts and Connecticut saying "they don't feel safe" in schools. Cardona said that the administration's messaging hasn't changed since he's been in position.

We need to make sure we're following mitigation strategies, that we're supporting our educators by providing a safe learning environment, we're providing vaccination for our students as young as 5, so that the whole school community is safe, and we're providing surveillance testing to make sure that, if someone is sick, that they stay home. 

Similarly, Gallagher referenced comments from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, expressing concern that school districts "don't have the infrastructure for testing and tests to stay. It's going to be really, really bumpy and there's going to need a lot of grace," something she said was "in short supply." 

Cardona noted "there's a level of urgency that we shouldn't lose around making sure that our children learn in person", saying "the impact of hybrid learning, the impact of remote learning, is very real" for parents as well as for the kids. He said the American Rescue Plan funding, coupled with efforts from other groups, is all geared towards keeping kids in school.

And when Gallagher asked if the road wasn't going to be as bumpy as Weingarten predicted, Cardona said

...it's really important that we continue to work together. I do think there will be bumps on the road, especially tomorrow. I mean, superintendents today are receiving calls of staff members that they were expecting to be in the classroom tomorrow who have come down with COVID. So, we're going to roll up our sleeves, all hands on deck. Let's keep our children in the classroom. That should be our default thinking, and as problems come up, we need to work together to solve them.

In both classrooms, I think his arguments fell short.

I'll close with an interesting discussion down the hall in the Fox News Sunday classroom, where Trace Gallagher talked with Gov. Hutchinson. To me, it felt like Gallagher was trying to get Hutchinson to downplay the efforts of the Biden administration on the pandemic, but the gov was surprisingly complimentary. 

For example, Hutchinson thought it "was an important step" that the CDC revised the guidelines, saying it was "a recognition that we have to be able to manage our way through" the pandemic. He applauded that "they used science, they overlaid it with practicality" but admitted there could be more consistency and simplicity for people.

While he agreed that 'pandemic politics' has played a role, and caused frustration and division, he also said "it really is refreshing that, I believe, there's a uniformity of opinion by our leaders that vaccinations are critical to get us through this. And so that unified message is absolutely essential, and we've got to -- so I complemented the president on that." 

Vaccinations have been a sore point in Arkansas; the state ranks 45th in percentage of people vaccinated, but he's not moving towards a mandate any time soon. If they ever did get to that point,

there always has to be the right exceptions for religious convictions if -- you know, if vaccines are not acceptable, and that is the current law in Arkansas, and that should continue to be the case.

Feeling better after all of that? 

See you around campus. 

Sunday School 7/4/21

I did a drive-by of a couple of Sunday School classrooms yesterday: CNN's State of the Union, and Fox News Sunday.

Dana Bash talked with Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) on SOTU; here are some highlights.

• With only 42% of eligible Arkansans vaccinated and "younger adults that's now getting hit with the Delta variant," the gov says they're focusing on making the vaccine accessible and that "everybody knows the need. He thinks the vaccination rate is good enough that "we can avoid the surge in hospitalizations that puts us in jeopardy" for a third wave, but said "in a rural state, in a conservative state, there is hesitancy" to get vaccinated. 
• He supports the bipartisan infrastructure bill, saying that it's paid for "the best news." He likes that it's "limited to the traditional infrastructure of roads and bridges," and funding for some water and broadband projects. He doesn't want it tied to the other bill, noting that "we have more money than we could spend right now in terms of some of the federal money that's flowed in our direction."
• He's sending National Guard troops to Texas, but denies it's political theater. He called what's happening at the border now "disaster. It's a human tragedy," with the Biden administration policy changes. He'd never use political donations for something like this, as Gov. Kristi Noem (R-Trump Dakota) is doing, saying that responding to other states "in terms of disaster" is a state function" and he'd consider it "a bad precedent to have that privately funded."
• He wouldn't rule out a run for president in 2024, but said after his term ends next year, he wants "to be engaged in the national debate. It's important, the direction of our party, our country."

Also in the SOTU classroom? Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC).

• He said the new Select Committee on the insurrection might be able to avoid having Former Guy testify; he "would not want to see a former president testifying in such a situation as this." If that's what it takes, though, he'd be OK with it, noting that "this is more than any one person. This is country... since 1776, this country has been in pursuit of perfection. And we need to keep that pursuit going... this is a great time for us to re-dedicate ourselves to what we have all been looking forward to for a long time, liberty and justice for all."
• Dems have always been for voter ID, just equitable ID requirements. When you tell me that you got to have a photo ID, and a photo for a student for an activity card is not good, but, for a hunting license, it is good, that's where the rub is." He doesn't know anyone who's against IDing themselves when they go to vote. "But we don't want you to tell me my ID is no good because I don't own a gun and I don't go hunting." And that voter registration card you receive? That should be a valid ID for voting. 
• He doesn't agree with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-Filibuster), saying "we need to get rid of the filibuster for constitutional issues, just as we have done for budget issues." For arguments on political issues, like building a wall, or how high it should be, the filibuster is OK, if extended debate is allowed. But now, "we will allow a senator to sit downtown in a spa somewhere, pick up the telephone and call in the filibuster, and effectively stop voting rights and other constitutional rights... won't even come to the floor to argue his or her position. That's what is wrong with this filibuster..." 
• He still has hopes for police reform, saying " I think we're going to get there." He says there's still time, and that "it is teetering on some divisions between the sheriffs and, say, the police chiefs, but we can reconcile those. I'm holding out hope that we get this done, because it needs to be done."

Mike Emanuel sat in for Chris Wallace down the hall to the right. He had Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in the guest chair. They talked about infrastructure, COVID, the border, and about Afghanistan. To do that justice, I'll save it for this week's Extra Credit. 

See you around campus - assuming, that is, that you made it through yesterday's birthday unscathed. 

Sunday School 3/14/21

It's a Sonofa Gov Sunday School today. 

All five of the main classrooms mentioned Andrew Cuomo at least once, and we'll see how much'll fit, starting with Chuck Todd and the panel on Meet the Press, 

• John Heilemann (NBC,) suggested we don't know "what else is out there," and that Cuomo's "following what is now seen as the Trump precedent:" be determined, be shameless, and hold on.
• Lanhee Chen (Hoover Institute) said "this shouldn't be a partisan issue," and eventually the Rs will have to admit that what Trump did and what Cuomo's doing "look very, very similar." All of this stems from having one party in power for a long time, which "creates a toxic environment ...that lacks accountability." 
• Maria Teresa Kumar (Voto Latino) said "Trump has basically moved the goalposts" of what's proper and what's not, and she thinks Cuomo won't step down unless the voters demand it, or unless something worse comes to light.
• Hallie Jackson (NBC) said it's "highly unlikely" that President Biden will address this on his own; she said there's "at least some talk" that Cuomo could lessen the heat "if he were to say he would not... run again in 2022," but even that won't make it go away.
• Chuck said "it was amazing to read today that he has no place to go. No place to live. He has no apartment. He has no house. He only has the governor's mansion."

In the State of the Union classroom, Jake Tapper talked with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan; Cuomo succeeded him as head of the National Governors Association. Hogan said it's not his place to speak for New Yorkers, but "hopefully, we're going to get to the bottom of this, because it's pretty serious allegations and growing every day."

Stacey Abrams didn't want to enter the fray, other than to say she believes "that women should be heard, that any accusations of sexual misconduct should be investigated." 

Tapper had a lot to say, including that Cuomo is entitled to due process. Still, he said,

By now he has to know there is a chasm between how he perceives how he talks to women on his staff and how some of those women perceive it, as in some of them perceive it not only as inappropriate but as pressure to sleep with him...Only he knows what other names and incidents might come forward as he digs in. One wonders if that is even a remote consideration.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi talked with George in the This Week classroom. She said she's got confidence in AG Tish James, but that Cuomo's got to ask himself if he can be effective in leading our state - but she stopped short of saying he should resign. George also asked his panel about Cuomo. Here's a sampling of their comments.

• Former Rep. Donna Shalala doesn't think he can effectively lead, noting the "cumulative effect" with so many women coming forward, and "at the end of the day, it looks like he cannot and should not survive" as governor.
• Amanda Renteria, a Democratic operative, agreed with Shalala. "The days of where you can use your positional power to take advantage of folks who work for you is over."
• Former Gov. Chris Christie, who called for patience and letting Trump investigations play out, said he has to take the same position here, otherwise "we'd just be playing the same polarizing politics we've been playing in this country. If it's right for the Republicans, it's right for a Democrat, too."
• Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd disagreed with any suggestion that Cuomo's a victim of cancel culture. "This is an issue of a powerful individual creating a toxic culture that prevented women from being successful within their jobs." That's unacceptable, and it's why he needs to step down.

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio, who has a contentious relationship with Cuomo, talked with Margaret Brennan in the Face the Nation classroom. He thinks Cuomo will try to hang on, saying that "he is used to getting his way..."

But I got to tell you, the folks in this state and the political leadership don't believe him anymore. He doesn't have any credibility. So I think an impeachment proceeding will begin, and I think he will be impeached and perhaps right before that he'll decide to resign. That's probably the most likely outcome right now... 

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said it's "very important" to take any allegations seriously, that the women "have credibility," and beyond that, as to the Governors Association, "it's within their bailiwick to deal with that issue."

And finally, here's what the folks had to say in the Fox News Sunday classroom, where Chris Wallace asked his panel about Cuomo. 

• Jonathan Swain, of Axios, said Cuomo "doesn't have a lot of friends, doesn't have a lot of ingrained loyalty and affection," and he's isolated now. He suggested that President Biden's silence "becomes more conspicuous" and may not be sustainable.
• Karl Rove, the Republican operative, said Cuomo "can sort of string this out," but the NY Delegation calling for his resignation on Friday after the majority of the state Dems did so on Thursday make that much harder. "I think he's toast," he added.
• Donna Brazile, former DNC chair, said Cuomo's "not going to listen to the music no matter how loud it plays" - rather, he'll try and tough it out. And, "he's not going to be able to govern effectively" for us in NY, when "we really need leadership at this moment."

I promise we'll get to some of the other topics - including what's happening at the border - in your Extra Credit. 

See you around campus - masks on, of course.

Sunday School Extra Credit 6/28/20

In our Sunday School post yesterday, we heard from a governor (a Sonofa Gov, to be specific), the House Speaker, and the vice president.

For your Extra Credit we've got two governors - Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) and Jay Inslee (D-WA), the former head of the CDC Tom Frieden, and the HHS Secretary Alex Azar. We'll do a quick drive-by of each interview, in that order.

Governor Hutchinson talked with George on This Week; here are a few highlights.

• On my Sonofa Gov's decision (with his CT/NJ counterparts) to require 14-day quarantines for travelers from hot spots: I think he's understandable as to where he's coming from...And in fact, we had the same order in Arkansas that travelers from NY needed to quarantine... but ultimately we can't be putting restrictions on each other across the country, because we have to do two things -- both manage the virus and manage the growth of our economy...I don't think NY wants to isolate themselves from - from every region of commerce that might have a spike in cases.
• On testing: ...this is a very, very serious challenge we have right now. And let me just emphasize, we doubled the amount of our testing nationally. We've got to double it again... I really think we need to look at greater use of the Defense Production Act so that we can make sure the supply keeps up with the demand that we know is going to continue growing.
• On mask requirements and messaging: We're not going to pass a mandate that is unenforceable... It is important that there's a consistent national message to take this seriously, that we are going to wear masks, that we're going to set that example, that consistent national message supplements what we're trying to do in the state...you can have two messages at a time...let's grow our economy, but let's also have the message of social distancing protecting our self and others from the virus. 

Washington's Governor Inslee talked with John Dickerson on Face the Nation; he was not gentle when talking about president Trump or the veep.

• On messaging: ...when I hear the vice president talk about how things are just hunky dory, it's just - it's just - it's just maddening. The situation is critical in many places...all the happy talk and wishful thinking in the world is not going to wash that away. 
• On mask requirements: ...we put an order in effect, including businesses' obligation in this regard. And we sure could use some leadership from the president. It is so difficult. From day one, he has downplayed and distorted and disabled our ability to fight this war... So right now, we are in an urgent national mission - or should be - to mask up... Donald Trump is for masking up like George Wallace was for integration.
• On presidential priorities: The moment Donald Trump tweeted that he wanted to liberate Michigan from the health messages of Gov. Whitmer...all of a sudden people wearing MAGA hats decided they didn't want to help out as much. And that has been very, very damaging. We need a president who will be fully committed to a message of health, you know, and instead of tweeting the other day about the importance of masks, he tweeted about monuments. We need a president who will care more about living Americans and less about dead confederates... And if we can get everybody wearing a MAGA hat to wear a mask, we're going to tame this virus...

Dr. Tom Frieden talked with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, giving us these matter-of-fact highlights.

• On whether we're truly making "remarkable progress" now: Well, there's no doubt we're doing more testing, our hospitals are better prepared, but there's also no doubt the virus has the upper hand. This virus is not going to go away on its own. We have to stop it and only we can do that by working together... we are all sick and tired of staying home, but you know what? The virus is not tire of making us sick. 
• On how he explains the surge in cases: We are moving too fast. If you open when cases are still increasing, as many states did, it's like leaning into a left hook. When we see Arizona, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, they are currently in a rapid upswing and sad to say, this is going to continue to get worse for weeks. Because the physical distancing that they're implementing now will only take effect -- you won't see it for another few weeks, so we are going to see a few more weeks of increases in all likelihood in several states.
• On whether case increases are tied to increased testing: As a doctor, scientist, an epidemiologist, I can tell you with 100% certainty that in most states where you're seeing an increase, it is a real increase. It is not more tests, it is more spread of the virus... you've got Arizona with nearly one out of four tests positive and at the same time you are increasing the number of tests, I can tell you with absolute certainty that's explosive spread of coronavirus.
• On getting a vaccine "very soon": There are more than 100 vaccine candidates being evaluated, some of them are looking good in some preliminary studies. It's really hard to develop a vaccine because you have to make sure it's safe. There's already too much suspicion about vaccines, we can't cut any corners. We have to make sure it's safe, it's effective, figure out the right dose, decide who's going to get it first, develop it, manufacture large quantities, get it out there, set up systems to track for bad reactions. This is not a quick fix...

And finally, HHS Secretary Alex Azar talked with Chuck Todd on MTP.

• On "why we are failing" when so many other countries are succeeding: ...we're seeing surging in cases in counties especially in the southern parts of the US... the majority of the positive cases we're seeing are age 35 and under. A large number of those are going to be asymptomatic... our fatality rates and our hospitalization rates are the lowest they've been in two months. But this is a very serious situation.
• On how we respond to the situation: This is a county by county issue...getting to the bottom of why we're seeing cases surging...in addition to the traditional contact tracing... we've got to test entire communities, find all positive cases...We've got hospital capacity in all of these areas. We have personal protective equipment... We now have treatments, we've got steroids, Remdesivir, convalescent plasma... So, we've got the tools to do this... But the window is closing. We have to act and people as individuals have to act responsibly. 
• On whether we blew it during the first shutdown: So... this isn't about reopening or not reopening. We've got many communities and states that are just as reopened as these southern states but aren't experiencing this. We've got to get to the bottom of why we're seeing these cases surge in this area...we all own, as individuals, our individual behavior to make sure that we are practicing appropriate social distancing and wearing facial covering when we're not able to. And practicing good personal hygiene. And especially protecting our most vulnerable citizens. 
• On whether he has asked the president to ask the country to wear a mask: I'm the president's secretary of health. I'm telling you, practice social distancing. Where you can't appropriately social distance, we encourage you to wear a facial covering.... But we're all saying this. The president's guidelines for reopening, the president's guidelines, his guidelines have said from day one, practice social distancing. If you can't, wear face coverings. Practice appropriate personal hygiene... Protect the most vulnerable...
• On not answering the prior question, and about large gatherings:  I'm not going to talk about politics. But we've seen mass gatherings over the last several weeks with people, rightly, expressing first amendment and political views. And this is appropriate. But my message is one of public health, which is if you're going to participate in any type of large gathering, I encourage you: consider your individual circumstance. Consider the circumstance of those you live with. And take appropriate precautions that are appropriate to yourself and your community.

Your key takeaway - cover your face, practice social distancing, and think of people other than yourself. 

But say you're worried about paying your monthly bills or having enough money in the bank to pay for home repairs or similar big-ticket items, or even if you just want to make sure you have money in your retirement accounts...what should you do?  Cover your face and practice social distancing.

If we do those things, we can reopen our economy. If we don't, we can't. It's that simple.