The President commemorates July 4th with a racist speech at Mt. Rushmore, the Biden and Trump campaigns focus on the pandemic response, and Senate Republicans weigh distancing themselves from Trump as they fall behind their Democratic challengers in the polls.

Show notes

Dystopia 2020: Trump’s Racist Rushmore Speech

• The White House: Remarks by President Trump at South Dakota’s 2020 Mount Rushmore Fireworks Celebration| Keystone, South Dakota
• Politico: Trump seeks to claim the mantle of history in fiery Mount Rushmore address
• WaPo: At Mount Rushmore, Trump exploits social divisions, warns of ‘left-wing cultural revolution’ in dark speech ahead of Independence Day
• PBS: Native Americans protest Trump’s Mt. Rushmore rally
• WSJ: Trump Jumps on Preserving Monuments as Winning Campaign Issue
• NYT: At Mt. Rushmore and the White House, Trump Updates ‘American Carnage’ Message for 2020
• NY Mag: Trump Is Betting His Reelection on Single-Issue Statue Voters
• White House: Executive Order on Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes
• WaPo: Historians question Trump’s choice of ‘heroes’ for national garden monument
• Politico: Trump wants a park for statues of ‘American heroes.’ Just how might that work?
• NYT: Trump Says He Will Create a Statuary Park Honoring ‘American Heroes’
• NYT: Why June Was Such a Terrible Month for Trump

Biden Strategy Shift 

• Axios: Biden’s holiday ad gives his definition of success
• The Hill: Lincoln Project releases new pro-Biden ad in swing states
• Politico: Pro-Biden super PAC launches positive ads amid fundraising dip 
• NYT: Joe Biden Begins First General Election TV Ad Blitz
• Data for Progress: DEMOCRATS AREN’T RUNNING PRO-BIDEN ADS. THE DATA SAYS THEY SHOULD BE.
• Marketwatch: Lindsey Graham praises Joe Biden in what might be ‘the best campaign ad ever,’ according to former Bush aide

Trump and “harmless” COVID-19

• NYT: Kimberly Guilfoyle, Top Fund-Raising Official for Trump Campaign, Tests Positive for Coronavirus
• CNN: Kimberly Guilfoyle — Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend and top Trump campaign official — tests positive for coronavirus
• NYT: Trump Uses Mount Rushmore Speech to Deliver Divisive Culture War Message
• AP: Social distancing not required at Trump Mount Rushmore event
• NPR News: Revived Mount Rushmore Fireworks Will Feature Trump But No Social Distancing
• Politico: FDA commissioner declines to back Trump assertion on ‘harmless’ coronavirus cases
• CNN: Trump uses July 4th address to put forward a dangerously misleading claim 
• The Guardian: Trump claims 99% of US Covid-19 cases are ‘totally harmless’ as infections surge
• NBC News: Trump says he thinks coronavirus will ‘just disappear’ despite rising cases
• Nate Silver tweet
• The Hill: Democrats fear US already lost COVID-19 battle
• WaPo: Trump says U.S. has ‘made a lot of progress’ controlling the pandemic as the country logs 26th straight day of record average case totals
• AP: Confirmed coronavirus cases are rising in 40 of 50 states
• The Atlantic: A Dire Warning From COVID-19 Test Providers
• CNBC: CDC says U.S. has ‘way too much virus’ to control pandemic as cases surge across country
• The Atlantic: The 3 Weeks That Changed Everything

GOP Senate Candidates Start to Get Nervous

• Politico: ‘We all need to come together’: Ernst distances herself from Trump’s rhetoric
• WaPo: Trump’s push to amplify racism unnerves Republicans who have long enabled him
• Politico: Senate Republicans shrug off Trump’s veto threat over renaming Confederate bases
• WaPo: Trump vows to veto $740 billion defense bill if Confederate-named military bases are renamed
• WaPo: Senate defense bill may challenge Trump on renaming military bases with Confederate names
• NYT: Defying Trump, Senate Panel Moves to Strip Military Bases of Confederate Names
• NYT: Amid Virus Surge, Republicans Abruptly Urge Masks Despite Trump’s Resistance
• WaPo: Republican leaders now say everyone should wear a mask — even as Trump refuses and has mocked some who do
• NBC News: Senate Republicans distance themselves from Trump on coronavirus masks
• FiveThirtyEight: Latest Senate Polls
• RealClearPolitics: Senate Election Polls
• CNBC: Democrats lead in three key Senate races, CNBC/Change Research poll finds
• FiveThirtyEight: The Latest Senate Polls Show Some Good News For Democrats
• FiveThirtyEight: How popular is Donald Trump?
• The Atlantic: White Voters Are Abandoning Trump
• NYT: Trump’s Self-Inflicted Wound: Losing Swing Voters As He Plays to His Base
• CBS News: Vulnerable Republican senators leave Trump out of campaign ads
• Cook Political Report: 2020 Senate Race Ratings