President Donald Trump visits the latest protest epicenter. A “Hotel Rwanda” hero was arrested on terror charges. And believe it or not, that other coronavirus relief bill is still in the works.
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Trump blames ‘anti-American riots’ for Kenosha damage
President Trump arrived in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to survey damage from a week of violent protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old father paralyzed after being shot by a white police officer. “Kenosha has been ravaged by anti-police and anti-American riots,” Trump said at a roundtable discussion on community safety. The president said his administration would provide $1 million to Kenosha law enforcement, $4 million to help small businesses and more than $42 million to support public safety efforts statewide.
Not everyone was pleased with Trump’s visit: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and Kenosha’s mayor urged Trump not to come to Kenosha, raising concern that his trip would amplify tensions.
Will we see another coronavirus relief bill passed in 2020? 🤷♀️
A top Republican senator said Tuesday that the GOP-controlled Senate would likely take up a new coronavirus stimulus bill next week, though it faces likely opposition in the Democratic-led House. Sen. John Barrasso told reporters the “focused, targeted” COVID-19 measure would exclude “things that (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi has put in her bill that are unrelated to coronavirus,” though the bill’s details have not been finalized. Many relief programs Congress approved in the spring have since dried up, putting pressure on the House and Senate to come up with a new round of stimulus funding. Weeks of negotiations have failed to result in a deal.
What everyone’s talking about
Sir, where are you taking my mailbox? 📫
We’ve been hearing a lot about “missing” mailboxes amid a presidential election year that has officials gearing up for a surge in mail-in ballots. Here’s the thing: The U.S. Postal Service removes thousands of those iconic blue mailboxes each year. But in 2020, it’s political. Though experts say the boxes can be a “lifeline” for mail-in voters, our investigative reporters found boxes removed this year for protests, for construction and for not having enough mail.
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Fact check: Fears about voter suppression centered on mailboxes in mid-August when at least one viral tweet allegedly showed a pile of them at a dump. The photo was debunked.
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Are they being removed? From 2010 through 2019, the Postal Service removed an average of 3,258 drop boxes a year. Comparing boxes released in September 2019 to those listed this month showed a reduction of more than 4,200.
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How are states adjusting to make voting by mail easier? States are expanding voting access in different ways, including offering ballot drop boxes, allowing people to drop off ballots in person, and in some cases extending the deadline for returning ballots. In-person polling places, although reduced in many states, remain available even in states that vote fully by mail.
‘Hotel Rwanda’ hero arrested on terror charges
The man portrayed in the film “Hotel Rwanda” as saving the lives of more than 1,200 people from genocide was “kidnapped” while in Dubai, his daughter asserts. Authorities gave no further details Tuesday about Paul Rusesabagina’s arrest on terror charges, but Rwandan authorities said they issued an arrest warrant on charges of terrorism, arson, kidnap and murder, perpetrated against unarmed civilians on Rwandan territory.
Real quick
Back-to-school blues
Averting a potential teacher strike, New York City’s schools are delaying the start of in-person classes until late September — putting the nation’s largest school district on track to be the only major urban district in the country to start fall term with kids in classrooms. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the deal Tuesday, saying that the start of school would be pushed back to Sept. 21 to make sure teachers had enough time to plan and prepare for managing a blended learning model.
Meanwhile, students in college are frustrated: College students are paying rent, moving in and enrolling in classes – only to find out courses aren’t in-person. Even at colleges that haven’t officially made the switch to online, students have arrived at school to find that a “hybrid” of in-person and remote courses means they might have only one course on campus – or none at all.
A break from the news
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump, Kenosha, stimulus bill, Robin Williams, mail-in voting: Tuesday’s news.