Archive for the ‘Mike Pence’ Category

Pence says Americans should expect coronavirus cases to rise ‘in the days ahead’ – CNBC

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks on Covid-19 testing in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on September 28, 2020.

Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence said Monday that Americans should expect Covid-19 cases to rise "in the days ahead" as testing increases and some Midwest states show worrying coronavirus trends.

The rate of Covid-19 tests that come back positive is now rising in 10 states in the Midwest and West, Pence said during a press conference from the White House's Rose Garden alongside President Donald Trump. With that development and the United States' "historic advance in testing," the public "should anticipate that cases will rise in the days ahead," he added.

"But as we more readily identify those who have contracted the coronavirus, the American people can be confident," he said.

The U.S. has the worst outbreak in the world, with more than 7.1 million cases and at least204,881 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. On Monday, Reuters reported the rate of tests coming back positive for Covid-19 is topping 25% in several Midwest states in the U.S. as the number of cases and hospitalizations also surge in the region.

Trump and other U.S. officials have suggestedincreased testing is the reason the United States has the most cases in the world. But infectious diseases experts and scientists have pointed to hospitalizations, deaths andthe positivity rate, which indicates the percentage of tests that come back positive in a given region, to dispel that claim.

Earlier in the day, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious diseases expert, said the U.S. is "not in a good place" as colder months loom and the number of newly reported coronavirus cases continues to swell beyond 40,000 people every day.

"There are states that are starting to show an uptick in cases and even some increase in hospitalizations in some states," Fauci told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Monday.

"And I hope not, but we very well might start seeing increases in deaths," Fauci said. He added that he's concerned about being in "a position like that as the weather starts getting cold."

The U.S. government plans to distribute 150 million rapid Covid-19 tests made by Abbott Laboratories in "the coming weeks" as the country moves into its fall season, Trump announced Monday at the press conference. He said about 100 million of the tests will go toward efforts to reopen schools, while 50 million will go to nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Abbott has previously said it expected to ship tens of millions of tests in September, ramping to 50 million tests a month from the beginning of October.

Trump also reiterated his claim that the U.S. outbreak is "rounding the corner," adding the nation has "too many states that are locked down right now."

"Nobody knows what the governors are doing, actually," he said.

Trump touted potential vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, which are all currently in late-stage testing. He said the vaccines are "coming fast" and the results from the trials are going to be "veryextraordinary."

"Vaccines are coming, but we're rounding the corner regardless," he said.

CNBC'sNoah Higgins-Dunncontributed to this report.

Read the original post:
Pence says Americans should expect coronavirus cases to rise 'in the days ahead' - CNBC

Official Borat 2 Title Revealed, and Mike Pence Won’t Like It – /FILM

Though most people know Sacha Baron Cohens mockumentary movie Borat by the singular name of the fictional character at the center of it, the official title is much longer. The movie is actually called Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. And whenever the recently revealed sequel arrives, it appears that it will come with an even longer title that was recently filed with the Writers Guild of America.

In a filing on the official Writers Guild of America website (via The Film Stage), which has since been deleted, the title for Borat 2 was revealed to be Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan. Not only is that a longer title, but were betting that Vice President Mike Pence isnt going to be very happy about being referenced alongside a pornographic monkey, and his wife will probably be even less thrilled, perhaps banning him from being in rooms alone with any monkeys for the foreseeable future.

As for scripting duties, it appears a lot of people had a hand in this one. Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, and Dan Mazer, all writers on the first film, came back to script the sequel. But theyve also been joined by Dan Swimer, Erica Rivinoja, Jena Friedman, and Lee Kern. The story is credited to Cohen, Hines, Swimer and Nina Pedrad, a writer on 30 Rock and New Girl, and sister of former Saturday Night Live cast member Nasim Pedrad.

Details on the story itself are rather thin, though previously we heard that because Borat is so well-known after the first documentary he made, he has to go undercover in various disguises to make this movie. The movie has been said to explore Donald Trumps relationship with the late, notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and both Mike Pence and Rudy Giuliani make appearances in the movie. And now that we know the title, it would appear that the driving force of the movie is trying to give Mike Pence a pornographic monkey, whatever that means.

The movie has already been screened for focus groups, but we dont know if the original films director Larry Charles came back to direct or even who will be distributing the movie. Were also not sure if this is something that is meant to be released imminently before the election by way of a streaming service or if it will be released in theaters much later. Right now, were just waiting to see what kind of tricks Cohen has up his sleeve, and we cant wait to see how many high profile politicians he embarrasses this time.

Read more from the original source:
Official Borat 2 Title Revealed, and Mike Pence Won't Like It - /FILM

VP Pence talks up manufacturing in EC | Elections – Leader-Telegram

EAU CLAIRE Forty days before Election Day, Vice President Mike Pence stopped in Eau Claire to tout the Trump administrations record on the economy.

In friendly territory speaking to about 100 workers inside a countertop factory of Menards subsidiary Midwest Manufacturing the Republican vice president said President Donald Trump stands up for American jobs and American workers.

Pence highlighted the administrations efforts to roll back red tape, pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and bring back manufacturing jobs, saying U.S. businesses created more than 7 million jobs, including 61,000 in Wisconsin in Trumps first three years in office.

The president said early on we were going to bring back our factories, we were going to bring back jobs, we were going to bring back those four beautiful words Made in the USA and and thats just what weve done, Pence said, drawing applause from the audience.

The presidents daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump, also addressed the crowd briefly, praising the craftsmanship she saw in a tour of Midwest Manufacturing and saying, Companies like yours, people like you, this is what President Trump is fighting for every single day.

The vice president, who chairs the White House Coronavirus Task Force, later acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to the economy but insisted that Trump softened the impact by pushing for the distribution of personal protective equipment, ramping up testing and banning travel to the United States from China in late January actions Pence said saved hundreds of thousands of American lives.

Were slowing the spread, were working to flatten the curve and ... were opening up America again, Pence said.

Ivanka Trump backed up that claim, declaring, The great American comeback is well underway.

In Wisconsin, official seasonally adjusted Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show total employment rose from 2.99 million in January 2017 when Trump took office to 3 million in January 2020, a gain of 11,900. Total employment dropped to 2.86 million in August, or 129,700 below the level in January 2017. State manufacturing jobs rose from 468,400 in January 2017 to 484,100 in January 2020 before dipping to 458,700 in August.

The campaign of Democratic challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden offered a starkly different take than Pence on the economy and Trumps handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in a statement released Thursday in advance of the vice presidents visit to Wisconsin.

This week, Wisconsin passed the grim milestone of 100,000 positive COVID-19 cases and theres no end in sight, said Kate Bedingfield, Biden for President deputy campaign manager. Infection rates are skyrocketing, tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs while tens of thousands more have dropped out of the labor force completely, small businesses have permanently closed, parents are anxious about sending their kids back to school all because President Trump and Vice President Pence still have no plan to get the virus under control.

By contrast, Bedingfield said, Biden has a plan to confront the pandemic and will restore the middle class and invest in Wisconsin manufacturing.

As of Thursday, the United States had reported nearly 7 million COVID-19 cases, or 22% of the 32 million cases worldwide, and 202,404 coronavirus-related deaths, or 21% of the 979,388 reported globally, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

Pence also touched on two other hot-button issues when he talked about filling the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by the death Friday of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the violence that followed Wednesdays announcement that a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police for the killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman, in a March drug raid connected to a suspect who didnt live at Taylors home. Two officers were shot Wednesday in the protests that erupted in response to the news.

After calling Ginsburg a true public servant who paved the way for women in the law and noting that he paid his respects Wednesday evening as she lay in repose at the Supreme Court, Pence said Trump plans to exercise his constitutional right to nominate a principled conservative woman to the court on Saturday.

After the United States Senate fulfills their duty to advise and consent ... were gonna fill that seat, Pence said.

The rush to replace Ginsburg before the election has drawn protests from Democrats who say its hypocritical for the Republican-controlled senate to take that action now when four years ago the body refused to give a hearing to former Democratic President Barack Obama nominee Merrick Garland, who was nominated eight months before the election, with GOP senators then claiming that letting voters have a say in the choice through the election was the right thing to do.

Regarding the wounded officers, Pence said they are expected to recover.

Violence against law enforcement must stop and it must stop now, Pence said, adding that he and the president support the right to peacefully protest but believe there is no excuse for the rioting, looting and violence that has followed incidents this year such as the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, both at the hands of police.

Ill make you a promise, Wisconsin, Pence said. Under President Donald Trump and this vice president and this administration, we will always back the blue. Were not going to defund the police, not now, not ever.

Midwest Manufacturing employee Mike Stanton of Eau Claire said he was fortunate to be picked to be one of the workers permitted to attend the event and came away impressed.

I thought it was great, Stanton said of Pences 35-minute speech. Im a pretty hard-core conservative, so I agree with everything he said.

After the event, Pence boarded a bus heading for a Cops for Trump campaign event in Minneapolis.

The rest is here:
VP Pence talks up manufacturing in EC | Elections - Leader-Telegram

Following the chain of command | WORLD News Group – WORLD News Group

Less than six months after Mike Pence became vice president of the United States, he offered intriguing advice to the graduating class of Grove City College.

Servant leadership, not selfish ambition, must be the animating force of the career that lies before you, he told graduates of the Christian school. Dont fear criticism. Have the humility to listen to it. Learn from it. And most importantly, push through it. Persistence is the key.

Its good counsel, but hard to mesh with Pences own boss: Humility and acceptance of criticism havent been hallmarks of President Donald Trumps tenure.

The contrast is hard to miss: Critics have ridiculed Pence for his unwillingness to dine alone with any woman whos not his wife and pointed out that Trump has bragged about past promiscuousness, had three wives, and faced multiple sex scandals.

How does Pence persist?

Part of the answer lies in Pences belief that the president is pursuing good policy. Another part might be found in a commencement speech he gave to the U.S. Naval Academy during the same month he visited Grove City College. He told the graduates that an orientation to authority was critical to good leadership: Follow the chain of command without exception.

Pence did criticize Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries, and he endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, ahead of the contest in Pences home state of Indiana. But after Trump tapped Pence as his running mate later that year, Pence followed the chain of command.

Overt criticism of Trump by Pence has been rare. The most serious criticism Pence leveled came just before the 2016 election when an Access Hollywood tape from 2005 revealed Trump making sexually lewd and aggressive comments about women.

Pence reportedly considered dropping out.

He publicly said he was offended by Trumps remarks and that he could not condone or defend them. After Trump offered a public apology (calling the statements locker room talk), Pence continued in the race, and his public support for the president has been unwavering.

Its an interesting relationship and an interesting contrast: While Trump relishes Twitter battles and campaign rallies, Pence has remained low-key and understated in his work.

After widespread rioting erupted in June following the death of George Floyd, Trump made a high-profile walk to St. Johns Church in Washington, D.C., where authorities had dispersed demonstrators in a chaotic scene before the presidents appearance.

Two days later, Pence made a quiet visit to a mostly black church in Maryland to listen to a small group of men and women discuss their concerns about race and other issues. The group expressed support for some of Trumps policies but also told Pence of the struggles they face.

Derek McCoy, a black Christian who works for Compassion International, told the vice president he sometimes has to advise his adult sons about where its safe to go and asks them to check in with him. McCoy said he wasnt bitter, but that it was important to acknowledge the struggles in the country: America is listening, and we have to have the right tone.

Pence sat quietly in the circle as others in the group took turns talking about their experiences and giving their suggestions. He told them: We are here with ears to hear.

On other issues, Pence has listened to an admittedly surprising source: Joe Biden. In her 2018 book First in Line, Kate Andersen Brower reported that during the first year of the Trump administration, Biden and Pence talked at least once a month.

Biden told Brower that Pence has asked for his advice on the office and that they often discussed foreign policy. He acknowledged the pair disagree on plenty of issues, but Mikes a guy you can talk with, you can deal with, in a traditional sense.

A final motivation for Pences loyalty to Trump may be embedded with an obvious question: If Trump wins a second term, does Pence want to run for the presidency in 2024?

Pence, 61, mostly refuses to talk about presidential prospects publicly. And speculation has already swirled around other potential Republican hopefuls, including former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

But its hard to imagine its not on Pences mind. Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris seemed to show accidentally how much the prospect can occupy even a potential vice presidents mind when she recently started a sentence: In a Harris administration

She quickly added, with Joe Biden as the president.

Read part 1 of this issues cover story package: Prosecutor and persecutor

Link:
Following the chain of command | WORLD News Group - WORLD News Group

Mike Pence Wants to Tell You About His Meat – The Cut

Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Vice-President Mike Pence has something to say. In fact, he has something to give you. What is it? Its his meat. He has some meat, and its for you.

How do I know this? Because Pence told everyone all about his meat at a speech last week during a Farmers and Ranchers for Trump rally in Iowa. Pence got the farmers and ranchers all riled up as he spoke about his Democratic opponents in the general election: Senator Harris said that she would change the dietary guidelines of this country to reduce the amount of red meat Americans can eat, he said. Thats when he made a candid offer: Well, Ive got some red meat for you. The crowd cheered, going wild for Pences meat.

I for one didnt know that Pence had such strong feelings about his meat, and that he would be talking so much about it during his speech, really just pounding away.

Anyway, have a good day everybody.

Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily

Read the original post:
Mike Pence Wants to Tell You About His Meat - The Cut