President says number of US cases is good newsTrump threatens to withhold funding from Michigan and Nevada over vote by mailFlorida scientist says she was fired for refusing to change Covid-19 data ‘to support reopen plan’Thousands of California prisoners battle Covid-19Coronavirus – latest global updatesGet a fresh perspective on America – sign up to our First Thing newsletter 2.37pm BST A number of legal experts pointed out in reaction to Trump’s tweets about Michigan and Nevada that withholding federal funding from states over opposition to a specific policy would almost certainly be unconstitutional. From a former federal prosecutor:Federal funds can be withheld only if (1) the funds relate to the specific state policy and (2) the funding source is new (can’t interrupt an already-existing funding stream). https://t.co/dUN3uuCg0sIn a single tweet, the President:1) Lies (that’s not what MI is doing);2) Asserts without support that someone else is breaking the law;3) Threatens action that would itself be unconstitutional; &4) All in service of an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory about voter fraud. https://t.co/wKoXHStd4UStates run their own elections. Congress voted the funds to support voting in Covid relief bills. Trump, who has already publicly conceded Republicans can’t win if too many people vote, seems to think his power is limitless & includes controlling elections. https://t.co/uoncNjBHpt 2.27pm BST Michigan secretary of state Jocelyn Benson corrected Trump’s tweet about her state’s vote by mail policies, noting her office only sent ballot applications (not actual ballots) to registered voters.Hi! I also have a name, it’s Jocelyn Benson. And we sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia. https://t.co/kBsu4nHvOy Continue reading…
Via: Coronavirus US live: Trump calls America's 1.52m cases 'a badge of honor', stirring outrage
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