POLITICO Playbook PM: McCarthy wants rapid testing in the Capitol - Politico
POLITICO Playbook PM: McCarthy wants rapid testing in the Capitol - Politico |
| POLITICO Playbook PM: McCarthy wants rapid testing in the Capitol - Politico Posted: 04 May 2020 12:00 AM PDT  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he disagrees with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Nancy Pelosi on testing. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images SIREN … NYT: "As President Trump presses for states to reopen their economies, his administration is privately projecting a steady rise in the number of cases and deaths from coronavirus over the next several weeks, reaching about 3,000 daily deaths on June 1, according to an internal document obtained by The New York Times, nearly double from the current level of about 1,750." THE SECRETARY OF THE SENATE said it cannot release any possible complaint about JOE BIDEN from TARA READE. POLITICO … Biden campaign response, via ABC's Johnny Verhovek HOUSE MINORITY LEADER KEVIN MCCARTHY flew back to Washington on Sunday night -- with a mask -- and took up station in the Capitol, even though the House is out until at least next week. We interviewed him this morning for a Playbook virtual briefing. He made some news … -- HE SAID HE DISAGREES WITH MITCH MCCONNELL AND NANCY PELOSI and wants rapid Covid-19 testing in the Capitol. "We are a mini-city here in Washington. It is your Capitol, it is your government. You want to make sure the government doesn't collapse or not be able to meet -- what does that say to the country, what does that say to the rest of the world? You want to make sure it's functioning. So I do not think it would be wrong to have one of the Abbott tests where you can have a quick response. Especially if there was some type of outbreak, you can quarantine those individuals, you can test the others, and you can have government keep working." -- HE SIGNALED HE HAD NOT DECIDED whether to appoint Republicans to PELOSI'S coronavirus cash oversight panel. "I'm going to make that decision this week, I'll announce it later this week." TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN was on FOX BUSINESS with MARIA BARTIROMO: Will there be international travel this year? "Too hard to tell at this point, Maria. I hope down the road it is. But I'd say we are taking this -- our priority is opening up the domestic economy. Obviously, for businesspeople that do need to travel, there will be travel on a limited basis." -- W.H. WANTS TO ENCOURAGE TRAVEL: "The president's also looking about ways to stimulate travel. We want people to travel safely, to be able to visit places safely, so as the economy opens up, I think you'll see demand coming back." -- ZACH WARMBRODT: "Mnuchin on Monday signaled that he will not ease restrictions on how small businesses must use emergency government-backed loans issued to prevent layoffs, amid a lobbying push aimed at giving employers more flexibility." SWAMPY -- "Before pandemic, Trump's stockpile chief put focus on biodefense. An old client benefited," by WaPo's Jon Swaine, Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Aaron Davis: "After Robert Kadlec was confirmed as President Trump's top official for public health preparedness in 2017, he began pressing to increase government stocks of a smallpox vaccine. His office ultimately made a deal to buy up to $2.8 billion of the vaccine from a company that once paid Kadlec as a consultant, a connection he did not disclose on a Senate questionnaire when he was nominated. … "The 10-year contract is part of an effort by Kadlec to bolster the nation's stockpile of defenses against biological and chemical weapons, a focus he made a priority over preparing for a natural pandemic, an examination by The Washington Post found. … Kadlec scaled back a long-standing interagency process for spending billions of dollars on stockpile purchases, diminishing the role of government experts and restricting decision-making to himself and a small circle of advisers." WaPo Good Monday afternoon. TALKER … DAVID AXELROD and DAVID PLOUFFE in the NYT: "What Joe Biden Needs to Do to Beat Trump": "Adjusting to the new political realities is imperative for Mr. Biden, who ran his first campaign for office a half-century ago. In order to break through and be heard, he will have to up the tempo of his campaign, fully utilize his army of powerful surrogates and embrace a new suite of virtual, data-driven tools and creative tactics. "Online speeches from his basement won't cut it. Written pronouncements on this issue or that may have won attention during his many years in office, but will get little pickup now. Broadcast interviews are fine, but most valuable only if they generate a great and memorable line that becomes a widely shared and consumed video moment. … "Act like an insurgent, not an incumbent. … Prepare for an onslaught. … Expand your digital footprint. … Focus on content. … Deploy surrogates. … Plan for a virtual convention. … Organize, organize, organize. (But digitally.)" NEW: The Paid Family Leave for All campaign is up with a new video featuring several lawmakers, activists and actors, including Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Kamala Harris (Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Democratic Reps. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Lauren Underwood (Ill.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Eric Swalwell (Calif.) and Cheri Bustos (Ill.). Other cameos: Sophia Bush, Tony Goldwyn, Bradley Whitford, Tom Colicchio, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Debra Messing and more. Watch TRANSITIONS -- Laura Dove is now director of transportation policy at Ford. She previously was secretary for the majority in the Senate. … Tim Noelker is now general counsel at the Peace Corps. He previously was general counsel and White House liaison at the Corporation for National and Community Service. ICYMI … NYT: "J. Crew Files for Bankruptcy in Virus's First Big Retail Casualty" Playbook PMSign up for our must-read newsletter on what's driving the afternoon in Washington. THE PIVOT ... NANCY COOK: "Trump team plots tax cuts and regulatory suspensions to boost a coronavirus recovery": "The Trump White House is preparing a proposal for tax and regulatory changes to boost the economy that it tentatively plans to release at the end of this week … Promoting a future economic boom carries its own political risks for the president, as the U.S. coronavirus death toll soars above 60,000 people — with no vaccine expected in the coming months of reopening. … "White House aides have also seriously discussed expanding the business-expense deduction or allowing businesses to write off new investment such as equipment costs. They've looked at creating a new tax credit to incentivize companies to return manufacturing to the U.S. … For individual taxpayers, aides have discussed sending an additional stimulus check … They're also weighing whether to extend the deadline to file taxes until this fall. … [Officials] are exploring ways to accelerate the completion of regulatory cutbacks already in the pipeline." POLITICO WHAT'S ON THE PRESIDENT'S MIND -- @realDonaldTrump at 10:24 a.m.: "Interesting? By Congress not wanting the special 5 minute testing apparatus, they are saying that they are not 'essential'. In any event, we have great testing capacity, and have performed 6.5 million tests, which is more than every country in the world, combined!" -- PLENTY OF ESSENTIAL workers don't get tests. TESTING LATEST -- "FDA enacts stricter rules for antibody tests after congressional investigation," by David Lim: "The Food and Drug Administration is walking back a widely criticized policy that allowed more than 100 coronavirus antibody tests onto the market without agency review. "Manufacturers of antibody tests must now apply for emergency use authorization within 10 business days after their products hit the market, under a policy announced Monday. If a test does not meet the FDA's specificity and sensitivity criteria, its manufacturer must suspend distribution. … A senior FDA official told POLITICO the policy change was not a direct result of pressure from Congress." THE VACCINE RACE -- "China's Coronavirus Vaccine Drive Empowers a Troubled Industry," by NYT's Sui-Lee Wee: "China wants to beat the world in the race to find a coronavirus vaccine — and, by some measures, it is doing just that. … But China's leaders have empowered a vaccine industry that has long been mired in quality problems and scandals. … "Finding a vaccine isn't enough. China's companies must also win over the trust of the public, who might be more inclined to choose a foreign-made vaccine over a Chinese one. … China's vaccine drive has put Beijing's considerable strengths and glaring weaknesses on display." NYT WHERE CRISIS MEETS COLLAPSE -- "Historic financial decline hits doctors, dentists and hospitals — despite covid-19 — threatening overall economy," by WaPo's Todd Frankel and Tony Romm: "Even as the novel coronavirus pandemic draws attention and resources to the nation's doctors and hospitals, the health-care industry is suffering a historic collapse in business that is emerging as one of the most powerful forces hurting the U.S. economy and a threat to a potential recovery." WaPo HOW THE PPP SHOOK OUT -- "Small Businesses Were at a Breaking Point. Small Banks Came to the Rescue," by WSJ's Peter Rudegeair, Orla McCaffrey and Liz Hoffman: "After years of watching big banks gobble up deposits using their slick digital apps and sprawling branch networks, community banks are flipping the script and demonstrating the value of ties to local businesses. "Banks with under $10 billion in assets approved about 60% of loans in the first round of the Paycheck Protection Program … [C]ommunity bankers worked out of home offices and lightly trafficked branches to process loans immediately." WSJ HIGH (SEAS) HOPES FOR A LIVING -- "Carnival cruise line says it will sail again Aug. 1, a week after coronavirus no-sail order due to expire," by CNBC's William Feuer: "Carnival Cruise Line, which is owned by Carnival Corp., said it advised travel agents on Monday that eight of its ships will return to service on Aug. 1. Three of its ships will set sail from Galveston, Texas, the company said, and three others will sail from Miami. The company said two of its ships will sail from Port Canaveral, Florida." THE IMPACT -- "The coronavirus pandemic is pushing America into a mental health crisis," by WaPo's William Wan: "Federal agencies and experts warn that a historic wave of mental health problems is approaching: depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. Just as the initial coronavirus outbreak caught hospitals unprepared, the country's mental health system — vastly underfunded, fragmented and difficult to access before the pandemic — is even less prepared to handle this coming surge. … "Nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. A federal emergency hotline for people in emotional distress registered an 891 percent increase in March compared with the same time last year. Calls and messages to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's hotline grew 338 percent in March from a month earlier, before state lockdowns began." WaPo BALLOT BULLETIN -- "Unexpected outcome in Wisconsin: Tens of thousands of ballots that arrived after Election Day were counted, thanks to court decisions," by WaPo's Amy Gardner, Dan Simmons and Robert Barnes: "The surprising outcome after warnings that many Wisconsinites would be disenfranchised amid the pandemic was the result of a largely unexamined aspect of the [Supreme Court's] decision that temporarily changed which ballots were counted. Because of the order, election officials for the first time tallied absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day, rather than just those received by then … "Democrats think they have secured a game-changing precedent from the Supreme Court's 5-to-4 order. In the past week alone, lawsuits bankrolled by Democratic committees have been filed in four states seeking similar postmark rules and citing the Wisconsin opinion to bolster their argument. … Republicans, meanwhile, say they are prepared to spend millions of dollars to oppose these efforts." WaPo FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS ... BLOOMBERG'S GREG STOHR: "Thomas Speaks as Supreme Court Holds First-Ever Phone Argument": "Justice Clarence Thomas asked his first questions in more than a year as the U.S. Supreme Court held a historic telephone argument with an unprecedented live broadcast. … The session, being held by phone because of the coronavirus outbreak, included a few minor hiccups. Roberts had to call on Justice Sonia Sotomayor twice when it was her turn to question Ross. … Later, Justice Stephen Breyer's audio was distorted." CONVENTIONAL WISDOM -- "Both Parties Wonder: How Much Do Conventions Even Matter Anymore?" by NYT's Adam Nagourney and Matt Flegenheimer: "For all the organizing, money, time and energy poured into a four-day extravaganza of parties, speeches, forums, lobbying and networking, there is a strong argument that they have become among the less consequential events on the political calendar. … "The events can provide a lift in the polls, but there is no shortage of convention nominees, John McCain and Michael S. Dukakis among them, who can attest to just how ephemeral that boost is. … As the drama has slipped away, so have the television networks, systematically cutting back on the hours of prime-time coverage devoted to events that have become little more than scripted advertisements." NYT POLITICO Playbook newsletterSign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics BACK IN ACTION -- "North Korean Leader's Return to Public Eye Affirms Status Quo in Talks," by WSJ's Timothy Martin and Andrew Jeong in Seoul, South Korea: "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's appearance in state media, after a near three-week absence set off rumors about his health, reaffirms a status quo that is unlikely to shake up stalled denuclearization talks with the U.S. or change the regime's pattern of weapons testing. "Mr. Kim's attendance at an event on Friday, seemingly healthy and in charge, ended speculation of a leadership shake-up that could reorient Pyongyang's approach to nuclear talks or provocation. With Kim still leading the country, close North Korea watchers anticipate an uneventful year for denuclearization talks ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November." WSJ MEDIAWATCH -- "Fake News Kingpin Is Back to Cash In On 2020's Hellscape," by The Daily Beast's Adam Rawnsley and Hanna Trudo: "One of the Macedonian fake news kingpins who drove conservative outrage clicks for cash in 2016 is back and cashing in on the coronavirus and 2020 controversy. "Unfortunately, American media outlets and readers seem none the wiser, as at least one outlet associated with him fooled organisations like Fox News and The Washington Post into believing it was a local ABC affiliate." Daily Beast IN MEMORIAM -- "Gil Schwartz Dies: Former CBS Chief Communications Officer Was 68," by Deadline's Nellie Andreeva: "Schwartz retired as Senior EVP and Chief Communications Officer of CBS Corporation, in November 2018 following nearly 40 years at CBS, Viacom and Westinghouse Broadcasting. He oversaw the public relations, media relations, and also the corporate and internal communications functions during CBS' rise to become America's most-watched network. … "Schwartz secretly (at first) moonlighted for many years as a columnist and author, using Stanley Bing as his pen name." Deadline WELCOME TO THE WORLD -- Sara Hart, VP for global government affairs at Citi, and Peter Hart, global director of financial planning, analysis and reporting at APCO, welcomed David Vandeveer Hart on April 24. Pic A message from Google:
Grow with Google OnAir offers free virtual workshops, events and 1:1 coaching sessions to teach small businesses and job seekers digital skills. Learn more.  |
| ‘Pulling a President Ford’ - Fox News Posted: 15 May 2020 01:16 PM PDT 
On the roster: 'Pulling a President Ford' - McConnell declares Pelosi bill D.O.A. - Biden: 'I wouldn't vote for me' if he believed Reade - Trump presses Pompeo on Kansas senate run - Cheers, Jay 'PULLING A PRESIDENT FORD' "Absolutely," Biden said, his voice clear and definitive. "Yes. I commit." He went on to vow that his Justice Department would go after Trump however the evidence led them. As a freshman senator, Biden arrived in Washington just as the nuclear winter of the Watergate investigation fell over the city. From the fall of 1972 until well after Richard Nixon's resignation in August 1974, noting could escape the scandal, its investigation and its aftermath. Biden at the time even warned his fellow Democrats against scandal obsession, reminding them of the political corruption in their own party and of the danger to the system itself. "Politicians happen to affect everything that affects you, as you are very well aware," Biden said in a May 1973 speech in Cleveland. "And if we bring down a great political party that should not be blamed for what happened, we begin to bring down a system." Once the scandal had blossomed into a potential impeachment in 1974, Biden spoke passionately in the Senate about the need for due process for Nixon and the judgment of history. "In the case of an impeachment trial, the emotions of the American people would be strummed, as a guitar, with every newscast and each edition of the daily paper," Biden said. "The incessant demand for news or rumors of news — whatever its basis of legitimacy – would be overwhelming." Yup. Biden would oppose Nixon's removal until the very end, just days before the ruined president stepped down. Biden would oppose, on the same grounds, the impeachment of Bill Clinton 24 years later. He was the last Democratic contender in 2015 to explicitly support the House effort to impeach Donald Trump. He has always been a party-loyal Democrat, but Biden for most of his career was a small-r republican who staunchly supported the mediating institutions of a republic, particularly our unrepresentative Senate. So Biden, perhaps better than anyone active in American politics today, understood the thinking behind the question he got on Thursday. The sneer in the town hall questioner's voice was positively dripping when he scoffed at Ford's decision shortly after taking office to pardon Nixon for all federal crimes relating to the Watergate break-in and cover-up. As Biden's questioner put it, "under the pretense of healing the nation." Let's have some context here. Ford pardoned Nixon on Sept. 8, 1974, less than two months away from midterm elections that were already certain to be brutal for his party – a fact no doubt very much in mind when House Judiciary Chairman Peter Rodino, the Jerry Nadler of his day, summoned Ford to testify in mid-October. Ford, the first president since Abraham Lincoln to testify before the House, pleaded for understanding, but was pole-axed by questioners similarly scornful as Biden's virtual town hall attendee who were similarly down on all that "healing the nation" jazz. One of Biden's old buddies, Sen. Ted Kennedy, spoke for a lot of Democrats in 2001 when he presented Ford the Profile in Courage Award for the political risk he took in granting the pardon. "I was one of those who spoke out against his action then. But time has a way of clarifying past events, and now we see that President Ford was right," Kennedy said. "His courage and dedication to our country made it possible for us to begin the process of healing and put the tragedy of Watergate behind us." Biden and certainly Kennedy knew well the many crimes and misdeeds barely beneath the surface of American political life. The Johnson and Kennedy administrations and their political tactics were often just as rotten as Nixon's skullduggery. The 1960 election in Illinois alone would have been enough, but the abuses of power and misuse of federal authority for political aims in those years would make endless fodder for investigations. Ford acted to break the cycle and give the country a fresh start. History recalls that it was his decision to grant the pardon that led to his narrow defeat, but whatever the consequences for him, Ford helped usher in a new, remarkably successful era for the country and its politics – an era that would last at least until Newt Gingrich and the next impeachment frenzy. Every day now, the Trump administration and House Democrats re-litigate the 2016 election and the alleged misdeed on both sides. Unable to work together on the crushing woes facing the nation in the era of coronavirus, the two sides hurl allegations, leaks and conspiracies at each other day after day. The joke is that anyone thinks somehow there will be some conclusive moment or that there will be some entity that can provide definitive justice. Democrats believe this Justice Department is corrupt in the same way that Republicans believe its predecessor was. Both sides are using tools designed for national security protections to build their cases. The criminal justice system will never provide a political or popular consensus about Trump and Russia or Barack Obama and the FBI. When Obama took office in 2009, many in his party demanded criminal investigations of George W. Bush and his administration over the invasion of Iraq and other alleged perfidies. Obama, conscious of Ford's model, refused. Bush had done the same thing about Republican demands for criminal investigations into various claims of corruption against the Clintons. We are living through a time when the current president disagrees with that standard and wishes to see his predecessor and his 2016 rival punished for crimes he claims were perpetrated against him. And certainly, Republicans would say that it was Obama's effort to interfere with the incoming administration that started it. And on and on, a self-licking ice-cream cone of outrage. It's a terrible cycle that, if sustained, will quickly lead to ruin. If both parties say the system is corrupt, why shouldn't citizens believe them? If every election decides which side's prosecutors will get to target their enemies then we will have truly criminalized politics. Biden has been here before, and as a younger man had reasonable concerns about what happens when what are matters of morals and ethics – issues better suited for political resolution – become matters of criminal law. His promise Thursday to charge his prospective Justice Department with the next round of politically charged prosecutions suggests that he is ignoring his own counsel. Healing a nation isn't an easy job, but it's the one voters would probably be most inclined to want done. THE RULEBOOK: SHADES OF GREY TIME OUT: DRIVE-BY-ART Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions. SCOREBOARD TRUMP JOB PERFORMANCE WANT MORE HALFTIME REPORT? MCCONNELL DECLARES PELOSI BILL D.O.A. McConnell admits he was wrong on Obama pandemic plan - Politico: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday he was mistaken in claiming that the Obama administration had failed to leave a pandemic playbook for the Trump White House. 'I was wrong,' McConnell said in an evening interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. 'They did leave behind a plan. So, I clearly made a mistake in that regard.' McConnell had claimed during a Monday campaign event for President Donald Trump that the current White House had not been briefed by the previous administration on preparing for a pandemic at the scale of the novel coronavirus. He also slammed former President Barack Obama for criticizing Trump's coronavirus response… Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the 'Obama-Biden plan that has been referenced was insufficient,' and said the Trump administration had prepared its own pandemic report and exercises last year." House Dems left and center to vote 'no' on $3T coronavirus bill - Fox News: "Several Democrats are bucking their party and voting against Speaker Nancy Pelosi's $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in the House on Friday. Some moderate members in swing districts -- including Reps. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma and Cindy Axne of Iowa -- ripped the massive measure as a one-sided partisan bill that is going nowhere. And there's resistance in the most liberal wing of the party, too, where some say the $3 trillion measure isn't big enough. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said her 'no' vote was 'difficult' but the bill fell short on ensuring Americans continued to get paychecks and had access to health care. At least one Republican, Rep. Peter King of New York, is bucking the GOP and supporting the legislation that will give nearly $1 trillion to state and local governments reeling from coronavirus budget holes." BIDEN: 'I WOULDN'T VOTE FOR ME' IF HE BELIEVED READE Check your priors - NYT: "What Trump's stunning win and Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s extraordinary comeback in the 2020 primaries both demonstrate, [political operatives] say, is the crucial importance of momentum-changing events, the mood of the electorate and the ingrained perceptions of the candidates. Tactics like well-produced campaign ads, high-profile endorsements and clever one-liners at debates often matter far less, as Mrs. Clinton found. In other words, Mr. Trump's 2016 victory is not predictive in 2020… It's not that Mr. Biden is a lock to win this November. In an era of intense polarization, coast-to-coast landslides in presidential elections are as much a relic as eight-track players. Further, as 2016 vividly illustrated, late-breaking events can shape elections, and Mr. Trump will go to great lengths to win. And in a close race, campaign organization can matter." Continetti: The Teflon campaign - Free Beacon: "On May 14, [Biden] led Trump by 5 points. 'Biden's advantage,' says Harry Enten of CNN, 'is the steadiest in a race with an incumbent running since at least 1944.' He has never been behind. His share of the vote has been impervious to external events. Neither good nor bad news has an effect. Bernie Sanders ended his campaign on April 8 and endorsed Biden on April 13. Biden received no bump from this display of party unity. Tara Reade accused Biden of sexual assault on March 25, and Biden did not respond directly to the allegation until May 1. His margin over Trump did not shrink. It remained the same. Why? The incidents of this election cycle are not the reason. Epidemics, depressions, and sex scandals have happened before. What is distinct are the candidates. One in particular. If this race has been the steadiest in memory, it is because public opinion of the incumbent has been the most consistent in memory." Team Trump launches anti-Biden ad blitz - NYT: "The first wave of long-promised negative ads from the Trump campaign began this week in caustic form, flooding Facebook pages and television screens in swing states with harsh messages that make unfounded inferences about Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s mental state and paint the presumptive Democratic nominee as too friendly to the Chinese government. In May alone, the Trump campaign has spent or reserved about $7 million on television airtime in local markets, fueling negative ads that repeat xenophobic tropes regarding the Chinese origin of the coronavirus, and unearth positive comments Mr. Biden has made about China in the past. The campaign's ads on Facebook have taken their own dark turn. Its videos on the platform declare 'Geriatric Health is No Laughing Matter' or 'Joe Biden: Old and Out of It,' then use selective edits of Mr. Biden's verbal stumbles and meandering soliloquies to make less-than-subtle suggestions about his mental acuity." TRUMP PRESSES POMPEO ON KANSAS SENATE RUN Plumbing the depths of campaign finance laws - The Wichita [Kan.] Eagle: "Bob Hamilton sold his plumbing company three years before running for U.S. Senate, but he remains the name and face on much of the firm's advertising. Bob Hamilton Plumbing's website features several photos of its namesake, including one on a coupon for HVAC services featuring Hamilton and a yellow lab. He still frequently appears in the company's television ads, which use the slogan 'Better Call Bob!' His image is even painted on its fleet of trucks. The company's advertising could provide a boost to his candidacy in the crowded GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Pat Roberts. Hamilton's campaign hinges largely on his background as plumber and job creator. But the distinctions between corporate and campaign advertising could also create headaches for Hamilton and the company he founded." PLAY-BY-PLAY AUDIBLE: HONK, HONK ANY GIVEN SUNDAY #mediabuzz - Host Howard Kurtz has the latest take on the week's media coverage. Watch #mediabuzz Sundays at 11 a.m. ET. FROM THE BLEACHERS [Ed. note: If the comments seem heavy, Mr. Moyer, it's because they've been eating a lot of carbs during quarantine… Your question is pretty tricky since it would sort of be like saying "What should we do about these shark attacks other than not dumping chum in the water?" Our system as constituted rewards extremism both ideological and attitudinal. There are many reasons for this, and each reason itself has many causes and the reasons are intertwined and reinforcing. But we have to consider: the dumbing down of our culture, weak parties, clickbait news coverage, asinine campaign finance laws, the demise of regionalism and, of course, our idiotic primary system. Parties are probably the easiest rescue operation, so I guess I'd try that one first. But while I lament the coarseness of our current dialogue, it's not civility per se that we should be after. We should be after a system that mediates disagreements between citizens in an effective way and holds government power safely in check. If that could be accomplished by people talking to each other like the French knight in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," that would be fine by me. What we're looking for is cooperation and the elevation of patriotism over partisanship. That would produce more civility, which would, in turn, be sustaining to the new system. And if you want to find the best way to incent cooperation, do something about the horrible primaries.] Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown. CHEERS, JAY AND NOW A WORD FROM CHARLES… Chris Stirewalt is the politics editor for Fox News. Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? 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