Trump Takes Action
 
President Trump announced yesterday what he has instructed the FDA to issue an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma treatments.  The plasma therapy involves blood transfusions from recovered patients, who have Covid-19 antibodies, to patients who are currently infected.  The president said:
 
"To deliver treatments and vaccine to save lives, we're removing unnecessary barriers and delays not by cutting corners, but by marshaling the full power of the federal government. 
 
"We've provided $48 million to fund the Mayo Clinic study that tested the efficacy of convalescent plasma for patients with the virus.  Through this study, over 100,000 Americans have already enrolled to receive this treatment, and it has proven to reduce mortality by 35 percent. . .
 
"And today, I once again urge all Americans who have recovered from the virus to go to Coronavirus.gov and sign up and donate plasma today please. "
 
 
 
Trump's Agenda
 
The Trump campaign released an outline of the president's second term agenda.  Here are some highlights: 

• Defeat the coronavirus.
• Create 10 million new jobs.
• Offer tax credits for companies to bring factories and jobs back to America.
• Protect Social Security, Medicare and lower health insurance premiums.
• Provide school choice and teach American exceptionalism.
• Enact congressional term limits.
• Hire more police officers and bring Antifa to justice.
• Deport illegal alien gang members and end sanctuary cities.

You can read more about the president's agenda here.
 
 
 
Day One
 
The Republican National Convention begins today.  This afternoon, delegates formally renominated Donald Trump and Mike Pence as the GOP candidates for the 2020 election.  Tonight's keynote speakers include: 

• South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
• House GOP Whip Steve Scalise
• Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley
• Georgia State Representative Vernon Jones
• Mark and Patricia McCloskey
• Donald Trump, Jr.

  
 
Myths vs. Reality
 
There were a lot of things about last week's Democrat National Convention that disturbed me, but none more so than the constant tearing down of our country.  To hear the progressives tell it, America is just one big steaming mess of racism, bigotry, and xenophobia.
 
Barack Obama went down the list of groups in America who, according to him, have felt aggrieved over the years -- Irish, Italians, Catholics, Muslims, blacks, Jews etc.  And then he uttered this extraordinary line: "They knew how far the daily reality of America strayed from the myth of America."
 
Former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan observed that if you were a child listening to the Democrat convention speeches, you'd wonder if you had any chance to thrive in this horrible country.  If you were a teenager listening to them, you'd be filled with bitterness at your misfortune of being born in such an awful place.
 
Which is why it is so important that your children and grandchildren understand that all of this anti-American rhetoric is a lie.  America and Western civilization are the origin of many of the world's most important ideas.
 
Individual liberty, the rule of law, democracy, free enterprise and human rights -- these ideas came from America and the West. That's not a myth; that's reality. 
 
 
 
Biden's Strategy
 
A significant part of Biden's strategy is to act like he would have solved the coronavirus challenge by now, and he's laying out what he intends to do if it is still around by January 20th.  What he is saying is very revealing, and he is revealing that he is not a smart or a wise man. 
 
In an interview with ABC News, Biden was asked if he would shut down the country again.  Without missing a breath, Biden said, "I would shut it down; I would listen to the scientists." 
 
So he will let others, whether it is Bernie Sanders or the public health establishment, tell him what to do no matter the cost to the American people.  He's going to insist that people wear a mask all the time, even outside.  Well, that's not following the science.
 
And when he says that, he's issuing a death sentence to every coffee house and restaurant across America. 
 
Biden's response might be the appropriate answer if he was the head of the CDC and their top scientists were suggesting something so extreme.  But a wise man would say something like this:
 
"I would take that advice and bring in economic experts to discuss what it means in terms of lost lives and lost dreams.  I would bring military experts to ask what another shutdown would mean for military readiness. 
 
"I would bring mental health experts and ask what another shutdown would mean for millions of Americans struggling with anxiety and depression.  I would bring in educational experts and ask what it would mean for our children to have schools closed again.  As president I will weigh all these things and how they can be balanced."
 
President Trump listened to all the experts.  He left it up to the governors to make appropriate decisions in their states.  As we have learned more about the virus and the ramifications of the shutdown, he encouraged them to reopen.  Everybody but Joe Biden knows that we cannot shut down again.
 
 
 
De Blasio Gets More Stupid
 
With thousands of New York City restaurants desperately trying to recover from the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio decided to punch them in the gut again.  The mayor said recently that he has no plans for reopening indoor dining. 
 
That was a shocking statement by Mayor de Blasio.  The curve has not only been flattened in New York City, it has been crushed.  More people were shot in New York City this weekend than died of coronavirus all last week.
 
Fraunces Tavern is the oldest restaurant in New York City.  George Washington and his generals celebrated at Fraunces Tavern after their victory in the Revolutionary War. 
 
That restaurant has never closed.  Yet it is now on the verge of bankruptcy because of a Chinese communist virus and a socialist mayor.
 
 
 
More Riots
 
Rioting continued in Portland this weekend.  That's not surprising, but rioting also erupted in Denver, Colorado, and in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 
 
Joe Biden today condemned the shooting in Kenosha and demanded that the officers involved "be held accountable."  I don't know all the details.  From online videos, it doesn't look good. 
 
Biden doesn't know all the details either, yet he is ready to exploit race and condemn all of America for its "systemic racism."  Moreover, there was not one word in his statement urging calm or condemning the riots.   
 
Over the weekend, social justice warriors went to restaurants in Washington, D.C., and harassed people who were dining outside, insisting that their silence was complicity.  The same thing happened in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
 
This is the first sign of totalitarianism – a forced submission to the prevailing ideology.  Lest you dismiss such concerns as hyperbole, left-wing demonstrators in Portland were perfectly clear about their goals as they wheeled a guillotine through the streets.
 
In its own way, this is what the left's 1619 Project is all about.  You're going to be reeducated while having dinner outside and, if the Biden/Harris ticket wins, your children will be reeducated about the meaning of America. 
 
 
 
Family First
 
You have probably heard that Kellyanne Conway, whom I know and admire, has decided to leave the White House. 
 
Her husband George, one of the leaders of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, has announced that he is stepping away from that organization.  Their 15 year-old daughter, who is clearly struggling, has said that she is taking a break from social media.
 
Kellyanne and her husband cited family concerns for stepping back.  Please pray for the Conway family and that God would heal the deep divisions in that household.