January 1, Obama Slams Trump Pandemic Response in Grad Night TV Address

This Day in History | 1954

The U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional.

Good morning Middle Americans,

He never said his name, but former President Obama left little room for doubt when he criticized the current response to the coronavirus pandemic.  “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge,” Obama said. 

Also we’ve been closely monitoring a developing situation out of Los Angeles. 11 firefighter have been hurt and several downtown LA buildings have been set on fire. 

Finally, Sen Mitt Romney is raising red flags about President Trump’s decision to fire several inspectors general at government agencies especially at the State Department. The move is expected to put Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the hot seat. 

Read all about it. 

-Fraser Dixon

Obama Slams Trump Administration’s Leadership Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

(NBC News) – Former President Barack Obama criticized “the folks in charge” for their response to the coronavirus pandemic in a commencement address Saturday, offering some of his most pointed condemnation of President Donald Trump’s administration.

“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing,” Obama said in the address, which was streamed online. “A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.”

“If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you,” he said.

The commencement address was delivered to 27,000 students at 78 historically black colleges and universities in a two-hour event called “Show Me Your Walk H.B.C.U. Edition.”

Obama is expected to participate in a second commencement ceremony hosted by NBA star LeBron James for graduating high school seniors. The event will be televised.

Read more here

11 Firefighters Injured, Multiple Buildings Set on Fire After Explosion in Downtown L.A.

(KTLA) – Eleven firefighters were injured and multiple buildings were set ablaze after an explosion in downtown Los Angeles Saturday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The blast was reported around 6:30 p.m. while firefighters were responding to a fire at a one-story structure at 327 E. Boyd St., just outside Little Tokyo, according to LAFD.

LAFD Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said the firefighters did what they usually do: Some went in through the front of the building and the rest went up on the roof. But things didn’t seem right, he said.

The smoke pressure inside was escalating and it was getting hotter.

The officer in charge directed everybody to get out quickly, and as they were trying to leave, the explosion rang out, the fire chief said.

“Our firefighters came down the aerial ladder from the roof with their turnout coats on fire,” the chief said.

A Mayday call was transmitted over the radio.

“The kind of call I always dread is a significant incident, with the potential of a lot of our firefighters injured,” the fire chief said, standing at the scene of the explosion next to the rescue ambulance of Fire Engine 9, which belonged to the crew with the injured firefighters.

Find out more here

Romney Denounces Multiple IG Firings as ‘Threat to Accountable Democracy’

(The Hill) – Republican Sen. Mitt Romny (Utah) on Saturday denounced President Trump‘s firings of several inspector generals in various federal government offices as a “threat to accountable democracy.”

“The firings of multiple Inspectors General is unprecedented; doing so without good cause chills the independence essential to their purpose. It is a threat to accountable democracy and a fissure in the constitutional balance of power,” Romney tweeted. 

Find out more here