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US Sees New COVID-19 Peak, Trump Aims to Cut Testing

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The United States has set a new unfortunate record in its problematic COVID-19 response, reporting 38,672 new infections on June 24. The epidemic appears to be spreading most rapidly in the urban centers of conservative states with Arizona, Texas, and South Carolina leading the nation in new infections.

But US President Donald Trump has a plan to radically bring down the number of reported infections: Reducing testing. During a campaign rally in Tulsa on June 22, Trump admitted that he asked his team to “slow the testing down please,” which his new plan to stop federal funding for COVID-19 testing sites clearly reflects.

Rising cases

Since the start of the US epidemic, the country has reported more than 2.3 million cases and 120,955 deaths, with the coronavirus now claiming more American lives than World War I. The US has so far performed 28.6 million COVID-19 tests, meaning less than 10% of its population has been tested for the virus.

While the initial outbreak in the US was mostly situated on the East Coast with hot-spots in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, those states appear to have brought transmission down significantly. But while tightly controlled lockdowns helped curb the spread of the virus in the East, resistance to government measures in traditionally conservative states kept the outbreak from ever concluding its first wave.

Florida, Arizona, Texas, and South Carolina all reported record-high cases while California stood out as another new hotspot, recording 5,019 new cases in a single day. The spread of the virus in populous states like California, which is home to 39.5 million, and Texas, where 29 million people live, means the epidemic is likely still on the increase.

Limiting testing

The Trump administration confirmed on Wednesday, June 24, that it plans to end federal funding for some COVID-19 testing sites, many of which are in hard-hit Texas. The move would end funding for 13 testing sites, seven of which are in Texas. The funding would end on July 1 but four US congresspeople are urging the Trump administration to reconsider.

The four legislators called the move “harmful and irresponsible” in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “We need the support of Fema now more than ever as our communities and the state of Texas see unprecedented growth in cases of the coronavirus disease,” the congresspeople added.

According to the Guardian, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have increased by 60% in the last week alone. Limiting testing during a growing epidemic would make it difficult to stop the spread of the coronavirus. According to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Trump administration has $14 billion in available funding for testing and tracing.

The fact that the government chose to defund critical testing sites could easily qualify as less a public health consideration and more a public relations strategy.

US Senator Calls for Sanctions for Turkish ‘Escalation in Aggression’

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On June 22, US Senator Robert “Bob” Menendez sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express “deep concerns” over a Turkish “escalation of aggression.” Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed “deep concern” about recent moves by Turkey which the senator sees to be “threatening regional stability.”

Menendez pushes Pompeo

In Menendez’ letter to Pompeo, the senator, who receives detailed intelligence briefings as a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, described Turkish foreign policy maneuvering as increasingly aggressive and in need of a US response. Menendez expressed concern that Turkish moves are threatening American “partners” in Greece, Cyprus, and Israel through Turkish foreign policy actions in Libya and Iraq.

As one of the Senate Democrats’ most outspoken hawks, Menendez has regularly shown a preference for strong retaliatory action against perceived opponents to US hegemony, with his support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the “Iran Nuclear Deal,” as a rare exception. The senator now calls on the state department to implement sanctions over Turkish policies abroad and its recent procurement of Russian S-400 missile defense systems.

Russian missiles

The senator asked Pompeo to “follow the law” and apply an existing package of sanctions intended for nations who buy Russian military hardware. The move would come as punishment for Turkey’s recent purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. Although the S-400 is considered to be a far superior defense system than the outdated US Patriot system, the US aggressively goes after any nation contemplating its purchase.

After China purchased S-400 technology, the US instantly applied sanctions, using the 2017 “Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.” Menendez questioned Pompeo on the motivations for a lack of a similar response to Turkey. Recent revelations from former National Security Advisor John Bolton have renewed worries that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exercises disproportionate influence over US President Donald Trump.

Increasing aggression

The June 22 letter complained of the Turkish invasion of Kurdish Iraq as an act that further destabilizes “an already volatile and vulnerable region” and violates Iraqi sovereignty and international law. Menendez pitched Turkey’s role in the chaos in Libya as a breach of the Libyan arms embargo and an inconvenience to Greece and Cyprus, but made no mention of its role in the actual conflict.

More important, to Menendez, was the Turkish agreement with Tripoli’s government that allows Turkey to claim a large swath of the Mediterranean Sea as its own. The senator was concerned over Turkish violations to Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone and violations of Greek airspace by Turkish military aircraft. The violations, Menendez wrote, constitute evidence of Erdogan’s “lack of commitment to the rule of law.”

Bolton book

On June 23, Al-Monitor reported that Menendez sent another letter to Pompeo after John Bolton’s new book revealed details of Erdogan and Trump’s dealings. Menendez wrote that Erdogan had received confirmation from Trump that the US president would “take care” of “a Turkish firm accused of the largest violation of Iran sanctions in US history.”

Turkey’s state-run Halkbank has been under investigations for its alleged dealings with Iran. John Bolton revealed that Trump had agreed with Erdogan, and told the Turkish president he would make the issue “go away.” Menendez has asked Pompeo to respond to these allegations and explain progress on the Halkbank affair.

As a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Menendez will have a deep understanding of Turkish geopolitical maneuvering. Menendez also released a statement with others on June 19 to oppose Israeli annexation plans as Trump’s favored strongmen in the Middle East appear emboldened to act aggressively during the “historic opportunity” provided by the Trump presidency.

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