Consolidation Following his endorsement of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden this week, Sen. Bernie Sanders distanced himself from one of his most prominent campaign spokespeople over her refusal to rally to the party's cause. Ever since Sanders dropped out of the race and endorsed his former rival, the former press secretary for the Sanders 2020 campaign, Briahna Joy Gray — along with a number of Sanders vocal supporters on Twitter — has made it clear that she refuses to follow her former boss’s lead. Speaking to the Associated Press on Tuesday, Sanders warned his supporters that it would be “irresponsible” if they facilitate President Donald Trump’s reelection by failing to unify behind the Biden campaign. That same message was on the mind of big name Sanders supporter Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Wednesday, during an appearance on The View. Whoopi Goldberg asked AOC if she’d “be able to do the same thing” as Bernie Sanders and endorse Biden, and whether “it’s time to have a conversation with Joe?” “Absolutely,” she replied, adding that “the stakes are too high when it comes to another four years of Trump.” But she went further than simple agreement, she argued strongly against voting third-party or not supporting the nominee, which option Joy Behar said would be a "catastrophe." Personal responsibility While there on The View, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez also had strong words for Surgeon General Jerome Adams, whom she and View co-host Sunny Hostin held personally responsible for what they characterized as essentially racial insensitivity about the coronavirus pandemic. In other 'sorta' endorsement news Kanye West doubled down on his support of President Trump this week, stating among other things: “I buy real estate. It’s better now than when Obama was in office.” "I’m definitely voting this time," West said to GQ. "And we know who I’m voting on. And I’m not going to be told by the people around me and the people that have their agenda that my career is going to be over." Sorry Candace New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that all New Yorkers must now wear a mask while out in public. “I’m going to issue an executive order that says all people in public must have a mask or nose covering — mouth and nose covering, and they must wear it in a situation where you cannot or are not maintaining social distancing,” Cuomo told reporters in Albany. In other Cuomo news A Long Island bicyclist filed a police report against CNN’s Chris Cuomo, after he confronted the anchor for being outside during his battle with coronavirus. The two apparently got in a heated exchange outside of Cuomo’s house in the Hamptons, where the anchor was socializing with his wife, another woman, and three kids. Media layoffs As the coronavirus continues to devastate the planet and bring the economy to a grinding halt, media outlets have been forced to join the many other industries furloughing non-essential workers. A lot of them. "Put on our big boy and big girl pants" Indianapolis radio host Tony Katz asked Indiana Republican Congressman Trey Hollingsworth to respond to critics who might say reopening the economy will “get people killed,” and Hollingsworth responded that the loss of life would be the “lesser of two evils” compared to the economic harm of keeping businesses shuttered. White-hot snippiness White House counselor Kellyanne Conway attacked CBS News correspondent Paula Reid for asking about the lack of diversity on President Donald Trump’s council to reopen the economy, telling Reid “I don’t know what’s happened to you.” |