Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, has issued a lengthy statement on John Lewis’s death. Here’s an extract:
“John’s life reminds us that the most powerful symbol of what it means to be an American is what we do with the time we have to make real the promise of our nation – that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally. Through the beatings, the marches, the arrests, the debates on war, peace and freedom, and the legislative fights for good jobs and healthcare and the fundamental right to vote, he taught us that while the journey toward equality is not easy, we must be unafraid and never cower and never, ever give up.
Joe Biden and John Lewis talk as they prepare to lead a group across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 2013. Photograph: Dave Martin/AP
“That is the charge a great American and humble man of God has left us. For parents trying to answer their children’s questions about what to make of the world we are in today, teach them about John Lewis. For the peaceful marchers for racial and economic justice around the world who are asking where we go from here, follow his lead. For his fellow legislators, govern by your conscience like he did, not for power or party. He was our bridge – to our history so we did not forget its pain and to our future so we never lose our hope.”
George W Bush has issued a statement on John Lewis’s death, saying the congressman “worked to make our country a more perfect union”.
“Laura and I join our fellow Americans in mourning the loss of Congressman John Lewis,” wrote the former president. “As a young man marching for equality in Selma, Alabama, John answered brutal violence with courageous hope. And throughout his career as a civil rights leader and public servant, he worked to make our country a more perfect union. America can best honor John’s memory by continuing his journey toward liberty and justice for all.”
Donald Trump, who isn’t exactly reticent about making statements on Twitter, is now the only living president not to have commented on Lewis’s death.
The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, has issued her own tribute, while her boss plays golf.
Rep. John Lewis was an icon of the civil rights movement, and he leaves an enduring legacy that will never be forgotten. We hold his family in our prayers, as we remember Rep. John Lewis’ incredible contributions to our country.
“Rep. John Lewis was an icon of the civil rights movement, and he leaves an enduring legacy that will never be forgotten,” she wrote. “We hold his family in our prayers, as we remember Rep. John Lewis’ incredible contributions to our country.”
Such was John Lewis’s legacy that politicians from outside America have paid tribute to him.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, described Lewis as a “true hero” in a message in English on Twitter.
A lifetime of struggle for civil rights. A lifetime of getting into “good trouble”, of fighting for a world that is more just. A true hero. Indeed, “because of you, John”. pic.twitter.com/3u7qeqtCI0
“A lifetime of struggle for civil rights,” wrote Macron. “A lifetime of getting into ‘good trouble,’ of fighting for a world that is more just. A true hero. Indeed, ‘because of you, John.’”
In the UK, the Labour MP David Lammy said Lewis was “a titan” in the US civil rights movement.
“So sad to hear about the death of congressman John Lewis,” wrote Lammy, who is also the shadow justice secretary. “A titan in the struggle for civil rights, equality and freedom. The fight goes on, inspired by his fearless legacy and MLK dream.”
Meanwhile, Sweden’s prime minister, Stefan Löfven, said the congressman was an “inspiration”.
Learned with great sadness this morning of the passing of John Lewis – an icon of the civil rights movement, a hero and an inspiration to us all. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones.
“Learned with great sadness this morning of the passing of John Lewis – an icon of the civil rights movement, a hero and an inspiration to us all. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones,” wrote Löfven on Twitter.
Donald Trump has arrived at his golf club in Virginia for, we presume, a morning round. A smattering of protesters greeted the president.
According to the pool reporter, one person held a sign reading “Trust Fauci”, a reference to the White House’s attempts to silence the country’s top infectious diseases expert as Covid-19 continues its spread across the country.
The Republican party is facing a struggle to stage an in-person assembly for the selection of the Texas GOP’s presidential electors. The party had wanted to hold the event, which would comprise of thousands of delegates, at Houston’s George R Brown Convention Center.
However, Houston’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, wanted to cancel the event in case it helped spread Covid-19 in a city already hit hard by the virus. A US district judge then reinstated the convention before a federal appeals court blocked the move again in the early hours of Saturday.
An appellate court in New Orleans will now review the case.
CNN has a troubling report from Nueces county in Texas, where 85 children under the age of one have tested positive for Covid-19.
Nueces county, the location of Corpus Christi, has experienced a surge in coronavirus cases in July, like much of Texas.
“We currently have 85 babies under the age of one year in Nueces county that have all tested positive for Covid-19,” said Annette Rodriguez, director of public health for Corpus Christi Nueces county. “These babies have not even had their first birthday yet. Please help us stop the spread of this disease.”
State representatives Sheila Jackson Lee and Joaquin Castro have urged Texas’ governor, Gregg Abbot, to give local authorities the power to enforce stay-at-home orders.
“Texas is now not where it should be relating to fighting Covid-19. Therefore, your office should take immediate action to rewind the efforts to reopen the state quickly; which came about by ignoring CDC guidelines,” said the two in a letter to Abbot. “We need to provide local authority to local counties and cities to do what is in the best interest of their communities.”
The Associated Press has a collection of tributes to John Lewis from political figures, party leaders and civil rights activists. It follows:
Barack Obama
“Considering his enormous impact on the history of this country, what always struck those who met John was his gentleness and humility. Born into modest means in the heart of the Jim Crow south, he understood that he was just one of a long line of heroes in the struggle for racial justice. Early on, he embraced the principles of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as the means to bring about real change in this country, understanding that such tactics had the power not only to change laws, but to change hearts and minds as well.”
House speaker Nancy Pelosi
“John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation – from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides, to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence and death on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years. “
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell
“I will never forget joining hands with John as members of Congress sang We Shall Overcome at a 2008 ceremony honoring his friend Dr Martin Luther King Jr. It could not have been more humbling to consider what he had suffered and sacrificed so those words could be sung in that place.”
Bill and Hillary Clinton
“From a small farm in Alabama, to life-risking service in the civil rights movement, to three decades in Congress, he was always ‘walking with the wind’, steered by a moral compass that told him when to make good trouble and when to heal troubled waters. Always true to his word, his faith, and his principles, John Lewis became the conscience of the nation.”
Jimmy Carter
“He made an indelible mark on history through his quest to make our nation more just. John never shied away from what he called ‘good trouble’ to lead our nation on the path toward human and civil rights. Everything he did, he did in a spirit of love. All Americans, regardless of race or religion, owe John Lewis a debt of gratitude.”
Congressional Black Caucus
“The world has lost a legend; the civil rights movement has lost an icon, the city of Atlanta has lost one of its most fearless leaders, and the Congressional Black Caucus has lost our longest serving member. The Congressional Black Caucus is known as the Conscience of the Congress. John Lewis was known as the conscience of our caucus.”
The Rev Al Sharpton
“My friend, role model and activist extraordinaire has passed. Congressman John Lewis taught us how to be an activist. He changed the world without hate, rancor or arrogance. A rare and great man.”
Rev Jesse Jackson
“John Lewis is what patriotism and courage look like. He sacrificed and personifies a New Testament prophet.”
Bernice King
“Farewell, sir. You did, indeed, fight the good fight and get into a lot of good trouble. You served God and humanity well. Thank you. Take your rest.”
Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid
“Few have had as powerful and inspiring an impact on our country as Congressman Lewis and America is a better, more equal place because of his sacrifice and leadership. Our nation owes so much to this incredible man. We served together in Congress for decades, and I was honored to call him my friend.”
Representative Maxine Waters
“It is not enough to say he was a revered civil rights icon. He was a man of impeccable integrity who dedicated his life to fighting against racism, discrimination and injustice. John was a true leader who inspired us all to have the courage to fight.”
American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia
“Time and time again he demonstrated moral and physical courage in nonviolent defiance of the white supremacist regime in the south. Throughout his long life, his commitment to full equality for all people never wavered. He will always be remembered with gratitude and admiration.”
Senator David Purdue (Republican, Georgia)
“No one embodied the word ‘courage’ better than John Lewis. As a civil rights icon, John inspired millions of Americans to fight injustice and reject the status quo. Without a doubt, his wisdom and resolve made the world a better place.”
Senator Kelly Loeffler (Republican, Georgia)
“As a leader in the civil rights movement, he always pushed America to live up to its promise of freedom and equality. Our nation is better because of his leadership and courage. We know his legacy will never be forgotten.”
Stacey Abrams (Democrat, former candidate for governor, Georgia)
“Defender of justice. Champion of right. Our conscience, he was a griot of this modern age, one who saw its hatred but fought ever towards the light. And never once did he begrudge sharing its beauty.”
Donald Trump hasn’t commented on John Lewis yet – at the White House, pool reporters have been loaded into vans, bound for an undisclosed location that experience would suggest might be his golf course in Sterling, Virginia.
The president has no public events scheduled on Saturday but he does seem to be smarting a little from his encounter with Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday, an interview due for broadcast tomorrow but which provided embarrassment for the president on Friday.
In short, Trump claimed Joe Biden, his opponent in November, supported efforts to defund the police. Wallace, one of the sharpest questioners on TV, pointed out that Biden does not.
Trump insisted he did, and called for a copy of a policy compact Biden agreed with Bernie Sanders this week. In Wallace’s words, the president then “went through it and he found a lot of things that he objected to that Biden has agreed to, but couldn’t find any indication, because there isn’t any, that Joe Biden has sought to defund and abolish the police”.
As footage trailed by Fox News rippled out across the airwaves, Trump tweeted what might almost seem a concession: “Corrupt Joe Biden wants to defund our police. He may use different words, but when you look at his pact with Crazy Bernie, and other things, that’s what he wants to do. It would destroy America!”
As Joan E Greve pointed out from Washington, such attempts to paint Biden as an extreme liberal do not seem to be working: polls show voters view the challenger as more of a moderate than the president.
Here’s the full report, containing the released interview clip:
“Too many of us still believe our differences define us, instead of the divine spark that runs through all of human creation,” Lewis said.
Carter quoted Martin Luther King: “The crucial question of our time is how to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.”
… and welcome to another day of coverage of US politics, as the US wakes to the news that John Lewis, hero of the civil rights movement, last of the “Big Six” leaders and a Democratic congressman since 1987, has died. He was 80, and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
In tribute, Barack Obama said Lewis “loved this country so much that he risked his life and his blood so that it might live up to its promise”.
Obama also said it was “fitting that the last time John and I shared a public forum was at a virtual town hall with a gathering of young activists who were helping to lead this summer’s demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death”.
Other tributes have poured in but as the sun came up over Washington, there had been nothing from the Trump White House. For a depressing flashback, there’s this from January 2017, when Lewis questioned the legitimacy of the Republican’s win at the polls: “Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad.”
Elsewhere, the coronavirus pandemic continues, unchecked by the federal government, states which reopened too soon and still can’t even mandate the wearing of masks in public and, alarmingly, states like California which did lock down and seemed to be winning but are now seeing deadly reverses.
Daily case records have been rising with stunning regularity, hospitals are filling up and according to the Johns Hopkins figures here, more than 3.6m cases have been confirmed in total, and nearly 140,000 people have died.
