WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Migrant workers in India wait to board buses following government mass evacuation order. 

Donald J. Trump

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, the US president claimed that, if his administration keeps the death toll to 100,000, it will have done “a very good job” --Guardian

 Nancy Pelosi

"His denial at the beginning was deadly." -- CNN

 U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres

 "The spread of COVID-19 is measured in a matter of a single day — not weeks, months, or years — and Respondents appear to ignore this condition of confinement that will likely cause imminent, life-threatening illness." -- Judge orders release of ICE detainees

Amanda Klonsky

An outbreak in a jail or prison will be a death sentence for many thousands of people. And so we're asking our state and local governments, the federal government, the Trump administration, to take this threat seriously, to release as many people as possible. It's the only way that we can reduce the number of deaths. -- PBS News Hour

Fareed Zakaria

“The United States is on track to have the worst outbreak of coronavirus among wealthy countries. This is the new face of American exceptionalism." -- CNN

David Gilbert, incarcerated '60s activist  

Most crucially, the policies we are living under will be most effective when we have a say in shaping them. Allowing prisoners an active role in creating a safer environment will protect lives both inside and out. -- Letter to New York Times

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mayor Lori Lightfoot greets supporters Saturday ahead of the Southeast Side Labor Day parade.

Don Villar, Chicago Federation of Labor

"We're here today because of you, workers. You know, 125 years ago, not far from here, just down the road, is where we had the massive Pullman Strike. They were fighting for the same thing you’re fighting for. They’re fighting for fairness, equality, respect, dignity, the same thing, it seems like 125 years later we’re still fighting the same fight. So this is for you this Labor Day." -- At Southeast Side Labor Day March

Trump

...causes confusion by saying record storm will hit Alabama, forcing national weather service to issue correction. Trump says he has ‘never heard of a category 5’ storm before - a remark he has made repeatedly in recent years. -- Independent

Natascha Elena Uhlmann, author of Abolish Ice

The US spends more than $7bn a year on an agency so universally reviled that even its own agents want to be distanced. What could an alternative vision of justice look like? -- Guardian

Thoughts and prayers have done nothing to stop the epidemic of gun violence. Yes, this is fucked up; and if we don't call it out for what it is, we will continue to have this bloodshed in America. pic.twitter.com/Z4jgzpz6Ur

— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 1, 2019

Prayers are good. They’ve helped me get through some very tough times. But we don’t elect people to Congress to pray in the face of a national crisis. We send them there to pass some damn legislation that can address the problem. Get off your asses and do your job! https://t.co/RAHJMRZK1u

— Ana Navarro-Cárdenas (@ananavarro) September 1, 2019

Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east. #alwx

— NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) September 1, 2019