Klobuchar suggests VP pick to Biden
CHICAGO -- U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has dropped out of the running to be vice president and urged Democrat Joe Biden, the party's presumptive nominee, to select a black or Hispanic woman instead.
The white Minnesota senator, who had seen her prospects fall as racial tensions swept the nation, said Thursday that she called Biden on Wednesday night and made the suggestion.
"I think this is a moment to put a woman of color on that ticket," Klobuchar said on MSNBC. "If you want to heal this nation right now -- my party, yes, but our nation -- this is sure a hell of a way to do it."
Klobuchar, 60, was among a large field of Democrats who had sought the 2020 presidential nomination, running as a pragmatic Midwesterner who has passed over 100 bills. She dropped out and threw her support behind Biden before the crucial March 3 "Super Tuesday" contests after struggling to win support from black voters, who are crucial to Democratic victories
Biden praised Klobuchar in a tweet, citing her "grit and determination" and saying, "With your help, we're going to beat Donald Trump."
Klobuchar, a former prosecutor, saw her chances at getting the VP nod diminished after the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Renaming of West Point buildings urged
WEST POINT, N.Y. -- The U.S. Military Academy has been asked again to rename buildings honoring Confederate officers such as Robert E. Lee by the Democratic congressman who represents the area.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney sent a letter co-signed by 21 other members of Congress to the secretaries of the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense on Thursday saying there shouldn't be facilities at West Point named for those who "betrayed their Country during the Civil War."
"It is because of that deep respect for the school and its mission, we believe we must correct the hurtful and outdated practice of honoring at West Point certain Americans who engaged in armed rebellion against the United States in support of racism and slavery," read the letter.
A Department of Defense spokesperson had no comment Friday and said the department would respond directly to Maloney.
The letter did not provide examples, but West Point has a cadet barracks and a gate named for Lee, the Confederate general who is one of the academy's most famous graduates. Lee also served as West Point's superintendent.
Maloney had sought the barracks name change before, but the issue has become more prominent since George Floyd's death spurred an intense reexamination of statues of historical figures, as well as streets and buildings named for them.
More people flee as Arizona blaze grows
Arizona's Bush Fire has expanded to 150,000 acres, or 234 square miles, making it the fifth-largest in Arizona history and one of more than a dozen large blazes burning in the Southwest and West amid a hot and dry weather pattern.
As of Friday morning, the Bush Fire northeast of Phoenix was only 7% contained, with additional evacuations ordered since Thursday. Adding to the response as the fire forced more than 2,000 people to evacuate, Arizona is seeing a sharp uptick in coronavirus cases, complicating shelter and evacuation decisions.
The Bush Fire has rapidly grown in the Tonto National Forest since a vehicle fire started it June 14.
Gila and Maricopa county emergency management officials have ordered evacuations in the communities of Apache Lake, Sunflower, Punkin Center and Tonto Basin.
Arizona 88 was closed from Apache Lake to Arizona 188. Several recreation areas, including Sugarloaf, Four Peaks and Lower Sycamore, were shut down due to the fire.
Extreme fire behavior will probably continue in coming days, with temperatures in the Tonto Basin expected to spike to the century mark Sunday -- further drying vegetation and enabling fire spread.
NYC performance venues cancel events
NEW YORK -- Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts have canceled their fall schedules due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the New York City Ballet called off its annual holiday presentation of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.
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Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center have been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Carnegie said that all performances through Jan. 6 had been wiped out and it will present its scheduled season opening concert on Oct. 7 as an online celebration. Carnegie also placed 50 workers on unpaid leave while continuing health benefits and expects to see an $8 million deficit in is $104 million budget.
Lincoln Center's fall cancellations include its Great Performers series, now scheduled to open Feb. 2, and its annual White Light Festival. The center is anticipating a $13 million revenue shortfall in its $130 million operating budget, spokeswoman Isabel Sinistore said. She said the Lincoln Center has furloughed about half its full-time administrative employees, event staff and unionized workers.