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  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Friday called Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) a “horrible prosecutor.” Referring to former Vice President Joe Biden’s choice of Harris as his running mate, Giuliani said, “I feel sorry for the country that he picked that horrible prosecutor.” Giuliani spoke about Harris during an event at President Trump’s club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York endorsed Trump. “That woman is a bully,” Guiliani continued, referring to Harris. “She prosecuted little people and she wouldn’t prosecute big people.” Guiliani said that Harris prosecuted people in California such as marijuana smokers but not the rich and the powerful. “All the politicians in San Francisco, all of Willie Brown’s friends, they went free, but she went after marijuana smokers,” he said. Guiliani recalled the moment that Harris laughed about smoking marijuana personally despite prosecuting marijuana smokers in California. Giuliani on Kamala Harris prosecuting marijuana smokers pic.twitter.com/HTMRgDt6Tq — Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 15, 2020 “Tell me this isn’t a horrible person,” he said. The former New York City mayor praised Trump for standing up for police officers and urged all of them to fight to elect him for four more years. “We need him more than he needs us,” he said. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman recalled on Friday’s editions of SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Daily how the Oval Office broke into applause after a phone call between President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Breitbart News reported on the recent peace deal between Israel and the UAE, brokered by the U.S. “The deal, known as the Abraham Accord, was announced by President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday morning and provides for ‘full normalization’ for the first time between Israel and a Gulf Arab state. It is expected to lead to similar deals with other Arab states.” Friedman said, “I participated in the phone call between Crown Prince Mohammed and Prime Minister Netanyahu, along with the president. I will tell you, after that phone call concluded — and it was not public, but there were maybe ten of us in the Oval Office listening in on the speakerphone to the call — we just burst into spontaneous applause when that call ended, because we were so moved by how both of those leaders spoke.” LISTEN: Friedman continued, “To hear a leader with a with a thick Arab accent speaking about how this is the best news of 2020, and then Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking about how this changes the landscape of the Middle East with the president’s encouragement, boy, was that a moment.” Friedman went on, “I won’t forget it, and I can tell you, a bunch of us who are pretty seasoned guys, we’re not prone to hyperbole. We’re not prone to emotion. Boy, it was a moment, and we just spontaneously burst into applause.” Israel and the UAE agreed to “remarkably simple terms,” added Friedman, describing the framework as “peace for peace between the Israelis and Emiratis.” Both Israel and the UAE “recognized that they are stronger and more prosperous and more secure together,” Friedman remarked. “They agreed, very simply, to become friends, to open up reciprocal embassies, to exchange ambassadors, to have direct flights, military cooperation, intelligence-sharing, tourism, cultural exchanges, investments in healthcare, working together to fight COVID-19, the works.” Friedman concluded, “It’s simple, but it’s earth-shattering.” Breitbart News Daily broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern. Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 President Donald Trump announced Friday that he would donate his salary for this financial quarter to the National Park Service for the restoration of America’s national monuments. The president announced the news on Twitter, together with an image of the $100,000 check. “I promised YOU I would not take a dime of salary as your President. I donate the entire $400,000!” Trump wrote. I promised YOU I would not take a dime of salary as your President. I donate the entire $400,000! It is my honor to give $100,000 to @NatlParkService to help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments. So important to our American History! Thank You!! pic.twitter.com/4ETkUZ9yUf — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2020 “It is my honor to give $100,000 to the National Park Service to help repair and restore our GREAT National Monuments,” Trump wrote. “So important to our American History! Thank You!!” Trump is required to be paid the annual $400,000 a year to be the president, but he has pledged to donate his quarterly salary while in office to worthy government causes. In May and in March of 2020, Trump donated his $100,000 quarterly salary to the Department of Health and Human Services to help fight the coronavirus and develop therapies. Throughout the Summer, national monuments were vandalized by leftist rioters until President Trump vowed to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. In July, the president delivered a passionate speech at Mount Rushmore to remind Americans of the importance of protecting monuments. “We will never let them rip America’s heroes from our monuments, or from our hearts,” he said. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 A majority of undecided voters say they see immigration as a labor issue, supporting reductions to legal immigration in order to protect the United States labor market from cheap, foreign competition, a survey finds. A new Reuters/Ipsos Poll for the group Public Agenda reveals that undecided voters are most supportive of reducing legal immigration when it is put in terms of protecting U.S. jobs for Americans over importing foreign workers. The poll finds that a majority of 53 percent of undecided voters support “stopping some legal immigration to limit competition for jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.” About 47 percent oppose such a plan. Reuters political reporter Chris Kahn acknowledged that the findings show President Trump can “peel off some support” from Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris by clarifying immigration as a labor issue, first and foremost. “Bottom line: Trump can win over some voters if he rationalizes immigration policies as a way to protect the U.S., slow down COVID,” Kahn wrote. While most have positive views about immigration, many support limits if that means helping Americans keep their jobs and protect the country from COVID-19. (4/5) pic.twitter.com/J2JEm60MQN — Chris Kahn (@Cmkahn) August 14, 2020 The poll also showed large support for prosecuting businesses that hire illegal aliens over Americans. About 69 percent of swing voters said it is important for the government to fine businesses hiring illegal aliens. Nearly four-in-ten of those voters said the issue is “very important” to them. Just 26 percent of swing voters said it is not important. In recent months, Trump has angled immigration as a labor issue — releasing an ad against Biden that highlights Democrat plans to fill U.S. jobs with foreign nationals and signing an executive order to halt visa programs so unemployed Americans are prioritized for scarce U.S. jobs. Another Ipsos poll published last week showed huge support among the American electorate for halting visa programs to protect U.S. jobs for unemployed Americans, rather than allowing business to import foreign workers. In that poll, nearly 6-in-10 voters said they support a ban on foreign visa workers while tens of millions of Americans are jobless, a rebuke of the Chamber of Commerce and Big Tech lobbies efforts to continue importing foreign workers amid mass unemployment. There are currently 30 to 40 million unemployed and underemployed Americans, all of whom want full-time employment with competitive wages and good benefits. Economists have found that their job opportunities and wages can be easily diminished by high immigration levels. One particular study by the Center for Immigration Studies’ Steven Camarota revealed that for every one percent increase in the immigrant portion of American workers’ occupation, their weekly wages are cut by perhaps 0.5 percent. This means the average native-born American worker today has his weekly wages reduced by potentially 8.75 percent, since more than 17 percent of the workforce is foreign-born. The high immigration policy is a boon for giant corporations, real estate investors, Wall Street, university systems, and Big Agriculture that can cash in on an economy that offers low wages to a flooded U.S. labor market. The poll surveyed 3,335 voters, 379 of which are undecided between Trump and Biden, between July 31 and August 4. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percentage points. John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 Duke University economist William Darity Jr. and his wife Kirsten Mullen have co-authored a report proposing $12 trillion in reparations for Americans whose ancestors were enslaved. The plan, written for The Roosevelt Institute, calls for between $10 trillion and $12 trillion — approximately $800,000 per African-American household — to be paid. “[The] US government—the culpable party—must pay the debt,” the report proclaims. “Ultimately, respect for black Americans as people and as citizens—and acknowledgment, redress, and closure for the history and financial hardship they have endured—requires monetary compensation.” The proposal has been dismissed by conservative and libertarian-leaning experts, who say it would greatly hinder economic growth. “Our national debt is already now up to around $26-27 trillion given the money we’re spending on Covid,” said Cato Institute fellow Michael Tanner. “And we’re losing more money because we’re not picking up the revenue because economic growth is so slow right now. This hardly seems the time to burden the economy with more debt, more taxes. Essentially what you want to do is stimulate economic growth for all our benefits.” The economics aside, leading African-American political figures, including Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, have cast doubt over the feasibility of reparations. “What I would say about reparations is, you know, show me a mechanism that works,” Carson challenged interviewer Jericka Duncan when asked about the concept in December 2019. “You know, I did my DNA analysis. OK. I’m 77% sub-Saharan African, 20% European, 3% Asian. So how do you proportion that out to everybody?” “Proportionately, you’re not going to be able to figure it out. And where do you stop it? It’s unworkable,” he added. “I would much rather concentrate on how do we provide the opportunities for people to get into a better economic situation now.” Nonetheless, the Burlington City Council voted unanimously on Monday to launch a task force to study reparations for residents. Last month, a “racial equity” task force commissioned by the city of Durham, North Carolina, issued a report recommending the creation of a reparations fund to address “systemic racism.” 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 One of the most unfortunate things about a pandemic followed by an economic collapse is that everyone is forced to triage their most precious priorities in life. Vacations canceled. Sports eliminated. Graduations nixed. Weddings postponed. Most haunting of all are stories of families who — if lucky — listened over the phone as their parents or grandparents died, sequestered and all alone in their final moments. Funerals are a thing of the past. Everyone who works for a living is suddenly jailed in one of two prison cells. Non-essential employees are stuck at home and not permitted to leave the house or travel the roadways. Essential employees face perhaps even more daunting responsibilities, braving the pandemic to provide vital services. What passes as dark humor these days is when people suddenly realize they are not — in fact — “essential.” Lawyers, political pundits, even university deans, it turns out, are not essential — no matter how essential they may consider themselves. Decidedly not funny is the discovery that school teachers are not essential. Heck, it turns out school is not even deemed essential anymore. It was one of the very first casualties of the coronavirus pandemic. Now I get that colleges and universities are not essential. After all, the youngsters can probably survive a couple of weeks or a semester or even a lifetime without learning about intersectional abortion rights for the latest transgendered male victim of patriarchy. But basic public education where young citizens learn to read and write and perform basic math functions that allow them to live free and take care of themselves? That seems like it ought to be fairly essential. Especially during a national crisis. What would the Founders think of non-essential education? For all the low regard with which Thomas Jefferson is now held by the masses of blithering idiots rioting in the streets these days, he would still be among the most progressive — even by today’s woke standards — when it comes to education, particularly public education. And, of course, he would be appalled at the notion that schools and teachers are not deemed “essential.” Without it, he argued, a republic devoted to liberty and self-governance would not last a fortnight, however long that is. Not even a forescore. So here we are. Schools deemed “non-essential.” Working parents across the country are struggling to figure out how to constructively occupy their children while they try to make a living in these hard times. Parents are not the only ones triaging precious priorities during the pandemic. So are government officials. Here in Jefferson’s Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam established a four-phase timeline for returning to in-class instruction for all students. In the various phases, Mr. Northam prioritized which students will return to classroom instruction first. Among the first groups of prioritized students — returning to the classroom in Phase Two — are so-called “English learners.” Yes, that would be students enrolled in public schools who are still learning English as a foreign or second language. To be sure, it is tempting to just celebrate the acknowledgment — finally! — those people coming to the United States should at the very least actually learn English. But in what sane universe should those students be given priority over the children of other hard-working American parents? Why should they be given preferential treatment? On second thought, maybe we should not be surprised. Mr. Northam has a very ugly personal history and sacrificing Virginia schoolchildren is a small price for him to pay to clean it up. • Charles Hurt is opinion editor of The Washington Times. He can be reached at churt@washingtontimes.com or @charleshurt on Twitter. 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 The “suburban housewife” will be voting for me. They want safety & are thrilled that I ended the long running program where low income housing would invade their neighborhood. Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge! @foxandfriends @MariaBartiromo — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2020 Host Joy Reid asked, “What do you make of the ways in which — the contrast between the ways in which Donald Trump is talking about women, just this week, suburban housewives and what Joe Biden was able to do with his pick of Senator Harris?” Hirono said, “The president continues to show all of us what a misogynist he is, from the very beginning, and continues to attack strong women. He can’t handle strong women. He’s called me nasty and vicious. That’s what he does. In contrast, Joe Biden’s pick of Kamala Harris is not just historic but acknowledgment of the leadership qualities, intelligence and skills she brings to the table. Strong theme for them, supporting families and women. Versus what Donald Trump is doing.” Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 At some point, your organization is likely to face issues with adequate staffing levels. There are a few best practices that can reduce some of the stress and unnecessary business disruption. Image: Abscent84, Getty Images/iStockPhoto Most start-ups understand the pains of working short-staffed, and during COVID-19, this has become a reality for almost every company and institution around the world. While this can't be completely avoided, putting some best practices in place can help to ensure there is minimal disruption. Prioritize your product and service offerings Hospitals, care centers, grocery chains, logistics, and delivery service providers, and many online retailers were among the first to feel the pain of failing to keep up with demand. Delivering on all services was no longer an option. Setting top priorities was and still remains a key strategy in being able to effectively deliver the services that are most needed. SEE: COVID-19 workplace policy (TechRepublic Premium) In hospital and care settings, doctors, nurses, care-aids, and administration or maintenance staff have been taxed just keeping up with essential tasks and have had to shift from doing everything to focusing on critical care. Grocers, pharmaceutical companies, online retailers, and delivery services have been prioritizing their stock and supply chain to get personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals or care centers and food to people, especially the most vulnerable. If your company is short-staffed, focusing on essential high-demand products that customers need vs. want may keep your operations afloat. It's better to excel at delivering fewer products and services than to fall short on trying to deliver everything. Adjust your expectations When short-staffed, your most valuable asset, your people, shouldn't be overworked trying to keep up with unrealistic expectations. Reevaluating priorities about product and service offerings isn't' the only thing that is needed. Your expectations for perfection in areas of the business should also be temporarily adjusted. If perfection about the quality of a flagship product is the basis for your business, then focus on that, especially if the item involves safety. SEE: TechRepublic Premium editorial calendar: IT policies, checklists, toolkits, and research for download (TechRepublic Premium) Let your employees know what's a top priority and ask them to put their best into that product or service rather than asking them to put their best into everything. Employee burnout is real, especially during the pandemic where it has and still is impacting employee mental health. Burning out your employees just exacerbates the staffing situation and increases the likelihood of losing more staff due to frustration. Be realistic and fair about expectations: It can help your company and employees ride-out a storm together. Leverage technology Technology is the great equalizer for most businesses. This is why software-as-a-service (SaaS) has been booming, and these companies continue to grow. The SaaS market is expected to grow to $20.21 billion dollars by 2022, with technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) that simulate human intelligence processes leading the way. AI isn't meant to replace the workforce, but instead automate repetitive tasks that enable employees to focus on projects and work that require high-level thinking. Talk with your employees and customers One of the biggest and best practices in dealing with low staffing levels is communication. Talking with your employees about the situation—giving your and getting their views—and strategies for coping with work demands is key. Your customers should also be kept in the loop. Keeping lines of communication open and being transparent makes it easier for everyone to understand the limitations and the timeline for resolving issues. Avoid the temptation to say nothing, hoping no one will notice: This strategy almost never works. Asking employees and customers for input can help your company better understand the things that should be a priority. Think of your employees and customers as partners in success. Prioritize your product and service offerings, adjusting expectations, using technology, and communicating frequently with employees and customers can reduce the impact of being short-staffed. Although these best practices aren't a guarantee of success, they are tools available to increase your company's productivity where it matters most. Executive Briefing Newsletter Discover the secrets to IT leadership success with these tips on project management, budgets, and dealing with day-to-day challenges. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 HR professionals say their companies do not need to make an investment in technology as they reopen, a survey by Appian finds. Getty Images/iStockphoto While companies are overwhelmingly focused on tactical safety procedures such as requiring employees to wear face coverings, they fail in preparing workplaces to respond quickly enough to health threats, a new survey reveals. Some 97% of human resources respondents said that they do not need to make an investment in technology systems to aid a safe return to the workplace, according to the survey by low-code automation platform provider Appian. The survey analyzed organizational tactics, strategies, timelines for returning employees, and asked HR leaders about their top concerns. SEE: COVID-19 workplace policy (TechRepublic Premium) Among the other measures organizations are taking are limiting capacity to facilitate social distancing (79%), cleaning and sanitizing the workplace during the workday (78%), and conducting daily health screenings (71%). While these steps are necessary to maintain employee safety, the survey also found that 89% of survey participants feel that they do not need new software solutions to manage their return to work COVID-19 response policy. Additionally, the survey found that: 53% of survey participants have already started returning employees to the office, despite high infection rates. Only 23% of respondents reported feeling concerned that their return-to-work technology does not incorporate contact tracing. 98% of survey participants noted that their companies have permanently changed their workforce structure to increase remote work. Respondents were also asked to rate the difficulty of ensuring that all common spaces, including bathrooms, break rooms, and open office floor plans with frequently touched surface doors and equipment are safe and free of the COVID-19 virus. Thirty-one percent rated it a four out of five, with five being the most challenging, and 22% rated it a five. When asked what is the No. 1 thing HR professionals are concerned their current technology does not address in ensuring a safe return to their workplace, respondents cited management of personal protective equipment (PPE), followed by location tracing (identifying places and items an employee touched.) SEE: How IoT sensors and analytics can make inside air safer in schools and offices (TechRepublic) When a COVID-19 infection is identified, 54% of respondents said they would immediately report employee or customer infections to the local health district and 54% said they would shut down the shop/floor for deep sanitation if possible. Half of the respondents said they would professionally clean and sanitize the location, the survey said. Data collection, actionable policy, and adaptability are the critical functions automated systems can improve, according to Appian. HR professionals who are coordinating the complexities of return-to-workplace efforts can use software to monitor and track safety measures, the company said. Features include the ability to collect and view extensive data in a centralized place (i.e. daily health updates, test results, vulnerabilities, and contact tracing) and unify data on one platform to rapidly track possible outbreaks and coordinate responses. Technology can also help HR professionals react and adapt quickly to sick team members to prevent employees from spreading COVID-19 (i.e. deactivate office badges, order testing/quarantines, close or clean specific facilities), Appian said. "Software is essential for a safe return to the workplace," said Matt Calkins, CEO of Appian, in a statement. "When dealing with the health and well-being of hundreds or thousands of people, businesses need the speed that software delivers in tracking daily health updates, monitoring test results, identifying potential exposures, and conducting contact tracing." Top 10 Newsletter Turn to these must-read primers to get the skinny on the hottest tech topics, strategies, and analyses. Delivered Fridays Sign up today Also see 

  Published Date: 2020-08-15 

 Temporarily transitioning your team from in-house to remote is one thing; making it permanent is another and requires additional planning. Image: nortonrsx, Getty Images/iStockphoto Most office employees are working remotely these days, at least temporarily. But what happens after COVID-19 is under control? Will all or most of your workforce remain remote? If your company is thinking, yes, then consider these four things to make the transition successful. Company culture Before taking the leap, take a close look at your company structure and culture to see if it will be a smooth transition or if there are some fundamental changes that need to be made. Factor in the size of your company and if your leadership team has a mindset that aligns with a remote workforce environment. If you're not sure this will work, your leadership team will need to do some further analysis and strategic planning, including assessing its current operational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). Recognize that there will be other pandemics or unforeseen business disruptions in the future. It may require more effort to permanently transition your workforce or partial workforce to remote; however, it may be a strategically sound opportunity to do it now rather than get caught off guard again. Company processes While some of your existing processes may have been simpler to accommodate, not all of them will easily support a remote workforce. This is a good time to conduct a thorough business process analysis to find process improvements that will work for a remote team. Conducting annual business process improvements (BPI) on a regular basis makes sense. It's the only way to know where bottlenecks are and what is no longer working. When conducting this analysis, each process should be looked at as though there is no in-house staff, asking yourself what would be done differently. Technologies and infrastructure Most of the processes mentioned above are facilitated by some form of technology. With so many as-a-service technologies available, any size company can afford to leverage software and hardware on a pay-as-you-go basis. This technology model is typically available in the cloud through secure web-portals and makes it possible for most companies to hire and train teams to handle projects and processes remotely. Many SaaS solutions these days enable things such as project management, portfolio management, scheduling, collaboration, workflow management, email, marketing, customer service, and more. The key to a successful remote team is giving members the right tools to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. Current talent Although most employees can be hired or transitioned to working remotely, not every employee will be cut out for remote work. Some employees may not work well alone or may not be productive, and there may also be skills gaps. It's important to first understand your processes and then take a look at your workforce to see if there are employees who already struggle with being productive without supervision. This is a tough part. Your company may not be able to easily transition all of its workforce without additional training or, unfortunately, letting go of some staff. Before letting any staff go, consider the different types of training, setting performance goals and measurements, and talk with your employees about what is being contemplated. Moving to a remote team model can work for most companies, but it is a complex task for larger companies and not necessarily workable for all situations. Manufacturers, assembly lines, grocers, hospitals, care centers, or other businesses need in-house teams. If your company is fortunate enough to be able to make the switch to a remote workforce, then make sure to weigh culture, processes, infrastructure, technologies, and talent first. Executive Briefing Newsletter Discover the secrets to IT leadership success with these tips on project management, budgets, and dealing with day-to-day challenges. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays Sign up today Also see