crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Brianna Keilar Destroys Larry Kudlow, Trump's Economic Lap Dog

Brianna Keilar , like millions of us , have had enough of Larry Kudlow 's weasely gaslighting and lies .
Unlike millions of us , however , Keilar has a CNN platform on which to chew him up and spit him out , while the rest of us can only watch and cheer her on .
After Kudlow tried to completely erase any semblance of 2020 from the minds of reporters , calling their requests for current numbers on the economy `` nitpicking , '' Keilar decided to remind him of all the things he lied about in the year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But first , she tore him several new ones for describing the demand for accuracy by reporters `` nitpicking . ''
KEILAR : Nitpicking .
Wanting answers about the millions of people unemployed or hungry is nitpicking ?
Wanting numbers that do n't completely omit a pandemic and a recession and the year of 2020 is nitpicking ?
Nearly half of Americans say they have serious financial problems right now , according to a new Harvard/NPR study .
1 out of 3 have used up all or most of the savings .
Nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay the rent and mortgage .
And Black and Latino households are twice as likely as white families likely to say that they 're struggling to pay , or have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments .
Food bank demand has exploded in the last six months .
What economist-turned-tv-host-turned-economic-advisor Larry Kudlow is trying to do is back up president Trump 's claim of the greatest economy ever before the pandemic hit .
Then , she methodically disassembled that claim with numbers and facts , going all the way back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop the timeclock in December 2019 , though , the way Kudlow and Trump wish everyone would when it comes to the economy and COVID-19 .
She played his lie from February that we have `` contained '' the virus .
Then debunked it .
She played his lie from June when he said there was `` no second wave '' coming .
Then debunked it .
She played his lie from this week , when he said we have `` regained control of the virus . ''
Then debunked it .
Last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played this gem , where Kudlow dismissed the very real concerns of parents and teachers , and the devastating obstacles and decisions so many of them face regarding how to handle their children 's education .
KUDLOW : Go back to school .
We can do that .
You know , you can social distance .
You can get your the temperature taken .
You can be tested .
You can have distancing .
Come on .
It is not that hard .
[ /clip ] [ clip ] KUDLOW : Go back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You know , you can social distance .
You can get your the temperature taken .
You can be tested .
You can have distancing .
Come on .
It is not that hard .
[ /clip ] KEILAR : It is hard , Lawrence .
Colleges are now epicenters of the virus , millions of children are still not back in school .
But it 's not just Kudlow who pretends the pandemic does n't exist , it 's Congress .
Because they 're about to leave Washington for an entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Goldman Sachs just cut its fourth quarter outlook in half , simply because that deal in Congress is unlikely .
So , they 're divided .
They have their paychecks , though .
Most of them have avoided the virus , but they ca n't bring themselves to compromise to help millions of suffering Americans .
They 're burying their heads in the sand .
Like Larry Kudlow , who wants to pretend that 2020 did n't happen .
Well , join the club , buddy .
If you can find any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if he CAN find room in here , I vote to not let him in .

Brianna Keilar, like millions of us, have had enough of Larry Kudlow's weasely gaslighting and lies. Unlike millions of us, however, Keilar has a CNN platform on which to chew him up and spit him out, while the rest of us can only watch and cheer her on.
After Kudlow tried to completely erase any semblance of 2020 from the minds of reporters, calling their requests for current numbers on the economy "nitpicking," Keilar decided to remind him of all the things he lied about in the year that has definitely happened, 2020. But first, she tore him several new ones for describing the demand for accuracy by reporters "nitpicking."
KEILAR: Nitpicking. Wanting answers about the millions of people unemployed or hungry is nitpicking? Wanting numbers that don't completely omit a pandemic and a recession and the year of 2020 is nitpicking? Nearly half of Americans say they have serious financial problems right now, according to a new Harvard/NPR study. 1 out of 3 have used up all or most of the savings. Nearly 1 out of 5 Americans are struggling to pay the rent and mortgage. And Black and Latino households are twice as likely as white families likely to say that they're struggling to pay, or have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments. Food bank demand has exploded in the last six months. What economist-turned-tv-host-turned-economic-advisor Larry Kudlow is trying to do is back up president Trump's claim of the greatest economy ever before the pandemic hit.
Then, she methodically disassembled that claim with numbers and facts, going all the way back to the Johnson administration. Keilar didn't stop the timeclock in December 2019, though, the way Kudlow and Trump wish everyone would when it comes to the economy and COVID-19.
She played his lie from February that we have "contained" the virus. Then debunked it.
She played his lie from June when he said there was "no second wave" coming. Then debunked it.
She played his lie from this week, when he said we have "regained control of the virus." Then debunked it.
Last, but certainly not least, she played this gem, where Kudlow dismissed the very real concerns of parents and teachers, and the devastating obstacles and decisions so many of them face regarding how to handle their children's education.
KUDLOW: Go back to school. We can do that. You know, you can social distance. You can get your the temperature taken. You can be tested. You can have distancing. Come on. It is not that hard.
[/clip] [clip]KUDLOW: Go back to school. We can do that. You know, you can social distance. You can get your the temperature taken. You can be tested. You can have distancing. Come on. It is not that hard.[/clip] KEILAR: It is hard, Lawrence. Colleges are now epicenters of the virus, millions of children are still not back in school. But it's not just Kudlow who pretends the pandemic doesn't exist, it's Congress. Because they're about to leave Washington for an entire month without a new COVID relief deal. Goldman Sachs just cut its fourth quarter outlook in half, simply because that deal in Congress is unlikely. So, they're divided. They have their paychecks, though. Most of them have avoided the virus, but they can't bring themselves to compromise to help millions of suffering Americans. They're burying their heads in the sand. Like Larry Kudlow, who wants to pretend that 2020 didn't happen. Well, join the club, buddy. If you can find any room in here.
Meh. Even if he CAN find room in here, I vote to not let him in.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--A Few Questions For Trump's Supreme Court Nominee

Barton Gellman 's Atlantic article about the inevitability of a Trump effort to steal the election in the event of Joe Biden victory is frightening , in part because of details like this : We are accustomed to choosing electors by popular vote , but nothing in the Constitution says it has to be that way .
Article II provides that each state shall appoint electors “ in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct.
” Since the late 19th century , every state has ceded the decision to its voters .
Even so , the Supreme Court affirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ can take back the power to appoint electors.
” How and when a state might do so has not been tested for well over a century .
Trump may test this .
According to sources in the Republican Party at the state and national levels , the Trump campaign is discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint loyal electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority .
With a justification based on claims of rampant fraud , Trump would ask state legislators to set aside the popular vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slate of electors directly .
We know that Trump intends to challenge mail ballots , which are expected to be disproportionately Democratic .
So when the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings on the president 's Supreme Court nominee -- a nominee Mitch McConnell hopes to seat before the election , so she can vote in the GOP 's favor on election-related issues -- Democratic senators , in addition to asking her about healthcare and abortion and the usual issues that come up in such hearings , should ask her a few questions about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Do you believe that a mail ballot cast in a manner consistent with state and federal law is a legitimate ballot ?
Do you agree with the president of the United States that an election in which there are a large number of mail ballots is inevitably fraudulent ?
Do you agree with the president of the United States that sending mail ballots to all voters in a manner consistent with state and federal law and with proper safeguards in place inevitably leads to fraud ?
Do you agree with the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a time limit after which ballots cast in a manner consistent with state and federal law should not be counted ?
Do you believe that the president of the United States has the right to impound ballots cast in a manner consistent with state and federal law , and if so , under what circumstances ?
And so on .
This is not an exhaustive list .
It wo n't really matter -- when election issues come before the Court , Trump 's appointee , if she has been seated by then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in all likelihood will mean however the Republican Party wants her to vote .
But it would be useful to put her on the record , on national television , acknowledging the legitimacy of the election we 're about to conduct .
And if she hesitates , Democrats should make that a national scandal .
Because remember who intends to vote by mail this year : older Americans in particular , many of them white suburbanites , who fear the health consequences of showing up at the polls .
Democrats need to start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that Grandma 's vote is illegitimate by definition .
His Supreme Court nominee , who might not be expecting such questions , needs to be asked if she agrees .
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog

Barton Gellman's Atlantic article about the inevitability of a Trump effort to steal the election in the event of Joe Biden victory is frightening, in part because of details like this:
We are accustomed to choosing electors by popular vote, but nothing in the Constitution says it has to be that way. Article II provides that each state shall appoint electors “in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct.” Since the late 19th century, every state has ceded the decision to its voters. Even so, the Supreme Court affirmed in Bush v. Gore that a state “can take back the power to appoint electors.” How and when a state might do so has not been tested for well over a century. Trump may test this. According to sources in the Republican Party at the state and national levels, the Trump campaign is discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint loyal electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority. With a justification based on claims of rampant fraud, Trump would ask state legislators to set aside the popular vote and exercise their power to choose a slate of electors directly.
We know that Trump intends to challenge mail ballots, which are expected to be disproportionately Democratic. So when the Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearings on the president's Supreme Court nominee -- a nominee Mitch McConnell hopes to seat before the election, so she can vote in the GOP's favor on election-related issues -- Democratic senators, in addition to asking her about healthcare and abortion and the usual issues that come up in such hearings, should ask her a few questions about democracy in America. Question such as:
Do you believe that a mail ballot cast in a manner consistent with state and federal law is a legitimate ballot? Do you agree with the president of the United States that an election in which there are a large number of mail ballots is inevitably fraudulent? Do you agree with the president of the United States that sending mail ballots to all voters in a manner consistent with state and federal law and with proper safeguards in place inevitably leads to fraud? Do you agree with the president of the United States that there is a time limit after which ballots cast in a manner consistent with state and federal law should not be counted? Do you believe that the president of the United States has the right to impound ballots cast in a manner consistent with state and federal law, and if so, under what circumstances?
And so on. This is not an exhaustive list.
It won't really matter -- when election issues come before the Court, Trump's appointee, if she has been seated by then, will vote however she likes, which in all likelihood will mean however the Republican Party wants her to vote. But it would be useful to put her on the record, on national television, acknowledging the legitimacy of the election we're about to conduct. And if she hesitates, Democrats should make that a national scandal.
Because remember who intends to vote by mail this year: older Americans in particular, many of them white suburbanites, who fear the health consequences of showing up at the polls. Democrats need to start saying now that the president's position is that Grandma's vote is illegitimate by definition. His Supreme Court nominee, who might not be expecting such questions, needs to be asked if she agrees.
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Fox Guest On Barrett: There’s Nothing Christian About Taking Away Health Care

Democrat Chris Hahn nicely demolished the right-wing effort to distract from the extremism of likely SCOTUS pick Amy Coney Barrett by painting her as a Christian martyr .
Hahn began by swatting away criticism of Joe Biden for not putting up a list of Supreme Court nominees .
HAHN : The president put up a list that was handed to him by the Federalist Society because the Federalist Society and other conservatives , particularly Christian conservatives , did not trust Donald Trump because he had no record on anything that mattered to them .
Joe Biden or any other presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a list of who they would put on the court , or any other position for that matter , because then the campaign will be turned into what these people have done , rather than what that candidate is planning to do for America .
I think Joe Biden should keep the focus on Trump and what Trump is doing to destroy our republic , including ramming a Supreme Court justice through in the middle of an election , when this was not the rule just four years ago , by Mitch McConnell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host Dana Perino , apparently .
She interrupted and changed the subject to hand the other guest , Trumper Matt Schlapp , his opportunity to weaponize Barrett ’ s faith and pretend she ’ s the victim of religious persecution .
Perino played a clip of Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows “ talking about the upcoming attacks on faith ” and “ asked ” if Schlapp expects “ a pretty vicious fight ” even though Republicans seem to have the votes .
SCHLAPP : Oh , my gosh , for sure , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talking about the fact that he ’ s a , goes to a Roman Catholic church and that he ’ s a person of faith .
And that seems to humanize Joe Biden and people say isn ’ t it great that he ’ s a man of faith .
But for Amy Coney Barrett or someone like her to be nominated to the court , she 's already had numerous stories about how her faith is extreme because she actually believes in God and she actually believes in these biblical ideas .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ It took Chris Hahn one minute to make the charge that somehow Donald Trump was , like , appealing to Christians with his Supreme Court list .
Dana , we 've got to get beyond this .
Hahn voiced his disagreement but Perino let Schlapp finish .
Then she changed the subject again without giving Hahn a chance to respond .
Perino moved on to suggest that a comment by Nancy Pelosi , that Trump is not “ worth the trouble ” of impeaching at this point , is due to some kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down , too , and he circled back to the faith BS : HAHN : I do n't think it 's needed .
I mean , Donald Trump is losing this election which is why he ’ s pretending that he wo n't accept the votes or the election .
It does n't matter what he accepts .
Mr. President , you ’ ll be removed one way or the other on January 20th if you lose this election in November .
… Nobody ’ s attacking her faith , they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away health care for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions - as she wrote as a law professor when Justice Roberts ruled that Obamacare was constitutional .
She 's on the record of that .
She will take away that health care and look , I do n't know what 's Christian about taking away health care from millions of people .
I for one , read the Bible and the Bible says , take care of those in need .
… Her positions on the major issues of the day are her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perino .
She pointedly said she ’ d give Schlapp the last word .
He accused Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee , including VP nominee Kamala Harris ( whose first name he mispronounced ) , of having “ specifically targeted the faith of Catholic nominees.
” “ That ’ s wrong , ” Hahn said , trying to respond .
But oops , time was up .

Democrat Chris Hahn nicely demolished the right-wing effort to distract from the extremism of likely SCOTUS pick Amy Coney Barrett by painting her as a Christian martyr.
Hahn began by swatting away criticism of Joe Biden for not putting up a list of Supreme Court nominees.
HAHN: The president put up a list that was handed to him by the Federalist Society because the Federalist Society and other conservatives, particularly Christian conservatives, did not trust Donald Trump because he had no record on anything that mattered to them. Joe Biden or any other presidential candidate would be foolish to put out a list of who they would put on the court, or any other position for that matter, because then the campaign will be turned into what these people have done, rather than what that candidate is planning to do for America. I think Joe Biden should keep the focus on Trump and what Trump is doing to destroy our republic, including ramming a Supreme Court justice through in the middle of an election, when this was not the rule just four years ago, by Mitch McConnell.
That was too much for Fox host Dana Perino, apparently. She interrupted and changed the subject to hand the other guest, Trumper Matt Schlapp, his opportunity to weaponize Barrett’s faith and pretend she’s the victim of religious persecution. Perino played a clip of Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows “talking about the upcoming attacks on faith” and “asked” if Schlapp expects “a pretty vicious fight” even though Republicans seem to have the votes.
Predictably, Schlapp was not interrupted.
SCHLAPP: Oh, my gosh, for sure, Dana. … You have Joe Biden talking about the fact that he’s a, goes to a Roman Catholic church and that he’s a person of faith. And that seems to humanize Joe Biden and people say isn’t it great that he’s a man of faith. But for Amy Coney Barrett or someone like her to be nominated to the court, she's already had numerous stories about how her faith is extreme because she actually believes in God and she actually believes in these biblical ideas. What a double standard we have. It took Chris Hahn one minute to make the charge that somehow Donald Trump was, like, appealing to Christians with his Supreme Court list. Dana, we've got to get beyond this.
Hahn voiced his disagreement but Perino let Schlapp finish. Then she changed the subject again without giving Hahn a chance to respond.
Perino moved on to suggest that a comment by Nancy Pelosi, that Trump is not “worth the trouble” of impeaching at this point, is due to some kind of Democratic weakness.
Hahn smacked that down, too, and he circled back to the faith BS:
HAHN: I don't think it's needed. I mean, Donald Trump is losing this election which is why he’s pretending that he won't accept the votes or the election. It doesn't matter what he accepts. Mr. President, you’ll be removed one way or the other on January 20th if you lose this election in November. … Nobody’s attacking her faith, they’re attacking the fact that she would take away health care for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions - as she wrote as a law professor when Justice Roberts ruled that Obamacare was constitutional. She's on the record of that. She will take away that health care and look, I don't know what's Christian about taking away health care from millions of people. I for one, read the Bible and the Bible says, take care of those in need. … Her positions on the major issues of the day are her problem.
That prompted another interruption from Perino. She pointedly said she’d give Schlapp the last word. He accused Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including VP nominee Kamala Harris (whose first name he mispronounced), of having “specifically targeted the faith of Catholic nominees.”
“That’s wrong,” Hahn said, trying to respond. But oops, time was up.
“Sorry, guys,” Perino said.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--And The Supreme Court Rose Goes To: Amy Coney Barrett

CNN is reporting that Donald Trump is going to nominate right wing darling Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court seat left open when Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed just a week ago .
A reminder - RBG has n't even been buried .
She is lying in state at Congress .
It is 39 days until the election .
Mitch McConnell held up Merrick Garland 's nomination for over 230 days before the 2016 election .
Oh , also ?
Amy Coney Barrett is super crazy right wing .
Some of the most disturbing reports about Amy Coney Barrett have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholicism - People of Praise .
They have been compared to the type of Christianity espoused in The Handmaid 's Tale .
In that book , a dystopian and patriarchal society , women are exploited by men in every possible way .
They are forced to don red gowns and white hair covering and serve men .
Other characters serve as housemaids and cooks or as wives .
Men are in control of everything - government , military , media and , of course , women 's bodies .
So what does this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Her church refers to females and female advisers are `` handmaidens . ''
Margaret Atwood , the author of the Handmaid 's Tale , did not say that she used People of Praise as inspiration for her work , but it was a cult quite similar to this one .
Back to the SCOTUS Rose Ceremony , coming to TVs nationwide on Saturday at 5pm ( set your DVR 's ! )
.
Jake Tapper broke the news during the 4pm block on Friday about the selection of Amy Coney Barrett : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I 'm Jake Tapper .
We begin with some breaking news on the U.S. Supreme Court .
President Donald Trump intends to choose Amy Coney Barrett to be the new Supreme Court justice according to multiple senior Republican sources with knowledge of the process .
Judge Barrett is a federal judge and Notre Dame law professor with a conservative record .
She 's also a former law clerk to the late justice Antonin Scalia .
Pamela , what are you learning ?
BROWN : Jake , my colleague and I have learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coney Barrett to be the new Supreme Court justice .
This is according to multiple senior Republican sources with knowledge of the process .
Now , in conversations with some senior Republican allies on the Hill , the White House has indicated , suggested that Barrett is the intended nominee , these sources said .
But we should note all sources have caution that until it is announced by the president , there is always that possibility that he could make a last-minute change , but the expectation as of now , nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Judge Barrett is the choice .
And he 's scheduled to make that announcement tomorrow afternoon .
She 's been the leading choice throughout this week since Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died .
She is the only potential nominee known to have met with the president in the White House in person this week according to two of the sources .
And one source said that Trump was familiar with Barrett already , as we know he had met with her .
Previously , he had met with her twice .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last time there was a vacancy .
She was seen at her South Bend , Indiana , home Friday .
It is not clear if she had been told that she is the choice , the intended nominee .
Often than done as late as possible to maintain secrecy around the announcement .
But as one source told me , Jake , the machinery is in motion .
In previous nomination announcements , the White House had multiple rollouts planned just in case the president made a last-minute decision to switch to another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be surprising if there were a change since allies are already being told .
But , again , anything could happen between now and the announcement given the unpredictable nature of this president , Jake .
TAPPER : Indeed .
Nothing 's official until it 's official .
This is what sources expect that he will do , but president Trump could change his mind .
What would this mean for the Supreme Court , presuming that Amy Coney Barrett were confirmed ?
Ariane , what would this mean for the makeup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean for Roe v. Wade ?
What would it mean for Obamacare ?
What would it mean for all sorts of issues ?
DE VOGUE : This would be a dream pick for the religious right .
She 's young , she 's 48 years old .
She would be the youngest member on this court .
Of course it 's a life-tenured position .
She is in the mold of Justice Scalia .
And we know how important that is to president Trump .
In fact , she 's a former clerk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his favorites .
She sat and sits on appeals court based out of Chicago .
Before that , she taught at Notre Dame .
And keep in mind , she has met with Trump .
And she has been fully vetted .
There were some people who wanted Barrett to take the seat that eventually went to Kavanaugh .
They really wanted her for that seat at the time .
People thought then she would probably be a good replacement for Ginsburg if that seat ever opened up .
Another thing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hearing for the lower court , the Democrats , particularly Dianne Feinstein , really went after her Catholic faith and asked some pointed questions .
After that , Jake , it was conservatives that really galvanized them .
And they were furious , saying that that was the Democrats showing anti-Catholic bias .
Keep in mind , Jake , the term is supposed to begin the first Monday in October , a week after the election , the court is going to hear Obamacare .
And when she -- in 2017 she wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was very skeptical of Chief Justice John Roberts ' reasoning back in the days when he saved Obamacare .
So that 's going to worry the Democrats .

CNN is reporting that Donald Trump is going to nominate right wing darling Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court seat left open when Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed just a week ago. A reminder - RBG hasn't even been buried. She is lying in state at Congress. It is 39 days until the election. Mitch McConnell held up Merrick Garland's nomination for over 230 days before the 2016 election.
Oh, also? Amy Coney Barrett is super crazy right wing.
Some of the most disturbing reports about Amy Coney Barrett have to do with her particular sect of Catholicism - People of Praise. They have been compared to the type of Christianity espoused in The Handmaid's Tale. In that book, a dystopian and patriarchal society, women are exploited by men in every possible way. They are forced to don red gowns and white hair covering and serve men. Other characters serve as housemaids and cooks or as wives. Men are in control of everything - government, military, media and, of course, women's bodies.
So what does this have to do with Amy Coney Barrett? Her church refers to females and female advisers are "handmaidens." Margaret Atwood, the author of the Handmaid's Tale, did not say that she used People of Praise as inspiration for her work, but it was a cult quite similar to this one.
Back to the SCOTUS Rose Ceremony, coming to TVs nationwide on Saturday at 5pm (set your DVR's!). Jake Tapper broke the news during the 4pm block on Friday about the selection of Amy Coney Barrett:
TAPPER: And welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with some breaking news on the U.S. Supreme Court. President Donald Trump intends to choose Amy Coney Barrett to be the new Supreme Court justice according to multiple senior Republican sources with knowledge of the process. Judge Barrett is a federal judge and Notre Dame law professor with a conservative record. She's also a former law clerk to the late justice Antonin Scalia. Pamela, what are you learning?
BROWN: Jake, my colleague and I have learned that President Trump intends to choose Amy Coney Barrett to be the new Supreme Court justice. This is according to multiple senior Republican sources with knowledge of the process. Now, in conversations with some senior Republican allies on the Hill, the White House has indicated, suggested that Barrett is the intended nominee, these sources said. But we should note all sources have caution that until it is announced by the president, there is always that possibility that he could make a last-minute change, but the expectation as of now, nearly 24 hours away from that announcement is that Judge Barrett is the choice. And he's scheduled to make that announcement tomorrow afternoon.
She's been the leading choice throughout this week since Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. She is the only potential nominee known to have met with the president in the White House in person this week according to two of the sources. And one source said that Trump was familiar with Barrett already, as we know he had met with her. Previously, he had met with her twice. This week he had been the top contender last time there was a vacancy. She was seen at her South Bend, Indiana, home Friday. It is not clear if she had been told that she is the choice, the intended nominee. Often than done as late as possible to maintain secrecy around the announcement. But as one source told me, Jake, the machinery is in motion. In previous nomination announcements, the White House had multiple rollouts planned just in case the president made a last-minute decision to switch to another candidate. But one source said it would be surprising if there were a change since allies are already being told. But, again, anything could happen between now and the announcement given the unpredictable nature of this president, Jake.
TAPPER: Indeed. Nothing's official until it's official. This is what sources expect that he will do, but president Trump could change his mind. What would this mean for the Supreme Court, presuming that Amy Coney Barrett were confirmed? Ariane, what would this mean for the makeup of the court? What would it mean for Roe v. Wade? What would it mean for Obamacare? What would it mean for all sorts of issues?
DE VOGUE: This would be a dream pick for the religious right. She's young, she's 48 years old. She would be the youngest member on this court. Of course it's a life-tenured position. She is in the mold of Justice Scalia. And we know how important that is to president Trump. In fact, she's a former clerk of Scalia. And she was one of his favorites. She sat and sits on appeals court based out of Chicago. Before that, she taught at Notre Dame. And keep in mind, she has met with Trump. And she has been fully vetted. There were some people who wanted Barrett to take the seat that eventually went to Kavanaugh. They really wanted her for that seat at the time. People thought then she would probably be a good replacement for Ginsburg if that seat ever opened up.
Another thing to keep in mind is during her confirmation hearing for the lower court, the Democrats, particularly Dianne Feinstein, really went after her Catholic faith and asked some pointed questions. After that, Jake, it was conservatives that really galvanized them. And they were furious, saying that that was the Democrats showing anti-Catholic bias. Keep in mind, Jake, the term is supposed to begin the first Monday in October, a week after the election, the court is going to hear Obamacare. And when she -- in 2017 she wrote a law review article. And she was very skeptical of Chief Justice John Roberts' reasoning back in the days when he saved Obamacare. So that's going to worry the Democrats.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Trump's The Puppet Getting Marching Orders On The Supreme Court Pick

President Trump has expressed an interest in picking Barbara Lagoa , a Cuban-American from the swing state of Florida , for the Supreme Court .
But some of his supporters are ordering him not to do that : Trump has heard from evangelical leaders who argue that his religious supporters might be less enthusiastic about a nominee like Lagoa — who they say does n't have enough of a paper trail to demonstrate conservative credentials — but who say they 'll turn out to vote for the president 's choice anyway .
Others have told Trump that they 'll accept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] Barrett , who they say has a clear conservative and anti-abortion record , and that without such a pick he 'll lose critical support .
`` Not all on the list are acceptable , and that 's being communicated , '' said Tony Perkins , president of the Family Research Council , who has told the White House that nominating Lagoa would n't go over well with him and other evangelicals .
Trump really wants to win Florida .
But I predict he 'll reject Lagoa and pick Barrett because of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden may not be a radical leftist , but in office he 'd just be a puppet , with extremists pulling the strings .
But this is pure projection .
Look at Trump on judges : First he hands the entire job of judge-picking over to Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society .
Then , in all likelihood , he 'll defer to evangelicals on this pick .
Some are n't even pretending that they want a Supreme Court justice who 's broadly acceptable to the American public .
Just the opposite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president 's allies have pointed to the Senate 's bipartisan 80-15 vote last year to confirm Lagoa to the 11th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals as an advantage , Perkins said that 's actually a significant drawback , because it shows she 's not hard-line enough .
`` In this Senate , in this environment , that itself raises questions , '' he said .
By contrast , Barrett was confirmed to the 4th Circuit Court on a party-line vote of 55-43 in 2017 .
Will Trump respond to this pressure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Biden is the one who 's supposed to be manipulated by radicals .
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog

President Trump has expressed an interest in picking Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban-American from the swing state of Florida, for the Supreme Court. But some of his supporters are ordering him not to do that:
Trump has heard from evangelical leaders who argue that his religious supporters might be less enthusiastic about a nominee like Lagoa — who they say doesn't have enough of a paper trail to demonstrate conservative credentials — but who say they'll turn out to vote for the president's choice anyway. Others have told Trump that they'll accept only a nominee like [Amy Coney] Barrett, who they say has a clear conservative and anti-abortion record, and that without such a pick he'll lose critical support. "Not all on the list are acceptable, and that's being communicated," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who has told the White House that nominating Lagoa wouldn't go over well with him and other evangelicals.
Trump really wants to win Florida. But I predict he'll reject Lagoa and pick Barrett because of this pressure.
Trump likes to say that Joe Biden may not be a radical leftist, but in office he'd just be a puppet, with extremists pulling the strings. But this is pure projection. Look at Trump on judges: First he hands the entire job of judge-picking over to Leonard Leo and the Federalist Society. Then, in all likelihood, he'll defer to evangelicals on this pick. Some aren't even pretending that they want a Supreme Court justice who's broadly acceptable to the American public. Just the opposite, in fact:
While some of the president's allies have pointed to the Senate's bipartisan 80-15 vote last year to confirm Lagoa to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as an advantage, Perkins said that's actually a significant drawback, because it shows she's not hard-line enough. "In this Senate, in this environment, that itself raises questions," he said. By contrast, Barrett was confirmed to the 4th Circuit Court on a party-line vote of 55-43 in 2017.
Will Trump respond to this pressure? I think so. But remember, Biden is the one who's supposed to be manipulated by radicals.
Posted with permission from No More Mr. Nice Blog


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Trump Signs Meaningless Paper, Promises Bribes To Seniors And Calls It His Healthcare Plan

Somehow the thought that health care is a key issue has wormed its way into the brain of the heaving pile of rancid orange-tinged lard in the White House .
He has grokked the fact that people want to keep their health insurance and are quite worried about losing it , and might even vote accordingly .
Not that he 's counting on actually winning based on votes , but his captive herd of orcs in the Senate need them , and he needs a Republican-controlled Senate .
So he 's finally officially doing something about preexisting conditions .
Sort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he 's pretending like he 's doing it .
Here it is .
At a speech that was supposed to be totally presidential and was totally campaigning in North Carolina , he signing an executive order that says that it is it `` the policy of the United States '' to protect people with preexisting conditions .
That ’ s it .
Oh , and if Congress does n't pass a law on surprise billing by January 1 , 2021 , the administration will do ... something .
Why not do it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Secretary Alex Azar .
`` It is what it is , '' he said .
Just like more than 200,000 Americans dead from coronavirus .
These guys are such cards .
This is the result , apparently , of Trump demanding a `` win '' from his advisers on health care , leading to what The Washington Post says will be a `` frenzied rollout of proposals . ''
In the speech Trump gave in North Carolina announcing this `` action '' Thursday , he talked about efforts to lower drug prices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressing surprise medical bills ( he 'll do it next year ) , and increase price transparency in health care ( which also has n't really happened ) .
But back to this executive order .
It is the policy of the federal government already to protect the coverage of people with preexisiting conditions .
That 's called the Affordable Care Act .
That 's what the law does , in numerous ways .
In fact , what Trump has done is to try to weaken that in every way .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flooding the market and do n't provide those protections .
Those Trump-care policies that are screwing sick people are out there right now , keeping people from having their illnesses covered .
He bragged about that in his speech .
Also , he 's arguing explicitly before the Supreme Court that those protections should be tossed .
In fact , he bragged about that too in his speech .
Here 's the thing : Nothing he 's doing is real .
Nothing he 's doing is going to replace the Affordable Care Act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help the millions of people who survive coronavirus and will have a preexisting condition , if the Trump-controlled Supreme Court decides to ditch the law .
An executive order Is .
Not .
Law .
Let 's turn it over to Nicholas Bagley , law professor at the University of Michigan and health law expert .
`` Traditionally , executive orders are instructions to agency officials about how to exercise their congressionally delegated powers , '' he explains .
`` Maybe they should issue a new rule or set new enforcement priorities .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ They are , according to Bagley again , `` internal memos with a fancy header .
That 's all they are . ''
Then he did this , during what was supposed to be a presidential address , not a campaign event .
He said he is sending out what is essentially a bribe to seniors , a $ 200 payment to Medicare beneficiaries to pay for prescription drugs mailed out before the election .
This is from a `` Trump card '' deal he tried to get out of drug companies while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prices .
He demanded that $ 100 cash cards be sent to seniors just before the election and the industry left the negotiating table over that .
They did n't want to pay for it .
So who 's paying now ?
Who knows .
That 's $ 7 billion in payments that has not been appropriated by Congress—and he admitted it 's purely political .
`` Joe Biden wo n't be doing this , '' he said .
He did n't say where he 's stealing that money from .
The whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump is trying to bribe seniors—while promising to end the payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare—with his $ 200 Trump cards , is signing two worthless pieces of paper , and will call it a day on health care .

Somehow the thought that health care is a key issue has wormed its way into the brain of the heaving pile of rancid orange-tinged lard in the White House. He has grokked the fact that people want to keep their health insurance and are quite worried about losing it, and might even vote accordingly. Not that he's counting on actually winning based on votes, but his captive herd of orcs in the Senate need them, and he needs a Republican-controlled Senate. So he's finally officially doing something about preexisting conditions. Sort of. Okay, not really, but he's pretending like he's doing it.
Here it is. At a speech that was supposed to be totally presidential and was totally campaigning in North Carolina, he signing an executive order that says that it is it "the policy of the United States" to protect people with preexisting conditions. That’s it. Oh, and if Congress doesn't pass a law on surprise billing by January 1, 2021, the administration will do ... something. Why not do it now, reporters asked Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. "It is what it is," he said. Just like more than 200,000 Americans dead from coronavirus. These guys are such cards.
This is the result, apparently, of Trump demanding a "win" from his advisers on health care, leading to what The Washington Post says will be a "frenzied rollout of proposals." In the speech Trump gave in North Carolina announcing this "action" Thursday, he talked about efforts to lower drug prices (hasn't really happened), addressing surprise medical bills (he'll do it next year), and increase price transparency in health care (which also hasn't really happened).
But back to this executive order. It is the policy of the federal government already to protect the coverage of people with preexisiting conditions. That's called the Affordable Care Act. That's what the law does, in numerous ways. In fact, what Trump has done is to try to weaken that in every way. He has allowed for longer-term junk policies that are flooding the market and don't provide those protections. Those Trump-care policies that are screwing sick people are out there right now, keeping people from having their illnesses covered. He bragged about that in his speech.
Also, he's arguing explicitly before the Supreme Court that those protections should be tossed. In fact, he bragged about that too in his speech. Here's the thing: Nothing he's doing is real. Nothing he's doing is going to replace the Affordable Care Act. None of it is going to help the millions of people who survive coronavirus and will have a preexisting condition, if the Trump-controlled Supreme Court decides to ditch the law.
An executive order Is. Not. Law. Let's turn it over to Nicholas Bagley, law professor at the University of Michigan and health law expert. "Traditionally, executive orders are instructions to agency officials about how to exercise their congressionally delegated powers," he explains. "Maybe they should issue a new rule or set new enforcement priorities." But they are not law. They are, according to Bagley again, "internal memos with a fancy header. That's all they are."
Then he did this, during what was supposed to be a presidential address, not a campaign event. He said he is sending out what is essentially a bribe to seniors, a $200 payment to Medicare beneficiaries to pay for prescription drugs mailed out before the election. This is from a "Trump card" deal he tried to get out of drug companies while negotiating a major deal to lower drug prices. He demanded that $100 cash cards be sent to seniors just before the election and the industry left the negotiating table over that. They didn't want to pay for it.
So who's paying now? Who knows. That's $7 billion in payments that has not been appropriated by Congress—and he admitted it's purely political. "Joe Biden won't be doing this," he said. He didn't say where he's stealing that money from. The whole federal treasury is his slush fund.
Trump is trying to bribe seniors—while promising to end the payroll tax that funds Social Security and Medicare—with his $200 Trump cards, is signing two worthless pieces of paper, and will call it a day on health care.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Sorry, Bob Woodward, Trump Voters Are Not 'Good People'

Yet another example of how cable news means we ca n't have nice things .
Bob Woodward does a great job as usual of illustrating the danger Donald Trump is to our democracy .
But ... he stops short of blaming those who STILL support Donald Trump after he put `` a dagger in the Constitution . ''
Really , Bob .
You should spend a little time on # MAGA2020 Twitter before making a `` good Trump supporter '' argument .
And it is the policy of Crooks and Liars.com that we draw the line at Nazis , Klansmen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They are simply not `` good people . ''
BOB WOODWARD : We have a president who has forsaken his duty to tell the truth and organize and plan what is he going to do as president .
Time and time again we know and I 've got more endless examples of this , of him making decisions on impulse , tweeting , driving people crazy who work for him , and then they leave or he fires them by tweet and he says the cruelest things .
I mean , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from retirement like Mattis and Tillerson , Dan Coats ... and then treat them that way is not just shocking -- I think the president in all of the things he 's doing here has forsaken a larger duty , which is a moral duty , to do what 's best for the country .
This is a moral failure and a leadership failure .
This idea about the election he 's predicting and almost wishing for a quadruple train wreck on November 3rd .
NICOLLE WALLACE ( HOST ) : I could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the handwringing about the norms is misplaced .
This statement yesterday is about obliterating the Constitution .
Rod Rosenstein was reported to have whipped votes for the 25th Amendment .
No one has challenged what Mattis and Coats have said .
Since your book came out , I heard they have felt that way for a very long time .
I wonder if it escalates things when it 's not just the obliteration of norms , but also obliterating the Constitution .
WOODWARD : It 's not just challenging the constitution .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitution .
WOODWARD : For the President of the United States to do that is -- you know , I do n't know whether there 's language to describe this and what 's happened is that Trump has been like this from the beginning , before he was elected president , just saying outrageous things , doing outrageous things .
He 's made the country and the world numb .
'Oh , well , that 's the way it is .
Oh , 1,000 people died today because of the virus , well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was before .
So things are getting better . '
Things are getting worse and I do n't know where the wake-up call comes to the country .
This is n't about Trump voters or Biden voters .
You know , this idea that some of our colleagues , Nicolle , have scorned Trump voters .
They say , you know , you are n't a decent person if you believe in Trump , that 's just not the case .
I know Trump voters who are business planners , who are business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are law enforcement officers , who are workers .
They are decent people .
We may agree or disagree with them , but this idea that somehow we 're setting ourselves up in the media or in the Democratic party , hey , there 's only one way to look at it and it 's our way , that does n't sell with people .
Come on , Bob .
No one is trying to make run-of-the-mill Republicans agree on some policy prescription here .
We 're trying to battle racist , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are perfectly okay with a racist , misogynist , fascist president with policies that reflect that hate .
It 's time for some serious VOTER SHAMING .

Yet another example of how cable news means we can't have nice things.
Bob Woodward does a great job as usual of illustrating the danger Donald Trump is to our democracy.
But...he stops short of blaming those who STILL support Donald Trump after he put "a dagger in the Constitution."
Really, Bob. You should spend a little time on #MAGA2020 Twitter before making a "good Trump supporter" argument.
And it is the policy of Crooks and Liars.com that we draw the line at Nazis, Klansmen, white nationalists, and Qanon idiots. They are simply not "good people."
Transcript from MSNBC's 'Deadline: White House' below:
BOB WOODWARD: We have a president who has forsaken his duty to tell the truth and organize and plan what is he going to do as president. Time and time again we know and I've got more endless examples of this, of him making decisions on impulse, tweeting, driving people crazy who work for him, and then they leave or he fires them by tweet and he says the cruelest things. I mean, the idea that you -- somebody you brought from retirement like Mattis and Tillerson, Dan Coats... and then treat them that way is not just shocking -- I think the president in all of the things he's doing here has forsaken a larger duty, which is a moral duty, to do what's best for the country. This is a moral failure and a leadership failure. This idea about the election he's predicting and almost wishing for a quadruple train wreck on November 3rd. NICOLLE WALLACE (HOST): I could not agree with you more. All of the handwringing about the norms is misplaced. This statement yesterday is about obliterating the Constitution. Rod Rosenstein was reported to have whipped votes for the 25th Amendment. No one has challenged what Mattis and Coats have said. Since your book came out, I heard they have felt that way for a very long time. I wonder if it escalates things when it's not just the obliteration of norms, but also obliterating the Constitution. WOODWARD: It's not just challenging the constitution. It's putting a dagger in the constitution. WALLACE: Right. WOODWARD: For the President of the United States to do that is -- you know, I don't know whether there's language to describe this and what's happened is that Trump has been like this from the beginning, before he was elected president, just saying outrageous things, doing outrageous things. He's made the country and the world numb. 'Oh, well, that's the way it is. Oh, 1,000 people died today because of the virus, well, it isn't 2,000 like it was before. So things are getting better.' Things are getting worse and I don't know where the wake-up call comes to the country. This isn't about Trump voters or Biden voters. You know, this idea that some of our colleagues, Nicolle, have scorned Trump voters. They say, you know, you aren't a decent person if you believe in Trump, that's just not the case. I know Trump voters who are business planners, who are business people, who are military people, who are law enforcement officers, who are workers. They are decent people. We may agree or disagree with them, but this idea that somehow we're setting ourselves up in the media or in the Democratic party, hey, there's only one way to look at it and it's our way, that doesn't sell with people.
Come on, Bob. No one is trying to make run-of-the-mill Republicans agree on some policy prescription here. We're trying to battle racist, misogynist, fascists, and voters who are perfectly okay with a racist, misogynist, fascist president with policies that reflect that hate. It's time for some serious VOTER SHAMING.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Sarah Huckabee Sanders Humiliated By Australian TV Host

Australian ABC TV anchor Leigh Sales made Trump 's former Press Secretary look like a babbling fool .
Sarah Huckabee Sanders though she could pimp her book and defend Trump 's disgusting behavior while claiming to be `` guided by her Christian faith . ''
Sales began her interview with : `` Can Donald Trump tell the difference between the truth and a lie ? ''
Something snapped on Huckabee 's face at that point .
Later in the interview she asked how person who is guided by the Christian faith can support a man like Donald Trump .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has misled the American people on everything from coronavirus to climate change .
He boasts about grabbing women on the p***y .
Who paid hush money to a porn star to keep her quiet about their alleged relationship and who has maligned the men and women of America 's Armed Forces ? ''
Huckabee replied that the only perfect candidate is Jesus Christ .
I mean this is the level of ineptitude and lying Sarah Huckabee Sanders brings to the table .
Sanders was willing to sacrifice her faith to lie and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted to Mueller 's investigation ) in an effort to promote the worst human being ever to hold the nation 's highest office .
This is how all Trump administration officials should be treated by the media .

Australian ABC TV anchor Leigh Sales made Trump's former Press Secretary look like a babbling fool.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders though she could pimp her book and defend Trump's disgusting behavior while claiming to be "guided by her Christian faith."
Not this time, Sarah.
Sales began her interview with: "Can Donald Trump tell the difference between the truth and a lie?"
Something snapped on Huckabee's face at that point.
Later in the interview she asked how person who is guided by the Christian faith can support a man like Donald Trump.
"How do you reconcile for a president who has misled the American people on everything from coronavirus to climate change. He boasts about grabbing women on the p***y. Who paid hush money to a porn star to keep her quiet about their alleged relationship and who has maligned the men and women of America's Armed Forces?"
Huckabee replied that the only perfect candidate is Jesus Christ.
I mean this is the level of ineptitude and lying Sarah Huckabee Sanders brings to the table.
Sanders was willing to sacrifice her faith to lie and mislead the American people (which she admitted to Mueller's investigation) in an effort to promote the worst human being ever to hold the nation's highest office.
This is how all Trump administration officials should be treated by the media.
Here's the full interview. It's terrific.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Trump's Chief Of Staff Bashes His Own FBI Director For Not Lying About Non-Existent Voter Fraud

Mark Meadows , Donald Trump 's Chief of Staff , attacked their own FBI director this morning for testifying that the FBI has not seen any kind of voter fraud `` by mail or otherwise . ''
Christopher Wray testified to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday .
And it appeared as though MarkMeadows was swallowing some bleach to cure COVID19 in response .
At the hearing , Wray responded to a question on the security of mail-in voting by saying that the agency has `` not seen , historically , any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's by mail or otherwise . ''
That is like Kryptonite to the Trump administration .
Their efforts to `` win '' the 2020 election have included destroying the US Post Office 's ability to handle increased mail in ballots and to attempt to delegitimize any mail-in voting in order to declare Trump the winner .
Earlier today on CBS This Morning , Mark Meadows bashed the FBI Director for his testimony : “ With all due respect to Director Wray , he has a hard time finding emails in his own FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s any kind of voter fraud , ” Meadows said .
In other words ( Even though Trump hires only the best people ) Trump has installed an unqualified , unserious and bumbling dweeb to run the Federal Bureau of Investigation .

Mark Meadows, Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, attacked their own FBI director this morning for testifying that the FBI has not seen any kind of voter fraud "by mail or otherwise."
Christopher Wray testified to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Thursday.
And it appeared as though MarkMeadows was swallowing some bleach to cure COVID19 in response.
At the hearing, Wray responded to a question on the security of mail-in voting by saying that the agency has "not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise."
Certainly to change a federal election outcome by mounting that kind of fraud at scale would be a major challenge for an adversary," Wray said, adding that the FBI would "investigate seriously" any issue with widespread fraud by mail.
That is like Kryptonite to the Trump administration. Their efforts to "win" the 2020 election have included destroying the US Post Office's ability to handle increased mail in ballots and to attempt to delegitimize any mail-in voting in order to declare Trump the winner.
Earlier today on CBS This Morning, Mark Meadows bashed the FBI Director for his testimony:
“With all due respect to Director Wray, he has a hard time finding emails in his own FBI, let alone figuring out whether there’s any kind of voter fraud,” Meadows said.
In other words (Even though Trump hires only the best people) Trump has installed an unqualified, unserious and bumbling dweeb to run the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
These people are cretins.


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Friday News Dump: Trump Is Trying To Steal The Election, And Other News

As one of the original progressive bloggers , I remember that our primary focus was on pushing the media to be better .
It was a hard slog then , but it 's even harder now .
Donald Trump is quite openly planning to steal this election , and the media responds by asking other people for their opinion on it : So what should the media do ?
@ jayrosen_nyu and I had a long discussion about his idea that newsrooms threat model and tabletop these scenarios , to make sure they are ready to make the right decision @ @ @ @ @ @ @ //t.co/es9vGlobvv She was hired to fight with the press .
Not to spin , not to spar , but to demean and discredit the reporters and thus generate clips that can circulate in the base-o-sphere .
When the press shows up to be fought with , it confirms the logic of the appointment .
pic.twitter.com/F1FzuUBFUq The way you *know* Trump 's `` law and order '' chant is just coded racism is that whenever these guys have a chance to support `` law and order , '' like the F-B-freaking-I they crap all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it for the law or the order , they 're in it for the racism .
https : //t.co/bswuM48Cmz Black voters were more than twice as likely to have mail-in ballots rejected than those submitted by the state ’ s white voters in 2018 , and rejection rates for 2020 show a similar pattern , according to a new analysis by ProPublica and WRAL News .
https : //t.co/88FWpw0Qh0 '' You want to go into history to look for something like this ?
Go into Italian history and look at Mussolini .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
- @ BeschlossDC pic.twitter.com/mFPyxDACG0 DEPT .
OF 'THERE , THERE , IT 'S ALMOST OVER' Only 38 days , people !
Stay safe , wear a mask , AND MAIL IN YOUR BALLOTS !
!
!
Have a wonderful weekend ...

As one of the original progressive bloggers, I remember that our primary focus was on pushing the media to be better. It was a hard slog then, but it's even harder now. Donald Trump is quite openly planning to steal this election, and the media responds by asking other people for their opinion on it:
My latest—this is not a drill; https://t.co/OtUMy3MuYS — Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) September 25, 2020
why won’t either paper demand he step down?? https://t.co/4qrNGI05bh — Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) September 25, 2020
And just for reference pic.twitter.com/DwElKukB2p — Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) September 24, 2020
So what should the media do? @jayrosen_nyu and I had a long discussion about his idea that newsrooms threat model and tabletop these scenarios, to make sure they are ready to make the right decision in the heat of the moment.https://t.co/es9vGlobvv — Alex Stamos (@alexstamos) September 24, 2020
She was hired to fight with the press. Not to spin, not to spar, but to demean and discredit the reporters and thus generate clips that can circulate in the base-o-sphere. When the press shows up to be fought with, it confirms the logic of the appointment. pic.twitter.com/F1FzuUBFUq — Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) September 24, 2020
Federal judge exonerates Fox by observing that Tucker Carlson exaggerates and should not be taken literally because viewers know he hypes the case before him. https://t.co/eH3SCw6TbV — Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) September 25, 2020
People who criticize NPR for being explicitly Republican or promoting some specific corporate or government agenda are missing it.
That's not the issue.
The issue is that NPR has internally defined a goal of "objectivity" that prizes ignoring ones own passions, views.
1/ — Adam Davidson (@adamdavidson) September 24, 2020
****************************
The way you *know* Trump's "law and order" chant is just coded racism is that whenever these guys have a chance to support "law and order," like the F-B-freaking-I they crap all over it.
Trumpsters aren't in it for the law or the order, they're in it for the racism. https://t.co/bswuM48Cmz — Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) September 25, 2020
Pompeo's Swing-State Appearances Look a Lot Like Campaigning for Trump | By Charlotte Klein https://t.co/b9vQ35dYSZ — SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) September 25, 2020
Breaking: the United States has surpassed 7,000,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases...
in other words, there are now 7 million more Americans who will potentially have a “pre-existing” condition and a harder time getting health insurance in America if the ACA continues to be undone — Ayman Mohyeldin (@AymanM) September 25, 2020
IG finds "the Trump administration rescinded an award recognizing the work of a journalist from Finland last year after discovering she had criticized President Trump in social media posts, then gave a false explanation for withdrawing the honor" https://t.co/nRXQ8RIlT2 — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 25, 2020
Beyond excited about Nellie Bly, our five-part audio adventure based on her true story of travelling around the world in 72 days! It's launching next week, stars 27 actors speaking seven languages, and has an incredible script. https://t.co/nWnMiRKYHY — Adrian Hon (@adrianhon) September 25, 2020
Giant waterspout comes ashore in the Italian city of Salerno, uprooting trees and causing some minor damage to vehicles and buildings. https://t.co/Shz0QXn70Z pic.twitter.com/zmN5Qdn1Yc — ABC News (@ABC) September 25, 2020
“A Democratic sweep that puts Joe Biden in the White House and the party back in the Senate majority would produce 7.4 million more jobs and a faster economic recovery than if President Trump retains power.” https://t.co/XeNhJZX9OY — Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) September 25, 2020
Happening shortly: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will break one final barrier on Friday, becoming the first woman and the first Jewish American to lie in state in the United States Capitol
The NYT will have live coverage: https://t.co/9nJHcoI1gI — Nicholas Fandos (@npfandos) September 25, 2020
The Tokyo Olympics are facing renewed scrutiny over allegations that the city's bid to host the games was secured by millions of dollars in bribes laundered through the international banking system. https://t.co/IPekYJSROh — NBC News (@NBCNews) September 25, 2020
„Together these two papers explain nearly 14% of severe COVID-19 cases.“
We‘re learning new things about #covid19 every day, but two papers in Science today add a bigger than usual part of the puzzle. My colleague @meredithwadman has the story here: https://t.co/gpYO3sRS9o — Kai Kupferschmidt (@kakape) September 24, 2020
OPINION | Ex-Trump administration officials all seem to agree on one thing: Their former boss is a walking disaster.https://t.co/OVtxVdLcaG — Business Insider (@businessinsider) September 25, 2020
Black voters were more than twice as likely to have mail-in ballots rejected than those submitted by the state’s white voters in 2018, and rejection rates for 2020 show a similar pattern, according to a new analysis by ProPublica and WRAL News. https://t.co/88FWpw0Qh0 — ProPublica (@propublica) September 25, 2020
this throwback from 2018 really explains a lot about why so many people are happily voting for joe in 2020. pic.twitter.com/kPoOSpPTxe — Florida Chris (@chrislongview) March 3, 2020
Use our interactive guide to see how to vote by mail in your state for the presidential election https://t.co/46XWEMnrwz — Bloomberg (@business) September 25, 2020
"Also, an FYI, in case you do not recognize the owner, Carey Sharpe, is Senator Ron Johnson’s daughter." https://t.co/mmntMEw8NH — Adam Smith (@asmith83) September 25, 2020
Trump: "I'm no longer angry at Mitt, because he's being very nice on the Supreme Court." — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) September 24, 2020
the report by Fauci and Morens calls for 'living in more thoughtful and creative harmony with nature,' or else expect to see more pandemics like COVID-19 every few years."https://t.co/UqM2zrlC9F via @dvergano — Mask Wearer for Truth (@Bobblespeak) September 25, 2020
No bias in police departments right? There’s no systemic racism. https://t.co/9sEqxPhMKb — BreitFox News (@BreitFoxNews) September 25, 2020
DEVELOPING: French terror police have launched an investigation after at least 2 people were stabbed near the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, French officials said Friday. https://t.co/vrGGgEZTFP — MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 25, 2020
"You want to go into history to look for something like this? Go into Italian history and look at Mussolini. This is the way dictators come to power." - @BeschlossDC pic.twitter.com/mFPyxDACG0 — Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) September 25, 2020
DEPT. OF 'THERE, THERE, IT'S ALMOST OVER'
Dancing with mom it’s still September 21st! 💕💕💕💕 pic.twitter.com/g5ndtteCfU — Jay Arnold 🎬 (@jadedcreative) September 22, 2020
This guy was tired of his glasses fogging up so he made a bowl of ramen face mask to match 👓🍲 pic.twitter.com/KSVdPrSCOt — NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 25, 2020
The grandma thought that the pool was the dancing floor LMFAOOO, buenos días pic.twitter.com/Nnt5scCEUL — Kelvin 🇩🇴 (@kbvnks_) September 25, 2020
When you can't forget good music 😍🐶 pic.twitter.com/GMPqsDtYei — Puppies 🐶 (@PopularPuppies) September 23, 2020
This is all of us in quarantine. https://t.co/qK3HAwTpLW — skullsinthestars - Black lives matter (@drskyskull) September 24, 2020
Rosie saw a bunch of dogs on her nightly walk, and Wally was so excited he literally jumped in circles. 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/y7HBVLBTVU — Emily C. Singer (@CahnEmily) September 24, 2020
one of the best moment ever pic.twitter.com/ZicLZGr4LM — Puppies 🐶 (@PopularPuppies) September 23, 2020
A parked car and Baby Shark. All you need to be happy at 2 ❤ #niece #toddler pic.twitter.com/gxWuqzBomO — Pamela Loving (@pamelaloving) September 23, 2020
Only 38 days, people! Stay safe, wear a mask, AND MAIL IN YOUR BALLOTS!!! Have a wonderful weekend...


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Carol Cadwalladr Explains Exactly How Facebook Is Destroying Democracy

Carole Cadwalladr is Jeff Goldblum in every disaster movie , the scientist who 's warning people but no one 's listening .
And her latest warning is about Facebook .
It 's progress that she was on Morning Joe today .
`` Carol continues her investigations into the social media giant in a recent piece titled 'Facebook is out of control .
If it were a country , it would be North Korea ' .
In that piece she argued there 's no power on this earth capable of holding Facebook to account , '' Joe Scarborough said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to analyze Facebook 's content decisions , policies and other platform issues in the run up to the presidential election called 'the real Facebook oversight board . '
Carol joins us now .
thank you for being with us .
Your Ted talk was extraordinary . ''
He went on to say that he has good friends in his hometown , `` and yet when I talk to them about the 2020 election , they 're on another planet .
Not whether they 're Donald Trump or Joe Biden , but just on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did n't understand that until I saw your Ted talk .
You have the same experience when you went back to your hometown and everybody was talking about how horrible the EU was . ''
Cadwalladr said we are now living `` in different realities , in different universes , and we can see very directly how Facebook has put us into these bubbles .
And we know that -- we know that there is continuous stream of lies and misinformation that is being distributed now at this critical time in American democracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And I think it 's incredibly alarming that people do n't have access to basic facts anymore . ''
Watch the rest of the interview .
You can watch her Ted talk here : And then , you 'll probably want to watch this on Netflix .
It 's pretty shocking , but important :

Carole Cadwalladr is Jeff Goldblum in every disaster movie, the scientist who's warning people but no one's listening.
And her latest warning is about Facebook.
Carole Cadwalladr wrote this article. She's spot on. Also, she's on Morning Joe right now.https://t.co/LllQaKQMBv — Scarlett 'Ruthless' Vermilion (@scarburro) September 25, 2020
It's progress that she was on Morning Joe today.
"Carol continues her investigations into the social media giant in a recent piece titled 'Facebook is out of control. If it were a country, it would be North Korea'. In that piece she argued there's no power on this earth capable of holding Facebook to account," Joe Scarborough said.
"She's organized a group of experts to analyze Facebook's content decisions, policies and other platform issues in the run up to the presidential election called 'the real Facebook oversight board.' Carol joins us now. thank you for being with us. Your Ted talk was extraordinary."
He went on to say that he has good friends in his hometown, "and yet when I talk to them about the 2020 election, they're on another planet. Not whether they're Donald Trump or Joe Biden, but just on the basic facts. And I really didn't understand that until I saw your Ted talk. You have the same experience when you went back to your hometown and everybody was talking about how horrible the EU was."
Cadwalladr said we are now living "in different realities, in different universes, and we can see very directly how Facebook has put us into these bubbles. And we know that -- we know that there is continuous stream of lies and misinformation that is being distributed now at this critical time in American democracy while people have already started voting. And I think it's incredibly alarming that people don't have access to basic facts anymore."
(I just want to remind people that Christopher Wylie, who wrote "Mindf*ck," was one of her major sources on the Cambridge Analytica story, and you really should read his book.)
Alexander Nix, the man who was running Cambridge Analytica when it harvested the Facebook data of tens of millions voters without their knowledge so it could be exploited by the Trump 2016 campaign, has been banned from directing any companies for 7 yearshttps://t.co/V9GeKQWUuq — The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) September 24, 2020
Watch the rest of the interview. You can watch her Ted talk here:
And then, you'll probably want to watch this on Netflix. It's pretty shocking, but important:


crooksandliars--2020-09-25--Here's How Your Q-Loving Relatives React To Fact Checking

CNN did an investigation into the closed circle of Trump-driven disinformation , and it 's hard to see how to get through to these people .
`` All right , this morning , a remarkable CNN investigation , '' John Berman said .
`` What are the results of the deliberate misinformation campaigns being staged by President Trump and his campaign ?
What are Trump supporters voters actually hearing ?
Well , really for the first time , now we know .
CNN 's Donie O'Sullivan spent time at a Trump event and heard some just amazing things . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ TRUMP SUPPORTER : When people say it 's fact checked , it 's wrong because it 's taken out of context .
Like when Joe Biden fell asleep during a live interview on television .
REPORTER : Claimed that he fell asleep -- I think that was an edited one , right ?
SUPPORTER : I did n't think it was -- it looked pretty live to me with no cuts in it .
`` A lot of people we spoke to today are sharing posts on Facebook that later get fact checked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' O'Sullivan said .
TRUMP SUPPORTER : Anything I put on there about our president is only on for a few minutes and then all of a sudden they 're fact checking me saying this , that , and the other thing , which I know is not true .
Their fact checkers are wrong .
SECOND TRUMP SUPPORTER : They 'll right away go to the conservative site and say , that 's wrong , then they pull it .
And they 're not going to the liberal sites .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're the real liars out there .
`` Also circulating online , more insidious forms of misinformation , including baseless claims about Vice President Joe Biden being a pedophile , '' O'Sullivan said .
`` Do you guys seriously think that Joe Biden is a pedophile ? ''
`` That baseless , fabricated claim about Biden is circulating among supporters of Qanon , a conspiracy theory that the FBI says is a potential domestic terrorism threat .
Some of these false claims have been amplified by the president himself .
The FBI is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theory .
Does that make you think for a second , hang on , should I be following this thing ? ''
`` No , because Qanon 's bringing up the bad things about the FBI .
That 's why they 're saying it .
That 's why they 're afraid of it . ''
So there you go .
You ca n't trust anyone except Q .
`` Two things .
One , I mean , it 's effective .
These people hear that message .
The other thing is , Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they take some of it down , but it takes a while , '' Berman said .
`` Please , do n't kid yourself , '' Alysin Camerota said .
Facebook has not stepped up , nor have any of the social media platforms stepped up to combat this level -- it 's chilling .
What we just saw was chilling . ''
Yes , it is .

CNN did an investigation into the closed circle of Trump-driven disinformation, and it's hard to see how to get through to these people.
"All right, this morning, a remarkable CNN investigation," John Berman said.
"What are the results of the deliberate misinformation campaigns being staged by President Trump and his campaign? What are Trump supporters voters actually hearing? Well, really for the first time, now we know. CNN's Donie O'Sullivan spent time at a Trump event and heard some just amazing things."
And boy, he sure did.
TRUMP SUPPORTER: When people say it's fact checked, it's wrong because it's taken out of context. Like when Joe Biden fell asleep during a live interview on television.
REPORTER: Claimed that he fell asleep -- I think that was an edited one, right?
SUPPORTER: I didn't think it was -- it looked pretty live to me with no cuts in it.
"A lot of people we spoke to today are sharing posts on Facebook that later get fact checked by Facebook's third party fact checkers," O'Sullivan said.
TRUMP SUPPORTER: Anything I put on there about our president is only on for a few minutes and then all of a sudden they're fact checking me saying this, that, and the other thing, which I know is not true. Their fact checkers are wrong.
SECOND TRUMP SUPPORTER: They'll right away go to the conservative site and say, that's wrong, then they pull it. And they're not going to the liberal sites. And them are the real lies. They're the real liars out there.
"Also circulating online, more insidious forms of misinformation, including baseless claims about Vice President Joe Biden being a pedophile," O'Sullivan said.
"Do you guys seriously think that Joe Biden is a pedophile?"
"Yes, I do."
"I feel he is."
"I feel he's part of the game."
"That baseless, fabricated claim about Biden is circulating among supporters of Qanon, a conspiracy theory that the FBI says is a potential domestic terrorism threat. Some of these false claims have been amplified by the president himself. The FBI is saying that Qanon is a dangerous conspiracy theory. Does that make you think for a second, hang on, should I be following this thing?"
"No, because Qanon's bringing up the bad things about the FBI. That's why they're saying it. That's why they're afraid of it."
So there you go. You can't trust anyone except Q.
The men behind QAnon - ABC News - https://t.co/qP7ynzdLi1 via @ABC — Suburban Guerrilla Ω (@SusieMadrak) September 25, 2020
"Two things. One, I mean, it's effective. These people hear that message. The other thing is, Facebook, it's on -- I know they take some of it down, but it takes a while," Berman said.
"Please, don't kid yourself," Alysin Camerota said. Facebook has not stepped up, nor have any of the social media platforms stepped up to combat this level -- it's chilling. What we just saw was chilling."
Yes, it is.


crooksandliars--2020-09-26--Trump’s Vaccine Czar Refuses To Give Up Stock In Related Drug Company

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom .
Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox .
The former pharmaceutical executive tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the administration ’ s race to a COVID-19 vaccine is refusing to give up investments that stand to benefit from his work — at least during his lifetime .
The executive , Moncef Slaoui , is the top scientist on Operation Warp Speed , the administration ’ s effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine in record time .
Federal law requires government officials to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holdings relating to their work , but Slaoui said he wouldn ’ t take the job under those conditions .
So the administration said it ’ s treating him as a contractor .
Contractors aren ’ t bound by the same ethics rules but also aren ’ t supposed to wield as much authority as full employees .
Slaoui agreed to sell stock worth $ 12 million and resign from the board of Moderna , the developer of a leading potential vaccine .
But Slaoui insisted on keeping his roughly $ 10 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , another contender in the Operation Warp Speed vaccine race .
“ I won ’ t leave those shares because that ’ s my retirement , ” he has said .
GlaxoSmithKline , working with Sanofi , has started human trials for a coronavirus vaccine using similar technology to Sanofi ’ s flu shot .
It is supported by up to $ 2.1 billion from the U.S. government .
As a concession , Slaoui committed to donating any increase in the value of his holdings to the National Institutes of Health .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Coronavirus called the commitment “ toothless.
” According to newly released records from the committee , Slaoui ’ s contract with the government specifies that the donation “ may occur on the last death of the employee and his or her spouse.
” Slaoui is 61 and his wife , Kristen Belmonte , is 50 .
“ That means he ’ s going to live out his life with those profits , ” said Craig Holman , a lobbyist with the advocacy group Public Citizen who has filed multiple ethics complaints about Slaoui @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s so clearly an all-out evasion ” of the law against conflicts of interest , Holman said .
In addition , the contract ’ s requirement is further complicated by measuring the increase in the stock ’ s value against a drug industry index , not the outright change in the stock itself .
As it happens , since Slaoui joined Operation Warp Speed , both GlaxoSmithKline and the specified drug industry index have declined .
Slaoui declined to be interviewed through a spokeswoman .
“ I have a personal compass in ethics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that , ” Slaoui said in a July podcast interview with Michael Caputo , the Department of Health and Human Services spokesman who subsequently left the agency after an incendiary Facebook rant accusing government scientists of “ sedition.
” “ It ’ s been extremely painful for me that anybody would even think that I took this job to enrich myself or my former colleagues , ” Slaoui said .
The White House declined to comment .
An HHS spokeswoman said agency ethics officers determined that Slaoui complied with the department ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and board resignations .
“ The American people are fortunate to have him as a leader of President Trump ’ s effort to discover vaccines , therapeutics and diagnostics to defeat the coronavirus , ” the spokeswoman , Natalie Baldassarre , said in an emailed statement .
During his time at GlaxoSmithKline , Slaoui led the development of several new vaccines , including ones to prevent cervical cancer , malaria and shingles .
HHS previously said Slaoui “ does not have any additional stock holdings in any other companies involved in vaccines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19.
” But in addition to Slaoui ’ s retained GlaxoSmithKline shares , the records obtained by the House Democrats revealed he has a holding in another biotechnology company , Lonza Group , that wasn ’ t previously disclosed .
The company has a contract with Moderna to manufacture its coronavirus vaccine .
Slaoui resigned from Lonza ’ s board before joining Operation Warp Speed but kept his shares .
The records released by the House committee do not show how much the stake was worth .
“ Documents recently obtained by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advisors may have significant undisclosed financial conflicts of interest that , contrary to the administration ’ s public statements , have not been adequately addressed , ” the committee ’ s chairman , Rep. James E. Clyburn , D-S.C. , said in a Sept. 21 letter to Advanced Decision Vectors LLC , a consulting firm that received the contract for the government ’ s work with Slaoui and other Operation Warp Speed advisers .
Clyburn said the committee will subpoena the company if it doesn ’ t voluntarily provide more documents .
Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ root out this kind of corruption , ” Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass.
, said at a hearing on Wednesday .
“ And the first person to be fired should be Dr. Slaoui .
The American people deserve to know that COVID-19 decisions are based on science and not on personal greed.
” Clyburn ’ s committee also released records that he said suggested conflicts of interest among three other Operation Warp Speed advisers : William Erhardt , Rachel Harrigan and Carlo de Notaristefani .
According to the documents , HHS certified that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investments “ are not involved in vaccines , therapeutics and diagnostic products developed to combat pandemic COVID-19.
” However , several of the holdings that the advisers listed are in companies working on vaccines , treatments and tests for the coronavirus .
According to the records , Erhardt and Harrigan own shares of Pfizer , the current coronavirus vaccine front-runner with a $ 2 billion preorder from the government .
Erhardt also listed holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific , a diagnostics manufacturer that has received millions from the federal government for coronavirus testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two clinical trials of drugs that could treat COVID-19 ; and Incyte Pharmaceuticals , which is also studying a possible treatment .
The third adviser , de Notaristefani , reported a financial interest in Teva Pharmaceuticals , a manufacturer of the generic drug hydroxychloroquine touted by Trump as a coronavirus treatment despite lacking scientific support .
“ HHS appears to be permitting these advisors to keep these holdings , along with any profits , by certifying that ‘ the Government has determined ’ the companies ‘ are not involved in vaccines , therapeutics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , ’ ” Clyburn wrote in his letter .
“ These certifications appear to be inaccurate.
” Baldassarre declined to comment on the certifications or answer other specific questions for this article .
ProPublica ’ s board chairman , Paul Sagan , is a member of Moderna ’ s board and a company stockholder .

ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
The former pharmaceutical executive tapped by President Donald Trump to lead the administration’s race to a COVID-19 vaccine is refusing to give up investments that stand to benefit from his work — at least during his lifetime.
The executive, Moncef Slaoui, is the top scientist on Operation Warp Speed, the administration’s effort to develop a coronavirus vaccine in record time. Federal law requires government officials to disclose their personal finances and divest any holdings relating to their work, but Slaoui said he wouldn’t take the job under those conditions. So the administration said it’s treating him as a contractor. Contractors aren’t bound by the same ethics rules but also aren’t supposed to wield as much authority as full employees.
Slaoui agreed to sell stock worth $12 million and resign from the board of Moderna, the developer of a leading potential vaccine. But Slaoui insisted on keeping his roughly $10 million stake in his former company, GlaxoSmithKline, another contender in the Operation Warp Speed vaccine race. “I won’t leave those shares because that’s my retirement,” he has said. GlaxoSmithKline, working with Sanofi, has started human trials for a coronavirus vaccine using similar technology to Sanofi’s flu shot. It is supported by up to $2.1 billion from the U.S. government.
As a concession, Slaoui committed to donating any increase in the value of his holdings to the National Institutes of Health.
But Democrats on the House Committee on the Coronavirus called the commitment “toothless.” According to newly released records from the committee, Slaoui’s contract with the government specifies that the donation “may occur on the last death of the employee and his or her spouse.” Slaoui is 61 and his wife, Kristen Belmonte, is 50.
“That means he’s going to live out his life with those profits,” said Craig Holman, a lobbyist with the advocacy group Public Citizen who has filed multiple ethics complaints about Slaoui’s service. “It’s so clearly an all-out evasion” of the law against conflicts of interest, Holman said.
In addition, the contract’s requirement is further complicated by measuring the increase in the stock’s value against a drug industry index, not the outright change in the stock itself. As it happens, since Slaoui joined Operation Warp Speed, both GlaxoSmithKline and the specified drug industry index have declined.
Slaoui declined to be interviewed through a spokeswoman. “I have a personal compass in ethics and people who know me personally know that,” Slaoui said in a July podcast interview with Michael Caputo, the Department of Health and Human Services spokesman who subsequently left the agency after an incendiary Facebook rant accusing government scientists of “sedition.”
“It’s been extremely painful for me that anybody would even think that I took this job to enrich myself or my former colleagues,” Slaoui said.
The White House declined to comment. An HHS spokeswoman said agency ethics officers determined that Slaoui complied with the department’s rules through his contractor status, divestiture and board resignations.
“The American people are fortunate to have him as a leader of President Trump’s effort to discover vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to defeat the coronavirus,” the spokeswoman, Natalie Baldassarre, said in an emailed statement. During his time at GlaxoSmithKline, Slaoui led the development of several new vaccines, including ones to prevent cervical cancer, malaria and shingles.
HHS previously said Slaoui “does not have any additional stock holdings in any other companies involved in vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic products developed to combat COVID-19.” But in addition to Slaoui’s retained GlaxoSmithKline shares, the records obtained by the House Democrats revealed he has a holding in another biotechnology company, Lonza Group, that wasn’t previously disclosed. The company has a contract with Moderna to manufacture its coronavirus vaccine. Slaoui resigned from Lonza’s board before joining Operation Warp Speed but kept his shares. The records released by the House committee do not show how much the stake was worth.
“Documents recently obtained by the Select Subcommittee have heightened concerns that these advisors may have significant undisclosed financial conflicts of interest that, contrary to the administration’s public statements, have not been adequately addressed,” the committee’s chairman, Rep. James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., said in a Sept. 21 letter to Advanced Decision Vectors LLC, a consulting firm that received the contract for the government’s work with Slaoui and other Operation Warp Speed advisers. Clyburn said the committee will subpoena the company if it doesn’t voluntarily provide more documents.
ADV’s CEO, David Harris, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
Congress should strengthen the federal ethics laws to root out this kind of corruption,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at a hearing on Wednesday. “And the first person to be fired should be Dr. Slaoui. The American people deserve to know that COVID-19 decisions are based on science and not on personal greed.”
Clyburn’s committee also released records that he said suggested conflicts of interest among three other Operation Warp Speed advisers: William Erhardt, Rachel Harrigan and Carlo de Notaristefani. According to the documents, HHS certified that the companies in which the advisers have investments “are not involved in vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic products developed to combat pandemic COVID-19.” However, several of the holdings that the advisers listed are in companies working on vaccines, treatments and tests for the coronavirus.
According to the records, Erhardt and Harrigan own shares of Pfizer, the current coronavirus vaccine front-runner with a $2 billion preorder from the government. Erhardt also listed holdings in Thermo Fisher Scientific, a diagnostics manufacturer that has received millions from the federal government for coronavirus testing materials; PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, which has two clinical trials of drugs that could treat COVID-19; and Incyte Pharmaceuticals, which is also studying a possible treatment. The third adviser, de Notaristefani, reported a financial interest in Teva Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of the generic drug hydroxychloroquine touted by Trump as a coronavirus treatment despite lacking scientific support.
“HHS appears to be permitting these advisors to keep these holdings, along with any profits, by certifying that ‘the Government has determined’ the companies ‘are not involved in vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic products developed to combat pandemic COVID-19,’” Clyburn wrote in his letter. “These certifications appear to be inaccurate.”
Baldassarre declined to comment on the certifications or answer other specific questions for this article.
ProPublica’s board chairman, Paul Sagan, is a member of Moderna’s board and a company stockholder.


crooksandliars--2020-09-26--Here's Your Weekend Palate Cleanser Of Liberal Podcasts

Here 's a break from the usual slant we see from our corporate media that loves balance for the sake of balance when there is none , or that 's more worried about losing their access than making sure their viewers are actually informed on the issues of the day .
In the segment above , Randi Rhodes takes apart Trump and his fellow Republican liars for the latest talking point they 've been pushing on Fox or anywhere else they get airtime , which is that Hillary Clinton supposedly told Joe Biden not to concede under any circumstances , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lie .
She said do n't concede on election day and not before all the votes are counted .
But , as she discussed , they 're all still really , really , desperately want to run against Clinton even though she 's no longer the nominee .
You can watch her entire show from Friday here .
So , what liberal podcasts does everyone here listen to ?
Please share in the comment section below , and here are just a few of our favorites , two of which feature some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ & L .
Jim Hightower 's Radio Lowdown The Professional Left with our own Bluegal and Driftglass And Momocrats with our own Karoli and Aliza

Here's a break from the usual slant we see from our corporate media that loves balance for the sake of balance when there is none, or that's more worried about losing their access than making sure their viewers are actually informed on the issues of the day.
In the segment above, Randi Rhodes takes apart Trump and his fellow Republican liars for the latest talking point they've been pushing on Fox or anywhere else they get airtime, which is that Hillary Clinton supposedly told Joe Biden not to concede under any circumstances, which, of course, is a lie. She said don't concede on election day and not before all the votes are counted. But, as she discussed, they're all still really, really, desperately want to run against Clinton even though she's no longer the nominee.
You can watch her entire show from Friday here.
So, what liberal podcasts does everyone here listen to? Please share in the comment section below, and here are just a few of our favorites, two of which feature some of our hard working bloggers here at C&L.
Citizen Radio
Daily Kos -- Kagro In The Morning
Jim Hightower's Radio Lowdown
The Professional Left with our own Bluegal and Driftglass
The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder
Glenn Kirschner
The Bob Cesca Show
The Oath With Chuck Rosenberg
Democracy-ish with Danielle Moodie and Toure
Gaslit Nation with Andrea Chalupa and Sarah Kendzior\
And Momocrats with our own Karoli and Aliza


crooksandliars--2020-09-26--'The Comey Rule' Is Most Important Drama Of 2020

Showtime 's drama The Comey Rule airs September 27 and 28 , and it 's been called 'the most important drama of the year . '
The Comey Rule is a riveting , behind-the-scenes account of the historical events surrounding the 2016 presidential election and the fallout from these events .
The two-part series stars Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson as former FBI Director James Comey and President Donald Trump .
It also stars Holly Hunter as Sally Yates , Michael Kelly as Andrew McCabe , and Scoot McNairy playing Rod Rosenstein .
The Comey Rule is based on former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A Higher Loyalty and additional interviews with insiders involved in the events .
The Showtime drama spent over a year gathering interviews and collecting research .
According to Deadline , `` The Comey Rule may prove the most important drama in a year that clearly has had no shortage of drama . ''
In his review , Deadline Senior Editor Dominic Patten states : '' Whether you are a card-carrying Democrat , a fan of Jim Comey , part of Trump 's MAGA base or an undecided voter , The Comey Rule reveals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's not a pretty sight , ethically , politically , or otherwise . ''
In an interview with Vanity Fair the series writer-director Billy Ray said he is braced for reactions to the limited series : '' I recognize that there is something for everyone to hate in this movie , and I know we 're going to be prejudged by a lot of people who think they know who Comey is , who think they know who Trump is , and who think they know exactly what happened in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the true-life films Richard Jewell , Captain Phillips , and Shattered Glass .
Author and thought leader Greg Olear says The Comey Rule is `` essential viewing ' .
One thing is sure — the Trump tweetstorm alone surrounding the Showtime drama will be EPIC .
The Comey Rule airs on on September 27 and September 28 at 9/8c on Showtime .

Showtime's drama The Comey Rule airs September 27 and 28, and it's been called 'the most important drama of the year.' The Comey Rule is a riveting, behind-the-scenes account of the historical events surrounding the 2016 presidential election and the fallout from these events.
The two-part series stars Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson as former FBI Director James Comey and President Donald Trump. It also stars Holly Hunter as Sally Yates, Michael Kelly as Andrew McCabe, and Scoot McNairy playing Rod Rosenstein.
The Comey Rule is based on former FBI Director James Comey's bestselling book A Higher Loyalty and additional interviews with insiders involved in the events. The Showtime drama spent over a year gathering interviews and collecting research.
According to Deadline, "The Comey Rule may prove the most important drama in a year that clearly has had no shortage of drama." In his review, Deadline Senior Editor Dominic Patten states:
"Whether you are a card-carrying Democrat, a fan of Jim Comey, part of Trump's MAGA base or an undecided voter, The Comey Rule reveals that the emperor truly has no clothes. It's not a pretty sight, ethically, politically, or otherwise."
In an interview with Vanity Fair the series writer-director Billy Ray said he is braced for reactions to the limited series:
"I recognize that there is something for everyone to hate in this movie, and I know we're going to be prejudged by a lot of people who think they know who Comey is, who think they know who Trump is, and who think they know exactly what happened in 2016,"
Ray is best known for the true-life films Richard Jewell, Captain Phillips, and Shattered Glass.
Author and thought leader Greg Olear says The Comey Rule is "essential viewing'.
One thing is sure — the Trump tweetstorm alone surrounding the Showtime drama will be EPIC.
The Comey Rule airs on on September 27 and September 28 at 9/8c on Showtime.