thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Critics Convinced Trump Wants TikTok Banned Because Sarah Cooper  Is Driving Him Nuts

There ’ s a new conspiracy theory in town : Donald Trump wants TikTok drop-kicked out of the U.S. because he can ’ t stand comedian Sarah Cooper ’ s blistering presidential impersonations .
Trump told reporters on Friday that he plans to ban the Chinese-owned short-form video-sharing app from operating in the U.S. “ As far as TikTok is concerned , we ’ re banning them from the United States , ” he declared aboard Air Force One .
The president claimed he could use emergency economic powers to ban the app — possibly as early as Saturday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ TikTok becasue it ’ s owned by the Chinese .
But perhaps not so coincidentally users have forged a strong anti-Trump identity .
TikTok users in June flooded the Trump campaign with fake requests for seat reservations at the president ’ s Tulsa rally , and proudly took a bow for the thousands of empty seats on the big day .
More recently , they savaged the Trump campaign app with vicious reviews to hit back at the president following his first announcement last month — after the Tulsa rally — that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cooper was back Friday trolling Trump on his threats against TikTok in a skit called “ How to tick tock ” on YouTube ( see the video up top ) , and “ How to tick tack ” on Twitter .
“ This wasn ’ t made with TikTok , ” Cooper smirked when reposting another skit Friday about Trump ’ s cognitive abilities .
BREAKING : Trump says he 's issuing an executive order to ban TikTok in the United States and we all know it 's because Sarah Cooper made fun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BrandonBesserer ) August 1 , 2020 Trump : Sarah Cooper is being mean to me !
I don ’ t like it when girls are mean to me !
Ban Tik Tok because girls are mean to me !
— Meredith Lee ( @ meralee727 ) August 1 , 2020 Trump wants to get rid of • The Post Office • Moms in Portland • Obama • Sarah Cooper • TikTok Trump does n't want to get rid of • The KKK • Ghislaine Maxwell • Coronavirus — JRehling ( @ JRehling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try & ban TikTok but one thing he ca n't undo is the fact that the platform helped fuel the fame & success of one particular comedian , Sarah Cooper , whose work consistently exposes the absurdity & stupidity of so much of what Trump says & does !
— MURRAY 🗽 ( @ murray_nyc ) August 1 , 2020 Y ’ all Sarah Cooper is great .
But please stop treating Trump like a joke .
First time people did that he became president .
He ’ s not just banning TikTok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literally rolling out a competitor next month .
— Joshua Potash ( @ JoshuaPotash ) August 1 , 2020 Microsoft was rumored to be in discussions with TikTok owner ByteDance to buy the app .
But Trump reportedly made it clear he is not in favor of allowing a U.S. company to purchase it .

There’s a new conspiracy theory in town: Donald Trump wants TikTok drop-kicked out of the U.S. because he can’t stand comedian Sarah Cooper’s blistering presidential impersonations.
Trump told reporters on Friday that he plans to ban the Chinese-owned short-form video-sharing app from operating in the U.S. “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States,” he declared aboard Air Force One. The president claimed he could use emergency economic powers to ban the app — possibly as early as Saturday.
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Trump says he has security concerns about TikTok becasue it’s owned by the Chinese. But perhaps not so coincidentally many users have forged a strong anti-Trump identity.
TikTok users in June flooded the Trump campaign with fake requests for seat reservations at the president’s Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally, and proudly took a bow for the thousands of empty seats on the big day.
More recently, they savaged the Trump campaign app with vicious reviews to hit back at the president following his first announcement last month — after the Tulsa rally — that he was going to shut TikTok down.
Cooper was back trolling Trump on Friday over his threats against TikTok in a skit called “How to tick tock” on YouTube (see the video up top), and “How to tick tack” on Twitter. “This wasn’t made with TikTok,” Cooper smirked when reposting another skit Friday about Trump’s cognitive abilities.
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How to tick tack pic.twitter.com/1Mn8nk363f — Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) July 31, 2020
That’s just what Trump doesn’t appreciate, Cooper fans responded.
Who else thinks that Donald Trump wants to ban TickTock because of Sarah Cooper’s hilarious videos? — HippieChick (@DetHippieChick) July 31, 2020
I think it's because of the TikTok kids that signed up for Tulsa rally tickets — DCPeskin 💙 🇺🇸 🌊 🏳🌈 🤦🏻♀ (@DCPeskin) July 31, 2020
BREAKING: Trump says he's issuing an executive order to ban TikTok in the United States and we all know it's because Sarah Cooper made fun of him. — Brandon Besserer (@BrandonBesserer) August 1, 2020
Trump: Sarah Cooper is being mean to me! I don’t like it when girls are mean to me! Ban Tik Tok because girls are mean to me! — Meredith Lee (@meralee727) August 1, 2020
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I don't think banning TikTok is going to slow Sarah Cooper down one bit! Nice try, Chump. 😆🤣 — Strictly BLM (@christoq) August 1, 2020
Sarah Cooper is the real reason Trump is banning TikTok https://t.co/VBXT9SBoE5 — Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) August 1, 2020
Literally the ONLY way I can listen to his voice. — BillH (@mrhortywho) July 31, 2020
Trump wants to get rid of
• The Post Office
• Moms in Portland
• Obama
• Sarah Cooper
• TikTok
Trump doesn't want to get rid of
• The KKK
• Ghislaine Maxwell
• Coronavirus — JRehling (@JRehling) August 1, 2020
Sarah Cooper now occupies the first floor of trump’s head. — Baligubadle (@Baligubadle1) August 1, 2020
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Trump can try & ban TikTok but one thing he can't undo is the fact that the platform helped fuel the fame & success of one particular comedian, Sarah Cooper, whose work consistently exposes the absurdity & stupidity of so much of what Trump says & does! — MURRAY 🗽 (@murray_nyc) August 1, 2020
Y’all Sarah Cooper is great. But please stop treating Trump like a joke. First time people did that he became president. He’s not just banning TikTok because she upsets him. Zuckerburg is literally rolling out a competitor next month. — Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) August 1, 2020
Microsoft was rumored to be in discussions with TikTok owner ByteDance to buy the app. But Trump reportedly made it clear he is not in favor of allowing a U.S. company to purchase it.
POTUS made clear he is against proposed spinoff of Tik Tok with a resale to Microsoft or another company. — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 1, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Carl Bernstein Names Nixon Era Move GOPers Should Pull To Protect U.S. From Trump

Carl Bernstein on Friday urged Republican leaders to stand up to President Donald Trump by taking a page out of the GOP ’ s Nixon era playbook .
The famed Watergate reporter noted how the top GOP leaders in Congress in 1974 “ marched to the White House ” and told then-President Richard Nixon “ he had to leave office because of what he had done to undermine the national interest through his reckless and outrageous and illegal acts ” during the Watergate scandal .
“ Something similar is needed now , ” Bernstein said on CNN ’ s “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ dangerous ” and “ not capable or stable enough ” to lead the country .
“ If only the Republican leadership and other Republicans would go , publicly , and say to this president ’ alright , you want to stay through the rest of your term but we ’ re going to be a caretaker until this election and you must begin to act in the national interest and in fact , we would like to find another alternative to run as the Republican nominee , ” said Bernstein .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to act , ” he later added .
“ We need them to set up a guardrail to protect us from this president ” until the 2020 election .
Bernstein said Republicans “ understand the danger of this president ” and that “ it ’ s damn past time that some of them step up and say we have to save the republic in these next few months , in this national emergency ” of the coronavirus pandemic , social unrest and the faltering economy .
It ’ s “ time that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States of America from this president , ” added Bernstein , who said his comments were “ based on the demonstrable facts that those closest to the president know about him and have expressed to reporters and to the public about his incompetence , ignorance , and danger .
”

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Carl Bernstein on Friday urged Republican leaders to stand up to President Donald Trump by taking a page out of the GOP’s Nixon-era playbook.
The famed Watergate reporter noted how the top GOP leaders in Congress in 1974 “marched to the White House” and told then-President Richard Nixon “he had to leave office because of what he had done to undermine the national interest through his reckless and outrageous and illegal acts” during the Watergate scandal.
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“Something similar is needed now,” Bernstein said on CNN’s “New Day,” describing Trump as “dangerous” and “not capable or stable enough” to lead the country.
“If only the Republican leadership and other Republicans would go, publicly, and say to this president, ‘Alright, you want to stay through the rest of your term, but we’re going to be a caretaker until this election and you must begin to act in the national interest, and in fact, we would like to find another alternative to run as the Republican nominee,’” said Bernstein.
“It’s time for the Republicans to act,” he later added. “We need them to set up a guardrail to protect us from this president” until the 2020 election.
Bernstein said Republicans “understand the danger of this president” and that “it’s damn past time that some of them step up and say we have to save the republic in these next few months, in this national emergency” of the coronavirus pandemic, social unrest and the faltering economy.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-31--Trump Says He Will Ban TikTok From The U.S.

President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he plans to ban the Chinese-owned short-form video-sharing app TikTok from operating in the U.S .
While aboard Air Force One , Trump said , “ As far as TikTok is concerned , we ’ re banning them from the United States.
” The president claimed he could use emergency economic powers to ban the app .
Microsoft was rumored to be in discussions with TikTok ’ s owner , ByteDance , to purchase the app , but according to reporters , Trump made it clear he was not in favor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ app .
TikTok has contended with distrust in the U.S. over privacy and security concerns .
In May , the company tried to head off growing unease by installing former Walt Disney Co. executive Kevin Mayer as CEO .
The U.S. military , which was using TikTok to boost recruitment efforts , banned the app in 2019 over concerns it presented a “ cyber threat.
” More recently , the app likely drew ire from the Trump administration after young TikTok users reportedly used it to coordinate a massive fake ticket-reserving scheme to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma .
It ’ s unclear how much the plan actually affected rally attendance , but reports of it appeared to get under Trump ’ s skin : The campaign started running anti-TikTok ads on Facebook soon after .
In July , Amazon instructed employees not to install the app ― then reversed course hours later , saying its memo was sent in error .
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-N.Y. ) and Sen. Tom Cotton ( R-Ark . )
last year requested a thorough review of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expressing concern the China-based content platform might present a national security risk .
In particular , the two worried that TikTok could be compelled to turn over sensitive user data to the Chinese government , with no legal mechanism to fight the request .

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President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he plans to ban the Chinese-owned short-form video-sharing app TikTok from operating in the U.S. While aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.” The president claimed he could use emergency economic powers to ban the app.
Microsoft was rumored to be in discussions with TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, to purchase the app, but according to reporters, Trump made it clear he was not in favor of allowing a U.S. company to buy the app.
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Pool report via main print pooler David Cloud/LAT pic.twitter.com/RDV8LjnLLQ — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 1, 2020
TikTok has contended with distrust in the U.S. over privacy and security concerns. In May, the company tried to head off growing unease by installing former Walt Disney Co. executive Kevin Mayer as CEO.
The U.S. military, which was using TikTok to boost recruitment efforts, banned the app in 2019 over concerns it presented a “cyber threat.”
More recently, the app likely drew ire from the Trump administration after young TikTok users reportedly used it to coordinate a massive fake ticket-reserving scheme to undermine Trump’s sparsely attended June campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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It’s unclear how much the plan actually affected rally attendance, but reports of it appeared to get under Trump’s skin: The campaign started running anti-TikTok ads on Facebook soon after.
Trump now running anti-TikTok Facebook/Instagram ads accusing the company of spying on users pic.twitter.com/dfHuSVpciL — Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) July 17, 2020
In July, Amazon instructed employees not to install the app ― then reversed course hours later, saying its memo was sent in error.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) last year requested a thorough review of the app by the intelligence community, expressing concern the China-based content platform might present a national security risk.
In particular, the two worried that TikTok could be compelled to turn over sensitive user data to the Chinese government, with no legal mechanism to fight the request.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Ivanka Trump And Jared Kushner Raked In $36 Million While Serving In The White House

President Donald Trump ’ s daughter Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner earned at least $ 36.2 million in outside income last year while serving as senior White House advisers , according to their latest financial filings , released Friday .
That ’ s an apparent bump in a combined income of about $ 7 million over 2018′s reported $ 29 million , The Washington Post noted .
Real estate and Trump Organization hotels accounted for much of the income .
The income is reported only within very broad ranges , so the first daughter and Kushner actually reported income @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 57 million — after deducting liabilities .
They reported a combined income of at least $ 82 million in 2017 .
Though White House advisers typically divest from investments and companies , particularly when they could represent potential conflicts of interest , both Ivanka Trump and Kushner have retained multiple holdings .
Kushner , for example , held on to a part ownership of his family-run real estate business , Kushner Cos. , even though he gave up running the firm .
Ivanka Trump reported earning $ 3.9 million from her stake in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third year running .
The first daughter was criticized last month for being outrageously out of touch when she suggested millions of Americans who have lost their jobs amid the COVID-19 crisis simply look elsewhere for work as part of her Find Something New Campaign. Important conversations are happening now .
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President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, earned at least $36.2 million in outside income last year while serving as senior White House advisers, according to their latest financial filings, released Friday.
That’s an apparent bump in a combined income of about $7 million over 2018′s reported $29 million, The Washington Post noted. Real estate and Trump Organization hotels accounted for much of the income.
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The income is reported only within very broad ranges, so the first daughter and Kushner actually reported income ranging from $36.2 million to $157 million, according to the Post’s analysis.
They reported a combined income of at least $82 million in 2017.
Though White House advisers typically divest from investments and companies, particularly when they could represent potential conflicts of interest, both Ivanka Trump and Kushner have retained multiple holdings. Kushner, for example, held on to a part ownership of his family-run real estate business, Kushner Cos., even though he gave up running the firm.
Ivanka Trump reported earning $3.9 million from her stake in the Trump International Hotel in Washington for the third year running.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-31--Kayleigh McEnany Says Election Delay 'Undermines' Democracy — In Hong Kong

The Chinese government ’ s decision to delay upcoming elections in Hong Kong undermines the democratic process , White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Friday — even as her boss floated the possibility of doing exactly the same thing in the U.S. “ We condemn the Hong Kong government ’ s decision to postpone for one year its Legislative Council elections , ” McEnany said at a press conference .
“ This effort undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong ’ s prosperity.
” Hong Kong ’ s chief executive , Carrie Lam , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be delayed because of the risks of spreading the coronavirus .
On Thursday , President Donald Trump floated the possibility of postponing the U.S. election in November , claiming without any basis in fact that the vote would be “ fraudulent ” due to more voting by mail amid the COVID-19 crisis .
Trump does not have the power to postpone the election .
With Universal Mail-In Voting ( not Absentee Voting , which is good ) , 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history .
It will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Delay the Election until people can properly , securely and safely vote ?
?
?
— Donald J. Trump ( @ realDonaldTrump ) July 30 , 2020 The president repeated the baseless claims on Friday , calling the U.S. election “ fixed ” and “ rigged ” and the “ greatest election disaster in history ” before it even occurs .
He is currently polling behind his opponent , presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden .
Asked his thoughts about the Hong Kong election delay , Trump refused to discuss it : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this election , ” he said , meaning the one in the U.S. Trump ’ s proposal to delay the U.S. election has infuriated Democrats and has not been supported by Republicans .
Influential conservative law professor and co-founder of The Federalist Society Steve Calabresi said Thursday that Trump ’ s tweet is grounds for removal from office .
He called the tweet “ fascistic.
” Some critics see Trump ’ s move as a massive distraction from surging COVID-19 cases and a tanking economy on his watch .
Others believe Trump is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election and is grasping at anything to dodge that destiny — or at least begin creating an excuse .

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The Chinese government’s decision to delay upcoming elections in Hong Kong undermines the democratic process, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Friday — even as her boss floated the possibility of doing exactly the same thing in the U.S.
“We condemn the Hong Kong government’s decision to postpone for one year its Legislative Council elections,” McEnany said at a press conference. “This effort undermines the democratic processes and freedoms that have underpinned Hong Kong’s prosperity.”
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Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said Friday that elections scheduled for early September will be delayed because of the risks of spreading the coronavirus.
Without a shred of irony, McEnany says the Trump administration condemns Hong Kong's decision to delay its election because it undermines democracy pic.twitter.com/nByQ91zaL2 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 31, 2020
On Thursday, President Donald Trump floated the possibility of postponing the U.S. election in November, claiming without any basis in fact that the vote would be “fraudulent” due to more voting by mail amid the COVID-19 crisis. Trump does not have the power to postpone the election.
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote??? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
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The president repeated the baseless claims on Friday, calling the U.S. election “fixed” and “rigged” and the “greatest election disaster in history” before it even occurs. He is currently polling behind his opponent, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Asked his thoughts about the Hong Kong election delay, Trump refused to discuss it: “I want to right now focus on this election,” he said, meaning the one in the U.S.
He promised a statement “soon” about Hong Kong and abruptly stopped taking questions.
Trump’s proposal to delay the U.S. election has infuriated Democrats and has not been supported by Republicans.
Influential conservative law professor and co-founder of The Federalist Society Steve Calabresi said Thursday that Trump’s tweet is grounds for removal from office. He called the tweet “fascistic.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Yes, 'Demons Sleep With People,' Insists Texas Doctor Who 'Impressed' Trump

Controversial Texas minister-physician Stella Immanuel — whose voice was elevated this week by President Donald Trump — confirmed her belief that demon sex with humans causes health problems in an interview Friday with the Houston Chronicle .
A video on the steps of the Supreme Court on Monday , which included Immanuel insisting that hydroxychloroquine is a “ cure ” for COVID-19 , was retweeted by Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. Immanuel also declared that face masks are “ unnecessary , ” contradicting federal health recommendations to wear masks to help stem the spread of the coronavirus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hydroxychloroquine — frequently touted by Trump — is not only ineffective against the novel coronavirus but that it could cause fatal heart arrhythmia .
Facebook yanked the video , posted by right-wing news site Breitbart , for pushing fake cures and false information about COVID-19 .
YouTube and Twitter followed suit , also pulling the president ’ s and his son ’ s retweets .
Immanuel heads Fire Power Ministries , which appears to share a site at a strip mall in Katy , Texas , a Houston suburb , with her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ physical problems , such as ovarian cysts , occur when “ demons ” have sex with humans in their dreams .
She called cysts “ evil deposits from the spirit husband ” in a 2013 video .
Questioned by the Houston newspaper about those beliefs , she reiterated : “ Yes , I ’ m a demon buster .
Yes , demons sleep with people .
Yes , if you pray for them , they get better.
” She has also said she believes in the presence of alien DNA on Earth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cure .
“ It ’ s not a joke , ” she told the Chronicle .
“ The people that are saying that it doesn ’ t work , they are lying.
” Trump told reporters after his tweet about Immanuel was yanked that he was “ very impressed ” by her and thought “ her voice ” should be heard by his 84 million Twitter followers , even though he also said , “ I know nothing about her.
” She “ said that she ’ s had tremendous success with hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

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Controversial Texas minister-physician Stella Immanuel — whose voice was elevated this week by President Donald Trump — confirmed her belief that demon sex with humans causes health problems in an interview Friday with the Houston Chronicle.
“Yes, I’m a demon buster. Yes, demons sleep with people,” Immanuel told the newspaper.
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Immanuel also declared that face masks are “unnecessary,” contradicting federal health recommendations to wear masks to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.
A number of scientific studies have determined that hydroxychloroquine — frequently touted by Trump — is not only ineffective against the novel coronavirus but that it could cause fatal heart arrhythmia.
Facebook yanked the video, posted by right-wing news site Breitbart, for pushing fake cures and false information about COVID-19. YouTube and Twitter followed suit, also pulling the president’s and his son’s retweets.
Immanuel heads Fire Power Ministries, which appears to share a site at a strip mall in Katy, Texas, a Houston suburb, with her “medical center.” She believes some physical problems, such as ovarian cysts, occur when “demons” have sex with humans in their dreams. She called cysts “evil deposits from the spirit husband” in a 2013 video.
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Questioned by the Houston newspaper about those beliefs, she reiterated: “Yes, I’m a demon buster. Yes, demons sleep with people. Yes, if you pray for them, they get better.”
She has also said she believes in the presence of alien DNA on Earth.
Immanuel again touted hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 cure. “It’s not a joke,” she told the Chronicle. “The people that are saying that it doesn’t work, they are lying.”
Trump told reporters after his tweet about Immanuel was yanked that he was “very impressed” by her and thought “her voice” should be heard by his 84 million Twitter followers, even though he also said, “I know nothing about her.”
She “said that she’s had tremendous success with hundreds of different patients,” Trump noted.
The president has not commented on the demon sex.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Republicans Resume Fear-Mongering About The Debt. Don't Believe Them.

Relief spending on the coronavirus crisis pushed the country into uncharted territory , Enzi warned .
By next year , we will surpass even the debt burdens imposed by World War II , he added .
Inflation will rise like a beast from the depths to devour household savings .
The economy will collapse , and future generations will be ravaged .
Both Buck and Enzi are following through on a rhetorical strategy Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) unveiled back in April when — after overseeing accelerating deficits throughout Donald Trump ’ s presidency — he suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of “ genuine concern ” about the national debt .
Conservative media are already attacking Joe Biden as a big-spending debt addict in thrall to the far left .
This is an old game , dishonest and unsophisticated .
When Republicans have power , they cut taxes for wealthy people and spend like crazy on the military .
( And banks and oil companies . )
When Democrats are in power ― or when proposals to help working people are on the legislative table ― Republicans suddenly insist that adding to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In 2011 , then-Rep. Paul Ryan ( R-Wis. ) insisted that America was on the cusp of a “ debt crisis ” that would “ take down our economy ” and “ lower our living standards.
” In 2012 he called the debt “ the most predictable crisis in our country ’ s history.
” In 2013 , he said we were heading “ straight into a debt crisis ” that would “ overwhelm our economy.
” He was still talking about this in his 2018 farewell address to Congress .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a debt crisis on the horizon .
If they did , they wouldn ’ t govern the way they do .
Presidents George W. Bush , Ronald Reagan , Richard Nixon and even Dwight D. Eisenhower ran up big debts , too .
“ Reagan proved deficits don ’ t matter , ” Vice President Dick Cheney once said while trying to marshal support for the Bush tax cuts .
Deficits do matter in a sense , but not in the apocalyptic , over-the-cliff and straight-to-hell manner Republicans like to invoke when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high enough deficit under the right circumstances could theoretically bring about inflation .
But inflation is not some mystical , unsolvable force .
The government has all kinds of tools at its disposal to deal with inflation , from direct price controls to the interest rates set by the Federal Reserve to credit controls available to bank regulators .
And it ’ s important not to overstate the risk inflation poses .
For the past 40 years , the debt has continued to rise , and inflation has continued to go nowhere .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Federal Reserve has been that a little more inflation would be good for the economy , but our central bank just can ’ t muster the power to make it happen .
So it would appear that Republicans don ’ t actually care about the debt .
What they really seem to care about is ensuring that the people at the bottom of the economic ladder stay there .
This week , a key item in the government ’ s coronavirus rescue response expired .
The vast majority of the $ 6 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March was directed at the superrich , but lawmakers did authorize a $ 600-a-week bump in unemployment benefits .
If you lost your job when the economy shut down , you weren ’ t totally screwed .
The extra money helped you meet mortgage payments , pay utility bills and fund all the other expenses that you have , regardless of the country ’ s economic condition .
The trillions of dollars of relief Congress authorized for large corporations and their very rich investors were indefinite .
But the benefit for everyone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in unemployment ran out on Friday , and now Republicans are tying themselves in knots over how much they can get away with reducing the benefit should they extend it .
Republicans , of course , think the extra $ 600 a week is too generous .
It ’ s more than what people need to pay the bills .
But so what ?
The economy shrank by 33 % last quarter , by far the largest plunge in recorded American economic history .
Something has to fill that hole .
A few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not hurt it .
And the fact is that $ 600 a week in a pandemic is just not very generous , particularly given the severity of the situation .
With infections increasing across the country , school reopenings in jeopardy and workers being re-furloughed , the economy is already backsliding .
What happens when these payments stop ?
Well , people won ’ t pay their bills , and the people who rely on those bill payments will get into trouble and start laying people off .
The economic condition of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ present abysmal condition .
Some Republicans are already making excuses .
There ’ s just nothing the government can really do , they argue .
Sen. Todd Young ( R-Ind . )
told The New York Times that there is no “ Wizard of Oz ” in Washington who can fix the economy .
“ Growth is created by innovators and entrepreneurs and rank-and-file workers , based on supply and demand , ” he said .
An economist might ask where the “ demand ” in “ supply and demand ” is supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have any money to spend .
But , of course , that ’ s not really the point .
What appears to matter is the preservation of a social order in which fancy people enjoy private luxuries and federal largesse while everyone else struggles to get by .
Inequality is the point .

Senate Budget Committee Chair Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) last week gave an ominous speech prophesying the economic horrors facing America as a result of its terrifying national debt.
Relief spending on the coronavirus crisis pushed the country into uncharted territory, Enzi warned. By next year, we will surpass even the debt burdens imposed by World War II, he added. Inflation will rise like a beast from the depths to devour household savings. The economy will collapse, and future generations will be ravaged.
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“Our grandkids will find all their money has been spent, and all they can do is pay more taxes,” Enzi argued.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) reiterated the message on C-SPAN Wednesday, calling the public debt “the greatest threat to our country right now.” Not COVID-19, not terrorism, not rising authoritarian political movements abroad. “It is our national debt that will take us down,” Buck said.
Both Buck and Enzi are following through on a rhetorical strategy Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) unveiled back in April when — after overseeing accelerating deficits throughout Donald Trump’s presidency — he suddenly cautioned that coronavirus relief must be limited out of “genuine concern” about the national debt. Conservative media are already attacking Joe Biden as a big-spending debt addict in thrall to the far left.
This is an old game, dishonest and unsophisticated. When Republicans have power, they cut taxes for wealthy people and spend like crazy on the military. (And banks and oil companies.) When Democrats are in power ― or when proposals to help working people are on the legislative table ― Republicans suddenly insist that adding to the national debt will bring a swift cataclysm.
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In 2011, then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) insisted that America was on the cusp of a “debt crisis” that would “take down our economy” and “lower our living standards.” In 2012 he called the debt “the most predictable crisis in our country’s history.” In 2013, he said we were heading “straight into a debt crisis” that would “overwhelm our economy.” He was still talking about this in his 2018 farewell address to Congress.
Of course, the disaster never arrived ― and not because debts or deficits diminished. The Trump tax cuts and right-wing spending priorities have indeed elevated the debts and deficits to record levels.
But Republicans don’t actually believe there is a debt crisis on the horizon. If they did, they wouldn’t govern the way they do. Presidents George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and even Dwight D. Eisenhower ran up big debts, too. “Reagan proved deficits don’t matter,” Vice President Dick Cheney once said while trying to marshal support for the Bush tax cuts.
Deficits do matter in a sense, but not in the apocalyptic, over-the-cliff and straight-to-hell manner Republicans like to invoke when they’re feeling stingy. A high enough deficit under the right circumstances could theoretically bring about inflation. But inflation is not some mystical, unsolvable force. The government has all kinds of tools at its disposal to deal with inflation, from direct price controls to the interest rates set by the Federal Reserve to credit controls available to bank regulators.
And it’s important not to overstate the risk inflation poses. For the past 40 years, the debt has continued to rise, and inflation has continued to go nowhere. Since 2008, the official position of the Federal Reserve has been that a little more inflation would be good for the economy, but our central bank just can’t muster the power to make it happen.
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So it would appear that Republicans don’t actually care about the debt. What they really seem to care about is ensuring that the people at the bottom of the economic ladder stay there.
This week, a key item in the government’s coronavirus rescue response expired. The vast majority of the $6 trillion-plus relief effort that Congress approved back in March was directed at the superrich, but lawmakers did authorize a $600-a-week bump in unemployment benefits. If you lost your job when the economy shut down, you weren’t totally screwed. The extra money helped you meet mortgage payments, pay utility bills and fund all the other expenses that you have, regardless of the country’s economic condition.
The trillions of dollars of relief Congress authorized for large corporations and their very rich investors were indefinite. But the benefit for everyone else was temporary. The short-term bump in unemployment ran out on Friday, and now Republicans are tying themselves in knots over how much they can get away with reducing the benefit should they extend it.
Republicans, of course, think the extra $600 a week is too generous. It’s more than what people need to pay the bills. But so what? The economy shrank by 33% last quarter, by far the largest plunge in recorded American economic history. Something has to fill that hole. A few household splurges would help the economy, not hurt it.
And the fact is that $600 a week in a pandemic is just not very generous, particularly given the severity of the situation. With infections increasing across the country, school reopenings in jeopardy and workers being re-furloughed, the economy is already backsliding. What happens when these payments stop? Well, people won’t pay their bills, and the people who rely on those bill payments will get into trouble and start laying people off. The economic condition of the country will deteriorate even further from its present abysmal condition.
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Some Republicans are already making excuses. There’s just nothing the government can really do, they argue. Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told The New York Times that there is no “Wizard of Oz” in Washington who can fix the economy. “Growth is created by innovators and entrepreneurs and rank-and-file workers, based on supply and demand,” he said.
An economist might ask where the “demand” in “supply and demand” is supposed to come from if people don’t have any money to spend. But, of course, that’s not really the point. What appears to matter is the preservation of a social order in which fancy people enjoy private luxuries and federal largesse while everyone else struggles to get by. Inequality is the point.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--James Murdoch Quits News Corp Board And Everyone Cracks The Same Jokes

The jokes about the HBO show “ Succession ” flowed on social media following James Murdoch ’ s resignation from the board of News Corp on Friday .
The son of media titan Rupert Murdoch cited “ disagreements over certain editorial content ” published by News Corp ’ s news outlets — which in the U.S. include the conservative cable network Fox News —as one reason for quitting .
James Murdoch last year revealed he “ really ” disagreed with some of the views put forward on Fox , whose prime-time personalities have been known to promote white nationalist talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In January , Murdoch and his wife , Kathryn Murdoch , called out the “ ongoing denial ” of the climate crisis by the company ’ s outlets .
Murdoch ’ s resignation was interpreted by many on Twitter as the latest installment in his own family ’ s drama .
They drew comparisons with the HBO drama about an aging media mogul who refuses to name a successor , which was perhaps inevitable seeing how its writers have acknowledged it takes inspiration from the lives of several media mogul dynasties , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was James Murdoch I 'd just lean into the Succession storylines now .
People will already assume it 's true , let 's go — Marshall Schurtz ( @ marshallschurtz ) July 31 , 2020 James Murdoch giving us the gap season of Succession we did n't ask for .
Sure .
I guess .
He seems like he has a strong Jeffy Circus energy .
— Brandi , # 1 Penguin Advocate 🐧😾 ( @ ItsTheBrandi ) August 1 , 2020 James Murdoch realized he was getting subtweeted by Succession and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( @ MarkSuzuki1 ) July 31 , 2020 James Murdoch quits with a zinger of a resignation letter .
We need the 4th in the doc series and a new Succession ASAP — Mark Austin ( @ markaustintv ) August 1 , 2020 the new season of succession is writing itself i see https : //t.co/bseBFndCqb — Harrison Jacobs ( @ Harrisonxjacobs ) July 31 , 2020 I am putting down even money that James Murdoch caught up on Succession and finally got some ideas .
— Heidi N. Moore ( @ moorehn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Succession is going to be dope https : //t.co/rcZVbkvTdl — Scott Deveau ( @ scottdeveau ) July 31 , 2020 In a rush to make the exact same Succession joke , a number of you seem to have forgotten that the stand in for James Murdoch is actually Roman and not Kendall so the screenshot from the S2 finale does not work here — Josh Billinson ( @ jbillinson ) July 31 , 2020

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The jokes about the HBO show “Succession” flowed on social media following James Murdoch’s resignation from the board of News Corp. on Friday.
The son of media titan Rupert Murdoch cited “disagreements over certain editorial content” published by News Corp.’s news outlets as one reason for quitting.
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News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal in the U.S. and The Sun and The Times in the United Kingdom.
In January, Murdoch and his wife, Kathryn Murdoch, called out the “ongoing denial” of the climate crisis by the company’s outlets.
Murdoch’s resignation was interpreted by many on Twitter as the latest installment in his own family’s drama.
They drew comparisons with the HBO drama about an aging media mogul who refuses to name a successor, which was perhaps inevitable seeing how its writers have acknowledged it takes inspiration from the lives of several media mogul dynasties, such as the Murdochs.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated incorrectly that News Corp. owns Fox News. It doesn’t: Fox Corp., the successor company to one that split off from News Corp. in 2013, owns Fox News.
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James Murdoch finally watched the end of Succession season 2 and I think that’s beautiful. — Ben Jenkins (@bencjenkins) July 31, 2020
Who plays James Murdoch on Succession? pic.twitter.com/gjm8cURYT4 — DL (@Goldbirdwing) August 1, 2020
James Murdoch watched the end of #Succession S2 and thought, “...huh.” — There are some who call me... Tim ☄ (@smewhocallmetim) July 31, 2020
The #succession gif memes are delicious for the James Murdoch story. pic.twitter.com/v24hwMq1E8 — 𝚁𝚊𝚟 (@TVRav) July 31, 2020
If I was James Murdoch I'd just lean into the Succession storylines now. People will already assume it's true, let's go — Marshall Schurtz (@marshallschurtz) July 31, 2020
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James Murdoch giving us the gap season of Succession we didn't ask for. Sure. I guess. He seems like he has a strong Jeffy Circus energy. — Brandi, #1 Penguin Advocate 🐧😾 (@ItsTheBrandi) August 1, 2020
James Murdoch realized he was getting subtweeted by Succession and was like “yes”. — M (@MarkSuzuki1) July 31, 2020
James Murdoch quits with a zinger of a resignation letter. We need the 4th in the doc series and a new Succession ASAP — Mark Austin (@markaustintv) August 1, 2020
the new season of succession is writing itself i see https://t.co/bseBFndCqb — Harrison Jacobs (@Harrisonxjacobs) July 31, 2020
I am putting down even money that James Murdoch caught up on Succession and finally got some ideas. — Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) July 31, 2020
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Next season of Succession is going to be dope https://t.co/rcZVbkvTdl — Scott Deveau (@scottdeveau) July 31, 2020
Series 3 of succession filming delayed... James Murdoch “hold my beer” pic.twitter.com/LtaPlE3CGn — Russell Scott (@RussellScott) August 1, 2020
the new season of succession is writing itself i see https://t.co/bseBFndCqb — Harrison Jacobs (@Harrisonxjacobs) July 31, 2020
In a rush to make the exact same Succession joke, a number of you seem to have forgotten that the stand in for James Murdoch is actually Roman and not Kendall so the screenshot from the S2 finale does not work here — Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) July 31, 2020
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Some mega Succession trolling by James Murdoch. https://t.co/hljyw4iSpY — David Elward (@davidrhyselward) August 1, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Donald Trump Is Writing A Terrifying New Chapter In The History Of Political Repression

Trump officials deployed Border Patrol officers to suppress a small group of anarchists in Portland inflicting a federal courthouse with graffiti and minor property damage .
When officers started snatching people off the streets in unmarked minivans , it provoked a larger protest reaction and a further increase in federal deployment .
Some of those officers are now scheduled to leave Portland at the urging of state and local elected officials who called them an “ occupying force.
” The Department of Justice plans to “ surge ” federal officers into Black and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago , Kansas City @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cleveland to provoke scenes of racial conflict .
Trump suggested he could send up to 75,000 federal officers into American cities this summer .
The same was true of the racial demonization and violence directed at other groups , including Mexicans , preceding , during and after the Mexican-American War , and Chinese , Catholic and Jewish immigrants into the early 20th century .
These groups were often seen as being directed to undermine the American way of life at the behest of external conspiracies emanating from the Vatican , the Illuminati or @ @ @ @ @

In his quest for reelection, President Donald Trump has gone hunting for demons. Federal law enforcement officers entered cities including Portland, Oregon; Chicago; Kansas City, Missouri; and Albuquerque at Trump’s direction, clearly meant to gin up clashes and disorder between federal officers and the groups disfavored by his core supporters in pursuit of “viral online content.”
Trump officials deployed Border Patrol officers to suppress a small group of anarchists in Portland inflicting a federal courthouse with graffiti and minor property damage. When officers started snatching people off the streets in unmarked minivans, it provoked a larger protest reaction and a further increase in federal deployment. Some of those officers are now scheduled to leave Portland at the urging of state and local elected officials who called them an “occupying force.” The Department of Justice plans to “surge” federal officers into Black and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland to provoke scenes of racial conflict. Trump suggested he could send up to 75,000 federal officers into American cities this summer.
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These conflicts are the reason Trump’s most fervent supporters elected him. These voters, most of them white, wanted him to erase the legacy of the first Black president and wage war against the unfavored groups haunting their minds. With the economy cratering, unemployment skyrocketing and an uncontrolled pandemic sweeping the nation, Trump’s last hope for reelection is fomenting disorder and division ― this time, using the power of the presidency.
White Americans have long defined themselves as threatened by racial, ethnic and political minority groups that they believe ― often based on conspiracy theories ― will change their way of life. Americans who think their freedom and right to hold on to power are at risk seek to strike down those they think are coming to take it.
“American history is normally seen as a history of freedom rather than suppression,” political scientist Michael Rogin wrote in his 1987 book, ”Ronald Reagan, The Movie,” but that “American racial history suggests that the suppression of people of color outside the normal political system has supported the freedom of the people within it.”
This same logic animates Trump’s deployment of federal forces to create scenes of disorder involving racial and political groups disfavored by his supporters ― the most fervent of whom are the white evangelical Protestants whose own political power and freedoms are tied to the suppression of disfavored groups.
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Trump proclaimed as much during his Fourth of July speech in front of the Mount Rushmore monument in South Dakota. There he declared a war on a “left-wing cultural revolution,” emanating from “cities that are run by liberal Democrats,” that is, “designed to overthrow the American Revolution.”
Trump’s War is waged in defense “without apology,” he said, of the traditional American mythological history of a “people who pursued our Manifest Destiny across the ocean” to create “the most just and exceptional nation ever to exist on Earth.”
“This country will be everything that our citizens have hoped for, for so many years,” Trump declared, “and that our enemies fear.”
A demonstrator is pepper-sprayed Wednesday before being arrested at a Black Lives Matter protest at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon. Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
Red Scares And Slave Uprisings
In his Mount Rushmore speech, Trump sings the sweet tune of the traditional American myths of a divinely inspired people who spread onto and beyond a frontier that made them free. Missing in Trump’s tale are the many other peoples who were crushed, enslaved, overrun and ethnically cleansed to make that freedom possible.
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The Manifest Destiny mythology originated from Jacksonian political writer John O’Sullivan, who in an 1845 article advocating for annexing Texas from Mexico, declaring it “our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” O’Sullivan’s “our” meant, almost exclusively, Americans of Anglo-Saxon descent.
President Thomas Jefferson invoked such myths in his promise that he would help provide the Anglo-Saxon people “room enough” to reach a “final consolidation” when the land would be populated with white Northern European settlers from sea to shining sea.
Historian Frederick Jackson Turner would codify a more progressive vision of Manifest Destiny in his 1893 paper “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” The frontier’s “free land” provided “a gate of escape from the bondage of the past” and a safety valve for domestic pressures that gave birth to a unique American identity and spirit. Turner’s progressive twist was that this identity was open and available to all peoples of the world, not just Anglo-Saxons.
But the land they wanted to spread into wasn’t free. It was occupied by indigenous tribes. American independence, as the Founding Father imagined it, was cramped from the beginning by the mere existence of Indians. To achieve white freedom, Indians had to be removed. And in order to justify it, Americans dehumanized them.
“Indians were the first people to stand in American history as emblems of disorder, civilized breakdown, and alien control,” Rogin wrote in 1987. “Differences between reds and whites made cultural adaptation seem at once dangerous and impossible. The violent conquest of Indians legitimized violence against other alien groups, making coexistence appear to be unnecessary.”
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Freedom and demonization and repression went hand in hand. And so it was with racialized slavery. The enslavement and subjugation of Blacks gave whites their freedom, which meant in turn that enslaved and freed Blacks posed an internal threat to subvert the political culture by breaking their chains, gaining political power and seeking vengeance. To prevent such a result, those in power suppressed dissent, from whites as well as Blacks, and restricted rights.
Americans often explained their racialized fears of indigenous people and Black Americans through paranoid conspiracies claiming these groups were not only outside of the American national family but also directed by external threats to the nation. Before the Civil War, they claimed indigenous people were directed by the British and that Haiti influenced slave revolts in the U.S. And they used those external conspiracies to justify internal repression.
An illustration depicts the 1877 Great Railroad Strike, when soldiers fire on the crowd during a riot at the Halsted Street viaduct in Chicago. Illustration: Damon Dahlen/HuffPost; Photos: Getty Images
“[T]hey have seduced the greater part of the tribes, within our neighborhood, to take up the hatchet against us,” Jefferson wrote in 1813 about the hidden British hand behind the Creek War in the Ohio Valley during the War of 1812.
The same was true of the racial demonization and violence directed at other groups, including Mexicans, preceding, during and after the Mexican-American War, and Chinese, Catholic and Jewish immigrants into the early 20th century. These groups were often seen as being directed to undermine the American way of life at the behest of external conspiracies emanating from the Vatican, the Illuminati or the Elders of Zion.
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Political repression did not solely target racial or religious minorities. Left-wing working-class uprisings were similarly repressed and demonized as external threats. Movements for economic equality were perceived as threats to the private property rights that underpinned the foundation of American society. And they were perceived as external ideologies smuggled in from “French Communism” or, later, the Soviet Union.
But originally, working-class movements were seen through the same lens as the lives of Native Americans, whose practice of collective landholding was deemed dangerously subversive to the white settlers’ way of life.
Working-class revolts were then seen as an extension of the threat of Indian subversion. They were also viewed as providing a potential to unite Black and white working-class interests. In the political chaos and violence of the late 19th century, the demonization of these groups united into one tale of the nation’s history of political repression.
In 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes pulled Union troops out of the former Confederate South and sent them West to begin the final fight to wipe out the Plains Indian tribes. The removal of American forces from the South allowed ex-Confederates to violently overthrow the post-Civil War Reconstruction state governments and impose a new system of oppression on freed Blacks. But those troops sent to the West were soon dispatched back east to suppress the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
When those troops entered Chicago to crush striking workers, the Chicago Tribune referred to it as a “Red War,” inciting fears of communism.
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Trump’s War
Freedom continued to be linked to repression through the anti-communist Red Scares of the 20th century. When imperial expansion on the North American continent ended with the closing of the frontier, that frontier soon extended into the Pacific and around the world. America would wage war against external threats to promote the freedoms at home, including consumer freedom now fueled by oil.
Paranoia about external contamination and infiltration colored all of America’s conflicts through the Cold War, the Middle East oil crises and then the “war on terrorism.” The country would create a vast national security state, both internally and externally focused, to root out this contamination. Anyone could be a threat, whether an opera singer, a Hollywood writer or a civil rights activist. Internal repression followed external demonization.
But with Trump, the direction of American energies externally has come to an end, as historian Greg Grandin notes in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall.” Overseas wars promise no fix or diversion for the country’s internal problems. They are simply endless. The frontier, meanwhile, should be walled at the border.
“[T]oday the frontier is closed, the safety valve is shut,” Grandin writes in his 2019 book. “Whatever metaphor one wants to use, the country has lived past the end of its myth.”
And so the country turns inward, bringing its external wars home. Just as the troops fighting the Plains Indians switched to fight striking workers and the national security state targeting Nazi fascists was turned against real and imaginary Communists at home, Trump directs federal officers fighting America’s demons at home and abroad to battle anti-racism protesters on city streets.
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Border Patrol officers are redirected from countering what Trump called Mexico’s “most unwanted people,” who are, “in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists,” to now battle “anarchists” and protesters in Portland. Riot control officers are redeployed from prisons, the main institution used by America to repress Black people, to the streets of Washington, D.C., during Black Lives Matter protests. And federal agents from the Department of Justice will now be sent to fight crime in Black and Latino neighborhoods.
Demonstrators participate July 25 in a rally against "Trump's Police State" in Washington, D.C. OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images
Trump’s War is suffused with “war on terrorism” rhetoric. The deployment of officers into cities is a “surge.” The New York Post labels demonstrators damaging property as “insurgents.” The Pentagon calls protesters and journalists “adversaries.” The Department of Homeland Security circulates “Baseball cards” identifying protesters, as the military did for former ministers and generals in Saddam Hussein’s government in Iraq and al-Qaeda terrorist leaders.
Trump himself finds domestic property damage to be worse than war. “This is worse than Afghanistan, by far,” Trump said about the protests in Portland. “This is worse than anything anyone’s ever seen.”
Where Trump’s War diverges from much of America’s history of repression is where he situates its source. The subversive behavior he aims to repress does not emanate from indigenous people in the forest; it doesn’t originate from the USSR; it isn’t directed by the pope; there is no anti-American “axis of evil.” The demons animating Trump’s imagination are directed by the Democratic Party.
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“All run by the same liberal Democrats,” Trump said about the cities he’s targeting that have seen protests. “And, you know what? If Biden got in, that would be true for the country. The whole country would go to hell.”
Trump has portrayed former Vice President Joe Biden, his likely Democratic opponent in the November election, as a Trojan horse for progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“Joe Biden would be nothing more than an autopen, a Trojan horse for a radical agenda so radical, so all-encompassing that it would transform this country into something utterly unrecognizable,” Vice President Mike Pence said in a July 17 speech in Racine, Wisconsin.
Biden is cast as a white exterior masking the subversive Latinos, Blacks, Muslims and socialist Jews inside.
This is also a tale about the Democratic Party. Biden is an elderly white Catholic of Irish descent who was raised in a blue-collar community. He represents the old Democratic Party, once the home for the interests of the white working class. But the party has shifted and now represents a broad multiracial and multi-religious coalition. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win the white vote was Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
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The party is today the political home for large majorities of Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Jews, women (in particular, single women) and the working class. These groups are among those that have been demonized throughout American history as subversive to the American way of life.
And so Trump places the Democratic Party outside of America. It is now a threat to freedom, to the American way of life. It wouldn’t be the first time in American history when the frontier collapsed in on itself and directed domestic political opponents against each other.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Murder Suspect Flees 12th-Floor Oklahoma Jail Cell Via Rope Made From Bedsheets

Two inmates fled from a cell on the 12th floor of the Oklahoma County Jail in Oklahoma City on Friday morning via a rope they ’ d tied together from bedsheets .
Pablo Daniel Robledo , who faces a first-degree murder charge over an alleged gang shooting , went on the run for several hours after successfully shimmying down the makeshift escape route , reported The Oklahoman .
Robledo , 34 , whose trial is reportedly due to start on Aug. 31 , was detained some six miles away on Friday afternoon following a coordinated search effort involving multiple law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the jail .
**UPDATE** Pablo Daniel Roble , the inmate who escaped from Oklahoma County Jail early this morning , has been taken into CUSTODY !
!
!
pic.twitter.com/FH6Z0SieA9 — Oklahoma City Police ( @ OKCPD ) July 31 , 2020 Jose Balentin Hernandez , who joined Robledo in the escape attempt , reportedly fell from the rope and broke an ankle .
Hernandez , who is accused of rape , was hospitalized for treatment .
In CUSTODY !
Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Jail escapee Pablo Robledo , who was being held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in jail .
Nice work by all of our metro law enforcement partners .
pic.twitter.com/7gItkcfymZ — Oklahoma Co. Sheriff ( @ OkCountySheriff ) July 31 , 2020 Important conversations are happening now .
Add your voice !
Join HuffPost Today !

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Two inmates fled from a cell on the 12th floor of the Oklahoma County Jail in Oklahoma City on Friday morning via a rope they’d tied together from bedsheets.
Pablo Daniel Robledo, who faces a first-degree murder charge over an alleged gang shooting, went on the run for several hours after successfully shimmying down the makeshift escape route, reported The Oklahoman.
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Robledo, 34, whose trial is reportedly due to start on Aug. 31, was detained some six miles away on Friday afternoon following a coordinated search effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies. He was taken back to the jail.
**UPDATE**
Pablo Daniel Roble, the inmate who escaped from Oklahoma County Jail early this morning, has been taken into CUSTODY!!! pic.twitter.com/FH6Z0SieA9 — Oklahoma City Police (@OKCPD) July 31, 2020
Jose Balentin Hernandez, who joined Robledo in the escape attempt, reportedly fell from the rope and broke an ankle.
Hernandez, who is accused of rape, was hospitalized for treatment.
In CUSTODY!
Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Jail escapee Pablo Robledo, who was being held on a murder charge, is back in jail.
Nice work by all of our metro law enforcement partners. pic.twitter.com/7gItkcfymZ — Oklahoma Co. Sheriff (@OkCountySheriff) July 31, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--'The Daily Show' Reveals What Donald Trump Says Behind His Coronavirus Face Mask

Donald Trump has finally started to ( occasionally ) wear a face mask in public to protect himself and others @ @ @ @ @ of COVID-19 , after weeks of refusals that assisted in turning the issue into a @ @ @ @ @ The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ” has the spoof exclusive on what the president @ @ @ @ @ The Comedy Central show this week dubbed comments previously made by Trump over footage of @ @ @ @ @ Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville , North Carolina , which is working on components of a @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What is he talking about ?
What are you talking about ?
” @ @ @ @ @ in one part of the parody clip .
“ Ah , fuck , ” he @ @ @ @ @ .
Check out the comedy bit here : Important conversations are happening now .
Add @ @ @ @ @ Today !

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Donald Trump has finally started to (occasionally) wear a face mask in public to protect himself and others around him from the spread of COVID-19, after weeks of refusals that assisted in turning the issue into a culture war.
And “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” has the spoof exclusive on what the president says behind his covering.
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The Comedy Central show this week dubbed comments previously made by Trump over footage of his Monday visit to Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, North Carolina, which is working on components of a potential vaccine for the coronavirus.
“What is he talking about? What are you talking about?” Trump is depicted as asking in one part of the parody clip.
“Ah, fuck,” he simply says at the end.
Check out the comedy bit here:
Let's go Behind the Mask as President Trump wanders around a laboratory pic.twitter.com/zvt14uimgA — The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 31, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-07-31--Bar Axing Name Over Cultural Appropriation, But Filipino Community Says Issue Runs Deeper

Courtesy of Jarell Mique A Washington , D.C. , wine bar is changing its name after the Filipino community called out the establishment ’ s owners .
A Washington , D.C. , wine bar is in the process of changing its name after members of the Filipino community called out the establishment ’ s owners for not only cultural appropriation but also what they say is the watering down of a culturally significant term , stripping it of its history of resilience .
Barkada Wine Bar , which is owned by four white men ― Sebastian Zutant , Nick Guglietta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught the attention of the Filipino community when several news outlets published stories about its opening in the Shaw/Cardozo neighborhood this week .
“ This is something we feel really close to and you feel a lot of ownership over .
So to have it taken in this way with no connection ― [ it ’ s ] like they were looking for a word , ” said Gem Daus , an adjunct professor of Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland at College Park .
In an Eater DC article that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Thursday , Barkada ’ s owners said “ that they identified with the term , and they said it also helped that ‘ bar ’ is in the word.
” Zutant told Washington City Paper on July 2 that he pushed for the Barkada name and said “ that it didn ’ t matter if our name was in a different language or not .
I didn ’ t want to call it posse or homies or clique.
” “ Barkada has a rich and meaningful history in the Filipino community .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of friends , but its roots can be traced back to Spanish colonization of the Philippines .
Barkada is derived from the Spanish word barcada , meaning ‘ boatload.
’ Yes , the original barkadas were boatloads of Filipino prisoners shipped away from their homes by boat , but from these trying circumstances , our ancestors formed bonds that would help them survive colonization , imprisonment , and enslavement .
To water barkada down to “ A totally cool word ” — as Barkada Wine Bar ’ s website originally described it — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symbol of FIlipino resilience.
” We ’ re changing the name .
We reached out to many people in the community to find a name that embodied a sense of friendship and bond between people .
When we ventured outside of our own language to capture that sentiment , we missed the mark .
We apologize to all we offended , and to our community we hope to serve .
It was never our intention to appropriate or capitalize on the Filipino culture and we recognize we fell short in engaging more of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be a gathering place for friends in the neighborhood , and to become friends with those neighbors .
We still hope to carry through the ideals of friendship , starting with our ability to listen .
We are actively looking to change our identity and brand and engage in further dialogue with each of you .
We look forward to hearing more of your thoughts , and how we can better capture the ideals with which we started this project .
We will be donating proceeds from our opening to support the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a beautiful word with a deep meaning of friendship .
We want to honor that , and you , as we move forward .
We hope to hear from you at BarkadaWineBar @ gmail.com Filipino community members and restaurateurs say that , although the bar ’ s decision to change the name and to open a dialogue are steps in the right direction , this moment reveals a systematic lack of knowledge about Filipino food and culture .
“ Filipino food or culture is really special and holds a special place in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Philippines , it ’ s more than what the word means , ” said Paolo Dungca , a D.C. area chef who was part of the team that opened Filipino restaurants Bad Saint and Kaliwa .
“ This just has a deeper meaning than just like a cool word .
So , I mean , seeing the restaurant , I have no problem seeing that .
But the only thing is like there ’ s no Filipino connection whatsoever.
” Katrina Villavicencio , co-creator of Filipino supper club dining experiences in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are very intentional about the words that they choose to name their restaurant because it ’ s not just about the food .
“ It ’ s the entire history of Filipino American resilience in this country .
It ’ s the history of our personal struggles and our identity and trying to figure out how to be Filipino , ” she said .
“ And a lot of these modern chefs want to present , you know , in an upscale way .
And they ’ re very intentional about how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that identity.
” “ To see the word barkada , which is obviously a very special word for brotherhood for us , and to see that it didn ’ t have any of the relevance ( to Filipino culture ) ... was very upsetting , ” she said .
“ I think it would have been a different story , I feel , if there was more of a stronger Pinoy [ Filipino ] influence there , ” said Jappy Afzelius , executive chef for Tsismis NYC in New York .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pinoys , we are all entrepreneurs and we ’ re all proud of our culture .
We should have just more welcomed it ... but it would have been better if there was a Philippine twist in the operation somewhere .
It could have been in the drinks , could have been in the cuisine.
” “ You may have the best of intentions .
But equally important is the research and marketing of all of the different elements of your business .
And we also find that it ’ s important to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .

A Washington, D.C., wine bar is in the process of changing its name after members of the Filipino community called out the establishment’s owners for not only cultural appropriation but also what they say is the watering down of a culturally significant term, stripping it of its history of resilience.
Barkada Wine Bar, which is owned by four white men ― Sebastian Zutant, Nick Guglietta, Nate Fisher and Anthony Aligo ― caught the attention of the Filipino community when several news outlets published stories about its opening in the Shaw/Cardozo neighborhood this week.
Barkada does not serve any Filipino food or drinks, according to its menu. Its name is a Tagalog word meaning a group of close friends.
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“This is something we feel really close to and you feel a lot of ownership over. So to have it taken in this way with no connection ― [it’s] like they were looking for a word,” said Gem Daus, an adjunct professor of Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland at College Park and College of William and Mary.
In an Eater DC article that was widely circulated among the Filipino community on Thursday, Barkada’s owners said “that they identified with the term, and they said it also helped that ‘bar’ is in the word.”
Zutant told Washington City Paper on July 2 that he pushed for the Barkada name and said “that it didn’t matter if our name was in a different language or not. I didn’t want to call it posse or homies or clique.”
However, for the Filipino community, barkada means more than just close friends.
The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Capital Region issued a statement Friday:
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“Barkada has a rich and meaningful history in the Filipino community. Today, it refers to your circle of friends, but its roots can be traced back to Spanish colonization of the Philippines. Barkada is derived from the Spanish word barcada, meaning ‘boatload.’ Yes, the original barkadas were boatloads of Filipino prisoners shipped away from their homes by boat, but from these trying circumstances, our ancestors formed bonds that would help them survive colonization, imprisonment, and enslavement. To water barkada down to “A totally cool word” — as Barkada Wine Bar’s website originally described it — strips it of its resonance as a symbol of FIlipino resilience.”
The NaFFAA also called out local food media for their “uncritical promotion of the bar’s opening” and “failure to notice the blatant absence of the owners’ connection to Filipino culture and community.”
On Thursday, Barkada responded to the backlash and posted a statement on its website and Instagram account:
We’re changing the name. We reached out to many people in the community to find a name that embodied a sense of friendship and bond between people. When we ventured outside of our own language to capture that sentiment, we missed the mark. We apologize to all we offended, and to our community we hope to serve. It was never our intention to appropriate or capitalize on the Filipino culture and we recognize we fell short in engaging more of the Filipino community. Our goal is to be a gathering place for friends in the neighborhood, and to become friends with those neighbors. We still hope to carry through the ideals of friendship, starting with our ability to listen. We are actively looking to change our identity and brand and engage in further dialogue with each of you. We look forward to hearing more of your thoughts, and how we can better capture the ideals with which we started this project. We will be donating proceeds from our opening to support the Filipino community as well. Barkada is a beautiful word with a deep meaning of friendship. We want to honor that, and you, as we move forward. We hope to hear from you at BarkadaWineBar@gmail.com Sincerely, Anthony, Nick, Nate, & Sebastian
Filipino community members and restaurateurs say that, although the bar’s decision to change the name and to open a dialogue are steps in the right direction, this moment reveals a systematic lack of knowledge about Filipino food and culture.
“Filipino food or culture is really special and holds a special place in our hearts. Hearing the word growing up in the Philippines, it’s more than what the word means,” said Paolo Dungca, a D.C. area chef who was part of the team that opened Filipino restaurants Bad Saint and Kaliwa. “This just has a deeper meaning than just like a cool word. So, I mean, seeing the restaurant, I have no problem seeing that. But the only thing is like there’s no Filipino connection whatsoever.”
What’s In A Name?
There’s a depth to naming a restaurant.
Katrina Villavicencio, co-creator of Filipino supper club dining experiences in the Washington area, said Filipino chefs are very intentional about the words that they choose to name their restaurant because it’s not just about the food.
“It’s the entire history of Filipino American resilience in this country. It’s the history of our personal struggles and our identity and trying to figure out how to be Filipino,” she said. “And a lot of these modern chefs want to present, you know, in an upscale way. And they’re very intentional about how they may name the restaurant to embody all of that identity.”
It’s the reason Villavicencio reacted strongly about the Barkada name.
“To see the word barkada, which is obviously a very special word for brotherhood for us, and to see that it didn’t have any of the relevance (to Filipino culture) ... was very upsetting,” she said.
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The friction also raises questions about who can represent what.
“I think it would have been a different story, I feel, if there was more of a stronger Pinoy [Filipino] influence there,” said Jappy Afzelius, executive chef for Tsismis NYC in New York. “I think that as Filipinos and as Pinoys, we are all entrepreneurs and we’re all proud of our culture. We should have just more welcomed it... but it would have been better if there was a Philippine twist in the operation somewhere. It could have been in the drinks, could have been in the cuisine.”
Keesa Ocampo, vice president of Filipino Food Movement, a nonprofit organization that works to bring awareness to the Filipino culinary arts, said the bar naming is a cautionary tale for many businesses.
“You may have the best of intentions. But equally important is the research and marketing of all of the different elements of your business. And we also find that it’s important to listen to your customers,” Ocampo said.
Sonia Delen, Filipino Food Movement president, said this is a teachable moment that could lead to courageous conversations and more mindful decisions.
“If you’re going to use our name, connect with us, make it a more meaningful connection... that will celebrate the both of our cultures,” Delen said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--Rep. With COVID Says Health Choices Are Up To Him; Critics Say That's What Women Have Been Saying

Rep. Louie Gohmert ( R-Texas ) tweeted that his course of treatment battling COVID-19 is up to him and his doctor — not “ government bureaucrats.
” Funny , critics pointed out , that ’ s exactly what women want when it comes to reproductive health .
Gohmert , who is opposed to abortion and believes women should carry unwanted pregnancies to term , has been slammed on Twitter for defending his own health care choices since he tested positive Wednesday for COVID-19 .
His anti-abortion beliefs are on the extreme end of the spectrum .
He once told a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fetus to term “ just in case.
” Gohmert has decided to take hydroxychloroquine — the anti-malarial drug often touted by President Donald Trump .
Studies have found that the drug has proven to be ineffective against the novel coronavirus , — and risky .
It can trigger fatal heart arrhythmia .
Gohmert ’ s “ pro-life ” stance may be undermined now by the fact that he long refused to wear a mask to stem the spread of COVID-19 and protect lives .
He insisted last month that he didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t have the virus .
Gohmert discovered he was COVID-19 positive when he was tested before a planned trip with Trump .
Bizarrely , he speculated that he may have contracted the virus because he has recently used a mask .
Rep. Eric Swalwell ( D-Calif. ) wished Gohmert well in a tweet Saturday , then added sarcastically : “ And thank you for standing with millions of women who don ’ t want you coming between them and decisions they make with their doctor.
” He added : “ How about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office and we stay out of yours.
” Wishing you well , Louie !
And thank you for standing with millions of women who don ’ t want you coming between them and decisions they make with their doctor .
How about this : you stay out of their doctor ’ s office and we stay out of yours .
https : //t.co/WiX89l8NXa — Rep. Eric Swalwell ( @ RepSwalwell ) August 1 , 2020 Bookmarking this for the next time you want to tell a woman how to manage her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was decided as the best course of action between my doctor and me -- not by government bureaucrats.
” — Wear A Mask .
It ’ s not that hard .
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 ( @ KeepingSunny ) July 31 , 2020 I came here to say that , as a woman , I absolutely understand that medical decisions made between him and his doctor are none of my business .
He should try the same .
— Ambitious Bitches Get Shit Done ( @ StarinaJohnson ) August 1 , 2020 Louie Gohmert just came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government bureaucrat should have any say inside a doctor 's office ; and that also applies to all women !
— Robert C. Evans ( @ evansrc717 ) August 1 , 2020 Ah , so he does believe in healthcare being decided between someone and their doctor and not by government bureaucrats after all .
Fascinating .
https : //t.co/nqImAmtkTR — Renee Bracey Sherman ( @ RBraceySherman ) August 1 , 2020

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) tweeted that his course of treatment battling COVID-19 is up to him and his doctor — not “government bureaucrats.”
Funny, critics pointed out, that’s exactly what women want when it comes to reproductive health.
Gohmert, who is opposed to abortion rights and believes women should carry unwanted pregnancies to term, has been slammed on Twitter for defending his own health care choices since he tested positive Wednesday for COVID-19. His anti-abortion beliefs are on the extreme end of the spectrum. He once told a woman she should have carried her brain-dead fetus to term “just in case.”
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Gohmert has decided to take hydroxychloroquine — the anti-malarial drug often touted by President Donald Trump. Studies have found that the drug has proven to be ineffective against the novel coronavirus. In some patients, it can trigger fatal heart arrhythmia.
Gohmert’s “pro-life” stance may also be undermined by the fact that he’s long refused to wear a mask to stem the spread of COVID-19 and protect lives. He insisted last month that he didn’t need a mask because he didn’t have the virus. Gohmert discovered he was COVID-19 positive when he was tested before a planned trip with Trump.
Bizarrely, he speculated that he may have contracted the virus because he has recently used a mask.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) wished Gohmert well in a tweet Saturday, then added sarcastically: “And thank you for standing with millions of women who don’t want you coming between them and decisions they make with their doctor.”
Wishing you well, Louie! And thank you for standing with millions of women who don’t want you coming between them and decisions they make with their doctor. How about this: you stay out of their doctor’s office and we stay out of yours. https://t.co/WiX89l8NXa — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) August 1, 2020
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That was a flood of similar responses:
Ahhhh but never ok when a woman and her doctor decides best course of action....without government intrusion 🤷🏽♀ https://t.co/vf839DhNC5 — Rep. Ina Minjarez (@vote4ina) August 1, 2020
Bookmarking this for the next time you want to tell a woman how to manage her reproductive care:
“It is what was decided as the best course of action between my doctor and me--not by government bureaucrats.” — Wear A Mask. It’s not that hard. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@KeepingSunny) July 31, 2020
Wow welcome to NARAL Louie — Erin too ambitious Ryan (@morninggloria) August 1, 2020
I came here to say that, as a woman, I absolutely understand that medical decisions made between him and his doctor are none of my business. He should try the same. — Ambitious Bitches Get Shit Done (@StarinaJohnson) August 1, 2020
Louie Gohmert just came out as Pro-Choice! Yes indeed no government bureaucrat should have any say inside a doctor's office; and that also applies to all women! — Robert C. Evans (@evansrc717) August 1, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-01--'Wrong!' Trump Rips Fauci After He Touts Europe's More Effective COVID-19 Tactics

President Donald Trump on Saturday flatly “ corrected ” the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert after Dr. Anthony Fauci explained how Europe has been more successful at containing COVID-19 than the U.S. “ Wrong !
” Trump fired off in a tweet from his golf resort in Potomac Falls , Virginia .
The president immediately again brought up more testing in the U.S. , which he has claimed “ creates ” more cases , arguing that the situation only looks worse here because more data is gathered .
The U.S. leads the world with more than 154,000 COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of the 682,000 global death toll in a country with just 4 % of the world ’ s population .
Wrong !
We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country , 60,000,000 .
If we tested less , there would be less cases .
How did Italy , France & Spain do ?
Now Europe sadly has flare ups .
Most of our governors worked hard & smart .
We will come back STRONG !
: : https : //t.co/hhwYOrnWZn — Donald J. Trump ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Friday .
He said America ’ s economic and activity shutdowns didn ’ t go nearly as far as Europe ’ s did — and that states lifted restrictions and allowed businesses to reopen too soon because cases of the virus were still high .
“ If you look at what happened in Europe , when they shut down or locked down or went to shelter in place — however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really did it to the tune of about 95 % -plus of the country , ” Fauci testified .
The U.S. , on the other hand , “ really functionally shut down only about 50 % in the sense of the totality of the country , ” he added .
When restrictions were lifted in the U.S. the virus transmission rates were still significantly higher than Europe ’ s .
“ We started off with a very difficult baseline of transmission that was going on at the time that we tried to open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He also said some states did not “ strictly ” comply with recommended health guidelines , while others ignored them as people were “ congregating in crowds and not wearing masks.
” As an illustration of the consequences , Fauci pointed to the chart below , which was displayed by committee head and House Minority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn ( D-S.C. ) .
The top line of the chart represents the trajectory of the virus in the U.S. ; the lines far below represent cases in Europe , Canada and Japan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke , Trump went on the attack in a tweet , again blaming the increase in U.S. cases on tests , and calling the numbers “ Lamestream media gold.
” Somebody please tell Congressman Clyburn , who doesn ’ t have a clue , that the chart he put up indicating more CASES for the U.S. than Europe , is because we do MUCH MORE testing than any other country in the World .
If we had no testing , or bad testing , we would show very few CASES.. — Donald J.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 2020

President Donald Trump on Saturday further shared his own interpretation of the coronavirus crisis, lashing out at Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, for explaining how Europe has been more successful at containing COVID-19 than the U.S. has.
“Wrong!” Trump tweeted from his golf resort in Potomac Falls, Virginia. He again brought up the rate of testing in the U.S., which he has repeatedly claimed “creates” more cases, arguing that the situation only looks worse here because more data is gathered.
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More than 154,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S., which is the highest national death toll in the world and nearly 23% of global coronavirus fatalities in a country with just 4% of the world’s population.
Wrong! We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country, 60,000,000. If we tested less, there would be less cases. How did Italy, France & Spain do? Now Europe sadly has flare ups. Most of our governors worked hard & smart. We will come back STRONG!
:: https://t.co/hhwYOrnWZn — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2020
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Friday.
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He said America’s economic and activity shutdowns didn’t go nearly as far as Europe’s did, and that states lifted restrictions too soon.
“If you look at what happened in Europe, when they shut down or locked down or went to shelter in place — however you want to describe it — they really did it to the tune of about 95%-plus of the country,” Fauci testified. The U.S., on the other hand, “really functionally shut down only about 50% in the sense of the totality of the country.”
When restrictions were lifted in the U.S., the virus transmission rates were still significantly higher than Europe’s. “We started off with a very difficult baseline of transmission that was going on at the time that we tried to open up the country,” Fauci testified.
He also said some states did not “strictly” comply with recommended health guidelines, while others ignored them as people were “congregating in crowds and not wearing masks.”
As an illustration of the consequences, Fauci pointed a chart (pictured below) displayed by the subcommittee chairman, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). The top line of the chart represents the trajectory of the virus in the U.S.; the lines far below represent cases in Europe, Canada and Japan.
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Rep. James Clyburn, (D-S.C.) displays a chart that Anthony Fauci referenced while testifying before a House subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis on Friday. Pool via Getty Images
As Fauci spoke on Friday, Trump went on the attack in a tweet, again blaming the increase in U.S. cases on testing, and calling the numbers “Lamestream media gold.”
Somebody please tell Congressman Clyburn, who doesn’t have a clue, that the chart he put up indicating more CASES for the U.S. than Europe, is because we do MUCH MORE testing than any other country in the World. If we had no testing, or bad testing, we would show very few CASES.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 31, 2020
We have more Cases because we do more Testing. It’s Lamestream Media Gold! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2020
As of Saturday, the U.S. had recorded 4.6 million confirmed cases of COVID-19.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated Clyburn’s title.
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