thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Borat Just Joined Twitter And Is Already Trolling The Wawaweewa Out Of Donald Trump

Borat Sagdiyev ― the comic alter ego of British actor Sacha Baron Cohen ― joined Twitter on Friday and wasted no time in taunting President Donald Trump .
The fake Kazakh reporter went on a Trump-worthy tweetstorm offering sarcastic praise of the president and his devastating mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Premiere Trump true leader - he have prove himself stronger than more than 200,000 of his American subjects !
” read one post referencing Trump ’ s COVID-19 diagnosis , which came after he ignored safety guidelines and downplayed the virus for months .
Another said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even need to drink bleach to stay alive !
” ― a reminder of the president ’ s bonkers suggestion that consuming disinfectant could be a treatment for the disease .
Premiere Trump true leader - he have prove himself stronger than more than 200,000 of his American subjects !
— Borat ( @ BoratSagdiyev ) October 10 , 2020 Trump so strong he did not even need to drink bleach to stay alive !
— Borat ( @ BoratSagdiyev ) October 10 , 2020 Trump would have leave hospital sooner , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurt covid ’ s feelings — Borat ( @ BoratSagdiyev ) October 10 , 2020 Trump very kind man !
When he go on car ride outside hospital , he give driver many thanks and also some of his covids medicine — Borat ( @ BoratSagdiyev ) October 10 , 2020 It ’ s unclear if Cohen himself is tweeting from the verified account , and representatives for the actor did not immediately respond to HuffPost ’ s request for more information .
However , the feed is most likely a publicity stunt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sequel to Cohen ’ s 2006 mockumentary “ Borat : Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.
” The plot of the upcoming movie , reportedly titled “ Borat Subsequent Moviefilm , ” remains unclear , but the trailer ends with Borat dressed as Trump appearing to heckle Vice President Mike Pence on stage .

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Borat Sagdiyev ― the comic alter ego of British actor Sacha Baron Cohen ― joined Twitter on Friday and wasted no time in taunting President Donald Trump.
The fake Kazakh reporter went on a Trump-worthy tweetstorm offering sarcastic praise of the president and his devastating mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
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“Premiere Trump true leader - he have prove himself stronger than more than 200,000 of his American subjects!” read one post referencing Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, which came after he ignored safety guidelines and downplayed the virus for months.
Another said, “Trump so strong he did not even need to drink bleach to stay alive!” ― a reminder of the president’s bonkers suggestion that consuming disinfectant could be a treatment for the disease.
Premiere Trump true leader - he have prove himself stronger than more than 200,000 of his American subjects! — Borat (@BoratSagdiyev) October 10, 2020
Trump so strong he did not even need to drink bleach to stay alive! — Borat (@BoratSagdiyev) October 10, 2020
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Trump would have leave hospital sooner, but he nice and did not want to hurt covid’s feelings — Borat (@BoratSagdiyev) October 10, 2020
Trump very kind man! When he go on car ride outside hospital, he give driver many thanks and also some of his covids medicine — Borat (@BoratSagdiyev) October 10, 2020
It’s unclear if Cohen himself is tweeting from the verified account, and representatives for the actor did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for more information.
However, the feed is most likely a publicity stunt ahead of the Oct. 23 release of the sequel to Cohen’s 2006 mockumentary “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
The plot of the upcoming Jason Woliner-directed movie, reportedly titled “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” remains unclear, but the trailer ends with Borat dressed as Trump appearing to heckle Vice President Mike Pence on stage.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--White House Doctor Gives Trump The All-Clear With Few Details

Donald Trump ’ s physician issued a statement late Saturday declaring that the president no longer poses a risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others .
But he failed to provide the critical detail about whether or not Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus .
“ By currently recognized standards , ” Trump is “ no longer considered a transmission risk to others , ” noted the unsigned statement by White House physician Dr. Sean Conley .
He added that the “ assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained reveal there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus.
” Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has tested negative for COVID , but he also did not provide specific details about the results of Trump ’ s “ advanced diagnostic tests.
” The PCR lab test Conley refers to his memo can give doctors a “ rough sense ” of how much virus remains in a person ’ s body , or the viral load , The New York Times noted .
Conley ’ s wording implies that some virus remains in the president ’ s body .
Melissa Miller , a clinical microbiologist at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Times that no test can definitively show if a person at the end of a coronavirus infection is still contagious and poses a risk to others .
It remains unclear when the president contracted the coronavirus .
The White House has refused to reveal when Trump last tested negative .
Conley initially suggested a week ago that Trump had actually been diagnosed a full day earlier on Sept. 30 than what the president stated in a tweet , which would have meant that Trump knew he had COVID-19 before attending group events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conley later retracted his statement after the White House complained .
But Conley again indicated in his memo that Trump was diagnosed Sept. 30 .
That would make Saturday “ day 10 from symptoms onset , ” as Conley noted in the memo .
In any case , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that those with severe COVID-19 may need to isolate for 20 days .
Trump was airlifted to Walter Reed hospital , was given supplemental oxygen , steroids and two experimental drugs before he was discharged three days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the illness was serious .
Also , the president ’ s health could still deteriorate in the next few days , experts note .
Epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding , senior fellow of the Federation of American Scientists , called Conley ’ s memo “ evasive ” and “ sketchy.
” He noted the 20 days in isolation recommended by the CDC — and pointed out that people with COVID can be infectious to others for even longer if they ’ re taking dexamethasone , the steroid that Trump has been on .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” created by the experimental drugs Trump took is not the same as immunity , and may skew diagnostic results .
Breaking—Dr Conley now claims Trump is not infectious .
He cites CDC criteria , yet CDC clearly says severe # COVID19 cases are infectious for 20 days .
And his viral load might be down , but he also has synthetic antibodies .
Synthetic doesn ’ t equal immunity .
Ct value also unreported .
https : //t.co/i4bAXZPXk5 pic.twitter.com/tn3dgp3lDs — Eric Feigl-Ding ( @ DrEricDing ) October 11 , 2020

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Donald Trump’s physician issued a statement late Saturday declaring that the president no longer poses a risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others. But he failed to provide the critical detail about whether Trump has tested negative for the coronavirus.
“By currently recognized standards,” Trump is “no longer considered a transmission risk to others,” noted the unsigned statement by White House physician Dr. Sean Conley. He added that the “assortment of advanced diagnostic tests obtained reveal there is no longer evidence of actively replicating virus.”
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Not only did Conley fail to reveal whether Trump has tested negative for COVID-19, he also did not provide specific details about the results of Trump’s “advanced diagnostic tests.” The PCR lab test Conley refers to in his memo can give doctors a “rough sense” of how much virus remains in a person’s body, or the viral load, The New York Times noted. Conley’s wording implies that some virus remains in the president’s body.
Melissa Miller, a clinical microbiologist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, told the Times that no test can definitively show if a person at the end of a coronavirus infection is still contagious and poses a risk to others.
The White House has been extraordinarily tight-lipped about the exact nature of Trump’s illness and recovery.
It remains unclear when the president contracted the coronavirus. The White House has refused to reveal when Trump last tested negative.
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Conley initially suggested a week ago that Trump had actually been diagnosed a full day earlier on Sept. 30 than what the president stated in a tweet, which would have meant that Trump knew he had COVID-19 before attending group events without a mask or social distancing. Conley later retracted his statement after the White House complained.
But Conley again indicated in his memo that Trump was diagnosed Sept. 30. That would make Saturday “day 10 from symptoms onset,” as Conley noted in the memo.
WH doctor says Trump “no longer considered a transmission risk to others...” pic.twitter.com/ymUrjMLx4Z — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 11, 2020
In any case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that those with severe COVID-19 may need to isolate for 20 days. Trump was airlifted to Walter Reed hospital, was given supplemental oxygen, steroids and two experimental drugs before he was discharged three days later on Monday, which would indicate the illness was serious.
Also, the president’s health could still deteriorate in the next few days, experts note.
Epidemiologist Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, senior fellow of the Federation of American Scientists, called Conley’s memo “evasive” and “sketchy.” He noted the 20 days in isolation recommended by the CDC — and pointed out that people with COVID-19 can be infectious to others for even longer if they’re taking dexamethasone, the steroid that Trump has been on.
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3) also studies show that dexamethasone (a corticosteroid) extends the period of infectiousness of #SARSCoV2 #COVID19 beyond even 20 days!!! pic.twitter.com/GcQu77uLzP — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) October 11, 2020
He also pointed out that “synthetic antibodies” created by the experimental drugs Trump took is not the same as immunity, and may skew diagnostic results.
Breaking—Dr Conley now claims Trump is not infectious. He cites CDC criteria, yet CDC clearly says severe #COVID19 cases are infectious for 20 days. And his viral load might be down, but he also has synthetic antibodies. Synthetic doesn’t equal immunity. Ct value also unreported. https://t.co/i4bAXZPXk5 pic.twitter.com/tn3dgp3lDs — Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) October 11, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-10--Trump Reportedly Plotted Wacky Superman Stunt For Walter Reed Discharge

In a series of phone calls , President Donald Trump floated a bizarre idea last week from his presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — he wanted to rip open his dress shirt after discharge to reveal a Superman symbol beneath , The New York Times reported Saturday .
He “ wanted to appear frail at first , ” people with knowledge of the conversations told the Times .
But underneath his dress shirt , Trump would wear a Superman T-shirt , which he would reveal by ripping open the top layer of his clothing .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the stunt .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear why .
Twitter critics were agog .
Some compared it to the moment when the reclusive fictional Willy Wonka emerges from his chocolate factory as an apparently sad , limping man with a cane who suddenly somersaults and pops up with a smile .
Trump ’ s return to the White House Monday after three days in the hospital ended up having little of a superhero vibe about it .
After walking up the steps to the White House balcony after exiting Marine One @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He did , however , quickly pull off his mask and jammed it into his pocket .
In another odd sort of reality TV twist , he later posted a video of himself after apparently re-doing his White House entrance for a second take .
In his first public appearance Saturday , the president also appeared more subdued than usual .
Trump , who has been known to talk for two hours at rallies , was slated for a 30-minute speech on the White House balcony to hundreds of supporters .
But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As for the Superman plot , Twitter followers weren ’ t happy about Trump besmirching Clark Kent ’ s character .
One wag pointed out that Kent is an undocumented alien — and a journalist .
Trump wanted to pretend to be weak and then bust out a Superman T-shirt .
Because despite 210,000 dead Americans this is still all a show to him .
LINK : https : //t.co/ao5fFCk8kT pic.twitter.com/1xnipSDJFz — The Tennessee Holler ( @ TheTNHoller ) October 10 , 2020 So apparently tRump wanted to do a Willy Wonka type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per NYT ) .
He wanted to wear a fucking Superman shirt under his dress shirt , and then `` rip '' it open .
This guy is sooo fucking gone , and he has the nuclear codes !
!
!
pic.twitter.com/xQ2kk6Zk43 — Amy Lynn🧟♀🎃🌊 ( @ AmyAThatcher ) October 10 , 2020

In a series of phone calls, President Donald Trump floated a bizarre idea last week from his presidential suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — he wanted to rip open his dress shirt after discharge to reveal a Superman symbol beneath, The New York Times reported Saturday.
He “wanted to appear frail at first,” people with knowledge of the conversations told the Times. But underneath his dress shirt, Trump would wear a Superman T-shirt, which he would reveal by ripping open the top layer of his clothing. He ultimately opted not to go ahead with the stunt. It wasn’t immediately clear why.
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Twitter critics were agog. Some compared it to the moment when the reclusive fictional Willy Wonka emerges from his chocolate factory as an apparently sad, limping man with a cane who suddenly somersaults and pops up with a smile.
Trump’s return to the White House Monday after three days in the hospital ended up having little of a superhero vibe about it. After walking up the steps to the White House balcony after exiting Marine One, he appeared to be winded. He did, however, quickly pull off his mask and jam it into his pocket.
In another odd sort of reality TV twist, he later posted a video of himself after apparently redoing his White House entrance for a second take.
Trump appears to be wincing in pain while he breathes pic.twitter.com/YKhGhu0VN0 — Brennan Murphy (@brenonade) October 5, 2020
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In his first public appearance Saturday, the president also appeared more subdued than usual. Trump, who has been known to talk for two hours at rallies, was slated for a 30-minute speech on the White House balcony to hundreds of supporters. But he cut it to just 18 minutes.
As for the Superman plot, Twitter followers weren’t happy about Trump besmirching Clark Kent’s character. One wag pointed out that Kent is an undocumented alien — and a journalist.
I know Superman. Superman was a hero of mine. President Trump, you’re no Superman. From @nytimes: pic.twitter.com/MtasJB71Gc — Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) October 10, 2020
The Real Donald Trump playing Superman pic.twitter.com/ZeN4EHniaA — Outspoken (@Out5p0ken) October 11, 2020
I am just devastated that they wouldn't let him go through with this https://t.co/yWhBdPMKAZ — Yes, You're Racist (@YesYoureRacist) October 10, 2020
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Trump wanted to pretend to be weak and then bust out a Superman T-shirt. Because despite 210,000 dead Americans this is still all a show to him.
LINK: https://t.co/ao5fFCk8kT pic.twitter.com/1xnipSDJFz — The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) October 10, 2020
Yep.
When I think of Donald Trump, I think of Superman. Strongly. pic.twitter.com/YG8y4FJfYg — Impeachments* Are Forever (@OK_Dumbass) October 10, 2020
So apparently tRump wanted to do a Willy Wonka type stunt when he left the hospital (per NYT). He wanted to wear a fucking Superman shirt under his dress shirt, and then "rip" it open. This guy is sooo fucking gone, and he has the nuclear codes!!! pic.twitter.com/xQ2kk6Zk43 — Amy Lynn🧟♀🎃🌊 (@AmyAThatcher) October 10, 2020
“Dang, Superman! You really let yourself go!” https://t.co/MX22v1kVu3 — Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) October 10, 2020
Donald Trump isn't Superman, he's a superspreader. — Broke Boy (@thebr0keb0i) October 10, 2020
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Superman stands for everything Donald Trump is not.
Superman is also:
- An undocumented immigrant
- A journalist — Kevin Powers (@kevinpowers70) October 10, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Eric Trump Says Nonexistent COVID-19 Vaccine His Dad 'Took' Worked Really 'Well'

Eric Trump on Sunday touted a nonexistent “ vaccine ” that he claimed dramatically helped his father , President Donald Trump , recover from COVID-19 after the president “ worked ” hard to get it developed .
The president didn ’ t get a vaccine , nor has he developed one , nor is it clear he ’ s recovered .
In fact , doctors administered a steroid , an antiviral drug and an antibody cocktail to the president after he tested positive for COVID-19 .
There is no authorized COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. None of the facts apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ father literally started day one creating this vaccine .
He worked to push this vaccine , and now my father just took it , and you see how well he got over it , ” Eric Trump gushed on ABC News ’ “ This Week.
” Eric Trump , who is clearly not an expert in these matters , repeatedly claims his father 's recovery from coronavirus is a result of `` vaccines '' his father created , which is false -- he took therapeutic drugs but not vaccines , and certainly has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pic.twitter.com/mN1WrrkTg1 — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) October 11 , 2020 Unlike his son , Trump hasn ’ t claimed he was given a vaccine .
But the president has declared that he is “ cured ” and insisted in a tweet Sunday without any medical evidence that he is now “ immune ” to COVID-19 .
The immune tweet was flagged by Twitter for violating its rules against “ misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.
” Leonard Schleifer , the CEO of Regeneron , on Sunday dismissed Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier praise of treatments as “ miracles coming down from God.
” Trump ’ s treatment with the company ’ s experimental antibody cocktail is “ a case of one , ” said Schleifer , who ’ s a member of the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor , New York , where he and the president have reportedly discussed the company ’ s drugs .
Schleifer said ongoing clinical trials still need to prove how effective the treatment is .
The antibody cocktail has so far only been given to 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The president ’ s case is a case of one , and that ’ s what we call a case report .
It is evidence of what ’ s happening , but it ’ s kind of the weakest evidence that you can get , ” Schleifer told “ Face the Nation ” on CBS .
“ The real evidence ... about how good a drug is and what it will do on average has to come from these large clinical trials , these randomized clinical trials , which are the gold standard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s physician , Sean Conley , said in an unsigned statement Saturday that the president no longer poses a risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others .
But Conley did not reveal if Trump has tested negative for COVID-19 .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people with serious cases may need to isolate for 20 days .
Saturday will mark only the 10th day since the onset of Trump ’ s COVID-19 symptoms , Conley noted in his memo .

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Eric Trump on Sunday touted a nonexistent “vaccine” that he claimed dramatically helped his father, President Donald Trump, recover from COVID-19 after the president “worked” hard to get it developed.
The president didn’t get a vaccine, nor has he developed one, nor is it clear he’s recovered.
In fact, doctors administered a steroid, an antiviral drug and an antibody cocktail to the president after he tested positive for COVID-19. There is no authorized COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.
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None of the facts apparently mattered to Eric Trump. “My father literally started day one creating this vaccine. He worked to push this vaccine, and now my father just took it, and you see how well he got over it,” Eric Trump gushed on ABC News’ “This Week.”
“Wait, wait,” host Jon Karl interrupted. “Can you clarify that you said your father just took a vaccine?”
Eric Trump responded, “Meaning when he was in Walter Reed [medical center] — the medicines that he was taking.”
Karl tried to clarify. “The therapeutics?”
Trump didn’t respond — nor did he amend his statement but continued to tout his father’s improving health.
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Eric Trump, who is clearly not an expert in these matters, repeatedly claims his father's recovery from coronavirus is a result of "vaccines" his father created, which is false -- he took therapeutic drugs but not vaccines, and certainly has played no direct role in creating them pic.twitter.com/mN1WrrkTg1 — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 11, 2020
The president received the corticosteroid dexamethasone, the antiviral drug remdesivir and an experimental antibody therapy created by Regeneron.
Unlike his son, Trump hasn’t claimed he was given a vaccine. But the president has declared that he is “cured” and insisted in a tweet Sunday without any medical evidence that he is now “immune” to COVID-19. The immune tweet was flagged by Twitter for violating its rules against “misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”
Twitter says Trump tweet claiming he's "immune" from virus violates their rules on misleading info on COVID-19.
"As is standard with this public interest notice, engagements with the Tweet will be significantly limited," a Twitter spox told HuffPost. pic.twitter.com/S6JY9FvBr3 — Hayley Miller (@hayleymiller01) October 11, 2020
Leonard Schleifer, the CEO of Regeneron, on Sunday dismissed Trump’s comments and the president’s earlier praise of treatments as “miracles coming down from God.”
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Trump’s treatment with the company’s experimental antibody cocktail is “a case of one,” said Schleifer, who’s a member of the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York, where he and the president have reportedly discussed the company’s drugs.
Schleifer said ongoing clinical trials still need to prove how effective the treatment is. The antibody cocktail has so far only been given to 10 people outside of clinical trials.
“The president’s case is a case of one, and that’s what we call a case report. It is evidence of what’s happening, but it’s kind of the weakest evidence that you can get,” Schleifer told “Face the Nation” on CBS.
“The real evidence ... about how good a drug is and what it will do on average has to come from these large clinical trials, these randomized clinical trials, which are the gold standard,” he added.
Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, said in an unsigned statement Saturday that the president no longer poses a risk of transmitting COVID-19 to others. But Conley did not reveal if Trump has tested negative for COVID-19.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people with serious cases may need to isolate for 20 days. Saturday will mark only the 10th day since the onset of Trump’s COVID-19 symptoms, Conley noted in his memo.
Experts have said that it’s impossible to know yet if Trump no longer poses a risk to others. “At this point, there’s no diagnostic test that tells you whether a person that’s infected remains infectious,” said Benjamin Pinsky, who leads Stanford University’s virology labs. “There is absolutely a chain of unknowns.” The White House has been extraordinarily tight-lipped about the exact nature of Trump’s illness and recovery. He plans to resume his campaign rallies this week.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Chris Wallace Stings Lara Trump Over First Family Going Maskless At The Debate

Members of the first family arrived wearing masks but removed them while in the audience for the Sept. 29 event at Ohio ’ s Cleveland Clinic .
The venue required all guests to wear masks .
NBC reporter Marianna Sotomayor said she saw one of the clinic ’ s doctors remind the Trumps to wear masks and even offer them extras .
The doctor walked away looking frustrated after none of them complied , Sotomayor reported .
“ Did you think , Lara , that the rules that applied to everybody else in that hall didn ’ t apply to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the debate , asked on “ Fox News Sunday.
” “ Well , of course we didn ’ t think that !
” Lara Trump said .
“ I want to be very clear .
Never one time did anyone from Cleveland Clinic come up and ask any member of our family to put a mask on .
So that is totally false.
” Lara Trump insisted that guests were socially distanced , and they had all tested negative for COVID-19 .
The event was held just days after the Sept. 26 Rose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ non-socially distanced attendees did not wear masks ― that was likely the source of more than two dozen COVID-19 cases , including Donald and Melania Trump .
“ You couldn ’ t get in the hall without testing negative , ” he said .
“ And the fact is , the rules were , everybody except the president , the vice president and I were supposed to wear masks.
” He also noted that it was the White House press pool report that mentioned the doctor ’ s request .
“ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said , adding that there was video of a Cleveland Clinic staffer “ coming up to somebody in the presidential party and saying , ‘ Would you like masks ?
’ And they were waved away.
” During the debate , Donald Trump mocked Biden for his routine use of masks .
He continued to flout mask-wearing advice even after testing positive for COVID-19 later that week .

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Members of the first family arrived wearing masks but removed them while in the audience for the Sept. 29 event at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic. The venue required all guests to wear masks.
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NBC reporter Marianna Sotomayor said she saw one of the clinic’s doctors remind the Trumps to wear masks and even offer them extras. The doctor walked away looking frustrated after none of them complied, Sotomayor reported.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden and his family wore masks.
“Did you think, Lara, that the rules that applied to everybody else in that hall didn’t apply to you?” Wallace, who moderated the debate, asked on “Fox News Sunday.”
“Well, of course we didn’t think that!” Lara Trump said. “I want to be very clear. Never one time did anyone from Cleveland Clinic come up and ask any member of our family to put a mask on. So that is totally false.”
Lara Trump insisted that guests were socially distanced, and they had all tested negative for COVID-19. The event was held just days after the Sept. 26 Rose Garden “superspreader” event ― where non-socially distanced attendees did not wear masks ― that was likely the source of more than two dozen COVID-19 cases, including Donald and Melania Trump.
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Wallace reminded his guest that “everybody in that hall had tested negative.”
“You couldn’t get in the hall without testing negative,” he said. “And the fact is, the rules were, everybody except the president, the vice president and I were supposed to wear masks.”
He also noted that it was the White House press pool report that mentioned the doctor’s request.
“I’m not just making this up,” he said, adding that there was video of a Cleveland Clinic staffer “coming up to somebody in the presidential party and saying, ‘Would you like masks?’ And they were waved away.”
During the debate, Donald Trump mocked Biden for his routine use of masks. He continued to flout mask-wearing advice even after testing positive for COVID-19 later that week.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--White House Blocked Anthony Fauci From Appearing On ABC News Show, Host Says

The White House refused to allow Dr. Anthony Fauci , the leading infectious disease expert on the administration ’ s coronavirus task force , to appear on Sunday ’ s episode of ABC ’ s “ This Week , ” host Jon Karl said .
Fauci had been willing to appear , but the White House wouldn ’ t sign off , Karl said in the show ’ s opening .
“ We had hoped to talk to Dr. Fauci about both the outbreak at the White House and across the country , ” Karl said .
“ He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the White House wouldn ’ t allow you to hear from the nation ’ s leading expert on the coronavirus .
“ In fact , they wouldn ’ t allow any of the medical experts on the president ’ s own coronavirus task force to appear on this show , ” he added .
At least two other networks ― CBS and NBC ― also tried and failed to book Fauci for their respective Sunday morning political talk shows this week .
CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” asks for Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but he ’ s not specifically offered as a guest , a CBS source told HuffPost .
The show has , however , booked other top officials to discuss the pandemic , including Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House ’ s coronavirus task force and chief of staff Mark Meadows .
A spokesperson for NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press ” said Fauci hasn ’ t appeared on the show in nearly six months , despite weekly requests for him to join .
In a statement to HuffPost , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the show requested an interview this week with Vice President Mike Pence , who has led the White House ’ s coronavirus task force since February , but the White House declined .
Neither the White House nor the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases , where Fauci serves as director , immediately responded to requests for comment .
In a tweet Sunday , White House communications director Alyssa Farah called Karl ’ s allegation “ FALSE ” and said that Fauci appeared on several TV news shows earlier in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another member of the White House coronavirus task force in Fauci ’ s place .
But Karl fired back that Farah was “ not telling the truth ” and tweeted an image of an email he purportedly sent her Friday asking if Pence , Birx or several other public health officials would appear on the show if they wouldn ’ t make Fauci available .
“ The truth matters , ” Karl wrote in a tweet directed at Farah .
“ The requests for Dr. Fauci and the other members of the task @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple times.
” Tension between Fauci and the White House has been reportedly mounting in recent months .
President Donald Trump has frequently undermined guidance from Fauci and other public health experts .
The Trump campaign released a new ad this week featuring what appeared to be Fauci praising Trump ’ s response to the coronavirus crisis .
But Fauci pushed back on Sunday , saying that his words were “ taken out of context ” and used without his permission .

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The White House refused to allow Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert on the administration’s coronavirus task force, to appear on Sunday’s episode of ABC’s “This Week,” host Jon Karl said.
Fauci had been willing to appear, but the White House wouldn’t sign off, Karl said in the show’s opening.
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“We had hoped to talk to Dr. Fauci about both the outbreak at the White House and across the country,” Karl said. “He was more than willing to join us, but the White House wouldn’t allow you to hear from the nation’s leading expert on the coronavirus.
“In fact, they wouldn’t allow any of the medical experts on the president’s own coronavirus task force to appear on this show,” he added.
Jon Karl opens This Week by saying the White House blocked Fauci and all federal government medical experts from appearing on the show pic.twitter.com/KOhsgPW2Qh — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 11, 2020
At least two other networks ― CBS and NBC ― also tried and failed to book Fauci for their respective Sunday morning political talk shows this week.
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CBS’ “Face the Nation” asks for Fauci to appear on the show every week, but he’s not specifically offered as a guest, a CBS source told HuffPost. The show has, however, booked other top officials to discuss the pandemic, including Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House’s coronavirus task force and chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Fauci hasn’t appeared on NBC’s “Meet The Press” in nearly six months, despite weekly requests for him to join, a network source told HuffPost.
In a statement to HuffPost, a spokesperson for “Fox News Sunday” said the show requested an interview this week with Vice President Mike Pence, who has led the White House’s coronavirus task force since February, but the White House declined.
Neither the White House nor the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where Fauci serves as director, immediately responded to requests for comment.
In a tweet Sunday, White House communications director Alyssa Farah called Karl’s allegation “FALSE” and said that Fauci appeared on several TV news shows earlier in the week. She said Karl never requested another member of the White House coronavirus task force in Fauci’s place.
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But Karl fired back that Farah was “not telling the truth” and tweeted an image of an email he purportedly sent her Friday asking if Pence, Birx or several other public health officials would appear on the show if they wouldn’t make Fauci available.
“The truth matters,” Karl wrote in a tweet directed at Farah. “The requests for Dr. Fauci and the other members of the task force were made directly to you — multiple times.”
Tension between Fauci and the White House has been reportedly mounting in recent months. President Donald Trump has frequently undermined guidance from Fauci and other public health experts.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Anthony Fauci Says He Didn't Consent To Trump Ad That Takes His Words Out Of Context

A campaign ad that appears to show Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsing President Donald Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic used a clip taken out of context and was not approved by Fauci before it aired , the doctor told media outlets Sunday .
“ They did this without my permission and my comments were taken out of context , ” Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious diseases expert who ’ s a member of the White House coronavirus task force , said in a statement to NBC News and CNN .
“ In my nearly five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never publicly endorsed any political candidate .
The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials , ” his statement continued .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , is seen testifying on Capitol Hill in September .
Fauci said Sunday that a clip of him used in a Trump campaign ad was taken out of context .
“ These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The video is from a nationally broadcast television interview in which Dr. Fauci was praising the work of the Trump Administration .
The words spoken are accurate , and directly from Dr. Fauci ’ s mouth , ” he said .
“ I can ’ t imagine that ... anybody could be doing more , ” Fauci is heard saying immediately after the video ’ s narrator directly applauds Trump ’ s efforts , stating : “ President Trump tackled the virus head-on , as leaders should.
” But Fauci was actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his entire team , as a video of the uncut interview clip shows .
“ I ’ m connected by phone throughout the day and into the night and I ’ m talking 12-1-2 in the morning .
I ’ m not the only one .
There ’ s a whole group of us that are doing that , it ’ s every single day .
So I can ’ t imagine that under any circumstances that anybody could be doing more , ” he said .
“ They are indeed Dr. Fauci @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweeted , without addressing the context of his words .
“ We have done a ‘ phenomenal ’ job , according to certain governors .
Many people agree .
... And now come the Vaccines & Cures , long ahead of projections !
” We want to know what you ’ re hearing on the ground from the candidates .
If you get any interesting ― or suspicious !
― campaign mailers , robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about , email us at scoops @ huffpost.com .

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A campaign ad that appears to show Dr. Anthony Fauci endorsing President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic used a clip taken out of context and was not approved by Fauci before it aired, the doctor told media outlets Sunday.
“They did this without my permission and my comments were taken out of context,” Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert who’s a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said in a statement to NBC News and CNN.
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“In my nearly five decades of public service, I have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. The comments attributed to me without my permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement I made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials,” his statement continued.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is seen testifying on Capitol Hill in September. Fauci said Sunday that a clip of him used in a Trump campaign ad was taken out of context. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump’s reelection campaign, defended the veracity of the ad in a statement to HuffPost on Sunday.
“These are Dr. Fauci’s own words. The video is from a nationally broadcast television interview in which Dr. Fauci was praising the work of the Trump Administration. The words spoken are accurate, and directly from Dr. Fauci’s mouth,” he said.
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The Trump campaign’s 30-second ad, which first began airing in Michigan, features a clip of a video interview that Fauci gave Fox News back in March.
“I can’t imagine that ... anybody could be doing more,” Fauci is heard saying immediately after the video’s narrator directly applauds Trump’s efforts, stating: “President Trump tackled the virus head-on, as leaders should.”
But Fauci was actually referring to the efforts of himself and his entire team, as a video of the uncut interview clip shows.
“I’m connected by phone throughout the day and into the night and I’m talking 12-1-2 in the morning. I’m not the only one. There’s a whole group of us that are doing that, it’s every single day. So I can’t imagine that under any circumstances that anybody could be doing more,” he said.
The president tweeted later Sunday to rebut Fauci’s statement.
“They are indeed Dr. Fauci’s own words,” Trump tweeted, without addressing the context of his words. “We have done a ‘phenomenal’ job, according to certain governors. Many people agree. ... And now come the Vaccines & Cures, long ahead of projections!”
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President Donald Trump is seen following a coronavirus task force daily briefing in March as Fauci stands by. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Sanjana Karanth contributed to this report.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Eric Trump's Response To NYT Report Alleging Pay-To-Play: 'We've Lost A Fortune'

Eric Trump on Sunday danced around questions from ABC News ’ Jon Karl about an explosive New York Times report that hundreds of entities patronized Trump properties and scored federal contracts and favors from President Donald Trump and his administration .
In its investigation published Saturday , the Times found that more than 200 companies , special interest groups and foreign governments were “ reaping benefits ” while spending money at various Trump hotels , golf clubs and other businesses .
“ Lots of specifics in this story , ” Karl told Eric Trump , the second eldest of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guys didn ’ t respond to The New York Times .
Here ’ s your chance .
What ’ s your response ?
” Eric Trump didn ’ t deny any of the specific allegations laid out in the Times report , which was based in part on President Trump ’ s tax records and the membership records of at least two of his properties .
Instead , Eric Trump , an executive vice president of the Trump Organization , said that his family has been hemorrhaging money in recent years .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost a fortune , ” Eric Trump told Karl .
“ My father ’ s lost a fortune running for president .
He doesn ’ t care .
He doesn ’ t care .
He wanted to do what was right .
The last thing , I can tell you , Donald Trump needs in the world is this job.
” President Trump “ wakes up in the morning , and he has to fight you , and he has to fight the entire media , and he has to fight the Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t need to shop .
My father has lost a fortune ― an absolute fortune ― doing what he does.
” Karl interrupted Eric Trump to push him for an answer to the question , but the president ’ s son pivoted instead to an attack on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
“ Eric , but will you address what The New York Times revealed in their investigation ?
” Karl said .
“ All these companies and individuals who have spent money ― lots of money ― at Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big government contracts and other favors from the Trump administration .
How is that not , at the very least , a huge appearance of a conflict of interest ?
” “ We ’ re a hospitality company , ” he said .
“ We have tens of millions of people staying at our properties every single year .
The New York Times is absolute fake news .
All they wan na do is take down my father.
” The Times ’ story about the alleged pay-to-play scheme was the latest in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s tax records .
Trump has refused to make public his tax returns , citing an ongoing Internal Revenue Service audit of his finances .
The Times , which obtained decades of Trump ’ s tax documents , found President Trump paid no federal income tax in 11 of the 18 years examined by the newspaper .
He paid just $ 750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017 .

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Eric Trump on Sunday danced around questions from ABC News’ Jon Karl about an explosive New York Times report that hundreds of entities patronized Trump properties and scored federal contracts and favors from President Donald Trump and his administration.
In its investigation published Saturday, the Times found that more than 200 companies, special interest groups and foreign governments were “reaping benefits” while spending money at various Trump hotels, golf clubs and other businesses.
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“Lots of specifics in this story,” Karl told Eric Trump, the second eldest of Trump’s three sons. “You guys didn’t respond to The New York Times. Here’s your chance. What’s your response?”
Eric Trump didn’t deny any of the specific allegations laid out in the Times report, which was based in part on President Trump’s tax records and the membership records of at least two of his properties. Instead, Eric Trump, an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said that his family has been hemorrhaging money in recent years.
“My response is, we’ve lost a fortune,” Eric Trump told Karl. “My father’s lost a fortune running for president. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t care. He wanted to do what was right. The last thing, I can tell you, Donald Trump needs in the world is this job.”
President Trump “wakes up in the morning, and he has to fight you, and he has to fight the entire media, and he has to fight the Democrats,” he added. “He doesn’t need to shop. My father has lost a fortune ― an absolute fortune ― doing what he does.”
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NEW: “My father has lost a fortune,” Eric Trump tells @jonkarl when pressed on a NYT report that Pres. Trump turned “his own hotels and resorts into the Beltway’s new back rooms, where public and private business mix and special interests reign.” https://t.co/fsCP2um0H5 pic.twitter.com/MtZLiszs2K — This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 11, 2020
Karl interrupted Eric Trump to push him for an answer to the question, but the president’s son pivoted instead to an attack on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“Eric, but will you address what The New York Times revealed in their investigation?” Karl said. “All these companies and individuals who have spent money ― lots of money ― at Trump properties that have gone on to get big government contracts and other favors from the Trump administration. How is that not, at the very least, a huge appearance of a conflict of interest?”
Eric Trump, again, refused to go into the specifics.
“We’re a hospitality company,” he said. “We have tens of millions of people staying at our properties every single year. The New York Times is absolute fake news. All they wanna do is take down my father.”
He then falsely accused “the media” of being “the activist arm of the Democratic Party.”
“Eric, we’re asking legitimate questions,” Karl said in response.
The Times’ story about the alleged pay-to-play scheme was the latest in a series of investigative reports into Trump’s tax records. Trump has refused to make public his tax returns, citing an ongoing Internal Revenue Service audit of his finances.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Democrats Condemn GOP Rush To Seat Amy Coney Barrett As 'Court Packing'

Carlos Barria/Reuters President Donald Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Democrats are condemning GOP efforts to confirm Barrett before the 2020 presidential election results are known .
On Sunday , multiple Democratic senators used the term “ court packing ” to describe Republican efforts to seat a new Supreme Court justice while ballots are being cast for this year ’ s presidential election .
The public condemnations come as the Senate prepares to begin confirmation hearings on Monday for Amy Coney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are hurriedly trying to seat following the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
“ Court packing ” is a term often associated with efforts to expand the number of judges on a court , but it also refers to efforts to guarantee courts have a specific and narrow ideological bent .
Currently trailing in polls in key battleground states , Trump has said he hopes his appointee ― Barrett , if confirmed ― will hand him this year ’ s election by ruling in his favor in voting rights cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court .
“ Instead of passing a COVID relief package that will help millions of Americans who are unemployed , who have been infected , whose businesses or employers have closed , we ’ re focusing on jamming through Justice Barrett , ” Coons said .
“ I think this constitutes court packing and , frankly , I think that ’ s the implication of what Joe Biden was saying.
” Recent polling data compiled by FiveThirtyEight found a majority of Americans believe the winner of this year ’ s presidential election should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s replacement .
Biden has declined multiple attempts to pin him down on whether he ’ d support adding more associate justices to the Supreme Court .
Congress has changed the number several times since the U.S. began .
Coons and an increasing number of Democrats have openly referred to Barrett ’ s confirmation as “ court packing ” in recent weeks as they face a Republican Senate majority committed to seating her before Election Day , and they are increasingly using the term to condemn the GOP ’ s broader push to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hostile to racial justice , reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights .
“ The American people have watched the Republicans packing the court for the past three and a half years , and they brag about it , ” Sen. Dick Durbin ( D-Ill. ) said on NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press.
” “ We are dealing with people on the court , packing into the court , with little or no qualifications for a long time , ” he added .
Durbin is part of a chorus of Democrats who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett compared to their refusal in 2016 to hold a hearing for then-President Barack Obama ’ s Supreme Court nominee .
Republicans let Merrick Garland ’ s nomination for Justice Antonin Scalia ’ s seat languish for 293 days until it expired in January of the next year .

President Donald Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Democrats are condemning GOP efforts to confirm Barrett before the 2020 presidential election results are known. Carlos Barria/Reuters
On Sunday, multiple Democratic senators used the term “court packing” to describe Republican efforts to seat a new Supreme Court justice while ballots are being cast for this year’s presidential election.
The public condemnations come as the Senate prepares to begin confirmation hearings on Monday for Amy Coney Barrett, a federal judge Senate Republicans are hurriedly trying to seat following the Sept. 18 death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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“Court packing” is a term often associated with efforts to expand the number of judges on a court, but it also refers to efforts to guarantee courts have a specific and narrow ideological bent. Currently trailing in polls in key battleground states, Trump has said he hopes his appointee ― Barrett, if confirmed ― will hand him this year’s election by ruling in his favor in voting rights cases his campaign could bring before the Supreme Court.
During a Sunday interview on Fox News, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said Republicans are deploying court packing in trying to seat Barrett, echoing comments Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made Saturday.
“Instead of passing a COVID relief package that will help millions of Americans who are unemployed, who have been infected, whose businesses or employers have closed, we’re focusing on jamming through Justice Barrett,” Coons said. “I think this constitutes court packing and, frankly, I think that’s the implication of what Joe Biden was saying.”
Recent polling data compiled by FiveThirtyEight found a majority of Americans believe the winner of this year’s presidential election should be the one to select Ginsburg’s replacement. Biden has declined multiple attempts to pin him down on whether he’d support adding more associate justices to the Supreme Court. Congress has changed the number several times since the U.S. began.
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Coons and an increasing number of Democrats have openly referred to Barrett’s confirmation as “court packing” in recent weeks as they face a Republican Senate majority committed to seating her before Election Day, and they are increasingly using the term to condemn the GOP’s broader push to prioritize lifetime judicial appointments for conservative loyalists hostile to racial justice, reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights.
“The American people have watched the Republicans packing the court for the past three and a half years, and they brag about it,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“We are dealing with people on the court, packing into the court, with little or no qualifications for a long time,” he added.
Durbin is part of a chorus of Democrats who have denounced Republicans’ hypocritical stance toward confirming Barrett compared to their refusal in 2016 to hold a hearing for then-President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee. Republicans let Merrick Garland’s nomination for Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat languish for 293 days until it expired in January of the next year.
“The [Democratic] base is correct in believing that the Republicans changed the rules four years ago,” Durbin said, adding, “Now they’ve completely reversed themselves.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Lindsey Graham's Democratic Challenger Rakes In $57 Million, Shattering Fundraising Record

Jaime Harrison , the Democratic nominee in South Carolina seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham , raised $ 57 million in the third quarter of this year , crushing the previous fundraising record for a Senate candidate , Harrison ’ s campaign announced Sunday .
Harrison ’ s colossal haul toppled the previous record set by then-Rep. Beto O ’ Rourke , a Democrat , in the third quarter of 2018 during his face-off against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas .
O ’ Rourke had raked in $ 38.1 million in July through September of that year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not yet announced his third-quarter fundraising numbers .
He raised $ 8.4 million in the second quarter while Harrison took in nearly $ 14 million in donations during that same time period .
Last month , Graham begged Fox News viewers to donate to his campaign , bemoaning that he was “ being killed financially ” by Harrison .
“ This money is because they hate my guts , ” Graham said during an appearance on “ Fox & Friends ” on Sept. 24 .
“ Help me , ” Graham told viewers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Fox News prime-time host Sean Hannity .
“ They ’ re killing me moneywise .
Help me .
You did last week .
Help me again.
” The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has heightened the stakes in Graham ’ s reelection campaign .
Graham , the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , has come under fire following Ginsburg ’ s death for his flip-flopping stance on whether a Supreme Court vacancy should be filled during a presidential election year .
Graham is seeking to swiftly push through the Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump ’ s nominee to replace Ginsburg .
But in 2016 , Graham backed a controversial decision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) to block confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland , then-President Barack Obama ’ s pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia .
McConnell , Graham and other Republicans had said at the time that Garland ’ s confirmation hearings would have been too close to the 2016 election and that whoever won the election should pick the Supreme Court nominee .
Scalia died 269 days before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 46 days before the 2020 presidential election .
What ’ s more , early voting had already begun in some states for this year ’ s election .
Graham claimed last month that Harrison , who served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017 , took in $ 6 million in the 72 hours after Ginsburg ’ s death .
Harrison ’ s campaign hasn ’ t yet disclosed how much money he raised in that time period .
We want to know what you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If you get any interesting ― or suspicious !
― campaign mailers , robocalls or hear anything else you think we should know about , email us at scoops @ huffpost.com .

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Jaime Harrison, the Democratic nominee in South Carolina seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, raised $57 million in the third quarter of this year, crushing the previous fundraising record for a Senate candidate, Harrison’s campaign announced Sunday.
Harrison’s colossal haul toppled the previous record set by then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a Democrat, in the third quarter of 2018 during his face-off against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. O’Rourke had raked in $38.1 million in July through September of that year.
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Graham, a three-term incumbent, has not yet announced his third-quarter fundraising numbers. He raised $8.4 million in the second quarter while Harrison took in nearly $14 million in donations during that same time period.
Last month, Graham begged Fox News viewers to donate to his campaign, bemoaning that he was “being killed financially” by Harrison.
“This money is because they hate my guts,” Graham said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Sept. 24.
“Help me,” Graham told viewers a few hours later during an interview with Fox News prime-time host Sean Hannity. “They’re killing me moneywise. Help me. You did last week. Help me again.”
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The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has heightened the stakes in Graham’s reelection campaign. Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has come under fire following Ginsburg’s death for his flip-flopping stance on whether a Supreme Court vacancy should be filled during a presidential election year.
Graham is seeking to swiftly push through the Senate confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Ginsburg. But in 2016, Graham backed a controversial decision by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to block confirmation hearings for Merrick Garland, then-President Barack Obama’s pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
McConnell, Graham and other Republicans had said at the time that Garland’s confirmation hearings would have been too close to the 2016 election and that whoever won the election should pick the Supreme Court nominee.
Scalia died 269 days before the 2016 presidential election. Ginsburg died 46 days before the 2020 presidential election. What’s more, early voting had already begun in some states for this year’s election.
Graham claimed last month that Harrison, who served as the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017, took in $6 million in the 72 hours after Ginsburg’s death. Harrison’s campaign hasn’t yet disclosed how much money he raised in that time period.
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Recent polling shows Graham and Harrison in a virtual tie. Each candidate received 48% of the vote in a Quinnipiac poll conducted last month.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--All The President's Men

All The President's Men

HuffPost Illustration/Police Handouts Mugshots of the 13 men belonging to paramilitary groups who were arrested last week related to a @ @ @ @ @ .
Gretchen Whitmer , a Democrat .

This past week, 13 men belonging to paramilitary groups were arrested in a horrifying plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Based on what can be gleaned from the men’s social media pages, they fit a familiar profile of far-right vigilantism in America.
They are white men. Most appear to be supporters of President Donald Trump. They consume disinformation and conspiracy theories online with abandon. They see a new American civil war on the horizon, and they’re more than eager to fire some of the first shots.
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I’ve met these types of men before, all across the country, over the last four years while covering the American far right as a reporter. I’ve also seen the damage they’ve caused, and spoken to the people whose lives they’ve upended.
These men are part of an insurgent Make America Great Again fascist movement here, the size and power of which keeps me up at night. Although it’s a movement with origins that long predate the president, it’s one that today generates much of its cruel energy and momentum from his words.
“LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” Trump tweeted in April in a show of support for the armed protesters gathering outside Michigan’s state Capitol to protest Whitmer’s COVID-19 lockdown measures.
In the weeks that followed, these supporters would march into the state Capitol carrying long guns. They stood along a balcony and looked down menacingly at legislators. Among them were some of the 13 militia group members arrested this week.
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Whitmer blamed Trump for the plot to kidnap her, telling reporters Thursday that the president’s rhetoric “incites more domestic terror.”
Scholars of fascism, who have long warned of this link between a leader’s rhetoric and the violence committed by his followers, agree. Jason Stanley, a professor of philosophy at Yale University and author of the book “How Fascism Works,” told me once that hateful speech from public leaders, left unchallenged, can become normalized.
“And then violence occurs like five to six years later,” Stanley said. “Look at Myanmar, look at Rwanda, look at Nazi Germany. You have some years between the onset of the hate speech and the normalization of violence and mass violence.”
In fascist movements, Stanley said, “there’s always a relationship between the rhetoric and the unofficial militia. That’s what we’re looking at right now.”
America’s unofficial militias, its white vigilantes, have been feeding off Trump’s hateful speech for years now. He launched his presidential campaign in 2015, after all, by calling Mexicans “rapists.” That same year he called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S.
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He won the 2016 election perhaps not despite those racist statements but because of them, and, in the four years since, headline after headline has described escalating acts of political violence committed by his supporters and by those who share his hateful worldview — headlines so frequent and relentless as to make them routine.
I wrote some of those headlines and it feels urgent now, in the final weeks leading up to this presidential election, to revisit those stories, and to recount the scale and intensity of MAGA hate and terror, lest it all becomes even more normalized.
The months after Trump’s inauguration were fraught with uncertainty and fear. Reports emerged of terrifying hate crimes, and in May 2017, I found myself in Portland, Oregon, talking to 22-year-old Ellie Lawrence, whose boyfriend had just been murdered.
Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche (right) with his girlfriend Ellie Lawrence. Namkai-Meche was murdered by a white supremacist in May 2017. COURTESY ELLIE LAWRENCE
Lawrence nervously paged through a journal she’d kept of their relationship, wanting desperately for the world to know what a great man it had just lost and how much she had loved him. Her boyfriend, Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, had been aboard a MAX train in Portland when a white supremacist named Jeremy Christian started to harass two Black teen girls, one of whom was Muslim and wearing a headscarf.
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When Namkai-Meche and two other men intervened to protect the girls, Christian stabbed all three of them, killing Namkai-Meche and another man.
“Tell everyone on this train I love them,” Namkai-Meche said as he lay dying.
The city was on edge. There’d been too many stories like this. One Black woman said three white men hit her with a brick and beat her. “We got a president who finally feels how we feel and we’re going to make America great again by getting rid of n****rs like you,” she recounted one of them saying.
In June 2017, I went to my hometown of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where a hundred or so neo-Confederates, militiamen and Ku Klux Klan members were gathering for a rally on the historic battlefield, site of the important Civil War fight that remains the deadliest ever on American soil.
It felt as if those gathering were preparing for another civil war. They carried big guns and wore bulletproof vests. They flew MAGA flags and Confederate flags, and talked gravely about the threat of “antifa.”
They told me with a straight face, in my town, that the Confederacy had nothing to do with slavery, even though when the Confederate Army marched into Gettysburg they abducted free Black Americans and sold them back into slavery in the South.
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One man wore a T-shirt that had grown in popularity under Trump, who was always attacking the “fake news media.”
“Rope. Tree. Journalist,” the man’s T-shirt said. “Assembly Required.”
I walked up to him, press badge dangling from my neck, and took a photo, waiting for him to maybe explain that he didn’t really believe in what his shirt suggested. He just stared.
A photo I, a journalist, took of a man who apparently wants me to die. Christopher Mathias, HuffPost
Later that summer, on Aug. 12, 2017, I was sent to cover the “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
I was in a parking garage that day when I saw a group of neo-Nazis beat a young Black man with flagpoles. I ran toward the attack but when one of the Nazis drew a gun and started waving it around, I ducked behind a car. When the attack ended and the victim ran away, I saw a pool of blood on the concrete. Outside, some 20 police officers stood around doing nothing.
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A couple of hours later, I was interviewing a woman who’d just witnessed a neo-Nazi drive his car into a crowd of her fellow counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. The woman was shaking and inconsolable, crying so hard she could barely speak. She had just seen something that would haunt her for the rest of her life. I stopped the interview and said I was so sorry before walking away, feeling shaken myself.
That night, I walked through the park where earlier I’d seen some 1,000 white supremacists gather for the rally, the largest such gathering in a generation. Scattered on the ground were protest signs. “The Jewish Media Is Going Down,” read one. “We Support President Donald Trump,” read the other.
On the train back to New York, I watched a video on my phone of the president insisting to reporters that there were “very fine people” on both sides of the events in Charlottesville.
Over the next few months, America’s white supremacists — who were explicit in saying they felt emboldened by the president — held a series of rallies across the country. At one event in Gainesville, Florida, I talked to 28-year-old Colton Fears who explained to me — in a perfect expression of Trumpism that I still think about to this day — why he’d shown up that day.
“Basically, I’m just fed up with the fact that I’m cisgendered, I’m a white male, and I lean right, toward the Republican side,” Fears said, wearing a pin of the 3rd SS Panzer Division Totenkopf of the Waffen-SS. “And I get demonized if I don’t accept certain things.”
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A few hours later, Fears and two other white supremacists were arrested after firing a gun at anti-racist protesters.
Talking to Colton Fears, who's wearing a Nazi pin, outside an event at the University of Florida, where white supremacist Richard Spencer was set to speak. Chris McGonigal/HuffPost
Around this time, I started paying particular attention to terror plots targeting Muslims, a group whom Trump routinely demonized and dehumanized.
In March 2018, I wrote about three men who were arrested for bombing a mosque in Minnesota. The bombing, which Trump had refused to condemn, came after multiple incidents in which the president had lashed out at Somali Muslim immigrants in the state, calling them a “disaster.”
The three men were Trump supporters. A colleague and I even discovered that the leader of the group had admired the president so much he had submitted a detailed bid to build the president’s wall on the Mexican border.
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The next month, I was in a federal courthouse in Wichita, Kansas, as prosecutors played recordings of three other men, members of a militia group, plotting to massacre Muslims.
Muslims were “cockroaches,” one of the men said in a recording. “You have to kill all of them. They keep coming back. You have to exterminate them all.”
I listened, aghast, and looked around the courtroom gallery, surprised to see how empty it was — that the whole country wasn’t closely following this case, that so few people seemed to care.
The three defendants were avid Trump supporters. According to testimony at the trial, as Trump warned Americans of Somali refugees being terrorists in disguise — “the great Trojan horse of all time,” he called them — the men decided they were going to bomb a Garden City apartment complex where many Somali Muslims lived and “make Jello out of their insides.”
One day during the trial, I went to that apartment complex and watched people leave for work or return home, or say hello to their neighbors, or play outside with their kids, and I couldn’t bring myself to interview them, to ask them if they’d known about the men who wanted to obliterate them because of their faith.
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I got back into the car and drove away.
Prosecutors said the thee militia members in Kansas — who had plotted their attack in 2016 and were arrested that year — were conscious that their massacre might somehow make Trump look bad and hurt his election chances. They decided to schedule the attack, which authorities foiled, for the day after the election. ILLUSTRATION: DAMON DAHLEN/HUFFPOST PHOTOS: GETTY
The months passed, and as the country geared up for the 2018 midterm elections, I followed along on Twitter as some of my friends at CNN were evacuated from the network’s headquarters in New York. An explosive device had been sent there in the mail.
A few days later, authorities arrested a Trump supporter named Cesar Sayoc for sending the bomb, one of many he’d put in the mail, addressed to prominent Democratic politicians including former President Barack Obama and now-vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Police found Sayoc in a van covered in MAGA decals and messages attacking the “fake news” media. (Later his lawyers would argue in court that their client was a Trump “super fan” who, after listening to the president’s speeches, had started “to consider Democrats as not just dangerous in theory, but imminently and seriously dangerous to his personal safety.”)
Only one day after Sayoc’s arrest, a white supremacist named Robert Bowers walked into Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue with a gun and opened fire, killing 11 worshippers there.
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I drove from New York to Pittsburgh, past more Trump signs than I could count, and arrived outside the synagogue where people had already started laying flowers around 11 makeshift Star of David memorials. I talked to a woman there whose lip started to quiver as she held back tears while telling me about how two friends of hers had been shot inside the synagogue, one of whom had just died.
In the weeks leading up to the shooting, Trump and Fox News, which often shares the president’s propaganda, had been spreading fear and lies about a caravan of migrants in Mexico making its way to the United States. Bowers, the synagogue shooter, held the anti-Semitic belief that Jews were funding this caravan.
Trump visited Pittsburgh after the shooting, despite pleas from the mayor not to, staging a three-hour photo op as protesters marched near the synagogue reciting the mourner’s kaddish and singing “Ozi V’Zimrat Yah,” maybe loud enough for the president to hear. Before this moment, I’d never cried while reporting on atrocities across America, but I’ll admit that I suddenly and briefly broke down in tears then, struck first by the sadness and pointlessness of it all, but then by the beauty and resilience of those singing and praying in the streets.
People protesting against Trump gather near the Tree of Life Congregation on Oct. 30, 2018, in Pittsburgh. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images
Because of my experience covering the far right, my editors at HuffPost thought it’d be good for me to start covering Trump’s campaign rallies in order to identify extremist elements among the attendees.
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So in February 2019 I went to my first Trump rally, in El Paso, Texas. There, sitting in the front row as Trump spoke, was Stewart Rhodes, leader of a national far-right militia called the Oath Keepers.
I was also struck by how many in the crowd were believers in QAnon, a pro-Trump conspiracy theory based on clues posted online by an anonymous person known as “Q” who claims to be a senior government official with access to intelligence about a globalist cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles waging war against the president.
QAnon is an authoritarian fantasy, imagining Trump as an almighty ruler who will one day soon vanquish his political enemies. Believers in this fantasy have committed multiple acts of violence. (Earlier this year, a woman in New York was arrested with a car full of knives after she posted a video accusing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of child sex trafficking and threatening to kill him.)
I’ve now gone to about 10 Trump rallies since the one in El Paso and at each one I’ve noticed more and more QAnon believers, who have talked to me about the president with a religious fervor. At each rally, I’ve seen MAGA vendors hawking Q pins and T-shirts with the conspiracy movement’s slogan: “Where We Go One, We Go All.”
Also a fixture at these rallies have been members of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist gang in black shirts and red MAGA hats, infamous for violently attacking leftist protesters in the streets. About 20 Proud Boys approached me in Orlando asking me why I’d called them fascists in a tweet.
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A short time later, this same group of Proud Boys was filmed marching through the streets, chanting, “Pinochet did nothing wrong!” The phrase was derived from a popular white supremacist meme and is a reference to former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s penchant for murdering leftists by throwing them out of helicopters into the ocean.
I began to realize that there weren’t just some scattered extremist elements at Trump rallies, but that the rallies themselves were festivals of far-right extremism, and that the GOP had been transformed in Trump’s image.
Trump speaks about U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, and the crowd responds with "send her back" at a "Keep America Great" campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, in July 2019. Jonathan Drake/Reuters
I’ll never forget the white, middle-aged couple wearing Trump campaign T-shirts in Greenville, North Carolina, sitting on a pair of lawn chairs beneath a tree waiting for the rally to start, calmly explaining to me the need to ethnically cleanse the U.S. of Muslims.
A few hours later, they were among a crowd of thousands cheering on the president as he once again called for four Democratic congresswomen of color, all of whom are American, to “go back” to the countries they came from.
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And when the president mentioned Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) — who came to this country as a Somali refugee before becoming a citizen — thousands of people inside the arena broke into a chant of “Send her back!”
The president stood silently and watched his handiwork. (Later, authorities would arrest a New York Trump supporter for threatening to kill Omar.)
The most recent MAGA rally I attended was last month in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the crowd before attendees settled in to watch the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden on two big screens the campaign had erected in the middle of a farm field.
The debate was perhaps the most chaotic in American history, with Trump interrupting Biden at every opportunity with a multitude of cruelties and lies. I watched the crowd in Pennsylvania laugh with glee.
When the debate moderator asked Trump to condemn white supremacists, the president once again refused. And when asked specifically to condemn the Proud Boys, Trump told the group only to “stand back and stand by.”
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I noticed a member of the Proud Boys watching the president talk about his group on the big screen. He laughed and cheered and started texting on his phone.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Read Amy Coney Barrett's Prepared Opening Remarks For Senate Confirmation Hearing

Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Sunday released her prepared opening statement ahead of Senate confirmation hearings , which @ @ @ @ @ .
President Donald Trump nominated Barrett to fill the vacancy created by Justice Ruth Bader @ @ @ @ @ Sept. 18 .
In her prepared remarks , Barrett praised Ginsburg and stated that “ @ @ @ @ @ her place ” in history .
“ I will be forever grateful for the path @ @ @ @ @ she led , ” Barrett wrote in her statement .
Barrett , who has espoused @ @ @ @ @ her prepared statement to follow the law , not her personal preferences , when ruling @ @ @ @ @ ’ s prepared opening statement , as obtained by Politico , below :

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Sunday released her prepared opening statement ahead of Senate confirmation hearings, which are set to begin Monday.
President Donald Trump nominated Barrett to fill the vacancy created by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Sept. 18.
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In her prepared remarks, Barrett praised Ginsburg and stated that “no one will ever take her place” in history.
“I will be forever grateful for the path she marked and the life she led,” Barrett wrote in her statement.
Barrett, who has espoused anti-abortion views, vowed in her prepared statement to follow the law, not her personal preferences, when ruling on cases.
Read Barrett’s prepared opening statement, as obtained by Politico, below:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--Amy Coney Barrett Pledges To Follow Law, Not Personal Views In Opening Statement

WASHINGTON , Oct 11 ( Reuters ) - Amy Coney Barrett , President Donald Trump ’ s pick for a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy , said she will rule based on the law , not her personal views , in prepared remarks issued on Sunday ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing this week .
Barrett , a conservative appeals court judge , said that in her current job she has “ done my utmost to reach the result required by the law , whatever my own preferences might be.
” A devout Catholic who has a record of opposing abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probed by Senate Democrats on that issue in particular .
If Barrett is confirmed to the position by the Republican-controlled Senate , the court would have a 6-3 conservative majority .
Conservative activists hope the court will overturn the 1973 ruling , Roe v. Wade , that legalized abortion nationwide .
NEW — Amy Coney Barrett ’ s opening statement .
Notable line : “ The policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches elected by and accountable to the People .
The public should not expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should not try.
” pic.twitter.com/Uvuqlgn4km — Seung Min Kim ( @ seungminkim ) October 11 , 2020 Barrett said in the statement that it will be an “ honor of a lifetime ” to serve alongside the current eight justices and explained how she approaches cases .
“ When I write an opinion resolving a case , I read every word from the perspective of the losing party .
I ask myself how would I view the decision if one of my children was the party I was ruling against , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has seven children , would be the fifth woman to serve on the court .
Before Trump appointed her to the Chicago-based 7th U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals , Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School in Indiana .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s pick for a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, said she will rule based on the law, not her personal views, in prepared remarks issued on Sunday ahead of her Senate confirmation hearing this week.
Barrett, a conservative appeals court judge, said that in her current job she has “done my utmost to reach the result required by the law, whatever my own preferences might be.”
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A devout Catholic who has a record of opposing abortion rights, Barrett is likely to be probed by Senate Democrats on that issue in particular. If Barrett is confirmed to the position by the Republican-controlled Senate, the court would have a 6-3 conservative majority. Conservative activists hope the court will overturn the 1973 ruling, Roe v. Wade, that legalized abortion nationwide.
NEW — Amy Coney Barrett’s opening statement. Notable line: “The policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches elected by and accountable to the People. The public should not expect courts to do so, and courts should not try.” pic.twitter.com/Uvuqlgn4km — Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) October 11, 2020
Trump nominated Barrett to replace liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last month.
Barrett said in the statement that it will be an “honor of a lifetime” to serve alongside the current eight justices and explained how she approaches cases.
“When I write an opinion resolving a case, I read every word from the perspective of the losing party. I ask myself how would I view the decision if one of my children was the party I was ruling against,” she wrote.
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Barrett, 48, who has seven children, would be the fifth woman to serve on the court. Before Trump appointed her to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Barrett was a professor at Notre Dame Law School in Indiana.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-10-11--How America Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Deficit

Neel Kashkari is not a radical .
He began his career at the Treasury Department under President George W. Bush and ran for governor of California in 2014 as a Republican , promising to cut taxes , “ wasteful spending ” and “ welfare.
” Kashkari lost that race badly , but earned plaudits from big-name conservatives like former Florida Gov .
Jeb Bush ( R ) , who hailed him as “ an ideas guy ” capable of “ unleashing the power of the market to create good jobs.
” Kashkari , who also worked at Goldman Sachs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve , a man respected on Wall Street and welcomed by producers at CNBC .
But these days he doesn ’ t talk much about the virtues of the self-correcting market .
He ’ s focused instead on the power of the public sector , and has transformed himself into an outspoken advocate of aggressive deficit spending .
“ There are enormous consequences if we just let things go , ” Kashkari told CNBC viewers on Wednesday .
“ Whatever Congress can do with the executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money in the hands of people who have lost their jobs and to support small businesses so that we don ’ t have this continuing wave of bankruptcies across the economy ― it ’ s just vital that they move quickly.
” This would have been an extraordinary message to hear from a Republican official a few years ago .
Throughout Barack Obama ’ s presidency , the GOP warned that the accumulation of government debt was a menace to future generations and a threat to near-term economic stability .
Even Democrats were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government to tighten its belt in his 2010 State of the Union address , a message his administration reinforced throughout the year , even with the unemployment rate hovering near double-digits .
Kashkari , like most economists these days , sees the current economic decay as a far more serious problem than all of this spending .
Job creation has slowed to a trickle since federal aid payments ended in July , and new layoffs continue to flow at levels that were very recently unthinkable .
Last week , 840,000 people lost their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the single worst week for job losses ever had been 695,000 .
Under conditions like these , witholding fiscal relief would court catastrophe .
Kashkari is just as conservative on economic policy as he ’ s ever been .
But what it means to be a conservative intellectual is changing .
When he calls for aggressive federal economic management , Kashkari is not so much giving ground to the left as giving voice to an emerging bipartisan consensus from the respectable , cuff-linked political center .
Under this view , people in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deficits should accrue , but deficits themselves are a normal feature of a functioning polity , not a dire threat to economic health .
The change in the intellectual wind has been unmistakable .
Economists who spent the George W. Bush and Obama years warning of a looming national bankruptcy now shrug off debt levels unseen in living memory .
An influential new conservative think tank called American Compass has dedicated its existence to flouting the Republican economic orthodoxy of the past two decades .
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell , a veteran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House with impeccable fiscal conservative credentials , urged lawmakers this week to pass another stimulus bill .
Liberals are moving in the same direction .
In January 2019 , Clinton and Obama administration alums Jason Furman and Lawrence Summers published an essay in Foreign Affairs titled , “ Who ’ s Afraid of Budget Deficits ?
” Bernie Sanders adviser Stephanie Kelton ’ s new book ” The Deficit Myth ” is a New York Times bestseller .
Everyone on MSNBC ’ s “ Morning Joe ” seems to take the economic wisdom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the public agrees .
According to a September poll commissioned by the Financial Times and the Peterson Institute , 91 % of Americans want to see Congress pass another stimulus package .
“ Any sensible policy is going to have us racking up the deficit for a long time , ” Harvard economist Ken Rogoff told The New York Times in May .
“ If we go up another $ 10 trillion , I wouldn ’ t even blink at that now.
” Back in 2011 , then-Rep. Paul Ryan ( R-Wis. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ research on the perils of national debt to call for massive , immediate budget cuts .
Over the past three decades , deficit hawks have issued several different warnings about the dangers of government debt , none of which have come to pass .
High debt levels haven ’ t forced interest rates up to punishing levels .
They haven ’ t sparked inflation , and they haven ’ t ignited a financial crisis .
A large existing debt burden hasn ’ t even constrained the government ’ s ability to combat an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trillions of dollars in coronavirus relief this year .
During the early pandemic relief talks , Pelosi killed an effort to provide universal payments to American families , citing fiscal responsibility , and insisted on more carefully “ targeted ” relief to families who needed it more .
Later , as Democrats were putting forward a proposal for a second stimulus , she shot down a proposal for new automatic stabilizers ― relief payments that kick in whenever economic conditions cross a certain threshold , without need for fresh negotiations in Congress .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a good idea , but they resulted in a higher budget “ score ” and made the Democratic plan look more expensive .
Over the past few weeks , of course , Pelosi has discarded her old concerns about the debt .
In negotiations with the Trump administration , she has been demanding hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending to top up a proposal from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin that already includes trillions of dollars in fresh relief .
On Friday , the White House signaled it was ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from its position on Tuesday , when Trump called off relief talks until after the election .
If the president maintains his current stimulus-friendly course , his chief obstacle will be the Republican-controlled Senate , where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) and most of his caucus have abruptly decided that deficits are now a pressing problem .
Republican senators of course did not voice these debt worries when they approved trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy in 2017 , or when they funneled federal dollars to large corporations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the rich had for the most part been rescued from the coronavirus crash , Capitol Hill Republicans have been content to declare victory and cite the deficit to justify inaction .
McConnell may bend to the new deficit-friendly intellectual consensus , or he may not .
With Trump plummeting in the polls , Republicans do not feel the same sense of loyalty to him that they did throughout most of his presidency .
And the short-term political value to Republicans from a new bill is limited , since it will take time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system .
The public almost certainly won ’ t feel much relief before Election Day .

Neel Kashkari is not a radical. He began his career at the Treasury Department under President George W. Bush and ran for governor of California in 2014 as a Republican, promising to cut taxes, “wasteful spending” and “welfare.” Kashkari lost that race badly, but earned plaudits from big-name conservatives like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), who hailed him as “an ideas guy” capable of “unleashing the power of the market to create good jobs.”
Kashkari, who also worked at Goldman Sachs and helped administer the 2008 bank bailouts, is now president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve, a man respected on Wall Street and welcomed by producers at CNBC. But these days he doesn’t talk much about the virtues of the self-correcting market. He’s focused instead on the power of the public sector, and has transformed himself into an outspoken advocate of aggressive deficit spending.
Advertisement
“There are enormous consequences if we just let things go,” Kashkari told CNBC viewers on Wednesday. “Whatever Congress can do with the executive branch ― come together aggressively to put money in the hands of people who have lost their jobs and to support small businesses so that we don’t have this continuing wave of bankruptcies across the economy ― it’s just vital that they move quickly.”
This would have been an extraordinary message to hear from a Republican official a few years ago. Throughout Barack Obama’s presidency, the GOP warned that the accumulation of government debt was a menace to future generations and a threat to near-term economic stability. Even Democrats were worried. Obama himself called on the government to tighten its belt in his 2010 State of the Union address, a message his administration reinforced throughout the year, even with the unemployment rate hovering near double-digits.
“Over the past three decades, deficit hawks have issued several different warnings about the dangers of government debt, none of which have come to pass.”
Since March, however, Congress has appropriated $3 trillion to fight the coronavirus crash ― more than triple the size of Obama’s 2009 stimulus package ― and authorized trillions more in Federal Reserve lending.
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Kashkari, like most economists these days, sees the current economic decay as a far more serious problem than all of this spending. Job creation has slowed to a trickle since federal aid payments ended in July, and new layoffs continue to flow at levels that were very recently unthinkable. Last week, 840,000 people lost their jobs. Prior to the pandemic, the single worst week for job losses ever had been 695,000. Under conditions like these, witholding fiscal relief would court catastrophe.
Kashkari is just as conservative on economic policy as he’s ever been. But what it means to be a conservative intellectual is changing. When he calls for aggressive federal economic management, Kashkari is not so much giving ground to the left as giving voice to an emerging bipartisan consensus from the respectable, cuff-linked political center. Under this view, people in a democracy may disagree on just how debt and deficits should accrue, but deficits themselves are a normal feature of a functioning polity, not a dire threat to economic health.
The change in the intellectual wind has been unmistakable. Economists who spent the George W. Bush and Obama years warning of a looming national bankruptcy now shrug off debt levels unseen in living memory. An influential new conservative think tank called American Compass has dedicated its existence to flouting the Republican economic orthodoxy of the past two decades. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, a veteran of the George H.W. Bush White House with impeccable fiscal conservative credentials, urged lawmakers this week to pass another stimulus bill.
Liberals are moving in the same direction. In January 2019, Clinton and Obama administration alums Jason Furman and Lawrence Summers published an essay in Foreign Affairs titled, “Who’s Afraid of Budget Deficits?” Bernie Sanders adviser Stephanie Kelton’s new book ”The Deficit Myth” is a New York Times bestseller. Everyone on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” seems to take the economic wisdom of further stimulus legislation for granted, and the public agrees. According to a September poll commissioned by the Financial Times and the Peterson Institute, 91% of Americans want to see Congress pass another stimulus package.
“Any sensible policy is going to have us racking up the deficit for a long time,” Harvard economist Ken Rogoff told The New York Times in May. “If we go up another $10 trillion, I wouldn’t even blink at that now.” Back in 2011, then-Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was holding up Rogoff’s research on the perils of national debt to call for massive, immediate budget cuts.
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Over the past three decades, deficit hawks have issued several different warnings about the dangers of government debt, none of which have come to pass. High debt levels haven’t forced interest rates up to punishing levels. They haven’t sparked inflation, and they haven’t ignited a financial crisis. A large existing debt burden hasn’t even constrained the government’s ability to combat an unforeseen calamity, as demonstrated by the trillions of dollars in coronavirus relief this year.
In a sharp departure from the Obama years, nobody in Washington even questions whether this year’s relief has worked. Lonely opponents of government spending now rely increasingly on ideological objections about the proper role of government, instead of questioning the technical efficiency of government action.
“What about true capitalism?” CNBC’s Joe Kernen asked Kashkari on Wednesday. “What about … not debasing our currency, holding the line on money-printing and not letting Congress get totally profligate? What about letting the chips fall where they may?”
“It’s an interesting theoretical concept,” Kashkari replied. “It’s like letting the forest fire just rage. Let it burn and eventually it will burn itself out and meanwhile, all the animals are all dead.”
But Congress has been slow to adjust to this changing intellectual terrain. One of the first orders of business for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) when Democrats regained the House majority in 2019 was to pass a rule requiring that all new legislation be fully paid for with either spending cuts or tax increases.
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Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at the Capitol in Washington on Oct. 9. Caroline Brehman via Getty Images
It was a symbolic measure, and Congress has waived the requirement for its coronavirus relief. But the symbolism mattered, and the House majority’s commitment to its anti-debt principles created a great deal of trouble when lawmakers were crafting their initial response to the coronavirus crash this spring.
During the early pandemic relief talks, Pelosi killed an effort to provide universal payments to American families, citing fiscal responsibility, and insisted on more carefully “targeted” relief to families who needed it more. Later, as Democrats were putting forward a proposal for a second stimulus, she shot down a proposal for new automatic stabilizers ― relief payments that kick in whenever economic conditions cross a certain threshold, without need for fresh negotiations in Congress. Pelosi told the press that automatic stabilizers were a good idea, but they resulted in a higher budget “score” and made the Democratic plan look more expensive.
Over the past few weeks, of course, Pelosi has discarded her old concerns about the debt. In negotiations with the Trump administration, she has been demanding hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending to top up a proposal from Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin that already includes trillions of dollars in fresh relief.
On Friday, the White House signaled it was ready to accept a deal ― a chaotic reversal from its position on Tuesday, when Trump called off relief talks until after the election. If the president maintains his current stimulus-friendly course, his chief obstacle will be the Republican-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and most of his caucus have abruptly decided that deficits are now a pressing problem.
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Republican senators of course did not voice these debt worries when they approved trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy in 2017, or when they funneled federal dollars to large corporations in March. Once it was clear that the rich had for the most part been rescued from the coronavirus crash, Capitol Hill Republicans have been content to declare victory and cite the deficit to justify inaction.
McConnell may bend to the new deficit-friendly intellectual consensus, or he may not. With Trump plummeting in the polls, Republicans do not feel the same sense of loyalty to him that they did throughout most of his presidency. And the short-term political value to Republicans from a new bill is limited, since it will take time for the money to move through the system. The public almost certainly won’t feel much relief before Election Day.
But whatever McConnell decides, the intellectual legitimacy of the Senate’s current fiscal agenda is in tatters. If the economy continues to deteriorate as expected, Republican politicians will have a hard time explaining themselves to the public when conservative intellectuals are saying they were wrong.
“There are millions of Americans who are affected by this,” Kashkari said Wednesday. “I think just letting them deal with it on their own ― I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. And I don’t think it’s good for the economy.”
Zach Carter is the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes,” available from Random House wherever books are sold.