thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Ex-Trump Adviser On President's Election Comments: 'Our Founders Feared' This

We have to demand that our leaders restore confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes .
And , @ @ @ @ @ s the administration who has responsibility to secure the election process .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ done within that administration to do it after the lessons of the 2016 election .
@ @ @ @ @ very unfortunate , Wolf .
As you mentioned , our elections have been under attack @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not attack them ourselves .
Let ’ s come together as Americans and @ @ @ @ @ have confidence in .

We have to demand that our leaders restore confidence in our democratic principles and institutions and processes. And, of course, it’s the administration who has responsibility to secure the election process. There’s been a lot of work done within that administration to do it after the lessons of the 2016 election. I think the comments are very unfortunate, Wolf. As you mentioned, our elections have been under attack in the past. Let’s not attack them ourselves. Let’s come together as Americans and execute a process we can have confidence in.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Bob Woodward: Trump Is 'Putting A Dagger In The Constitution'

Journalist Bob Woodward said President Donald Trump ’ s latest effort to delegitimize the November election is like “ putting a dagger in the Constitution.
” During an appearance on MSNBC ’ s “ Deadline : White House ” Thursday , the “ Rage ” author repeated his conclusion , after 19 interviews with Trump and decades of reporting on nine different presidents , that he ’ s never once seen anything akin to the nation ’ s current leader .
Trump is “ not just breaking norms , ” Woodward said .
“ We have a president who has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , tell the truth , and organize and plan.
” He said Trump has abandoned his moral duty to do what ’ s best for the country .
In the months leading up to the election , Trump has launched a multifaceted attack on the integrity of the electoral system to cast doubt on the eventual results .
He has claimed Democrats will only win if they cheat and that he will only lose if the election is rigged .
“ This is a moral failure and a leadership failure .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s predicting and almost wishing for a quadruple trainwreck on Nov. 3 , ” Woodward said .
MSNBC host Nicole Wallace then referred to Trump ’ s disturbing refusal on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if his Democratic opponent Joe Biden wins .
Wallace asked Woodward to weigh in on Trump “ challenging the Constitution.
” “ It ’ s not just challenging the Constitution , ” Woodward said , “ it ’ s putting a dagger in the Constitution.
” “ And for the president of the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t know whether there ’ s language to describe this , ” he continued .
“ What ’ s happened is : Trump has been like this from the beginning ― before he was elected president ― just saying outrageous things , doing outrageous things , and he ’ s made the country and the world numb .
”

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Journalist Bob Woodward said President Donald Trump’s latest effort to delegitimize the November election is like “putting a dagger in the Constitution.”
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House” Thursday, the “Rage” author repeated his conclusion, after 19 interviews with Trump and decades of reporting on nine different presidents, that he’s never once seen anything akin to the nation’s current leader.
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Trump is “not just breaking norms,” Woodward said. “We have a president who has forsaken his basic duty to protect the country, tell the truth, and organize and plan.”
He said Trump has abandoned his moral duty to do what’s best for the country. In the months leading up to the election, Trump has launched a multifaceted attack on the integrity of the electoral system to cast doubt on the eventual results. He has claimed Democrats will only win if they cheat and that he will only lose if the election is rigged.
“This is a moral failure and a leadership failure. This idea about the election ― he’s predicting and almost wishing for a quadruple trainwreck on Nov. 3,” Woodward said.
MSNBC host Nicole Wallace then referred to Trump’s disturbing refusal on Wednesday to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if his Democratic opponent Joe Biden wins. Wallace asked Woodward to weigh in on Trump “challenging the Constitution.”
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“It’s not just challenging the Constitution,” Woodward said, “it’s putting a dagger in the Constitution.”
“And for the president of the United States to do that ― I don’t know whether there’s language to describe this,” he continued.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Cleared Of Massage Parlor Sex Charge

FORT LAUDERDALE , Fla. ( AP ) — Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlor sex .
Court records show that the owner and manager of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa are still facing numerous felony charges related to running a house of prostitution .
The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal found last month that Jupiter police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The court then blocked use of the video footage at trial .
The recordings , which have not been made public , are the only known evidence the men paid for sex .
Of the other 21 men charged , 14 cases were dropped Thursday and three were dropped earlier , court records show .
Two men went through a diversion program , paying more than $ 5,000 in costs .
One pleaded guilty last year and paid $ 323 in court costs .
Prosecutors decided this week not to appeal the 4th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying a loss there could have “ broader , negative implications ” on future law enforcement investigations beyond the Kraft case .
Kraft ’ s attorneys have already filed a motion asking that the recordings be destroyed so they could never be released to the public .
They said Kraft might be willing to pay the state ’ s costs if anyone challenges a destruction order .
Kraft , 79 , could still face suspension or other punishment from the National Football League .
The league did not immediately respond to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment .
Kraft and the others were charged in February 2019 in a multicounty investigation o f massage parlors that included the secret installation of video cameras in the spas ’ lobbies and rooms .
Police say the recordings show Kraft and other men engaging in sex acts with women and paying them .
Police say they recorded Kraft , a widower , paying for sex acts at the Orchids of Asia spa on consecutive days in January 2019 .
Kraft pleaded not guilty but issued a public apology for his actions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recordings , saying the warrant allowing the cameras ’ installation didn ’ t sufficiently protect the privacy of innocent customers who received legal massages .
The 4th District agreed , ruling that planting video cameras in private spaces is an “ extreme ” measure that should only be used when absolutely necessary .
“ To permit otherwise would yield unbridled discretion to agents of law enforcement and the government , the antithesis of the constitutional liberty of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures , ” the court ruled .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to convict the Orchids of Asia owners of felonies , including possible human trafficking — though no one was charged with that crime .
The owners must be shown receiving payments from the prostitutes and the only way to get that is to install cameras , prosecutors said .

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida prosecutors dropped a misdemeanor charge against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on Thursday after courts blocked their use of video that allegedly shows him paying for massage parlor sex.
Palm Beach County court records show that the charge was dropped Thursday. Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg will explain the decision during an online press conference later Thursday.
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Court records show that the owner and manager of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa are still facing numerous felony charges related to running a house of prostitution.
The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal found last month that Jupiter police violated the rights of Kraft and the other customers when they secretly installed video cameras inside massage rooms at the spa in early 2019. The court then blocked use of the video footage at trial.
The recordings, which have not been made public, are the only known evidence the men paid for sex. Of the other 21 men charged, 14 cases were dropped Thursday and three were dropped earlier, court records show. Two men went through a diversion program, paying more than $5,000 in costs. One pleaded guilty last year and paid $323 in court costs.
Prosecutors decided this week not to appeal the 4th District decision to the Florida Supreme Court, saying a loss there could have “broader, negative implications” on future law enforcement investigations beyond the Kraft case.
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Kraft’s attorneys have already filed a motion asking that the recordings be destroyed so they could never be released to the public. They said Kraft might be willing to pay the state’s costs if anyone challenges a destruction order.
Kraft, 79, could still face suspension or other punishment from the National Football League. The league did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment. The Patriots declined comment.
Kraft and the others were charged in February 2019 in a multicounty investigation o f massage parlors that included the secret installation of video cameras in the spas’ lobbies and rooms. Police say the recordings show Kraft and other men engaging in sex acts with women and paying them.
Police say they recorded Kraft, a widower, paying for sex acts at the Orchids of Asia spa on consecutive days in January 2019. Kraft pleaded not guilty but issued a public apology for his actions.
A county court judge originally threw out the recordings, saying the warrant allowing the cameras’ installation didn’t sufficiently protect the privacy of innocent customers who received legal massages. The 4th District agreed, ruling that planting video cameras in private spaces is an “extreme” measure that should only be used when absolutely necessary.
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“To permit otherwise would yield unbridled discretion to agents of law enforcement and the government, the antithesis of the constitutional liberty of people to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures,” the court ruled.
Prosecutors argued that they needed the recordings to convict the Orchids of Asia owners of felonies, including possible human trafficking — though no one was charged with that crime. The owners must be shown receiving payments from the prostitutes and the only way to get that is to install cameras, prosecutors said.
If convicted, Kraft would have likely received a fine, community service and other sanctions that did not include jail time.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Seattle Cop Captured On Video Rolling Bike Over Demonstrator's Head

A Seattle police officer who was filmed rolling his bicycle over the head of a demonstrator is now under investigation .
Cell phone video taken by independent outlet CJTV captured the moment the cop , who has not been identified , rolled his bike over the head of a protester who appeared to be prone on the ground during a protest Wednesday night for Breonna Taylor , a Black woman who was killed in her own home by Kentucky police in March .
Two disturbing incidents from last night ’ s Seattle protest caught on cam .
One , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head or neck or a protester lying on the street , which is now under investigation .
Video by CJTV Media ( 1/2 ) # Q13FOX # seattleprotests https : //t.co/2SOEW1cYl1 pic.twitter.com/rWwYjRFjhf — Simone Del Rosario ( @ SimoneReports ) September 24 , 2020 The Seattle Police Department said in a statement Thursday that the officer seen in the video has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted .
The investigation is being referred to the King County Sheriff ’ s Office to determine possible criminal charges , the department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nation in response to Wednesday ’ s grand jury decision not to bring murder charges against any of the three officers involved Taylor ’ s killing .
Taylor , a 26-year-old first responder from Louisville , Kentucky , was shot six times when officers served a “ no-knock ” warrant for a drug search .
Her home had no drugs .
Seattle police made 13 arrests during protests in the city , and other cell phone video showed a protester hitting an officer on his helmet with a baseball bat .
The SPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it had received more than 30 complaints after video of the bike cop went viral .

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A Seattle police officer who was filmed rolling his bicycle over the head of a demonstrator is now under investigation.
Cell phone video taken by independent outlet CJTV captured the moment the cop, who has not been identified, rolled his bike over the head of a protester who appeared to be prone on the ground during a protest Wednesday night for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed in her own home by Kentucky police in March.
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Two disturbing incidents from last night’s Seattle protest caught on cam. One, a police officer rolling his bike over the head or neck or a protester lying on the street, which is now under investigation. Video by CJTV Media (1/2) #Q13FOX #seattleprotests https://t.co/2SOEW1cYl1 pic.twitter.com/rWwYjRFjhf — Simone Del Rosario (@SimoneReports) September 24, 2020
The Seattle Police Department said in a statement Thursday that the officer seen in the video has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation is conducted. The investigation is being referred to the King County Sheriff’s Office to determine possible criminal charges, the department said.
Protests took place across the nation in response to Wednesday’s grand jury decision not to bring murder charges against any of the three officers involved Taylor’s killing. Taylor, a 26-year-old first responder from Louisville, Kentucky, was shot six times when officers served a “no-knock” warrant for a drug search. Her home had no drugs.
Seattle police made 13 arrests during protests in the city, and other cell phone video showed a protester hitting an officer on his helmet with a baseball bat.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Bank Manager Finds 9.07-Carat Diamond In Arkansas State Park

Waymon Cox/Arkansas Department of Parks , Heritage and Tourism via AP Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found the second-largest diamond in the 48-year history of Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day .
LITTLE ROCK , Ark .
( AP ) — A bank manager discovered a 9.07-carat diamond at a state park in southwestern Arkansas after thinking the precious gem was a piece of glass .
Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found the second-largest diamond in the 48-year history of Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day , according to a news release from Arkansas State Parks .
Kinard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment to the state park in Murfreesboro .
Kinard noted that he ’ s been visiting Crater of Diamonds regularly since he was a kid but had never stumbled upon a diamond until Sept. 7 .
“ I only wet sifted for about ten minutes before I started walking up and down the plowed rows , ” he said .
“ Anything that looked like a crystal , I picked it up and put it in my bag.
” While searching in the southeast portion of the 37.5-acre ( 15 hectare ) diamond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marble-sized crystal that had a rounded , dimpled shape .
“ It kind of looked interesting and shiny , so I put it in my bag and kept searching , ” Kinard said .
“ I just thought it might ’ ve been glass.
” Several hours later , Kinard said he and his comrades stopped by the park ’ s Diamond Discovery Center , where park workers identify visitor findings and register diamonds .
“ I almost didn ’ t have them check my finds , because I didn ’ t think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ My friend had hers checked , though , so I went ahead and had them check mine , too.
” Upon having his finds assessed , an employee informed Kinard he had discovered a diamond .
“ I honestly teared up when they told me , ” Kinard said .
“ I was in complete shock !
” “ Park staff plowed the search area on August 20 , just a few days before Tropical Storm Laura dropped more than two inches of rain in the park , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Mr. Kinard visited , and he walked just the right path to notice the sunlight reflecting off his diamond.
” As of Wednesday , 246 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds State Park this year , weighing a total of 59.25 carats .
On average , people find one or two diamonds there daily .

Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found the second-largest diamond in the 48-year history of Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day. Waymon Cox/Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism via AP
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A bank manager discovered a 9.07-carat diamond at a state park in southwestern Arkansas after thinking the precious gem was a piece of glass.
Kevin Kinard of Maumelle found the second-largest diamond in the 48-year history of Crater of Diamonds State Park on Labor Day, according to a news release from Arkansas State Parks.
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Kinard said he and his friends hauled sifting equipment to the state park in Murfreesboro. Kinard noted that he’s been visiting Crater of Diamonds regularly since he was a kid but had never stumbled upon a diamond until Sept. 7.
“I only wet sifted for about ten minutes before I started walking up and down the plowed rows,” he said. “Anything that looked like a crystal, I picked it up and put it in my bag.”
While searching in the southeast portion of the 37.5-acre (15 hectare) diamond search area, Kinard scooped up a marble-sized crystal that had a rounded, dimpled shape.
“It kind of looked interesting and shiny, so I put it in my bag and kept searching,” Kinard said. “I just thought it might’ve been glass.”
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Several hours later, Kinard said he and his comrades stopped by the park’s Diamond Discovery Center, where park workers identify visitor findings and register diamonds.
“I almost didn’t have them check my finds, because I didn’t think I had found anything,” Kinard said. “My friend had hers checked, though, so I went ahead and had them check mine, too.”
Upon having his finds assessed, an employee informed Kinard he had discovered a diamond.
“I honestly teared up when they told me,” Kinard said. “I was in complete shock!”
Assistant Superintendent Dru Edmonds noted that conditions were ideal for Kinard to spot the gem.
“Park staff plowed the search area on August 20, just a few days before Tropical Storm Laura dropped more than two inches of rain in the park,” he said. “The sun was out when Mr. Kinard visited, and he walked just the right path to notice the sunlight reflecting off his diamond.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Biden Takes Trump’s Favorite Line Of Attack, And Fires It Right Back At Him

Trump has questioned Biden ’ s mental fitness , claiming he ’ s “ not all there ” and “ mentally shot.
” His reelection campaign has been busted for using doctored images and deceptively edited videos to feed that narrative .
But when asked about his mental fitness by a reporter in North Carolina , Biden turned it around by reciting a list of some of Trump ’ s famous mental gaffes and lapses .
“ Look at him , ” Biden told WRAL ’ s Cullen Browder earlier this week .
“ I ’ m not the guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the Revolutionary War is we didn ’ t have enough airports .
I ’ m not the guy who said the attack that took down the trade towers was on 7-Eleven.
” “ I do know the difference between truth and lies , between good and bad , between hope and fear , ” he said .
“ So just watch me and make your decision.
” Biden has in the past called questions about age and health “ legitimate ” for candidates over the age of 70 , including himself and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week , he ’ s urged voters to watch both him and Trump and make their own judgments .
The two candidates face off next week in their first debate .
“ I ’ m an old athlete , and I ’ m used to dealing with bullies , ” he said .
“ What I ’ m going to do is insist that we talk about the president ’ s failures .
He ’ s going to want to make it personal .
He ’ s going to want to get in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to talk about why I want to be president of the United States , what I ’ m going to do , and where he ’ s failed .
”

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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden turned the tables on President Donald Trump when it came to a favorite Republican attack line.
Trump has questioned Biden’s mental fitness, claiming he’s “not all there” and “mentally shot.” His reelection campaign has been busted for using doctored images and deceptively edited videos to feed that narrative.
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But when asked about his mental fitness by a reporter in North Carolina, Biden turned it around by reciting a list of some of Trump’s famous mental gaffes and lapses.
“Look at him,” Biden told WRAL’s Cullen Browder earlier this week. “I’m not the guy who by the way said the problem with the Revolutionary War is we didn’t have enough airports. I’m not the guy who said the attack that took down the trade towers was on 7-Eleven.”
And, Biden added, he’s not the guy who advised injecting bleach to treat the coronavirus.
“I do know the difference between truth and lies, between good and bad, between hope and fear,” he said. “So just watch me and make your decision.”
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Biden has in the past called questions about age and health “legitimate” for candidates over the age of 70, including himself and Trump.
But as he did this week, he’s urged voters to watch both him and Trump and make their own judgments.
“Watch me,” he said last month as he laughed off Trump’s attacks.
The two candidates face off next week in their first debate.
Biden told WRAL he was ready.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Lindsey Graham Says He's 'Getting Killed' In Campaign Cash Because Foes 'Hate My Guts'

An angry Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) complained that he ’ s “ getting killed ” financially in his reelection bid , complaining about money his challenger is raising from people who “ hate my guts.
” Graham claimed in an interview with Fox News that Democrat Jaime Harrison “ will raise ” $ 100 million for the campaign to topple him on Nov. 3. , which he said will set a state record .
The three-term incumbent likely was exaggerating .
But Harrison reportedly raised about $ 9 million in the 72 hours after the death late last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his comments on Fox , Graham put the figure at $ 6 million ) .
Ginsburg ’ s death has heightened the stakes in the already hugely consequential election .
And Graham , as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee , is in the middle of the controversy sparked by the Republican push to confirm a Ginsburg replacement before the next president takes office after he and other GOP leaders thwarted then-President Barack Obama from filling a high court vacancy in 2016 because the White House was up for grabs that year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the South Carolina race showed Graham with an edge .
He had raised $ 29 million , according to Federal Election Commission filings in late June , with Harrison had taken in raised $ 28 million .
As of the end of that month , reported $ 15 million in cash reserves , compared with Harrison ’ s $ 10.2 million .
In predicting Harrison would end up with $ 100 million in contributions , he said , “ The most money ever spent in the history of the state on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me in 2014 , when I spent $ 13 million.
” Graham had floated his short-of-cash lament earlier this week on Fox , pleading for donations .
His complaint on Thursday sent “ Lindsey Is Losing ” trending on Twitter .
Polls show that Graham finds himself in a surprising fight for his political life in a solidly red state that President Donald Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2016 .
Political handicappers still favor Graham to win ― 1998 was the last time a Democrat won a Senate seat in South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal a major blow to the GOP hopes of maintaining its Senate majority .
Graham long had been known as a staunch ally and close friend of the late Sen. John McCain ( R-Ariz. ) , who had a famously contentious relationship with Trump .
And Graham , during his short-lived run for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination , had regularly berated Trump , calling him a “ kook , ” “ crazy ” and “ unfit for office.
” But even before McCain ’ s death in August 2018 , Graham had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for many the embodiment of the willingness of Republican lawmakers to kowtow to the president , regardless of his transgressions .
Graham is being particularly pummeled now for his hypocritical reversal on the move to fill a Supreme Court vacancy when a presidential election looms .
He also recently saw a political barb he directed at Harrison backfire .
He mocked the Democrat for not releasing his tax returns ― only to have Harrison quickly do so .
More broadly , Graham opened himself to ridicule on the tax issue , given Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and release his returns .

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An angry Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) bemoaned that he’s “getting killed” financially in his reelection bid, complaining about money his challenger is raising from people who “hate my guts.”
Graham said in an interview with Fox News that Democrat Jaime Harrison will raise $100 million for the campaign to topple him on Nov. 3, which he said will set a state record.
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The three-term incumbent likely was exaggerating. But Harrison reportedly raised about $9 million in the 72 hours after the death late last week of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (in his comments on Fox, Graham put the figure at $6 million).
Ginsburg’s death has heightened the stakes in the already hugely consequential election. And Graham, as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is in the middle of the controversy sparked by the Republican push to confirm a Ginsburg replacement before the next president takes, even though he and other GOP leaders kept President Barack Obama from filling a high court vacancy in February 2016 because the White House was up for grabs later that year.
The last official campaign finance reports for the South Carolina race showed Graham with an edge. He had raised $29 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings in late June, with Harrison having taken in $28 million. As of the end of that month, Graham reported $15 million in cash reserves, compared with Harrison’s $10.2 million.
This is delicious. pic.twitter.com/kWlCd5DAzY — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 24, 2020
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In his Thursday comment, Graham said, “I’m being killed financially. This money is because they hate my guts.”
In predicting Harrison would end up with $100 million in contributions, he said, “The most money ever spent in the history of the state on a Senate race in this state was by me in 2014, when I spent $13 million.”
Graham had floated his short-of-cash lament earlier this week on Fox News, pleading for donations. His complaint Thursday sent “Lindsey Is Losing” trending on Twitter.
Polls show that Graham finds himself in a surprising fight for his political life in a solidly red state that President Donald Trump won by 14 percentage points in 2016. Political handicappers still favor Graham to win ― 1998 was the last time a Democrat won a Senate seat in South Carolina. But a Harrison victory would deal a major blow to the GOP hopes of maintaining its Senate majority.
Graham long had been known as a staunch ally and close friend of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who had a famously contentious relationship with Trump. And Graham, during his short-lived run for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, had regularly berated Trump, calling him a “kook,” “crazy” and “unfit for office.”
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But even before McCain’s death in August 2018, Graham had transformed into a Trump loyalist, becoming for many the embodiment of the willingness of Republican lawmakers to kowtow to the president, regardless of his transgressions.
Graham is being particularly pummeled now for his hypocritical reversal on the move to fill a Supreme Court vacancy when a presidential election looms.
He also recently saw a political barb he directed at Harrison backfire. He mocked the Democrat for not releasing his tax returns ― only to have Harrison quickly do so. More broadly, Graham opened himself to ridicule on the tax issue, given Trump’s steadfast refusal to follow tradition and release his returns.
Twitter critics on Thursday celebrated Graham’s pain, with a number vowing to donate — again — to Harrison.
This inspired me to once again donate to @harrisonjaime https://t.co/bkC4GKnZVG — Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) September 24, 2020
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Lindsey is throwing himself a pity party. pic.twitter.com/3bPPDpRQjw — Wear A Damn Mask (@DCJohnNorton) September 24, 2020
We didn’t always “hate your guts,” @LindseyGrahamSC. That happened after you flipped positions on 1) Donald Trump’s character, 2) impeachment as a remedy for obstructing Congress, and 3) filling a Supreme Court vacancy in a presidential election year. Our contempt is well earned. — Jack Kennedy (@35th_potus) September 24, 2020
“Voters in South Carolina want leaders they can trust, who will use their power to look out for them. But after *25 years* in Washington, Lindsey Graham has changed, he's lost his moral compass — he has left South Carolina values behind”
—Harrison campaign manager, Zack Carroll — Ingeborg 🌺 (@___Inge_borg) September 24, 2020
Please inject this right into my veins — 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙎𝙚𝙘’𝙨 𝙇𝙮𝙞𝙣’ 𝙒𝙤𝙣𝙠𝙮 𝙀𝙮𝙚 (@pressecwonkyeye) September 24, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Elizabeth Warren Has A Scathing Theory On Where Lindsey Graham’s Spine Is

Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
put one of her fellow lawmakers on notice amid the looming showdown over President Donald Trump ’ s expected Supreme Court nominee .
Specifically , she called out Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) for surrendering the Senate ’ s constitutional duty to offer advice and consent by announcing he ’ s already in favor of the nominee ― even though that person hasn ’ t been named .
“ Lindsey Graham has simply said , ‘ Donald Trump has my proxy on this , Senate doesn ’ t need to look at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Chris Hayes .
“ If the president is good , Lindsey Graham is good.
” “ There ’ s a man with a spine ― a spine kept in a box somewhere else because he certainly doesn ’ t have it to exercise for himself.
” Trump has said he will name the potential replacement for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday , Ginsburg , a liberal member of the court for 27 years , died last week at the age of 87 .
Graham had previously promised he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an election year , as he and the rest of the GOP caucus in the Senate had blocked a nomination in the final year of President Barack Obama ’ s term .
He has since reneged on that vow .
The anti-Graham PAC Lindsey Must Go said the flip-flop puts the senator into the “ Hypocrite Hall of Fame .
”

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) put one of her fellow lawmakers on notice amid the looming showdown over President Donald Trump’s expected Supreme Court nominee.
Specifically, she called out Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for surrendering the Senate’s constitutional duty to offer advice and consent by announcing he’s already in favor of the nominee ― even though that person hasn’t been named.
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“Lindsey Graham has simply said, ‘Donald Trump has my proxy on this, Senate doesn’t need to look at it,’” Warren told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. “If the president is good, Lindsey Graham is good.”
She added:
“There’s a man with a spine ― a spine kept in a box somewhere else because he certainly doesn’t have it to exercise for himself.”
Trump has said he will name the potential replacement for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday,
Ginsburg, a liberal member of the court for 27 years, died last week at the age of 87.
Graham had previously promised he would not support appointing a new judge in an election year, as he and the rest of the GOP caucus in the Senate had blocked a nomination in the final year of President Barack Obama’s term.
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He has since reneged on that vow.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Pressure Mounts On Matt Lieberman To Drop Out of Georgia Senate Race

Stacey Abrams , the 2018 Georgia Democratic nominee for governor and arguably the highest-profile active Democrat in the state , called on Lieberman to drop out on Thursday morning .
Democrats fear Lieberman ’ s presence in the race could make it possible for Republicans to claim the top two slots in November ’ s all-party primary and lock Democrats out of a January runoff election .
Abrams cited HuffPost ’ s reporting on racist tropes included in Lieberman ’ s self-published novel “ Lucius ” and said she was fearful that his continued presence in the race would hurt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Senate .
“ I ’ ve been deeply disturbed by the information that has come about not only his book , but also some of his comments , ” Abrams said during a virtual press conference .
“ I think that Matt may be a good person , but he is not the right candidate .
I think the best result for all is for Matt to step back and realize that Rev .
Warnock is the right candidate for the state of Georgia.
” Lieberman rejected the calls from Abrams and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the race .
In a series of Twitter missives on Thursday night , he accused Abrams of “ candidate suppression.
” He also accused Warnock of “ using race to divide Georgia ” for criticizing his novel and said his special election rivals Warnock , GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Republican Rep. Doug Collins were “ already owned by power brokers in Atlanta & DC .
The winner of the Nov. 3 special election will fill the remaining two years of the term of retired GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson .
Loeffler , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is battling for conservative votes with Collins .
Warnock is the leading Democrat , with Lieberman ― an attorney and educator who is the son of Joe Lieberman , the former longtime senator from Connecticut ― not far behind in public polling .
A third Democrat , former U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver , typically polls in the single digits .
Warnock , the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee , Abrams and most other Georgia Democrats .
He ’ s been rising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ television ads , with multiple polls this week showing Warnock in second place in the crowded field .
Beyond eliminating the possibility of an all-GOP runoff , a decision from Lieberman and Tarver to quit the race could also help Democrats block President Donald Trump ’ s Supreme Court nomination .
If Warnock is able to earn 50 % of the vote on Election Day , he could be seated in short order and provide an additional vote against the nominee .
At the moment , however , that scenario appears highly unlikely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Lieberman to leave the contest .
Georgia state Sen. Jen Jordan , who won a previously GOP-held seat in the Atlanta suburbs in a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff because Republican candidates split the vote , cited her own experiences in calling for Lieberman ’ s exit .
Real talk : 8 Dems are in this race .
There are only 5 Rs .
That means each R gets bigger piece of overall GOP vote pie than each D gets of overall D vote pie .
Lieberman is making Collins/Loeffler runoff real threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This is how I won GOP seat in 2017 special .
https : //t.co/c2de9tjrPm — Jen Jordan ( @ senatorjen ) September 24 , 2020 Josh McLaurin , a state representative who dropped out of a special congressional election in 2017 to help consolidate Democratic support behind Jon Ossoff , similarly suggested the other Democrats in the race should clear the field .
Dropping out of a race is actually kind of fun .
You get the satisfaction of knowing you ’ re doing your part , plus you get to sleep for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least once .
Particularly if they ’ re running as a Democrat against @ ReverendWarnock .
— Josh McLaurin ( @ JoshforGeorgia ) September 24 , 2020 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported a group of about 300 Jewish community leaders planned to publish an ad in the Atlanta Jewish Times calling on Lieberman to drop out .
Lieberman is the former principal of the Atlanta Jewish Academy .
Meanwhile , Warnock continued to build momentum for his bid , earning the endorsement of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder .
The endorsement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he was U.S. attorney .
“ Whether it ’ s expanding economic opportunity to everyone , protecting the right to vote or bringing together a coalition of people willing to reform our broken criminal justice system , Rev .
Warnock will be a senator who works on behalf of every Georgian , ” Holder said .

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Democrats are increasing the pressure on Matt Lieberman to drop out of a special Senate election in Georgia, hoping to clear the field for the Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Georgia Democratic nominee for governor and arguably the highest-profile active Democrat in the state, called on Lieberman to drop out on Thursday morning. Democrats fear Lieberman’s presence in the race could make it possible for Republicans to claim the top two slots in November’s all-party primary and lock Democrats out of a January runoff election.
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Abrams cited HuffPost’s reporting on racist tropes included in Lieberman’s self-published novel “Lucius” and said she was fearful that his continued presence in the race would hurt Democratic efforts to take control of the U.S. Senate.
“I’ve been deeply disturbed by the information that has come about not only his book, but also some of his comments,” Abrams said during a virtual press conference. “I think that Matt may be a good person, but he is not the right candidate. I think the best result for all is for Matt to step back and realize that Rev. Warnock is the right candidate for the state of Georgia.”
Stacey Abrams, the highest-profile Democrat in Georgia, is calling on Matt Lieberman to drop out of the state’s special election for Senate. Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
“I would encourage Matt to search his conscience,” Abrams added. “We need Matt Lieberman to understand that he is not called to this moment.”
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Lieberman rejected the calls from Abrams and others, and insisted he is staying in the race. In a series of Twitter missives on Thursday night, he accused Abrams of “candidate suppression.” He also accused Warnock of “using race to divide Georgia” for criticizing his novel and said his special election rivals Warnock, GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Republican Rep. Doug Collins were “already owned by power brokers in Atlanta & DC.
.@staceyabrams is a respected leader in the movement to combat voter suppression. But on behalf of the 18 candidates in this race not hand-picked by someone in Washington or Atlanta, I have to say this sounds like candidate suppression to me. — Matt Lieberman (@LiebermanForGa) September 24, 2020
The winner of the Nov. 3 special election will fill the remaining two years of the term of retired GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson. Loeffler, by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, is battling for conservative votes with Collins. Warnock is the leading Democrat, with Lieberman ― an attorney and educator who is the son of Joe Lieberman, the former longtime senator from Connecticut ― not far behind in public polling. A third Democrat, former U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver, typically polls in the single digits.
Warnock, the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Abrams and most other Georgia Democrats. He’s been rising in public polling since he started airing television ads, with multiple polls this week showing Warnock in second place in the crowded field.
Beyond eliminating the possibility of an all-GOP runoff, a decision from Lieberman and Tarver to quit the race could also help Democrats block President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nomination. If Warnock is able to earn 50% of the vote on Election Day, he could be seated in short order and provide an additional vote against the nominee. At the moment, however, that scenario appears highly unlikely.
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Abrams is not alone in calling on Lieberman to leave the contest. Georgia state Sen. Jen Jordan, who won a previously GOP-held seat in the Atlanta suburbs in a Democrat vs. Democrat runoff because Republican candidates split the vote, cited her own experiences in calling for Lieberman’s exit.
Real talk: 8 Dems are in this race. There are only 5 Rs. That means each R gets bigger piece of overall GOP vote pie than each D gets of overall D vote pie. Lieberman is making Collins/Loeffler runoff real threat. How do I know this? This is how I won GOP seat in 2017 special. https://t.co/c2de9tjrPm — Jen Jordan (@senatorjen) September 24, 2020
Josh McLaurin, a state representative who dropped out of a special congressional election in 2017 to help consolidate Democratic support behind Jon Ossoff, similarly suggested the other Democrats in the race should clear the field.
Dropping out of a race is actually kind of fun. You get the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing your part, plus you get to sleep for a week.
Everyone should try it at least once. Particularly if they’re running as a Democrat against @ReverendWarnock. — Josh McLaurin (@JoshforGeorgia) September 24, 2020
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported a group of about 300 Jewish community leaders planned to publish an ad in the Atlanta Jewish Times calling on Lieberman to drop out. Lieberman is the former principal of the Atlanta Jewish Academy.
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Meanwhile, Warnock continued to build momentum for his bid, earning the endorsement of former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The endorsement is noteworthy because Tarver served under Holder when he was U.S. attorney.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Ex-Pence Aide Issues Chilling Warning On What 4 More Years Of Trump Will Mean

A former senior aide to Vice President Mike Pence who ’ s come out against President Donald Trump ’ s reelection issued a stark warning about what could happen to the country during a second Trump term .
“ We will no longer be America after four more years of Trump , ” warned Olivia Troye in a new ad from Republican Voters Against Trump , an anti-Trump group .
She pointed to Trump ’ s decision in June to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from a park across from the White House so he could have a photo op outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of faith , it was a really dark moment , ” said Troye , who served as homeland security , counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser to Pence for two years and was involved in the coronavirus task force from February through July .
Troye , who has said she is voting for Democratic nominee Joe Biden , urged others from Trump administration to join her in condemning the president .
“ I would say to my colleagues : If you ’ re gon na speak out , right now is when it matters most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where we are as a country , now is a time to tell the truth.
” Republican Voters Against Trump said the video will be featured in a new six-figure digital ad campaign .
A second ad featuring Troye will be aimed toward the battleground states of Wisconsin , Pennsylvania and Florida : “ Olivia Troye supported the president and was in the room working to advance his agenda , ” Sarah Longwell , the organization ’ s strategic director , said in a news release .
“ The things she saw are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been highlighting the voices of rank-and-file party members disenchanted with the president who now vow to vote for Biden .
But the group also has brought out some high-profile voices against the president from within his own administration .
In addition to Troye , Miles Taylor ― the former chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security under Trump ― and Elizabeth Neumann ― a former high-ranking official in the Department of Homeland Security ― have denounced the president in the group ’ s videos .

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A former senior aide to Vice President Mike Pence who’s come out against President Donald Trump’s reelection issued a stark warning about what could happen to the country during a second Trump term.
“We will no longer be America after four more years of Trump,” warned Olivia Troye in a new ad from Republican Voters Against Trump, an anti-Trump group.
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She pointed to Trump’s decision in June to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from a park across from the White House so he could have a photo op outside a church.
“As a person of faith, it was a really dark moment,” said Troye, who served as homeland security, counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser to Pence for two years and was involved in the coronavirus task force from February through July.
Troye, who has said she is voting for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, urged others from Trump administration to join her in condemning the president.
“I would say to my colleagues: If you’re gonna speak out, right now is when it matters most,” she said. “Given where we are as a country, now is a time to tell the truth.”
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Republican Voters Against Trump said the video will be featured in a new six-figure digital ad campaign. A second ad featuring Troye will be aimed toward the battleground states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Florida:
“Olivia Troye supported the president and was in the room working to advance his agenda,” Sarah Longwell, the organization’s strategic director, said in a news release. “The things she saw are terrifying.”
Republican Voters Against Trump has been highlighting the voices of rank-and-file party members disenchanted with the president who now vow to vote for Biden.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Mary Trump: Take It Seriously That Trump May Not Hand Over Power

Mary Trump , President Donald Trump ’ s niece , warned Thursday night that people need to take the president seriously when he suggests he may not agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses reelection in November .
“ We have no idea how bad this is going to get , ” she said at a virtual fundraiser hosted by LPAC , an organization focused on electing LGBTQ women .
Mary Trump , who is an out lesbian , was the special guest of the event .
She was referring to the president being asked at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a peaceful transition of power if he lost to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
“ Well , we ’ re going to have to see what happens , ” the president said , suggesting he would accept the results only if the option of mail-in ballots is removed , which is not going to happen .
“ Get rid of the ballots and you ’ ll have a peaceful ... there won ’ t be a transfer , frankly , there ’ ll be a continuation.
” But Mary Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made waves with her recent book , “ Too Much and Never Enough : How My Family Created the World ’ s Most Dangerous Man , ” told HuffPost that he is not just bluster .
Asked how far she thinks her uncle would be willing to go to remain in the White House , she replied , “ Farther than you can possibly imagine.
” She laid out her reasoning : The president knows what he faces if he becomes a private citizen again , including potentially being prosecuted for financial crimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of justice .
And he ’ s got people close to him who are personally benefiting from his behavior who may face exposure if he is no longer protected by being in office .
“ He ’ s cheating .
He ’ s been cheating for a while now , ” Mary Trump said .
“ He ’ s cheating when he tells people that mail-in ballots are fraudulent somehow .
He ’ s cheating when he started calling into question the legitimacy of the election before a vote was even cast .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Joe Biden wins , it ’ s rigged… .
He ’ s also cheating when he tells people if we don ’ t get the results on Nov. 3 ― which , by the way , during the pandemic would be ridiculous ― if we have to wait , that it ’ s also rigged , somehow.
” LPAC board member Hilary Rosen led a Q & A with Mary Trump and covered a range of issues , including her coming-out story ( “ Oh , man , I ’ m not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether she ever talked to Uncle Donald about being a lesbian ( “ No .
They were really not at all interested in my personal life.
” ) and what she thinks the president genuinely believes about LGBTQ people .
“ I don ’ t think he cares , ” said Mary Trump .
“ I don ’ t think we ’ re of interest to him , except insofar as he can use being hateful toward the LGBTQ community ― taking away our rights with the stroke of a pen ― as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somebody who just can ’ t handle difference , and it makes him really uncomfortable , ” she said .
“ I think if you have a problem with somebody ’ s difference , you ’ re the problem , not them .
But , of course , he doesn ’ t see it that way and unfortunately has a lot of power over people ’ s lives .
His lack of caring , his discomfort with difference and his knowing that being cruel really plays well with the only people left who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trifecta , unfortunately .
”

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Mary Trump, President Donald Trump’s niece, warned Thursday night that people need to take the president seriously when he suggests he may not agree to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses reelection in November.
“We have no idea how bad this is going to get,” she said at a virtual fundraiser hosted by LPAC, an organization focused on electing LGBTQ women. Mary Trump, who is an out lesbian, was the special guest of the event.
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She was referring to the president being asked at a Wednesday press conference if he would commit to a peaceful transition of power if he lost to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“Well, we’re going to have to see what happens,” the president said, suggesting he would accept the results only if the option of mail-in ballots is removed, which is not going to happen. “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a peaceful ... there won’t be a transfer, frankly, there’ll be a continuation.”
Senate Republicans have been scrambling to downplay the president’s remarks, saying everything will be fine and that he just “says crazy stuff.”
But Mary Trump, a vocal critic of the president who made waves with her recent book, “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man,” told HuffPost that he is not just bluster.
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Asked how far she thinks her uncle would be willing to go to remain in the White House, she replied, “Farther than you can possibly imagine.”
She laid out her reasoning: The president knows what he faces if he becomes a private citizen again, including potentially being prosecuted for financial crimes and indicted on felony charges of obstruction of justice. And he’s got people close to him who are personally benefiting from his behavior who may face exposure if he is no longer protected by being in office.
“He’s cheating. He’s been cheating for a while now,” Mary Trump said. “He’s cheating when he tells people that mail-in ballots are fraudulent somehow. He’s cheating when he started calling into question the legitimacy of the election before a vote was even cast. He’s cheating when he says if Joe Biden wins, it’s rigged…. He’s also cheating when he tells people if we don’t get the results on Nov. 3 ― which, by the way, during the pandemic would be ridiculous ― if we have to wait, that it’s also rigged, somehow.”
“We need to be clear about what we’re potentially facing here,” she added.
LPAC board member Hilary Rosen led a Q&A with Mary Trump and covered a range of issues, including her coming-out story (“Oh, man, I’m not going to bore you”), whether she ever talked to Uncle Donald about being a lesbian (“No. They were really not at all interested in my personal life.”) and what she thinks the president genuinely believes about LGBTQ people.
“I don’t think he cares,” said Mary Trump. “I don’t think we’re of interest to him, except insofar as he can use being hateful toward the LGBTQ community ― taking away our rights with the stroke of a pen ― as useful to him.”
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The president is “particularly vicious” toward transgender people, however, she said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Pelosi Slams Trump Executive Order As An ‘Insult’ To Those With Preexisting Conditions

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted President Donald Trump ’ s latest executive order on health care , saying his pledge to protect Americans with preexisting conditions was not “ worth the paper ” it ’ s printed on .
The White House unveiled a new executive order on Thursday amid ongoing attacks from Democrats over Trump ’ s effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act , also known as Obamacare .
The president vowed the new pledge affirms that “ it is the official policy of the United States government to protect patients with preexisting conditions.
” But Trump failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already covered by U.S. law .
“ President Trump ’ s bogus executive order on preexisting conditions isn ’ t worth the paper it ’ s signed on , ” Pelosi said in a statement Thursday .
“ It is an insult to every family with someone with a preexisting condition that President Trump thinks he can get away with this farce while he races a justice onto the Supreme Court to strike down the lifesaving protections enshrined into law by the Affordable Care Act.
” “ The threat to these protections is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to end them , ” Schumer wrote .
“ We ’ re fighting to stop it.
” President Trump is lying to you about his “ executive order.
” Protections for pre-existing conditions are the law .
The threat to these protections is from President Trump and the Republicans suing to end them .
We ’ re fighting to stop it .
— Chuck Schumer ( @ SenSchumer ) September 25 , 2020 The president was confronted by a voter over the issue at an ABC town hall earlier this month .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her struggle to pay thousands of dollars a year in copayments despite being covered by insurance .
“ What we ’ re doing is we ’ re going to be doing a health care plan — preexisting , protecting people with preexisting conditions ― as an example , yourself , it sounds like that ’ s exactly perfect , ” Trump said at the time .
“ That ’ s exactly what we ’ re talking about .
We ’ re going to be doing a health care plan very strongly and protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to note , however , that his administration has spent years seeking to repeal Obamacare even after Congress , then controlled by Republicans in both chambers , failed to do so in 2017 .
The White House asked the Supreme Court in June to overturn the full ACA , which could end coverage for nearly 23 million Americans .
Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats would continue to “ fight to defend and strengthen pre-existing condition protections from Congress to the Courts.
” “ For his entire Administration , President Trump has used every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaken or rip away protections for people with pre-existing conditions , ” she said .
“ If President Trump cared at all about people with pre-existing conditions , he would drop his lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a pandemic .
”

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on health care, saying his pledge to protect Americans with preexisting conditions was not “worth the paper” it’s printed on.
The White House unveiled a new executive order on Thursday amid ongoing attacks from Democrats over Trump’s effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The president vowed the new pledge affirms that “it is the official policy of the United States government to protect patients with preexisting conditions.”
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But Trump failed to note those with preexisting conditions are already covered by U.S. law.
“President Trump’s bogus executive order on preexisting conditions isn’t worth the paper it’s signed on,” Pelosi said in a statement Thursday. “It is an insult to every family with someone with a preexisting condition that President Trump thinks he can get away with this farce while he races a justice onto the Supreme Court to strike down the lifesaving protections enshrined into law by the Affordable Care Act.”
The executive order is largely a symbolic effort and ignores the GOP’s ongoing effort to repeal the ACA.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also lambasted the order, noting “protections for preexisting conditions are the law.”
“The threat to these protections is from President Trump and the Republicans suing to end them,” Schumer wrote. “We’re fighting to stop it.”
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President Trump is lying to you about his “executive order.”
Protections for pre-existing conditions are the law.
The threat to these protections is from President Trump and the Republicans suing to end them.
We’re fighting to stop it. — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 25, 2020
The president was confronted by a voter over the issue at an ABC town hall earlier this month. During a heated exchange, Ellesia Blaque detailed her struggle to pay thousands of dollars a year in copayments despite being covered by insurance.
“What we’re doing is we’re going to be doing a health care plan — preexisting, protecting people with preexisting conditions ― as an example, yourself, it sounds like that’s exactly perfect,” Trump said at the time. “That’s exactly what we’re talking about. We’re going to be doing a health care plan very strongly and protect people with preexisting conditions.”
Trump failed to note, however, that his administration has spent years seeking to repeal Obamacare even after Congress, then controlled by Republicans in both chambers, failed to do so in 2017.
The White House asked the Supreme Court in June to overturn the full ACA, which could end coverage for nearly 23 million Americans.
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Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats would continue to “fight to defend and strengthen pre-existing condition protections from Congress to the Courts.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--Trump Ad Touts 'Best' Economy With Shot Of Struggling Steel Plant Hit By Layoffs

A Donald Trump campaign ad touting his creation of the “ best economy in the world ” includes a shot of his visit to a steel plant that announced hundreds of layoffs in an industry that was struggling even before the pandemic .
U.S. Steel announced in April it was laying off about 2,700 workers with a notice that was sent to as many as 6,500 employees nationwide amid the COVID-19 crisis .
( Its total staff last December was 27,500 ) .
The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker idled seven of its 10 blast furnaces in the nation .
U.S. Steel posted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first quarter of this year .
The Granite City plant in Trump ’ s ad announced in April that it was laying off 737 workers as car companies cut back production after the coronavirus pandemic spread across the U.S.
It ’ s unclear exactly how many workers have been let go .
Last year the plant had already laid off an undisclosed number of nonunion workers .
At least 1,500 workers in U.S. Steel plants lost their jobs before the outbreak of COVID-19 as demand and prices plummeted after a short reprieve provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on steel imports .
Many analysts believe Trump ’ s tariffs made things worse for the industry .
“ Donald Trump likes to use workers as props , but he ’ s far less interested in spending time caring for their lived reality , ” United Steel Workers spokesperson Jess Kamm Broomell told Vice , which was the first to report the ad .
“ It ’ s not surprising that someone who deals only in photo-ops would ignore the real workers , families and communities that continue to suffer on his watch.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ bounce after Trump ’ s tariffs on imports in mid-2018 as buyers rushed to finalize purchases before any jams developed in the supply chain .
That ’ s when Trump made a speech at Granite City about how the industry was roaring back .
But by last year , the price of steel fell by half from its 2018 peak .
Giddy with tariff protections — and corporate tax cuts — the industry had overspent on new operations and outstripped domestic demand , according to industry analysts .
In addition , Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fronts helped depress the global economy , further dampening demand .
American manufacturing was officially in a recession by last October .
U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt last week touted “ improving market conditions ” from June into September .
But the company still expects to report a $ 100 million loss at the end of this quarter .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email us at scoops @ huffpost.com .

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A Donald Trump campaign ad touting his creation of the “best economy in the world” includes a shot of his visit to a steel plant that announced hundreds of layoffs in an industry that was struggling even before the pandemic.
The montage ad shows Trump in a personalized white hardhat at a U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, Illinois, in 2018.
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U.S. Steel announced in April it was laying off about 2,700 workers with a notice that was sent to as many as 6,500 employees nationwide amid the COVID-19 crisis. (Its total staff last December was 27,500). The Pittsburgh-based steelmaker idled seven of its 10 blast furnaces in the nation. U.S. Steel posted a $391 million loss in the first quarter of this year.
The Granite City plant in Trump’s ad announced in April that it was laying off 737 workers as car companies cut back production after the coronavirus pandemic spread across the U.S. It’s unclear exactly how many workers have been let go. Last year the plant had already laid off an undisclosed number of nonunion workers.
At least 1,500 workers in U.S. Steel plants lost their jobs before the outbreak of COVID-19 as demand and prices plummeted after a short reprieve provided by Trump’s 25% tariff on steel imports. Many analysts believe Trump’s tariffs made things worse for the industry.
“Donald Trump likes to use workers as props, but he’s far less interested in spending time caring for their lived reality,” United Steel Workers spokesperson Jess Kamm Broomell told Vice, which was the first to report the ad. “It’s not surprising that someone who deals only in photo-ops would ignore the real workers, families and communities that continue to suffer on his watch.”
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The steel industry experienced a brief bounce after Trump’s tariffs on imports in mid-2018 as buyers rushed to finalize purchases before any jams developed in the supply chain. That’s when Trump made a speech at Granite City about how the industry was roaring back.
But by last year, the price of steel fell by half from its 2018 peak. Giddy with tariff protections — and corporate tax cuts — the industry had overspent on new operations and outstripped domestic demand, according to industry analysts. In addition, Trump’s trade war on a number of fronts helped depress the global economy, further dampening demand. American manufacturing was officially in a recession by last October.
U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt last week touted “improving market conditions” from June into September. But the company still expects to report a $100 million loss at the end of this quarter.
Here’s the “best economy” ad:
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.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--No Sign Of 'National Voter Fraud Effort,' FBI Director Tells Senators

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before senators Thursday that there ’ s been no evidence of a voter fraud effort targeting mail-in or other ballots — despite repeated claims by President Donald Trump .
“ We have not seen historically any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election — whether it ’ s by mail or otherwise , ” Wray testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee .
Any foreign assault on mail-in ballots — which Trump has very nearly classified as a foregone conclusion — would be a “ major challenge for an adversary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans must have confidence in our voting system and our election infrastructure .
We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections.
” Wray said the FBI would take any “ voter fraud and voter suppression ... seriously ” and is committed to investigating any situations that arise .
Wray last week , however , testified before the House Homeland Security Committee that Russia is actively involved in a disinformation state media and social media campaign to influence voters and discredit Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a determined effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kremlin carried out a similar campaign in 2016 in a bid to boost support for Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton .
“ We certainly have seen very active , very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020 through what I would call more the maligned foreign influence side of things ― social media , use of proxies , state media , online journals , etc .
― in an effort to both sow divisiveness and discord and ... primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he testified .
The FBI has seen no evidence of an attack on actual votes — though fraud has been detected in the past “ at the local level from time to time , ” Wray told senators .
Trump was furious about Wray ’ s testimony last week about Russian interference in the election to help him .
“ I did not like his answers , ” he told reporters .
“ The big problem is China , ” he added , without offering any evidence .
“ Why he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ... certainly bothers me.
” Though Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in ballots as “ rigged , ” he and first lady Melania Trump — as well as many members of his administration — have voted by mail .
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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FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before senators Thursday that there’s been no evidence of a voter fraud effort targeting mail-in or other ballots — despite repeated claims by President Donald Trump.
“We have not seen historically any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election — whether it’s by mail or otherwise,” Wray testified before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
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Any foreign assault on mail-in ballots — which Trump has very nearly classified as a foregone conclusion — would be a “major challenge for an adversary,” he testified, adding, “Americans must have confidence in our voting system and our election infrastructure. We are not going to tolerate foreign interference in our elections.”
Wray said the FBI would take any “voter fraud and voter suppression ... seriously” and is committed to investigating any situations that arise.
Wray last week, however, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee that Russia is actively involved in a disinformation state media and social media campaign to influence voters and discredit Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in a determined effort to sway the election for Trump. The Kremlin carried out a similar campaign in 2016 in a bid to boost support for Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
“We certainly have seen very active, very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election in 2020 through what I would call more the maligned foreign influence side of things ― social media, use of proxies, state media, online journals, etc. ― in an effort to both sow divisiveness and discord and ... primarily to denigrate Vice President Biden and what the Russians see as kind of an anti-Russian establishment,” he testified.
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Assessments by other intelligence agencies have supported Wray’s conclusion.
The FBI has seen no evidence of an attack on actual votes — though fraud has been detected in the past “at the local level from time to time,” Wray told senators.
Trump was furious about Wray’s testimony last week about Russian interference in the election to help him. “I did not like his answers,” he told reporters. “The big problem is China,” he added, without offering any evidence. “Why he doesn’t want to say that ... certainly bothers me.”
Though Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in ballots as “rigged,” he and first lady Melania Trump — as well as many members of his administration — have voted by mail.
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.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-24--Government Executes First Black Man Since Resuming Federal Death Penalty

The execution comes during demonstrations , disappointment , violence and sadness in Louisville , Kentucky , after a grand jury did not charge the officers who shot Breonna Taylor with her death , rather filing lower level felonies for shooting into neighboring homes .
Questions about racial bias in the criminal justice system have been front and center since May — following the death of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on the handcuffed Black man ’ s neck for several minutes .
A report this month by the Washington , D.C.-based Death Penalty Information @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death rows and that Black people who kill white people are far more likely to be sentenced to death than white people who kill Black people .
Of the 56 inmates currently on federal death row , 26 — or nearly 50 % — are Black , according to center data updated Wednesday ; 22 , or nearly 40 % , are white and seven , around 12 % were Latino .
There is one Asian on federal death row .
Black people make up only about 13 % of the population .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Viala opened his eyes wide as officials started administering the fatal dose of pentobarbital .
He scanned the ceiling lights in the pale green room , furrowed his brows , yawned and then turned his head toward a witness room , where his mother was expected to view his execution .
Within minutes , he no longer moved at all , his head fixed in a tilt toward the room and his mouth agape .
Some 20 minutes after the lethal injection began , an official walked into the chamber , listened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stethoscope and walked out .
Seconds later , a voice over an intercom declared Vialva dead at “ 6:42 p.m. ” Later , prison officials corrected the time to 6:46 p.m. No explanation was given .
Vialva was 19 years old in 1999 when he shot Todd and Stacie Bagley and burned them in the trunk of their car .
Vialva ’ s lawyer , Susan Otto , has said race played a role in landing her client on death row for killing the white couple .
Vialva was the seventh federal execution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Five of the first six were white , a move critics argue was a political calculation to avoid uproar .
The sixth was Navajo .
“ Christopher ’ s mother had the opportunity to visit him for the past 21 years , ” she wrote .
“ We have had to wait for 21 years for justice and closure .
We can not be with our children for visits or to see them on holidays .
We were denied that privilege , ” Bagley ’ s mother wrote .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in which I could say to Todd and Stacie ’ s family , ‘ I am so sorry for your loss , ’ ” said Brown , who was expected to witness her son ’ s execution .
Otto said one Black juror and 11 white jurors recommended the death sentence in 2000 after prosecutors told them Vialva led a Black gang faction in Killeen , Texas , and killed to boost his gang status .
That claim , Otto said , was false and only served to conjure up menacing stereotypes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ were on their way home from a Sunday worship service during a visit to Texas when Vialva and his teenage accomplices asked them for a lift after they stopped at a convenience store — planning all along to rob the couple .
After the Bagleys agreed and began driving away , Vialva pulled out a gun and told the couple : “ Plans have changed.
” After stealing their money , jewelry and ATM card , the teens locked the Bagleys in the trunk of their car as they drove around for hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking to pawn Stacie Bagley ’ s wedding ring .
The Bagleys pleaded for their lives from the trunk .
The teens eventually pulled to the side of the road and poured lighter fluid inside the car .
As they did , the Bagleys sang “ Jesus loves us ” in the trunk .
Vialva , the oldest of the group , donned a ski mask , opened the trunk and shot the Bagleys in the head .
Stacie Bagley , prosecutors said at trial , was still alive as flames engulfed the @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A man who killed a religious couple visiting Texas from Iowa was executed Thursday, the first Black inmate put to death as part of the Trump administration’s resumption of federal executions.
Christopher Vialva, 40, was pronounced dead shortly before 7 p.m. EDT after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.
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In a last statement, Vialva asked God to comfort the families of the couple he had killed, saying, “Father … heal their hearts with grace and love.” His final words were: “I’m ready, Father.”
The execution comes during demonstrations, disappointment, violence and sadness in Louisville, Kentucky, after a grand jury did not charge the officers who shot Breonna Taylor with her death, rather filing lower level felonies for shooting into neighboring homes. Questions about racial bias in the criminal justice system have been front and center since May — following the death of George Floyd after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on the handcuffed Black man’s neck for several minutes.
A report this month by the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center said Black people remain overrepresented on death rows and that Black people who kill white people are far more likely to be sentenced to death than white people who kill Black people.
Of the 56 inmates currently on federal death row, 26 — or nearly 50% — are Black, according to center data updated Wednesday; 22, or nearly 40%, are white and seven, around 12% were Latino. There is one Asian on federal death row. Black people make up only about 13% of the population.
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Wearing black glasses with especially thick lenses, Viala opened his eyes wide as officials started administering the fatal dose of pentobarbital. He scanned the ceiling lights in the pale green room, furrowed his brows, yawned and then turned his head toward a witness room, where his mother was expected to view his execution. Within minutes, he no longer moved at all, his head fixed in a tilt toward the room and his mouth agape.
Some 20 minutes after the lethal injection began, an official walked into the chamber, listened to Vialva’s chest with a stethoscope and walked out. Seconds later, a voice over an intercom declared Vialva dead at “6:42 p.m.” Later, prison officials corrected the time to 6:46 p.m. No explanation was given.
Vialva was 19 years old in 1999 when he shot Todd and Stacie Bagley and burned them in the trunk of their car. Vialva’s lawyer, Susan Otto, has said race played a role in landing her client on death row for killing the white couple.
Vialva was the seventh federal execution since July and the second this week. Five of the first six were white, a move critics argue was a political calculation to avoid uproar. The sixth was Navajo.
“I believe when someone deliberately takes the life of another, they suffer the consequences for their actions,” Todd Bagley’s mother, Georgia, wrote in a statement released after the execution.
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“Christopher’s mother had the opportunity to visit him for the past 21 years,” she wrote. “We have had to wait for 21 years for justice and closure. We cannot be with our children for visits or to see them on holidays. We were denied that privilege,” Bagley’s mother wrote.
In the video statement his lawyers released Thursday, Vialva expressed regret for what he’d done and said he was a changed man.
“I committed a grave wrong when I was a lost kid and took two precious lives from this world,” he said. “Every day, I wish I could right this wrong.”
Vialva’s mother, Lisa Brown, told the AP in a text Thursday night that she attended the execution and “He was looking at me when he died.”
She also spoke at an anti-death penalty rally Thursday morning across from the prison where her son was later put to death.
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“This is the first venue I’ve had in which I could say to Todd and Stacie’s family, ‘I am so sorry for your loss,’” said Brown, who was expected to witness her son’s execution.
Federal authorities executed just three prisoners in the previous 56 years. Death penalty foes accuse President Donald Trump of restarting them to help stake a claim as the law-and-order candidate.
Otto said one Black juror and 11 white jurors recommended the death sentence in 2000 after prosecutors told them Vialva led a Black gang faction in Killeen, Texas, and killed to boost his gang status. That claim, Otto said, was false and only served to conjure up menacing stereotypes.
“It played right into the narrative that he was a dangerous Black thug who killed these lovely white people. And they were lovely,” Otto said in a recent phone interview.
According to court filings, the Bagleys were on their way home from a Sunday worship service during a visit to Texas when Vialva and his teenage accomplices asked them for a lift after they stopped at a convenience store — planning all along to rob the couple. After the Bagleys agreed and began driving away, Vialva pulled out a gun and told the couple: “Plans have changed.”
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After stealing their money, jewelry and ATM card, the teens locked the Bagleys in the trunk of their car as they drove around for hours trying to withdraw money from ATMs and seeking to pawn Stacie Bagley’s wedding ring. The Bagleys pleaded for their lives from the trunk.
The teens eventually pulled to the side of the road and poured lighter fluid inside the car. As they did, the Bagleys sang “Jesus loves us” in the trunk. Vialva, the oldest of the group, donned a ski mask, opened the trunk and shot the Bagleys in the head. Stacie Bagley, prosecutors said at trial, was still alive as flames engulfed the car.
Otto said Vialva’s lawyers during the trial, the sentencing phase and in an initial appeal didn’t appear to raise objections about the racial composition of the jury or the characterization of Vialva as a Black gang leader. That effectively barred subsequent lawyers from raising the issue of racial bias in higher court appeals.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-25--The Soil Revolution That Could Save Farming And The Climate

Over the past four years , Gentry has transformed two acres of trash-strewn dirt on Long Island ’ s southeast coast into a profitable organic farm by betting big on soil .
Instead of pumping her crops with pesticides and petrochemical fertilizer , Gentry grows vetch , a hardy pea-like plant , and rye to cover the exposed soil between the rows of greens intended for harvest .
She layers the soil with specially mined rock dust that replenishes minerals and pulls carbon from the air .
And in the spring and summer , she uses a system of crop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are planted ― so that one plant ’ s nutrient needs don ’ t drain the soil .
These practices are collectively known as regenerative farming .
Countries such as France are promoting large-scale government programs to encourage farmers to increase the carbon stored in soil .
Members of Congress have also proposed legislation to push regenerative farming in the U.S. , and several states are designing their own policies .
Progressive think tanks call for small shifts in existing U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and beefed-up research funding that could trigger the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a century .
Nearly every Democratic presidential candidate pitched paying farmers to trap carbon in soil as a key plank of their climate platform , including nominee Joe Biden .
For many farmers , the federal crop insurance program has been a lifeline in tumultuous times .
But it also encourages them to plant in harm ’ s way by providing incentives to cultivate every inch of land , including marginal acres prone to flooding , and it promotes monocultures by making it difficult for farmers to insure a variety of crops at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government Accountability Office found that , as a result of the insurance program ’ s policies , farmers “ do not bear the true cost of their risk of loss due to weather-related events , such as drought — which could affect their farming decisions.
” Are The Benefits Being Oversold ?

BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. ― Tropical Storm Isaias downed power lines and trees across the greater New York City area in early August, snapping limbs from the ancient oaks that ring Patty Gentry’s small Long Island farm.
Dead branches were still dangling a month later. But rows of mustard greens were unfurling nearby, and a thicket of green vines reached toward the sun, dotted with tangy orange bulbs.
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“These sungold tomatoes were toast,” Gentry said, sounding almost astonished. “But now look at them. They’re coming back. It’s like spring again.”
Over the past four years, Gentry has transformed two acres of trash-strewn dirt on Long Island’s southeast coast into a profitable organic farm by betting big on soil. Instead of pumping her crops with pesticides and petrochemical fertilizer, Gentry grows vetch, a hardy pea-like plant, and rye to cover the exposed soil between the rows of greens intended for harvest. She layers the soil with specially mined rock dust that replenishes minerals and pulls carbon from the air. And in the spring and summer, she uses a system of crop rotation ― shifting around where different crops are planted ― so that one plant’s nutrient needs don’t drain the soil. These practices are collectively known as regenerative farming.
Tests of the soil show the organic content is now seven times higher than when she began. The result is produce so flavorful that she can’t keep up with the number of restaurants and home cooks looking to buy shares.
Gentry’s farm is also resilient, one where healthy soil soaks up rainwater like a sponge and replenishes the crops. She barely missed a delivery after the storm.
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At a moment when fires and storms are wreaking havoc from coast to coast, mounting research suggests that practicing the soil techniques Gentry uses on a much wider scale could remove climate-changing gases from the atmosphere and provide a vital bulwark in the fight to maintain a habitable planet. They’re part of a mix of solutions experts say are needed to keep global temperatures from surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages, beyond which projections show catastrophic threats to our coasts, ecosystems, and food and water supplies.
Regenerative practices range from growing trees and reverting croplands to wild prairies, to rotating crops and allowing remnants after harvest to decompose into the ground. The techniques, already popular with small-scale organic growers, are steadily gaining traction among big farms and ranches as the chaotic effects of climate change and financial pressure from agribusiness giants eat away at their businesses.
“This is about covering the soil, feeding the soil and not disrupting it,” said Betsy Taylor, the president at Breakthrough Strategies & Solutions, a consultancy that focuses on regenerative agriculture. “Those are the basic principles.”
Countries such as France are promoting large-scale government programs to encourage farmers to increase the carbon stored in soil. Members of Congress have also proposed legislation to push regenerative farming in the U.S., and several states are designing their own policies. Progressive think tanks call for small shifts in existing U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and beefed-up research funding that could trigger the biggest changes to American farming in almost a century. Nearly every Democratic presidential candidate pitched paying farmers to trap carbon in soil as a key plank of their climate platform, including nominee Joe Biden.
“We should be making farmers the recipients of a climate change plan where they get paid to absorb carbon,” the former vice president said during a CNN town hall last week.
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While the benefits to soil and food nutrition are difficult to dispute, there are some critics of the push for regenerative farming. They argue that its climate advantages are overhyped or unproven, the product of wishful thinking about a politically palatable solution, and that the focus on regenerative farming risks distracting policymakers from more effective, if less exciting, strategies.
Industrial Agriculture’s Bill Is Coming Due
At the end of World War II, federal farming policy started to transform the breadbasket of the Midwest into vast plains of corn, soybeans and grains. The same principles of mechanized bulk production that turned the United States into a military powerhouse capable of fending off the Japanese and Nazi empires were applied to farming. Surplus chemicals from weapons manufacturing found new uses eradicating crop-eating insects, and nitrogen plants that once made components for bombs started producing ammonia to feed fields.
Geopolitics only hastened the trend, as widespread Soviet crop failures forced Russian officials to buy grain from overseas and the Nixon administration capitalized on the opportunity. Agriculture Secretary Earl “Rusty” Butz, who served under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, directed farmers to “plant fence row to fence row,” and quantity trumped all else. Farmers took out loans to expand operations, turning “get big or get out” into a mantra, as Butz promised that any surplus could be sold overseas.
Water pools in rain-soaked fields on May 29, 2019, near Gardner, Illinois, after near-record rainfall in the state caused farmers to delay their spring corn planting. Scott Olson via Getty Images
The damage to farm soil kicked into overdrive as farmers planted the same monoculture crops year after year and added more chemical fertilizers to make up for the sapped minerals and dead microbes. The cumulative effect has been twofold. The U.S. loses top soil at a rate 10 times faster than it’s replenished. And carbon and other gases seep from the plowed, exposed soil into the air, contributing to the emissions rapidly warming the planet and increasing the frequency and severity of destructive droughts and storms.
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Less than two weeks after Tropical Storm Isaias made landfall over Gentry’s farm, a powerful storm known as a derecho ― or “inland hurricane” ― formed in Iowa, some 1,100 miles west. The storm destroyed nearly half the state’s crop rows. “This will ruin us,” one farmer told a local newspaper. Another called it a “catastrophic scenario.”
Losses from extreme weather are only expected to grow in the years ahead. Even if warming is kept within a 2 degrees Celsius warming scenario, the less ambitious goal spelled out in the Paris climate accords, U.S. corn production will likely suffer an 18% hit, according to a 2018 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For many farmers, the federal crop insurance program has been a lifeline in tumultuous times. But it also encourages them to plant in harm’s way by providing incentives to cultivate every inch of land, including marginal acres prone to flooding, and it promotes monocultures by making it difficult for farmers to insure a variety of crops at once. In 2014, the federal Government Accountability Office found that, as a result of the insurance program’s policies, farmers “do not bear the true cost of their risk of loss due to weather-related events, such as drought — which could affect their farming decisions.”
“As farmers, we’re trying to make rational economic decisions in an irrational system,” said Matt Russell, a fifth-generation Iowa farmer who promotes regenerative soil practices. “We have externalized the pollution so the public pays for those costs and nobody in the supply chain pays for it, while at the same time, when I do something good, I can’t externalize the cost at all.”
‘You’ve Got A Win’
Plans to shift federal incentives to favor regenerative farming aim first to loosen big agribusiness’s grip on the industry.
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The think tank Data for Progress has proposed overhauling the federal crop insurance program to limit the total acreage eligible for coverage, phase out incentives for single-crop planting and create new tax credits designed specifically for family-owned farms, restricting how much corporate giants could benefit from the subsidized insurance.
With that stick would come a carrot: Under Data for Progress’ plan, Congress would increase the budget for the USDA’s existing conservation programs.
“As farmers, we’re trying to make rational economic decisions in an irrational system.” - Matt Russell, a fifth-generation Iowa farmer
The Conservation Stewardship Program already provides farmers with cash payments of up to $40,000 per year and technological assistance for steps such as assessing which plots of farming and grazing land should be allowed to go natural. With an expanded mandate to sequester carbon dioxide, the program might fund a national assessment to determine which areas are best suited for rewilding or carbon farming and compensate farmers directly to do that.
The program paid out $1.4 billion last year alone. Data for Progress proposed that the USDA significantly increase funding for both the program and research, and provide employees in all its conservation programs with training to understand and help regulate regenerative farming practices.
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“There are so many wins in regenerative agriculture,” said Maggie Thomas, a former climate policy adviser to the presidential campaigns of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) who serves as political director of the progressive climate group Evergreen Action. “You’ve got a win for farmers. You’ve got a win for soils and the environment. You’ve got a win for better food. There’s no reason not to do it.”
The hopes for such changes are dim under the Trump administration, which spent its first three years sidelining climate science and spurring an exodus of scientists from the USDA as frustration over political appointees’ meddling with research grew. (A five-year proposal the agency released in February did seem to show a growing acceptance of the need to address climate change, offering what InsideClimate News called “hopeful signs.”)
Maryland already pays farmers $45 per acre for fields maintained with cover crops. Montana state officials collaborated with a nonprofit consortium paying ranchers to adopt sustainable grazing practices that increase carbon storage in the soil.
In January, Vermont proposed a plan to incorporate carbon sequestration by farmers into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade scheme that includes most of the Northeast states. In March, Minnesota officials gathered for a summit on using soil to combat climate change. In June, Colorado solicited input for a state-level soil health program aimed at “advancing climate resilience.”
Investors see potential profit in the shift to regenerative agriculture. In January, the Seattle startup Nori was able to raise $1.3 million to fund its platform using blockchain technology to pay farmers to remove carbon from the atmosphere. And Boston-based Indigo Ag, a similar startup, announced in June that it had brought in another $300 million from investors, becoming the world’s highest-valued ag-tech firm at an estimated $3.5 billion.
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But some fear these platforms offer dubious benefits, particularly since the credits generated by the farmers’ stored carbon could be bought by industrial giants that would rather offset their own pollution than eliminate it.
“It’s right to be skeptical of these companies,” said Mackenzie Feldman, a fellow at Data for Progress and lead author on its regenerative farming proposal. “It has to be the government doing this, and it can be through mechanisms that already exist, like the Conservation Stewardship Program.”
Are The Benefits Being Oversold?
But not everyone is jumping on the regenerative farming bandwagon. In May, a group of researchers at the World Resources Institute (WRI) offered a skeptical take, arguing “that the practices grouped as regenerative agriculture can improve soil health and yield some valuable environmental benefits, but are unlikely to achieve large-scale emissions reductions.”
“No-till” farming ― a seeding practice that requires growers to inject seeds into fields without disturbing the soil, which became popular with environmentalists several years ago ― has had only limited carbon benefits because farmers inevitably plow their fields after a few years, WRI argued, pointing to a 2014 study in the journal Nature Climate Change.
And cover crops can be costly to plant and difficult to propagate in the weeks between a fall harvest and the winter months, WRI said, highlighting the findings of an Iowa State University study. The group also cast doubt over the methods used to account for carbon added to soil.
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Scientists say flooded corn fields pose a major risk to food supplies as climate change worsens. ERIC THAYER/Reuters
In June, seven of the world’s leading soil scientists published a response to WRI’s claims, which they said drew too narrow conclusions and failed to see the potential of combining multiple regenerative practices.
WRI researcher Tim Searchinger renewed the debate last month with his own response to the response, accusing the critics of his critique of relying on misleading information from a 2007 United Nations report to inflate the potential for capturing carbon in soil at large scale.
“The realistic ability to sequester additional carbon in working agricultural soils is limited,” he wrote. “Because what causes carbon to remain in soils is not well understood, further research is needed, and our views may change as new science emerges.”
Rock You In A Hurricane
Some of the latest science sheds light on one aspect of regenerative farming that didn’t factor into the recent debate at all. In July, a major new study published in the journal Nature found that spreading rock dust on soil at maximum scale in the world’s three largest carbon emitters ― China, the United States and India ― could collectively remove up to 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air per year.
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The process, known as “enhanced rock weathering,” occurs when minerals in the rock dust react with carbon in rainwater and turn into bicarbonate ions. Those ions are eventually washed into the oceans, where they’re stored indefinitely as rock minerals.
“The more we looked into it, the more it seemed like a no-brainer,” said David Beerling, a soil researcher at the U.K.’s University of Sheffield and the lead author of the study.
That’s a leap Thomas Vanacore took nearly four decades ago. The Vermont farmer and quarryman realized in the 1980s that mineral-rich dust from basalt and shale quarries could replenish nutrients in soil without using synthetic fertilizers, which would appeal to his state’s organic farmers. But as he studied climate change, he also concluded that his product could help pull carbon from the atmosphere.
“You can’t do what modern farming has done for years, where you kill everything and expect to grow life,” Vanacore said, standing before a pile of black shale at a quarry in Shoreham, Vermont. For farmers looking to make the shift to regenerative practices, “rock dust is the jumpstart,” he said.
This month, he delivered his largest shipment to date to an industrial farm supplier in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Vanacore said he expects to ship another 245 rail cars full of rock dust over the northern border in the next 12 months.
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His customers swear by the stuff ― including Gentry, who started buying bags of his brix-blend basalt when she first started her farm. Without the rock dust, Gentry doubts that her soil would be as fertile as it is today. Her embrace of pioneering techniques is reflected in the name of her plot: Early Girl Farm.