thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Big Tech Is The New Big Tobacco And Joe Biden Doesn't Get It

And there was an unfortunate harmony between Geithner ’ s public and private careers .
The banks had been in serious trouble in 2009 , but as Obama ’ s first and most powerful Treasury secretary , Geithner too often prioritized the short-term interests of the financial sector over the needs of struggling families .
His most catastrophic decision was on housing , where he transformed a foreclosure relief program into a slush fund for Wall Street , effectively redistributing money from middle class families to the very rich .
Geithner was not the only policymaker to get big questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choices Obama made before he even set foot in the White House did much to sabotage his presidency .
Although much about the Great Recession and its lackluster recovery can be laid at the feet of Republican obstruction , it is also true that top Obama administration officials frequently pursued bad economic ideas with gusto , leading to disappointing policy outcomes and political dysfunction .
Judged against that debacle , the news trickling in from President-elect Joe Biden ’ s transition team is in some respects promising .
The public list of policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insiders or private equity magnates .
There is , in fact , an excellent panel of thinkers on financial reform featuring some of the best minds available , including Gary Gensler , Mehrsa Baradaran , Amanda Fischer , Andy Green , Simon Johnson and others .
The Big Tech crisis of the Trump era has not been as abrupt as the 2008 meltdown , but it has been going on now for years .
If Biden allows Silicon Valley to shape the economy of the future , he will damage his presidency just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wall Street insiders to a team trying to weather a Wall Street-generated recession .
There was no organized progressive movement pressuring Obama on personnel back in 2008 , and for many Democrats it seemed natural that he would be pulling from Bill Clinton administration alumni who had spent their time striking it rich during President George W. Bush ’ s years .
Emanuel joined the administration as Obama ’ s first chief of staff after making millions in private equity .
Today he is most famous for covering up the police murder of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Chicago .
But in 2009 , he helped overrule administration economists calling for a larger economic stimulus package , perhaps the biggest blown-call of the Obama ’ s presidency .
Like any other people , politicians trust their old friends .
But when your old friends choose to go rake it in at Facebook , a company that poisons democracy all over the world , or Apple , which very publicly bet its future on a cozy relationship with the Chinese government ― those friends no longer belong in the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bags of cash under the table among these players .
But they brought a Wall Street-centric view of the world to the administration , where they relied on Wall Street thinking that just happened to be harmful public policy .
They believed the deficit was a big deal when it wasn ’ t .
They didn ’ t want to raise taxes on corporations or the rich .
And they didn ’ t mind flushing homeowners in the name of saving the banks , which , after all , needed to be saved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whiz kids , and outside his financial reform group , there is a trade policy team stacked with capable , reform-minded experts who understand exactly what went wrong on trade under both Obama and Trump .
If this list of advisers is any indication , Biden will not be running a big bank White House .
But the Silicon Valley names are frightening .
Many of them are Obama White House alums or long-time Biden aides who joined Big Tech and cashed in back when these firms had reputations that were fishy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidant and turned bigwig Facebook lawyer Jessica Hertz will be running , of all things , ethics policy for the transition .
Cynthia Hogan is returning to Biden ’ s team after a stint as a lobbyist for Apple .
Like any other people , politicians trust their old friends .
But when your old friends choose to go rake it in at Facebook , a company that poisons democracy all over the world , or Apple , which very publicly bet its future on a cozy relationship with the Chinese government ― @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House .
Nor is Biden restricting his Silicon Valley search to Obama alums .
According to a Financial Times report , Biden is seriously considering a position for former Google CEO Eric Schmidt .
He found a labor policy advisory slot for Seth Harris , the intellectual architect of California ’ s infamous Prop .
22 which rewrites California law to allow Uber , Lyft and other gig economy firms to deny rights , pay and benefits to their workers .
It is hard to overstate just how out of touch Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today ’ s intellectual consensus on Big Tech ’ s role in society .
Google is the subject of a landmark antitrust case from the Department of Justice .
Uber is something between a laughingstock and a nightmare , so bad that journalists make lists ranking its worst scandals .
There are multiple , highly respected think tanks that exist for the sole purpose of reining in Facebook , Apple , Amazon and Google .
Sens .
Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) and Elizabeth Warren ( D-Mass . )
called to break up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and even Hillary Clinton thinks Zuckerberg is an “ authoritarian .
”

Carlos Barria / Reuters
In 2014, the leading economic mind from Barack Obama’s administration left office to become president and partner of the private equity firm Warburg Pincus. The revolving door between Wall Street and Washington was a familiar problem at the time, but the details of Timothy Geithner’s cashout proved unusually gruesome.
Warburg Pincus owns Mariner Finance, a predatory lender devoted to ― in the words of a devastating Washington Post exposé ― “monetizing poor people.”
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And there was an unfortunate harmony between Geithner’s public and private careers. The banks had been in serious trouble in 2009, but as Obama’s first and most powerful Treasury secretary, Geithner too often prioritized the short-term interests of the financial sector over the needs of struggling families. His most catastrophic decision was on housing, where he transformed a foreclosure relief program into a slush fund for Wall Street, effectively redistributing money from middle class families to the very rich.
Geithner was not the only policymaker to get big questions wrong, of course. The personnel choices Obama made before he even set foot in the White House did much to sabotage his presidency. Although much about the Great Recession and its lackluster recovery can be laid at the feet of Republican obstruction, it is also true that top Obama administration officials frequently pursued bad economic ideas with gusto, leading to disappointing policy outcomes and political dysfunction.
Even before Obama’s historic 2008 win was sealed, a then-obscure Citi executive named Michael Froman was compiling a list of top hiring targets for the incoming administration, placing Geither’s name alongside figures who included Rahm Emanuel, Eric Holder and Peter Orzsag, all of whom hailed from a Wall Street-friendly milieu and would advance ideas in office that held back the recovery and damaged the administration’s public credibility on economic policy.
Judged against that debacle, the news trickling in from President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team is in some respects promising. The public list of policy advisers is not stacked with big bank insiders or private equity magnates. There is, in fact, an excellent panel of thinkers on financial reform featuring some of the best minds available, including Gary Gensler, Mehrsa Baradaran, Amanda Fischer, Andy Green, Simon Johnson and others.
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But Biden also appears to be trading one set of villains for another. On advisory panel after advisory panel, veterans of big, bad Silicon Valley predators keep popping up ― Facebook, Uber, Amazon, AirBnB, Lyft and even Mark Zuckerberg’s creepy philanthropy all appear. Biden even found a spot for Amazon’s international tax avoidance guru Tom Sullivan to advise on State Department policy.
The Big Tech crisis of the Trump era has not been as abrupt as the 2008 meltdown, but it has been going on now for years. If Biden allows Silicon Valley to shape the economy of the future, he will damage his presidency just as surely as Obama did by naming Wall Street insiders to a team trying to weather a Wall Street-generated recession.
There was no organized progressive movement pressuring Obama on personnel back in 2008, and for many Democrats it seemed natural that he would be pulling from Bill Clinton administration alumni who had spent their time striking it rich during President George W. Bush’s years. Emanuel joined the administration as Obama’s first chief of staff after making millions in private equity. Today he is most famous for covering up the police murder of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald while serving as Mayor of Chicago. But in 2009, he helped overrule administration economists calling for a larger economic stimulus package, perhaps the biggest blown-call of the Obama’s presidency.
Orzsag, as Office of Management and Budget director, was an even more aggressive deficit hawk, pressing the administration to create a commission to fix the ”unsustainable″ national debt burden ― but without ending the Bush tax cuts. He took a job at Citigroup in 2010.
Holder, when named attorney general by Obama, was making millions of dollars a year representing corporate clients including Swiss banking giant UBS and OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma. As attorney general, he refused to prosecute high-level financial fraud, which helped cement the impression that Obama was letting the rich rig his economic program.
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Froman, the man with the magic list, ended up with a post as the U. S. trade representative, where he was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an 11-nation pact that liberal interest groups and labor unions almost universally derided, and which ultimately failed ― embarrassing Obama after dividing the Democratic Party.
“Like any other people, politicians trust their old friends. But when your old friends choose to go rake it in at Facebook, a company that poisons democracy all over the world, or Apple, which very publicly bet its future on a cozy relationship with the Chinese government ― those friends no longer belong in the White House.”
There were no backroom conspiracies or bags of cash under the table among these players. But they brought a Wall Street-centric view of the world to the administration, where they relied on Wall Street thinking that just happened to be harmful public policy. They believed the deficit was a big deal when it wasn’t. They didn’t want to raise taxes on corporations or the rich. And they didn’t mind flushing homeowners in the name of saving the banks, which, after all, needed to be saved.
The result was a rhetorically liberal presidency in which inequality escalated, the racial wealth gap expanded and American life expectancy declined for the first time since World War I.
Biden has generally avoided Wall Street whiz kids, and outside his financial reform group, there is a trade policy team stacked with capable, reform-minded experts who understand exactly what went wrong on trade under both Obama and Trump. If this list of advisers is any indication, Biden will not be running a big bank White House.
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But the Silicon Valley names are frightening. Many of them are Obama White House alums or long-time Biden aides who joined Big Tech and cashed in back when these firms had reputations that were fishy, but not fully toxic. Longtime Biden confidant and turned bigwig Facebook lawyer Jessica Hertz will be running, of all things, ethics policy for the transition. Cynthia Hogan is returning to Biden’s team after a stint as a lobbyist for Apple.
Like any other people, politicians trust their old friends. But when your old friends choose to go rake it in at Facebook, a company that poisons democracy all over the world, or Apple, which very publicly bet its future on a cozy relationship with the Chinese government ― those friends no longer belong in the White House.
Other Big Tech advisers are Obama White House people who were trusted for their expertise and who Biden no doubt continues to respect. But this is precisely the attitude that got Obama into trouble in 2009 with Clinton administration alumni.
Nor is Biden restricting his Silicon Valley search to Obama alums. According to a Financial Times report, Biden is seriously considering a position for former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. He found a labor policy advisory slot for Seth Harris, the intellectual architect of California’s infamous Prop. 22 which rewrites California law to allow Uber, Lyft and other gig economy firms to deny rights, pay and benefits to their workers.
It is hard to overstate just how out of touch Biden’s Silicon Valley romance is with today’s intellectual consensus on Big Tech’s role in society. Google is the subject of a landmark antitrust case from the Department of Justice. Uber is something between a laughingstock and a nightmare, so bad that journalists make lists ranking its worst scandals. There are multiple, highly respected think tanks that exist for the sole purpose of reining in Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Google. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called to break up Big Tech in their primary campaigns, and even Hillary Clinton thinks Zuckerberg is an “authoritarian.”
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Thus far, the Biden transition suggests that the Biden White House will be premised on a world a decade out of date ― one where Democrats knew that Wall Street was a modern Big Tobacco, but hadn’t yet realized that tech companies were, too.
It’s hard to fix the economy when you don’t know what’s wrong with it.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Count On Biden To Restore The National Monuments Trump Trashed

In late 2017 , after a sham review of recent national monument designations , Trump carved more than 2 million acres from the southern Utah sites .
The boundary of Bears Ears , a 1.35 million-acre landscape that several tribes consider sacred , was cut by 85 % .
Nearby 1.87 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante , the largest land national monument in the country and rich in both archeological and paleontological resources , was cut roughly in half .
The administration has also finalized plans to open the coastal plain of Alaska ’ s fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of northern Alaska and Canada call “ the sacred place where life begins , ” to oil drilling ; greenlighted commercial fishing within Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument , a 4,900-square-mile protected site off the East Coast ; and bulldozed and blasted Indigenous cultural and burial sites within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument , a UNESCO biosphere reserve , to make way for Trump ’ s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border .
Upon taking office , the Trump administration prioritized undoing President Barack Obama ’ s legacy , everything from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policies aimed at reining in greenhouse gas emissions .
The pro-industry , anti-conservation crusade came amid dual climate and extinction crises , as experts around the globe stressed the importance of preserving still-intact ecosystems that sequester carbon and provide refuge for imperiled species .
Former Vice President Biden , who clinched the 2020 presidential victory on Saturday , has signaled that he plans to swing back with a frenzy of early executive actions .
While rejoining the Paris climate accord and repealing Trump ’ s travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority nations are expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back Trump ’ s monument rollbacks likely won ’ t be too far behind .
“ All indications seem to point to that we should have great faith in the Biden administration to uphold and build on what the Obama administration did , ” she told HuffPost by phone .
“ It ’ s evident that Bears Ears in particular really hits at the intersection or some sort of crossroads of racial justice , public lands and planning for a changing climate ― I get the sense that it ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change the Biden administration wants to pursue.
” How quickly the Biden administration might move to restore Bears Ears remains to be seen .
More important than speed , Carter said , is a desire among area tribes to see it done in a way that is lasting and legally defensible .
“ One of the things in particular we are anticipating is that Biden ’ s team is going to understand the nuance and be able to think through solutions that might not be as vulnerable , ” she said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump ’ s monument review process .
Tribes promptly filed a lawsuit challenging Trump ’ s proclamation in December 2017 shrinking the Bears Ears boundary ; the lawsuit was later combined with other legal challenges to the monument rollbacks .
Plaintiffs in the cases argue that Congress , not the president , has the sole legal power to shrink , rescind or weaken protections for monuments designated under the Antiquities Act .
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has yet to rule in the consolidated lawsuit .
While Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than two dozen sites , Bears Ears was the primary target .
Trump called the Obama-era designation an “ egregious abuse of federal power ” ― one that “ should never have happened.
” What Trump and his team never acknowledged , however , is that Bears Ears included a compromise .
Local tribes had petitioned for a 1.9 million-acre monument , much larger than the one designated in 2016 , but President Barack Obama opted not to include uranium-rich areas so that Energy Fuels Resources , a local uranium company , had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fuels joined other industry groups in lobbying Trump to shrink the monument .
Biden ’ s spokesperson did not respond to HuffPost ’ s question about whether the incoming administration is currently eyeing specific sites for new monuments or other protections .
But there is plenty of reason to expect that Biden will implement an aggressive conservation agenda that includes Antiquities Act designations .
Biden has committed to signing an executive order to conserve 30 % of America ’ s lands and waters by 2030 ― a goal in line with the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And the Biden-Harris plan for tribal nations notes that the administration “ will work with tribal governments and Congress to protect sacred sites and public lands and waters with high conservation and cultural values , ” as well as “ provide tribes with a greater role in the care and management of public lands that are of cultural significance to Tribal Nations.
” “ Nature provides our life support system — food , shelter , medicine , clean air and water , ” Udall said .
“ The threats to our natural world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Going forward , we must harness the model of local coalitions coming together to protect our most special and threatened wild places .
And we must use science to guide us in preserving high value places that protect the critical biodiversity we all depend on .
That ’ s the vision that will define the Biden-Harris administration .
”

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President Donald Trump’s legacy on public lands is a four-year war against protected wild places, which has included dismantling Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments.
That legacy will follow him long after he’s out of the White House. But many of the rollbacks are unlikely to survive the incoming Democratic administration.
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President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have vowed to not only restore the Utah monuments, but designate new protected sites to safeguard ecologically important landscapes and combat the global climate crisis.
“As President, Biden will take immediate steps to reverse the Trump administration’s assaults on America’s natural treasures, including by reversing Trump’s attacks on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Bears Ears, and Grand Staircase-Escalante,” reads their comprehensive plan for tribal nations, which the campaign released in October.
The incoming administration’s plan for combating the climate crisis similarly notes that Biden will protect “areas impacted by President Trump’s attack on federal lands and waters,” as well as establish national monuments and parks “that reflect America’s natural heritage.”
Biden campaign spokesman Matt Hill told HuffPost that “everything we’ve put out there in campaign policies/statements still stands, but we don’t have more details beyond that at this time.”
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In late 2017, after a sham review of recent national monument designations, Trump carved more than 2 million acres from the southern Utah sites. The boundary of Bears Ears, a 1.35 million-acre landscape that several tribes consider sacred, was cut by 85%. Nearby 1.87 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante, the largest land national monument in the country and rich in both archeological and paleontological resources, was cut roughly in half.
The administration has also finalized plans to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an area that the Indigenous Gwich’in people of northern Alaska and Canada call “the sacred place where life begins,” to oil drilling; greenlighted commercial fishing within Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, a 4,900-square-mile protected site off the East Coast; and bulldozed and blasted Indigenous cultural and burial sites within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, to make way for Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
President Donald Trump signs the hat of Bruce Adams, chairman of the San Juan County Commission, after signing a proclamation in December 2017 to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in southern Utah. ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Pendulum Swings
Upon taking office, the Trump administration prioritized undoing President Barack Obama’s legacy, everything from monument designations to a slew of climate policies aimed at reining in greenhouse gas emissions. The pro-industry, anti-conservation crusade came amid dual climate and extinction crises, as experts around the globe stressed the importance of preserving still-intact ecosystems that sequester carbon and provide refuge for imperiled species.
Former Vice President Biden, who clinched the 2020 presidential victory on Saturday, has signaled that he plans to swing back with a frenzy of early executive actions. While rejoining the Paris climate accord and repealing Trump’s travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority nations are expected to be Day 1 priorities, rolling back Trump’s monument rollbacks likely won’t be too far behind.
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The Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, made up of the five Native American tribes that petitioned the Obama administration to grant Bears Ears monument status, has already had intermediary discussions with Biden’s team, according to Keala Carter, the coalition’s public lands specialist.
“All indications seem to point to that we should have great faith in the Biden administration to uphold and build on what the Obama administration did,” she told HuffPost by phone. “It’s evident that Bears Ears in particular really hits at the intersection or some sort of crossroads of racial justice, public lands and planning for a changing climate ― I get the sense that it’s going to be really relevant to the sort of change the Biden administration wants to pursue.”
How quickly the Biden administration might move to restore Bears Ears remains to be seen. More important than speed, Carter said, is a desire among area tribes to see it done in a way that is lasting and legally defensible.
“One of the things in particular we are anticipating is that Biden’s team is going to understand the nuance and be able to think through solutions that might not be as vulnerable,” she said.
The coalition argued it was largely cut out of Trump’s monument review process. Tribes promptly filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s proclamation in December 2017 shrinking the Bears Ears boundary; the lawsuit was later combined with other legal challenges to the monument rollbacks. Plaintiffs in the cases argue that Congress, not the president, has the sole legal power to shrink, rescind or weaken protections for monuments designated under the Antiquities Act. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has yet to rule in the consolidated lawsuit.
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Sixteen presidents have used the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate 157 monuments.
Ancient granaries, part of the House on Fire ruins, are shown here in the South Fork of Mule Canyon in the Bears Ears National Monument on May 12, 2017, outside Blanding, Utah. George Frey via Getty Images
While Trump’s monument review initially threatened more than two dozen sites, Bears Ears was the primary target. Trump called the Obama-era designation an “egregious abuse of federal power” ― one that “should never have happened.” What Trump and his team never acknowledged, however, is that Bears Ears included a compromise. Local tribes had petitioned for a 1.9 million-acre monument, much larger than the one designated in 2016, but President Barack Obama opted not to include uranium-rich areas so that Energy Fuels Resources, a local uranium company, had room to expand. Still, Energy Fuels joined other industry groups in lobbying Trump to shrink the monument.
’A Direct Affront’ To Tribes
Biden’s spokesperson did not respond to HuffPost’s question about whether the incoming administration is currently eyeing specific sites for new monuments or other protections. But there is plenty of reason to expect that Biden will implement an aggressive conservation agenda that includes Antiquities Act designations.
Biden has committed to signing an executive order to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030 ― a goal in line with the United Nations’ plan for protecting biodiversity. And the Biden-Harris plan for tribal nations notes that the administration “will work with tribal governments and Congress to protect sacred sites and public lands and waters with high conservation and cultural values,” as well as “provide tribes with a greater role in the care and management of public lands that are of cultural significance to Tribal Nations.”
Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.), who is reportedly on the Biden’s shortlist of candidates to lead the Interior Department, told HuffPost in an email Tuesday that Trump’s decision to gut Bears Ears was “illegal” and “a direct affront to the Tribal Nations that built a historic coalition to conserve its cultural landscape.” And he applauded Biden’s commitment to protect America’s natural and cultural heritage.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Bernie Sanders: The Average Republican Senator Knows Trump Has Lost

Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-Vt. ) urged Republican senators on Wednesday to stand up to Donald Trump as many of them stay silent and even defend the president as he attacks democracy and refuses to concede he lost the election .
CNN ’ s Wolf Blitzer asked the senator from Vermont and former Democratic presidential candidate for his reaction to Trump ’ s actions in the wake of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden .
“ And what you do in America , historically , is you say , ‘ I fought as hard as I could and I want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congratulate the winner , and let ’ s go forward with the transition .
We all love our country and we want the best for America.
’ ” “ What he is doing right now is delegitimizing our electoral process and American democracy.
” Trump has cried foul about the results of the election without any actual evidence of fraud .
He is launching legal challenges in several states to contest the results , and his administration is holding up the official transition process for his successor .
Despite projections from major news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost by large margins in several key battleground states , as well as acknowledgments from world leaders that Biden is president-elect , Republican lawmakers have largely been reticent to acknowledge Biden ’ s victory and have maintained that Trump has a right to contest the results .
“ They are afraid to stand up to him .
So you got a party , not of individuals , but almost a cult-type party where members of the Senate who know better , not just on this issue , on many other issues , come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ Yeah , Trump is a little bit crazy , but— ’ you know ?
’ ” he said .
“ I would hope they get the courage to stand up as individuals and represent their constituencies and not live in fear of Donald Trump .
It ’ s not a good thing.
” Sen. Chris Coons ( D-Del . )
made similar comments on Tuesday .
He said some of his Republican colleagues were privately asking him to congratulate Biden because they couldn ’ t yet do so publicly .

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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) urged Republican senators on Wednesday to stand up to Donald Trump as many of them stay silent and even defend the president as he attacks democracy and refuses to concede he lost the election.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked the senator from Vermont and former Democratic presidential candidate for his reaction to Trump’s actions in the wake of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
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“It is an outrage,” Sanders said. “Look. People lose close elections. Hillary Clinton lost a close election. Other people have lost close elections.”
“And what you do in America, historically, is you say, ‘I fought as hard as I could and I want to thank my supporters, and I congratulate the winner, and let’s go forward with the transition. We all love our country and we want the best for America.’”
“What he is doing right now is delegitimizing our electoral process and American democracy.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders: "The average Republican senator is not an idiot -- they understand that Trump has lost." https://t.co/TCCara7KTk pic.twitter.com/xcviyRfSB6 — The Hill (@thehill) November 11, 2020
Trump has cried foul about the results of the election without any actual evidence of fraud. He is launching legal challenges in several states to contest the results, and his administration is holding up the official transition process for his successor.
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Despite projections from major news networks and The Associated Press indicating Trump lost by large margins in several key battleground states, as well as acknowledgments from world leaders that Biden is president-elect, Republican lawmakers have largely been reticent to acknowledge Biden’s victory and have maintained that Trump has a right to contest the results.
“The average Republican senator is not an idiot. They understand that Trump has lost,” Sanders said.
He raised deep concerns about the degree to which Trump intimidates Republican members of Congress.
“They are afraid to stand up to him. So you got a party, not of individuals, but almost a cult-type party where members of the Senate who know better, not just on this issue, on many other issues, come up to you privately and say, ‘Yeah, Trump is a little bit crazy, but—’ you know?’” he said.
“I would hope they get the courage to stand up as individuals and represent their constituencies and not live in fear of Donald Trump. It’s not a good thing.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Central Florida To Build Aviation Facility For Jetsons-Like 'Flying Cars'

ORLANDO , Fla. ( AP ) — The nation ’ s first regional hub for “ flying cars ” is being built in central Florida and once completed in five years , the vehicles will be able to take passengers from Orlando to Tampa in a half hour , officials said Wednesday .
The Tavistock Development Corp. said it was constructing a Jetsons-like aviation facility in Orlando ’ s Lake Nona area , the mixed-use planned community it built .
Lake Nona already is home to several medical and research facilities .
The aircraft will be supplied by Lilium , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry ’ s only five-passenger “ electric vertical takeoff and landing ” aircraft .
At the moment , the Lilium Jets can travel up to 185 miles ( nearly 300 kilometers ) on a one-hour charge .
Passengers wanting a ride on the aircraft will be able to book reservations via their phones in a way similar to ride-share companies Uber and Lyft , officials said .
The vehicles flying and landing out of the Lake Nona Vertiport will accommodate four passengers and a pilot .
The cost will be similar to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely go down as the service becomes more popular , officials said .
Unlike airplanes and helicopters , the vehicles offer quick point-to-point personal travel , at least in principle .
They could do away with the hassle of airports and traffic jams .
Battery sizes , air traffic control and other infrastructure issues are among the many potential challenges to commercializing them , according to experts .
Experts compare the buzz over flying cars to the days when the aviation industry got started with the Wright brothers and the auto industry with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vertiport has applied for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation .

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The nation’s first regional hub for “flying cars” is being built in central Florida and once completed in five years, the vehicles will be able to take passengers from Orlando to Tampa in a half hour, officials said Wednesday.
The Tavistock Development Corp. said it was constructing a Jetsons-like aviation facility in Orlando’s Lake Nona area, the mixed-use planned community it built. Lake Nona already is home to several medical and research facilities.
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The aircraft will be supplied by Lilium, a Germany-based aviation company that manufacturers the industry’s only five-passenger “electric vertical takeoff and landing” aircraft. At the moment, the Lilium Jets can travel up to 185 miles (nearly 300 kilometers) on a one-hour charge.
Passengers wanting a ride on the aircraft will be able to book reservations via their phones in a way similar to ride-share companies Uber and Lyft, officials said.
The vehicles flying and landing out of the Lake Nona Vertiport will accommodate four passengers and a pilot. The cost will be similar to a first-class fare, though the price will likely go down as the service becomes more popular, officials said.
Unlike airplanes and helicopters, the vehicles offer quick point-to-point personal travel, at least in principle. They could do away with the hassle of airports and traffic jams.
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Battery sizes, air traffic control and other infrastructure issues are among the many potential challenges to commercializing them, according to experts. Experts compare the buzz over flying cars to the days when the aviation industry got started with the Wright brothers and the auto industry with the Ford Model T.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--As The Climate Warms, Hurricanes Are Lasting Longer Over Land, Study Finds

The October 2012 storm was unlike anything the physicist , who moved there to research fluid mechanics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology , had ever seen .
Winds bent palm trees into horizontal bows .
The eye of the storm offered eerie , momentary reprieve ― even some sun .
Then came another wall of wind and torrential trains to batter and soak the 463-square-mile sliver of land in the East China Sea between southern Japan and Taiwan .
“ Where I live , the width of the island is about five miles , so it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Zoom call last week .
“ I would track what is going on with the evolution of hurricanes and slowly get more and more interested in trying to understand a bit more of the physics.
” He understood storms like these were expected to grow more destructive as the climate changes , but he wanted to know why and how .
What he found was sobering evidence that warming is making the intensity of storms last longer over land .
His analysis of more than a half-century of data showed that 50 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaken 75 % within a day of landfall .
Today , storms weaken only 50 % over that same time period .
The peer-reviewed findings , published Wednesday in the journal Nature , indicate that the intense storms like those that have wreaked havoc across the U.S. Gulf Coast are a sign of things to come .
The research also offers a damning rebuttal of the Trump administration ’ s oft-stated belief that hurricanes today are virtually unchanged from a century ago .
“ It means the havoc will not be constrained to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inland , which of course then catches people unprepared for such big storms , ” Chakraborty said .
Take , for example , Hurricane Michael .
In 2018 , the Category 5 storm swept slowly through the Southeast and destroyed the fields of “ hardworking Georgia farmers , causing billions in economic damages , ” said J. Marshall Shepherd , an atmospheric scientist at the University of Georgia .
Chakraborty and his co-author , Lin Li , used publicly available data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to pick out every storm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimum wind speed and lasted long enough on land to generate at least four inland data points .
They then charted the decay in the storm ’ s intensity during the 24-hour period after it first made landfall .
If you have higher sea surface temperatures , you have more moisture in the hurricane , and the more the moisture , the slower the decay because moisture is fueling a slower decay .
But computer simulators Chakraborty later ran showed the key factor wasn ’ t surface temperature alone .
It was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the simulated hurricanes , the models showed no difference between hurricanes that formed over warmer or cooler water .
But in real life , warmer surface temperatures lead to increased moisture .
“ That makes it very clear , ” Chakraborty said .
“ If you have higher sea surface temperatures , you have more moisture in the hurricane , and the more the moisture , the slower the decay because moisture is fueling a slower decay.
” “ I also found the modeling component of their study convincing to help drive home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Klotzbach , an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University who was not involved in the study .
“ It ’ s always good to see more work being done on inland decay , as that area has tended to be a less-studied area compared with intensification.
” Though the study limited its scope to North Atlantic hurricanes due to the availability of data for that region specifically , the computer models offer applicable findings to cyclones in any part of the world .
“ You can very , very cleanly see that if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you are going to have a slower decay , ” Chakraborty said .
“ Is it going to be valid for any part of the world where the sea surface temperature is getting hotter ?
The answer is yes .
”

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One week after Pinaki Chakraborty moved to Okinawa, Japan, from the American Midwest, a giant typhoon formed over the Pacific and barreled right into the small island.
The October 2012 storm was unlike anything the physicist, who moved there to research fluid mechanics at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, had ever seen. Winds bent palm trees into horizontal bows. The eye of the storm offered eerie, momentary reprieve ― even some sun. Then came another wall of wind and torrential trains to batter and soak the 463-square-mile sliver of land in the East China Sea between southern Japan and Taiwan.
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“Where I live, the width of the island is about five miles, so it’s tiny,” Chakraborty said over a Zoom call last week. “I would track what is going on with the evolution of hurricanes and slowly get more and more interested in trying to understand a bit more of the physics.”
He understood storms like these were expected to grow more destructive as the climate changes, but he wanted to know why and how. What he found was sobering evidence that warming is making the intensity of storms last longer over land. His analysis of more than a half-century of data showed that 50 years ago, hurricanes were likely to weaken 75% within a day of landfall. Today, storms weaken only 50% over that same time period.
Joseph Howat clears a fence damaged by Hurricane Michael at his business in Panama City Beach, Florida. Jonathan Bachman / Reuters
The peer-reviewed findings, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, indicate that the intense storms like those that have wreaked havoc across the U.S. Gulf Coast are a sign of things to come. The research also offers a damning rebuttal of the Trump administration’s oft-stated belief that hurricanes today are virtually unchanged from a century ago.
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“It means the havoc will not be constrained to the coastal areas but will creep further inland, which of course then catches people unprepared for such big storms,” Chakraborty said.
Take, for example, Hurricane Michael. In 2018, the Category 5 storm swept slowly through the Southeast and destroyed the fields of “hardworking Georgia farmers, causing billions in economic damages,” said J. Marshall Shepherd, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Georgia.
“This study underscores something that we experienced recently in Georgia,” said Shepherd, who was not involved in the Nature study.
Chakraborty and his co-author, Lin Li, used publicly available data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to pick out every storm from 1967 to 2018 that reached a minimum wind speed and lasted long enough on land to generate at least four inland data points. They then charted the decay in the storm’s intensity during the 24-hour period after it first made landfall.
A clear trend emerged. When the sea surface temperature was higher, it took longer for storms to lose intensity over land.
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“If you have higher sea surface temperatures, you have more moisture in the hurricane, and the more the moisture, the slower the decay because moisture is fueling a slower decay.” - Pinaki Chakraborty, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology
But computer simulators Chakraborty later ran showed the key factor wasn’t surface temperature alone. It was the moisture. By artificially removing moisture from the simulated hurricanes, the models showed no difference between hurricanes that formed over warmer or cooler water. But in real life, warmer surface temperatures lead to increased moisture.
“That makes it very clear,” Chakraborty said. “If you have higher sea surface temperatures, you have more moisture in the hurricane, and the more the moisture, the slower the decay because moisture is fueling a slower decay.”
Other researchers agreed.
“I also found the modeling component of their study convincing to help drive home their physical argument,” said Phil Klotzbach, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University who was not involved in the study. “It’s always good to see more work being done on inland decay, as that area has tended to be a less-studied area compared with intensification.”
Though the study limited its scope to North Atlantic hurricanes due to the availability of data for that region specifically, the computer models offer applicable findings to cyclones in any part of the world.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Dr. Anthony Fauci Responds To Steve Bannon Calling For His Beheading

Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious disease expert and a member of President Donald Trump ’ s coronavirus task force , was discussing the stresses of his job during an interview on Australian television .
“ It ’ s obviously been very stressful .
I mean , to deny that would be to deny reality , ” Fauci said .
“ When you have public figures like Bannon calling for your beheading , that ’ s really kind of unusual , I think .
“ That ’ s not the kind of thing you think about when you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a physician.
” Bannon said on his podcast “ War Room : Pandemic ” last week that he would like to put the heads of Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray “ on pikes ” outside the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats .
“ You either get with the program or you ’ re gone ― time to stop playing games , ” said Bannon , a former top aide to Trump who is out on bail after he allegedly misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content was removed from multiple social media platforms for violating policies about inciting violence , and prompted his account ’ s permanent suspension on Twitter .
“ People calling for you to be beheaded , fired , thrown in the fire pit or whatever , that 's just noise .
You do n't pay attention to that.
” - Dr Anthony Fauci tells @ leighsales that battling the pandemic with @ realDonaldTrump as president has been “ very stressful ” .
# abc730 pic.twitter.com/MTxJzGtsSK — abc730 ( @ abc730 ) November 11 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noise and “ nut junk ” by staying laser-focused on his goal , as a scientist and physician , which is to help develop vaccines for COVID-19 .
“ I think we ’ ve been quite successful in that .
Now , the next challenge is to develop good therapeutics and the other challenge is to get public health measures to be listened to be the American public , ” he said .
“ You know , people calling for you to be beheaded , fired , thrown into the fire pit , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noise ” he added .
“ You don ’ t pay attention to that.
” Fauci has followed an evidence-based approach to mitigating the spread of the virus and urged the public to follow strict measures to quell the outbreak .
However , amid the politicization of the virus and following public attacks from Trump , he has become the target of violent threats .
He has been provided extra government security as a result .

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Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday acknowledged former White House strategist Steve Bannon’s horrifying remarks about beheading him, calling the situation “really kind of unusual.”
Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a member of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force, was discussing the stresses of his job during an interview on Australian television.
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“It’s obviously been very stressful. I mean, to deny that would be to deny reality,” Fauci said. “When you have public figures like Bannon calling for your beheading, that’s really kind of unusual, I think.
“That’s not the kind of thing you think about when you’re going through medical school to become a physician.”
Bannon said on his podcast “War Room: Pandemic” last week that he would like to put the heads of Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray “on pikes” outside the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats.
“You either get with the program or you’re gone ― time to stop playing games,” said Bannon, a former top aide to Trump who is out on bail after he allegedly misused hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations on personal expenses.
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His podcast’s content was removed from multiple social media platforms for violating policies about inciting violence, and prompted his account’s permanent suspension on Twitter.
“People calling for you to be beheaded, fired, thrown in the fire pit or whatever, that's just noise. You don't pay attention to that.” - Dr Anthony Fauci tells @leighsales that battling the pandemic with @realDonaldTrump as president has been “very stressful”. #abc730 pic.twitter.com/MTxJzGtsSK — abc730 (@abc730) November 11, 2020
Fauci said he pushes through the noise and “nut junk” by staying laser-focused on his goal, as a scientist and physician, which is to help develop vaccines for COVID-19.
“I think we’ve been quite successful in that. Now, the next challenge is to develop good therapeutics and the other challenge is to get public health measures to be listened to by the American public,” he said.
“You know, people calling for you to be beheaded, fired, thrown into the fire pit, or whatever, that’s just noise” he added. “You don’t pay attention to that.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--UPS Tweaks Strict Appearance Guidelines, Lifts Ban On Beards And Natural Black Hairstyles

UPS has lifted its restrictions regarding facial hair and natural Black hairstyles such as Afros and braids , according to internal memos that have been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal .
The revised rules allow beads and mustaches , which are “ definitely acceptable as long as they are worn in a businesslike manner and don ’ t create a safety concern.
” Various hairstyles including “ afros , braids , curls , coils , locs , twists and knots ” are also permitted , and there are no specific gender guidelines — only a statement that employees “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general public may be unaware that UPS , or United Parcel Service , has such restrictions , but in actuality , the company ’ s personal appearance guidelines — which are typically applied to workers who may potentially interact with customers rather than warehouse personnel or truck loaders — are both substantial and stringent .
Previously , beards were restricted , while male haircuts were not permitted to go longer than the collar .
Medical and religious exemptions were possible , and currently , the UPS website states that “ individuals who request @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Personal Appearance Guidelines will be granted a conditional approval.
” According to The Wall Street Journal ’ s report , these exceptions were sometimes called “ shaver waivers.
” Nevertheless , UPS ran into legal trouble with these guidelines , and the company paid $ 4.9 million in 2018 on the grounds of religious discrimination after several employees — including those of Muslim faith — argued that they were expected to shave in order to advance within the company .
UPS ’ s new rules do not include substantial changes to the company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are expected to be covered up , as well as piercings , which must be small and unobtrusive .
“ The new appearance guidelines recognize the beauty in the diversity of all UPSers , ” said UPS chief human resources officer Charlene Thomas in the memos .
“ We know that UPSers will always be respectful of our culture , our customers and our co-workers when deciding how they show up and act on the job.
” The changes came about thanks to UPS ’ s first female CEO , Carol Tomé , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June .
According to the internal documents , Tomé “ listened to feedback from employees and heard that changes in this area would make them more likely to recommend UPS as an employer .
”

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UPS has lifted its restrictions regarding facial hair and natural Black hairstyles such as Afros and braids, according to internal memos that have been reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The revised rules allow beards and mustaches, which are “definitely acceptable as long as they are worn in a businesslike manner and don’t create a safety concern.” Various hairstyles including “afros, braids, curls, coils, locs, twists and knots” are also permitted, and there are no specific gender guidelines — only a statement that employees “dress appropriately for your workday.”
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The general public may be unaware that UPS, or United Parcel Service, has such restrictions, but in actuality, the company’s personal appearance guidelines — which are typically applied to workers who may potentially interact with customers rather than warehouse personnel or truck loaders — are both substantial and stringent.
Previously, beards were restricted, while male haircuts were not permitted to go longer than the collar. Medical and religious exemptions were possible, and currently, the UPS website states that “individuals who request religious accommodations to the UPS Uniform and Personal Appearance Guidelines will be granted a conditional approval.” According to The Wall Street Journal’s report, these exceptions were sometimes called “shaver waivers.”
Nevertheless, UPS ran into legal trouble with these guidelines, and the company paid $4.9 million in 2018 on the grounds of religious discrimination after several employees — including those of Muslim faith — argued that they were expected to shave in order to advance within the company.
UPS’s new rules do not include substantial changes to the company’s policy on tattoos, which are expected to be covered up, as well as piercings, which must be small and unobtrusive.
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“The new appearance guidelines recognize the beauty in the diversity of all UPSers,” said UPS chief human resources officer Charlene Thomas in the memos. “We know that UPSers will always be respectful of our culture, our customers and our co-workers when deciding how they show up and act on the job.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Jeffrey Toobin Fired From The New Yorker For Exposing Himself On Zoom Call

“ I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me .
I thought I had muted the Zoom @ @ @ @ @ said .
Following the incident , The New Yorker suspended Toobin pending an investigation .
@ @ @ @ @ his position as CNN ’ s chief legal analyst .
HuffPost reached out to the @ @ @ @ @ The New Yorker ’ s decision , but no one immediately responded .
CORRECTION : @ @ @ @ @ on Oct. 15 , not Oct. 19 , according to a New Yorker spokesperson .

“I thought no one on the Zoom call could see me. I thought I had muted the Zoom video,” the writer said.
Following the incident, The New Yorker suspended Toobin pending an investigation.
Toobin also stepped away from his position as CNN’s chief legal analyst.
HuffPost reached out to the cable network for comment after The New Yorker’s decision, but no one immediately responded.
CORRECTION: The Zoom call incident occurred on Oct. 15, not Oct. 19, according to a New Yorker spokesperson.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--Why You May Need A Wrist Brace For Working From Home

The year 2020 will be remembered for many things , including the way it turned many of our homes into makeshift offices , cobbled together with items from around the house .
Whether doomscrolling or doing actual work , we ’ re spending a lot of time at our kitchen tables or slouched on the couch in front of our screens .
And our bodies are paying for it .
The contortion required to refresh Twitter for the 400th time ( just us ? )
has health implications , especially on our hands and wrists .
“ Carpal Tunnel Syndrome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compressed inside a tunnel in your wrist , ” Dr. Daniel Polatsch , president of the New York Society for Surgery of the Hand , told HuffPost .
“ The narrow passageway is made up of bones and a ligament .
The nerve gives us sensation to our thumb , index , long and half our ring finger .
Symptoms are typically numbness , tingling or burning in some or all of these fingers , often worse at night.
” Though most cases are mild and can improve using different tactics , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permanent loss of sensation and weakness .
“ There may be an uptick in carpal tunnel due to COVID , as people are working from home on small laptops and in poor ergonomic environments , ” Dr. Charles Kim , physiatrist and pain medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health , told HuffPost over email .
“ Typing on a small laptop is not good for the wrist , ” he said .
Polatsch has noticed an increase in complaints from his patients , as well .
“ To prevent carpal tunnel , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flexion or extension , ” Kim said .
“ A neutral wrist position is best.
” A brace is a great aid for maintaining that neutral position .
Braces aren ’ t the only level of defense , Polatsch said .
It ’ s just as important to evaluate your work environment and routine .
“ Taking frequent breaks from work or activity that worsen symptoms can often help , ” he said .
“ If symptoms are significant enough , a carpal tunnel steroid injection can easily be performed in the office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kim also suggests that your desk accessories can help : “ Use a mouse with a neutral wrist , trackball or trackpad , ” he said .
“ Also consider getting an external keyboard , using a wrist rest bar or a mouse wrist rest pad.
” Neither Kim or Polatsch have a preference for a specific brand of brace , but both agree you should look for a brace that helps you achieve a neutral wrist .
“ It should not be overextended or flexed , or it can exacerbate the symptoms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the best-reviewed carpal tunnel equipment we found from around the web below .

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The year 2020 will be remembered for many things, including the way it turned many of our homes into makeshift offices, cobbled together with items from around the house. Whether doomscrolling or doing actual work, we’re spending a lot of time at our kitchen tables or slouched on the couch in front of our screens. And our bodies are paying for it.
The contortion required to refresh Twitter for the 400th time (just us?) has health implications, especially on our hands and wrists.
Advertisement
“Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the median nerve is being compressed inside a tunnel in your wrist,” Dr. Daniel Polatsch, president of the New York Society for Surgery of the Hand, told HuffPost. “The narrow passageway is made up of bones and a ligament. The nerve gives us sensation to our thumb, index, long and half our ring finger. Symptoms are typically numbness, tingling or burning in some or all of these fingers, often worse at night.” Though most cases are mild and can improve using different tactics, it can, without treatment, lead to permanent loss of sensation and weakness.
The added stressors on our hands may be due to our working environments at home.
“There may be an uptick in carpal tunnel due to COVID, as people are working from home on small laptops and in poor ergonomic environments,” Dr. Charles Kim, physiatrist and pain medicine specialist at NYU Langone Health, told HuffPost over email. “Typing on a small laptop is not good for the wrist,” he said. Polatsch has noticed an increase in complaints from his patients, as well.
“To prevent carpal tunnel, people should avoid typing with your wrist in flexion or extension,” Kim said. “A neutral wrist position is best.” A brace is a great aid for maintaining that neutral position.
Braces aren’t the only level of defense, Polatsch said. It’s just as important to evaluate your work environment and routine. “Taking frequent breaks from work or activity that worsen symptoms can often help,” he said. “If symptoms are significant enough, a carpal tunnel steroid injection can easily be performed in the office, which often quickly eliminates symptoms.”
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Kim also suggests that your desk accessories can help: “Use a mouse with a neutral wrist, trackball or trackpad,” he said. “Also consider getting an external keyboard, using a wrist rest bar or a mouse wrist rest pad.”
Neither Kim or Polatsch have a preference for a specific brand of brace, but both agree you should look for a brace that helps you achieve a neutral wrist. “It should not be overextended or flexed, or it can exacerbate the symptoms,” Polatsch said.
“Implementing these changes can help improve carpal tunnel symptoms,” Kim said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--Matt Gaetz's 'Creepy' Tweet To Tiffany Trump Leaves Twitter Users Feeling Gross

Below is a tweet from a sitting member of Congress .
And here is a message for women everywhere : @ @ @ @ @ man , and you should run for Congress .
pic.twitter.com/V3aAaHw3ch

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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-11--Trump's Silent Public Outing Belies White House In Tumult

All the while , his aides grow more certain that legal challenges won ’ t change the outcome of the election , according to seven campaign and White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the thinking of the president and others in the executive mansion .
Before setting off for the solemn commemoration at Arlington , Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to slam “ fake pollsters ” and grouse that a Republican city commissioner who defended the vote tabulation in Philadelphia wasn ’ t a true Republican .
He also sought to draw attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegations of voter fraud on Tuesday before reasserting his allegations on Wednesday .
However , few senior staffers have been around the president in recent days , with many either in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 or in insolation after a confirmed exposure or simply not wanting to be near the Oval Office , according to White House staffers and campaign officials .
Staff working from the White House thinned out after chief of staff Mark Meadows confirmed last week that he had tested positive for the virus .
Some staffers still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ litigation and recounts .
But there is a growing recognition among most that the election is lost and the building will be vacated by Jan. 20 .
Trump ’ s moods have vacillated over recent days .
At times , he has seethed with anger , fuming that he lost to a candidate he doesn ’ t respect and believing that the media –- including what he views as typically friendly Fox News ― worked against him .
In addition to misdoings with mail-in ballots .
But aides say he has been calmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding of his predicament and believing that he needs to keep fighting almost as performance , as a show to the 70 million people who voted for him that he is still battling .
In recent days , some aides , including his daughter Ivanka , have started to talk to him about an endgame , questioning how much longer he wants to fight .
Though he has been in the Oval Office late two nights this week , the president has done little in the way of governing and has instead been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ friendly governors — in red states like Arizona , Texas and Florida — and influential confidants in the conservative media , like Sean Hannity .
But he has not been as responsive to Republican lawmakers as before the election .
Always an obsessive cable news viewer , he has been watching even more TV than usual in recent weeks , often from his private dining room just off the Oval Office .
Trump ’ s approach to two crucial Senate run-off elections in Georgia remains an open question : He has not yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and aides have started to worry that the extended legal battle could sap support for the GOP candidates .
Trump has also begun talking about his own future upon leaving office .
He has mused about declaring he will run again in 2024 , and aides believe that he will at least openly flirt with the idea to enhance his relevance and raise interest in whatever money-making efforts he pursues .
While he ponders his options , his involvement in the day-to-day governing of the nation has nearly stopped : According to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence briefing in weeks , and the White House has done little of late to manage the pandemic that has surged to record highs in many states .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump spent 10 minutes in public Wednesday honoring America’s war veterans — a veneer of normalcy for a White House that’s frozen by a defeated president mulling his options, mostly forgoing the mechanics of governing and blocking his inevitable successor.
Trump’s appearance at the annual Veterans Day commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery was his first public outing for official business in more than a week. He’s spent the past few days in private tweeting angry, unsupported claims of voter fraud.
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Scroll down or click here for HuffPost’s election live blog.
The president has made no comments in person since Democrat Joe Biden clinched the 270 electoral votes on Saturday needed to win the presidency.
All the while, his aides grow more certain that legal challenges won’t change the outcome of the election, according to seven campaign and White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the thinking of the president and others in the executive mansion.
Before setting off for the solemn commemoration at Arlington, Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to slam “fake pollsters” and grouse that a Republican city commissioner who defended the vote tabulation in Philadelphia wasn’t a true Republican. He also sought to draw attention to a Pennsylvania poll worker who recanted allegations of voter fraud on Tuesday before reasserting his allegations on Wednesday.
Trump later posted a debunked video that had purported to show poll workers collecting ballots too late.
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“You are looking at BALLOTS! Is this what our Country has come to?” Trump fumed.
Although his official schedule has been bare of public events, Trump has made several personnel moves — firing Defense Secretary Mark Esper and installing three staunch loyalists in top defense jobs. His pick as acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller, was among the Pentagon brass that joined him at Arlington.
Some supporters pushed back against the notion that Trump is shirking his presidential duties.
“The president is out there as much as he’s ever been on Twitter, and the White House team are moving ahead with budget and staffing priorities,” said Dan Eberhart, a prominent Republican donor and Trump backer.
He added, “The president is understandably focused on the ballot counting, but at some point soon he needs to turn his attention back to the lame duck session and putting a capstone on his first four years.”
However, few senior staffers have been around the president in recent days, with many either in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 or in insolation after a confirmed exposure or simply not wanting to be near the Oval Office, according to White House staffers and campaign officials. Staff working from the White House thinned out after chief of staff Mark Meadows confirmed last week that he had tested positive for the virus.
Some staffers still believe the election outcome can change with litigation and recounts. But there is a growing recognition among most that the election is lost and the building will be vacated by Jan. 20.
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Trump’s moods have vacillated over recent days. At times, he has seethed with anger, fuming that he lost to a candidate he doesn’t respect and believing that the media –- including what he views as typically friendly Fox News ― worked against him. In addition to misdoings with mail-in ballots.
But aides say he has been calmer than his tweets suggest, showing greater understanding of his predicament and believing that he needs to keep fighting almost as performance, as a show to the 70 million people who voted for him that he is still battling. In recent days, some aides, including his daughter Ivanka, have started to talk to him about an endgame, questioning how much longer he wants to fight.
Outside the White House, one prominent former ally turned Trump critic warned that the president was doing potentially irreparable damage to the Republican Party.
“The real issue is the grievous harm he is causing to public trust in America’s constitutional system,” former Trump national security adviser John Bolton wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Wednesday. “Trump’s time is running out, even as his rhetoric continues escalating.”
But no one in his inner circle — West Wing staff or Cabinet — is forcefully pushing him to stop.
Though he has been in the Oval Office late two nights this week, the president has done little in the way of governing and has instead been working the phones.
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He has called friendly governors — in red states like Arizona, Texas and Florida — and influential confidants in the conservative media, like Sean Hannity. But he has not been as responsive to Republican lawmakers as before the election. Always an obsessive cable news viewer, he has been watching even more TV than usual in recent weeks, often from his private dining room just off the Oval Office.
Trump’s approach to two crucial Senate run-off elections in Georgia remains an open question: He has not yet signaled if he will campaign there, and aides have started to worry that the extended legal battle could sap support for the GOP candidates.
Trump has also begun talking about his own future upon leaving office. He has mused about declaring he will run again in 2024,and aides believe that he will at least openly flirt with the idea to enhance his relevance and raise interest in whatever money-making efforts he pursues.
While he ponders his options, his involvement in the day-to-day governing of the nation has nearly stopped: According to his schedule, he has not attended an intelligence briefing in weeks, and the White House has done little of late to manage the pandemic that has surged to record highs in many states.
The president’s resistance to acknowledging the outcome of the race has stalled the transition process. The head of the General Services Administration, a Trump appointee, has held off on certifying Biden as the winner of the election.
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The certification — known as ascertainment — would free money for the transition and clear the way for Biden’s team to begin placing transition personnel at federal agencies. White House spokesman Judd Deere said he was “not aware” of any communications between the White House and the GSA administrator on ascertainment.
Biden on Tuesday played down the importance of the certification for now and said his team continues to prepare to take reins of the U.S. government. The president-elect also suggested he wasn’t overly concerned that he’s not yet receiving the President’s Daily Briefing — a highly classified intelligence analysis.
Denis McDonough, who served as White House chief of staff during the Obama administration and helped oversee the 2017 transition of power, said that even as Trump has tried to stymie the transition, significant progress still has been made. The Biden transition team has published an ethics plan and the Trump administration earlier established a White House Transition Coordinating Council as required by law.
Read live updates on the election below. (Note: An ad blocker may prevent you from seeing the blog, so if you’re using one, please pause or turn it off.)


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--Ex-Trump Org Exec Warns What Comes Next: ‘If All Else Fails, He’ll Burn Down The House’

Barbara Res , a former top executive in the Trump Organization , on Wednesday warned what to expect next from President Donald Trump as he refuses to concede defeat in the 2020 election .
Res told MSNBC ’ s Ari Melber that Trump would “ do anything ” to overturn the projected win of President-elect Joe Biden .
“ It ’ s a matter of wresting this loss , as it were , from the victory of Biden , and he ’ ll do anything , ” she cautioned .
“ And if all else fails , he will burn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years as the vice president in charge of construction at the Trump Organization .
She noted how her former boss just “ can ’ t deal with losing ” and was likely unable to process the loss .
“ The notion of being a loser is something that he couldn ’ t possibly conceive or believe so I don ’ t think he believes that he ’ s a loser quite yet , ” she explained .
Res also suggested Trump would be “ so angry ” and “ in shock ” because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make sure to guarantee him a win ” didn ’ t work out .
The former Trump executive ’ s comments echoed those of Mary Trump , the president ’ s niece , who over the weekend predicted her uncle would never concede .
“ He ’ s not going to engage in the normal activities that guarantee a peaceful transition .
All he ’ s got now is breaking stuff , and he ’ s going to do that with a vengeance , ” she wrote in an op-ed for The @ @

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Barbara Res, a former top executive in the Trump Organization, on Wednesday warned what to expect next from President Donald Trump as he refuses to concede defeat in the 2020 election.
Res told MSNBC’s Ari Melber that Trump would “do anything” to overturn the projected win of President-elect Joe Biden.
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“It’s a matter of wresting this loss, as it were, from the victory of Biden, and he’ll do anything,” she cautioned. “And if all else fails, he will burn down the house.”
Res worked for years as the vice president in charge of construction at the Trump Organization. She noted how her former boss just “can’t deal with losing” and was likely unable to process the loss.
“The notion of being a loser is something that he couldn’t possibly conceive or believe so I don’t think he believes that he’s a loser quite yet,” she explained.
Res also suggested Trump would be “so angry” and “in shock” because “all the plans he set up to make sure to guarantee him a win” didn’t work out.
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The former Trump executive’s comments echoed those of Mary Trump, the president’s niece, who over the weekend predicted her uncle would never concede.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--Don Lemon Spotlights Election Lies Spread By Donald Trump’s Adult Children

CNN ’ s Don Lemon on Wednesday highlighted the misinformation that has been spread by President Donald Trump ’ s adult children since their father ’ s election defeat .
The “ CNN Tonight ” host noted Donald Trump Jr. has flooded his Twitter feed with “ unhinged and unfounded ” claims about election fraud .
The social media platform has marked many of his posts as “ disputed.
” Eric Trump , meanwhile , was last week busted for sharing a fake video that falsely claimed to show ballots cast for his dad being burned .
Lemon slammed Ivanka @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Associated Press that called Alaska for her father : BREAKING : President Trump and Senate Republicans win Alaska , overwhelmingly and by a massive 20 point spread !
Put AK in the books for @ realDonaldTrump !
Congratulations Senator @ DanSullivan_AK !
Thank you Alaska !
🇺🇸 https : //t.co/pr7Gz0S7q1 — Ivanka Trump ( @ IvankaTrump ) November 11 , 2020 “ Think about this , Ivanka , ” Lemon said .
“ If you believe the Alaska projection enough to cheer about it on Twitter based on a projection by the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as confident in your father ’ s loss and Joe Biden ’ s win , they are projections as well.
” Check out the video here : President Trump 's children have used their social media accounts to spread misinformation about the 2020 election results .
CNN 's @ DonLemon fact checks their Twitter feeds .
https : //t.co/H5bHmT0h9x pic.twitter.com/JyloqRrMEc — CNN Tonight ( @ CNNTonight ) November 12 , 2020

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CNN’s Don Lemon on Wednesday highlighted the misinformation that has been spread by President Donald Trump’s adult children since their father’s election defeat.
The “CNN Tonight” host noted Donald Trump Jr. has flooded his Twitter feed with “unhinged and unfounded” claims about election fraud. The social media platform has marked many of his posts as “disputed.”
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Eric Trump, meanwhile, was last week busted for sharing a fake video that falsely claimed to show ballots cast for his dad being burned.
Lemon slammed Ivanka Trump for sharing this tweet from The Associated Press that called Alaska for her father:
BREAKING: President Trump and Senate Republicans win Alaska, overwhelmingly and by a massive 20 point spread!
Put AK in the books for @realDonaldTrump! Congratulations Senator @DanSullivan_AK!
Thank you Alaska! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/pr7Gz0S7q1 — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) November 11, 2020
“Think about this, Ivanka,” Lemon said. “If you believe the Alaska projection enough to cheer about it on Twitter based on a projection by the media, then maybe you should be just as confident in your father’s loss and Joe Biden’s win, they are projections as well.”
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Check out the video here:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--'Squad' Members Reject Marco Rubio After He Calls For Republicans To Rebrand

Sen. Marco Rubio ( R-Fla. ) is proposing a rebrand of the Republican Party that better connects with “ multiethnic , multiracial , working class ” voters .
The senator ’ s comments , made in an interview with Axios , prompted Intercept reporter Murtaza Hussain to quip that “ Marco Rubio is joining The Squad.
” Two of the members of the so-called “ Squad ” of progressive House Democrats , Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and New York ’ s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , were quick to provide the group ’ s thoughts on that proposal : Rubio , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 Republican presidential primaries and has since been a staunch ally to the president , told Axios that Republicans need to rebrand their party as champions of working-class voters and move away from its traditional embrace of big businesses , which he said those voters are largely against .
His analysis comes in the wake of Trump ’ s projected loss to Democrat Joe Biden .
Rubio said he was not ruling out a 2024 presidential run .
The four members of the “ Squad ” ― Omar , Ocasio-Cortez , Ayanna Pressley @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ― have championed progressive policy proposals , such as “ Medicare for All , ” abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security , increasing the top marginal tax rate and canceling student debt .
All four women won reelection last week .

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Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is proposing a rebrand of the Republican Party that better connects with “multiethnic, multiracial, working class” voters.
The senator’s comments, made in an interview with Axios, prompted Intercept reporter Murtaza Hussain to quip that “Marco Rubio is joining The Squad.”
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Two of the members of the so-called “Squad” of progressive House Democrats, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were quick to provide the group’s thoughts on that proposal:
By unanimous vote 🚫 — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 12, 2020
Rubio, who was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries and has since been a staunch ally to the president, told Axios that Republicans need to rebrand their party as champions of working-class voters and move away from its traditional embrace of big businesses, which he said those voters are largely against.
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His analysis comes in the wake of Trump’s projected loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Rubio said he was not ruling out a 2024 presidential run.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--CNN Supercut Exposes Election Hypocrisy Of Donald Trump’s Biggest Sycophants

The hypocrisy of President Donald Trump ’ s biggest sycophants was on full display in a supercut that CNN ’ s Chris Cuomo aired on Wednesday night .
The montage features footage of prominent Republicans who mocked Democrats as “ crybabies ” following Trump ’ s 2016 election victory over then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton .
In the video , Kayleigh McEnany , who is now the White House press secretary , says “ no one should question ” Trump ’ s win .
Fox News ’ Sean Hannity calls Democrats “ sore losers , ” while former White House counselor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the election result , even though Clinton conceded .
Now that Trump is refusing to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 election and making unfounded allegations of mass voter fraud , Cuomo noted how Republicans ’ positions on elections have conveniently flipped 180 degrees .
“ Shame on them , ” Cuomo said .
“ A wax museum is less cold-blooded than these people are.
” Check out the video here : Meanwhile , The Washington Post this week highlighted Fox News personalities ’ stunning change in tone about election results with this video @

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The hypocrisy of President Donald Trump’s biggest sycophants was on full display in a supercut that CNN’s Chris Cuomo aired on Wednesday night.
The montage features footage of prominent Republicans who mocked Democrats as “crybabies” following Trump’s 2016 election victory over then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
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In the video, Kayleigh McEnany, who is now the White House press secretary, says “no one should question” Trump’s win. Fox News’ Sean Hannity calls Democrats “sore losers,” while former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway criticizes them for not accepting the election result, even though Clinton conceded.
Now that Trump is refusing to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 election and making unfounded allegations of mass voter fraud, Cuomo noted how Republicans’ positions on elections have conveniently flipped 180 degrees.
“Shame on them,” Cuomo said. “A wax museum is less cold-blooded than these people are.”
Check out the video here:
Meanwhile, The Washington Post this week highlighted Fox News personalities’ stunning change in tone about election results with this video:
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--Arizona's GOP Attorney General: Trump Likely Lost State, No Evidence Of Fraud

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich , a Republican , said Wednesday he believed President Donald Trump would likely lose the state and that there were no “ facts ” to back up claims of rampant voter fraud , the latest in a small group of GOP officials to undercut the White House line following Trump ’ s loss to President-elect Joe Biden .
“ Right now , there is less than 50,000 votes to count , and the president would have to get about 65 % of them to win Arizona , so it does appear that Joe Biden will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Business anchor Neil Cavuto on Wednesday .
“ If indeed there was some great conspiracy , it apparently didn ’ t work.
” “ That ’ s the reality , ” he said .
“ There is no evidence , there are no facts that would lead anyone to believe that the election results will change.
” Arizona ’ s Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich to Cavuto : `` There 's less than 50,000 votes to count and the President would have to get about 65 % of them to win Arizona .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will win Arizona '' ... and then he knocks down all the frivolous lawsuits .
pic.twitter.com/ctqPE9q5NC — Tim Hogan ( @ timjhogan ) November 11 , 2020 Votes are still being counted in Arizona , but many news networks have declared Biden the winner in the state .
Brnovich said Wednesday he believed those calls would hold true ( even without a win in Arizona , Biden would still secure the White House with enough electoral votes ) .
The comments add to a small contingent of Republican lawmakers that have openly undercut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Brnovich is the number 2 Republican in Arizona , behind GOP Gov .
Doug Ducey .
Ducey has so far refused to publicly congratulate Biden and has not overtly thrown water on Trump ’ s claims that there were voting irregularities in the state , although he stressed the state ’ s laws had made it “ easy to vote and hard to cheat.
” “ We ’ ve already seen the outcome of races change to a dramatic degree , and some results remain unclear , ” the governor said in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , just like any other candidate , has the right to all available legal challenges and remedies , and we are confident they will be properly adjudicated .
We will respect the election results.
” Trump and his surrogates have spent the days since Democratic nominee Joe Biden was declared the president-elect filing a bevy of lawsuits and claiming , without evidence , that there was widespread voter fraud around the nation that deprived the president of a second term .
Many Republicans in Congress have lined up behind the lie , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s ongoing effort to try and bend the will of the election in his favor .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) said this week that the president was “ 100 % within his rights ” to challenge the election result , while Democrats have said the effort will only further undermine American ’ s faith in the electoral process .
“ The only thing that — how can I say this tactfully ?
— I think it will not help the president ’ s legacy , ” the @ @ @ @ @

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Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, said Wednesday he believed President Donald Trump would likely lose the state and that there were no “facts” to back up claims of rampant voter fraud, the latest in a small group of GOP officials to undercut the White House line following Trump’s loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
“Right now, there is less than 50,000 votes to count, and the president would have to get about 65% of them to win Arizona, so it does appear that Joe Biden will win Arizona,” Brnovich told Fox Business anchor Neil Cavuto on Wednesday. “If indeed there was some great conspiracy, it apparently didn’t work.”
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“That’s the reality,” he said. “There is no evidence, there are no facts that would lead anyone to believe that the election results will change.”
Arizona’s Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich to Cavuto: "There's less than 50,000 votes to count and the President would have to get about 65% of them to win Arizona. So it does appear that Joe Biden will win Arizona"
...and then he knocks down all the frivolous lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/ctqPE9q5NC — Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) November 11, 2020
Votes are still being counted in Arizona, but many news networks have declared Biden the winner in the state. Brnovich said Wednesday he believed those calls would hold true (even without a win in Arizona, Biden would still secure the White House with enough electoral votes).
The comments add to a small contingent of Republican lawmakers that have openly undercut Trump’s claims of voter fraud. Brnovich is the number 2 Republican in Arizona, behind GOP Gov. Doug Ducey.
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Ducey has so far refused to publicly congratulate Biden and has not overtly thrown water on Trump’s claims that there were voting irregularities in the state, although he stressed the state’s laws had made it “easy to vote and hard to cheat.”
“We’ve already seen the outcome of races change to a dramatic degree, and some results remain unclear,” the governor said in a statement this week. “The president, just like any other candidate, has the right to all available legal challenges and remedies, and we are confident they will be properly adjudicated. We will respect the election results.”
Trump and his surrogates have spent the days since Democratic nominee Joe Biden was declared the president-elect filing a bevy of lawsuits and claiming, without evidence, that there was widespread voter fraud around the nation that deprived the president of a second term.
Many Republicans in Congress have lined up behind the lie, refusing to congratulate Biden and kowtowing to Trump’s ongoing effort to try and bend the will of the election in his favor. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said this week that the president was “100% within his rights” to challenge the election result, while Democrats have said the effort will only further undermine American’s faith in the electoral process.
Biden, for his part, has said Trump’s refusal to concede is an “embarrassment.”
“The only thing that — how can I say this tactfully? — I think it will not help the president’s legacy,” the president-elect said this week.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-11-12--Lawrence O’Donnell Decodes Trump’s Silence: ‘Take It For The Gift That It Is’

President Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 election .
But on Wednesday ’ s broadcast of @ @ @ @ @ Last Word , ” host Lawrence O ’ Donnell suggested the president may already have @ @ @ @ @ by his silence since Joe Biden was projected the election winner on Saturday .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ of election fraud , but has not spoken in public since his defeat .
“ @ @ @ @ @ speech , ” said O ’ Donnell .
“ The concession was never going to @ @ @ @ @ continued .
“ Not from Donald Trump .
The silence is the concession speech.
” @ @ @ @ @ to “ take it for the gift that it is.
” “ Five full days @ @ @ @ @ without the sound of that voice , ” he remarked .
Check out the full @ @ @

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President Donald Trump still refuses to acknowledge defeat in the 2020 election.
But on Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The Last Word,” host Lawrence O’Donnell suggested the president may already have done so — as shown by his silence since Joe Biden was projected the election winner on Saturday.
Trump has furiously tweeted baseless allegations of election fraud, but has not spoken in public since his defeat.
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“The silence is the concession speech,” said O’Donnell.
“The concession was never going to be words,” he continued. “Not from Donald Trump. The silence is the concession speech.”
O’Donnell urged people to “take it for the gift that it is.”
“Five full days and nights of your life without the sound of that voice,” he remarked.