thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Key Witness In Kenosha Protest Shootings Describes Chaotic, Heartbreaking Night

Those were video journalist Richie McGinniss ’ last words to Kenosha shooting victim Joseph Rosenbaum last month as the van they were in sped down a ramp to the emergency room at Kenosha Medical Center .
Rosenbaum was declared dead soon afterward with five bullet wounds .
“ I want people to know what happened .
It ’ s almost as if neither side cares ” about the loss of life , he said .
“ They just want to use what happed to defend a political position.
” McGinniss watched Rosenbaum , 36 , fall to the ground after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multiple rounds from a Smith & Wesson AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle during a protest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake .
McGinniss was covering the protest for the right-wing Daily Caller , where he is the chief video director .
The journalist previously interned at Al Jazeera and worked at NBC News .
The teen was also charged with “ recklessly endangering the safety ” of McGinniss , who was so close during the shooting that he had to dodge out of the line of fire , according to the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a local car shop that had been vandalized the previous night with armed men who described themselves as the “ Kenosha Guard ” and vowed to “ protect property ” during the protest .
When McGinniss asked if any of them would agree to be interviewed , Rittenhouse was the only one to volunteer , but asked that his name not be used .
It ’ s illegal in Wisconsin for anyone under the age of 18 to possess a gun unless it ’ s being used for target practice or instruction under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can also possess a firearm for hunting .
The teen soon slowed and began walking on the sidewalk , at some point putting down the extinguisher , according to McGinniss .
Rosenbaum approached him and “ tried to engage ” the teen for an unknown reason , according to the criminal complaint .
As Rosenbaum moved closer to the teen , Rittenhouse suddenly veered off the sidewalk to run into a gas station parking lot .
McGinniss was close behind .
Rosenbaum threw something white at the teen , as captured on video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and turned out to be a plastic bag , prosecutors said in the complaint .
Rosenbaum was unarmed , according to prosecutors .
Several people were milling around the parking lot , and some were moving down the street at the time .
But no one other than Rosenbaum and McGinniss appeared to be pursuing Rittenhouse , according to videos of the scene .
After the sound , Rittenhouse stopped abruptly and turned with his rifle angled toward the ground in a “ ready ” position , McGinniss said .
Rosenbaum was suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two cars , McGinniss said .
They didn ’ t speak to one another , as far as he could tell .
“ Oh my God , are you OK , man ?
Don ’ t move .
I ’ m gon na flip you over ; just don ’ t move , ” he told Rosenbaum , which was captured on video .
He took off his shirt to use in a bid to stop any bleeding .
McGinniss believed the man was already dying .
“ His breathing started out strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I had my hand on his neck and I could feel his pulse weaken .
I knew he was slipping away .
I talked to him , trying to keep him here.
” He helped lay Rosenbaum on a gurney at the hospital — and waited .
As McGinniss stood inside the hospital , Rittenhouse was fleeing his pursuers — and tripped .
He fired at two of them — but missed , according to the criminal complaint .
Anthony Huber , 26 , then tried to take the teen ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the street , and Rittenhouse fatally shot him once in the heart , according to the complaint .

“Hey, man, what’s your name? Tell me your name. Hang in there, man. We’re gonna have a beer together after this is all over.”
Those were video journalist Richie McGinniss’ last words to Kenosha shooting victim Joseph Rosenbaum last month as the van they were in sped down a ramp to the emergency room at Kenosha Medical Center. Rosenbaum was declared dead soon afterward with five bullet wounds.
“He basically died in my arms,” McGinniss said.
The journalist spoke with HuffPost about what he experienced the night of Aug. 25 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, which left two people dead and one injured. McGinniss witnessed firsthand the chaos and the tragedy of the scene.
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“It’s been a wake-up call,” McGinniss told HuffPost.
“I want people to know what happened. It’s almost as if neither side cares” about the loss of life, he said. “They just want to use what happed to defend a political position.”
McGinniss watched Rosenbaum, 36, fall to the ground after Kyle Rittenhouse, 17 shot him with multiple rounds from a Smith & Wesson AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle during a protest sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake. McGinniss was covering the protest for the right-wing Daily Caller, where he is the chief video director. The journalist previously interned at Al Jazeera and worked at NBC News.
McGinniss’ eyewitness account comprises a significant portion of the criminal complaint that was filed two days after the shootings in Kenosha Circuit Court against Rittenhouse. The complaint is the only official account to date of what happened.
Rittenhouse, whose home is across the border in Illinois, has been charged with six counts, including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree attempted homicide and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon.
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The teen was also charged with “recklessly endangering the safety” of McGinniss, who was so close during the shooting that he had to dodge out of the line of fire, according to the criminal complaint.
The following video from ABC News, which describes the sequence of events in Kenosha on Aug. 25, is graphic:
In a startling coincidence, McGinniss interviewed Rittenhouse about 15 minutes before the shooting.
The teen was standing outside a local car shop that had been vandalized the previous night with armed men who described themselves as the “Kenosha Guard” and vowed to “protect property” during the protest. When McGinniss asked if any of them would agree to be interviewed, Rittenhouse was the only one to volunteer, but asked that his name not be used. It’s illegal in Wisconsin for anyone under the age of 18 to possess a gun unless it’s being used for target practice or instruction under the supervision of an adult. Minors can also possess a firearm for hunting.
I interviewed the alleged shooter before the violence started.
Full video coming soon: pic.twitter.com/G3dVOJozN7 — Richie🎥McG🍿 (@RichieMcGinniss) August 26, 2020
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Soon afterward, McGinniss said he spotted Rittenhouse running along a downtown street, with a fire extinguisher in his left hand and a rifle slung over his right shoulder.
The teen soon slowed and began walking on the sidewalk, at some point putting down the extinguisher, according to McGinniss. Rosenbaum approached him and “tried to engage” the teen for an unknown reason, according to the criminal complaint.
As Rosenbaum moved closer to the teen, Rittenhouse suddenly veered off the sidewalk to run into a gas station parking lot. McGinniss was close behind. Rosenbaum threw something white at the teen, as captured on video. The object did not hit Rittenhouse and turned out to be a plastic bag, prosecutors said in the complaint. Rosenbaum was unarmed, according to prosecutors.
Several people were milling around the parking lot, and some were moving down the street at the time. But no one other than Rosenbaum and McGinniss appeared to be pursuing Rittenhouse, according to videos of the scene.
As the three entered the parking lot, McGinniss heard a “pop” from somewhere in the area that was captured on videos. He didn’t know if it was a gun, fireworks or a flash-bang grenade.
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After the sound, Rittenhouse stopped abruptly and turned with his rifle angled toward the ground in a “ready” position, McGinniss said. Rosenbaum was suddenly “right next” to Rittenhouse between two cars, McGinniss said. They didn’t speak to one another, as far as he could tell.
At one point, Rosenbaum “made a motion that he was trying to grab the barrel of the gun,” McGinniss told prosecutors, according to the complaint.
McGuinness believes the “defendant fired 3 rounds in rapid succession,” according to the complaint. Then, the journalist saw Rosenbaum collapse. Other shots rang out afterward nearby, according to McGinniss and video from the scene.
The medical examiner would later find five bullet wounds: to Rosenbaum’s groin, back, and his left thigh, as well as a grazing wound to his left forehead and a superficial wound to his left hand.
McGinniss, who was behind Rosenbaum during the shooting, said he jumped out of the way as Rittenhouse fired and Rosenbaum collapsed.
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The journalist was stunned.
“Oh my God, are you OK, man? Don’t move. I’m gonna flip you over; just don’t move,” he told Rosenbaum, which was captured on video. He took off his shirt to use in a bid to stop any bleeding. McGinniss believed the man was already dying.
Rosenbaum, who was also bare-chested, tried to lift his head, but the “light” was going from his eyes, the journalist recalled. “It stopped being a news event and turned into shit,” McGinniss told HuffPost. “My role as a journalist completely ceased. I shouted to a pair of legs behind me, ‘Call 911!’” Those legs belonged to Rittenhouse, who had moved around the car where he fired and now stood behind McGinniss, with his rifle still slung on his shoulder. He can be seen on video making a phone call — he told a friend he had just “killed somebody,” according to prosecutors — then running off. A growing group of bystanders gave chase after people shared news of what had happened. Some shouted, “Hey, he shot him!” and “Get that dude!” according to videos of the scene cited in the criminal complaint. Others, meanwhile, helped McGinniss lift Rosenbaum into a van to get him to the hospital in an increasingly chaotic scene. McGinniss clutched Rosenbaum as the driver sped off with the back hatch still flung open.
Credit: Chris Juhn / News2Share
“His breathing started out strong, then slowed,” McGinniss recalled. “I had my hand on his neck and I could feel his pulse weaken. I knew he was slipping away. I talked to him, trying to keep him here.” He helped lay Rosenbaum on a gurney at the hospital — and waited.
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As McGinniss stood inside the hospital, Rittenhouse was fleeing his pursuers — and tripped. He fired at two of them — but missed, according to the criminal complaint. Anthony Huber, 26, then tried to take the teen’s gun away as Rittenhouse sat in the street, and Rittenhouse fatally shot him once in the heart, according to the complaint.
Rittenhouse is also accused of shooting and injuring volunteer medic Gaige Grosskreutz, 26. Grosskreutz arrived at the hospital with a bullet wound in his arm while McGinniss was still there.
President Donald Trump characterized the Kenosha shootings as self-defense. Rittenhouse “was trying to get away from them, I guess it looks like, and he fell,” Trump claimed at a press briefing last month, skipping over the first shooting that triggered the pursuit.
As for McGinniss, “I’ll never forget what happened that night,” he told HuffPost.
“It can’t be compartmentalized into little exterior boxes,” he said. “It was messy and ugly and tragic, and it doesn’t fit neatly into any agenda.”
“When something like that happens, we’re all human beings — and the politics melt away,” he said.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Trump Reportedly Says He Protected Saudi Crown Prince After Khashoggi Murder: 'I Saved His Ass'

According to Business Insider , which obtained an advance copy of Woodward ’ s book , Trump spoke with the veteran reporter in late January about Khashoggi , who was a harsh critic of Saudi Arabia ’ s government .
Khashoggi had also served as a columnist for The Washington Post until he was killed by Saudi agents in Istanbul in 2018 .
Woodward , an associate editor of the Post who has worked at the paper since 1971 , told Trump that the newspaper ’ s staff was highly distressed by Khashoggi ’ s death , which was allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I saved his ass , ” Trump said .
“ I was able to get Congress to leave him alone .
I was able to get them to stop.
” Trump went on to argue that Saudi Arabia was an important business partner for the United States , and repeated the crown prince ’ s claims that he had nothing to do with Khashoggi ’ s murder .
“ He will always say that he didn ’ t do it , ” Trump said .
“ He says that to everybody , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says that .
But he will say that to you , he will say that to Congress , and he will say that to everybody .
He ’ s never said he did it.
” After Woodward asked Trump if he believed this , continued to refer to the importance of Saudi Arabia as a U.S. ally : “ He says very strongly that he didn ’ t do it .
Bob , they spent $ 400 billion over a fairly short period of time.
” Experts have cast doubt on Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of billions of dollars into U.S. military equipment and training , and the Pentagon has only said that Saudi Arabia signed “ letters of offer and acceptance ” for $ 14.5 billion , as of November 2018 .
Nevertheless , Trump has used similar rhetoric in the past .
In June 2019 , the president told NBC News ’ Chuck Todd that in conversations with Crown Prince Mohammed , Khashoggi ’ s death had never come up , and his only Middle East priorities were keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s all I care about , ” Trump said at the time .
“ Look , Saudi Arabia is buying $ 400 billion worth of things for us .
That ’ s a very good thing.
” In September 2019 , Trump continued his support of Saudi Arabia , immediately calling the crown prince after Saudi oil facilities were attacked , allegedly by Yemeni Houthi rebels , and tweeting that the U.S. was “ locked and loaded ” and “ waiting to hear from the Kingdom ” regarding retaliation .

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President Donald Trump protected Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from Congress following the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, according to passages from journalist Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book, “Rage.”
According to Business Insider, which obtained an advance copy of Woodward’s book, Trump spoke with the veteran reporter in late January about Khashoggi, who was a harsh critic of Saudi Arabia’s government. Khashoggi had also served as a columnist for The Washington Post until he was killed by Saudi agents in Istanbul in 2018.
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Woodward, an associate editor of the Post who has worked at the paper since 1971, told Trump that the newspaper’s staff was highly distressed by Khashoggi’s death, which was allegedly ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed.
“[Khashoggi’s death] is one of the most gruesome things,” Woodward reportedly stated. “You yourself have said.”
“Yeah, but Iran is killing 36 people a day, so — ” Trump began, until Woodward pressed him to comment on the crown prince’s alleged involvement.
“I saved his ass,” Trump said. “I was able to get Congress to leave him alone. I was able to get them to stop.”
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Trump went on to argue that Saudi Arabia was an important business partner for the United States, and repeated the crown prince’s claims that he had nothing to do with Khashoggi’s murder.
“He will always say that he didn’t do it,” Trump said. “He says that to everybody, and frankly I’m happy that he says that. But he will say that to you, he will say that to Congress, and he will say that to everybody. He’s never said he did it.”
After Woodward asked Trump if he believed this, continued to refer to the importance of Saudi Arabia as a U.S. ally: “He says very strongly that he didn’t do it. Bob, they spent $400 billion over a fairly short period of time.”
Donald Trump with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. Handout/Reuters
Experts have cast doubt on Trump’s claim that Saudi Arabia has invested hundreds of billions of dollars into U.S. military equipment and training, and the Pentagon has only said that Saudi Arabia signed “letters of offer and acceptance” for $14.5 billion, as of November 2018.
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Nevertheless, Trump has used similar rhetoric in the past. In June 2019, the president told NBC News’ Chuck Todd that in conversations with Crown Prince Mohammed, Khashoggi’s death had never come up, and his only Middle East priorities were keeping Iran from developing nuclear weapons and protecting Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“That’s all I care about,” Trump said at the time. “Look, Saudi Arabia is buying $400 billion worth of things for us. That’s a very good thing.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--COVID-19 Victim’s Daughter Responds To Trump: ‘My Dad Did Not Panic, But Instead He Died.’

In light of recent revelations that Donald Trump knowingly downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic , Joe Biden ’ s campaign is again relying on the voice of Kristin Urquiza , who rose to national prominence after delivering a speech during the Democratic National Convention about her Trump-supporting father dying of COVID-19 .
“ That betrayal of my father and our country is even more clear now , ” Urquiza told members of the press in a call organized by the Biden campaign Thursday .
“ If Donald Trump had told the public what he had told Bob Woodward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been spared including my dad ’ s. ” Excerpts of investigative reporter Bob Woodward ’ s forthcoming book , “ Rage , ” were published in The Washington Post this week , including quotes from Trump in February confirming that he knew the virus was highly contagious , airborne and “ more deadly than even your strenuous flus.
” During this time , Trump repeatedly told the public the opposite , repeatedly saying the illness would quickly go away and equating it to the regular flu .
As of this week , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
Trump has acknowledged making these comments to Woodward in February and defended them to Fox News , saying he didn ’ t want to “ scare people.
” “ I ’ m the leader of the country , I can ’ t be jumping up and down and scaring people , ” Trump told Sean Hannity .
“ I don ’ t want to scare people .
I want people not to panic , and that ’ s exactly what I did.
” That was little consolation for Urquiza , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said her late father ’ s only “ preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump.
” Kristin Urquiza , who spoke during the first night of the Democratic National Convention in August , reiterated her disgust with President Donald Trump 's handling of the coronavirus in a Thursday call organized by Joe Biden 's campaign .
“ Sure , my dad did not panic , but instead he died , ” Urquiza said Thursday .
“ I ’ d much rather have dealt with a father who was a little scared versus one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Biden campaign has repeatedly made the case that Biden was ahead of the president on the seriousness of the virus .
Biden wrote an opinion piece in January warning that Trump was unprepared to handle a coronavirus outbreak in the United States .
“ To be blunt , I am concerned that the Trump administration ’ s shortsighted policies have left us unprepared for a dangerous epidemic that will come sooner or later , ” Biden wrote then .
His campaign stopped holding major events and rallies in March .
It wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was downplaying the virus .
The United States on the whole was slow in its response to the pandemic .
It wasn ’ t until mid-March that Trump publicly recognized the pandemic was not going to just disappear , despite repeated warnings from intelligence officers and foreign officials in January .
For months , Americans found it difficult to get tested for the virus unless they were visibly very ill. Trump in June told officials to slow down testing to make it appear that the United States had fewer cases .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said the country is not doing enough testing or contact tracing to properly contain the virus .
“ What we heard on that tape is the definition of Trump ’ s phony populism , ” Sen. Sherrod Brown ( D-Ohio ) said on the Biden campaign press call .
“ He was more worried about his own poll numbers and his wealthy friends ’ stock portfolios than he was about saving American lives .
He was warned about this virus and he didn ’ t do a damn thing .
”

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In light of recent revelations that Donald Trump knowingly downplayed the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, Joe Biden’s campaign is again relying on the voice of Kristin Urquiza, who rose to national prominence after delivering a speech during the Democratic National Convention about her Trump-supporting father dying of COVID-19.
“That betrayal of my father and our country is even more clear now,” Urquiza told members of the press in a call organized by the Biden campaign Thursday. “If Donald Trump had told the public what he had told Bob Woodward in private, thousands of lives could have been spared including my dad’s.”
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Excerpts of investigative reporter Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book, “Rage,” were published in The Washington Post this week, including quotes from Trump in February confirming that he knew the virus was highly contagious, airborne and “more deadly than even your strenuous flus.” During this time, Trump repeatedly told the public the opposite, repeatedly saying the illness would quickly go away and equating it to the regular flu.
As of this week, more than 190,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus. Trump has acknowledged making these comments to Woodward in February and defended them to Fox News, saying he didn’t want to “scare people.”
“I’m the leader of the country, I can’t be jumping up and down and scaring people,” Trump told Sean Hannity. “I don’t want to scare people. I want people not to panic, and that’s exactly what I did.”
That was little consolation for Urquiza, who made headlines during the DNC when she said her late father’s only “preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump.”
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Kristin Urquiza, who spoke during the first night of the Democratic National Convention in August, reiterated her disgust with President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus in a Thursday call organized by Joe Biden's campaign. ASSOCIATED PRESS
“Sure, my dad did not panic, but instead he died,” Urquiza said Thursday. “I’d much rather have dealt with a father who was a little scared versus one that was led to his death.”
The Biden campaign has repeatedly made the case that Biden was ahead of the president on the seriousness of the virus. Biden wrote an opinion piece in January warning that Trump was unprepared to handle a coronavirus outbreak in the United States.
“To be blunt, I am concerned that the Trump administration’s shortsighted policies have left us unprepared for a dangerous epidemic that will come sooner or later,” Biden wrote then. His campaign stopped holding major events and rallies in March.
It wasn’t just Trump’s rhetoric that was downplaying the virus. The United States on the whole was slow in its response to the pandemic. It wasn’t until mid-March that Trump publicly recognized the pandemic was not going to just disappear, despite repeated warnings from intelligence officers and foreign officials in January. For months, Americans found it difficult to get tested for the virus unless they were visibly very ill.
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Trump in June told officials to slow down testing to make it appear that the United States had fewer cases. As recently as August, public health officials have said the country is not doing enough testing or contact tracing to properly contain the virus.
“What we heard on that tape is the definition of Trump’s phony populism,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said on the Biden campaign press call. “He was more worried about his own poll numbers and his wealthy friends’ stock portfolios than he was about saving American lives. He was warned about this virus and he didn’t do a damn thing.”
Brown wasn’t optimistic, however, as to whether this new revelation would change Senate Republicans’ views of the president.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Trump Knew COVID-19 Was Airborne And ‘Deadly,’ Held Crowded Rallies Anyway

On Wednesday , the White House attempted to spin revelations that President Donald Trump lied to the American public about the lethality and transmissibility of COVID-19 as an attempt to reduce panic .
Still , Trump continued to push for large , crowded campaign rallies and other events when , according to interviews with journalist Bob Woodward , he knew they would put Americans in harm ’ s way .
Trump knew as early as February that the coronavirus spread through the air and presented a unique and deadly threat , recordings of conversations he had with Woodward show .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s how it ’ s passed , ” Trump told Woodward in a private phone call on Feb. 7 .
“ And so that ’ s a very tricky one .
That ’ s a very delicate one .
It ’ s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus.
” Instead of protecting Americans from that threat , he actively exposed them to it .
Within a month of his private disclosure to Woodward , Trump nevertheless held six indoor rallies , boasting each time about how many people he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have more in this arena and outside of this arena than all of the other candidates , ” he bragged at a Feb. 10 rally in Manchester , New Hampshire .
On Feb. 19 , at an indoor rally in Phoenix , Arizona , he claimed every seat inside the 14,870 capacity Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum was full and that 21,000 people had gathered outside .
On Feb. 20 , at an indoor rally in Colorado Springs , he bragged again about having “ a packed house ” at the 8,099-seat Broadmoor World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a rally the next day in Las Vegas .
Trump didn ’ t acknowledge the outbreak at a rally until his fifth such event that month , in South Carolina on Feb. 28 .
And even then ― despite privately knowing it was “ deadly stuff ” ― it was only so he could dismiss criticism of his administration ’ s response to COVID-19 as the “ new hoax.
” “ They tried the impeachment hoax .
...
They tried anything .
... And this is their new hoax , ” Trump told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s lethality to the seasonal flu , which he knew to be false .
Trump held his sixth and final indoor rally on March 2 in North Carolina , where he crowed : “ Our crowds now are bigger , stronger and even more enthusiastic than ever before .
”

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On Wednesday, the White House attempted to spin revelations that President Donald Trump lied to the American public about the lethality and transmissibility of COVID-19 as an attempt to reduce panic.
Still, Trump continued to push for large, crowded campaign rallies and other events when, according to interviews with journalist Bob Woodward, he knew they would put Americans in harm’s way.
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Trump knew as early as February that the coronavirus spread through the air and presented a unique and deadly threat, recordings of conversations he had with Woodward show.
“You just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed,” Trump told Woodward in a private phone call on Feb. 7. “And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus.”
“This is deadly stuff,” he repeated.
Instead of protecting Americans from that threat, he actively exposed them to it. Within a month of his private disclosure to Woodward, Trump nevertheless held six indoor rallies, boasting each time about how many people he’d packed inside.
“We have more in this arena and outside of this arena than all of the other candidates,” he bragged at a Feb. 10 rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.
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On Feb. 19, at an indoor rally in Phoenix, Arizona, he claimed every seat inside the 14,870 capacity Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum was full and that 21,000 people had gathered outside.
On Feb. 20, at an indoor rally in Colorado Springs, he bragged again about having “a packed house” at the 8,099-seat Broadmoor World Arena. He made similar remarks at a rally the next day in Las Vegas.
Trump didn’t acknowledge the outbreak at a rally until his fifth such event that month, in South Carolina on Feb. 28. And even then ― despite privately knowing it was “deadly stuff” ― it was only so he could dismiss criticism of his administration’s response to COVID-19 as the “new hoax.”
“They tried the impeachment hoax. ... They tried anything. ... And this is their new hoax,” Trump told the crowd. He again compared COVID-19’s lethality to the seasonal flu, which he knew to be false.
Trump held his sixth and final indoor rally on March 2 in North Carolina, where he crowed: “Our crowds now are bigger, stronger and even more enthusiastic than ever before.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Judges Stop Trump From Excluding Undocumented People For Congressional Seat Count

ORLANDO , Fla. ( AP ) — A panel of three federal judges on Thursday blocked an order from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from the process of redrawing congressional districts .
The federal judges in New York , in granting an injunction , said the presidential order issued in late July was unlawful and the harm it would cause would last a decade .
The judges prohibited Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross , whose agency oversees the U.S. Census Bureau , from excluding people in the country illegally when handing in 2020 census @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats each state gets .
According to the judges , the presidential order violated laws governing the execution of the once-a-decade census and also the process for redrawing congressional districts known as apportionment by requiring that two sets of numbers be presented — one with the total count and the other dealing with people living in the country illegally .
The judges said that those in the country illegally qualify as people to be counted in the states they reside .
They declined to say whether the order violated the Constitution .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the figures used to determine the apportionment of Congress — in the language of the current statutes , the ‘ total population ’ and the ‘ whole number of persons ’ in each State — have included every person residing in the United States at the time of the census , whether citizen or non-citizen and whether living here with legal status or without , ” the judges wrote .
The lawsuits challenging the presidential order were brought by a coalition of states led by New York and several civil rights groups .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ apportionment , it was heard by a three-judge panel that allows the decision to be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court .
“ This is a huge victory for voting rights and for immigrants ’ rights , ” said Dale Ho , director of the ACLU ’ s Voting Rights Project , one of the group ’ s that challenged the order .
“ President Trump has tried and failed yet again to weaponize the census against immigrant communities .
The law is clear — every person counts in the census .
@

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A panel of three federal judges on Thursday blocked an order from President Donald Trump that tried to exclude people in the country illegally from the process of redrawing congressional districts.
The federal judges in New York, in granting an injunction, said the presidential order issued in late July was unlawful and the harm it would cause would last a decade. The judges prohibited Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose agency oversees the U.S. Census Bureau, from excluding people in the country illegally when handing in 2020 census figures used to calculate how many congressional seats each state gets.
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According to the judges, the presidential order violated laws governing the execution of the once-a-decade census and also the process for redrawing congressional districts known as apportionment by requiring that two sets of numbers be presented — one with the total count and the other dealing with people living in the country illegally.
The judges said that those in the country illegally qualify as people to be counted in the states they reside. They declined to say whether the order violated the Constitution.
“Throughout the Nation’s history, the figures used to determine the apportionment of Congress — in the language of the current statutes, the ‘total population’ and the ‘whole number of persons’ in each State — have included every person residing in the United States at the time of the census, whether citizen or non-citizen and whether living here with legal status or without,” the judges wrote.
The lawsuits challenging the presidential order were brought by a coalition of states led by New York and several civil rights groups. Because the lawsuits dealt with questions about apportionment, it was heard by a three-judge panel that allows the decision to be appealed directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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“This is a huge victory for voting rights and for immigrants’ rights,” said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, one of the group’s that challenged the order. “President Trump has tried and failed yet again to weaponize the census against immigrant communities. The law is clear — every person counts in the census.”
___


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Trump Says He Lied About COVID-19 To Avoid ‘Panic.’ He Incites Panic All The Time.

“ We had to show calm .
The last thing we can show is panic or excitement or fear or anything else , ” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday .
“ I ’ m the leader of the country , I can ’ t be jumping up and down and scaring people , ” he later said to Fox News ’ Sean Hannity .
“ Calm , no panic !
” he tweeted on Thursday after being hit with a barrage of criticism over his admitted refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of the virus , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S .
Though Trump claims as president he “ can ’ t be jumping up and down and scaring people , ” here ’ s a look back at his use of just such emotional tactics over the last several years .
Vote red or be “ overwhelmed with violence and crime.
” That comment came just two days after he said this about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to reporters : “ If you elected this guy , the suburbs would be overwhelmed with violence and crime.
” Trump has taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expand a housing rental assistance program for low-income people , which the president said would destroy “ the American dream.
” Trump made similar ominous claims in 2018 when he warned of “ violence ” if Republicans lost in the midterm elections .
If Democrats win , they “ will overturn everything that we ’ ve done and they ’ ll do it quickly and violently , ” he told supporters at a White House dinner .
“ I can tell you I have the support of the police , the support of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bikers for Trump ― I have the tough people , but they don ’ t play it tough — until they go to a certain point , and then it would be very bad , very bad , ” he said .
Though he didn ’ t specify exactly what enthusiasts of the Second Amendment ― which protects the right to bear arms ― could do , his comment was seen as a veiled assassination threat against Clinton .
Trump has continually tried to foment public distrust in the nation ’ s electoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail-in voting , which he has claimed ― without any supporting evidence ― will lead to mass voter fraud and the destruction of American democracy .
Speaking with reporters in May , Trump called mail-in voting “ a very dangerous thing.
” In June , he tweeted that it would lead to “ the Election disaster of our time , ” “ the scandal of our times ” and “ the most RIGGED Election in our nation ’ s history.
” In addition to sowing doubts about election integrity , Trump threatened to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withholding federal funding .
He has suggested delaying the November election ( something that is constitutionally not possible without congressional authorization ) and said he may not accept the election ’ s results , telling reporters “ I have to see.
” The economy will crash “ like you ’ ve never seen.
” “ You have no choice but to vote for me because your 401 ( k ) , everything is going to be down the tubes .
So whether you love me or hate me , you ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said at a rally in New Hampshire .

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For someone who claims to want to avoid panic, President Donald Trump sure has a deep record of drumming up fear to try to get his way.
Trump continues to defend comments he made to journalist Bob Woodward in March when he admitted to publicly downplaying the threat of the coronavirus because he didn’t “want to create a panic.”
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“We had to show calm. The last thing we can show is panic or excitement or fear or anything else,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “I’m the leader of the country, I can’t be jumping up and down and scaring people,” he later said to Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“Calm, no panic!” he tweeted on Thursday after being hit with a barrage of criticism over his admitted refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of the virus, which has killed more than 191,000 people in the U.S.
Though Trump claims as president he “can’t be jumping up and down and scaring people,” here’s a look back at his use of just such emotional tactics over the last several years.
President Donald Trump has insisted that he downplayed the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year in order to avoid public panic. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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“Very bad people” are threatening our borders.
Trump has a history of publicly villainizing immigrants, particularly those crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
One of his perhaps most infamous quotes came in 2015 when he generally described Mexican immigrants as criminals, rapists and drug pushers as a warning against letting them enter the U.S.
“They’re sending people that have a lot of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” said the then-presidential candidate.
In April 2018, he doubled down on his rape comments, claiming that women traveling to the U.S. in a migrant caravan were being “raped at levels nobody has ever seen before.”
Six months later, he again warned on Twitter that “some very bad people” were heading to the U.S.-Mexico border, declaring “this is an invasion of our Country.”
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Many Gang Members and some very bad people are mixed into the Caravan heading to our Southern Border. Please go back, you will not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
Vote red or be “overwhelmed with violence and crime.”
Trump has repeatedly said that if Americans don’t vote for him or his supporters, things could get violent.
“If I don’t win, America’s Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators, Looters and, of course, ‘Friendly Protesters,’” Trump ― who has called anti-racism and civil rights protesters “thugs” and “domestic terrorists” ― tweeted on Thursday.
The Democrats never even mentioned the words LAW & ORDER at their National Convention. That’s where they are coming from. If I don’t win, America’s Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators, Looters and, of course, “Friendly Protesters”. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020
That comment came just two days after he said this about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to reporters: “If you elected this guy, the suburbs would be overwhelmed with violence and crime.” Trump has taken issue with Biden’s plan to expand a housing rental assistance program for low-income people, which the president said would destroy “the American dream.”
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"If you elected this guy, the suburbs would be overwhelmed with violence and crime" -- Trump's campaign message has devolved into just straight-up trying to terrify people pic.twitter.com/nDTG6FKuBJ — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 8, 2020
Trump made similar ominous claims in 2018 when he warned of “violence” if Republicans lost in the midterm elections. If Democrats win, they “will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently,” he told supporters at a White House dinner.
“I just hope there won’t be violence,” he told reporters when later asked to clarify his comments.
In an interview with Breitbart News back in March, Trump said that his supporters, “the tough people,” could make things “very bad” for his political opponents.
“I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump ― I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad,” he said.
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump even seemed to suggest that some of his supporters might target one opponent in particular ― Hillary Clinton.
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“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” he said at a rally before adding: “Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”
Though he didn’t specify exactly what enthusiasts of the Second Amendment ― which protects the right to bear arms ― could do, his comment was seen as a veiled assassination threat against Clinton.
Mail-in voting is “a very dangerous thing.”
Trump has continually tried to foment public distrust in the nation’s electoral system, particularly turning his attack on mail-in voting, which he has claimed ― without any supporting evidence ― will lead to mass voter fraud and the destruction of American democracy.
“The only way they can take this election away from us ― if it is a rigged election,” he said last month.
Speaking with reporters in May, Trump called mail-in voting “a very dangerous thing.” In June, he tweeted that it would lead to “the Election disaster of our time,” “the scandal of our times” and “the most RIGGED Election in our nation’s history.”
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Glad I was able to get the very dishonest LameStream Media to finally start talking about the RISKS to our Democracy from dangerous Universal Mail-In-Voting (not Absentee Voting, which I totally support!). — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
In addition to sowing doubts about election integrity, Trump threatened to punish states that expand mail-in voting by withholding federal funding. He has suggested delaying the November election (something that is constitutionally not possible without congressional authorization) and said he may not accept the election’s results, telling reporters “I have to see.”
Last month, he also baselessly suggested that ballot boxes are a COVID-19 risk.
The economy will crash “like you’ve never seen.”
Trump’s message when it comes to the stock market and the economy has been clear: Vote for me or suffer another Great Depression.
“You put the wrong person in office, you’ll see things that you would not have believed were possible,” Trump told voters during a White House event in July. “You’ll have a crash like you’ve never seen before.”
He warned on Twitter that 401(k) accounts and stock holdings could “disintegrate and disappear” if he is not reelected in November.
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If you want your 401k’s and Stocks, which are getting close to an all time high (NASDAQ is already there), to disintegrate and disappear, vote for the Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats and Corrupt Joe Biden. Massive Tax Hikes - They will make you very poor, FAST! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
Trump made similar fearmongering comments in August of last year.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Russian Hackers Targeting U.S. Political Campaigns, Parties: Microsoft

“ What we ’ ve seen is consistent with previous attack patterns that not only target candidates and campaign staffers but also those who they consult on key issues , ” Tom Burt , a Microsoft vice president , said in a blog post .
Most of the infiltration attempts by Russian , Chinese and Iranian agents were halted by Microsoft security software and the targets notified , he said .
The company would not comment on who may have been successfully hacked or the impact .
Microsoft did not assess which foreign adversary poses the greater threat to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The consensus among cybersecurity experts is that Russian interference is the gravest .
Senior Trump administration officials have disputed that , though without offering any evidence .
The Microsoft post shows that Russian military intelligence continues to pursue election-related targets undeterred by U.S indictments , sanctions and other countermeasures , Hultquist said .
It interfered in the 2016 campaign seeking to benefit the Trump campaign by hacking the Democratic National Committee and emails of John Podesta , the campaign manager of Hillary Clinton , and dumping embarrassing material online , congressional and FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military intelligence unit , known as Fancy Bear , that Microsoft identifies as being behind the current election-related activity also broke into voter registration databases in at least three states in 2016 , though there is no evidence it tried to interfere with voting .
Microsoft , which has visibility into these efforts because its software is both ubiquitous and highly rated for security , did not address whether U.S. officials who manage elections or operate voting systems have been targeted by state-backed hackers this year .
U.S. intelligence officials say they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
They said last month t hat the Russians favor President Donald Trump and the Chinese prefer former vice president Joe Biden , the Democratic challenger .
In a Washington Post opinion piece this week , Susan Gordon , the deputy director of national intelligence from 2017-2019 , said that “ Russia ’ s intent is to undermine American democracy ” while China seeks , by contrast , to shape U.S. policy and erode U.S. global influence , in part by the theft of intellectual property .
Thomas Rid , a Johns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disappointed by Microsoft ’ s refusal to differentiate threat level by state actor .
“ They ’ re lumping in actors that operate in a very different fashion , probably to make this sound more bipartisan , ” he said .
“ I just don ’ t understand why.
” Microsoft said in the past year it has observed attempts by Fancy Bear to break into the accounts of people directly and indirectly affiliated with the U.S. election , including consultants serving Republican and Democratic campaigns and national and state party organizations — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Also targeted was the center-right European People ’ s Party , the largest grouping in the European Parliament .
A party spokesperson said the hacking attempts were unsuccessful .
The German Marshal Fund of the United States , a think tank , was another target .
A spokesperson said there was no evidence of intrusion .
Microsoft did not say whether Russian hackers had attempted to break into the Biden campaign but did say that Chinese hackers from the state-backed group known as Hurricane Panda “ appears to have indirectly and unsuccessfully ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accounts belonging to people affiliated with it .
The blog post said Iranian state-backed hackers have unsuccessfully tried to log into accounts of Trump campaign and administration officials between May and June of this year .
“ We are a large target , so it is not surprising to see malicious activity directed at the campaign or our staff , ” Trump campaign deputy press secretary Thea McDonald said .
She declined further comment .
Although both Attorney General William Barr and National Security Advisor Robert O ’ Brien have both said China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the only mention of a Trump administration official targeted by Chinese hackers is “ at least one prominent individual formerly associated with ” the administration .
Brookie confirmed that his employer was among targets of Hurricane Panda but said there was no evidence the hacking attempts , which he said were unsuccessful , had anything to do with the 2020 election .

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BOSTON (AP) — The same Russian military intelligence outfit that hacked the Democrats in 2016 has attempted similar intrusions into the computer systems of more than 200 organizations including political parties and consultants, Microsoft said Thursday.
Those efforts appear to be part of a broader increase in targeting of U.S. political campaigns and related groups, the company said.
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“What we’ve seen is consistent with previous attack patterns that not only target candidates and campaign staffers but also those who they consult on key issues,” Tom Burt, a Microsoft vice president, said in a blog post.
Most of the infiltration attempts by Russian, Chinese and Iranian agents were halted by Microsoft security software and the targets notified, he said. The company would not comment on who may have been successfully hacked or the impact.
Microsoft did not assess which foreign adversary poses the greater threat to the integrity of the November presidential election. The consensus among cybersecurity experts is that Russian interference is the gravest. Senior Trump administration officials have disputed that, though without offering any evidence.
“This is the actor from 2016, potentially conducting business as usual,” said John Hultquist, director of intelligence analysis at the top cybersecurity firm FireEye. “We believe that Russian military intelligence continues to pose the greatest threat to the democratic process.”
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The Microsoft post shows that Russian military intelligence continues to pursue election-related targets undeterred by U.S indictments, sanctions and other countermeasures, Hultquist said. It interfered in the 2016 campaign seeking to benefit the Trump campaign by hacking the Democratic National Committee and emails of John Podesta, the campaign manager of Hillary Clinton, and dumping embarrassing material online, congressional and FBI investigators have found.
The same GRU military intelligence unit, known as Fancy Bear, that Microsoft identifies as being behind the current election-related activity also broke into voter registration databases in at least three states in 2016, though there is no evidence it tried to interfere with voting.
Microsoft, which has visibility into these efforts because its software is both ubiquitous and highly rated for security, did not address whether U.S. officials who manage elections or operate voting systems have been targeted by state-backed hackers this year. U.S. intelligence officials say they have so far not seen no evidence of that. They said last month t hat the Russians favor President Donald Trump and the Chinese prefer former vice president Joe Biden, the Democratic challenger.
But China is largely an espionage threat, while Russia steals data and weaponizes it.
In a Washington Post opinion piece this week, Susan Gordon, the deputy director of national intelligence from 2017-2019, said that “Russia’s intent is to undermine American democracy” while China seeks, by contrast, to shape U.S. policy and erode U.S. global influence, in part by the theft of intellectual property.
Thomas Rid, a Johns Hopkins geopolitics expert, said he was disappointed by Microsoft’s refusal to differentiate threat level by state actor. “They’re lumping in actors that operate in a very different fashion, probably to make this sound more bipartisan,” he said. “I just don’t understand why.”
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Microsoft said in the past year it has observed attempts by Fancy Bear to break into the accounts of people directly and indirectly affiliated with the U.S. election, including consultants serving Republican and Democratic campaigns and national and state party organizations — more than 200 groups in all.
Also targeted was the center-right European People’s Party, the largest grouping in the European Parliament. A party spokesperson said the hacking attempts were unsuccessful. The German Marshal Fund of the United States, a think tank, was another target. A spokesperson said there was no evidence of intrusion.
Microsoft did not say whether Russian hackers had attempted to break into the Biden campaign but did say that Chinese hackers from the state-backed group known as Hurricane Panda “appears to have indirectly and unsuccessfully” targeted the Biden campaign through non-campaign email accounts belonging to people affiliated with it.
The Biden campaign did not confirm the attempt, although it said in a statement that it was aware of the Microsoft report.
The blog post said Iranian state-backed hackers have unsuccessfully tried to log into accounts of Trump campaign and administration officials between May and June of this year. “We are a large target, so it is not surprising to see malicious activity directed at the campaign or our staff,” Trump campaign deputy press secretary Thea McDonald said. She declined further comment.
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In June, Google disclosed that Hurricane Panda had targeted Trump campaign staffers while Iranian hackers had attempted to breach accounts of Biden campaign workers. Such phishing attempts typically involve forged emails with links designed to harvest passwords or infect devices with malware.
Although both Attorney General William Barr and National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien have both said China represents the greatest threat to U.S. elections, the only mention of a Trump administration official targeted by Chinese hackers is “at least one prominent individual formerly associated with” the administration.
Graham Brookie, director of digital forensic research at The Atlantic Council, disputes Barr and O’Brien’s claim that China poses the greater threat to this year’s election. His lab is at the forefront of unearthing and publicizing Russian disinformation campaigns.
Brookie confirmed that his employer was among targets of Hurricane Panda but said there was no evidence the hacking attempts, which he said were unsuccessful, had anything to do with the 2020 election.
“We have every indication that this was an instance of cyber-espionage, information gathering, as opposed to electoral interference,” he said.
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By contrast, Brookie said, “it’s pretty evident that the Russian attempts (Microsoft disclosed) were focused on electoral processes and groups working on that.”
—-


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Actually, Donald Trump Loves War

Actually, Donald Trump Loves War

The Trump administration announced Wednesday that 2,200 U.S. troops will leave Iraq and 4,100 will depart Afghanistan over the next two months .
This came only two days after Trump blasted top military officials who , in his telling , “ want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.
” This was also Trump ’ s posture in 2016 , when he ran as a candidate who would pull America from foreign quagmires .
It ’ s as phony now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump , who spent Wednesday tweeting 17 times about the news that a Norwegian parliamentarian nominated him for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize , there ’ s a record to prove it .
The very same military leadership Trump blasted as bloodthirsty has been planning that drawdown from Iraq for months , and over the past year , Trump has deployed more than twice as many troops as he now plans to withdraw — a total of 14,000 — to other parts of the Middle East .
And for all his fulminations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ industry is one of the big winners of the Trump era .
The president has grown close to Boeing and Lockheed Martin , two defense giants he had previously accused of fleecing the American taxpayer , in his typically transactional way .
He presents himself as helping the economy by appearing at weapons production facilities in swing states and boasting about encouraging other countries to buy their products .
The companies benefit from his historically large Pentagon budgets and commitment to record arms sales — which he seeks to shield from congressional and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like when his administration forced through weapons to Saudi Arabia after its assaults on Yemen and murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi .
Despite his campaign-trail talk last cycle and this time around , Trump has shown little interest in questioning the status quo on military matters ― and those working in the field understand that : Compared to his rivals , the president has raised the most money from defense industry employees in 2020 , after he was a distant second choice for them in 2016 , Center for Responsive Politics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meanwhile , made peace far more elusive .
He used five of his eight vetoes so far to protect a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen , weapons sales to the kingdom and its allies , and his own power to wage war with Iran , peace activist Hassan El-Tayyab of the Friends Committee for National Legislation noted on Twitter .
He ’ s increased the risk of such a conflict with Tehran by smashing an agreement to limit its nuclear development and subjecting it to intense pressure , encouraging the regime to ramp up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its top generals in an escalation past presidents viewed as too risky .
And even where Trump has come close to creating stability , in following President Barack Obama ’ s plan to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria , his comfort with brutality has instead sown chaos : Announcing a sudden move to pull out of Syria , he encouraged Turkey to move in to fight Kurds previously aligned with the U.S .
Experts say the result was an opportunity for ISIS to plan a comeback .
In the wars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has enabled greater bloodshed , permitting deadlier strikes in Afghanistan , Somalia , Iraq and Syria and racking up historic numbers of civilian casualties from U.S. operations that could lead to future violent anti-Americanism .
The president ’ s philosophy holds that those excesses are signs of success .
By repeatedly pardoning and celebrating convicted war criminals , he has shown he will protect those who are so violent they break the law .
Though he avoided military service himself , Trump decided long ago that fighters were more successful the more brutal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violating human rights standards like sparing a combatant ’ s innocent family members .
He also said that soldiers had proven to be insufficiently tough and not worth celebrating if , for instance , they had been taken prisoner .
“ I like people who weren ’ t captured , ” Trump said of former prisoner of war Sen. John McCain .
“ Obama reduced troop levels in Afghanistan by [ 25,000 ] and Iraq by [ 140,000 ] .
Donald Trump has so far reduced those troop levels by zero , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by [ 4,000 ] and Iraq by [ 2,000 ] , ” Amash tweeted .
“ Conservatives and libertarians , like me , who repeatedly criticized Obama for not ending those wars are now supposed to praise Trump for simply promising to do a fraction of what Obama did ?
Why ?
Because Trump talks like a guy who wants to end wars ?
Stop talking ; actually end them.
” This posturing helped Trump become president four years ago .
Well before he entered the Oval Office , Trump developed firm opinions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broader view of the world .
He identified foreigners as threats to the U.S. who would only respond to harsh measures , pushing for tariffs as he crusaded against Japan in the 1980s and beginning the new millennium by wishing President George H.W .
Bush had deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1990s .
In running for president , Trump saw a political advantage in differentiating himself from other Republicans by lying about opposing the 2003 war against Iraq .
He tied criticism of global entanglements to a broader message that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moves like the Iraq invasion as well as projects with bipartisan support like the NATO military alliance to argue that America ’ s elite had failed ― all the while boosting fears of those beyond U.S. borders and tying foreign fears to domestic communities like Muslim Americans .

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The Trump administration announced Wednesday that 2,200 U.S. troops will leave Iraq and 4,100 will depart Afghanistan over the next two months. This came only two days after Trump blasted top military officials who, in his telling, “want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.”
Last month, isolationist Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) endorsed Trump during a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention, declaring that the president “believes as I do that a strong America cannot fight endless wars.”
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This was also Trump’s posture in 2016, when he ran as a candidate who would pull America from foreign quagmires. It’s as phony now as it was then, and unfortunately for Trump, who spent Wednesday tweeting 17 times about the news that a Norwegian parliamentarian nominated him for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, there’s a record to prove it.
The very same military leadership Trump blasted as bloodthirsty has been planning that drawdown from Iraq for months, and over the past year, Trump has deployed more than twice as many troops as he now plans to withdraw — a total of 14,000 — to other parts of the Middle East.
Incidentally, Christian Tybring-Gjedde, who nominated Trump for the Peace Prize, is known for saying Muslims are inherently overly aggressive. The achievement for which he praised Trump — helping to establish diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates — is tied to a major military build-up by the UAE.
And for all his fulminations against the military-industrial complex, the weapons industry is one of the big winners of the Trump era. The president has grown close to Boeing and Lockheed Martin, two defense giants he had previously accused of fleecing the American taxpayer, in his typically transactional way.
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He presents himself as helping the economy by appearing at weapons production facilities in swing states and boasting about encouraging other countries to buy their products. The companies benefit from his historically large Pentagon budgets and commitment to record arms sales — which he seeks to shield from congressional and expert oversight and concerns about morality, like when his administration forced through weapons to Saudi Arabia after its assaults on Yemen and murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
President Donald Trump participates in a tour of fighter aircraft at the Boeing Company on March 14, 2018, in St. Louis. ASSOCIATED PRESS
In choosing top Pentagon staff, Trump has disregarded potential conflicts of interest: All three of his defense secretaries had previously worked for the defense industry, and nearly half of his top Defense Department officials have ties to military contractors, according to the Project on Government Oversight.
Despite his campaign-trail talk last cycle and this time around, Trump has shown little interest in questioning the status quo on military matters ― and those working in the field understand that: Compared to his rivals, the president has raised the most money from defense industry employees in 2020, after he was a distant second choice for them in 2016, Center for Responsive Politics data show.
Peter Navarro, a high-ranking White House adviser, emphasized last year that Trump doesn’t think like traditional critics of overly assertive American power. “While President Dwight Eisenhower in many ways viewed the ‘military-industrial complex’ as a source of waste and inefficiency, the Trump administration sees our defense industrial base as the unshakable foundation of both economic and national security,” Navarro wrote in The New York Times.
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“God bless Boeing,” Trump said in 2017 at one of the aerospace company’s product launches.
The president has, meanwhile, made peace far more elusive. He used five of his eight vetoes so far to protect a Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, weapons sales to the kingdom and its allies, and his own power to wage war with Iran, peace activist Hassan El-Tayyab of the Friends Committee for National Legislation noted on Twitter.
He’s increased the risk of such a conflict with Tehran by smashing an agreement to limit its nuclear development and subjecting it to intense pressure, encouraging the regime to ramp up its own saber-rattling and assassinating one of its top generals in an escalation past presidents viewed as too risky.
And even where Trump has come close to creating stability, in following President Barack Obama’s plan to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, his comfort with brutality has instead sown chaos: Announcing a sudden move to pull out of Syria, he encouraged Turkey to move in to fight Kurds previously aligned with the U.S. Experts say the result was an opportunity for ISIS to plan a comeback.
Despite embarking on landmark diplomacy with North Korea, Trump has likely made a deal with the country harder to sell politically in the U.S. because he has tied it to his flattery of the nation’s repressive ruler, which other politicians feel compelled to resist.
In the wars Trump has continued to wage, he has enabled greater bloodshed, permitting deadlier strikes in Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and Syria and racking up historic numbers of civilian casualties from U.S. operations that could lead to future violent anti-Americanism. The president’s philosophy holds that those excesses are signs of success. By repeatedly pardoning and celebrating convicted war criminals, he has shown he will protect those who are so violent they break the law.
Advertisement
Though he avoided military service himself, Trump decided long ago that fighters were more successful the more brutal they were, even if that meant violating human rights standards like sparing a combatant’s innocent family members. He also said that soldiers had proven to be insufficiently tough and not worth celebrating if, for instance, they had been taken prisoner. “I like people who weren’t captured,” Trump said of former prisoner of war Sen. John McCain.
Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a former Republican, highlighted Trump’s inconsistencies on Wednesday amid the president’s latest claims to anti-war credentials.
“Obama reduced troop levels in Afghanistan by [25,000] and Iraq by [140,000]. Donald Trump has so far reduced those troop levels by zero, with hopes of reducing troop levels in Afghanistan by [4,000] and Iraq by [2,000],” Amash tweeted. “Conservatives and libertarians, like me, who repeatedly criticized Obama for not ending those wars are now supposed to praise Trump for simply promising to do a fraction of what Obama did? Why? Because Trump talks like a guy who wants to end wars? Stop talking; actually end them.”
Trump has grown close to Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson. Kevin Lamarque / reuters
This posturing helped Trump become president four years ago. Well before he entered the Oval Office, Trump developed firm opinions on global affairs that dovetailed with his broader view of the world. He identified foreigners as threats to the U.S. who would only respond to harsh measures, pushing for tariffs as he crusaded against Japan in the 1980s and beginning the new millennium by wishing President George H.W. Bush had deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1990s.
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In running for president, Trump saw a political advantage in differentiating himself from other Republicans by lying about opposing the 2003 war against Iraq. He tied criticism of global entanglements to a broader message that he was an outsider, attacking near-universally condemned moves like the Iraq invasion as well as projects with bipartisan support like the NATO military alliance to argue that America’s elite had failed ― all the while boosting fears of those beyond U.S. borders and tying foreign fears to domestic communities like Muslim Americans.
His approach resonated with some key voters: A research paper widely circulated among conservatives after Trump’s shock victory in 2016 found that communities in traditionally Democratic states that experienced disproportionately high losses in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were more likely to vote for Trump.
Today, Trump’s narrative is that he is defending American lives and wealth from unsolvable crises abroad and a self-serving establishment in Washington; his campaign uses peace signs in Facebook ads and his supporters call him a rare champion for commonsense caution.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Trump's Own Officials Label His Ukraine Theory As Russian Election Interference

Gleb Garanich / reuters Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach attends a news conference titled `` Publication of facts of pressure of U.S. Embassy on Ukraine 's law enforcement agencies to interfere in electoral process in U.S. '' in Kiev , Ukraine , Oct. 9 , 2019 .
REUTERS/Gleb Garanich “ Andrii Derkach and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world , ” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday in a statement announcing sanctions against the pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker and three Russian employees of a “ troll farm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for U.S. consumption .
Derkach had been working with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and One America News network , which Trump has come to favor in the past year , to push the falsehood that the Democratic presidential nominee acted improperly when , as vice president , he worked to remove a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor , supposedly to protect a company his son , Hunter , had been working for .
In fact , Joe Biden was advancing the consensus goal of the United States , the European Union , the International Monetary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corruption .
Trump , who was impeached last year for his efforts to extort Ukraine ’ s new president into opening an investigation into Biden , has nevertheless continued to push that conspiracy theory .
“ Where is Hunter ?
— Where is Hunter ?
— I call him ‘ Where is Hunter ?
’ ” Trump said at a White House news conference Monday .
“ He walked away with a fortune from Ukraine.
” “ This action sends a clear signal : the United States will not hesitate to use all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign actors that seek to interfere in or otherwise influence our elections by any means , ” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that referred to a criminal indictment in federal court against the troll farm employees .
“ From at least late 2019 through mid-2020 , Derkach waged a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 presidential election , spurring corruption investigations in both Ukraine and the United States designed to culminate prior to election day , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unsubstantiated narratives were pushed in Western media through coverage of press conferences and other news events , including interviews and statements.
” “ Between May and July 2020 , Derkach released edited audio tapes and other unsupported information with the intent to discredit U.S. officials , and he levied unsubstantiated allegations against U.S. and international political figures .
Derkach almost certainly targeted the U.S. voting populace , prominent U.S. persons , and members of the U.S. government , based on his reliance on U.S. platforms , English-language documents and videos , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to propagate his claims , ” the statement said .
One of those investigations was started by Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson , chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee , despite warnings from U.S. intelligence that the efforts to malign Biden were being pushed by Russia .
A committee spokesman released a statement from Johnson and fellow Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley , of Iowa , who has also supported the probes : “ Foreign election meddling in all of its forms from any corner of the globe can not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration for holding accountable perpetrators of foreign interference.
” The spokesman added that the committee had not received any information from either Derkach or Giuliani , who was actively disseminating it .
Last month , however , Johnson defended the probe to a Wisconsin television station and would not rule out accepting material from them .
“ We are getting information from a variety of sources , ” he said .
The White House Correspondents Association board voted to ban it from the media ’ s shared workspace in the West Wing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus guidelines this spring .
But its White House reporter has continued to attend briefings at the express invitation of senior Trump aides .
Trump was so heavily invested in that theory himself that he tried to extort Ukraine ’ s new president into smearing Biden publicly , using $ 391 million in congressionally approved military aid as leverage .
He was exposed because of a whistleblower ’ s complaint , and was ultimately impeached for the offense .
Trump , nevertheless , has ridiculed the impeachment after Republican senators — with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — voted to allow Trump to remain in office despite his actions .
Trump also continues to push those same groundless accusations against Biden .
“ What he ’ s done is so incredible .
‘ I won ’ t give them the billion dollars , ’ he says .
‘ I won ’ t give them , unless they get rid of that prosecutor.
’ And then , voila , they got rid of the prosecutor , ” Trump said Monday .
“ And the press doesn ’ t even want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quid pro quo .
With me , there was none .
With him , he ’ s right on tape , and you don ’ t want to cover it .
You should be ashamed of yourselves .
The press should be ashamed of themselves.
” The new disinformation effort mirrors Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ’ s role in 2016 , when emails stolen by his intelligence services from the Democratic National Committee and from a top campaign aide to nominee Hillary Clinton were released through WikiLeaks on a near daily basis in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Then-candidate Trump had been informed starting with an August intelligence briefing that Russia was behind the email thefts , and that connection was announced publicly on Oct. 7 by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence .

Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach attends a news conference titled "Publication of facts of pressure of U.S. Embassy on Ukraine's law enforcement agencies to interfere in electoral process in U.S." in Kiev, Ukraine, Oct. 9, 2019. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich Gleb Garanich / reuters
WASHINGTON — An anti-Joe Biden conspiracy theory pushed by President Donald Trump, his personal lawyer and his favorite television network has been labeled Russian interference into the coming U.S. election — by Trump’s own administration.
“Andrii Derkach and other Russian agents employ manipulation and deceit to attempt to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere around the world,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday in a statement announcing sanctions against the pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker and three Russian employees of a “troll farm” that generates divisive social media content for U.S. consumption.
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Derkach had been working with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and One America News network, which Trump has come to favor in the past year, to push the falsehood that the Democratic presidential nominee acted improperly when, as vice president, he worked to remove a corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor, supposedly to protect a company his son, Hunter, had been working for. In fact, Joe Biden was advancing the consensus goal of the United States, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and others to rid Ukraine of corruption.
Trump, who was impeached last year for his efforts to extort Ukraine’s new president into opening an investigation into Biden, has nevertheless continued to push that conspiracy theory. “Where is Hunter? — Where is Hunter? — I call him ‘Where is Hunter?’” Trump said at a White House news conference Monday. “He walked away with a fortune from Ukraine.”
His own handpicked Cabinet members, however, on Thursday, issued statements that describe Derkach’s work as part of ongoing Russian attempts to sway the outcome of the coming election.
“This action sends a clear signal: the United States will not hesitate to use all tools of national power to respond to foreign actors that seek to interfere in or otherwise influence our elections by any means,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that referred to a criminal indictment in federal court against the troll farm employees.
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“From at least late 2019 through mid-2020, Derkach waged a covert influence campaign centered on cultivating false and unsubstantiated narratives concerning U.S. officials in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, spurring corruption investigations in both Ukraine and the United States designed to culminate prior to election day,” the Treasury statement said. “Derkach’s unsubstantiated narratives were pushed in Western media through coverage of press conferences and other news events, including interviews and statements.”
“Between May and July 2020, Derkach released edited audio tapes and other unsupported information with the intent to discredit U.S. officials, and he levied unsubstantiated allegations against U.S. and international political figures. Derkach almost certainly targeted the U.S. voting populace, prominent U.S. persons, and members of the U.S. government, based on his reliance on U.S. platforms, English-language documents and videos, and pro-Russian lobbyists in the United States used to propagate his claims,” the statement said.
One of those investigations was started by Republican Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, despite warnings from U.S. intelligence that the efforts to malign Biden were being pushed by Russia.
A committee spokesman released a statement from Johnson and fellow Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, of Iowa, who has also supported the probes: “Foreign election meddling in all of its forms from any corner of the globe cannot be tolerated. We commend the Trump administration for holding accountable perpetrators of foreign interference.”
The spokesman added that the committee had not received any information from either Derkach or Giuliani, who was actively disseminating it. Last month, however, Johnson defended the probe to a Wisconsin television station and would not rule out accepting material from them. “We are getting information from a variety of sources,” he said.
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Neither Giuliani nor Charles Herring, president of One America News, responded to HuffPost queries Thursday.
OAN, which behaved as a fairly mainstream conservative news outlet during the 2016 primaries, quickly morphed into a pro-Trump propaganda channel after his election.
The White House Correspondents Association board voted to ban it from the media’s shared workspace in the West Wing for repeatedly violating the group’s agreed-upon coronavirus guidelines this spring. But its White House reporter has continued to attend briefings at the express invitation of senior Trump aides.
The outlet was deeply involved in Giuliani’s efforts to malign Biden, and heavily promoted video packages that featured him and his efforts to promote Derkach’s conspiracy theory.
Trump was so heavily invested in that theory himself that he tried to extort Ukraine’s new president into smearing Biden publicly, using $391 million in congressionally approved military aid as leverage. He was exposed because of a whistleblower’s complaint, and was ultimately impeached for the offense.
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Trump, nevertheless, has ridiculed the impeachment after Republican senators — with the exception of Utah’s Mitt Romney — voted to allow Trump to remain in office despite his actions. Trump also continues to push those same groundless accusations against Biden.
“What he’s done is so incredible. ‘I won’t give them the billion dollars,’ he says. ‘I won’t give them, unless they get rid of that prosecutor.’ And then, voila, they got rid of the prosecutor,” Trump said Monday. “And the press doesn’t even want to talk about it. You talk about quid pro quo. With me, there was none. With him, he’s right on tape, and you don’t want to cover it. You should be ashamed of yourselves. The press should be ashamed of themselves.”
The new disinformation effort mirrors Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s role in 2016, when emails stolen by his intelligence services from the Democratic National Committee and from a top campaign aide to nominee Hillary Clinton were released through WikiLeaks on a near daily basis in the final month before the election. Then-candidate Trump had been informed starting with an August intelligence briefing that Russia was behind the email thefts, and that connection was announced publicly on Oct. 7 by the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Despite this, Trump began using the material anyway, starting with his Oct. 10 rally straight through Election Day, citing it in his speeches and news interviews as evidence that Clinton was corrupt.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Poll: Just Half Of Americans Have Heard of 'Cancel Culture'

OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images Donald Trump Jr. pressed the case against `` cancel culture '' in his speech last month at the Republican National Convention .
A HuffPost/YouGov poll finds he has work to do to get his message across .
The term , which originated online , denotes withdrawing support for individuals or groups for morally objectionable behavior .
Most recently it ’ s been used in response to systemic racism within U.S. law enforcement agencies and against public figures accused of sexual assault , but has also become central to the battle on college campuses over free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the gathering .
Marsha Blackburn ( R-Tenn. ) promised that Trump would never allow for law enforcement and military “ heroes ” to be canceled , in light of recent protests against police brutality of Black Americans .
Nikki Haley , former Ambassador to the United Nations said Trump was right to fight against political correctness and “ cancel culture.
” Donald Trump Jr. , the president ’ s eldest son , said Democrats were trying to cancel the nation ’ s founders by taking down confederate monuments .
It should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in “ cancel culture ” .
And focused anger about “ cancel culture ” in the current political discourse may not be as widespread as the RNC ’ s obsession with it seemed to imply .
It ’ s best known among Trump ’ s base ; 62 % of voters who supported him in 2016 said they ’ d heard the term , compared with 54 % of Hillary Clinton voters .
But the most prominent divide has to do with attention to politics .
Roughly three-quarters of people who say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government and public affairs most of the time say they ’ ve heard of “ cancel culture , ” compared with just 42 % of those who pay less consistent attention .
Only 21 % of those who ’ ve heard the term ― about a tenth of the full public ― say they ’ ve ever used it themselves .
Younger Americans were more likely to have done so : about a third of 18-to-29-year-olds who ’ d heard of cancel culture say they ’ ve used it , compared with just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are familiar with the phrase .
The degree to which people are concerned by the phenomenon is overwhelmingly driven by partisanship .
Among Trump voters who ’ ve heard of “ cancel culture , ” 58 % call it a very serious problem in the U.S. , while just 19 % of Clinton voters do so .
Among those Trump voters aware of the term , 86 % say it ’ s at least somewhat of a problem , with 42 % of those Clinton voters doing likewise .
Among self-described political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 39 % declared it to be very serious , and two-thirds see it as at least somewhat serious .
Because the precise meaning of “ cancel culture ” remains both fraught and nebulous ― people who are concerned by it would likely define the term quite differently than those who see it as overblown ― polling on the issue can be highly dependent on the framing used .
A July Politico/Morning Consult survey , for instance , described it as “ the practice of withdrawing support for ( or canceling ) public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or said something considered objectionable or offensive , ” noting that ” [ c ] ancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming.
” Voters in that poll , by 49 % to 27 % , said that “ cancel culture ” had a negative impact on society , with 46 % saying it had gone “ too far.
” By contrast , when the same survey asked voters whether social consequences should result for expressing unpopular opinions that may be “ deeply offensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said there should be and just 31 % said people should not expect such repercussions .
Ask people if it ’ s troubling to have a culture where “ an individual ( usually a celebrity ) who has said something that offends some people is called out and shunned , ” as a Yahoo News/YouGov survey did , and 56 % will say such an environment is at least a somewhat big problem .
Define “ canceling ” as “ withdraw [ ing ] support for celebrities/public figures after they have done or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” as a separate YouGov poll did , and 60 % will say they find the response appropriate .
Use the widget below to further explore the results of the HuffPost/YouGov survey , using the menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups : Most surveys report a margin of error that represents some but not all potential survey errors .
YouGov ’ s reports include a model-based margin of error , which rests on a specific set of statistical assumptions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standard methodology for random probability sampling .
If these assumptions are wrong , the model-based margin of error may also be inaccurate .
Click here for a more detailed explanation of the model-based margin of error .

Donald Trump Jr. pressed the case against "cancel culture" in his speech last month at the Republican National Convention. A HuffPost/YouGov poll finds he has work to do to get his message across. OLIVIER DOULIERY via Getty Images
Republicans want Americans to be very afraid of Democrats “canceling” them, but only half of Americans are actually clued-in to what “cancel culture” means, a new HuffPost/YouGov poll finds.
Just half of Americans say they’ve ever heard the term “cancel culture,” according to an early September poll conducted after the Republican National Convention, where speakers repeatedly warned viewers about being “canceled.”
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The term, which originated online, denotes withdrawing support for individuals or groups for morally objectionable behavior. Most recently it’s been used in response to systemic racism within U.S. law enforcement agencies and against public figures accused of sexual assault, but has also become central to the battle on college campuses over free speech.
Republicans argue “cancel culture” is how “elite” Democrats silence everyday Americans; “To the voiceless ― shamed, censored and canceled ― my father will fight for you,” Eric Trump, President Donald Trump’s middle son, said at the GOP convention.
Others hammered the same theme at the gathering. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) promised that Trump would never allow for law enforcement and military “heroes” to be canceled, in light of recent protests against police brutality of Black Americans. Nikki Haley, former Ambassador to the United Nations said Trump was right to fight against political correctness and “cancel culture.” Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, said Democrats were trying to cancel the nation’s founders by taking down confederate monuments.
Kentucky’s Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was “captive to the radical left, a movement he characterized as committed to cancel culture and the destruction of public discourse.
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“They believe your skin color must dictate your politics,” Cameron said. “If you fail to conform while exercising your God-given right to speak and think freely, they will cut you down.”
It should be noted that conservatives and Trump also engage in “cancel culture”. And focused anger about “cancel culture” in the current political discourse may not be as widespread as the RNC’s obsession with it seemed to imply.
It’s best known among Trump’s base; 62% of voters who supported him in 2016 said they’d heard the term, compared with 54% of Hillary Clinton voters. But the most prominent divide has to do with attention to politics. Roughly three-quarters of people who say they follow what’s going on in government and public affairs most of the time say they’ve heard of “cancel culture,” compared with just 42% of those who pay less consistent attention.
Only 21% of those who’ve heard the term ― about a tenth of the full public ― say they’ve ever used it themselves. Younger Americans were more likely to have done so: about a third of 18-to-29-year-olds who’d heard of cancel culture say they’ve used it, compared with just 9% of those 65 and older who are familiar with the phrase.
The degree to which people are concerned by the phenomenon is overwhelmingly driven by partisanship. Among Trump voters who’ve heard of “cancel culture,” 58% call it a very serious problem in the U.S., while just 19% of Clinton voters do so. Among those Trump voters aware of the term, 86% say it’s at least somewhat of a problem, with 42% of those Clinton voters doing likewise. Among self-described political independents who’ve heard the term, 39% declared it to be very serious, and two-thirds see it as at least somewhat serious.
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Overall, 36% of Americans who’ve heard of cancel culture say it’s a very serious problem, with 64% saying it’s at least somewhat serious.
Because the precise meaning of “cancel culture” remains both fraught and nebulous ― people who are concerned by it would likely define the term quite differently than those who see it as overblown ― polling on the issue can be highly dependent on the framing used.
A July Politico/Morning Consult survey, for instance, described it as “the practice of withdrawing support for (or canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive,” noting that ”[c]ancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming.”
Voters in that poll, by 49% to 27%, said that “cancel culture” had a negative impact on society, with 46% saying it had gone “too far.” By contrast, when the same survey asked voters whether social consequences should result for expressing unpopular opinions that may be “deeply offensive to other people,” 53% said there should be and just 31% said people should not expect such repercussions.
Ask people if it’s troubling to have a culture where “an individual (usually a celebrity) who has said something that offends some people is called out and shunned,” as a Yahoo News/YouGov survey did, and 56% will say such an environment is at least a somewhat big problem. Define “canceling” as “withdraw[ing] support for celebrities/public figures after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive,” as a separate YouGov poll did, and 60% will say they find the response appropriate.
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The GOP focus on “cancel culture” goes hand in hand with the Trump campaign’s emphasis on political correctness in 2016 — a message that some academics say helped fuel his rise four years ago, especially paired against Clinton.
Now it appears Republicans hope that the same playbook, with different terminology, can work against Biden.
Use the widget below to further explore the results of the HuffPost/YouGov survey, using the menu at the top to select survey questions and the buttons at the bottom to filter the data by subgroups:
The HuffPost/YouGov poll consisted of 1,000 completed interviews conducted Sept. 2-5 among U.S. adults, using a sample selected from YouGov’s opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population.
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HuffPost has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov’s nationally representative opinion polling. More details on the polls’ methodology are available here.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-10--Pentagon Reverses Decision To Discontinue Military Paper Stars And Stripes

“ If the president ’ s tweeted , there probably won ’ t be much resistance from his side , @ @ @ @ @ evening .
“ We ’ re just going to keep doing what we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ some hope that we can keep going before this becomes a crisis.
” The Department @ @ @ @ @ respond to a request for comment .

“If the president’s tweeted, there probably won’t be much resistance from his side,” he told HuffPost Friday evening. “We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. Now we have some hope that we can keep going before this becomes a crisis.”
The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.