thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Trump’s Fox News Meltdown Over ‘People In Dark Shadows’ Lights Up Twitter

President Donald Trump sat down with Laura Ingraham for a lengthy interview on Fox News Monday and his critics couldn ’ t decide on the wildest part .
Trump attacked Black Lives Matter , saying the name alone was “ bad for Black people ” and compared the police officer who shot a Black man in the back seven times to a golfer who missed an easy putt .
He also presented a series of conspiracy theories , claiming “ people that are in the dark shadows ” control both “ the streets ” and former Vice President Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about an airplane : “ We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend .
And in the plane , it was almost completely loaded with thugs , wearing these dark uniforms , black uniforms , with gear and this and that.
” Trump claimed the people on the plane wanted to “ do big damage ” to the Republican National Convention , yet offered no other details .
The president ’ s claims were so wild that Ingraham jumped in to try and save him several times .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter : All of you idiots making fun of Donald and ignoring the VERY CLEAR information he ’ s trying to convey — people in the dark shadows who are getting on planes in black uniforms and flying to cities .
Shadow People Dressed In Black On Airplanes .
WAKE UP .
https : //t.co/ZhW5hX2HRV — Patton Oswalt ( @ pattonoswalt ) September 1 , 2020 You know things are bad when Laura Ingraham has to save President Trump from saying stupid things .
https : //t.co/jBBp9x7e4U — Chuck Schumer ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm sorry , but Trump 's Laura Ingraham interview is comedy gold ...
If only the fate the free world were n't at stake .
— Randi Mayem Singer ( @ rmayemsinger ) September 1 , 2020 Trump should just keep doing TV all the time because it 's going great for him .
— Schooley ( @ Rschooley ) September 1 , 2020 When you need to be saved by Laura Ingraham , it ’ s not good .
https : //t.co/FOpiTPihE1 — Kara Swisher ( @ karaswisher ) September 1 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a problem when you can ’ t even interview with laura ingraham and not just machine gun your own feet the whole time — kilgore trout , non ass-talker ( @ KT_So_It_Goes ) September 1 , 2020 Trump says `` people are pulling Biden 's strings . ''
When pressed who , he says .
`` people that you 've never heard of . ''
Trump is off the deep end folks !
https : //t.co/hO4h8c8QCH — Amy Siskind 🏳🌈 ( @ Amy_Siskind ) September 1 , 2020 If that was the part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump that the editors decided was good to put on the air , what the hell did they edit out ?
— JRehling ( @ JRehling ) September 1 , 2020 Tonight Trump talked about people in the dark shadows controlling Biden and a plane full of people wearing black uniforms and more .
And a lot of people are saying he 's nuts .
He 's not .
This is a deliberate appealing to QAnon .
Stop underestimating him .
That 's what got us here .
— Joshua Potash ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missed the follow up here ; Dark Shadows the original TV show or the movie ?
— Joyce Alene ( @ JoyceWhiteVance ) September 1 , 2020 I ’ d maybe just run this as a 30-second ad https : //t.co/K9TmBjTauI — Jon Favreau ( @ jonfavs ) September 1 , 2020 Oh my .
“ Dark shadows ” and “ people wearing black uniforms.
” How much is it worth to you that this unwell man is not president ?
$ 1 ?
$ 10 ?
$ 100 ?
Step up and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JoeBiden at : https : //t.co/8cqOQN2Ny3 https : //t.co/JhW4LjK0kF — Eric Swalwell ( @ ericswalwell ) September 1 , 2020 The cops `` CHOKED '' ?
!
?
Trump saying the Cops in Kenosha that just SHOT an Unarmed African-American man 7 times in the back `` CHOKED ... like in Golf '' .
Trump 's so bad EVEN Laura Ingraham herself stopped him & Cut Trump off for damage control !
🤬🤦🏼♂ pic.twitter.com/gLWjACFfpg — DanielNewmaη ( @ DanielNewman ) September 1 , 2020 Trump could n't even get through a softball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spiking himself multiple times and Laura having to repeatedly interject in an effort to save Trump from himself .
But Biden 's supposedly the one fearing the debates .
— Justin Baragona ( @ justinbaragona ) September 1 , 2020 This is batshit , unhinged lunacy .
Trump claims that “ dark , shadowy forces ” are controlling Biden , and that literall plane loads of Antifa folks dressed in black and riot gear are flying around the country fomenting mayhem .
https : //t.co/ypMBpHhx75 — Brad Simpson ( @ bradleyrsimpson ) September @ @ @

LOADING ERROR LOADING
President Donald Trump sat down with Laura Ingraham for a lengthy interview on Fox News Monday and his critics couldn’t decide on the wildest part.
Trump attacked Black Lives Matter, saying the name alone was “bad for Black people” and compared the police officer who shot a Black man in the back seven times to a golfer who missed an easy putt.
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“We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend. And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that.”
Trump claimed the people on the plane wanted to “do big damage” to the Republican National Convention, yet offered no other details.
The president’s claims were so wild that Ingraham jumped in to try and save him several times.
The strange interview was all the talk on Twitter:
All of you idiots making fun of Donald and ignoring the VERY CLEAR information he’s trying to convey — people in the dark shadows who are getting on planes in black uniforms and flying to cities. Shadow People Dressed In Black On Airplanes. WAKE UP. https://t.co/ZhW5hX2HRV — Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) September 1, 2020
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You know things are bad when Laura Ingraham has to save President Trump from saying stupid things. https://t.co/jBBp9x7e4U — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 1, 2020
I'm sorry, but Trump's Laura Ingraham interview is comedy gold... If only the fate the free world weren't at stake. — Randi Mayem Singer (@rmayemsinger) September 1, 2020
Is this dude ok? https://t.co/pq9vKRJHe8 — Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) September 1, 2020
Trump should just keep doing TV all the time because it's going great for him. — Schooley (@Rschooley) September 1, 2020
When you need to be saved by Laura Ingraham, it’s not good. https://t.co/FOpiTPihE1 — Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) September 1, 2020
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you know you’ve got a problem when you can’t even interview with laura ingraham and not just machine gun your own feet the whole time — kilgore trout, non ass-talker (@KT_So_It_Goes) September 1, 2020
Trump says "people are pulling Biden's strings."
When pressed who, he says. "people that you've never heard of."
Trump is off the deep end folks! https://t.co/hO4h8c8QCH — Amy Siskind 🏳🌈 (@Amy_Siskind) September 1, 2020
If that was the part of the Laura Ingraham interview of Donald Trump that the editors decided was good to put on the air, what the hell did they edit out? — JRehling (@JRehling) September 1, 2020
Tonight Trump talked about people in the dark shadows controlling Biden and a plane full of people wearing black uniforms and more. And a lot of people are saying he's nuts.
He's not. This is a deliberate appealing to QAnon. Stop underestimating him. That's what got us here. — Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) September 1, 2020
She missed the follow up here; Dark Shadows the original TV show or the movie? — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) September 1, 2020
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Dark Shadows is trending? Barnabas is pleased. pic.twitter.com/FaEPSAyNNo — V-Revolticon (@VRevolticon) September 1, 2020
I’d maybe just run this as a 30-second ad https://t.co/K9TmBjTauI — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 1, 2020
Oh my. “Dark shadows” and “people wearing black uniforms.” How much is it worth to you that this unwell man is not president? $1? $10? $100? Step up and save America from this lunatic. Elect @JoeBiden at: https://t.co/8cqOQN2Ny3 https://t.co/JhW4LjK0kF — Eric Swalwell (@ericswalwell) September 1, 2020
The cops "CHOKED"?!? Trump saying the Cops in Kenosha that just SHOT an Unarmed African-American man 7 times in the back "CHOKED...like in Golf" . Trump's so bad EVEN Laura Ingraham herself stopped him & Cut Trump off for damage control!🤬🤦🏼♂ pic.twitter.com/gLWjACFfpg — DanielNewmaη (@DanielNewman) September 1, 2020
Trump couldn't even get through a softball, super-friendly Laura Ingraham interview tonight without spiking himself multiple times and Laura having to repeatedly interject in an effort to save Trump from himself.
But Biden's supposedly the one fearing the debates. — Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 1, 2020
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This is batshit, unhinged lunacy. Trump claims that “dark, shadowy forces” are controlling Biden, and that literall plane loads of Antifa folks dressed in black and riot gear are flying around the country fomenting mayhem. https://t.co/ypMBpHhx75 — Brad Simpson (@bradleyrsimpson) September 1, 2020


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Trump’s Latest Excuse: COVID-19 Only Counts When It Kills The Perfectly Healthy

Leah Millis/Reuters White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany takes questions from reporters during a daily press briefing at the White House on Monday .
McEnany repeated the false information about COVID-19 deaths at the briefing .
Twitter removed the tweet , saying it violated the platform ’ s rules .
But it quickly became the party line .
Gateway Pundit , a far-right conspiracist website , accused the CDC of releasing its data “ quietly , ” while Dinesh D ’ Souza , the right-wing polemicist , called it “ a brewing scandal of epic proportions .
Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pundit post .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeated the falsehood on Monday as fact .
What is misleading and minimizing about blaming preexisting conditions for the coronavirus death toll , or treating people with preexisting conditions as inevitable casualties of the pandemic , is that more than half of U.S. adults have some type of underlying medical condition .
It also risks suggesting to Americans that the illness is dangerous to only a select group of people .
What that data shows is that among deaths determined to be related to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death certificates list COVID-19 as the sole cause of death and 94 % list a variety of “ additional conditions or causes.
” Some “ additional causes ” were chronic medical conditions such as diabetes .
Others were common symptoms of coronavirus , such as respiratory failure , pneumonia and cardiac arrest .
The upshot is that not all “ additional causes ” point to a preexisting condition .
And it is not possible , from the CDC ’ s superficial figures , to tell who might have had a preexisting illness but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who would have lived for years if they hadn ’ t contracted the deadly disease .
The measure of the impact of a pandemic is its impact on the population as it already exists , not its impact on a small , healthy , isolated population with no preexisting conditions .
Dr. Nancy Krieger , a professor of social epidemiology at the Harvard T.H .
Chan School of Public Health .
“ That is just ridiculous , ” said Dr. Nancy Krieger , a professor of social epidemiology at the Harvard T.H .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ death certificates should reflect and how they should be filled out raise complicated questions even among physicians , she said , and the overview released by the CDC is way too superficial to draw sweeping conclusions about who would and would not have died if it weren ’ t for the coronavirus infection .
“ The measure of the impact of a pandemic is its impact on the population as it already exists , not its impact on a small , healthy , isolated population with no preexisting conditions .
… That ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ To the extent that some people are just now waking up and realizing , ‘ Oh , wow , a lot of people are not doing so great , in terms of their health ’ — that ’ s an important public health awakening , but that ’ s not a reason to say COVID only counts if it kills people who seem to be otherwise healthy.
” It ’ s important to recognize that it ’ s not some ‘ other people ’ that are vulnerable .
Caitlin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopkins Center for Health Security Conditions that are high-risk include extremely common ones , such as diabetes , obesity , kidney disease and heart disease .
Experts also urge extra caution for people with asthma , lung disease and high blood pressure , or those who are pregnant or who smoke .
Just one of those conditions , obesity , affects an estimated 42.4 % of adults in the U.S. People of color , especially Black and Latinx people , are more likely to live with underlying medical conditions and to lack health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manage those conditions .
But a growing body of evidence shows that underlying health disparities are not adequate to explain why Black and Latinx people are dying of COVID-19 disproportionately .
“ They ’ re getting more exposure , ” Krieger said .
People are more likely to contract the coronavirus if they work essential and service jobs that can not be done remotely , ride public transportation or live in small or crowded living spaces due to lower wages .
“ And guess who ’ s most overrepresented in those categories ?
@

LOADING ERROR LOADING
Hours before the United States surpassed 6 million coronavirus cases and reached a death toll of 183,000, President Donald Trump and his defenders seized on an amateurish misreading of federal data to claim that the COVID-19 pandemic has killed hardly anyone at all.
It started Sunday, when Trump retweeted a QAnon conspiracist who claimed that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “quietly” “admit[ted] that only 6%” of coronavirus casualties “actually died from Covid.”
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Twitter removed the tweet, saying it violated the platform’s rules. But it quickly became the party line. Gateway Pundit, a far-right conspiracist website, accused the CDC of releasing its data “quietly,” while Dinesh D’Souza, the right-wing polemicist, called it “a brewing scandal of epic proportions.” Trump’s legal adviser Jenna Ellis retweeted the Gateway Pundit post. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany repeated the falsehood on Monday as fact.
The implication of the message is that the vast majority of pandemic victims were already at death’s door because of another condition. But that’s not what the data says.
What is misleading and minimizing about blaming preexisting conditions for the coronavirus death toll, or treating people with preexisting conditions as inevitable casualties of the pandemic, is that more than half of U.S. adults have some type of underlying medical condition. It also risks suggesting to Americans that the illness is dangerous to only a select group of people.
The false claims stem from a misinterpretation of a routine CDC update about national coronavirus figures.
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What that data shows is that among deaths determined to be related to the coronavirus, 6% of the death certificates list COVID-19 as the sole cause of death and 94% list a variety of “additional conditions or causes.” Some “additional causes” were chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. Others were common symptoms of coronavirus, such as respiratory failure, pneumonia and cardiac arrest.
The upshot is that not all “additional causes” point to a preexisting condition. And it is not possible, from the CDC’s superficial figures, to tell who might have had a preexisting illness but died primarily of the coronavirus, or who would have lived for years if they hadn’t contracted the deadly disease.
“The measure of the impact of a pandemic is its impact on the population as it already exists, not its impact on a small, healthy, isolated population with no preexisting conditions.” - Dr. Nancy Krieger, a professor of social epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
But Trump supporters have falsely represented those figures to mean that only 6% of COVID-19 victims truly died of COVID-19.
“That is just ridiculous,” said Dr. Nancy Krieger, a professor of social epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. What death certificates should reflect and how they should be filled out raise complicated questions even among physicians, she said, and the overview released by the CDC is way too superficial to draw sweeping conclusions about who would and would not have died if it weren’t for the coronavirus infection.
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“Anyone who thinks they can say off the top of their heads what they think a death certificate says is absolutely wrong,” Krieger said. “It’s not straightforward, and it requires knowledge, not opinion.”
A more accurate measure of the pandemic and its enormous toll comes from excess mortality, Krieger said. Since March, when the pandemic started, the United States has suffered 200,000 more deaths than usual.
“The measure of the impact of a pandemic is its impact on the population as it already exists, not its impact on a small, healthy, isolated population with no preexisting conditions. … That’s not how diseases work,” she said. “To the extent that some people are just now waking up and realizing, ‘Oh, wow, a lot of people are not doing so great, in terms of their health’ — that’s an important public health awakening, but that’s not a reason to say COVID only counts if it kills people who seem to be otherwise healthy.”
“It’s important to recognize that it’s not some ‘other people’ that are vulnerable.” - Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Public health experts, including those at the CDC, have warned throughout the pandemic that people with certain preexisting health conditions are at higher risk for severe complications or death from contracting the coronavirus.
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Conditions that are high-risk include extremely common ones, such as diabetes, obesity, kidney disease and heart disease. Experts also urge extra caution for people with asthma, lung disease and high blood pressure, or those who are pregnant or who smoke. Just one of those conditions, obesity, affects an estimated 42.4% of adults in the U.S.
“It’s important to recognize that it’s not some ‘other people’ that are vulnerable,” Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The New York Times in May. “The kinds of conditions that put people at higher risk are extremely common.”
Blaming health risk factors also obscures the role that racial and economic inequality plays in determining who suffers severely or dies of COVID-19.
People of color, especially Black and Latinx people, are more likely to live with underlying medical conditions and to lack health insurance or adequate health care needed to manage those conditions. But a growing body of evidence shows that underlying health disparities are not adequate to explain why Black and Latinx people are dying of COVID-19 disproportionately.
“They’re getting more exposure,” Krieger said. People are more likely to contract the coronavirus if they work essential and service jobs that cannot be done remotely, ride public transportation or live in small or crowded living spaces due to lower wages. “And guess who’s most overrepresented in those categories?”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Progressives Are Rushing To Block Former Republican From Winning A Safe Democratic Seat

Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe via Getty Images Some progressive groups are trying to rally around Jesse Mermell , a former top aide to Gov .
Deval Patrick , to block moderate candidate Jake Auchincloss in the Democratic primary in Massachusetts ’ 4th Congressional District .
Rep. Joe Kennedy ’ s decision to abandon the seat , which includes a mixture of high-income suburbs closer to Boston , college towns and the old textile city of Fall River toward its southern end , created a massive primary field .
Progressives now fear Jake Auchincloss , a Newton City Council member and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Charlie Baker , will win the seat with a relatively small percentage of the vote while five more liberal candidates split the progressive vote .
“ Auchincloss is the Charlie Baker candidate .
He has moderate positions on most things and will change his stripes as necessary , ” said Matt Sienkiewicz , a communications professor at Boston College and a progressive activist .
“ There ’ s no reason that Auchincloss would stand a chance if there were not so much division.
” Auchincloss ’ s advantages , in fundraising and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late push to unite behind Jesse Mermell , a former Brookline Select Board member and communications aide to former Democratic Gov .
Deval Patrick .
The Working Families Party , a New York-based progressive group , endorsed her on Friday .
Two former candidates who dropped out of the race also endorsed Mermell earlier in August .
( Sienkiewicz , who lives in Brookline , is backing Mermell as well . )
The race illustrates the danger of the wait-and-see approach many left-wing groups take to primaries .
Though Democratic establishment groups , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee , often endorse early to rally resources to their preferred candidates , many progressives worry that early endorsements short-circuit the Democratic process and limit choices for voters .
But that approach has harmed the left in multiple races this year .
In Colorado ’ s Senate race , for instance , a slew of more liberal candidates were bickering among themselves while the DSCC recruited moderate former Gov .
John Hickenlooper and then quickly endorsed him .
Hickenlooper easily won the primary .
The most glaring example was in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where Ruben Díaz Sr. , a New York City councilman and evangelical pastor with a history of homophobic and pro-Trump comments , threatened to win a seat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won with 94 % of the vote in 2016 .
A similarly late push there lifted New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres to victory over a deep field of progressives and liberals in the June primary .
The failure to quickly consolidate shows how , even as left-wing groups grow in electoral sophistication , they remain unwilling to adopt some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic Party ’ s establishment .
Maurice Mitchell , the national director of the Working Families Party , said the group can ’ t always endorse early .
“ Each district and its race , there ’ s so many factors and variables , it ’ s hard to make a blanket statement , ” he said .
“ We want a unified left , and we want to do the early work and early organizing when there ’ s a truly progressive candidate .
But there ’ s nothing structurally wrong with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted having multiple progressive candidates in a race is a sign the movement is growing : “ The root of this is not bad .
The more AOCs , the more Cori Bushes and the more Jamaal Bowmans you have , the more people are going to think they can run for Congress and city council.
” Sean McElwee , the co-founder of the progressive think tank Data for Progress , conducted an earlier August poll showing Mermell and Auchincloss in a virtual tie .
He said there were clear similarities between June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Bronx and Tuesday ’ s battle in greater Boston ’ s Brookline .
“ You have the right-wing Dem who nobody wants .
You ’ ve got the Dem Party hack .
You ’ ve got the [ Democratic Socialists of America ] candidate who has no experience and does not have much of a reputation for doing a lot of organizing , ” he said , referring to Auchincloss , Grossman and Leckey .
But he said Mermell , like Torres before her , was likely to emerge from the race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got someone who has been doing politics for a decade and a half , is progressive to her bones but doesn ’ t do enough posting of the variety that makes the online left happy .
In both cases , you ’ re seeing consolidation around the viable candidate.
” Auchincloss jumped out to a lead on the back of a spending advantage : He had raised $ 1.7 million as of the most recent Federal Election Commission reporting deadline and was the beneficiary of more than $ 500,000 in spending from a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by his parents .
But he also separated himself by highlighting his military service , running on a more moderate platform and promising to push gun control policies .
But not long after the Boston Globe ’ s editorial board endorsed him , his opponents began highlighting a history of less-than-liberal and at times offensive comments .
He once compared the Confederate flag to a gay pride flag .
As a college student , he wrote of the Quran : “ [ S ] o we can ’ t burn their book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” He ’ s since apologized for the remark .
Mermell has the backing of Rep. Ayanna Pressley , who represents an adjacent district , state Attorney General Maura Healy and of a number of labor unions , including the Massachusetts Nurses Association , the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the SEIU Massachusetts State Council .
Her ads have played up those endorsements and emphasized her support for abortion rights , the Green New Deal and “ Medicare for All.
” The progressive consolidation is not total .
Rep. Ro Khanna ( D-Calif. ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Ilhan Omar ( D-Minn. ) endorsed Leckey in July .
Leckey ended up preemptively rejecting the endorsement of the Boston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America , after the group announced in August that , as part of its process , it was seriously assessing recent allegations that the candidate had mistreated her campaign staff .

Some progressive groups are trying to rally around Jesse Mermell, a former top aide to Gov. Deval Patrick, to block moderate candidate Jake Auchincloss in the Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District. Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe via Getty Images
Progressive groups are making a late push to block a former Republican from taking advantage of a divided field of left-leaning candidates and winning a safely Democratic seat in the Boston suburbs on Tuesday.
Rep. Joe Kennedy’s decision to abandon the seat, which includes a mixture of high-income suburbs closer to Boston, college towns and the old textile city of Fall River toward its southern end, created a massive primary field. Progressives now fear Jake Auchincloss, a Newton City Council member and former campaign staffer for popular Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, will win the seat with a relatively small percentage of the vote while five more liberal candidates split the progressive vote.
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“Auchincloss is the Charlie Baker candidate. He has moderate positions on most things and will change his stripes as necessary,” said Matt Sienkiewicz, a communications professor at Boston College and a progressive activist. “There’s no reason that Auchincloss would stand a chance if there were not so much division.”
Auchincloss’s advantages, in fundraising and in public polling, have created a late push to unite behind Jesse Mermell, a former Brookline Select Board member and communications aide to former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick. The Working Families Party, a New York-based progressive group, endorsed her on Friday. Two former candidates who dropped out of the race also endorsed Mermell earlier in August. (Sienkiewicz, who lives in Brookline, is backing Mermell as well.)
The race illustrates the danger of the wait-and-see approach many left-wing groups take to primaries. Though Democratic establishment groups, including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, often endorse early to rally resources to their preferred candidates, many progressives worry that early endorsements short-circuit the Democratic process and limit choices for voters.
But that approach has harmed the left in multiple races this year. In Colorado’s Senate race, for instance, a slew of more liberal candidates were bickering among themselves while the DSCC recruited moderate former Gov. John Hickenlooper and then quickly endorsed him. Hickenlooper easily won the primary.
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The most glaring example was in New York’s 15th District, where Ruben Díaz Sr., a New York City councilman and evangelical pastor with a history of homophobic and pro-Trump comments, threatened to win in a district former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won with 94% of the vote in 2016. A similarly late push there lifted New York City Councilman Ritchie Torres to victory over a deep field of progressives and liberals in the June primary.
The failure to quickly consolidate shows how, even as left-wing groups grow in electoral sophistication, they remain unwilling to adopt some of the win-at-all-costs tactics employed by the Democratic Party’s establishment. Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the Working Families Party, said the group can’t always endorse early.
“Each district and its race, there’s so many factors and variables, it’s hard to make a blanket statement,” he said. “We want a unified left, and we want to do the early work and early organizing when there’s a truly progressive candidate. But there’s nothing structurally wrong with a robust, multi-candidate primary.”
Mitchell noted having multiple progressive candidates in a race is a sign the movement is growing: “The root of this is not bad. The more AOCs, the more Cori Bushes and the more Jamaal Bowmans you have, the more people are going to think they can run for Congress and city council.”
In Tuesday’s race, Mermell and Auchincloss are joined by Ihssane Leckey, a former Federal Reserve regulator who is running as a socialist; Newton City Council member Becky Grossman, the daughter-in-law of former Democratic National Committee Chair Steve Grossman; Alan Khazei, the co-founder of the educational nonprofit City Year; and epidemiologist Natalia Linos.
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A poll released Monday, conducted by RABA Research for the news outlet Jewish Insider, found Auchincloss and Mermell essentially neck-and-neck, earning 23% and 22% of the vote, respectively. Grossman was earning 15%, while 11% were backing Leckey and 10% were unsure.
Sean McElwee, the co-founder of the progressive think tank Data for Progress, conducted an earlier August poll showing Mermell and Auchincloss in a virtual tie. He said there were clear similarities between June’s battle in New York’s Bronx and Tuesday’s battle in greater Boston’s Brookline.
“You have the right-wing Dem who nobody wants. You’ve got the Dem Party hack. You’ve got the [Democratic Socialists of America] candidate who has no experience and does not have much of a reputation for doing a lot of organizing,” he said, referring to Auchincloss, Grossman and Leckey.
But he said Mermell, like Torres before her, was likely to emerge from the race: “And then you’ve got someone who has been doing politics for a decade and a half, is progressive to her bones but doesn’t do enough posting of the variety that makes the online left happy. In both cases, you’re seeing consolidation around the viable candidate.”
Auchincloss jumped out to a lead on the back of a spending advantage: He had raised $1.7 million as of the most recent Federal Election Commission reporting deadline and was the beneficiary of more than $500,000 in spending from a super PAC funded, in part, by his parents. But he also separated himself by highlighting his military service, running on a more moderate platform and promising to push gun control policies.
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But not long after the Boston Globe’s editorial board endorsed him, his opponents began highlighting a history of less-than-liberal and at times offensive comments. He once compared the Confederate flag to a gay pride flag. As a college student, he wrote of the Quran: “[S]o we can’t burn their book, but they can burn our flag?” He’s since apologized for the remark.
Mermell has the backing of Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who represents an adjacent district, state Attorney General Maura Healy and of a number of labor unions, including the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the SEIU Massachusetts State Council. Her ads have played up those endorsements and emphasized her support for abortion rights, the Green New Deal and “Medicare for All.”
The progressive consolidation is not total. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) had backed Grossman in June, while Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) endorsed Leckey in July. Leckey ended up preemptively rejecting the endorsement of the Boston chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, after the group announced in August that, as part of its process, it was seriously assessing recent allegations that the candidate had mistreated her campaign staff.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-08-31--GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Touts 'Citizen Soldiers' To 'Overwhelm Rioters'

Sen. Ron Johnson , a Wisconsin Republican , said that “ citizen soldiers ” should mobilize to “ overwhelm rioters ” on the streets of America .
As for the fatal shooting of protesters in Kenosha last week , he said in a CNN interview Sunday : “ Two people died because citizens took matters into their own hands .
I ’ m not for vigilantism ; I ’ m not sure that ’ s what was happening.
” Johnson declared that “ the way you stop the violence , the way you stop the rioting , is you surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Guard , and you overwhelm the number of rioters.
” Ben Voelkel , a spokesman for Johnson , told HuffPost that the senator was “ of course ” referring to the National Guard as “ citizen soldiers.
” Guard members are known as citizen soldiers , but the term is also used to refer to private militias — like the Kenosha Guard that recruited members on Facebook until their page was shut down for violating the social platform ’ s ban on militias .
Voelkel did not comment on Johnson ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ citizens ” taking “ matters into their own hands.
” Kyle Rittenhouse , 17 , has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon in the Aug. 25 killing of two protesters who were unarmed , according to the criminal complaint against him .
Rittenhouse , a supporter of President Donald Trump , traveled from his home in Illinois to stalk Kenosha protesters armed with a semiautomatic “ AR-15 style ” rifle , which is illegal for a minor to own , the court documents noted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three times at one of the victims , according to an eyewitness account in the complaint .
Johnson refused to condemn the shootings , despite being repeatedly pressed to do so by CNN host Dana Bash .
He said “ it ’ s a tragedy ” six times when Bash asked the question again and again .
`` I 'm not for vigilantism .
I 'm not sure that 's what was happening ... people took matters into their own hands '' -- Ron Johnson wo n't condemn Kyle Rittenhouse , a Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for killing two protesters in Kenosha pic.twitter.com/NE0oumPk5X — Aaron Rupar ( @ atrupar ) August 30 , 2020 Check out the CNN exchanges in the two clips above .

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Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said that “citizen soldiers” should mobilize to “overwhelm rioters” on the streets of America.
As for the fatal shooting of protesters in Kenosha last week, he said in a CNN interview Sunday: “Two people died because citizens took matters into their own hands. I’m not for vigilantism; I’m not sure that’s what was happening.”
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Johnson declared that “the way you stop the violence, the way you stop the rioting, is you surge manpower and resources, citizen soldiers, National Guard, and you overwhelm the number of rioters.”
Ben Voelkel, a spokesman for Johnson, told HuffPost that the senator was “of course” referring to the National Guard as “citizen soldiers.” Guard members are known as citizen soldiers, but the term is also used to refer to private militias — like the Kenosha Guard that recruited members on Facebook until their page was shut down for violating the social platform’s ban on militias.
Voelkel did not comment on Johnson’s characterization of the killings of the protesters as “citizens” taking “matters into their own hands.”
Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon in the Aug. 25 killing of two protesters who were unarmed, according to the criminal complaint against him. Rittenhouse, a supporter of President Donald Trump, traveled from his home in Illinois to stalk Kenosha protesters armed with a semiautomatic “AR-15 style” rifle, which is illegal for a minor to own, the court documents noted. He aimed and fired at least three times at one of the victims, according to an eyewitness account in the complaint.
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Johnson refused to condemn the shootings, despite being repeatedly pressed to do so by CNN host Dana Bash. He said “it’s a tragedy” six times when Bash asked the question again and again.
“A tragedy could be a car accident,” Bash responded. “Do you condemn this?” Johnson didn’t answer the question.
"I'm not for vigilantism. I'm not sure that's what was happening ... people took matters into their own hands" -- Ron Johnson won't condemn Kyle Rittenhouse, a Trump supporter who is charged with first-degree murder for killing two protesters in Kenosha pic.twitter.com/NE0oumPk5X — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 30, 2020
Are “citizen soldiers” allowed to be Black? Are Black people able to walk around with AR-15s and shoot protesters they disagree with? I’m curious. — Touré (@Toure) August 31, 2020
'Citizen soldiers' BOOGALOO BOYS — Sandi Bachom (@sandibachom) August 31, 2020
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Head Of USPS Board Of Governors Is Also Director Of Mitch McConnell Super PAC

The revelation about Chairman Robert “ Mike ” Duncan comes as Democrats are accusing President Donald Trump , the postmaster general and Republicans of sabotaging the Postal Service in an attempt to suppress mail-in voting , supposedly to tip the election in Trump ’ s favor .
If that doesn ’ t work , critics say , Trump will point to any ballot delivery problems to challenge election result in the event of his loss .
Duncan previously served as general counsel and then chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 to 2009 , when the committee and its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter disenfranchisement efforts in swing states .
One of the tactics was manipulating mail-in votes .
Duncan was also listed earlier this year as a director of American Crossroads , a super PAC that ’ s backing Trump in the 2020 election , according to CNBC .
Duncan , from Republican McConnell ’ s home state of Kentucky , was handpicked for his role by Trump .
His board of governors in turn named Louis DeJoy , a prominent contributor to the Trump campaign , as postmaster general in June .
Most members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of governors have numerous ties to the Republican Party as well as to Trump ’ s associates and administration , CNBC has reported .
Since he was named postmaster general , DeJoy has been dismantling Postal Service processes , causing major delivery delays .
Hundreds of mail-sorting machines and letter collection boxes in several states have been disabled or taken out .
DeJoy also announced a halt to overtime pay for letter carriers and a new limit on hours when mail can be delivered .
Amid the cutbacks , the USPS sent a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be disenfranchised because their mail-in ballots may not be delivered in time to meet deadlines .
Trump has all but admitted he is blocking a desperately needed infusion of funds to the cash-strapped Postal Service , knowing it will hamstring voting by mail .
The president has already declared , without any evidence , that the Nov. 3 election will be the “ most corrupt ” in U.S. history because of the anticipated wide use of mail-in ballots as voters try to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19 .
Trump and first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail this month in the Florida primary .

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The revelation about Chairman Robert “Mike” Duncan comes as Democrats are accusing President Donald Trump, the postmaster general and Republicans of sabotaging the Postal Service in an attempt to suppress mail-in voting, supposedly to tip the election in Trump’s favor. If that doesn’t work, critics say, Trump will point to any ballot delivery problems to challenge election result in the event of his loss.
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Duncan previously served as general counsel and then chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 to 2009, when the committee and its state counterparts supervised an unprecedented escalation of voter disenfranchisement efforts in swing states. One of the tactics was manipulating mail-in votes.
Duncan was also listed earlier this year as a director of American Crossroads, a super PAC that’s backing Trump in the 2020 election, according to CNBC.
Duncan, from Republican McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, was handpicked for his role by Trump. His board of governors in turn named Louis DeJoy, a prominent contributor to the Trump campaign, as postmaster general in June.
Most members of the Postal Service’s board of governors have numerous ties to the Republican Party as well as to Trump’s associates and administration, CNBC has reported.
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🚨 NEW: in paperwork filed minutes ago, USPS Board of Governors Chairman Robert M. Duncan is listed as Director of Mitch McConnell's $130M super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund.https://t.co/vYxNfIag9F pic.twitter.com/ILOzdXcCPb — Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) August 31, 2020
Since he was named postmaster general, DeJoy has been dismantling Postal Service processes, causing major delivery delays. Hundreds of mail-sorting machines and letter collection boxes in several states have been disabled or taken out. DeJoy also announced a halt to overtime pay for letter carriers and a new limit on hours when mail can be delivered.
Amid the cutbacks, the USPS sent a letter to 46 states warning that voters could be disenfranchised because their mail-in ballots may not be delivered in time to meet deadlines.
Trump has all but admitted he is blocking a desperately needed infusion of funds to the cash-strapped Postal Service, knowing it will hamstring voting by mail.
The president has already declared, without any evidence, that the Nov. 3 election will be the “most corrupt” in U.S. history because of the anticipated wide use of mail-in ballots as voters try to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19. Trump and first lady Melania Trump, however, voted by mail this month in the Florida primary.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Democrats Take Aim At Susan Collins’ Lobbyist Husband As Maine Race Heats Up

Sen. Susan Collins ( R-Maine ) pushed and voted for policies that benefited her husband ’ s consulting and lobbying business , positions Democrats are set to attack in what is quickly becoming one of the most contentious and expensive Senate races in the country .
Collins is in a tight race with Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon in a race Democrats almost certainly need to win to have a chance at taking back control of the U.S. Senate .
The race , which has brought an unprecedented barrage of tens of millions of dollars worth of television advertising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Democrats and Republicans are now airing television ads attacking the husbands .
“ She tried to raise her taxes , but her family didn ’ t pay their own taxes on time , ” a female narrator says in an ad slamming Gideon , referring to tax liens levied against a condo project her husband invested in .
The ad is from 1820 PAC , a super PAC whose largest donors are ultra-wealthy Wall Street executives .
The attacks highlight how the race has become the nastiest of Collins ’ long career @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared to turn even relatively routine , bipartisan elements of Collins ’ four terms in the Senate into fodder for attack ads , arguing she has become an irredeemable creature of the Washington “ swamp.
” Republicans , meanwhile , are desperate to find new points of attack on Gideon that could damage her image enough to persuade Maine voters to cast ballots for Collins even though they are likely to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden , who is almost certain to win the state .
Democrats are ready to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thomas Daffron , a longtime Republican operative who served as a chief of staff to three senators and spent the end of his career as the chief operating officer of Jefferson Consulting Group , a lobbying and consulting firm .
The company received nearly $ 60 million worth of government contracts from 2006 to 2016 , when Daffron retired .
Collins and Daffron have known each other since the 1970s but began dating in 2010 and married in 2012 .
For much of that time , Collins was a senior GOP member of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee , which oversees government contracting .
Two actions Collins took could have directly benefited her future husband ’ s business : In 2011 , Collins voted to repeal a 3 % withholding tax on government contractors .
In the same year , she led a push to stop President Barack Obama ’ s administration from implementing a rule requiring government contractors to disclose their political giving .
“ Mr .
Daffron never once lobbied Sen. Collins on any issue , ” said Kevin Kelley , a spokesperson for Collins .
“ Sara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be untruthful about Sen. Collins ’ record .
They want to distract from the fact that Gideon ’ s $ 4 million family business skipped paying taxes for four years.
” But a layer of bipartisanship is unlikely to stop Democratic attacks : An ad from another Schumer-backed group , airing now in Maine , criticizes Collins for her authorship of a law that is now blamed for causing massive financial problems at the U.S .
Postal Service .
The law passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers of Congress , but the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 200,000 worth of donations from private delivery companies .
The idea that Collins has shifted from a common-sense centrist to a hack for business and right-wing interest groups has been a central argument in Democratic attacks ads in the race , and Gideon ’ s allies are almost certain to mine Daffron ’ s career for nuggets to use against Collins .
But 1820 PAC and Collins have already taken direct aim at Gideon ’ s husband , Ben , hitting his law firm for receiving a loan from the Paycheck Protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the program , and for his investments in a condo project that went haywire during the 2008 financial crash .
The company formed to handle the condo project was late in paying $ 57,000 in taxes .
“ My husband years and years ago was involved in a business venture , and there were these liens that existed for a short period of time .
It was in 2008 , when the housing market crashed and , in fact , that business that he was involved with ― not a family business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taxes and settled everything with the bank in a timely manner , ” she told reporters in Maine last month .

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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) pushed and voted for policies that benefited her husband’s consulting and lobbying business, positions Democrats are set to attack in what is quickly becoming one of the most contentious and expensive Senate races in the country.
Collins is in a tight race with Democratic state House Speaker Sara Gideon in a race Democrats almost certainly need to win to have a chance at taking back control of the U.S. Senate. The race, which has brought an unprecedented barrage of tens of millions of dollars worth of television advertising to Maine, has become increasingly nasty. Democrats and Republicans are now airing television ads attacking the husbands.
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“Collins’ husband, a former lobbyist, profited off the opioid crisis,” the male narrator says in an ad from Duty and Honor, a Democratic nonprofit controlled by allies of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“She tried to raise her taxes, but her family didn’t pay their own taxes on time,” a female narrator says in an ad slamming Gideon, referring to tax liens levied against a condo project her husband invested in. The ad is from 1820 PAC, a super PAC whose largest donors are ultra-wealthy Wall Street executives.
The attacks highlight how the race has become the nastiest of Collins’ long career in politics and show how Democrats are prepared to turn even relatively routine, bipartisan elements of Collins’ four terms in the Senate into fodder for attack ads, arguing she has become an irredeemable creature of the Washington “swamp.”
Republicans, meanwhile, are desperate to find new points of attack on Gideon that could damage her image enough to persuade Maine voters to cast ballots for Collins even though they are likely to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who is almost certain to win the state.
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Democrats are ready to take direct aim at Collins’ husband, Thomas Daffron, a longtime Republican operative who served as a chief of staff to three senators and spent the end of his career as the chief operating officer of Jefferson Consulting Group, a lobbying and consulting firm. The company received nearly $60 million worth of government contracts from 2006 to 2016, when Daffron retired.
Collins and Daffron have known each other since the 1970s but began dating in 2010 and married in 2012. For much of that time, Collins was a senior GOP member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which oversees government contracting.
Two actions Collins took could have directly benefited her future husband’s business: In 2011, Collins voted to repeal a 3% withholding tax on government contractors. In the same year, she led a push to stop President Barack Obama’s administration from implementing a rule requiring government contractors to disclose their political giving.
Collins’ team notes both actions were bipartisan: The Senate vote was 95-0 on the tax repeal. And Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, independent Sen. Joe Lieberman and GOP Sen. Rob Portman all joined Collins in her letter protesting Obama’s proposed rule, which the White House ultimately abandoned.
“Mr. Daffron never once lobbied Sen. Collins on any issue,” said Kevin Kelley, a spokesperson for Collins. “Sara Gideon and her partisan allies continue to be untruthful about Sen. Collins’ record. They want to distract from the fact that Gideon’s $4 million family business skipped paying taxes for four years.”
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But a layer of bipartisanship is unlikely to stop Democratic attacks: An ad from another Schumer-backed group, airing now in Maine, criticizes Collins for her authorship of a law that is now blamed for causing massive financial problems at the U.S. Postal Service. The law passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers of Congress, but the group links Collins’ support to the $200,000 worth of donations from private delivery companies.
“Money changes everything, even Susan Collins,” the narrator says at the end of the ad.
The idea that Collins has shifted from a common-sense centrist to a hack for business and right-wing interest groups has been a central argument in Democratic attacks ads in the race, and Gideon’s allies are almost certain to mine Daffron’s career for nuggets to use against Collins.
But 1820 PAC and Collins have already taken direct aim at Gideon’s husband, Ben, hitting his law firm for receiving a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program, despite Gideon’s criticisms of the program, and for his investments in a condo project that went haywire during the 2008 financial crash. The company formed to handle the condo project was late in paying $57,000 in taxes.
Gideon has said Collins’ attacks overstate her family’s role in the project.
“My husband years and years ago was involved in a business venture, and there were these liens that existed for a short period of time. It was in 2008, when the housing market crashed and, in fact, that business that he was involved with ― not a family business ― did pay off all of the taxes and settled everything with the bank in a timely manner,” she told reporters in Maine last month.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--'Too Weak, Too Scared': Biden Hits 'Unfit' Trump For Refusing To Rebuke Violence

Former Vice President Joe Biden described President Donald Trump as weak , scared and unfit for refusing to rebuke violent acts by some of his own supporters .
On Monday , Biden traveled to Pennsylvania , where he condemned the violence that had marred some Black Lives Matter protests as “ wrong in every way.
” “ Rioting is not protesting .
Looting is not protesting .
Setting fires is not protesting , ” Biden said .
“ None of this is protesting .
It ’ s lawlessness , plain and simple.
” Biden also demanded that Trump disavow violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows how weak he is.
” The president didn ’ t bite when asked by reporters later in the day if he would condemn the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse , the teen Trump supporter who allegedly shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
Instead , Trump defended him , saying Rittenhouse was “ very violently attacked.
” Biden said in a statement Monday night that the refusal showed Trump was “ too weak and too scared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put an end to it.
” “ So once again , I urge the president to join me in saying that while peaceful protest is a right — a necessity — violence is wrong , period .
No matter who does it , no matter what political affiliation they have .
Period.
” “ If Donald Trump can ’ t say that , then he is unfit to be president and his preference for more violence — not less — is clear , ” Biden added .
Biden also called out the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who fired paintball guns and other materials into a crowd of demonstrators in Portland , Oregon over the weekend .
Today ’ s press conference made it clear : we are all less safe because Donald Trump has failed at his job .
We need a President who will stop violence — not incite it .
pic.twitter.com/AhGNZCDQkr — Joe Biden ( @ JoeBiden ) September 1 , 2020 One member of a right-wing group was shot and killed in a confrontation during the Portland demonstrations .
It ’ s not yet clear what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the protests .
At the time of this writing , police have not named a suspect .

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Former Vice President Joe Biden described President Donald Trump as weak, scared and unfit for refusing to rebuke violent acts by some of his own supporters.
On Monday, Biden traveled to Pennsylvania, where he condemned the violence that had marred some Black Lives Matter protests as “wrong in every way.”
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“Rioting is not protesting. Looting is not protesting. Setting fires is not protesting,” Biden said. “None of this is protesting. It’s lawlessness, plain and simple.”
Biden also demanded that Trump disavow violence, saying “his failure to call on his own supporters to stop acting as an armed militia in this country shows how weak he is.”
The president didn’t bite when asked by reporters later in the day if he would condemn the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen Trump supporter who allegedly shot and killed two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Instead, Trump defended him, saying Rittenhouse was “very violently attacked.”
Biden said in a statement Monday night that the refusal showed Trump was “too weak and too scared of the hatred he had stirred to put an end to it.”
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Biden added:
“So once again, I urge the president to join me in saying that while peaceful protest is a right — a necessity — violence is wrong, period. No matter who does it, no matter what political affiliation they have. Period.”
“If Donald Trump can’t say that, then he is unfit to be president and his preference for more violence — not less — is clear,” Biden added.
Biden also called out the president for praising right-wing militants carrying Trump flags who fired paintball guns and other materials into a crowd of demonstrators in Portland, Oregon over the weekend.
Trump claimed they were “peaceful” because “paint is not bullets.”
Today’s press conference made it clear: we are all less safe because Donald Trump has failed at his job.
We need a President who will stop violence — not incite it. pic.twitter.com/AhGNZCDQkr — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 1, 2020
One member of a right-wing group was shot and killed in a confrontation during the Portland demonstrations. It’s not yet clear what sparked the incident and if it was related to the protests. At the time of this writing, police have not named a suspect.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Trump Set To Visit Kenosha As Turmoil Over Jacob Blake Shooting Continues

President Donald Trump defended his decision to visit Kenosha , Wisconsin , on Tuesday following the police shooting of Jacob Blake , despite calls from local leaders that he stay away from the state amid fears that the trip will only inflame tensions in the city .
The president said Monday that he would go to the region , even though he was unwelcome , in his latest effort to cast himself as the “ law-and-order ” president going into the November election .
The White House has said he will use the visit to support local law enforcement and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the move mirrors his administration ’ s efforts to cast such protests as violent riots rather than calls for change .
“ The violence is fueled by dangerous rhetoric from far-left politicians that demonize our nation and demonize our police , ” Trump said Monday at a press conference , moving to cast his competitor , former Vice President Joe Biden , as a “ radical ” Democrat .
“ The violent rioters share Biden ’ s same talking points , and they share his same agenda for our nation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ side — they ’ re both on the side of the radical left.
” Wisconsin Gov .
Tony Evers ( D ) sent Trump a letter on Sunday urging the president to reconsider his visit shortly after it was announced , saying the trip could only “ delay our work to overcome division and move forward.
” “ Kenosha and communities across Wisconsin are enduring extraordinary grief , grappling with a Black man being shot seven times and the loss of two additional lives on Tuesday night at the hands of an out-of-state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president .
“ I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing.
” The White House rejected those pleas , however , saying later Sunday that Trump had been “ humbled ” by those who had reached out and were “ longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized.
” However , the president added that he will not meet with Blake ’ s family during this visit , saying the man ’ s relatives wanted to have “ lawyers involved ” and he “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do anything.
” Blake was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in Kenosha on Aug. 23 and is now paralyzed .
The violent interaction , captured on a cellphone video , sparked renewed protests in Wisconsin and strengthened calls for an end to police brutality and systemic racism .
Blake ’ s family , speaking through an attorney , clarified later Monday that Trump had reached out to them through a pastor linked to the man ’ s mother .
The pastor then reached out to the Blake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ requested to listen in on any call with Trump .
The president demurred .
“ The family ’ s primary objectives are to support Jacob ’ s recovery and to ensure justice for him , ” the statement said .
“ If the call had occurred , Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake ’ s shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do ― examine your heart.
” On Monday , the president defended Kyle Rittenhouse , a 17-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people and wounding a third in Kenosha last week during demonstrations over Blake ’ s shooting .
Rittenhouse , who lives in Illinois , has been charged with several counts , including first-degree intentional homicide .
“ He was trying to get away from them , I guess ... and he fell , ” Trump claimed , pointing to videos of the shooting .
“ And then they very violently attacked him .
… He was in very big trouble .
He probably would ’ ve been killed , but it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t INSIST on having the National Guard activate and go into Kenosha , Wisconsin , there would be no Kenosha right now , ” Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday morning .
“ Also , there would have been great death and injury .
I want to thank Law Enforcement and the National Guard .
I will see you on Tuesday !
”

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President Donald Trump defended his decision to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, despite calls from local leaders that he stay away from the state amid fears that the trip will only inflame tensions in the city.
The president said Monday that he would go to the region, even though he was unwelcome, in his latest effort to cast himself as the “law-and-order” president going into the November election. The White House has said he will use the visit to support local law enforcement and “survey” damage after anti-racist demonstrations, but the move mirrors his administration’s efforts to cast such protests as violent riots rather than calls for change.
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“The violence is fueled by dangerous rhetoric from far-left politicians that demonize our nation and demonize our police,” Trump said Monday at a press conference, moving to cast his competitor, former Vice President Joe Biden, as a “radical” Democrat. “The violent rioters share Biden’s same talking points, and they share his same agenda for our nation. The rioters and Joe Biden have a side — they’re both on the side of the radical left.”
(Biden has condemned violence at any protests, saying such action will “not bring change” and is “wrong in every way.”)
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) sent Trump a letter on Sunday urging the president to reconsider his visit shortly after it was announced, saying the trip could only “delay our work to overcome division and move forward.”
“Kenosha and communities across Wisconsin are enduring extraordinary grief, grappling with a Black man being shot seven times and the loss of two additional lives on Tuesday night at the hands of an out-of-state armed militant,” Evers wrote to the president. “I am concerned your presence will only hinder our healing.”
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The city’s Democratic mayor, John Antaramian, also said he wished for Trump “not to be coming at this point in time.”
The White House rejected those pleas, however, saying later Sunday that Trump had been “humbled” by those who had reached out and were “longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized.”
Trump on Monday said that he believed his visit could “increase enthusiasm, and it could increase love and respect for our country.”
However, the president added that he will not meet with Blake’s family during this visit, saying the man’s relatives wanted to have “lawyers involved” and he “thought it would be better not to do anything.”
“The family’s primary objectives are to support Jacob’s recovery and to ensure justice for him” - Jacob Blake's family
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Blake was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer in Kenosha on Aug. 23 and is now paralyzed. The violent interaction, captured on a cellphone video, sparked renewed protests in Wisconsin and strengthened calls for an end to police brutality and systemic racism.
Blake’s family, speaking through an attorney, clarified later Monday that Trump had reached out to them through a pastor linked to the man’s mother. The pastor then reached out to the Blake family’s legal team, which requested to listen in on any call with Trump. The president demurred.
“The family’s primary objectives are to support Jacob’s recovery and to ensure justice for him,” the statement said. “If the call had occurred, Ms. Jackson was prepared to ask President Trump to watch the video of Mr. Blake’s shooting and to do what she has asked all of America to do ― examine your heart.”
On Monday, the president defended Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old white vigilante accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding a third in Kenosha last week during demonstrations over Blake’s shooting. Rittenhouse, who lives in Illinois, has been charged with several counts, including first-degree intentional homicide.
“He was trying to get away from them, I guess ... and he fell,” Trump claimed, pointing to videos of the shooting. “And then they very violently attacked him. … He was in very big trouble. He probably would’ve been killed, but it’s under investigation.”
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Also on Monday, Trump once again defended his support of National Guard troops to help quell demonstrations, particularly those in Wisconsin.
“If I didn’t INSIST on having the National Guard activate and go into Kenosha, Wisconsin, there would be no Kenosha right now,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday morning. “Also, there would have been great death and injury. I want to thank Law Enforcement and the National Guard. I will see you on Tuesday!”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Trump Administration Won’t Join Global Effort For COVID-19 Vaccine

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will not work with an international cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization .
The decision to go it alone , first reported by The Washington Post , follows the White House ’ s decision in early July to pull the United States out of the WHO .
Trump claims the WHO is in need of reform and is heavily influenced by China .
Some nations have worked directly to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are pooling efforts to ensure success against a disease that has no geographical boundaries .
More than 150 countries are setting up the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility , or COVAX .
That cooperative effort , linked with the WHO , would allow nations to take advantage of a portfolio of potential vaccines to ensure their citizens are quickly covered by whichever ones are deemed effective .
The WHO says even governments making deals with individual vaccine makers would benefit from joining COVAX because it would provide backup vaccines in case the ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t successful .
“ The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus , but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China , ” said White House spokesman Judd Deere .
“ This president will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own Food and Drug Administration ’ s gold standard for safety and efficacy , is thoroughly tested and saves lives.
” “ Joining COVAX is a simple measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — no matter who develops it first , ” tweeted Bera , a medical doctor .
“ This go-it-alone approach leaves America at risk of not getting a vaccine.
” The administration ’ s decision , paired with the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO , means the U.S. is abdicating America ’ s global leadership in fighting pandemics , according to Tom Hart , North America director at The ONE Campaign , an advocacy organization co-founded by Bono of the rock band U2 .
“ Not only does this move put the lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it could completely isolate Americans from an effective vaccine against COVID-19 , ” Hart said .
A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle — looking for the needed proof that they really work .
AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S .
The Cambridge , England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial , ethnic and geographic groups .
Two other vaccine candidates began final testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the U.S. One was created by the National Institutes of Health and manufactured by Moderna Inc. , and the other developed by Pfizer Inc. and Germany ’ s BioNTech .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will not work with an international cooperative effort to develop and distribute a COVID-19 vaccine because it does not want to be constrained by multilateral groups like the World Health Organization.
The decision to go it alone, first reported by The Washington Post, follows the White House’s decision in early July to pull the United States out of the WHO. Trump claims the WHO is in need of reform and is heavily influenced by China.
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Some nations have worked directly to secure supplies of vaccine, but others are pooling efforts to ensure success against a disease that has no geographical boundaries. More than 150 countries are setting up the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, or COVAX.
That cooperative effort, linked with the WHO, would allow nations to take advantage of a portfolio of potential vaccines to ensure their citizens are quickly covered by whichever ones are deemed effective. The WHO says even governments making deals with individual vaccine makers would benefit from joining COVAX because it would provide backup vaccines in case the ones being made through bilateral deals with manufacturers aren’t successful.
“The United States will continue to engage our international partners to ensure we defeat this virus, but we will not be constrained by multilateral organizations influenced by the corrupt World Health Organization and China,” said White House spokesman Judd Deere. “This president will spare no expense to ensure that any new vaccine maintains our own Food and Drug Administration’s gold standard for safety and efficacy, is thoroughly tested and saves lives.”
Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., said the administration’s decision was shortsighted and will hamper the battle to end the pandemic.
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“Joining COVAX is a simple measure to guarantee U.S. access to a vaccine — no matter who develops it first,” tweeted Bera, a medical doctor. “This go-it-alone approach leaves America at risk of not getting a vaccine.”
The administration’s decision, paired with the U.S. withdrawal from the WHO, means the U.S. is abdicating America’s global leadership in fighting pandemics, according to Tom Hart, North America director at The ONE Campaign, an advocacy organization co-founded by Bono of the rock band U2.
“Not only does this move put the lives of millions around the world at risk, it could completely isolate Americans from an effective vaccine against COVID-19,” Hart said.
A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle — looking for the needed proof that they really work.
AstraZeneca announced Monday its vaccine candidate has entered the final testing stage in the U.S. The Cambridge, England-based company said the study will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Court Blocks Release Of Trump Tax Returns Amid Latest Appeal

NEW YORK ( AP ) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a New York prosecutor from obtaining Donald Trump ’ s tax returns while the president ’ s lawyers continue to fight a subpoena seeking the records .
The three-judge panel ruled after hearing brief arguments from both sides .
Trump ’ s lawyers had asked for a temporary stay while they appeal a lower-court ruling that granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. ’ s office access to Trump ’ s tax returns .
A lawyer for Vance ’ s office had argued that further delays would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question at this juncture is quite simple but also quite important , ” Trump lawyer William Consovoy said .
“ Will the president be given an opportunity to appeal that ruling before his personal records are disclosed to the grand jury and the status quo is irrevocably changed ?
” A hearing on the merits of Trump ’ s latest appeal will be held on Sept. 25 after both sides agreed to an expedited schedule — meaning it ’ s possible the matter could be decided before November ’ s election .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a district court judge rejected their renewed efforts to invalidate a subpoena issued to his accounting firm .
Judge John M. Walker Jr. said at Tuesday ’ s hearing that the subpoenas cover 11 entities engaged in business dealings as far away as Europe and Dubai .
Trump has blasted the long-running quest for his financial records as a “ continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country ” and predicted the case would again end up before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last month that the presidency in itself doesn ’ t shield Trump from Vance ’ s investigation , but the high court returned the case to U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero ’ s courtroom to allow Trump ’ s lawyers to raise other concerns about the subpoena .
Trump ’ s lawyers then argued that the subpoena was issued in bad faith and overly broad , might have been politically motivated and amounted to harassment .
Marrero rejected those claims .
Consovoy told the judges Tuesday that the investigation was an “ arbitrary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the district attorney ’ s office , said Trump and his lawyers have long misrepresented the scope of the investigation as focusing primarily on hush money payments that were paid to protect Trump from adultery allegations .
Vance ’ s lawyers have said they are legally entitled to extensive records to aid a “ complex financial investigation.
” “ The president has complained at every turn that we ’ ve not announced what the grand jury is looking at as if that itself is bad faith , ” Dunne said .
“ But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is looking at is secret .
We ’ re not allowed to make that public , which is what has led to his speculation about the grand jury scope .
But none of this speculation is plausible.
” Even if Vance does get Trump ’ s tax records , those would be part of a confidential grand jury investigation and not automatically be made public .
Vance , a Democrat , began seeking the Republican president ’ s tax returns from his longtime accounting firm over a year ago , after Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress that the president had misled tax officials , insurers and business associates about the value of his assets .
Congress is also pursuing Trump ’ s financial records , though the Supreme Court last month kept a hold on the banking and other documents that Congress has been seeking and returned the case to a lower court .
Trump is the only modern president who has refused to release his tax returns .
Before he was elected , he had promised to do so .

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NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked a New York prosecutor from obtaining Donald Trump’s tax returns while the president’s lawyers continue to fight a subpoena seeking the records. The three-judge panel ruled after hearing brief arguments from both sides.
Trump’s lawyers had asked for a temporary stay while they appeal a lower-court ruling that granted Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office access to Trump’s tax returns. A lawyer for Vance’s office had argued that further delays would only impede their investigation.
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“The question at this juncture is quite simple but also quite important,” Trump lawyer William Consovoy said. “Will the president be given an opportunity to appeal that ruling before his personal records are disclosed to the grand jury and the status quo is irrevocably changed?”
A hearing on the merits of Trump’s latest appeal will be held on Sept. 25 after both sides agreed to an expedited schedule — meaning it’s possible the matter could be decided before November’s election.
Trump’s lawyers appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month after a district court judge rejected their renewed efforts to invalidate a subpoena issued to his accounting firm. Judge John M. Walker Jr. said at Tuesday’s hearing that the subpoenas cover 11 entities engaged in business dealings as far away as Europe and Dubai.
Trump has blasted the long-running quest for his financial records as a “continuation of the most disgusting witch hunt in the history of our country” and predicted the case would again end up before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled last month that the presidency in itself doesn’t shield Trump from Vance’s investigation, but the high court returned the case to U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero’s courtroom to allow Trump’s lawyers to raise other concerns about the subpoena.
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Trump’s lawyers then argued that the subpoena was issued in bad faith and overly broad, might have been politically motivated and amounted to harassment. Marrero rejected those claims. Consovoy told the judges Tuesday that the investigation was an “arbitrary fishing expedition.”
Carey Dunne, of the district attorney’s office, said Trump and his lawyers have long misrepresented the scope of the investigation as focusing primarily on hush money payments that were paid to protect Trump from adultery allegations. Vance’s lawyers have said they are legally entitled to extensive records to aid a “complex financial investigation.”
“The president has complained at every turn that we’ve not announced what the grand jury is looking at as if that itself is bad faith,” Dunne said. “But of course, what the grand jury is looking at is secret. We’re not allowed to make that public, which is what has led to his speculation about the grand jury scope. But none of this speculation is plausible.”
Even if Vance does get Trump’s tax records, those would be part of a confidential grand jury investigation and not automatically be made public.
Vance, a Democrat, began seeking the Republican president’s tax returns from his longtime accounting firm over a year ago, after Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen told Congress that the president had misled tax officials, insurers and business associates about the value of his assets.
Congress is also pursuing Trump’s financial records, though the Supreme Court last month kept a hold on the banking and other documents that Congress has been seeking and returned the case to a lower court.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Trump Stopped Going to Dover AFB To Receive Bodies After Getting Berated On First Visit

Evan Vucci/ASSOCIATED PRESS Actor Jon Voight follows President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump after riding on Air Force One to Dover Air Force Base on Nov. 21 , 2019 , for a casualty return ceremony for two service members who died in Afghanistan .
WASHINGTON ― In the world of President Donald Trump , he has paid his respects to “ many , many ” returning soldiers killed in the line of duty , with daughter and top presidential aide Ivanka Trump adding that “ each time ” she has stood by his side at one of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring troops home .
In the real world , Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware exactly four times ― fewer than half as many times as his vice president ― and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL , according to a former White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity .
“ He refused to go back for two years , he was so rattled , ” the aide said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approved the raid just five days after taking office was that predecessor Barack Obama had refused to do so .
“ You can count on one hand the number of times Donald Trump has been to Dover , ” said Jon Soltz , chairman of the progressive political group VoteVets and an Iraq War veteran .
“ There simply is no bottom when it comes to what he ’ ll lie about .
I wish there was more outrage about Trump lying about the dignified transfer of the fallen for political reasons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me.
” According to a HuffPost review of Air Force records , there have been 96 “ dignified transfers , ” as the military refers to them , at Dover since the start of Trump ’ s presidency , which saw the return of 127 Americans killed overseas .
Trump has been there for four of the transfers , which brought home the bodies of nine soldiers .
He said he recalls a visit by former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush to Fort Campbell , Kentucky , to meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They got yelled at .
And Mr. and Mrs. Bush took it , ” Wellman said .
“ He felt it was his duty to accept that .
Obviously Mr. Trump doesn ’ t feel that way .
Mr. Trump doesn ’ t take responsibility for anything.
” Trump , nevertheless , during an Aug. 18 news conference claimed he had been to enough “ dignified transfer ” ceremonies in his three years in office to be present for the return of “ many ” soldiers .
“ I greet men and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after they ’ ve been hit .
I ’ ve also greeted many , many at Dover — greeted many bodies coming back in , ” he said .
His elder daughter built on this fabrication nine days later during her remarks at the Republican National Convention , which Trump chose to stage ― despite federal law prohibiting it ― at the White House .
“ I ’ ve stood by my father ’ s side at Dover Air Force Base as he ’ s received our fallen heroes , and each time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop ― finally stop , the endless foreign wars , ” she said .
White House officials did not attempt to explain Trump and his daughter ’ s apparent exaggerations about the issue and instead defended , on condition of anonymity , his handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan .
“ There is progress in Afghan peace talks .
The U.S. will soon have the fewest troops in Afghanistan in nearly a decade , ” a top aide said .
Notwithstanding his dressing down from the SEAL ’ s father , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the raid that killed him in his first address to a joint session of Congress four weeks later .
He brought in Owen ’ s widow , Carryn , and said “ Ryan is looking down right now , you know that , and he ’ s very happy , because I think he just broke a record , ” referring to the applause in the chamber .
The remarks won him high praise from some television commentators , including one who declared that it was the moment when Trump had finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Dover until Jan. 19 , 2019 , when he was there for the arrival of the bodies of four soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack in Syria .
He went again on Nov. 21 , 2019 , for the return of two soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan .
Accompanying him on that visit were his wife , Melania , and actor and supporter Jon Voight .
It is unclear why Trump brought Voight .
At an October 2017 news conference , Trump falsely claimed that previous presidents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time to call the family members of fallen soldiers .
It is unclear whether he was intentionally lying or simply making up assertions without knowing the facts .
When he was asked in a follow-up question why he falsely impugned Obama and others , he said he didn ’ t really know what Obama did but claimed , “ That ’ s what I was told .
”

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WASHINGTON ― In the world of President Donald Trump, he has paid his respects to “many, many” returning soldiers killed in the line of duty, with daughter and top presidential aide Ivanka Trump adding that “each time” she has stood by his side at one of these ceremonies, it has hardened his resolve to bring troops home.
In the real world, Trump has traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware exactly four times ― fewer than half as many times as his vice president ― and avoided going at all for nearly two years after getting berated for his incompetence by the father of a slain Navy SEAL, according to a former White House aide who spoke on condition of anonymity.
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Bill Owens, the father of William “Ryan” Owens, refused to shake Trump’s hand at that Feb. 1, 2017, encounter, the aide said, and then told Trump that he was responsible for his son’s death for approving the disastrous raid in Yemen without bothering to understand the risks.
“He refused to go back for two years, he was so rattled,” the aide said, adding that the main reason Trump had approved the raid just five days after taking office was that predecessor Barack Obama had refused to do so.
What’s more, Trump made the decision at a social dinner that included his son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, and then-chief strategist Stephen Bannon, rather than his National Security Council staff.
“You can count on one hand the number of times Donald Trump has been to Dover,” said Jon Soltz, chairman of the progressive political group VoteVets and an Iraq War veteran. “There simply is no bottom when it comes to what he’ll lie about. I wish there was more outrage about Trump lying about the dignified transfer of the fallen for political reasons, because as a veteran it really disgusts me.”
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According to a HuffPost review of Air Force records, there have been 96 “dignified transfers,” as the military refers to them, at Dover since the start of Trump’s presidency, which saw the return of 127 Americans killed overseas. Trump has been there for four of the transfers, which brought home the bodies of nine soldiers.
“It’s one thing to not go. It’s another thing to lie about it,” added Fred Wellman, a retired 22-year Army officer and helicopter pilot who served in Desert Storm and who now works with the anti-Trump group The Lincoln Project.
He said he recalls a visit by former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to meet families of troops killed in Iraq. “They got yelled at. And Mr. and Mrs. Bush took it,” Wellman said. “He felt it was his duty to accept that. Obviously Mr. Trump doesn’t feel that way. Mr. Trump doesn’t take responsibility for anything.”
“He treats it like a tourist stop. 'Hey, Jon Voight, I get to greet dead guys. Want to come?’ He might as well be in his sweaty golf clothes when he swings by Dover.” - Fred Wellman, retired Army officer
Trump, nevertheless, during an Aug. 18 news conference claimed he had been to enough “dignified transfer” ceremonies in his three years in office to be present for the return of “many” soldiers. “I greet men and women coming home, and coming home after they’ve been hit. I’ve also greeted many, many at Dover — greeted many bodies coming back in,” he said.
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His elder daughter built on this fabrication nine days later during her remarks at the Republican National Convention, which Trump chose to stage ― despite federal law prohibiting it ― at the White House. “I’ve stood by my father’s side at Dover Air Force Base as he’s received our fallen heroes, and each time it has steeled his resolve to finally stop ― finally stop, the endless foreign wars,” she said.
In fact, she has stood at her father’s side only twice ― the first being his very first trip, to receive the body of Ryan Owens.
White House officials did not attempt to explain Trump and his daughter’s apparent exaggerations about the issue and instead defended, on condition of anonymity, his handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “There is progress in Afghan peace talks. The U.S. will soon have the fewest troops in Afghanistan in nearly a decade,” a top aide said.
Notwithstanding his dressing down from the SEAL’s father, Trump used Ryan Owen’s death and the raid that killed him in his first address to a joint session of Congress four weeks later. He brought in Owen’s widow, Carryn, and said “Ryan is looking down right now, you know that, and he’s very happy, because I think he just broke a record,” referring to the applause in the chamber. The remarks won him high praise from some television commentators, including one who declared that it was the moment when Trump had finally become president.
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Trump did not return to Dover until Jan. 19, 2019, when he was there for the arrival of the bodies of four soldiers killed in a suicide bomb attack in Syria. He went again on Nov. 21, 2019, for the return of two soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Accompanying him on that visit were his wife, Melania, and actor and supporter Jon Voight. It is unclear why Trump brought Voight.
His fourth and final visit was this Feb. 10, when he and Vice President Mike Pence together received the bodies of two service members killed in an ambush by an Afghan soldier.
That visit was the second one Ivanka Trump joined. It included a host of others who, like the first daughter, had just attended Trump’s campaign rally in New Hampshire, including Pence, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), White House social media director Dan Scavino and Jared Kushner, Ivanka’s husband.
“He treats it like a tourist stop,” Wellman said. “‘Hey, Jon Voight, I get to greet dead guys. Want to come?’ He might as well be in his sweaty golf clothes when he swings by Dover.”
Since Feb. 10, there have been 17 dignified transfers at Dover for 18 killed service members. Neither Trump nor Pence has attended any of them.
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The new lies about receiving fallen soldiers are not Trump’s first on the topic.
At an October 2017 news conference, Trump falsely claimed that previous presidents, particularly Obama, had not taken the time to call the family members of fallen soldiers. It is unclear whether he was intentionally lying or simply making up assertions without knowing the facts. When he was asked in a follow-up question why he falsely impugned Obama and others, he said he didn’t really know what Obama did but claimed, “That’s what I was told.”
Bill Owens, meanwhile, recently appeared in a VoteVets ad urging Americans to vote against Trump. “Just five days into his presidency, Trump ordered Ryan’s SEAL team into Yemen. Not from the Situation Room with all the intelligence assembled, but sitting across a dinner table from Steve Bannon,” Owens says in the ad. “There was no vital interest at play. Just Donald Trump playing big-man-going-to-war.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-01--Trump Repeats Conspiracy Theory About Super-Scary Antifa-Laden Planes

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump repeated this conspiracy theory on his way to board Air Force One heading to Kenosha , Wisconsin , on Sept. 1 .
On Tuesday , Donald Trump repeated a wild conspiracy theory designed to instill fear of the racial justice movement gaining traction across the country .
His latest comments mark the second time in 24 hours that the president of the United States has appeared on camera spreading unproven claims about a plane allegedly full of left-wing extremists who he said were traveling to wreak havoc .
During an interview aired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told host Laura Ingraham that he knew of a super-scary , extra-secret plot uncovered by “ somebody ” who saw a plane full of “ thugs ” traveling from some unknown city to disrupt the Republican National Convention ― which was largely a remote event .
“ We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend .
And in the plane , it was almost completely loaded with thugs , wearing these dark uniforms , black uniforms , with gear and this and that , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that false claims about violent left-wing extremists traveling across the country to terrorize ordinary Americans began spreading online in June , as anti-racist protests gained momentum in states following the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd .
Trump doubled down on the antifa airlines theory on Tuesday , shortly before boarding Air Force One to head to Kenosha , Wisconsin , where far-right forces have clashed with anti-racist protesters .
Speaking to reporters , the president said “ a person ” ( whose identity he did not disclose ) recently got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the story , “ to wherever , ” not the RNC ― and that flight soon filled up with “ the looters , the anarchists , the rioters.
” Trump ’ s latest fearmongering over non-existent mobs of radical leftists follows a week in which pro-Trump groups have incited sometimes deadly violence to no presidential disapproval .
On Monday , for example , he defended a group of his supporters who fired paintball guns and peppery spray at anti-racist protesters in Portland , Oregon .
He also claimed a 17-year old shooter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people demonstrating against the police shooting of Jacob Blake , a 29-year-old Black man , in Kenosha .
The shooter , now charged with homicide , was previously seen in the front row of a Trump rally .

President Donald Trump repeated this conspiracy theory on his way to board Air Force One heading to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sept. 1. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
On Tuesday, Donald Trump repeated a wild conspiracy theory designed to instill fear of the racial justice movement gaining traction across the country. His latest comments mark the second time in 24 hours that the president of the United States has appeared on camera spreading unproven claims about a plane allegedly full of left-wing extremists who he said were traveling to wreak havoc.
During an interview aired on Fox News Monday night, Trump told host Laura Ingraham that he knew of a super-scary, extra-secret plot uncovered by “somebody” who saw a plane full of “thugs” traveling from some unknown city to disrupt the Republican National Convention ― which was largely a remote event.
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“We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend. And in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs, wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms, with gear and this and that,” he said.
NBC News reporter Ben Collins quickly noted that false claims about violent left-wing extremists traveling across the country to terrorize ordinary Americans began spreading online in June, as anti-racist protests gained momentum in states following the police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Trump doubled down on the antifa airlines theory on Tuesday, shortly before boarding Air Force One to head to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where far-right forces have clashed with anti-racist protesters. Speaking to reporters, the president said “a person” (whose identity he did not disclose) recently got on a flight ― in this telling of the story, “to wherever,” not the RNC ― and that flight soon filled up with “the looters, the anarchists, the rioters.”
Yup, and he just doubled-down. Here's the clip: pic.twitter.com/pcLwuM2Acb — The Recount (@therecount) September 1, 2020
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Trump’s latest fearmongering over non-existent mobs of radical leftists follows a week in which pro-Trump groups have incited sometimes deadly violence to no presidential disapproval. On Monday, for example, he defended a group of his supporters who fired paintball guns and peppery spray at anti-racist protesters in Portland, Oregon.