thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Health Officials Worry Nation Not Ready For COVID-19 Vaccine

States are allowed to use some of the federal money they ’ ve already received to prepare for immunizations .
But AP and KHN found that many health departments are so overwhelmed with the current costs of the pandemic — such as for testing and contact tracing — that they can ’ t reserve money for the vaccine work to come .
Health departments will need to hire people to administer the vaccines and systems to track them , and pay for supplies such as protective medical masks , gowns and gloves , as well as warehouses and refrigerator space @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have 300 million doses all at once , ” said Mango , deputy chief of staff for policy at the Health and Human Services Department , despite earlier government pledges to have many doses ready by the new year .
“ We believe we are maximizing our probability of success of having tens of millions of doses of vaccines by January 2021 , which is our goal.
” The CDC has vetted state and federal vaccination plans in five locations : North Dakota , Florida , California , Minnesota and Philadelphia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ planning sessions , which focused on how to get vaccines to people in places as different as urban Philadelphia , where pharmacies abound , and rural North Dakota , which has few chain drugstores but many clinics run by the federal Indian Health Service , said Kris Ehresmann , who directs infectious disease control at the Minnesota Department of Health .
When COVID-19 vaccines become available , health providers will need to track where and when patients receive their vaccines , said Moore , the medical director of Tennessee ’ s immunization plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2010 .
And with many different shots in the works , they will need to know exactly which one each patient got , she said .

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Millions of Americans are counting on a COVID-19 vaccine to curb the global pandemic and return life to normal.
While one or more options could be available toward the end of this year or early next, the path to delivering vaccines to 330 million people remains unclear for the local health officials expected to carry out the work.
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“We haven’t gotten a lot of information about how this is going to roll out,” said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Texas’ Harris County Public Health department, which includes Houston.
In a four-page memo this summer, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health departments across the country to draft vaccination plans by Oct. 1 “to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine.”
But health departments that have been underfunded for decades say they currently lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track hundreds of millions of doses. Nor do they know when, or if, they’ll get federal aid to do that.
Dozens of doctors, nurses and health officials interviewed by Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press expressed concern about the country’s readiness to conduct mass vaccinations, as well as frustration with months of inconsistent information from the federal government.
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The gaps include figuring out how officials will keep track of who has gotten which doses and how they’ll keep the workers who give the shots safe, with enough protective gear and syringes to do their jobs.
With only about half of Americans saying they would get vaccinated, according to a poll from AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, it also will be crucial to educate people about the benefits of vaccination, said Molly Howell, who manages the North Dakota Department of Health’s immunization program.
The unprecedented pace of vaccine development has left many Americans skeptical about the safety of COVID-19 immunizations; others simply don’t trust the federal government.
“We’re in a very deep-red state,” said Ann Lewis, CEO of CareSouth Carolina, a group of community health centers that serve mostly low-income people in five rural counties in South Carolina. “The message that is coming out is not a message of trust and confidence in medical or scientific evidence.”
PAYING FOR THE ROLLOUT
The U.S. has committed more than $10 billion to develop new coronavirus vaccines but hasn’t allocated money specifically for distributing and administering vaccines.
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And while states, territories and 154 large cities and counties received billions in congressional emergency funding, that money can be used for a variety of purposes, including testing and overtime pay.
An ongoing investigation by KHN and the AP has detailed how state and local public health departments across the U.S. have been starved for decades, leaving them underfunded and without adequate resources to confront the coronavirus pandemic. The investigation further found that federal coronavirus funds have been slow to reach public health departments, forcing some communities to cancel non-coronavirus vaccine clinics and other essential services.
States are allowed to use some of the federal money they’ve already received to prepare for immunizations. But AP and KHN found that many health departments are so overwhelmed with the current costs of the pandemic — such as for testing and contact tracing — that they can’t reserve money for the vaccine work to come. Health departments will need to hire people to administer the vaccines and systems to track them, and pay for supplies such as protective medical masks, gowns and gloves, as well as warehouses and refrigerator space.
CareSouth Carolina is collaborating with the state health department on testing and the pandemic response. It used federal funding to purchase $140,000 retrofitted vans for mobile testing, which it plans to continue to use to keep vaccines cold and deliver them to residents when the time comes, said Lewis.
But most vaccine costs will be new.
Pima County, Arizona, for example, is already at least $30 million short of what health officials need to fight the pandemic, let alone plan for vaccines, said Dr. Francisco Garcia, deputy county administrator and chief medical officer.
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Some federal funds will expire soon. The $150 billion that states and local governments received from a fund in the CARES Act, for example, covers only expenses made through the end of the year, said Gretchen Musicant, health commissioner in Minneapolis. That’s a problem, given vaccine distribution may not have even begun.
Although public health officials say they need more money, Congress left Washington for its summer recess without passing a new pandemic relief bill that would include additional funding for vaccine distribution.
“States are anxious to receive those funds as soon as possible, so they can do what they need to be prepared,” said Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition, a national vaccine education and advocacy organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota. “We can’t assume they can take existing funding and attempt the largest vaccination campaign in history.”
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
Then there’s the basic question of scale. The federally funded Vaccines for Children program immunizes 40 million children each year. In 2009 and 2010, the CDC scaled up to vaccinate 81 million people against pandemic H1N1 influenza. And last winter, the country distributed 175 million vaccines for seasonal influenza vaccine, according to the CDC.
But for the U.S. to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus, most experts say, the nation would likely need to vaccinate roughly 70% of Americans, which translates to 200 million people and — because the first vaccines will require two doses to be effective — 400 million shots.
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Although the CDC has overseen immunization campaigns in the past, the Trump administration created a new program, called Operation Warp Speed, to facilitate vaccine development and distribution. In August, the administration announced that McKesson Corp., which distributed H1N1 vaccines during that pandemic, will also distribute COVID-19 vaccines to doctors’ offices and clinics.
“With few exceptions, our commercial distribution partners will be responsible for handling all the vaccines,” Operation Warp Speed’s Paul Mango said in an email.
“We’re not going to have 300 million doses all at once,” said Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Health and Human Services Department, despite earlier government pledges to have many doses ready by the new year. “We believe we are maximizing our probability of success of having tens of millions of doses of vaccines by January 2021, which is our goal.”
Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said it will take time for the vaccines to be widespread enough for life to return to what’s considered normal. “We have to be prepared to deal with this virus in the absence of significant vaccine-induced immunity for a period of maybe a year or longer,” Adalja said in August.
In preliminary guidance for state vaccine managers, the CDC said doses will be distributed free of charge from a central location. Health departments’ local vaccination plans may be reviewed by both the CDC and Operation Warp Speed.
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The CDC has vetted state and federal vaccination plans in five locations: North Dakota, Florida, California, Minnesota and Philadelphia. No actual vaccines were distributed during the planning sessions, which focused on how to get vaccines to people in places as different as urban Philadelphia, where pharmacies abound, and rural North Dakota, which has few chain drugstores but many clinics run by the federal Indian Health Service, said Kris Ehresmann, who directs infectious disease control at the Minnesota Department of Health.
Those planning sessions have made Ehresmann feel more confident about who’s in charge of distributing vaccines. “We are getting more specific guidance from CDC on planning now,” she said. “We feel better about the process, though there are still a lot of unknowns.”
OUTDATED TECHNOLOGY COULD HAMPER RESPONSE
Still, many public health departments will struggle to adequately track who has been vaccinated and when, because a lack of funding in recent decades has left them in the technological dark ages, said Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
In Mississippi, for example, health officials still rely on faxes, said the state’s health officer, Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “You can’t manually handle 1,200 faxes a day and expect anything efficient to happen,″ he said.
When COVID-19 vaccines become available, health providers will need to track where and when patients receive their vaccines, said Moore, the medical director of Tennessee’s immunization plan during the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009 and 2010. And with many different shots in the works, they will need to know exactly which one each patient got, she said.
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People will need to receive their second COVID-19 dose 21 or 28 days after the first, so health providers will need to remind patients to receive their second shot, Moore said, and ensure that the second dose is the same brand as the first.
The CDC will require vaccinators to provide “ dose-level accounting and reporting” for immunizations, so that the agency knows where every dose of COVID-19 vaccine is “at any point in time,” Moore said. Although “the sophistication of these systems has improved dramatically” in the past decade, she said, “many states will still face major challenges meeting data tracking and reporting expectations.”
The CDC is developing an app called the Vaccine Administration Monitoring System for health departments whose data systems don’t meet standards for COVID-19 response, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, a nonprofit based in Rockville, Maryland.
“Those standards haven’t been released,” Hannan said, “so health departments are waiting to invest in necessary IT enhancements.″ The CDC needs to release standards and data expectations as quickly as possible, she added.
Meanwhile, health departments are dealing with what Minnesota’s Ehresmann described as “legacy” vaccine registries, sometimes dating to the late 1980s.
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A HISTORIC TASK
Overwhelmed public health teams are already working long hours to test patients and trace their contacts, a time-consuming process that will need to continue even after vaccines become available.
When vaccines are ready, health departments will need more staffers to identify people at high risk for COVID-19, who should get the vaccine first, Moore said. Public health staff also will be needed to educate the public about the importance of vaccines and to administer shots, she said, as well as monitor patients and report serious side effects.
At an August meeting about vaccine distribution, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of Illinois’ health department, said her state will need to recruit additional health professionals to administer the shots, including nursing students, medical students, dentists, dental hygienists and even veterinarians. Such vaccinators will need medical-grade masks, gowns and gloves to keep themselves safe as they handle needles.
Many health officials say they feel burned by the country’s struggle to provide hospitals with ventilators last spring, when states found themselves bidding against one another for a limited supply. Those concerns are amplified by the continuing difficulties providing enough testing kits; supplying health workers with personal protective equipment; allocating drugs such as remdesivir; and recruiting contact tracers — who track down everyone with whom people diagnosed with COVID-19 have been in contact.
Although Ehresmann said she’s concerned Minnesota could run out of syringes, she said the CDC has assured her it will provide them.
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Given that vaccines are far more complex than personal protective equipment and other medical supplies — one vaccine candidate must be stored at minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit — Plescia said people should be prepared for shortages, delays and mix-ups.
“It’s probably going to be even worse than the problems with testing and PPE,” Plescia said.
___
Szabo is a writer for Kaiser Health News. Associated Press writer Michelle R. Smith and KHN Midwest correspondent Lauren Weber contributed to this report.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Attorney General William Barr Spreads Mail-In Voting Conspiracies

President Donald Trump has routinely called mail-in voting corrupt .
There is no evidence to suggest that there has been widespread fraud , and Barr provided none in his interview .
Barr said mail-in voting could lead to interference from other countries .
When pressed on the issue , Barr offered nothing to back up the claim .
“ If we use a ballot system , a system that states are just now trying to adopt , it leaves it open to counterfeiting , ” Barr said .
“ But have you seen any evidence that they ’ re trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump said last month that China and Russia might attempt to “ grab batches ” of mail-in votes from Postal Service carriers .
“ You can ’ t send out 16 million mail-in ballots ... who knows who ’ s getting them ?
” Trump said .
“ The mailmen are going to get them , people are going to just grab batches of them , and you talk about China and Russia , they ’ ll be grabbing plenty of them .
It ’ s a disaster .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr has parroted Trump ’ s baseless talking points , and the attorney general told Fox News ’ Sean Hannity that Democrats were being “ grossly irresponsible ” by trying to expand mail-in voting .
“ The idea of conducting elections by wholesale mail-in ballots is reckless and wrong , ” Barr said last month .
“ Everyone knows what has happened in these cases.
” As the false allegations increased , U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ― a Trump donor whose business ties appear to pose a conflict of interest with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail sorting machines across the country .
It came the same month that Trump admitted to blocking funding to the Postal Service in an effort to cripple mail-in voting attempts .
“ Now they need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots , ” Trump in an August interview on Fox Business .
“ But if they don ’ t get those two items , that means you can ’ t have universal mail-in voting.
” Following Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House set up a voter fraud commission in an effort to prove widespread voter fraud exists .
The commission abruptly shut down less than a year later .
Mail-in voting has become a priority for the Nov. 3 election , when many more Americans are expected to vote by mail as a health precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic , which so far has killed more than 180,000 Americans .

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Attorney General William Barr continued to spread the unfounded conspiracy theory that November’s presidential election could be tainted by widespread mail-in voting fraud.
“Elections that have been held with mail have found substantial fraud and coercion,” Barr told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday.
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President Donald Trump has routinely called mail-in voting corrupt. There is no evidence to suggest that there has been widespread fraud, and Barr provided none in his interview.
William Barr, who is the Attorney General of the United States, just falsely called mail-in voting fraud. pic.twitter.com/wr2hVZyCqU — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 2, 2020
Barr said mail-in voting could lead to interference from other countries. When pressed on the issue, Barr offered nothing to back up the claim.
“If we use a ballot system, a system that states are just now trying to adopt, it leaves it open to counterfeiting,” Barr said.
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“Do you think a foreign country could do that?” Blitzer asked.
“I think anybody could do that,” Barr said.
“But have you seen any evidence that they’re trying to do that?” Blitzer asked.
“No, but most things can be counterfeited,” Barr said.
Trump said last month that China and Russia might attempt to “grab batches” of mail-in votes from Postal Service carriers.
“You can’t send out 16 million mail-in ballots ... who knows who’s getting them?” Trump said. “The mailmen are going to get them, people are going to just grab batches of them, and you talk about China and Russia, they’ll be grabbing plenty of them. It’s a disaster. It’s a rigged election waiting to happen.”
Barr has parroted Trump’s baseless talking points, and the attorney general told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Democrats were being “grossly irresponsible” by trying to expand mail-in voting.
“The idea of conducting elections by wholesale mail-in ballots is reckless and wrong,” Barr said last month. “Everyone knows what has happened in these cases.”
As the false allegations increased, U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ― a Trump donor whose business ties appear to pose a conflict of interest with the Postal Service ― removed more than 650 mail sorting machines across the country. It came the same month that Trump admitted to blocking funding to the Postal Service in an effort to cripple mail-in voting attempts.
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“Now they need that money in order to make the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots,” Trump in an August interview on Fox Business. “But if they don’t get those two items, that means you can’t have universal mail-in voting.”
Following Trump’s 2016 presidential election, the White House set up a voter fraud commission in an effort to prove widespread voter fraud exists. The commission abruptly shut down less than a year later.
Mail-in voting has become a priority for the Nov. 3 election, when many more Americans are expected to vote by mail as a health precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, which so far has killed more than 180,000 Americans.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--These Are Your Presidential Debate Moderators

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced its lineup of moderators on Wednesday for the upcoming debates between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump and their running mates .
Fox News ’ Chris Wallace will moderate the first Biden-Trump matchup in Cleveland on Sept. 29 , followed by C-SPAN ’ s Steve Scully in Miami on Oct. 15 , which will be a town meeting-style event .
NBC News ’ Kristen Welker will moderate the final one on Oct. 22 in Nashville .
Susan Page , the Washington bureau chief of USA Today , will moderate the vice presidential debate between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Pence on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City .
“ We are grateful to these experienced journalists , who will help ensure that the general election presidential debates continue to serve their unique educational purpose of helping the public learn about the candidates , ” the co-chairs of the debate commission said in a statement .
“ Each individual brings great professionalism to moderating and understands that the purpose of the 2020 debate formats is to facilitate in-depth discussion of major topics.
” A spokesman for Biden ’ s camp said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participating in the debates set by the commission , regardless of who the independently chosen moderators are.
” A spokesman for the Trump campaign , Tim Murtaugh , told HuffPost the team isn ’ t happy with the selection .
“ Some can be identified as clear opponents of President Trump , meaning Joe Biden will actually have a teammate on stage most of the time to help him excuse the radical , leftist agenda he is carrying , ” he claimed .
“ One thing is sure : Chris Wallace ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him face-to-face after dodging his interview requests .
That is , if Biden actually shows up.
” Fox News and other right-wing media outlets have been baselessly suggesting that Biden won ’ t show up to debate Trump , even though he ’ s already agreed to the faceoffs and widely expressed his willingness to do so .
Trump ’ s campaign released a list last month of its suggested moderators , which included some strongly pro-Trump media personalities such as Hugh Hewitt .

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The Commission on Presidential Debates announced its lineup of moderators on Wednesday for the upcoming debates between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump and their running mates.
Fox News’ Chris Wallace will moderate the first Biden-Trump matchup in Cleveland on Sept. 29, followed by C-SPAN’s Steve Scully in Miami on Oct. 15, which will be a town meeting-style event. NBC News’ Kristen Welker will moderate the final one on Oct. 22 in Nashville.
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Susan Page, the Washington bureau chief of USA Today, will moderate the vice presidential debate between California Sen. Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence on Oct. 7 in Salt Lake City.
“We are grateful to these experienced journalists, who will help ensure that the general election presidential debates continue to serve their unique educational purpose of helping the public learn about the candidates,” the co-chairs of the debate commission said in a statement. “Each individual brings great professionalism to moderating and understands that the purpose of the 2020 debate formats is to facilitate in-depth discussion of major topics.”
A spokesman for Biden’s camp said the former vice president “looks forward to participating in the debates set by the commission, regardless of who the independently chosen moderators are.”
A spokesman for the Trump campaign, Tim Murtaugh, told HuffPost the team isn’t happy with the selection.
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“Some can be identified as clear opponents of President Trump, meaning Joe Biden will actually have a teammate on stage most of the time to help him excuse the radical, leftist agenda he is carrying,” he claimed. “One thing is sure: Chris Wallace’s selection ensures that Biden will finally see him face-to-face after dodging his interview requests. That is, if Biden actually shows up.”
Fox News and other right-wing media outlets have been baselessly suggesting that Biden won’t show up to debate Trump, even though he’s already agreed to the faceoffs and widely expressed his willingness to do so.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--GOP Rep. Clay Higgins Threatens To Shoot Armed Protesters: 'I'd Drop Any 10 Of You'

Rep. Clay Higgins ( R-La . )
said he ’ d be more than willing to shoot any armed demonstrators in Louisiana in a Facebook post Tuesday that was accompanied by a picture of Black men with guns .
“ One way ticket fellas , ” he wrote on his campaign account .
“ Have your affairs in order .
Me ?
...
I wouldn ’ t even spill my beer .
I ’ d drop any 10 of you where you stand.
” “ We don ’ t care what color you are .
We don ’ t care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If you show up like this , if We recognize threat ... you won ’ t walk away , ” added Higgins , a former police officer .
Higgins ’ also put up a picture of an eagle and wrote that he did not remove the post : “ No , I did not remove my post .
America is being manipulated into a new era of government control .
Your liberty is threatened from within.
” Higgins ’ initial post came in advance of a Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Advocate , and was basically a barbecue .
A small group with guns known as the Louisiana Cajun Militia did show up .
They appeared to be all , or mostly , white .
“ That ’ s their right to protest as long as they keep it peaceful , ” said Michael “ Sauce ” McComas , who said he was the leader of the group .
“ We ’ re just not gon na let them go around burning flags and intimidating.
” It doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a picture of armed Black vigilantes .
It was taken from coverage of a Black militia that showed up in Louisville , Kentucky , to protest the police killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor .
If Higgins was truly concerned about vigilantes of all colors at protests , as he said , it would have been far easier to find a picture of white militia members .
White vigilantes have been a constant , and often threatening , presence at racial justice protests this summer .
White vigilantes and far-right actors have shown up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. at least 497 times this year , according to data collected by Alexander Reid Ross at the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right .
Before 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly killed two protesters and injured one other in Kenosha , Wisconsin , video showed police thanking him and the other heavily armed white men he was with for the work they were doing .
“ This is why homeland security must be squared away , why our military must be invincible .
...
It ’ s hard to walk away from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sober feeling of commitment ― unwavering commitment ― to make damn sure that the United States of America is protected from the evils of the world , ” he said in the video .

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Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) said he’d be more than willing to shoot any armed demonstrators in Louisiana in a Facebook post Tuesday that was accompanied by a picture of Black men with guns.
“One way ticket fellas,” he wrote on his campaign account. “Have your affairs in order. Me?... I wouldn’t even spill my beer. I’d drop any 10 of you where you stand.”
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“We don’t care what color you are. We don’t care if you’re left or right. If you show up like this, if We recognize threat ... you won’t walk away,” added Higgins, a former police officer.
Here’s Clay Higgins threatening to shoot on sight a Black militia rumored to be coming to LFT. And here’s the militia that showed up. Higgins appears to have deleted the post. pic.twitter.com/yfzg7iZJh4 — Christiaan Mader (@xnmader) September 2, 2020
Facebook confirmed to The Acadiana Advocate that it took Higgins’ post down for violating the company’s “violence and incitement” policies.
Higgins’ also put up a picture of an eagle and wrote that he did not remove the post: “No, I did not remove my post. America is being manipulated into a new era of government control. Your liberty is threatened from within.”
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Higgins’ initial post came in advance of a Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for Tuesday night. The event was peaceful, according to the Advocate, and was basically a barbecue. A small group with guns known as the Louisiana Cajun Militia did show up. They appeared to be all, or mostly, white.
“That’s their right to protest as long as they keep it peaceful,” said Michael “Sauce” McComas, who said he was the leader of the group. “We’re just not gonna let them go around burning flags and intimidating.”
The protesters who are grilling have broken bread with the Louisiana Cajun Militia. pic.twitter.com/KOJ6CayqR3 — Ashley White (@AshleyyDi) September 1, 2020
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It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Higgins chose a picture of armed Black vigilantes. It was taken from coverage of a Black militia that showed up in Louisville, Kentucky, to protest the police killing of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.
If Higgins was truly concerned about vigilantes of all colors at protests, as he said, it would have been far easier to find a picture of white militia members.
White vigilantes have been a constant, and often threatening, presence at racial justice protests this summer. White vigilantes and far-right actors have shown up at Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. at least 497 times this year, according to data collected by Alexander Reid Ross at the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right.
Their presence has not only been accepted by police, it’s been embraced.
Before 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly killed two protesters and injured one other in Kenosha, Wisconsin, video showed police thanking him and the other heavily armed white men he was with for the work they were doing.
“We appreciate you guys, we really do,” a cop told the group before tossing Rittenhouse a bottle of water.
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Higgins’ office did not return a request for additional comment for this piece.
In 2017, Higgins faced widespread condemnation after creating a video of himself touring the Auschwitz concentration camp.
“This is why homeland security must be squared away, why our military must be invincible. ... It’s hard to walk away from the gas chambers and ovens without a very sober feeling of commitment ― unwavering commitment ― to make damn sure that the United States of America is protected from the evils of the world,” he said in the video.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--2 Kenosha Business Owners Shun Trump Photo Op, So Former Owner Replaces Them

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images President Donald Trump , flanked by John Rode III , the former owner of Rode ’ s Camera Shop , speaks with the press during a tour of an area damaged amid demonstrations in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
During a Tuesday visit to Kenosha , Wisconsin , President Donald Trump starred in a misleading photo op designed to heighten worries over anti-racist protests across the country and increase support for military-style crackdowns by the federal government .
The White House announced Trump ’ s Kenosha visit over the weekend , saying he would speak with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property damage following major protests in the city .
The protests had been sparked by anger and sorrow after police shot Jacob Blake , a now-paralyzed 29-year-old Black man , seven times in the back .
But Trump didn ’ t speak to Blake ’ s family during the visit , according to media reports .
Instead , Trump ’ s visit was mostly focused on highlighting property damage , demonizing protesters and scoring political points with his base , an effort that included falsely claiming that a man invited to speak glowingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owner of a destroyed business .
On Tuesday , the president repeatedly claimed that a man named John Rode III owned a camera business called Rode ’ s Camera Shop , which was set ablaze during protests last week .
But Rode is not the owner of the camera shop , having sold the business years ago , according to local media .
And the shop ’ s real owners , Tom Gram and Paul Willette , revealed to local media that they had refused to participate in what they both deemed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local news outlet WTMJ that the White House contacted him Monday to request he show off his now-destroyed shop alongside Trump , said the president ’ s past led to his refusal .
“ I think everything he does turns into a circus and I just didn ’ t want to be involved in it , ” Gram said .
“ I said no , thank you — I didn ’ t want anything to do with President Trump , ” Willette told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .
“ If it were any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this one .
I can ’ t begin to describe my frustration with him .
I politely declined coming down there .
I didn ’ t want to be part of that fiasco.
” Still , Rode , who continues to own the property where the camera shop is located , was presented to the public as though he owned the business .
On Tuesday , that misrepresentation was used to lend credence to Rode as he heaped praise on Trump .
“ I just appreciate President Trump coming today ; everybody here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ re so thankful we got the federal troops here .
Once they got here , things did calm down quite a bit.
” In fact , it was Wisconsin ’ s Democratic governor , Tony Evers , who declared a state of emergency and increased the number of National Guard troops deployed as protests ramped up Tuesday of last week , the same day the camera shop was burned .
Trump , who has supported violent crackdowns on anti-racist protesters by both police and his own supporters , has repeatedly threatened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to dissuade protesters from gathering .

President Donald Trump, flanked by John Rode III, the former owner of Rode’s Camera Shop, speaks with the press during a tour of an area damaged amid demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
During a Tuesday visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Donald Trump starred in a misleading photo op designed to heighten worries over anti-racist protests across the country and increase support for military-style crackdowns by the federal government.
The White House announced Trump’s Kenosha visit over the weekend, saying he would speak with local law enforcement and tour sites of property damage following major protests in the city. The protests had been sparked by anger and sorrow after police shot Jacob Blake, a now-paralyzed 29-year-old Black man, seven times in the back. But Trump didn’t speak to Blake’s family during the visit, according to media reports.
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Instead, Trump’s visit was mostly focused on highlighting property damage, demonizing protesters and scoring political points with his base, an effort that included falsely claiming that a man invited to speak glowingly of him to the press was the owner of a destroyed business.
On Tuesday, the president repeatedly claimed that a man named John Rode III owned a camera business called Rode’s Camera Shop, which was set ablaze during protests last week. But Rode is not the owner of the camera shop, having sold the business years ago, according to local media. And the shop’s real owners, Tom Gram and Paul Willette, revealed to local media that they had refused to participate in what they both deemed a political stunt.
Gram, who told local news outlet WTMJ that the White House contacted him Monday to request he show off his now-destroyed shop alongside Trump, said the president’s past led to his refusal.
“I think everything he does turns into a circus and I just didn’t want to be involved in it,” Gram said.
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Willette said that he refused the same request and that Trump was the sole reason.
“I said no, thank you — I didn’t want anything to do with President Trump,” Willette told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “If it were any other president I would, but not this one. I can’t begin to describe my frustration with him. I politely declined coming down there. I didn’t want to be part of that fiasco.”
Still, Rode, who continues to own the property where the camera shop is located, was presented to the public as though he owned the business. On Tuesday, that misrepresentation was used to lend credence to Rode as he heaped praise on Trump.
“John Rode III, owner of Rode’s Camera Shop,” Trump said falsely during a roundtable discussion in Kenosha.
“We’re going to help you. That’s a very, very complete rebuild we’re talking about down there,” he added.
Rode showered Trump with compliments in return.
“I just appreciate President Trump coming today; everybody here does,” Rode said. “We’re so thankful we got the federal troops here. Once they got here, things did calm down quite a bit.”
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Biden Campaign Raises An Unprecedented $364 Million In August

Joe Biden ’ s Democratic presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee took in a combined $ 364 million from donors in August , an unprecedented fundraising haul that shatters existing records .
The previous record for a single month of fundraising for a presidential campaign was the $ 193 million raised by then-Sen. Barack Obama in September 2008 .
The former vice president added , “ And we raised it the right way , from people across the country stepping up to own a piece of this campaign , investing in the future we want to see for our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ characterization of his fundraising didn ’ t tell the whole story .
While the campaign raised a record $ 205 million online in August , much of the remaining cash came from major donors on Wall Street , in Silicon Valley and across the country who can cut legally checks of up to $ 721,300 to his White House bid .
His campaign and the DNC had raised $ 140 million in July , trailing the $ 165 million brought in by President Donald Trump ’ s campaign and the Republican National Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of July , the two campaigns had similar amounts of money in the bank , according to Federal Election Commission records : Biden had $ 294 million , while Trump had just over $ 300 million .
A major fundraising boost for Biden followed his selection of Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate .
ActBlue , which processes donations for Democratic candidates , set numerous records in the weeks that followed .
The massive sums brought in by Biden mean Trump is unlikely to have a significant financial edge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Democratic outside groups , including super Political action committees like Priorities USA and American Bridge , have outspent their GOP equivalents for much of the year .
Still , Biden ended his e-mail to supporters by warning about $ 30 million worth of ads launched by a new GOP super PAC , Preserve America .
The ads falsely suggest that he supports defunding local police forces .
“ Trump ’ s money machine remains and it ’ s bolstered by outside , dark money ― not grassroots donors like all of you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you better believe they will pour it all into attacks and smears against me , against Kamala , and against our campaign .
Just this week a new Trump Super PAC launched $ 30 million in new ads full of lies .
”

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Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee took in a combined $364 million from donors in August, an unprecedented fundraising haul that shatters existing records.
The previous record for a single month of fundraising for a presidential campaign was the $193 million raised by then-Sen. Barack Obama in September 2008.
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Biden, in an email to supporters Wednesday, said his campaign’s haul “blows me away.”
The former vice president added, “And we raised it the right way, from people across the country stepping up to own a piece of this campaign, investing in the future we want to see for our kids and grandkids.”
Biden’s characterization of his fundraising didn’t tell the whole story. While the campaign raised a record $205 million online in August, much of the remaining cash came from major donors on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley and across the country who can legally cut checks of up to $721,300 to his White House bid.
His campaign and the DNC had raised $140 million in July, trailing the $165 million brought in by President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee that same month.
As of the end of July, the two campaigns had similar amounts of money in the bank, according to Federal Election Commission records: Biden had $294 million, while Trump had just over $300 million.
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A major fundraising boost for Biden followed his selection of Sen. Kamala Harris of California as his running mate. ActBlue, which processes donations for Democratic candidates, set numerous records in the weeks that followed.
The massive sums brought in by Biden mean Trump is unlikely to have a significant financial edge in the final weeks of the campaign. Democratic outside groups, including super political action committees like Priorities USA and American Bridge, have outspent their GOP equivalents for much of the year.
Still, Biden ended his e-mail to supporters by warning about $30 million worth of ads launched by a new GOP super PAC, Preserve America. The ads falsely suggest that he supports defunding local police forces.
“Trump’s money machine remains and it’s bolstered by outside, dark money ― not grassroots donors like all of you,” Biden said. “And you better believe they will pour it all into attacks and smears against me, against Kamala, and against our campaign. Just this week a new Trump Super PAC launched $30 million in new ads full of lies.”
The Trump campaign has yet to announce its August fundraising number.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Trump Invites All To Remove Masks, Interrupts Black Attendees At Kenosha Roundtable

At a Tuesday roundtable with local officials in Kenosha , Wisconsin , President Donald Trump invited all present to remove their face masks and repeatedly answered questions that reporters asked of the only Black attendees .
“ If you feel more comfortable , if you ’ ll say a couple of words , you might want to take the masks off , otherwise you can leave them on , ” the president said at the start of the event .
“ Either way you want.
” Trump then pointed to one of the members in attendance , saying , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The indoor roundtable , where attendees sat at a distance from the president but within close proximity of each other , was focused on community safety in Kenosha .
Trump used the meeting to condemn protests in the city that began after Jacob Blake , a now-paralyzed 29-year-old Black man , was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer on Aug. 23 .
The president also dismissed concerns about police brutality , arguing that “ bad apples ” on the police force would be “ taken care of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement needed to be supported .
“ You know , the sad thing is you can do 10,000 great jobs as a policeman or a policewoman , ” Trump said .
“ You can do an incredible job for years , and then you have one bad apple or something happens that ’ s bad .
And that ’ s the nightly news for three weeks .
That ’ s all they talk about.
” When a reporter directed questions about systemic racism in policing to James and Sharon Ward ― the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jackson , Blake ’ s mother ― Trump repeatedly cut in to answer for them .
“ I think the police do an incredible job , and I think you do have some bad apples , ” Trump said .
“ I think you ’ d agree every once in a while you ’ ll see something .
And you do have the other situation , too , where they ’ re under this tremendous pressure , and they don ’ t handle it well .
They call it ‘ choking , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ bad apples ” who “ choke ” under pressure in an interview with Fox News ’ Laura Ingraham on Monday , when he bizarrely compared police officers to golfers who miss easy putts .

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At a Tuesday roundtable with local officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin, President Donald Trump invited all present to remove their face masks and repeatedly answered questions that reporters asked of the only Black attendees.
“If you feel more comfortable, if you’ll say a couple of words, you might want to take the masks off, otherwise you can leave them on,” the president said at the start of the event. “Either way you want.”
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Trump then pointed to one of the members in attendance, saying, “Look how fast you took that off.”
The indoor roundtable, where attendees sat at a distance from the president but within close proximity of each other, was focused on community safety in Kenosha. Trump used the meeting to condemn protests in the city that began after Jacob Blake, a now-paralyzed 29-year-old Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a white police officer on Aug. 23.
The president also dismissed concerns about police brutality, arguing that “bad apples” on the police force would be “taken care of through the system” and that law enforcement needed to be supported.
“You know, the sad thing is you can do 10,000 great jobs as a policeman or a policewoman,” Trump said. “You can do an incredible job for years, and then you have one bad apple or something happens that’s bad. And that’s the nightly news for three weeks. That’s all they talk about.”
When a reporter directed questions about systemic racism in policing to James and Sharon Ward ― the only Black attendees and the pastors for Julia Jackson, Blake’s mother ― Trump repeatedly cut in to answer for them.
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“I think the police do an incredible job, and I think you do have some bad apples,” Trump said. “I think you’d agree every once in a while you’ll see something. And you do have the other situation, too, where they’re under this tremendous pressure, and they don’t handle it well. They call it ‘choking,’ and it happens.”
Trump previously referred to “bad apples” who “choke” under pressure in an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on Monday, when he bizarrely compared police officers to golfers who miss easy putts.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Trump Rant About 'Anarchist' Protesters Wielding Deadly 'Cans Of Soup' Goes Viral

Footage from a July event showing Donald Trump blasting protesters who had supposedly weaponized cans of soup went viral this week , right as the president amped up critical rhetoric of ongoing demonstrations in Portland .
“ In cities across the nation , we ’ ve ... seen police officers assaulted with bricks , rocks , bats , Molotov cocktails , frozen bottles of water , ” Trump said in the footage , which was filmed during his July 31 meeting with leaders from the National Association of Police Organizations .
“ And then they have cans of soup .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of soup .
That ’ s better than a brick because you can ’ t throw a brick ; it ’ s too heavy .
But a can of soup , you can really put some power into that , right ?
” The president argued that when these soup-carrying “ anarchists ” were arrested by law enforcement , they would claim the soup was intended to feed their family .
“ And then when they get caught , they say , ‘ No , this is soup for my family.
’ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s incredible .
And you have people coming over with bags of soup — big bags of soup .
And they lay it on the ground , and the anarchists take it and they start throwing it at our cops , at our police .
And if it hits you , that ’ s worse than a brick because it ’ s got force .
It ’ s the perfect size .
It ’ s , like , made perfect.
” The remarks quickly went viral across Twitter , drawing tongue-in-cheek quips @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as mashups with the tyrannical “ Soup Nazi ” character from the sitcom “ Seinfeld.
” Trump ’ s take on weaponized soup may have been inspired by images showing canned food and other debris that Portland authorities say have been thrown at police during the city ’ s racial injustice protests .
The demonstrations have been ongoing since the death of George Floyd in May .
During his meeting with the National Association of Police Organizations , Trump lambasted soup-tossing protesters within the larger context of the downfall of “ Democrat-run cities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amplified on Twitter and frequently utilized to slam the likes of Chicago , Minneapolis and Portland .
On Monday , the president doubled down on this rhetoric against Portland .
Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News ’ Laura Ingraham that the city had been “ under siege for years.
” During a press conference that same day , Trump claimed that Portland could be cleaned up by federal law enforcement agents if only Mayor Ted Wheeler would give his consent .
( The mayor has specifically asked Trump to stay away @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president has only fueled friction in Portland ’ s streets . )
Despite his words on the deadliness of soup , when asked by CNN during the press conference about pro-Trump supporters in Portland firing paintball guns during the weekend , the president said paint was a “ defensive mechanism.
” “ Paint is not bullets , ” Trump told reporter Kaitlan Collins .
The president then claimed that CNN supporters with guns had caused the fatal shooting of Aaron J. Danielson , who had ties with the far-right group Patriot Prayer and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-Trump demonstrators and counterprotesters on Saturday .

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Footage from a July event showing Donald Trump blasting protesters who had supposedly weaponized cans of soup went viral this week, right as the president amped up critical rhetoric of ongoing demonstrations in Portland.
“In cities across the nation, we’ve ... seen police officers assaulted with bricks, rocks, bats, Molotov cocktails, frozen bottles of water,” Trump said in the footage, which was filmed during his July 31 meeting with leaders from the National Association of Police Organizations. “And then they have cans of soup. Soup. And they throw the cans of soup. That’s better than a brick because you can’t throw a brick; it’s too heavy. But a can of soup, you can really put some power into that, right?”
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The president argued that when these soup-carrying “anarchists” were arrested by law enforcement, they would claim the soup was intended to feed their family.
“And then when they get caught, they say, ‘No, this is soup for my family.’ They’re so innocent. ... It’s incredible. And you have people coming over with bags of soup — big bags of soup. And they lay it on the ground, and the anarchists take it and they start throwing it at our cops, at our police. And if it hits you, that’s worse than a brick because it’s got force. It’s the perfect size. It’s, like, made perfect.”
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Trump’s take on weaponized soup may have been inspired by images showing canned food and other debris that Portland authorities say have been thrown at police during the city’s racial injustice protests. The demonstrations have been ongoing since the death of George Floyd in May.
More items recovered that were thrown at officers: Full beverage cans, bricks, bottles, rocks, food. pic.twitter.com/RTGILdcUKS — Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) June 6, 2020
Contraband such as gasoline, hockey sticks, defense shields, leaf blowers, paint sprayers, cans of paint, and a jar prepped for a Molotov cocktail have been confiscated by federal law enforcement from violent agitators outside the federal courthouse in Portland #portlandprotest pic.twitter.com/seXs2uIPDZ — U.S. Attorney Oregon (@USAO_OR) July 27, 2020
During his meeting with the National Association of Police Organizations, Trump lambasted soup-tossing protesters within the larger context of the downfall of “Democrat-run cities” ― an argument that Trump has amplified on Twitter and frequently utilized to slam the likes of Chicago, Minneapolis and Portland.
On Monday, the president doubled down on this rhetoric against Portland. Trump claimed in an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that the city had been “under siege for years.” During a press conference that same day, Trump claimed that Portland could be cleaned up by federal law enforcement agents if only Mayor Ted Wheeler would give his consent. (The mayor has specifically asked Trump to stay away from the city, arguing that the president has only fueled friction in Portland’s streets.)
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Despite his words on the deadliness of soup, when asked by CNN during the press conference about pro-Trump supporters in Portland firing paintball guns during the weekend, the president said paint was a “defensive mechanism.”


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--DHS Withheld Intel Bulletin Warning Of Russian Attack On Biden's Mental Health: Report

The Department of Homeland Security withheld an intelligence bulletin from federal , local and state law enforcement agencies that warned of a Russian scheme to portray Joe Biden as mentally unfit to serve as U.S. president , ABC News reported Wednesday .
The draft bulletin from July , titled “ Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election , ” said U.S. intelligence analysts had determined Russian agents were trying to convince voters that the Democratic presidential candidate has dementia .
The document largely focused on Russia peddling “ allegations about the poor mental health ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that state media in Iran and China were raising questions about President Donald Trump ’ s mental fitness , according to ABC News , which obtained the draft bulletin .
“ We assess Russian malign influence actors are likely to continue denigrating presidential candidates through allegations of poor mental or physical health to influence the outcome of the 2020 elections , ” the document read .
The draft bulletin was reportedly submitted to DHS ’ s legislative and public affairs office for review on July 7 , but was not disseminated to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days later as initially planned .
DHS chief of staff John Gountanis reportedly blocked the bulletin from being released , instructing agency officials to “ hold on sending this one out ” until it could be reviewed by acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolfe .
A DHS spokesperson told ABC News that the bulletin was “ delayed ” because it “ lacked the necessary context and evidence for broader dissemination.
” DHS intelligence leaders “ decided to delay the product for further review ” after Wolfe was briefed on it and asked questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The DHS spokesperson also told ABC News that the agency has shared three other reports on election security with state and local law enforcement .
It ’ s unclear if those other reports also warned of foreign attacks on U.S. candidates ’ mental health .
Trump and Biden have taken shots at each other ’ s mental acuity .
But the Trump campaign has attacked Biden ’ s mental health repeatedly and frequently in recent months .
The campaign ran a TV ad in June that claimed Biden was “ slipping ” mentally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden “ forgets everything.
” Last month , the Office of the Director of National Intelligence ’ s National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a statement on foreign actors ’ efforts to undermine the U.S. election in November .
In the statement , NCSC Director William Evanina said Russia is “ using a range of measures to primarily denigrate ” Biden .
“ Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump ’ s candidacy on social media and Russian television , ” according to the statement .
“ For clarity and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we will primarily do that through written finished intelligence products , ” an Office of the Director of National Intelligence official told ABC News .
Meanwhile , Russian operatives have continued with their attempts to sow discord in the 2020 election , as they also sought to do in 2016 .
Facebook said Tuesday that it had removed more than a dozen fake accounts and pages linked to a shadowy Russian group that were masquerading as progressive news websites .

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The Department of Homeland Security withheld an intelligence bulletin from federal, local and state law enforcement agencies that warned of a Russian scheme to portray Joe Biden as mentally unfit to serve as U.S. president, ABC News reported Wednesday.
The draft bulletin from July, titled “Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election,” said U.S. intelligence analysts had determined Russian agents were trying to convince voters that the Democratic presidential candidate has dementia.
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The document largely focused on Russia peddling “allegations about the poor mental health” of Biden, but it also mentioned that state media in Iran and China were raising questions about President Donald Trump’s mental fitness, according to ABC News, which obtained the draft bulletin.
“We assess Russian malign influence actors are likely to continue denigrating presidential candidates through allegations of poor mental or physical health to influence the outcome of the 2020 elections,” the document read.
The draft bulletin was reportedly submitted to DHS’s legislative and public affairs office for review on July 7, but was not disseminated to the agency’s law enforcement partners two days later as initially planned.
DHS chief of staff John Gountanis reportedly blocked the bulletin from being released, instructing agency officials to “hold on sending this one out” until it could be reviewed by acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolfe.
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A DHS spokesperson told ABC News that the bulletin was “delayed” because it “lacked the necessary context and evidence for broader dissemination.” DHS intelligence leaders “decided to delay the product for further review” after Wolfe was briefed on it and asked questions about it, the spokesperson said.
The DHS spokesperson also told ABC News that the agency has shared three other reports on election security with state and local law enforcement. It’s unclear if those other reports also warned of foreign attacks on U.S. candidates’ mental health.
DHS did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
EXCLUSIVE: DHS withheld publication of intelligence bulletin warning of Russian scheme to push “allegations about the poor mental health” of Joe Biden, per emails and document draft obtained by @ABC. @jonkarl has the full story. https://t.co/E2Af2hBsTz pic.twitter.com/Ro5yk3BkzQ — Good Morning America (@GMA) September 2, 2020
Trump and Biden have taken shots at each other’s mental acuity. But the Trump campaign has attacked Biden’s mental health repeatedly and frequently in recent months. The campaign ran a TV ad in June that claimed Biden was “slipping” mentally. The next month, Trump claimed Biden “forgets everything.”
Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a statement on foreign actors’ efforts to undermine the U.S. election in November.
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In the statement, NCSC Director William Evanina said Russia is “using a range of measures to primarily denigrate” Biden. “Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump’s candidacy on social media and Russian television,” according to the statement.
The statement also said Iran and China did not want Trump to win reelection.
On Saturday, Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe informed a bipartisan group of congressional leadership that his office would halt in-person election security briefings with lawmakers.
“For clarity and to protect sensitive intelligence from unauthorized disclosures, we will primarily do that through written finished intelligence products,” an Office of the Director of National Intelligence official told ABC News.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--William Barr Says Police Being Racist Toward Black People Isn't Racism

Barr made the remarks in an interview with CNN ’ s Wolf Blitzer , who pressed him to back up his stated belief that Black people aren ’ t disproportionately targeted by law enforcement .
“ I think there are some situations where statistics would suggest that they are treated differently , but I don ’ t think that that ’ s necessarily racism , ” Barr said .
The attorney general also disputed the idea that the criminal justice system treats Black people more harshly , as research broadly shows it does .
“ No , I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
“ I think the narrative that the police are on some epidemic of shooting unarmed Black men is simply a false narrative , and also the narrative that that ’ s based on race.
” Wolf confronted Barr with a remark he ’ d made to ABC in July , quoting him as saying , “ I do think it is a widespread phenomenon that African American males , in particular , are treated with extra suspicion and maybe not given the benefit of the doubt.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Barr responded .
Perplexed , Wolf asked , “ But doesn ’ t that sound like systemic racism ?
” Barr began nitpicking the language : “ No .
To me , the word systemic means that it ’ s built into the institution.
” What the attorney general acknowledged to be true is , in fact , systemic racism .
Racism against Black people has been built into the American system since white settlers colonized the land and then spent centuries enslaving Black people and legalizing discrimination against them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ what fuel the racism Black Americans face today , sometimes directly costing them their lives .
President Donald Trump , too , said this week that police violence against Black people isn ’ t a systemic issue .
“ I don ’ t believe that , ” he said .
“ I think the police do an incredible job , and I think you do have some bad apples.
” Trump was speaking at a roundtable event in Kenosha , Wisconsin , where police recently shot Jacob Blake , a 29-year-old Black man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paralyzing him from the waist down .
Barr claimed during his CNN interview that Blake was “ in the midst of committing a felony and he was armed.
” Wolf corrected him , noting that Blake ’ s family and lawyers say that a knife might have been nearby but that Blake wasn ’ t armed with it .
Barr stood by his claim about the case , which remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the FBI .

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Attorney General William Barr stunned viewers Wednesday when he said that it’s not necessarily racism when police repeatedly treat Black people differently than white people.
Barr made the remarks in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who pressed him to back up his stated belief that Black people aren’t disproportionately targeted by law enforcement.
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“I think there are some situations where statistics would suggest that they are treated differently, but I don’t think that that’s necessarily racism,” Barr said.
The attorney general also disputed the idea that the criminal justice system treats Black people more harshly, as research broadly shows it does.
“No, I don’t think there are two justice systems,” he said. “I think the narrative that the police are on some epidemic of shooting unarmed Black men is simply a false narrative, and also the narrative that that’s based on race.”
Wolf confronted Barr with a remark he’d made to ABC in July, quoting him as saying, “I do think it is a widespread phenomenon that African American males, in particular, are treated with extra suspicion and maybe not given the benefit of the doubt.”
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“That’s what I just said,” Barr responded. Perplexed, Wolf asked, “But doesn’t that sound like systemic racism?” Barr began nitpicking the language: “No. To me, the word systemic means that it’s built into the institution.”
What the attorney general acknowledged to be true is, in fact, systemic racism. Racism against Black people has been built into the American system since white settlers colonized the land and then spent centuries enslaving Black people and legalizing discrimination against them. The lingering effects of those practices are what fuel the racism Black Americans face today, sometimes directly costing them their lives.
President Donald Trump, too, said this week that police violence against Black people isn’t a systemic issue. “I don’t believe that,” he said. “I think the police do an incredible job, and I think you do have some bad apples.”
Trump was speaking at a roundtable event in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where police recently shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, in the back seven times, paralyzing him from the waist down.
Barr claimed during his CNN interview that Blake was “in the midst of committing a felony and he was armed.” Wolf corrected him, noting that Blake’s family and lawyers say that a knife might have been nearby but that Blake wasn’t armed with it. Barr stood by his claim about the case, which remains under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the FBI.


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--1 Death, Around 250 COVID-19 Cases Linked To Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

One death and around 260 coronavirus cases have been reported and traced back to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally , a 10-day ride that brought hundreds of thousands to South Dakota last month .
Minnesota ’ s Department of Health reported Wednesday that one biker from the state who attended the rally died after being infected by COVID-19 , officials confirmed to CBS Minnesota .
The state ’ s infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann told The Washington Post that the victim was in his 60s with underlying health conditions and was in intensive care .
Several news outlets , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several states and , on Wednesday , found around 260 coronavirus cases that could be traced back to the bike rally in Sturgis , South Dakota .
On Aug. 26 , the number of reported coronavirus cases linked to the Sturgis event was around 100 .
Ehresmann , Minnesota ’ s infectious disease official , told The Washington Post that infected people who attended Sturgis ’ event may have returned “ perhaps to locations that weren ’ t seeing as much transmission to begin with.
” “ You have the potential to amplify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what ’ s concerning from a broader public health standpoint , ” Ehresmann said .
Officials in eight states began trying to track which coronavirus cases stemmed from the multiday event in Sturgis , which ended on Aug. 16 , The Associated Press reported late August .
Over the course of the 10 days , the South Dakota Department of Transportation counted 462,182 vehicles that entered the city , the population of which hovers around 7,000 .
The city of Sturgis launched a mass testing effort after the rally in an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , only 650 residents signed up to be tested and at least 26 people were found positive .
All of the Sturgis residents who tested positive were asymptomatic , according to local ABC affiliate KOTA News .

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One death and around 260 coronavirus cases have been reported and traced back to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a 10-day ride that brought hundreds of thousands to South Dakota last month.
Minnesota’s Department of Health reported Wednesday that one biker from the state who attended the rally died after being infected by COVID-19, officials confirmed to CBS Minnesota.
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The state’s infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann told The Washington Post that the victim was in his 60s with underlying health conditions and was in intensive care.
Several news outlets, including the Post, also surveyed health departments across several states and, on Wednesday, found around 260 coronavirus cases that could be traced back to the bike rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.
The Post found at least 260 cases linked to the event.
The Dickinson Press, a North Dakota-based paper, logged 263 cases in 11 states, including North Dakota and South Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado, Montana, Washington, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
Yes sir!
- SD: 105 cases
- MN: 50 cases
- NJ: 3 cases
- WY: 14 cases
- NH: 9 total cases
- 1 secondary case
- WI: 23 cases
- MT: 7 cases
- ND: 30 cases
- CO: 30 cases
- MI: 11 cases
- Nebraska: 7 cases https://t.co/srWonHKCRv — Max Bayer (@maxonwifi) September 2, 2020
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CBS News’ coronavirus reporter Max Bayer counted 289 cases, using additional data gathered by CNN and Forum News Service’s health reporter Jeremy Fugleberg.
On Aug. 26, the number of reported coronavirus cases linked to the Sturgis event was around 100.
Ehresmann, Minnesota’s infectious disease official, told The Washington Post that infected people who attended Sturgis’ event may have returned “perhaps to locations that weren’t seeing as much transmission to begin with.”
“You have the potential to amplify transmission in multiple places. That’s what’s concerning from a broader public health standpoint,” Ehresmann said.
Officials in eight states began trying to track which coronavirus cases stemmed from the multiday event in Sturgis, which ended on Aug. 16, The Associated Press reported late August. Over the course of the 10 days, the South Dakota Department of Transportation counted 462,182 vehicles that entered the city, the population of which hovers around 7,000.
The city of Sturgis launched a mass testing effort after the rally in an attempt to track the spread of the virus. However, only 650 residents signed up to be tested and at least 26 people were found positive.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Trump, Biden Will Both Mark 9/11 Anniversary At Flight 93 Memorial

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in rural Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed in a field , the White House and Biden ’ s campaign announced Wednesday .
It was not immediately clear whether their visits to the memorial in Shanksville will overlap .
But it probably will be the closest that the candidates have been to one another in months .
The National Park Service , which co-hosts the annual memorial event , is planning an abbreviated ceremony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coronavirus .
The agency plans a 20-minute “ Moment of Remembrance ” set to begin at 9:45 a.m. , without a keynote speaker or musical guests .
The name of each passengers and crew member from Flight 93 will be read aloud with the ringing of the “ Bells of Remembrance , ” according to the agency ’ s website .
A White House spokesman , Judd Deere , said the president and first lady Melania Trump would visit the site “ to honor and remember the lives lost ” on Sept. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to speak , although the White House and Park Service did not immediately reconcile that with the planned commemoration .
In 2016 , Trump and Democratic president nominee Hillary Clinton both spent Sept 11 in New York and both visited the Ground Zero memorial in lower Manhattan .
The day ended up being a significant one on the campaign , after Clinton abruptly left the ceremony , complaining she was overheated , and was captured on video struggling to step into a van .
The 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Memorial marks the spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crashed , killing all 40 people on board .
Three other planes hijacked that day were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon .
Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks .
It ’ s the second time Trump will mark 9/11 with a visit to the site .
He also visited the Pentagon and 2017 and 2019 .

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in rural Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed in a field, the White House and Biden’s campaign announced Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear whether their visits to the memorial in Shanksville will overlap. But it probably will be the closest that the candidates have been to one another in months.
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The National Park Service, which co-hosts the annual memorial event, is planning an abbreviated ceremony this year to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The agency plans a 20-minute “Moment of Remembrance” set to begin at 9:45 a.m., without a keynote speaker or musical guests. The name of each passengers and crew member from Flight 93 will be read aloud with the ringing of the “Bells of Remembrance,” according to the agency’s website.
A White House spokesman, Judd Deere, said the president and first lady Melania Trump would visit the site “to honor and remember the lives lost” on Sept. 11, 2001. Trump is expected to speak, although the White House and Park Service did not immediately reconcile that with the planned commemoration.
In 2016, Trump and Democratic president nominee Hillary Clinton both spent Sept 11 in New York and both visited the Ground Zero memorial in lower Manhattan. The day ended up being a significant one on the campaign, after Clinton abruptly left the ceremony, complaining she was overheated, and was captured on video struggling to step into a van.
The 2,200-acre Flight 93 National Memorial marks the spot in rural Pennsylvania where the hijacked flight crashed, killing all 40 people on board. Three other planes hijacked that day were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--House Democrats Demand Climate Be 'Centerpiece’ Of 2020 Presidential Debates

In a letter Wednesday to the Commission on Presidential Debates , 70 lawmakers stressed that their constituents must hear from the candidates about how they plan to tackle “ one of the most pressing and all-consuming issues currently facing our country.
” The demand comes on the heels of record-setting wildfires in California , an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season and brutal August heat throughout much of the West .
And a new survey of NASA satellite data shows that climate change has increased the volume of glacial lakes worldwide by about 50 % since 1990 .
Even a single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debates would be an improvement over 2016 , when presidential debate moderators did not once bring up the rapidly worsening global crisis .
“ This can not happen again , ” reads the letter , spearheaded by Rep. Mike Levin of California .
“ Given the dire nature of the crisis , we ask that you break precedent and publicly call on the moderators to include climate in the topics that will be addressed during the debates.
” A home destroyed by the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Napa County , California , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7,000 blazes have hit California this year , a 63 % jump from 2019 , according to Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
The burned acreage is now 25 times larger than a year ago .
President Donald Trump has spent his first term dismissing and downplaying the climate threat .
His administration has rolled back at least 100 environmental rules , including many that aimed at reining in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions , in its relentless quest for so-called “ energy dominance.
” But with the election around the corner , Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meanwhile , 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris , are campaigning on a promise to address the crisis head-on , with a focus on environmental justice .
In July , Biden unveiled an ambitious plan to phase out coal and gas power plants by 2035 and invest $ 2 trillion in renewable energy and infrastructure upgrades , with 40 % of those funds going toward low-income and minority communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution .
The Commission on Presidential Debates on Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates .
Fox News ’ Chris Wallace , one of the journalists who did not bring up climate change as moderator of the final 2016 presidential debate , will moderate the first 2020 presidential debate on Sept. 29 .
Levin , who worked as an environmental attorney before being elected to office in 2018 , attended the final debate in 2016 and was disappointed that climate change was ignored .
To again not ask presidential candidates about such a significant threat and how they plan to deal with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American voters , he told HuffPost by phone on Wednesday .
“ I felt that it was important that we emphasize that this is no longer an issue that ’ s looming in the distance , ” he said , noting the severe climate impacts in his home state .
“ It ’ s something that needs to be addressed and there are profound differences on this issue between the two candidates.
” Levin worked with advocacy group Climate Power 2020 on the letter .
In it , he and other members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stripes have made clear they are concerned about the impacts of climate change on their health , safety and financial security .
“ We understand there are four central crises that the presidential and vice-presidential candidates must address : the ongoing pandemic , a struggling economy , racial injustice , and the climate crisis , ” the letter reads .
“ But of these four , there is one which will exacerbate each of the other three , if not addressed immediately .
We need a dedicated discussion on the climate crisis that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ”

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Dozens of House Democrats are calling for the climate crisis to be a central focus of the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates.
In a letter Wednesday to the Commission on Presidential Debates, 70 lawmakers stressed that their constituents must hear from the candidates about how they plan to tackle “one of the most pressing and all-consuming issues currently facing our country.”
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The demand comes on the heels of record-setting wildfires in California, an extremely active Atlantic hurricane season and brutal August heat throughout much of the West. And a new survey of NASA satellite data shows that climate change has increased the volume of glacial lakes worldwide by about 50% since 1990.
Even a single question on climate change at the upcoming debates would be an improvement over 2016, when presidential debate moderators did not once bring up the rapidly worsening global crisis.
“This cannot happen again,” reads the letter, spearheaded by Rep. Mike Levin of California. “Given the dire nature of the crisis, we ask that you break precedent and publicly call on the moderators to include climate in the topics that will be addressed during the debates.”
A home destroyed by the LNU Lightning Complex fire in Napa County, California, pictured on Aug. 25. More than 7,000 blazes have hit California this year, a 63% jump from 2019, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom. The burned acreage is now 25 times larger than a year ago. Bloomberg via Getty Images
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President Donald Trump has spent his first term dismissing and downplaying the climate threat. His administration has rolled back at least 100 environmental rules, including many that aimed at reining in planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, in its relentless quest for so-called “energy dominance.” But with the election around the corner, Trump has tried to greenwash his abysmal record.
Meanwhile, 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his vice presidential running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, are campaigning on a promise to address the crisis head-on, with a focus on environmental justice. In July, Biden unveiled an ambitious plan to phase out coal and gas power plants by 2035 and invest $2 trillion in renewable energy and infrastructure upgrades, with 40% of those funds going toward low-income and minority communities that are disproportionately affected by pollution.
The Commission on Presidential Debates on Wednesday announced its lineup of moderators for the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates. Fox News’ Chris Wallace, one of the journalists who did not bring up climate change as moderator of the final 2016 presidential debate, will moderate the first 2020 presidential debate on Sept. 29.
Levin, who worked as an environmental attorney before being elected to office in 2018, attended the final debate in 2016 and was disappointed that climate change was ignored. To again not ask presidential candidates about such a significant threat and how they plan to deal with it would be a huge disservice to American voters, he told HuffPost by phone on Wednesday.
“I felt that it was important that we emphasize that this is no longer an issue that’s looming in the distance,” he said, noting the severe climate impacts in his home state. “It’s something that needs to be addressed and there are profound differences on this issue between the two candidates.”
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Levin worked with advocacy group Climate Power 2020 on the letter. In it, he and other members of Congress note that Americans of all political stripes have made clear they are concerned about the impacts of climate change on their health, safety and financial security.
“We understand there are four central crises that the presidential and vice-presidential candidates must address: the ongoing pandemic, a struggling economy, racial injustice, and the climate crisis,” the letter reads. “But of these four, there is one which will exacerbate each of the other three, if not addressed immediately. We need a dedicated discussion on the climate crisis that matches the importance of this moment.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.
While climate change did get some questions during the Democratic presidential debates last year, the Democratic National Committee voted down a proposal to host a debate solely on the crisis — a move that infuriated climate activists.
Read the full letter below:


thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Lara Trump Campaigns With One Of America’s Most Vile Anti-Muslim Extremists

Lara Trump , an adviser to the presidential campaign of father-in-law Donald Trump , campaigned with one of America ’ s worst anti-Muslim bigots on Tuesday .
In a photo posted by a campaign official to Twitter on Wednesday , Lara Trump can be seen standing beside Laura Loomer , the Republican nominee for Congress in Florida ’ s 21st District , at a GOP event in Boca Raton .
Behind Trump and Loomer are campaign volunteers who can be seen holding up signs for both Donald Trump and Loomer .
Another photo shows Lara Trump bumping elbows with Loomer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most infamous anti-Muslim extremists , whose bigotry has earned her the dubious distinction of being banned from Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , PayPal , GoFundMe , Venmo , Uber , Lyft and Uber Eats .
The Trump campaign didn ’ t respond to multiple HuffPost requests for comment on Lara Trump ’ s appearance with Loomer .
Lara Trump , center , an adviser to her father-in-law 's presidential campaign , poses for a photo with Laura Loomer , right , one of America 's worst anti-Muslim bigots , at a Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sept. 1 .
Loomer recently won the GOP nomination for Congress in Florida 's 21st District .
Loomer , 27 , has been a far-right operative for years with stints as a correspondent for disreputable far-right conspiracy websites including InfoWars , Rebel Media and Project Veritas .
Once , responding to news that many migrants crossing the Mediterranean in Europe were drowning , Loomer tweeted that she hoped “ 2,000 more ” would die .
“ I DON ’ T CARE ABOUT CHRISTCHURCH , ” Loomer wrote in a Telegram post after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two mosques in Christchurch , New Zealand .
According to Right Wing Watch , she has close ties to a Florida-based organization called The United West , which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated an anti-Muslim hate group .
Loomer also has deep ties to white supremacists , and once posed for a photo with well-known fascist Richard Spencer .
It is not necessarily surprising that the Trump campaign would be supportive of an extremist like Loomer .
Trump himself , of course , is a raging Islamophobe who once called for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Muslims entering the U.S. Loomer ’ s campaign adviser Karen Giorno , who raised over $ 1 million to help Loomer win the Republican primary , worked as an adviser on Trump ’ s 2016 presidential campaign .
Loomer is widely expected to lose in the general election this November .
Florida ’ s 21st District — which includes the president ’ s Mar-a-Lago resort — is heavily Democratic .

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Lara Trump, an adviser to the presidential campaign of father-in-law Donald Trump, campaigned with one of America’s worst anti-Muslim bigots on Tuesday.
In a photo posted by a campaign official to Twitter on Wednesday, Lara Trump can be seen standing beside Laura Loomer, the Republican nominee for Congress in Florida’s 21st District, at a GOP event in Boca Raton.
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Behind Trump and Loomer are campaign volunteers who can be seen holding up signs for both Donald Trump and Loomer.
Another photo shows Lara Trump bumping elbows with Loomer, one of the country’s most infamous anti-Muslim extremists, whose bigotry has earned her the dubious distinction of being banned from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, PayPal, GoFundMe, Venmo, Uber, Lyft and Uber Eats.
The Trump campaign didn’t respond to multiple HuffPost requests for comment on Lara Trump’s appearance with Loomer.
Lara Trump, center, an adviser to her father-in-law's presidential campaign, poses for a photo with Laura Loomer, right, one of America's worst anti-Muslim bigots, at a Republican event in Boca Raton, Florida, on Sept. 1. Loomer recently won the GOP nomination for Congress in Florida's 21st District. Twitter
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Trump, left, bumps elbows with Loomer at the GOP event. Twitter
Loomer, 27, has been a far-right operative for years with stints as a correspondent for disreputable far-right conspiracy websites including InfoWars, Rebel Media and Project Veritas.
Once, responding to news that many migrants crossing the Mediterranean in Europe were drowning, Loomer tweeted that she hoped “2,000 more” would die.
A GOP nominee for Congress. Twitter
She has called Islam a “cancer,” Muslims “savages,” and herself a “#ProudIslamophobe.”
“I DON’T CARE ABOUT CHRISTCHURCH,” Loomer wrote in a Telegram post after a white nationalist massacred 51 Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
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According to Right Wing Watch, she has close ties to a Florida-based organization called The United West, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated an anti-Muslim hate group.
Loomer also has deep ties to white supremacists, and once posed for a photo with well-known fascist Richard Spencer.
It is not necessarily surprising that the Trump campaign would be supportive of an extremist like Loomer.
Trump himself, of course, is a raging Islamophobe who once called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S.
Loomer’s campaign adviser Karen Giorno, who raised over $1 million to help Loomer win the Republican primary, worked as an adviser on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
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thehuffingtonpost--2020-09-02--Arizona Voter Sues To Ban Kanye West From State Ballot

PHOENIX ( AP ) — An Arizona resident has asked a judge to bar Kanye West from appearing on Arizona ’ s Nov. 3 ballot , accusing the hip hop artist of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate .
Lawyers for Rasean Clayton said in a lawsuit filed Monday that independent presidential candidates can appear on Arizona ’ s ballot if they aren ’ t registered with a recognized political party and gather enough voter signatures to nominate them .
But Clayton ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of workers gathering petition signatures in Arizona , isn ’ t qualified to be on the ballot because he ’ s a registered Republican .
Even if West were able to gather enough signatures , the lawsuit said the hip hop artist ’ s late-in-the-game candidacy would make no difference to his chances of winning the race .
“ West will not be able to qualify for the ballot in enough states to muster enough electoral votes to prevail , ” Clayton ’ s lawyers wrote .
“ West ’ s minimal interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ballot is not enough to outweigh the factors favoring emergency relief.
” West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states , including Arkansas , Idaho , Iowa , Tennessee and Utah .
The rapper and music producer announced his intention to run for president on July 4 and faces a deadline late Friday afternoon in Arizona for turning in more than 39,000 valid signatures to appear on the ballot .
Attorney Tim LaSota , who represents West in the Arizona challenge , described the lawsuit as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ( signature filing deadline ) to deprive voters of a choice.
” LaSota brushed aside criticism that West is trying to be a spoiler aimed at hurting Democratic nominee Joe Biden ’ s chances in Arizona .
“ That ’ s just political hyperbole , ” LaSota said .
“ I don ’ t want to get into the politics of it .
But obviously I think there is a lot to be achieved by someone else running for president.
” Clayton ’ s attorneys said the lawsuit must be resolved quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots will be printed on Sept. 8 and 9 .
It ’ s unclear if Clayton has any connections to the Arizona Democratic Party .
Joe Roth , one of his attorneys , and the state Democratic Party didn ’ t return a call Wednesday seeking comment .

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PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona resident has asked a judge to bar Kanye West from appearing on Arizona’s Nov. 3 ballot, accusing the hip hop artist of serving as an election spoiler and arguing that a law prohibits him from running in the state as an independent presidential candidate.
Lawyers for Rasean Clayton said in a lawsuit filed Monday that independent presidential candidates can appear on Arizona’s ballot if they aren’t registered with a recognized political party and gather enough voter signatures to nominate them. But Clayton’s lawyers say West, who has dozens of workers gathering petition signatures in Arizona, isn’t qualified to be on the ballot because he’s a registered Republican.
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Even if West were able to gather enough signatures, the lawsuit said the hip hop artist’s late-in-the-game candidacy would make no difference to his chances of winning the race.
“West will not be able to qualify for the ballot in enough states to muster enough electoral votes to prevail,” Clayton’s lawyers wrote. “West’s minimal interest in playing a spoiler candidate on Arizona’s ballot is not enough to outweigh the factors favoring emergency relief.”
West has already qualified to appear on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee and Utah.
The rapper and music producer announced his intention to run for president on July 4 and faces a deadline late Friday afternoon in Arizona for turning in more than 39,000 valid signatures to appear on the ballot.
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A Maricopa County judge is scheduled to hear arguments in the legal challenge on Thursday afternoon.
Attorney Tim LaSota, who represents West in the Arizona challenge, described the lawsuit as a “last-ditch effort on the eve of the (signature filing deadline) to deprive voters of a choice.”
LaSota brushed aside criticism that West is trying to be a spoiler aimed at hurting Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s chances in Arizona. “That’s just political hyperbole,” LaSota said. “I don’t want to get into the politics of it. But obviously I think there is a lot to be achieved by someone else running for president.”
Clayton’s attorneys said the lawsuit must be resolved quickly because the deadline for Arizona’s ballots will be printed on Sept. 8 and 9.
It’s unclear if Clayton has any connections to the Arizona Democratic Party. Joe Roth, one of his attorneys, and the state Democratic Party didn’t return a call Wednesday seeking comment.