theguardian--2020-07-05--'We've got to do something': Republican rebels come together to take on Trump

Just like in 2016 , a faction of the Republican party has emerged to try to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election .
But unlike the last presidential race , where the effort never truly took off , this time those rebel Republicans have formed better organized groups – and some are even openly backing Trump ’ s Democratic opponent , Joe Biden .
In 2016 , as Trump steamrolled his way through the Republican primary , some Republican lawmakers and operatives tried to mount an effort to stop him .
Elected officials and veterans of previous Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a few set up meager outside groups to defeat Trump .
That ’ s happening again – but there are differences .
The outside groups are more numerous and better organized , and most importantly , Trump has a governing record on which Republicans can use to decide whether to support him or not .
“ I think it ’ s qualitatively different , ” said Republican operative Tim Miller , who co-founded one of the main anti-Trump organizations .
“ A lot of people who opposed [ Trump ] did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also bad , and Trump ’ s bad , and everybody can vote their conscience ’ kind of thing.
” Miller said that 2016 ’ s effort was far more of a “ pox on both your houses ” phenomenon versus 2020 ’ s “ organized effort to defeat him ” .
The latest prominent Republican anti-Trump organization made its debut in early July .
It ’ s a Super Pac called 43 Alumni for Biden , and aims to rally alumni of George W Bush ’ s administration to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was co-founded by Kristopher Purcell , a former Bush administration official ; John Farner , who worked in the commerce department during the Bush administration ; and Karen Kirksey , another longtime Republican operative .
Kirksey is the Super Pac ’ s director .
“ We ’ re truly a grassroots organization .
Our goal is to do whatever we can to elect Joe Biden as president , ” said Farner .
The Super Pac is still in its early stages and isn ’ t setting expectations on raising something like $ 20m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is just focused on organizing .
“ After seeing three and a half years of chaos and incompetence and division , a lot of people have just been pushed to say , ‘ We have got to do something else , ” Purcell said .
“ We may not be fully on board with the Democratic agenda , but this is a one-issue election .
‘ Are you for Donald Trump , or are you for America.
’ ” 43 Alumni for Biden is new compared with two other larger anti-Republican groups .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ political action committee founded in 2019 by Republican strategists who have long been critical of Trump .
The Lincoln Project has made a name for itself for its creative anti-Trump ads .
It has also brought on veteran Republican strategists like Stu Stevens , a top adviser for now-Utah senator Mitt Romney ’ s 2012 presidential campaign .
George Conway , the husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway , is also a co-founder of the group .
Unlike other anti-Trump groups , the Lincoln Project has weighed in to Senate races and has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backed the Montana governor , Steve Bullock , in his Senate bid against the sitting Republican Steve Daines .
Then there ’ s Republican Voters Against Trump , a group led by Bill Kristol , a well-known neoconservative and former chief of staff to then vice-president Dan Quayle , and Republican consultants Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller .
That group is focused on organizing anti-Trump Republicans .
“ Lincoln is doing two things really well .
One is narrative-setting , and just beating Trump over the head with hard-hitting attacks , ” Miller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also working on Senate races , which we ’ re not doing .
I think that , frankly , they ’ re bringing the sledgehammer and working on Senate races , and we are elevating these peer voices in a way to persuade voters.
” A set of Republican national security officials has also emerged in opposition to Trump .
That group hasn ’ t given itself a name yet , and includes the former Bush homeland security adviser Ken Wainstein , and John Bellinger III , who served in the state department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national security officials away from Trump – either by supporting Biden or writing in someone else .
Even with all the organizing by these groups , there ’ s still the persistent fact that swaths of former Republican officials and operatives methodically endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 , and since then Trump has enjoyed sky-high approval ratings among the Republican party electorate .
But these groups say that was a result of Americans having not yet experienced a Trump presidency .
They also say that the reason elected officials aren ’ t coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re worried about the blowback .
Colleen Graffey , part of the national security group of Republicans opposing Trump , said the reason some elected Republican officials aren ’ t coming out to oppose Trump publicly is because they ’ re scared .
“ They ’ re worried they ’ re going to be primaried , ” Graffey said .
“ They ’ re worried they ’ re going to be tweeted , if that can be a weaponized verb.
” Asked what his big fear is now , Farner said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come out to vote at all .
“ My fear is that they will not come out and vote .
And we ’ re here to say that it ’ s OK. We ’ re putting ourselves out here too , ” Farner said .
“ It ’ s OK .
”

Just like in 2016, a faction of the Republican party has emerged to try to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election.
But unlike the last presidential race, where the effort never truly took off, this time those rebel Republicans have formed better organized groups – and some are even openly backing Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden.
In 2016, as Trump steamrolled his way through the Republican primary, some Republican lawmakers and operatives tried to mount an effort to stop him. Elected officials and veterans of previous Republican administrations organized letters, endorsed Hillary Clinton, and a few set up meager outside groups to defeat Trump.
That’s happening again – but there are differences. The outside groups are more numerous and better organized, and most importantly, Trump has a governing record on which Republicans can use to decide whether to support him or not.
“I think it’s qualitatively different,” said Republican operative Tim Miller, who co-founded one of the main anti-Trump organizations. “A lot of people who opposed [Trump] did the whole, ‘Oh, Hillary’s also bad, and Trump’s bad, and everybody can vote their conscience’ kind of thing.”
Miller said that 2016’s effort was far more of a “pox on both your houses” phenomenon versus 2020’s “organized effort to defeat him”.
The latest prominent Republican anti-Trump organization made its debut in early July. It’s a Super Pac called 43 Alumni for Biden, and aims to rally alumni of George W Bush’s administration to support the Democrat.
The new Super Pac was co-founded by Kristopher Purcell, a former Bush administration official; John Farner, who worked in the commerce department during the Bush administration; and Karen Kirksey, another longtime Republican operative. Kirksey is the Super Pac’s director.
“We’re truly a grassroots organization. Our goal is to do whatever we can to elect Joe Biden as president,” said Farner.
The Super Pac is still in its early stages and isn’t setting expectations on raising something like $20m. Rather, 43 Alumni for Biden is just focused on organizing.
“After seeing three and a half years of chaos and incompetence and division, a lot of people have just been pushed to say, ‘We have got to do something else,” Purcell said. “We may not be fully on board with the Democratic agenda, but this is a one-issue election. ‘Are you for Donald Trump, or are you for America.’”
This is a one-issue election. Are you for Trump, or are you for America? Kristopher Purcell
43 Alumni for Biden is new compared with two other larger anti-Republican groups.
The best-knownis the Lincoln Project, a political action committee founded in 2019 by Republican strategists who have long been critical of Trump.
The Lincoln Project has made a name for itself for its creative anti-Trump ads. It has also brought on veteran Republican strategists like Stu Stevens, a top adviser for now-Utah senator Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. George Conway, the husband of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, is also a co-founder of the group.
Unlike other anti-Trump groups, the Lincoln Project has weighed in to Senate races and has begun endorsing Senate candidates. It has backed the Montana governor, Steve Bullock, in his Senate bid against the sitting Republican Steve Daines.
Then there’s Republican Voters Against Trump, a group led by Bill Kristol, a well-known neoconservative and former chief of staff to then vice-president Dan Quayle, and Republican consultants Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller.
That group is focused on organizing anti-Trump Republicans.“Lincoln is doing two things really well. One is narrative-setting, and just beating Trump over the head with hard-hitting attacks,” Miller said. “And they’re also working on Senate races, which we’re not doing. I think that, frankly, they’re bringing the sledgehammer and working on Senate races, and we are elevating these peer voices in a way to persuade voters.”
A set of Republican national security officials has also emerged in opposition to Trump.
That group hasn’t given itself a name yet, and includes the former Bush homeland security adviser Ken Wainstein, and John Bellinger III, who served in the state department. The group is looking to rally national security officials away from Trump – either by supporting Biden or writing in someone else.
Even with all the organizing by these groups, there’s still the persistent fact that swaths of former Republican officials and operatives methodically endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, and since then Trump has enjoyed sky-high approval ratings among the Republican party electorate.
But these groups say that was a result of Americans having not yet experienced a Trump presidency. They also say that the reason elected officials aren’t coming out to support Biden is because they’re worried about the blowback.
Colleen Graffy, part of the national security group of Republicans opposing Trump, said the reason some elected Republican officials aren’t coming out to oppose Trump publicly is because they’re scared.
“They’re worried they’re going to be primaried,” Graffy said. “They’re worried they’re going to be tweeted, if that can be a weaponized verb.”
Asked what his big fear is now, Farner said it’s that Republicans won’t come out to vote at all.
“My fear is that they will not come out and vote. And we’re here to say that it’s OK. We’re putting ourselves out here too,” Farner said. “It’s OK.”


theguardian--2020-07-05--'We know what we need to do': six experts address the coronavirus surge

Donald Trump delivered much-needed good news to the American people this week .
Coronavirus , he told Fox Business , was “ just going to disappear ” .
The US president didn ’ t specify when this vanishing act would take place .
One thing is certain , though : it ’ s not now .
The virus is spreading through a vast area of the American hinterland at a speed not seen since the pandemic began .
Across the south and west , and even into California , which had been considered a shining light in its handling of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
Hospitals are filling up , ICUs reaching capacity , protective gear falling short .
It ’ s like April all over again , with the ominous difference that this time many Americans are fed up with lockdowns and , with Trump ’ s warm encouragement , spurning social distancing and masks .
It is a singularly perilous moment , with tens of thousands of lives at risk .
Globally , too , trust in the US hangs in the balance as surveys show that Europe is asking what kind of world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people from a microbe .
The Guardian invited six of America ’ s top public health experts to address the crisis .
How bad is the current threat ?
And were the White House committed to science and data , as opposed to disappearing tricks , what would it do right now to fend off the disaster ?
Beth Cameron , former senior director for global health security and biodefense on the White House National Security Council , now vice-president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative The situation is grave .
Covid-19 is spreading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least a dozen states , and – six months into the crisis – the United States has failed to muster a unified response .
It ’ s crystal clear that Covid-19 won ’ t “ just disappear ” , as President Trump said this week – and the pandemic certainly won ’ t end if wishful thinking continues to be our federal response plan .
I have the opportunity to speak regularly with local leaders , public health professionals and scientists .
Across the board – from mayors to tribal leaders – there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ innovation , and decision-making tools .
At a time when our country needs an orchestrated , coordinated , all-hands-on-deck response , there is simply no hand on the tiller .
What should the administration do ?
Immediately start daily briefings from experts at CDC and NIH to report progress on a core set of metrics and capabilities that must be in place across the country to suppress Covid-19 and reopen safely .
Make racial disparities in Covid-19 response ( and in healthcare and health security more broadly ) a top priority .
Organize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and contact tracers .
Reach young adults about the need to reduce spread and protect communities .
It ’ s also time that the White House launch a set of science and technology challenges to rally public and private sector leaders toward common goals , like urgently modernizing our public health data architecture .
And yes , the president should wear a mask .
Unfortunately , we can ’ t keep waiting for the administration .
In the absence of federal leadership , I would like to see governors and mayors leave aside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual summit this summer to set an urgent course for a whole-of-country approach to suppress Covid-19 .
We need a shared strategy .
Tom Frieden , former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) 2009-2017 , current president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives , an initiative of Vital Strategies In the US today , the virus has the upper hand .
We can expect weeks , even months , of increases if we don ’ t do much better .
The fact is we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take a very long time to recede .
One of the most serious problems is the lack of a concerted federal response .
You see that in the lack of consistent messaging , the failure to tackle supply issues from tests to protective equipment , the absence of uniform standards on what states should monitor and report publicly .
In short , there is no clear national strategy and no plan for controlling this virus .
We know what we need to do .
First , reduce the risk of spread by applying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , wash your hands and watch your distance .
Then box the virus in through strategic testing , effective isolation , and rapid contact tracing and supportive quarantine .
Having done those things , we need to hold ourselves accountable by tracking how quickly tests are reported , patients isolated , and contacts traced .
Singapore , New Zealand , South Korea are all tracking those indicators .
We are not .
The problem is that there is a strain of thought in the Trump administration that if we ignore the virus it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The truth is the opposite : ignore it and it will come back with greater force .
Within a matter of days we will record 140,000 US deaths from Covid-19 .
People ask whether those American lives were lost needlessly .
One way to look at that is to compare our record with that of Germany , a nation that has a similarly decentralized federal system with lots of risk of spread .
Germany ’ s death rate is 109 per million population , according to Johns Hopkins , compared with 391 per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that more than two-thirds of the US deaths – 86,000 at least – would have been prevented if we had achieved Germany ’ s death rate .
Jennifer Nuzzo , senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security We are in a deeply disturbing moment where more than half of the states are heading in the wrong direction in terms of new cases .
Critically , states reopened without capacity to test adequately and do contact tracing .
It didn ’ t have to be this way .
In Europe there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after a challenging time , kept cases from accelerating further .
We basically decided to not do that in the US .
We shut down , then grew bored of that and lifted the lockdowns without any sort of plan for what came next .
So here we are : we now have the largest epidemic in the world , which is currently accelerating at a rate we haven ’ t seen before .
This should be a profound wake-up call to the states that hoped they could out-talk the pandemic with rhetoric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the situation is out of control .
We still have the power to change the trajectory of the pandemic if we put our minds to it .
You can protect yourself even if your elected leaders refuse to do so .
Places may reopen but you don ’ t have to go to them , especially if you or members of your family have underlying health conditions .
The tragedy is that people such as healthcare workers don ’ t have the luxury to stay at home and the more illness there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk there is for them .
We also need to put in place targeted health interventions such as testing , tracing and isolating people .
This will take effort and commitment from government , but that ’ s nothing compared with months of further lockdown .
I ’ d also like to see consistent and scientifically literate messaging from leaders about the virus .
The president has said several times that the virus will just disappear .
Yanis Ben Amor , executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development and experienced researcher of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in an absolute mess .
Policy across states is disjointed , with some states requiring face masks and others just recommending them .
People are obviously confused : they see the president not wearing a mask when visiting factories , the vice-president not wearing one even when visiting a hospital .
People think : “ Why should it apply to me ?
” The information being given to the American people isn ’ t allowing them to understand the situation .
There ’ s huge confusion on CNN and Fox News over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and then you have conspiracy theories on Facebook that masks will kill you .
This is America , land of the free .
Just as people fought seat belts and some still don ’ t vaccinate their children , so there is resistance over masks .
The message should be simple – you want to go back to normal life ?
Wear a mask .
You want your children to go to school and to be able to go to bars and not be unemployed ?
Wear a mask .
You don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a mask .
In a matter of just a few months , one in 1,500 black Americans have died from coronavirus .
Every single American should be horrified .
This pandemic has laid bare the appalling racial inequities that have left black Americans more likely to be infected , hospitalized and to die from Covid-19 .
What we see in the magnitude of deaths in black communities is the legacy of slavery , Black Codes , the Jim Crow era combined with the current status quo in this country that has devalued black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t clear before , now it is .
Black communities were already sick from racism before coronavirus arrived here , and now they have become even sicker .
The surge that is sweeping across the south and west of the US should make us very worried about further devastation to black communities .
They could be hit especially hard given the poor public health infrastructure in their areas and the large number of people who lack medical insurance .
In order to mitigate further disaster , state and local governments must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black communities .
Messaging will be critical to ensuring black Americans are aware of the symptoms of coronavirus and how it is transmitted .
Social services , including expanded health insurance coverage , will help keep black communities afloat for the time being .
In the long term , the federal government must invest in black communities in the form of gainful employment , safe and adequate housing , home ownership opportunities and quality education .
Ultimately , the United States must reckon with the destructive force of racism embedded in its history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ At this inflection point , the country has a chance to make a long overdue statement – that black lives really do matter .
Irwin Redlener , professor of clinical public health and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University The United States is experiencing a surge in the sun belt and south that is all too predictable .
There have been so many missteps that it ’ s not really that surprising that we now find ourselves in the middle of a crisis .
What ails the system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough tests , we are inadequate in contact tracing and we have a random set of messages and guidelines coming from local and federal government .
In such an environment , people make it up as they go along , and the end result is that a lot more people , especially younger people , get infected .
Messaging in particular from the president and vice-president has been inaccurate , dishonest and flawed .
We could see from that so-called Trump rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , that you don ’ t need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where they stand politically ; all you need to do is see if they are wearing a mask and following public health advice .
Basic health protection has become the stuff of a cultural and political war .
There is no clear exit strategy from this , sad to say .
If I were speaking to governors , my advice would be to stop any efforts to reopen immediately .
Just stop .
The White House is living in a dreamland that everything is under control but you don ’ t have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more power to the mayors , especially of the larger cities , to encourage mask-wearing and social distancing .
In the absence of competent federal leadership , governors need to take control themselves and impose more stringent guidelines .
There ’ s a risk here : if more draconian measures should be needed I have very little confidence that people will comply with what many will see as a big reversal in their conditions .

Ed Pilkington and Oliver Milman in New York

Donald Trump delivered much-needed good news to the American people this week. Coronavirus, he told Fox Business, was “just going to disappear”.
The US president didn’t specify when this vanishing act would take place. One thing is certain, though: it’s not now.
The virus is spreading through a vast area of the American hinterland at a speed not seen since the pandemic began. Across the south and west, and even into California, which had been considered a shining light in its handling of Covid-19, alarm bells are ringing once again.
Hospitals are filling up, ICUs reaching capacity, protective gear falling short. It’s like April all over again, with the ominous difference that this time many Americans are fed up with lockdowns and, with Trump’s warm encouragement, spurning social distancing and masks.
It is a singularly perilous moment, with tens of thousands of lives at risk. Globally, too, trust in the US hangs in the balance as surveys show that Europe is asking what kind of world leader proves incapable of protecting its own people from a microbe.
The Guardian invited six of America’s top public health experts to address the crisis. How bad is the current threat? And were the White House committed to science and data, as opposed to disappearing tricks, what would it do right now to fend off the disaster?
Beth Cameron, former senior director for global health security and biodefense on the White House National Security Council, now vice-president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative
The situation is grave. Covid-19 is spreading uncontrolled, hospitalizations are rising in at least a dozen states, and – six months into the crisis – the United States has failed to muster a unified response. It’s crystal clear that Covid-19 won’t “just disappear”, as President Trump said this week – and the pandemic certainly won’t end if wishful thinking continues to be our federal response plan.
I have the opportunity to speak regularly with local leaders, public health professionals and scientists. Across the board – from mayors to tribal leaders – there’s a thirst for information, innovation, and decision-making tools. At a time when our country needs an orchestrated, coordinated, all-hands-on-deck response, there is simply no hand on the tiller.
At a time when our country needs a coordinated, all-hands-on-deck response, there is simply no hand on the tiller
What should the administration do? Immediately start daily briefings from experts at CDC and NIH to report progress on a core set of metrics and capabilities that must be in place across the country to suppress Covid-19 and reopen safely. Make racial disparities in Covid-19 response (and in healthcare and health security more broadly) a top priority. Organize a massive surge in community health workers and contact tracers. Reach young adults about the need to reduce spread and protect communities.
It’s also time that the White House launch a set of science and technology challenges to rally public and private sector leaders toward common goals, like urgently modernizing our public health data architecture.
And yes, the president should wear a mask.
Unfortunately, we can’t keep waiting for the administration. In the absence of federal leadership, I would like to see governors and mayors leave aside political and geographic differences and convene a virtual summit this summer to set an urgent course for a whole-of-country approach to suppress Covid-19. We need a shared strategy.
Tom Frieden, former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2009-2017, current president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies
In the US today, the virus has the upper hand. We can expect weeks, even months, of increases if we don’t do much better. The fact is we are creating an enormous viral reservoir that will take a very long time to recede.
One of the most serious problems is the lack of a concerted federal response. You see that in the lack of consistent messaging, the failure to tackle supply issues from tests to protective equipment, the absence of uniform standards on what states should monitor and report publicly.
In short, there is no clear national strategy and no plan for controlling this virus.
Reduce the risk of spread, then box the virus in through strategic testing, isolation, and rapid contact tracing
We know what we need to do. First, reduce the risk of spread by applying the three Ws: wear a mask, wash your hands and watch your distance. Then box the virus in through strategic testing, effective isolation, and rapid contact tracing and supportive quarantine.
Having done those things, we need to hold ourselves accountable by tracking how quickly tests are reported, patients isolated, and contacts traced. Singapore, New Zealand, South Korea are all tracking those indicators. We are not.
The problem is that there is a strain of thought in the Trump administration that if we ignore the virus it is just going to go away. The truth is the opposite: ignore it and it will come back with greater force.
Catherimarty Burgos, a member of a local ‘surge team’, distributes bags with masks, sanitizers, and gloves in Miami. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Within a matter of days we will record 140,000 US deaths from Covid-19. People ask whether those American lives were lost needlessly. One way to look at that is to compare our record with that of Germany, a nation that has a similarly decentralized federal system with lots of risk of spread.
Germany’s death rate is 109 per million population, according to Johns Hopkins, compared with 391 per million in the US. That means that more than two-thirds of the US deaths – 86,000 at least – would have been prevented if we had achieved Germany’s death rate.
Jennifer Nuzzo, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
We are in a deeply disturbing moment where more than half of the states are heading in the wrong direction in terms of new cases. Critically, states reopened without capacity to test adequately and do contact tracing.
It didn’t have to be this way. In Europe there was swift and sustained action that, after a challenging time, kept cases from accelerating further. We basically decided to not do that in the US. We shut down, then grew bored of that and lifted the lockdowns without any sort of plan for what came next.
So here we are: we now have the largest epidemic in the world, which is currently accelerating at a rate we haven’t seen before.
This should be a profound wake-up call to the states that hoped they could out-talk the pandemic with rhetoric. They are now experiencing the consequences: the situation is out of control.
You can protect yourself even if your elected leaders refuse to do so
We still have the power to change the trajectory of the pandemic if we put our minds to it. You can protect yourself even if your elected leaders refuse to do so.
Places may reopen but you don’t have to go to them, especially if you or members of your family have underlying health conditions.
The tragedy is that people such as healthcare workers don’t have the luxury to stay at home and the more illness there is in the community, the more risk there is for them.
We also need to put in place targeted health interventions such as testing, tracing and isolating people. This will take effort and commitment from government, but that’s nothing compared with months of further lockdown.
I’d also like to see consistent and scientifically literate messaging from leaders about the virus. The president has said several times that the virus will just disappear.
Yanis Ben Amor, executive director of the Center for Sustainable Development and experienced researcher of infectious diseases
In the US, we are in an absolute mess.
Policy across states is disjointed, with some states requiring face masks and others just recommending them. People are obviously confused: they see the president not wearing a mask when visiting factories, the vice-president not wearing one even when visiting a hospital.
People think: “Why should it apply to me?”
The information being given to the American people isn’t allowing them to understand the situation. There’s huge confusion on CNN and Fox News over what the president and experts are saying, and then you have conspiracy theories on Facebook that masks will kill you.
This is America, land of the free. Just as people fought seat belts and some still don’t vaccinate their children, so there is resistance over masks.
The message should be simple – you want to go back to normal life? Wear a mask
The message should be simple – you want to go back to normal life? Wear a mask. You want your children to go to school and to be able to go to bars and not be unemployed? Wear a mask. You don’t want another lockdown? Wear a mask.
Uché Blackstock, urgent care physician and CEO of Advancing Health Equity
In a matter of just a few months, one in 1,500 black Americans have died from coronavirus. Every single American should be horrified. This pandemic has laid bare the appalling racial inequities that have left black Americans more likely to be infected, hospitalized and to die from Covid-19.
What we see in the magnitude of deaths in black communities is the legacy of slavery, Black Codes, the Jim Crow era combined with the current status quo in this country that has devalued black lives and black bodies. If it wasn’t clear before, now it is. Black communities were already sick from racism before coronavirus arrived here, and now they have become even sicker.
One in 1,500 Black Americans have died from coronavirus. Every single American should be horrified
The surge that is sweeping across the south and west of the US should make us very worried about further devastation to black communities. They could be hit especially hard given the poor public health infrastructure in their areas and the large number of people who lack medical insurance.
In order to mitigate further disaster, state and local governments must ramp up testing and contact tracing in black communities. Messaging will be critical to ensuring black Americans are aware of the symptoms of coronavirus and how it is transmitted.
Social services, including expanded health insurance coverage, will help keep black communities afloat for the time being. In the long term, the federal government must invest in black communities in the form of gainful employment, safe and adequate housing, home ownership opportunities and quality education.
Ultimately, the United States must reckon with the destructive force of racism embedded in its history and within every aspect of society. At this inflection point, the country has a chance to make a long overdue statement – that black lives really do matter.
Irwin Redlener, professor of clinical public health and director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University
The United States is experiencing a surge in the sun belt and south that is all too predictable. There have been so many missteps that it’s not really that surprising that we now find ourselves in the middle of a crisis.
What ails the system is that we aren’t doing enough tests, we are inadequate in contact tracing and we have a random set of messages and guidelines coming from local and federal government. In such an environment, people make it up as they go along, and the end result is that a lot more people, especially younger people, get infected.
Messaging in particular from the president and vice-president has been inaccurate, dishonest and flawed. We could see from that so-called Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that you don’t need someone wearing a Maga hat to know where they stand politically; all you need to do is see if they are wearing a mask and following public health advice.
Basic health protection has become the stuff of a cultural and political war.
In the absence of competent federal leadership, governors need to take control
There is no clear exit strategy from this, sad to say. If I were speaking to governors, my advice would be to stop any efforts to reopen immediately. Just stop.
The White House is living in a dreamland that everything is under control but you don’t have to follow that lead. Instead, give more power to the mayors, especially of the larger cities, to encourage mask-wearing and social distancing.
In the absence of competent federal leadership, governors need to take control themselves and impose more stringent guidelines. There’s a risk here: if more draconian measures should be needed I have very little confidence that people will comply with what many will see as a big reversal in their conditions.


theguardian--2020-07-05--Our Time Is Now review: Stacey Abrams for attorney general, if not VP to Biden

If intelligence , thoughtfulness , an encyclopedic knowledge of voter suppression techniques and an elegant writing style were the main qualifications for the vice-presidency , Stacey Abrams would be odds-on-favorite to be Joe Biden ’ s running mate .
Abrams is already a proven vote getter .
When she became the first major party black woman nominee for governor in Georgia , in 2018 , she increased youth participation by 139 % , tripled turnout among Latinos and Asian Americans and increased white participation for Democrats to 25 % – the party ’ s “ highest percentage of white voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tragically , the voter suppression tactics of her Republican opponent disenfranchised hundreds of thousands and almost certainly determined the outcome , giving Brian Kemp a tainted victory .
As a result , minority leader of the Georgia House is still the highest political office on Abrams ’ CV , a fact I ’ m guessing may give California senator Kamala Harris a crucial edge if Biden does the right thing and picks an African American woman .
Regardless of her immediate political fate , the good news from Abrams ’ beautiful new book @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perfect candidate to restore decency and probity at the Department of Justice , as the next US attorney general .
Our Time is Now is part-memoir , part-history and most of all a roaring call to arms for the decent American majority to take the country back from the racists and xenophobes who are the president ’ s only reliable supporters .
“ Modern day suppression ” , Abrams writes , “ has swapped [ the ] rabid dogs and cops with billy clubs ” who tried to deny the vote to black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for restrictive voter ID and tangled rules for participation … mechanisms of voter suppression [ that ] have transformed access to democracy in ways that continue to reshape … the way we live our daily lives.
” Since the end of the second world war , more than anything else the example of the courage of African Americans has made it possible for women , gay people and trans people , Native Americans and every other oppressed group to demand the constitutional protections that are supposed to be the birthright of every American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been the natural trailblazers in this fight for justice : “ At its inception , our nation served as a refuge to those whose difference placed them in danger ; but the same newcomers stole land from and murdered the original inhabitants , enslaved blacks , and stripped them of their humanity , and denied basic rights to women and nonwhites from abroad .
“ This history means we understand what is at stake , how our opponents will try to block change , and , most important , our obligation to realize @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , youth-driven majority has grown over the last 20 years ; as a result , we ’ ve seen nothing less than a sea change toward progress … Obama was not a fluke but a foreshadowing of how we can win even more.
” Instead of giving primacy to the “ working-class white man in Ohio who voted for Reagan in 1980 ” , as American political reporters do over and over again , Abrams urges us to remember that the daughter of that white voter may now “ be married to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residence and their first child in Arkansas ” .
To Abrams , the massive gains in 2018 which saw Democrats retake the House of Representatives demonstrate that “ demographic changes have come to fruition and are ready to become a political road map to sustained progress .
“ But to do so , we must understand the hard work of civic engagement .
We can ’ t wait for election time to come around … Americans must understand the compelling nihilism of authoritarian populism to avoid a permanent breakdown in democracy …Our obligation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … Demography is not destiny ; it is opportunity .
We have internalized the worst lessons of our opponents … by catering to the backbiting , loathing and timidity of fear.
” Abrams is particularly moving when she writes about the experiences of her parents , civil rights activists who grew up learning the severe limitations of the Brown v Board of Education supreme court decision , which was supposed to end school segregation in 1954 , and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , which theoretically guaranteed the right to vote .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as flash points with instant gratification , ” she writes .
“ However , with most movements … the new rules only herald possibility …Without a state system forced to accept the federal edicts , racial oppression continued for years after change had supposedly come.
” Three years after the Voting Rights Act , Abrams ’ grandparents got their first chance to cast their ballots .
But when the great moment came , her grandmother froze in her bedroom .
“ I ’ m afraid , Jim , ” she told her husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dogs and the police .
I don ’ t want to vote.
” She told Abrams her husband was furious , and “ reminded me about your daddy and our aunts and uncles .
All those young black children who fought so hard to get these rights.
” So Abrams ’ grandmother gathered up her courage , her purse and her coat , and told her husband “ she was ready to go ” .
This year , if we are to face down the forces of hatred and ignorance and restore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competency of democratically led governments ” , we will all need to show that same determination and courage .

If intelligence, thoughtfulness, an encyclopedic knowledge of voter suppression techniques and an elegant writing style were the main qualifications for the vice-presidency, Stacey Abrams would be odds-on-favorite to be Joe Biden’s running mate.
Abrams is already a proven vote getter. When she became the first major party black woman nominee for governor in Georgia, in 2018, she increased youth participation by 139%, tripled turnout among Latinos and Asian Americans and increased white participation for Democrats to 25% – the party’s “highest percentage of white voters in Georgia in a generation”.
Tragically, the voter suppression tactics of her Republican opponent disenfranchised hundreds of thousands and almost certainly determined the outcome, giving Brian Kemp a tainted victory.
As a result, minority leader of the Georgia House is still the highest political office on Abrams’ CV, a fact I’m guessing may give California senator Kamala Harris a crucial edge if Biden does the right thing and picks an African American woman.
Regardless of her immediate political fate, the good news from Abrams’ beautiful new book is that the Democratic party has the perfect candidate to restore decency and probity at the Department of Justice, as the next US attorney general.
Our Time is Now is part-memoir, part-history and most of all a roaring call to arms for the decent American majority to take the country back from the racists and xenophobes who are the president’s only reliable supporters.
The Democratic party has the perfect candidate to restore decency and probity at the Department of Justice
“Modern day suppression”, Abrams writes, “has swapped [the] rabid dogs and cops with billy clubs” who tried to deny the vote to black Americans of her parents’ generation “for restrictive voter ID and tangled rules for participation … mechanisms of voter suppression [that] have transformed access to democracy in ways that continue to reshape … the way we live our daily lives.”
Since the end of the second world war, more than anything else the example of the courage of African Americans has made it possible for women, gay people and trans people, Native Americans and every other oppressed group to demand the constitutional protections that are supposed to be the birthright of every American.
Abrams explains why black Americans have been the natural trailblazers in this fight for justice: “At its inception, our nation served as a refuge to those whose difference placed them in danger; but the same newcomers stole land from and murdered the original inhabitants, enslaved blacks, and stripped them of their humanity, and denied basic rights to women and nonwhites from abroad.
“This history means we understand what is at stake, how our opponents will try to block change, and, most important, our obligation to realize our destiny … a multiracial, multiethnic, youth-driven majority has grown over the last 20 years; as a result, we’ve seen nothing less than a sea change toward progress … Obama was not a fluke but a foreshadowing of how we can win even more.”
Instead of giving primacy to the “working-class white man in Ohio who voted for Reagan in 1980”, as American political reporters do over and over again, Abrams urges us to remember that the daughter of that white voter may now “be married to a Kenyan woman who is waiting for permanent residence and their first child in Arkansas”.
To Abrams, the massive gains in 2018 which saw Democrats retake the House of Representatives demonstrate that “demographic changes have come to fruition and are ready to become a political road map to sustained progress.
“But to do so, we must understand the hard work of civic engagement. We can’t wait for election time to come around … Americans must understand the compelling nihilism of authoritarian populism to avoid a permanent breakdown in democracy …Our obligation is to fortify democracy’s infrastructure … Demography is not destiny; it is opportunity. We have internalized the worst lessons of our opponents … by catering to the backbiting, loathing and timidity of fear.”
Abrams speaks at Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Selma, as Joe Biden looks on. Photograph: Curtis Compton/AP
Abrams is particularly moving when she writes about the experiences of her parents, civil rights activists who grew up learning the severe limitations of the Brown v Board of Education supreme court decision, which was supposed to end school segregation in 1954, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which theoretically guaranteed the right to vote.
“We often see these historical moments as flash points with instant gratification,” she writes. “However, with most movements … the new rules only herald possibility …Without a state system forced to accept the federal edicts, racial oppression continued for years after change had supposedly come.”
Three years after the Voting Rights Act, Abrams’ grandparents got their first chance to cast their ballots. But when the great moment came, her grandmother froze in her bedroom.
“I’m afraid, Jim,” she told her husband. “I’m afraid of the dogs and the police. I don’t want to vote.”
She told Abrams her husband was furious, and “reminded me about your daddy and our aunts and uncles. All those young black children who fought so hard to get these rights.” So Abrams’ grandmother gathered up her courage, her purse and her coat, and told her husband “she was ready to go”.
This year, if we are to face down the forces of hatred and ignorance and restore America “as an exemplar of the competency of democratically led governments”, we will all need to show that same determination and courage.


theguardian--2020-07-05--Donald Trump rushed to reopen America – now Covid is closing in on him | Robert Reich

Donald Trump said Thursday ’ s jobs report , which showed an uptick in June , proves the US economy is “ roaring back ” .
Rubbish .
The labor department gathered the data during the week of 12 June , when America was reporting 25,000 new cases of Covid-19 a day .
By the time the report was issued , that figure was 55,000 .
The US economy isn ’ t roaring back .
Just over half of Americans have jobs now , the lowest figure in more than 70 years .
What ’ s roaring back is Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American economy doesn ’ t stand a chance .
The surge in cases isn ’ t because America is doing more tests for the virus , as Trump contends .
Cases are rising even where testing is declining .
In Wisconsin , cases soared 28 % over the past two weeks , as the number of tests decreased by 14 % .
Hospitals in Texas , Florida and Arizona are filling up with Covid-19 patients .
Deaths are expected to resume their gruesome ascent .
The surge is occurring because America reopened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so intent on having a good economy by election day that he resisted doing what was necessary to contain the virus .
He left everything to governors and local officials , then warned that the “ cure ” of closing the economy was “ worse than the disease ” .
Trump even called on citizens to “ liberate ” their states from public health restrictions .
Yet he still has no national plan for testing , contact tracing and isolating people with infections .
Trump won ’ t even ask Americans to wear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him of sitting on nearly $ 14bn in funds for testing and contact tracing that Congress appropriated in April .
It would be one thing if every other rich nation in the world botched it as badly as has America .
But even Italy – not always known for the effectiveness of its leaders or the pliability of its citizens – has contained the virus and is reopening without a resurgence .
There was never a conflict between containing Covid-19 and getting the US economy back on track .
The first was always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing nothing to contain the virus , Trump has not only caused tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths but put the US economy into a stall .
The uptick in jobs in June was due almost entirely to the hasty reopening , which is now being reversed .
Arizona ’ s Republican governor , Doug Ducey , initially refused to order masks and even barred local officials from doing so .
This week he closed all gyms , bars and movie theaters in the state .
The governors of Florida , Texas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Florida ’ s Miami-Dade county recently approved the reopening of movie theaters , arcades , casinos , concert halls , bowling halls and adult entertainment venues .
They have now re-closed them .
And so on across America .
A vast re-closing is under way , as haphazard as was the reopening .
In the biggest public health emergency in US history , in which nearly 130,000 have already lost their lives , still no one is in charge .
Brace yourself .
Not only will the virus take many more lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans are in danger of becoming destitute .
Extra unemployment benefits enacted by Congress in March are set to end on 31 July .
About one in five people in renter households are at risk of eviction by 30 September .
Delinquency rates on mortgages have more than doubled since March .
An estimated 25 million Americans have lost or will lose employer-provided health insurance .
America ’ s fragile childcare system is in danger of collapse , with the result that hundreds of thousands of working parents will not be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are available .
What is Trump and the GOP ’ s response to this looming catastrophe ?
Nothing .
Senate Republicans are trying to ram through a $ 740bn defense bill while ignoring legislation to provide housing and food relief .
They are refusing to extend extra unemployment benefits beyond July , saying the benefits are keeping Americans from returning to work .
In reality , it ’ s the lack of jobs .
Trump has done one thing .
He ’ s asked the supreme court to strike down the Affordable Care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it will end health insurance for 23 million more Americans and give the richest 0.1 % a tax cut of about $ 198,000 a year .
This is sheer lunacy .
The priority must be to get control over this pandemic and help Americans survive it , physically and financially .
Anything less is morally indefensible .
• None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism : For the Many , Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His new book , The System : Who Rigged It , How We Fix It , is out now .
He is a columnist for Guardian US

Donald Trump said Thursday’s jobs report, which showed an uptick in June, proves the US economy is “roaring back”.
Rubbish. The labor department gathered the data during the week of 12 June, when America was reporting 25,000 new cases of Covid-19 a day. By the time the report was issued, that figure was 55,000.
The US economy isn’t roaring back. Just over half of Americans have jobs now, the lowest figure in more than 70 years. What’s roaring back is Covid-19. Until it’s tamed, the American economy doesn’t stand a chance.
The surge in cases isn’t because America is doing more tests for the virus, as Trump contends. Cases are rising even where testing is declining. In Wisconsin, cases soared 28% over the past two weeks, as the number of tests decreased by 14%. Hospitals in Texas, Florida and Arizona are filling up with Covid-19 patients. Deaths are expected to resume their gruesome ascent.
The surge is occurring because America reopened before Covid-19 was contained.
Trump was so intent on having a good economy by election day that he resisted doing what was necessary to contain the virus. He left everything to governors and local officials, then warned that the “cure” of closing the economy was “worse than the disease”. Trump even called on citizens to “liberate” their states from public health restrictions.
In the biggest public health emergency in US history, in which 130,000 have lost their lives, still no one is in charge
Yet he still has no national plan for testing, contact tracing and isolating people with infections. Trump won’t even ask Americans to wear masks. Last week, Democrats accused him of sitting on nearly $14bn in funds for testing and contact tracing that Congress appropriated in April.
It would be one thing if every other rich nation in the world botched it as badly as has America. But even Italy – not always known for the effectiveness of its leaders or the pliability of its citizens – has contained the virus and is reopening without a resurgence.
There was never a conflict between containing Covid-19 and getting the US economy back on track. The first was always a prerequisite to the second. By doing nothing to contain the virus, Trump has not only caused tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths but put the US economy into a stall.
The uptick in jobs in June was due almost entirely to the hasty reopening, which is now being reversed.
Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey, initially refused to order masks and even barred local officials from doing so. This week he closed all gyms, bars and movie theaters in the state. The governors of Florida, Texas and California have also reimposed restrictions. Officials in Florida’s Miami-Dade county recently approved the reopening of movie theaters, arcades, casinos, concert halls, bowling halls and adult entertainment venues. They have now re-closed them.
And so on across America. A vast re-closing is under way, as haphazard as was the reopening. In the biggest public health emergency in US history, in which nearly 130,000 have already lost their lives, still no one is in charge.
Brace yourself. Not only will the virus take many more lives in the months ahead, but millions of Americans are in danger of becoming destitute. Extra unemployment benefits enacted by Congress in March are set to end on 31 July. About one in five people in renter households are at risk of eviction by 30 September. Delinquency rates on mortgages have more than doubled since March.
An estimated 25 million Americans have lost or will lose employer-provided health insurance. America’s fragile childcare system is in danger of collapse, with the result that hundreds of thousands of working parents will not be able to return to work even if jobs are available.
What is Trump and the GOP’s response to this looming catastrophe? Nothing. Senate Republicans are trying to ram through a $740bn defense bill while ignoring legislation to provide housing and food relief.
They are refusing to extend extra unemployment benefits beyond July, saying the benefits are keeping Americans from returning to work. In reality, it’s the lack of jobs.
Trump has done one thing. He’s asked the supreme court to strike down the Affordable Care Act. If the court agrees, it will end health insurance for 23 million more Americans and give the richest 0.1% a tax cut of about $198,000 a year.
This is sheer lunacy. The priority must be to get control over this pandemic and help Americans survive it, physically and financially. Anything less is morally indefensible.


theguardian--2020-07-05--Donald Trump vows to defeat 'radical left' in 4 July speech – video

The US president has used an Independence Day address to repeat his vow to defeat the 'radical left ' as @ @ @ @ @ country .
He said : 'We are now in the process of defeating the radical @ @ @ @ @ the anarchists , the agitators , the looters , and people who in many instances @ @ @ @ @ they are doing . '
His comments come a day after the preseident said the @ @ @ @ @ 'under siege from far-left fascism' • Trump claims 99 % of US Covid-19 cases are @ @ @ @ @ surge • President delivers 4 July message at White House – as it happened

The US president has used an Independence Day address to repeat his vow to defeat the 'radical left' as protests continue to sweep the country. He said: 'We are now in the process of defeating the radical left, the Marxists, the anarchists, the agitators, the looters, and people who in many instances have absolutely no clue what they are doing.'
His comments come a day after the preseident said the nation’s history was 'under siege from far-left fascism'


theguardian--2020-07-05--Trump claims victory as US nears 130,000 Covid-19 deaths – as it happened

Donald Trump ’ s claim not to have been briefed about intelligence suggesting Russia paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill US soldiers is “ just not the way the system works ” , former national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday .
Bolton was appearing on Face the Nation , the Sunday talk show from ViacomCBS , the communications giant which owns Simon & Schuster , the publisher which put out Bolton ’ s Trump White House memoir , The Room Where It Happened , over the president ’ s objection .
Elsewhere on Sunday morning , former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolton would have known about the bounties intelligence while he was in the role , which he left in September 2019 .
“ I don ’ t buy this story that he was never briefed , ” Rice told NBC ’ s Meet The Press .
“ I believe that over a year ago , when the information first came to light in 2019 , that my successor , John Bolton , would have walked straight into the Oval Office , as I would have , and informed the president of this intelligence.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ bombshell tell-all which sold nearly 800,000 copies in its first week in stores , is named for the Oval Office .
But it does not include mention of the bounties plot .
“ I ’ m not going to disclose classified information , ” Bolton told CBS .
“ I ’ ve got the struggle with the president trying to repress my book on that score already .
“ I will say this .
All intelligence is distributed along the spectrum of uncertainty .
And this intelligence in 2020 , by the administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ credible enough to give to our allies .
So the notion that you only give the really completely 100 % verified intelligence to the president would mean you give him almost nothing .
And that ’ s just not the way the system works.
” Current national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien has said information about the Russian plot was withheld by a CIA officer , even though it was in the president ’ s brief .
Bolton said any decision to withhold intelligence would “ certainly not ” be “ made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president twice a week .
That ’ s a decision that at least when I was there , would have been made by the director of national intelligence , the director of the CIA , myself and the briefer together.
” Though his book is an extensive anatomisation of Trump ’ s personality and fitness or otherwise for office , Bolton sidestepped a chance to criticise O ’ Brien , saying : “ I don ’ t want to make this a matter of personalities.
” Nor would he say if he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What was made public in 2018 , ” he said , “ was Russian assistance to the Taliban , and that ’ s been known for some time .
That alone is troubling .
“ What is particularly troubling , if true , is this latest information that they were … providing compensation for killing Americans .
And that is the kind of thing that you go to the president on and say , ‘ Look … we may not know everything on this , but a nuclear power is reportedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s the kind of thing you need to have in the president ’ s view so that he can think about it as he develops – well , at least as normal presidents develop strategy to handle Russia , to handle Afghanistan .
”

Bryan Armen Graham in New York (now) and Tom Lutz and Martin Pengelly (earlier)

5 Jul 2020 22.07 BST Another of the former Minneapolis police officers charged in the killing of George Floyd has been released from jail, according to Hennepin County jail records.
The Associated Press reports: Tou Thao, age 34, is the third former officer accused in Floyd’s death to be released on bond. He posted $750,000 bond on Saturday, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. All four officers on the scene of Floyd’s death have been fired and face criminal charges. Floyd, who was Black and handcuffed, died on 25 May while being arrested. A white police officer used his knee to pin Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes as Floyd begged for air and eventually stopped moving. Besides the charges against the officers, Floyd’s death led to worldwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice. Thao is set to appear in court on 11 September on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. Two other former officers, J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, face the same charges as Thao. Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence. He remains in police custody. This combination of file handout photos provided by the Hennepin County jail shows, left to right, ex-officers Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. Photograph: Hennepin County Jail/AFP/Getty Images
5 Jul 2020 21.49 BST The Grim Reaper made a return appearance on Florida’s beaches over Fourth of July weekend. Daniel Uhlfelder, an attorney who made national headlines in May for dressing as Death himself in an effort to warn Floridians of the dangers of gathering in too close a proximity, brought his scythe-wielding personal to Jacksonville Beach during the holiday, where a number of colorful exchanges with Donald Trump supporters ensued. Florida man tells “grim reaper” that Joe and Hunter Biden went to China and brought the coronavirus back with them. pic.twitter.com/0NkRojoxLe — Travis Akers (@travisakers) July 4, 2020 Florida health officials said on Sunday the state has reached a grim milestone with more than 200,000 people having tested positive for Covid-19. State statistics released Sunday show about 10,000 new people tested positive. Saturday’s numbers, with more than 11,400 cases reported, marked a record new single-day high. More than 3,700 people have died statewide. About 43% of the cases are in three counties: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
5 Jul 2020 21.29 BST Study: Covid-fuelled spike in gun purchases led to firearm violence increase Lois Beckett A spike in gun purchases during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic was associated with a nearly 8% increase in firearm violence in the US, according to a new estimate from researchers at the University of California, Davis. That increase translated into an estimated 776 additional shooting injuries in the US from March through May, the researchers found. The pandemic appears to have inspired Americans to make 2.1m more gun purchases than under typical circumstances. The new estimates, the first to quantify the effects of coronavirus gun-buying, come from the preprint of a study conducted by one of the leading US gun violence researchers. The results have not yet gone through peer review or been published in a research journal. “We wanted to get this research out as soon as possible, because obviously there are important implications for public health and public safety,” said Julia Schleimer, a research data analyst at the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center, and one of the study’s authors. The researchers looked at increases in gun purchases and changes in firearms violence across 48 states and the District of Columbia. They found that many demographic factors – including overall rates of firearm ownership, socioeconomic status, how urban a state was and levels of residential segregation by race – did not seem to make a difference in the relationship between increased gun purchases and firearms violence. But states that had lower levels of violent crime pre-Covid saw a stronger connection between additional gun purchases and more gun violence. The study used data from the Gun Violence Archive, which publishes information on shootings and firearms deaths based on media reports. The study did not examine the effect of firearms purchase increases on gun suicide, which represent the majority of gun deaths in the US. States that ordered gun stores to be closed at some point during the pandemic, rather than naming them as essential businesses that could stay open, on average had smaller overall increases in gun purchases.
Updated at 22.45 BST
5 Jul 2020 20.51 BST Artists and volunteers in Maryland have been putting the finishing touches on a 7,000 sq ft mural of Breonna Taylor in a historically black neighborhood in Maryland’s capital city. In an aerial view from a drone, a large-scale ground mural depicting Breonna Taylor with the text ‘Black Lives Matter’ is seen being painted at Annapolis’s Chambers Park on Sunday. Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images Taylor, 26, was killed in her Louisville home in March by police who were serving a no-knock warrant. Protesters have been calling for the officers involved in her death to be charged. The sprawling depiction of Taylor, the latest work by muralist Jeff Huntington, has been organized by Future History Now in partnership with Banneker-Douglass Museum and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. The mural was organized by Future History Now in partnership with Banneker-Douglass Museum and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images Huntington told the Capital Gazette his organization chose to paint Taylor to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement and to focus on a prominent female figure in the movement.
5 Jul 2020 20.14 BST Donald Trump will reportedly hold an outdoor rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, lending support to the theory his campaign has increasingly seen the New England state as crucial in the president’s reelection bid. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, and New Hampshire’s four electoral votes, by a narrower-than-expected 0.6% margin in the 2016 general election. One unnamed Trump adviser teased the campaign’s tactics, telling Politico that a win in New Hampshire combined with either Nevada or New Mexico (where Trump has also devoted significant resources), would create a path to victory even if Biden wins big in the Rust Belt. “We don’t need 306,” the person said. “We just need 270. We can lose Michigan and lose Pennsylvania and still win.”
5 Jul 2020 19.41 BST Austin’s Democratic mayor Steve Adler decried Donald Trump’s “ambiguous” messaging on the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, calling on the governor to empower local governments to order residents to stay home amid an alarming surge in statewide case numbers. “It makes me angry,” Adler said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. “You know, I understand he has a tough job, but it is dangerous not to be sending a clear message to Americans.” “When they start hearing that kind of ambiguous message coming out of Washington, there are more and more people that won’t wear masks, that won’t social distance, that won’t do what it takes to keep a community safe,” he added. Austin Mayor Steve Adler on infection numbers in his city: "If we don't change the trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun. And in our ICU's, I could be ten days away from that" #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/uDOztrzX7c — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) July 5, 2020 Adler estimated the hospitals in the Texas capital are “within two weeks” of being overrun if his state doesn’t “change the trajectory”. ICUs could face the same problem even sooner, he said. The mayor’s sentiments were echoed by Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo, who has been front and center of Houston’s response and agreed a stay-at-home order is needed in the state’s largest city. Texas reported its highest daily increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases Saturday with 8,258.
5 Jul 2020 19.21 BST Martin Pengelly The Republican governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, may not have made many friends in the White House today, given his comment that if Donald Trump decides to hold a campaign rally in his state, attendees will need to wear masks. Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Hutchinson said he would expect people to follow his state’s guidelines by practicing social distancing or wearing masks. He understood the value of having national Fourth of July celebrations such as that at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota on Friday, he said, and that some Americans may be experiencing “virus fatigue”. But people who attended Trump’s event on Friday should have been wearing face coverings to “set an example”, he said. Trump has also recently held events in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Phoenix, Arizona; and Washington DC. He and many attendees did not wear masks. Here’s Richard Luscombe’s report on Trump’s somewhat unorthodox approach to a weekend meant for national celebration: Trump celebrates Fourth of July by stoking division over pandemic and race Read more
5 Jul 2020 18.47 BST Bolton shoots down Trump claim not to have known of bounties plot Martin Pengelly Donald Trump’s claim not to have been briefed about intelligence suggesting Russia paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill US soldiers is “just not the way the system works”, former national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday. John Bolton. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP Bolton was appearing on Face the Nation, the Sunday talk show from ViacomCBS, the communications giant which owns Simon & Schuster, the publisher which put out Bolton’s Trump White House memoir, The Room Where It Happened, over the president’s objection. Elsewhere on Sunday morning, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice said Bolton would have known about the bounties intelligence while he was in the role, which he left in September 2019. “I don’t buy this story that he was never briefed,” Rice told NBC’s Meet The Press. “I believe that over a year ago, when the information first came to light in 2019, that my successor, John Bolton, would have walked straight into the Oval Office, as I would have, and informed the president of this intelligence.” Bolton’s book, a bombshell tell-all which sold nearly 800,000 copies in its first week in stores, is named for the Oval Office. But it does not include mention of the bounties plot.
“I’m not going to disclose classified information,” Bolton told CBS. “I’ve got the struggle with the president trying to repress my book on that score already. “I will say this. All intelligence is distributed along the spectrum of uncertainty. And this intelligence in 2020, by the administration’s own admission, was deemed credible enough to give to our allies. So the notion that you only give the really completely 100% verified intelligence to the president would mean you give him almost nothing. And that’s just not the way the system works.” Current national security adviser Robert O’Brien has said information about the Russian plot was withheld by a CIA officer, even though it was in the president’s brief. Bolton said any decision to withhold intelligence would “certainly not” be “made only by the briefer who briefs the president twice a week. That’s a decision that at least when I was there, would have been made by the director of national intelligence, the director of the CIA, myself and the briefer together.”
Though his book is an extensive anatomisation of Trump’s personality and fitness or otherwise for office, Bolton sidestepped a chance to criticise O’Brien, saying: “I don’t want to make this a matter of personalities.” Nor would he say if he had known of the bounties intelligence or not. “What was made public in 2018,” he said, “was Russian assistance to the Taliban, and that’s been known for some time. That alone is troubling. “What is particularly troubling, if true, is this latest information that they were … providing compensation for killing Americans. And that is the kind of thing that you go to the president on and say, ‘Look … we may not know everything on this, but a nuclear power is reportedly providing bounties to kill Americans.’ “That’s the kind of thing you need to have in the president’s view so that he can think about it as he develops – well, at least as normal presidents develop strategy to handle Russia, to handle Afghanistan.”
5 Jul 2020 18.26 BST Maanvi Singh has news on California’s trouble coping with the Covid-19 pandemic: For a good while, it seemed California had skirted past calamity. It was the first US state to order residents to shelter in place in March, and its early, aggressive actions paid off. Despite it being the most populous state and an international hub with the largest number of direct flights to China, where the coronavirus first appeared, California’s death rate remained relatively low. By May, Disneyland announced plans to reopen. The nation’s top health official Dr Anthony Fauci praised Governor Gavin Newsom’s leadership. And as the weather warmed, Californians flooded back to beaches and bars. “We had reason to feel confident,” said Dr Bob Wachter, who chairs the department of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “And then, we hit some trouble.” A few outbreaks sparked an explosion, with an average of about 6,000 to 7,000 new cases each day over the past week. Los Angeles county began to count more residents sick with Covid-19 cases anywhere else in the nation and Disneyland postponed its reopening. As hospitalizations surged, the death toll climbed past 6,000, and ICU beds in some regions began filling to capacity, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, ordered bars, restaurant dining rooms, cinemas and other indoor venues in the hardest-hit counties to close back up. Now, health officials and epidemiologists sifting through the rubble are left wondering how the Golden state lost its status as the public health golden child. You can read the full article below: ‘They feel invincible’: how California’s coronavirus plan went wrong Read more


theguardian--2020-07-05--Coronavirus: Texas mayors warn of 'serious trouble' as cases surge across US

Two prominent Texas mayors have warned that hospitals in their cities will be “ overwhelmed ” by cases of Covid-19 inside two weeks , even as Donald Trump continues to portray the coronavirus resurgence nationwide as the embers of a fire he is steadily extinguishing .
“ If we don ’ t get our hands around this virus quickly , in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious , serious trouble , ” Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said on Sunday , the last day of a Fourth of July holiday weekend during which experts feared many Americans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean , overwhelmed .
Right now we have bed capacity .
But let me just tell you , the major problem [ is ] the staffing .
We can always provide additional beds but we need the people , the nurses and everybody else , the medical professionals to staff those beds .
That ’ s the critical point right now.
” Turner ’ s comments , to CBS ’ s Face the Nation , came as hospitalisation and Covid-19 positivity rates climb in his city .
Texas , along with Arizona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the infection , recording six straight days of confirmed new cases above 5,000 .
On Saturday it set a record of 8,258 cases and 7,890 hospitalisations .
“ A month ago one in 10 people were testing positive , ” said Turner , a Democrat .
“ Today , it ’ s one in four .
The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased .
The number of people in our [ intensive care ] beds has exponentially increased.
” According to researchers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now confirmed nearly 2.9m coronavirus cases , and nearly 130,000 deaths .
States which were early hotspots , New York prominent among them , are pausing or proceeding cautiously with reopening plans .
At the White House on Saturday , Trump attempted to downplay the resurgence of the virus , claiming without evidence the infection was “ 99 % harmless ” .
“ Our strategy is moving along well , ” he said .
“ It goes out in one area , it rears back its ugly face in another area .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ve learned how to put out the flame.
” The president ’ s words angered Steve Adler , the Democratic mayor of Austin .
“ I understand he has a tough job , but it is dangerous not to be sending a clear message to Americans , to folks in my town , ” he told CNN ’ s State of the Union .
“ We have the 4 July weekend and we need everybody wearing masks .
And when they start hearing that kind of ambiguous message coming out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people that won ’ t wear masks , that won ’ t social distance , that won ’ t do what it takes to keep a community safe .
“ And that ’ s wrong , and it ’ s dangerous .
I just have to hope that people aren ’ t going to listen to that , and they will stay focused on what they ’ re hearing here more locally.
” Hospitals in Austin , Adler said , were facing a nearly identical crisis to those in Houston .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two weeks ago , ” he said .
“ If we don ’ t change the trajectory , then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun .
And in our ICUs , I could be 10 days away from that.
” Greg Abbott , the Republican governor of Texas , implemented a statewide mask mandate last week , a move Adler said he welcomed but wished had come sooner .
On Sunday , Abbott ’ s office said more than 400 cases of the antiviral drug remdesivir had been distributed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 16 ventilators had been deployed to areas of greatest need in southern Texas .
Elsewhere over the holiday weekend , pressure on hospital space mounted .
Florida , where beaches in the populous south-eastern counties of Miami-Dade , Broward and Palm Beach were closed to deter large gatherings , recorded 10,059 new cases on Sunday , edging the state past 200,000 cases only two weeks after it reached 100,000 .
Four of 11 hospitals in Pinellas county had run out of intensive care beds on Sunday , according to the Florida agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warnings that hospital space across the state was dwindling .
In Miami-Dade county , which implemented its own mask requirement after Republican governor Ron DeSantis resisted growing calls for a statewide mandate , more patients ( 138 ) were admitted to hospital than discharged ( 125 ) .
The total inpatient count of 1,538 is almost double the 22 June tally of 776 .
“ It ’ s clear that the growth is exponential at this point , ” Francis Suarez , the Republican mayor of Miami , told ABC ’ s This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve been breaking record after record after record , all the last couple of weeks .
“ The city of Miami was the last city in the entire state of Florida to open .
I was criticised for waiting so long .
But there ’ s no doubt that when we reopened people started socialising as if the virus didn ’ t exist.
” Arizona reported 3,536 new cases on Sunday , an increase of 841 from the day before .
“ We opened way too early in Arizona , ” Kate Gallego @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told ABC .
“ We were one of the last states to go to stay-at-home and one of the first to reemerge .
”

Two prominent Texas mayors have warned that hospitals in their cities will be “overwhelmed” by cases of Covid-19 inside two weeks, even as Donald Trump continues to portray the coronavirus resurgence nationwide as the embers of a fire he is steadily extinguishing.
“If we don’t get our hands around this virus quickly, in about two weeks our hospital system could be in serious, serious trouble,” Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said on Sunday, the last day of a Fourth of July holiday weekend during which experts feared many Americans would disregard public health guidelines.
“I mean, overwhelmed. Right now we have bed capacity. But let me just tell you, the major problem [is] the staffing. We can always provide additional beds but we need the people, the nurses and everybody else, the medical professionals to staff those beds. That’s the critical point right now.”
Turner’s comments, to CBS’s Face the Nation, came as hospitalisation and Covid-19 positivity rates climb in his city.
Texas, along with Arizona and Florida, has become a hotspot for the infection, recording six straight days of confirmed new cases above 5,000. On Saturday it set a record of 8,258 cases and 7,890 hospitalisations.
“A month ago, one in 10 people were testing positive,” said Turner, a Democrat. “Today, it’s one in four. The number of people who are getting sick and going to the hospitals has exponentially increased. The number of people in our [intensive care] beds has exponentially increased.”
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the US has now confirmed nearly 2.9m coronavirus cases, and nearly 130,000 deaths. States which were early hotspots, New York prominent among them, are pausing or proceeding cautiously with reopening plans.
At the White House on Saturday, Trump attempted to downplay the resurgence of the virus, claiming without evidence the infection was “99% harmless”.
“Our strategy is moving along well,” he said. “It goes out in one area, it rears back its ugly face in another area. But we’ve learned a lot. We’ve learned how to put out the flame.”
The president’s words angered Steve Adler, the Democratic mayor of Austin.
“I understand he has a tough job, but it is dangerous not to be sending a clear message to Americans, to folks in my town,” he told CNN’s State of the Union.
“We have the Fourth of July weekend and we need everybody wearing masks. And when they start hearing that kind of ambiguous message coming out of Washington, there are more and more people that won’t wear masks, that won’t social distance, that won’t do what it takes to keep a community safe.
“And that’s wrong, and it’s dangerous. I just have to hope that people aren’t going to listen to that, and they will stay focused on what they’re hearing here more locally.”
Hospitals in Austin, Adler said, were facing a nearly identical crisis to those in Houston.
“The conduct in our city started changing about two weeks ago,” he said. “If we don’t change the trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun. And in our ICUs, I could be 10 days away from that.”
Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, implemented a statewide mask mandate last week, a move Adler said he welcomed but wished had come sooner. On Sunday, Abbott’s office said more than 400 cases of the antiviral drug remdesivir had been distributed to 157 hospitals and 600 medical staff and 16 ventilators had been deployed to areas of greatest need in southern Texas.
Elsewhere over the holiday weekend, pressure on hospital space mounted. Florida, where beaches in the populous south-eastern counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach were closed to deter large gatherings, recorded 10,059 new cases on Sunday, edging the state past 200,000 cases only two weeks after it reached 100,000.
A deserted beach is seen in Miami Beach, Florida. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Four of 11 hospitals in Pinellas county had run out of intensive care beds on Sunday, according to the Florida agency for healthcare administration, following weeks of warnings that hospital space across the state was dwindling.
In Miami-Dade county, which implemented its own mask requirement after Republican governor Ron DeSantis resisted growing calls for a statewide mandate, more patients (138) were admitted to hospital than discharged (125). The total inpatient count of 1,538 is almost double the 22 June tally of 776.
“It’s clear that the growth is exponential at this point,” Francis Suarez, the Republican mayor of Miami, told ABC’s This Week. “You know we’ve been breaking record after record after record, all the last couple of weeks.
“The city of Miami was the last city in the entire state of Florida to open. I was criticised for waiting so long. But there’s no doubt that when we reopened people started socialising as if the virus didn’t exist.”
Arizona reported 3,536 new cases on Sunday, an increase of 841 from the day before.
“We opened way too early in Arizona,” Kate Gallego, the Democratic mayor of Phoenix, told ABC. “We were one of the last states to go to stay-at-home and one of the first to reemerge.”


theguardian--2020-07-05--Kanye West for president? Realities and rules say White House run unlikely

If Kanye West is serious about running for president , the rapper and fashion designer will face major obstacles to mounting a serious campaign less than four months before the 3 November election .
West said he was running in a Twitter post on Saturday , the Fourth of July holiday .
If so , he will have to work fast to get his name on the ballot alongside Donald Trump and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia .
There are two routes to doing so , said James McCann , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ West Lafayette , Indiana .
West could try secure the backing of a smaller political party .
Without it , he could try to appear as an independent .
But deadlines for registering that way have already passed in some states , including New Mexico and North Carolina , a key battleground .
Getting on the ballot as an independent would require hiring staff or recruiting volunteers to gather tens of thousands of signatures across the US before other registration periods close in August and September , a task made more difficult by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s hard to see Kanye West having a field operation , ” said McCann , adding that another option would be for West to ask supporters to write his name on the ballot .
It is unclear if West , a prominent Trump supporter also known for his marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian West , has filed any official paperwork .
Reuters was unable to reach his publicist for comment .
West has previously announced plans to run for president without doing so .
Last week he entered a 10-year deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clothing carrying the “ Yeezy ” brand name .
In October 2018 , he made headlines with a visit to the White House .
In a rambling , profanity-laden speech , he discussed alternative universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder .
Three weeks later , West said he was distancing himself from politics and that he believed he had been used to spread messages he did not believe .
Even with a serious campaign , West would be unlikely to draw more than a few percentage points of the vote , peeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Larry Sabato , director of the University of Virginia ’ s Center for Politics .
“ He ’ s got a long way to go even to convince us that he ’ s serious , ” said Sabato .
The most recent candidate to put significant effort into launching a campaign a few months before the election was Evan McMullin , a former CIA operative who announced his bid as an anti-Trump conservative in August 2016 .
McMullin appeared on the ballot in 11 states and won 0.53 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a way to run as an outsider but it ’ s hard and expensive , ” said Nathan Gonzales , editor of Inside Elections , which provides nonpartisan analysis of campaigns .
“ I think West , or anyone else , has missed their window of opportunity to have a meaningful impact .
”

If Kanye West is serious about running for president, the rapper and fashion designer will face major obstacles to mounting a serious campaign less than four months before the 3 November election.
West said he was running in a Twitter post on Saturday, the Fourth of July holiday.
If so, he will have to work fast to get his name on the ballot alongside Donald Trump and the presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
There are two routes to doing so, said James McCann, a political scientist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
West could try secure the backing of a smaller political party. Without it, he could try to appear as an independent.
But deadlines for registering that way have already passed in some states, including New Mexico and North Carolina, a key battleground.
Getting on the ballot as an independent would require hiring staff or recruiting volunteers to gather tens of thousands of signatures across the US before other registration periods close in August and September, a task made more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s hard to see Kanye West having a field operation,” said McCann, adding that another option would be for West to ask supporters to write his name on the ballot.
It is unclear if West, a prominent Trump supporter also known for his marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, has filed any official paperwork. Reuters was unable to reach his publicist for comment.
West has previously announced plans to run for president without doing so. Last week he entered a 10-year deal with Gap to create a line of clothing carrying the “Yeezy” brand name.
In October 2018, he made headlines with a visit to the White House. In a rambling, profanity-laden speech, he discussed alternative universes and his diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Three weeks later, West said he was distancing himself from politics and that he believed he had been used to spread messages he did not believe.
Even with a serious campaign, West would be unlikely to draw more than a few percentage points of the vote, peeling away similar numbers from Trump and Biden, said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
“He’s got a long way to go even to convince us that he’s serious,” said Sabato.
The most recent candidate to put significant effort into launching a campaign a few months before the election was Evan McMullin, a former CIA operative who announced his bid as an anti-Trump conservative in August 2016. McMullin appeared on the ballot in 11 states and won 0.53% of the popular vote.
“There’s a way to run as an outsider but it’s hard and expensive,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor of Inside Elections, which provides nonpartisan analysis of campaigns.
“I think West, or anyone else, has missed their window of opportunity to have a meaningful impact.”


theguardian--2020-07-05--Bolton: Trump claim he wasn’t told of Russia bounty report is 'not how system works’

Donald Trump ’ s claim not to have been briefed about intelligence suggesting Russia paid Taliban-linked militants to kill US soldiers is “ just not the way the system works ” , former national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday .
Bolton was appearing on Face the Nation , the Sunday talk show from ViacomCBS , the communications giant which owns Simon & Schuster , the publisher which put out Bolton ’ s Trump White House memoir , The Room Where It Happened , over the president ’ s objection .
Elsewhere , former Obama national security adviser Susan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bounties intelligence while he was in the role , which he left in September 2019 , and would therefore have briefed Trump himself .
“ I don ’ t buy this story that he was never briefed , ” Rice told NBC ’ s Meet The Press .
“ I believe that … when the information first came to light in 2019 , my successor , John Bolton , would have walked straight into the Oval Office , as I would have , and informed the president of this intelligence.
” Bolton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sold nearly 800,000 copies in its first week in stores , is named for the Oval Office and contains numerous shocking descriptions of Trump ’ s behaviour .
But it does not mention the alleged bounties plot .
“ I ’ m not going to disclose classified information , ” Bolton told CBS .
“ I ’ ve got the struggle with the president trying to repress my book on that score already.
” Bolton submitted his book to a national security review but was scolded by a federal judge for “ likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the national security of the United States ” and “ exposing … himself to civil ( and potentially criminal ) liability ” .
On Sunday , Bolton said : “ I will say this .
All intelligence is distributed along the spectrum of uncertainty .
And this intelligence in 2020 , by the administration ’ s own admission , was deemed credible enough to give to our allies .
So the notion that you only give the really completely 100 % verified intelligence to the president would mean you give him almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the way the system works.
” The existence of intelligence about a bounties plot , which Russia has denied , was first reported by the New York Times then confirmed by other outlets .
Trump attacked the Times on Twitter this weekend .
Amid inconsistent White House explanations for Trump ’ s supposed ignorance on the matter , current national security adviser Robert O ’ Brien said information was withheld by a CIA official , even though it was included in the president ’ s daily brief .
“ The president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brief him because it was unverified intelligence , ” O ’ Brien told Fox News , adding : “ She made that call and , you know what , I think she made the right call , so I ’ m not going to criticize her .
And knowing the facts that I know now , I stand behind that call.
” O ’ Brien was widely criticised .
Ned Price , a former CIA analyst , told the Guardian : “ This is the same scapegoating play that the White House ran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s intelligence briefer for something that is chiefly and fundamentally a failing of the White House staff.
” Bolton said any decision to withhold intelligence would “ certainly not ” be “ made only by the briefer who briefs the president twice a week .
That ’ s a decision that at least when I was there , would have been made by the director of national intelligence , the director of the CIA , myself and the briefer together.
” Though his book is a brutal and extensive anatomisation of Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for office , Bolton sidestepped a chance to criticise O ’ Brien , saying : “ I don ’ t want to make this a matter of personalities.
” Nor would he say if he had known of the bounties intelligence or not .
“ What was made public in 2018 , ” he said , “ was Russian assistance to the Taliban , and that ’ s been known for some time .
That alone is troubling .
“ What is particularly troubling , if true , is this latest information that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans .
And that is the kind of thing that you go to the president on and say , ‘ Look … we may not know everything on this , but a nuclear power is reportedly providing bounties to kill Americans.
’ “ That ’ s the kind of thing you need to have in the president ’ s view so that he can think about it as he develops – well , at least as normal presidents develop strategy to handle Russia , to handle Afghanistan .
”

Donald Trump’s claim not to have been briefed about intelligence suggesting Russia paid Taliban-linked militants to kill US soldiers is “just not the way the system works”, former national security adviser John Bolton said on Sunday.
Bolton was appearing on Face the Nation, the Sunday talk show from ViacomCBS, the communications giant which owns Simon & Schuster, the publisher which put out Bolton’s Trump White House memoir, The Room Where It Happened, over the president’s objection.
Elsewhere, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice said Bolton would have known about the bounties intelligence while he was in the role, which he left in September 2019, and would therefore have briefed Trump himself.
“I don’t buy this story that he was never briefed,” Rice told NBC’s Meet The Press. “I believe that … when the information first came to light in 2019, my successor, John Bolton, would have walked straight into the Oval Office, as I would have, and informed the president of this intelligence.”
Bolton’s book, a tell-all which sold nearly 800,000 copies in its first week in stores, is named for the Oval Office and contains numerous shocking descriptions of Trump’s behaviour. But it does not mention the alleged bounties plot.
“I’m not going to disclose classified information,” Bolton told CBS. “I’ve got the struggle with the president trying to repress my book on that score already.”
Bolton submitted his book to a national security review but was scolded by a federal judge for “likely publishing classified materials”, “gambling with the national security of the United States” and “exposing … himself to civil (and potentially criminal) liability”.
On Sunday, Bolton said: “I will say this. All intelligence is distributed along the spectrum of uncertainty. And this intelligence in 2020, by the administration’s own admission, was deemed credible enough to give to our allies. So the notion that you only give the really completely 100% verified intelligence to the president would mean you give him almost nothing. And that’s just not the way the system works.”
The existence of intelligence about a bounties plot, which Russia has denied, was first reported by the New York Times then confirmed by other outlets. Trump attacked the Times on Twitter this weekend.
Amid inconsistent White House explanations for Trump’s supposed ignorance on the matter, current national security adviser Robert O’Brien said information was withheld by a CIA official, even though it was included in the president’s daily brief.
“The president’s career CIA briefer decided not to brief him because it was unverified intelligence,” O’Brien told Fox News, adding: “She made that call and, you know what, I think she made the right call, so I’m not going to criticize her. And knowing the facts that I know now, I stand behind that call.”
O’Brien was widely criticised. Ned Price, a former CIA analyst, told the Guardian: “This is the same scapegoating play that the White House ran in the coronavirus context – blaming Trump’s intelligence briefer for something that is chiefly and fundamentally a failing of the White House staff.”
Bolton said any decision to withhold intelligence would “certainly not” be “made only by the briefer who briefs the president twice a week. That’s a decision that at least when I was there, would have been made by the director of national intelligence, the director of the CIA, myself and the briefer together.”
Though his book is a brutal and extensive anatomisation of Trump’s personality and fitness or otherwise for office, Bolton sidestepped a chance to criticise O’Brien, saying: “I don’t want to make this a matter of personalities.”
Nor would he say if he had known of the bounties intelligence or not.
“What was made public in 2018,” he said, “was Russian assistance to the Taliban, and that’s been known for some time. That alone is troubling.
“What is particularly troubling, if true, is this latest information that they were … providing compensation for killing Americans. And that is the kind of thing that you go to the president on and say, ‘Look … we may not know everything on this, but a nuclear power is reportedly providing bounties to kill Americans.’
“That’s the kind of thing you need to have in the president’s view so that he can think about it as he develops – well, at least as normal presidents develop strategy to handle Russia, to handle Afghanistan.”