theguardian--2020-10-22--Borat v Trump: can entertainment really affect an election?

Even with the United States on red alert for pandemic containment , a pernicious phrase has been creeping into the public lexicon at an unprecedented rate of spread .
We ’ ve been beset by a plague known as “ the film we need right now ” , a noxious concept used to justify and amplify the profiles of nearly a dozen releases over the past year .
The run-up to the presidential election has brought about an explosion of topical projects announcing themselves as a noble bulwark against the encroaching threat of another Trump term .
And with them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this actually accomplishes has been reignited .
Every time a film introduces itself as the one we need right now , it must first answer the question of whether a film is what we really need .
As of late , the arguments have not been especially compelling .
A variety of approaches to critique and cinematic styles have been bound together by their shared objective of pushback against the currents of Trumpism , most prominent among them the new documentary Totally Under Control .
Alex Gibney ’ s documentary about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response touts itself as filmed in secret , rushed to press in time for election day with the urgency of a breaking news story .
Alexandra Pelosi ( yes , they ’ re related ) and Showtime have also positioned her new documentary American Selfie : One Nation Shoots Itself in close proximity to the first Tuesday in November , its broad portraiture of a nation in crisis speaking directly to its moment .
This week , Brittany Huckabee ( no , they ’ re not related ) brings a more granular analysis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ film How to Fix a Primary .
In each case , time appears to be of the essence .
While perhaps less rigorous in terms of reportage , the Borat sequel Subsequent Moviefilm has arrived with a similar sense of gravity , with less than two weeks on the clock before the vote .
And though the small-screen series The Comey Rule gave itself a bit more lead time , the Trump critiques nonetheless gesture to the coming reckoning that may or may not result in four more years of his White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recent reunion of executive-branch drama The West Wing , the promo copy explicitly using the phrase “ a call to action ” to describe the program ’ s star-spangled defense of the democratic process .
Yet there ’ s an air of futility to this campaign behind the campaign .
On matters like this , I often refer back to the troubling anecdote in which Donald Trump watches the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Bloodsport on a plane , fast-forwarding through all dialogue so he can get to the violence and destruction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subscribers to the Trumpist worldview are not the most receptive to the swaying powers of art .
And that ’ s when they engage with it in the first place , the vast majority being unlikely to give the time of day to an entertainment so openly trumpeting its liberal bona fides .
Those films that make an active effort to reach across the aisle and appeal to a theoretical rightwing viewership often undermine the point they ’ re making .
The Comey Rule often strains to paint Republican higher-ups as helpless objectors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where complicity didn ’ t have to be dragged out of anyone .
For this seeming reluctance to alienate the unconverted , it ’ s a weaker work .
In this light , many of the aforementioned productions start to look like acts of self-congratulation in the guise of activism .
This flattery of an agreeable faction was the cardinal sin of the ardently anti-Trump Coastal Elites .
To mix religious metaphors , it delivered a full-throated sermon to the choir it characterized as more enlightened than the poor saps in Trumpland .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Totally Under Control runs through the talking points half of America already knows by heart , leaning on the holistic awfulness of Trump as a conclusion unto itself .
This tendency clarifies itself on the opposite end of the political spectrum ; everyone ’ s favorite propagandist wingnut Dinesh D ’ Souza has readied another one of what could be charitably termed his “ movies ” in time for November , the conspiracy-mongering screed Trump Card .
The D ’ Souzian approach favors directness in how it affirms all the beliefs of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opposites indulge in saner versions of the same tactics .
The most successful films tackling the horrors of this hellacious year have come at it from an angle , remembering all the while to be a movie before a message .
Ai Weiwei ’ s pandemic documentary Coronation made its case through elegant juxtapositions of editing , letting his points organically arise from the footage instead of through voiceover narration .
In the case of Borat , it helps that Sacha Baron Cohen is still hysterically funny after all these years .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a final title card belittles everything that ’ s come before by framing the whole thing as an exhortation to get to the polls .
The undecided voter who ’ s remained steadfastly on the fence for the past year , waiting until Borat ’ s endorsement to form an opinion two weeks out from the big day in November , must surely be a myth .
As the oft-misattributed saying goes , if you want to send a message , try Western Union .
If you truly want to sway voters @ @ @ @ @ @

Even with the United States on red alert for pandemic containment, a pernicious phrase has been creeping into the public lexicon at an unprecedented rate of spread. We’ve been beset by a plague known as “the film we need right now”, a noxious concept used to justify and amplify the profiles of nearly a dozen releases over the past year.
The run-up to the presidential election has brought about an explosion of topical projects announcing themselves as a noble bulwark against the encroaching threat of another Trump term. And with them, the age-old debate over what any of this actually accomplishes has been reignited. Every time a film introduces itself as the one we need right now, it must first answer the question of whether a film is what we really need. As of late, the arguments have not been especially compelling.
A variety of approaches to critique and cinematic styles have been bound together by their shared objective of pushback against the currents of Trumpism, most prominent among them the new documentary Totally Under Control. Alex Gibney’s documentary about the current administration’s grossly incompetent coronavirus response touts itself as filmed in secret, rushed to press in time for election day with the urgency of a breaking news story. Alexandra Pelosi (yes, they’re related) and Showtime have also positioned her new documentary American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself in close proximity to the first Tuesday in November, its broad portraiture of a nation in crisis speaking directly to its moment. This week, Brittany Huckabee (no, they’re not related) brings a more granular analysis to the electoral process in her non-fiction film How to Fix a Primary. In each case, time appears to be of the essence.
While perhaps less rigorous in terms of reportage, the Borat sequel Subsequent Moviefilm has arrived with a similar sense of gravity, with less than two weeks on the clock before the vote. And though the small-screen series The Comey Rule gave itself a bit more lead time, the Trump critiques nonetheless gesture to the coming reckoning that may or may not result in four more years of his White House. Baldest in its intentions would be the recent reunion of executive-branch drama The West Wing, the promo copy explicitly using the phrase “a call to action” to describe the program’s star-spangled defense of the democratic process. Yet there’s an air of futility to this campaign behind the campaign.
On matters like this, I often refer back to the troubling anecdote in which Donald Trump watches the 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle Bloodsport on a plane, fast-forwarding through all dialogue so he can get to the violence and destruction. Suffice it to say that many subscribers to the Trumpist worldview are not the most receptive to the swaying powers of art. And that’s when they engage with it in the first place, the vast majority being unlikely to give the time of day to an entertainment so openly trumpeting its liberal bona fides. Those films that make an active effort to reach across the aisle and appeal to a theoretical rightwing viewership often undermine the point they’re making. The Comey Rule often strains to paint Republican higher-ups as helpless objectors against Trump’s bulldozing influence, where complicity didn’t have to be dragged out of anyone. For this seeming reluctance to alienate the unconverted, it’s a weaker work.
Brendan Gleeson in The Comey Rule.
Photograph: CBS Television Studios/Ben Mark Holzberg/Showtime
In this light, many of the aforementioned productions start to look like acts of self-congratulation in the guise of activism. This flattery of an agreeable faction was the cardinal sin of the ardently anti-Trump Coastal Elites. To mix religious metaphors, it delivered a full-throated sermon to the choir it characterized as more enlightened than the poor saps in Trumpland. Even something as steeped in journalistic motivations as Totally Under Control runs through the talking points half of America already knows by heart, leaning on the holistic awfulness of Trump as a conclusion unto itself. This tendency clarifies itself on the opposite end of the political spectrum; everyone’s favorite propagandist wingnut Dinesh D’Souza has readied another one of what could be charitably termed his “movies” in time for November, the conspiracy-mongering screed Trump Card. The D’Souzian approach favors directness in how it affirms all the beliefs of its simpatico partisans, but his ideological opposites indulge in saner versions of the same tactics.
The most successful films tackling the horrors of this hellacious year have come at it from an angle, remembering all the while to be a movie before a message. Ai Weiwei’s pandemic documentary Coronation made its case through elegant juxtapositions of editing, letting his points organically arise from the footage instead of through voiceover narration. In the case of Borat, it helps that Sacha Baron Cohen is still hysterically funny after all these years. The film only falters near the end, as a final title card belittles everything that’s come before by framing the whole thing as an exhortation to get to the polls. The undecided voter who’s remained steadfastly on the fence for the past year, waiting until Borat’s endorsement to form an opinion two weeks out from the big day in November, must surely be a myth. As the oft-misattributed saying goes, if you want to send a message, try Western Union. If you truly want to sway voters, sign up to phone-bank.


theguardian--2020-10-22--Democrats refuse to participate as Amy Coney Barrett nomination advanced – video

Amy Coney Barrett ’ s supreme court nomination was advanced by a unilateral Republican vote to the full Senate despite @ @ @ @ @ in the Senate judiciary committee hearing for what they called a ‘ naked power grab @ @ @ @ @ outside the Capital and boycotted the vote to install Donald Trump ’ s third supreme @ @ @ @ @ weeks before the election .
No supreme court nominee has ever been installed so close @ @ @ @ @ , just four years ago , the Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , and @ @ @ @ @ now chairs the judiciary committee , said that installing a nominee in an election year @ @ @ @ @ of the will of voters

Amy Coney Barrett’s supreme court nomination was advanced by a unilateral Republican vote to the full Senate despite Democrats’ refusal to participate in the Senate judiciary committee hearing for what they called a 'naked power grab'.
Democratic senators stood outside the Capital and boycotted the vote to install Donald Trump’s third supreme court nominee less than two weeks before the election.
No supreme court nominee has ever been installed so close to a presidential election and, just four years ago, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, and senator Lindsey Graham, who now chairs the judiciary committee, said that installing a nominee in an election year would be a shameful defiance of the will of voters


theguardian--2020-10-23--Snap polls give Joe Biden edge over Trump in final TV debate – US politics live

A woman in High Point , North Carolina , has been turned away from voting in November ’ s presidential election – because when she tried to vote early in person , she found out that she was recorded as dead .
CBS17 , a news station that covers Raleigh , Durham and Fayetteville in North Carolina , report that , Maryann Leonard has voted in every election at the Deep River Recreation Center since moving to High Point almost four decades ago .
This year , though , Maryann was not listed as a registered voter .
“ When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my information she looked up and said , ‘ You ’ re ineligible to vote , ’ and I said , ‘ I can ’ t imagine why.
’ She said , ‘ Let me find out.
’ Then she told me , ‘ It says you ’ re dead , ’ ” Maryann Leonard said .
Her husband Pat said “ She was just flabbergasted by the fact that she was off the roll .
“ The thought of possible voter fraud popped into my mind ” .
Although there is very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US , it is a spectre that has repeatedly been raised during the 2020 campaign by president Donald Trump .
Rather than fraud , it transpired that a clerical error had caused Maryann ’ s mix-up .
A list of the deceased sent to the county had contained someone with a with a similar name and birthday to Maryann .
“ It ’ s a warning to be cautious , ” said Pat .
North Carolina is one of the most keenly contested swing states of November ’ s election .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , beating Hillary Clinton by around 173,000 votes .
Recent polls make it too close to call , varying between giving Joe Biden a three point lead and Trump a one point lead , all well within the margin of error .
Pat said that he and his wife look up their registration in advance next time , and encouraged others to do the same .
“ You don ’ t want to go on election day and find out that you ’ re not eligible ” Pat said .

Martin Pengelly in New York (now) and Martin Belam (earlier)

24 Oct 2020 02.43 BST Summary New coronavirus cases continue to surge in dozens of US states. According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the US recorded 71,671 new coronavirus cases yesterday, marking the highest single-day total since late July.
According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the US recorded 71,671 new coronavirus cases yesterday, marking the highest single-day total since late July. More than 52 million Americans have already cast their ballots, according to the US Elections Project, putting the country on track for the highest turnout of any election since 1908.
according to the US Elections Project, putting the country on track for the highest turnout of any election since 1908. Dr Anthony Fauci said Trump has not attended a White House coronavirus task force meeting in “several months”. The infectious disease expert also noted the task force’s meetings have become much less frequent, even as cases surge across the country.
The infectious disease expert also noted the task force’s meetings have become much less frequent, even as cases surge across the country. Joe Biden laid out his proposed response to the coronavirus pandemic in a speech this afternoon. “I’m not going to shut down the country. I’m not going to shut down the economy. I’m going to shut down the virus,” Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware. The Democratic nominee sharply criticized Trump’s response to the pandemic, accusing the president of having “quit on America”.
“I’m not going to shut down the country. I’m not going to shut down the economy. I’m going to shut down the virus,” Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware. The Democratic nominee sharply criticized Trump’s response to the pandemic, accusing the president of having “quit on America”. The White House announced Israel and Sudan had agreed to normalize relations. The announcement comes a month after Israel signed deals with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize relations. “There are many, many more coming,” Trump said of the announcement. “This is one where there’s no blood in the sand. Follow the Guardian’s global coronavirus updates: Coronavirus live news: Vaccine trial restarts as cluster worsens in Victoria, Australia Read more
Updated at 03.01 BST
24 Oct 2020 02.37 BST Experts say that despite the snafus, the election is working without too many hiccups for most Americans. Clara McMichael reports: “There are no more problems now than we would expect to see in a major presidential election, with record high turnout, record enthusiasm to participate and oh, by the way, in the middle of a pandemic,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “So it’s remarkable that things have been going as relatively well as they have.” Even so, many Americans are going to great lengths to vote in person. Mesha Winford, a cybersecurity analyst working in Virginia, said she will drive three and a half hours to vote in North Carolina. And voting is not the only thing she’s looking forward to – she’s been waiting to go to her favorite restaurant – she tweeted that she dreamt she was back home, eating “bbq, cole slaw, hush puppies, fried chicken gizzards and homemade lemonade”. Winford will also see her 85-year-old father, who she last visited in March, afraid she could unwittingly expose him to Covid-19. Now she has a plan: she’ll take a Covid test first, and when she arrives, they’ll plan to see each other at a distance outside his house, or meet briefly at the polling station.
“It’s especially important to him,” Winford said. “Coming from that era, he couldn’t always vote in the African American demographic.” She added that “people’s lives depend on this election”. Jenn Fralick, a traveling registered nurse based in Laredo, Texas, knows that firsthand. Fralick works in her hospital’s Covid-19 unit and during her overnight shift, she signs her name often, using a shorthand scribble to fill out forms. Although Fralick has worked since September along the border, she lives and votes in Jacksonville, Florida, a key battleground state this election. The nurse said she uses three signature variations – sometimes spelling out her first name or sometimes just using her initials – and she doesn’t remember which version she used on her ballot. She’s heard that in some states, if the voter’s signatures don’t match, they’ll reject the ballot. She’s also concerned about postal service delays. She requested an absentee ballot, but if it doesn’t arrive, she’ll fly home to vote. “I’m watching people die, literally. I’m not only voting for myself, I’m voting for them,” Fralick said. “Those 220,000 lives that are gone and can’t vote.” Americans traveling miles during pandemic to vote in person Read more
24 Oct 2020 01.43 BST The CEOs of Twitter and Facebook will testify before the Senate judiciary committee on 17 November, the committee announced. Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg will answer questions from the Republican-led committee on the “platforms’ censorship and suppression of New York Post articles” among other things. Trump and Republicans have been outraged by the platforms’ decision to limit the distribution of the Post articles, which alleged that a dubiously acquired laptop the outlet said belonged to Hunter Biden – Joe Biden’s son – contained documents that implicated the family in corruption. Multiple news outlets have failed to substantiate the allegations. Republican senators initially threatened to subpoena the CEOs. With Democrats boycotting the hearing, Republicans voted to subpoena if the CEOs didn’t voluntarily agree to speak before the committee.
Updated at 01.54 BST
24 Oct 2020 01.10 BST The United States on Friday was approaching a record for the number of new daily coronavirus cases, as a new study warned that the pandemic is set to cause half a million American deaths by February. From Oliver Milman in New York and Joan E Greve in Washington and agencies: Covid-19 is on course to ravage states across the nation throughout the coming winter and more than 511,000 lives could be lost by 28 February next year, modeling led by scientists from the University of Washington found. This means that with cases surging in many states, particularly the upper midwest, what appears to be a third major peak of coronavirus infections in the US could lead to nearly 300,000 people dying in just the next four months. In the latest ominous sign about the disease’s grip, the US recorded 71,671 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, the Associated Press reported, while the seven-day rolling average for cases surpassed 61,140, compared with 44,647 two weeks ago. The record was reached on 22 July when the rolling average was 67,293 in the midst of a summer outbreak driven largely by surges of the virus in Florida, Texas, Arizona and California, the agency reported. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported that according to its own data tracker, the US hit an all-time daily high for new cases on Friday, with a total of more than 81,000. Several states are setting records across the midwest and west for infections and hospitalizations, amid the autumn surge. US nears daily Covid cases record amid warning of 500,000 deaths by February Read more
23 Oct 2020 23.57 BST ‘Boogaloo Boi’ charged in fire of Minneapolis police precinct during George Floyd protest Lois Beckett A rightwing extremist boasted of driving from Texas to Minneapolis to help set fire to a police precinct during the George Floyd protests, federal prosecutors said. US attorney Erica MacDonald said on Friday that she has charged Ivan Harrison Hunter, a 26-year-old Texas resident, with traveling across state lines to participate in a riot. The charges are the latest example of far-right extremists attempting to use violence to escalate national protests against police brutality into an uprising against the government, and even full civil war. The case also reveals the extent of the coordination between violent members of the nascent far-right “Boogaloo Bois” movement operating in different cities across the country. According to the complaint, Hunter sent multiple private messages on Facebook bragging of his actions in Minneapolis on the night of 28 May and morning of 29 May, writing, “I set fire to that precinct with the Black community,” and, “My mom would call the FBI if she knew.” Video shot that night shows a person later identified as Hunter firing 13 rounds from a semiautomatic assault-style rifle on the 3rd precinct police station while people believed to be looters were inside. He then high-fived another person and shouted, “Justice for Floyd!” according to the complaint. Later, he privately messaged Steven Carrillo, another alleged “Boogaloo Boi” in California, urging him to “go for police buildings”, according to the federal criminal complaint. “I did better, lol,” Carrillo allegedly replied. Hours before Carrillo sent that message, according to the complaint, federal prosecutors say Carrillo had driven to Oakland with an accomplice, and, as protesters were demonstrating blocks away, shot two officers guarding a federal courthouse in downtown Oakland, killing one, David Patrick Underwood. ‘Boogaloo Boi’ charged in fire of Minneapolis police precinct during George Floyd protest Read more
23 Oct 2020 23.44 BST Lou Dobbs, a Fox News anchor and Donald Trump loyalist, launched into a tirade against Lindsay Graham, the Republican of South Carolina who is fighting the toughest reelection race of his Senate career. “I don’t know why anyone in the great state of South Carolina would ever vote for Lindsay Graham,” Dobbs said. Many voters in the state have been put off by Graham’s hypocrisy in rushing to appoint Trump supreme court nominee – after refusing to even consider Obama’s nominee. Moderates have also recoiled at Graham’s transformation from a centrist who fashioned himself as someone who could cut through partisan politics, to a Trumpian who has uncritically backed the president. Dobbs has a different gripe: that Graham has yet to “get to the bottom of Obamagate” – a baseless conspiracy theory that Barack Obama plotted to bring down his successor. Graham has “betrayed President Trump at almost every turn” by not investigating the unsubstantiated allegations, Dobbs said. “Senator Graham needs to be tuned out in South Carolina.” Lou Dobbs is telling South Carolina residents not to vote for Lindsey Graham pic.twitter.com/vQ67BZZN6P — Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) October 23, 2020
Updated at 00.11 BST
23 Oct 2020 23.20 BST Speaking about Kamala Harris, Donald Trump told supporters “we’re not going to have a socialist ... especially a female socialist” in the White House. Trump dances during a campaign rally at The Villages Polo Club in Florida. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Trump, who is losing support from women, earlier at the rally begged, “Please, please, suburban woman, you should love me.” He did note that he was “kidding”. On Harris, he said: “We’re not going to have a socialist president, especially a female socialist president, we’re not gonna have it, we’re not gonna put up with it.”
Updated at 00.12 BST
23 Oct 2020 22.51 BST Why Covid-19 is battering Black Chicagoans Most of the city’s deaths are hyper-concentrated in majority-Black neighborhoods. Gloria Oladipo reports: Phillip Thomas, a Black, 48-year-old Chicagoan, was a “great guy” according to his sister Angela McMiller. He was loved by his family and well-liked by his co-workers at Walmart, where he had worked for nine years.
“I didn’t know about how many friends he had until he passed away,” said Angela. Thomas, who was diabetic, died from Covid-19 this past March. After being sick for two weeks and self-quarantining at the recommendation of his doctor, instead of being given an examination, Phillip was then rushed to the hospital, where he died the next day. Naba’a Muhammad, 59, a writer and Chicago South Shore neighborhood resident, with a lung disease, also contracted coronavirus and was hospitalized. But while he was fortunate to access the necessary care, he immediately noted health disparities facing other Black Chicagoans in his community. “Here you have [Donald Trump] who’s got a helicopter flying him to a special wing of a hospital for help when Black people can’t even get an Uber to the emergency room or a Covid test,” he said, referring to the president’s world-class care at the Walter Reed national military medical center on the outskirts of Washington DC, after being diagnosed with coronavirus in early October. In Chicago, Covid-19 is battering Black communities. Despite only accounting for 30% of the city’s population, Black people make up 60% of Covid cases there and have the highest mortality rate out of any racial or ethnic group.
Most Chicago Covid-19 deaths are hyper-concentrated in majority-Black neighborhoods such as Austin on the West Side and Englewood and Auburn Gresham on the South Side. “The racial and ethnic gaps we’re seeing of who gets the virus and who dies from it are not a surprise,” said Linda Rae Murray, a Chicago doctor, academic, social justice advocate and former president of the American Public Health Association as well as the former chief medical officer of the Cook county department of public health. “They are a reflection of structural racism that exists in our society and inequities that are baked into our country.” ‘It’s like they’re waiting for us to die’: why Covid-19 is battering Black Chicagoans Read more
23 Oct 2020 22.36 BST In Florida, Donald Trump told supporters he’ll do “five or six” rallies a day ahead of the election. I guess this was a bit more dramatic than arriving via golf cart pic.twitter.com/RqzE4mG6vE — Shannon Pettypiece (@spettypi) October 23, 2020 Lagging in national polls, the president has been keeping a busy schedule of rallies already. It’s unclear what effect this will have on voters, many of whom have already cast their ballots. When Trump asked the crowd how many had voted “nearly ever hand” went up, reported NBC’s Shannon Pettypiece, who was at the event.


theguardian--2020-10-23--With 10 days to go, time and history are not on Donald Trump's side

It all looked so simple for Donald Trump as he took the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year .
At the start of an election year , the annual gathering of the global business elite was an opportunity to launch his campaign .
It was one Trump eagerly seized .
The next 30 minutes was one long boast , detailing how a US economy that had allegedly been on its knees under Barack Obama had been transformed under his stewardship .
“ Today I ’ m proud to declare that the United States is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the likes of which the world has never seen before , ” Trump told a packed hall .
“ We ’ ve regained our stride , we discovered our spirit and reawakened the powerful machinery of American enterprise .
America is thriving , America is flourishing , and yes , America is winning again like never before.
” Trump knew his history .
Most incumbent presidents since the second world war had seen off their challengers , and the ones that hadn ’ t – Gerald Ford in 1976 , Jimmy Carter in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – were not helped by an underperforming economy .
So , with the stock market at a record high and unemployment at its lowest since the Apollo space missions of the late 1960s , the president thought the path to victory would be smooth .
Trump had been briefed about Covid-19 and the first US case was reported on the day of his Davos speech .
But he did not think for a moment that his re-election campaign would be fought against the backdrop of a global pandemic and for some time appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the virus , claiming it would soon go away .
That proved to be wishful thinking .
Before Thursday ’ s head to head debate with Joe Biden , the pandemic had led to more than 200,000 deaths in the US and infection rates are still rising .
Unemployment rocketed to 15 % as large parts of the economy closed in the spring .
Far from presiding over an economic boom , the International Monetary Fund estimates that the world ’ s biggest economy will contract by more than 4 % this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last time the economy shrank by more than 4 % in a presidential election year was in 1932 , the depths of the Great Depression , when Herbert Hoover was in the White House .
Hoover did not get a second term .
Mohamed El-Erian , the former chief executive of US investment firm Pimco and now president of Queens ’ College Cambridge , says that back in January Trump looked like he would avoid Hoover ’ s fate but now faces an uphill struggle to defeat his Democratic challenger Joe Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ won on two themes : the greatest economy in the history of the US and the greatest stock market in the history of the US , ” El-Erian says .
“ Unemployment had fallen in every section of the population , the US had outperformed other advanced countries , there had been a series of records broken on Wall Street.
” Although the economy recovered after contracting by almost 10 % in the second quarter , the official unemployment rate remains at 7.9 % – double its pre-crisis level .
What ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new jobless claims suggests the recovery has started to run out of steam as Americans self-isolate in the face of new outbreaks of the virus .
Wall Street has bounced back sharply after its sell-off in February and March , but El-Erian says this is not entirely good news for Trump .
“ As the weeks go by the disconnect of financial markets from the economy is slowly becoming a political issue .
It is the rich who are doing better.
” Unable to make the claim that he is presiding over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the past few weeks Trump has been trying another tack : that he is the candidate best placed to secure recovery .
The president is eager to get a fresh stimulus bill through Congress before election day .
David Blanchflower , economics professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and a former member of the Bank of England ’ s monetary policy committee , says the US is suffering from both unemployment and underemployment , and that the official jobless figures do not truly reflect the state of the labour market .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 % to 20 % in six weeks , ” he says .
For months , Trump has been trying to get a fresh stimulus package through Congress but Blanchflower says he has allowed the Democrats to spin out the talks for too long .
“ Even if a deal is agreed , voters are not going to feel the impact before the election , ” he says .
With less than two weeks to go , time and history are not on the president ’ s side .
Nor is the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not just about who is best at running the economy but also who will be the best at tackling Covid-19 and who can keep Americans safe .

It all looked so simple for Donald Trump as he took the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January this year. At the start of an election year, the annual gathering of the global business elite was an opportunity to launch his campaign.
It was one Trump eagerly seized. The next 30 minutes was one long boast, detailing how a US economy that had allegedly been on its knees under Barack Obama had been transformed under his stewardship.
“Today I’m proud to declare that the United States is in the midst of an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen before,” Trump told a packed hall. “We’ve regained our stride, we discovered our spirit and reawakened the powerful machinery of American enterprise. America is thriving, America is flourishing and, yes, America is winning again like never before.”
Trump knew his history. Most incumbent presidents since the second world war had seen off their challengers, and the ones that hadn’t – Gerald Ford in 1976, Jimmy Carter in 1980 and George Bush Sr in 1992 – were not helped by an underperforming economy. So, with the stock market at a record high and unemployment at its lowest since the Apollo space missions of the late 1960s, the president thought the path to victory would be smooth.
Trump had been briefed about Covid-19 and the first US case was reported on the day of his Davos speech. But he did not think for a moment that his re-election campaign would be fought against the backdrop of a global pandemic and for some time appeared to be in denial about the importance of the virus, claiming it would soon go away.
That proved to be wishful thinking. Before Thursday’s head-to-head debate with Joe Biden, the pandemic had led to more than 200,000 deaths in the US and infection rates are still rising. Unemployment rocketed to 15% as large parts of the economy closed in the spring. Far from presiding over an economic boom, the International Monetary Fund estimates that the world’s biggest economy will contract by more than 4% this year. Put into context, the last time the economy shrank by more than 4% in a presidential election year was in 1932, the depths of the Great Depression, when Herbert Hoover was in the White House. Hoover did not get a second term.
Mohamed El-Erian, the former chief executive of the US investment firm Pimco and now president of Queens’ College, Cambridge University, says that back in January Trump looked like he would avoid Hoover’s fate but now faces an uphill struggle to defeat his Democratic challenger, Biden.
“Going into Covid-19, Trump would have won on two themes: the greatest economy in the history of the US and the greatest stock market in the history of the US,” El-Erian says. “Unemployment had fallen in every section of the population, the US had outperformed other advanced countries, there had been a series of records broken on Wall Street.”
Although the economy recovered after contracting by almost 10% in the second quarter, the official unemployment rate remains at 7.9% – double its pre-crisis level. What’s more, the stubbornly high level of new jobless claims suggests the recovery has started to run out of steam as Americans self-isolate in the face of new outbreaks of the virus.
Wall Street has bounced back sharply after its sell-off in February and March but El-Erian says this is not entirely good news for Trump. “As the weeks go by the disconnect of financial markets from the economy is slowly becoming a political issue. It is the rich who are doing better.”
Unable to make the claim that he is presiding over the strongest US economy of all time, for the past few weeks Trump has been trying another tack: that he is the candidate best placed to secure recovery. The president is eager to get a fresh stimulus bill through Congress before election day.
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David Blanchflower, an economics professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and a former member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, says the US is suffering from unemployment and underemployment, and that the official jobless figures do not truly reflect the state of the labour market. “The real unemployment rate went from 4% to 20% in six weeks,” he says.
For months, Trump has been trying to get a fresh stimulus package through Congress but Blanchflower says he has allowed the Democrats to spin out the talks for too long. “Even if a deal is agreed, voters are not going to feel the impact before the election,” he says.
With less than two weeks to go, time and history are not on the president’s side. Nor is the pandemic. As El-Erian says, this election is not only about who is best at running the economy but also who will be the best at tackling Covid-19 and who can keep Americans safe.


theguardian--2020-10-23--Americans traveling miles during pandemic to vote in person

In mid-October , Sade Onadiji boarded a flight from Chicago to Houston , Texas , to cast her vote for Joe Biden .
She had quarantined ahead of time and gotten a Covid test .
On the plane , she Clorox-wiped her seat , wore gloves , and doubled up with a N95 mask and a face shield .
When she arrived at her mother ’ s house , she wore a mask inside and stayed upstairs for a few days before getting another test .
Then she , her mom , and her brother voted together at the Smart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised in Texas and had always voted in the Houston suburbs .
But this year , though she was pursuing her MBA at the University of Chicago , she decided it wasn ’ t the time to experiment with absentee voting .
Onadiji was concerned because the state Republicans have a record of voter suppression – she pointed to Governor Gregg Abbott ’ s executive order that each county was only allowed a single ballot drop-off location .
She went home to vote , even though it meant staying with her mother , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hate the thought that I could be exposing her or risking her health , ” Onadiji said .
As coronavirus spread through the nation in the spring , polling places became another location where people could contract the virus .
To avoid that during the presidential election , dozens of states expanded mail-in voting and over 83m ballots have been requested for the general election so far .
Yet some voters – after being bombarded with misinformation , fearing mail backlogs and facing confusion with the process – are traveling long distances to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obviously , we ’ re in the midst of a pandemic , ” said Irwin Aronson , a Pennsylvania lawyer who deals with election law and mail-in ballots .
“ Standing in line at a polling place , in close proximity to strangers , who may or may not know they have been exposed… it makes absolute sense for people to want to avail themselves of alternatives.
” Voting , whether by mail or in person , can be complicated – especially this year , when people are absentee voting for the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the pandemic .
According to analyses from NPR and the Washington Post , over half a million mail-in ballots were thrown out in the primaries this year for reasons including inconsistent signatures , small rips in the envelopes or missing postmarks .
In the past month , thousands of ballots have already been flagged for rejection in key states like North Carolina .
Lea Zikmund , from Lancaster , Pennsylvania – a state that could decide the election – moved to New York City for work this spring .
This will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a presidential election , but she ’ s never voted by mail before and she ’ s heard about ballots getting mixed up or people receiving envelopes addressed with the wrong names .
She ’ s going to take the train back home from Penn Station – she says it ’ s significantly cleaner than it was pre-pandemic – and vote .
“ The one big difference between mail voting and in-person voting , is when you go in person , there is a team of people there who are customer service people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ associate professor of political science at Suffolk University , referring to poll workers .
In the case of Ten Francis , an urban planning graduate student in Los Angeles who votes in Florida , his primary ballot wasn ’ t rejected – it never arrived in the first place .
“ What caused me to think about [ going home to vote ] was the whole fiasco with the post office , ” Francis said .
After Francis was notified that his vote never ended up at the election offices , he planned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his summer job to go back and vote in the general election .
But first , he tested out an absentee ballot .
He tracked it and found that it arrived well before the deadline , one of over 31m ballots returned so far .
Experts say that despite the snafus , the election is working without too many hiccups for most Americans .
“ There are no more problems now than we would expect to see in a major presidential election , with record high turnout , record enthusiasm to participate and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the middle of a pandemic , ” said David Becker , executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research .
“ So it ’ s remarkable that things have been going as relatively well as they have.
” Even so , Mesha Winford , a cybersecurity analyst working in Virginia , said she will drive three and a half hours to vote in North Carolina .
And voting is not the only thing she ’ s looking forward to – she ’ s been waiting to go to her favorite restaurant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was back home , eating “ bbq , cole slaw , hush puppies , fried chicken gizzards and homemade lemonade ” .
Winford will also see her 85-year-old father , who she last visited in March , afraid she could unwittingly expose him to Covid-19 .
Now she has a plan : she ’ ll take a Covid test first , and when she arrives , they ’ ll plan to see each other at a distance outside his house , or meet briefly at the polling station .
“ It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Coming from that era , he couldn ’ t always vote in the African American demographic.
” She added that “ people ’ s lives depend on this election ” .
Jenn Fralick , a traveling registered nurse based in Laredo , Texas , knows that firsthand .
Fralick works in her hospital ’ s Covid-19 unit and during her overnight shift , she signs her name often , using a shorthand scribble to fill out forms .
Although Fralick has worked since September along the border , she lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a key battleground state this election .
The nurse said she uses three signature variations – sometimes spelling out her first name or sometimes just using her initials – and she doesn ’ t remember which version she used on her ballot .
She ’ s heard that in some states , if the voter ’ s signatures don ’ t match , they ’ ll reject the ballot .
She ’ s also concerned about postal service delays .
She requested an absentee ballot , but if it doesn ’ t arrive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
“ I ’ m watching people die , literally .
I ’ m not only voting for myself , I ’ m voting for them , ” Fralick said .
“ Those 220,000 lives that are gone and can ’ t vote .
”

In mid-October, Sade Onadiji boarded a flight from Chicago to Houston, Texas, to cast her vote for Joe Biden. She had quarantined ahead of time and gotten a Covid test. On the plane, she Clorox-wiped her seat, wore gloves, and doubled up with a N95 mask and a face shield. When she arrived at her mother’s house, she wore a mask inside and stayed upstairs for a few days before getting another test. Then she, her mom, and her brother voted together at the Smart Financial Centre.
Onadiji was born and raised in Texas and had always voted in the Houston suburbs. But this year, though she was pursuing her MBA at the University of Chicago, she decided it wasn’t the time to experiment with absentee voting. Onadiji was concerned because the state Republicans have a record of voter suppression – she pointed to Governor Gregg Abbott’s executive order that each county was only allowed a single ballot drop-off location. She went home to vote, even though it meant staying with her mother, a 64-year-old cancer survivor.
“I hate the thought that I could be exposing her or risking her health,” Onadiji said.
As coronavirus spread through the nation in the spring, polling places became another location where people could contract the virus. To avoid that during the presidential election, dozens of states expanded mail-in voting and over 85m ballots have been requested for the general election so far. Yet some voters – after being bombarded with misinformation, fearing mail backlogs and facing confusion with the process – are traveling long distances to cast their ballots in person.
The US may face its biggest ever ballot brawl this November. Sign up to our weekly email Fight to Vote to stay informed on election integrity and voting rights.
“Obviously, we’re in the midst of a pandemic,” said Irwin Aronson, a Pennsylvania lawyer who deals with election law and mail-in ballots. “Standing in line at a polling place, in close proximity to strangers, who may or may not know they have been exposed… it makes absolute sense for people to want to avail themselves of alternatives.”
Voting, whether by mail or in person, can be complicated – especially this year, when people are absentee voting for the first time and election regulations have changed due to the pandemic. According to analyses from NPR and the Washington Post, over half a million mail-in ballots were thrown out in the primaries this year for reasons including inconsistent signatures, small rips in the envelopes or missing postmarks. In the past month, thousands of ballots have already been flagged for rejection in key states like North Carolina.
Lea Zikmund, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania – a state that could decide the election – moved to New York City for work this spring. This will be Zikmund’s second time voting in a presidential election, but she’s never voted by mail before and she’s heard about ballots getting mixed up or people receiving envelopes addressed with the wrong names. She’s going to take the train back home from Penn Station – she says it’s significantly cleaner than it was pre-pandemic – and vote.
“The one big difference between mail voting and in-person voting, is when you go in person, there is a team of people there who are customer service people,” said Rachael Cobb, an associate professor of political science at Suffolk University, referring to poll workers.
In the case of Ten Francis, an urban planning graduate student in Los Angeles who votes in Florida, his primary ballot wasn’t rejected – it never arrived in the first place. “What caused me to think about [going home to vote] was the whole fiasco with the post office,” Francis said.
Ten Francis: ‘What caused me to think about [going home to vote] was the whole fiasco with the post office.’ Photograph: Ten Francis
After Francis was notified that his vote never ended up at the election offices, he planned to use money he saved up from his summer job to go back and vote in the general election. But first, he tested out an absentee ballot. He tracked it and found that it arrived well before the deadline, one of over 34m mail ballots returned so far.
Experts say that despite the snafus, the election is working without too many hiccups for most Americans. “There are no more problems now than we would expect to see in a major presidential election, with record high turnout, record enthusiasm to participate and oh, by the way, in the middle of a pandemic,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research. “So it’s remarkable that things have been going as relatively well as they have.”
Even so, Mesha Winford, a cybersecurity analyst working in Virginia, said she will drive three and a half hours to vote in North Carolina. And voting is not the only thing she’s looking forward to – she’s been waiting to go to her favorite restaurant – she tweeted that she dreamt she was back home, eating “bbq, cole slaw, hush puppies, fried chicken gizzards and homemade lemonade”.
Mesha Winford and her father. ‘People’s lives depend on this election,’ she said. Photograph: Mesha Winford
Winford will also see her 85-year-old father, who she last visited in March, afraid she could unwittingly expose him to Covid-19. Now she has a plan: she’ll take a Covid test first, and when she arrives, they’ll plan to see each other at a distance outside his house, or meet briefly at the polling station.
“It’s especially important to him,” Winford said. “Coming from that era, he couldn’t always vote in the African American demographic.” She added that “people’s lives depend on this election”.
Jenn Fralick, a traveling registered nurse based in Laredo, Texas, knows that firsthand. Fralick works in her hospital’s Covid-19 unit and during her overnight shift, she signs her name often, using a shorthand scribble to fill out forms. Although Fralick has worked since September along the border, she lives and votes in Jacksonville, Florida, a key battleground state this election.
The nurse said she uses three signature variations – sometimes spelling out her first name or sometimes just using her initials – and she doesn’t remember which version she used on her ballot. She’s heard that in some states, if the voter’s signatures don’t match, they’ll reject the ballot. She’s also concerned about postal service delays.
She requested an absentee ballot, but if it doesn’t arrive, she’ll fly home to vote.
“I’m watching people die, literally. I’m not only voting for myself, I’m voting for them,” Fralick said. “Those 220,000 lives that are gone and can’t vote.”


theguardian--2020-10-23--How Trump success in ending Obamacare would kill Fauci plan to conquer HIV

In his State of the Union address in February 2019 , Donald Trump vowed to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 .
But if Trump has his way and the supreme court strikes down the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) , the resulting seismic disruption to the healthcare system would end that dream .
Democrats have expressed grave concern that if Amy Coney Barrett is seated on the supreme court , the conservative jurist could cast a decisive vote to destroy the ACA in the California v Texas case scheduled for oral argument starting 10 November .
The Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s nomination on Thursday .
A full Senate vote is expected on Monday .
The brainchild of Dr Anthony Fauci and other top brass at the Department of Health and Human Services , the ambitious Ending the HIV Epidemic : A Plan for America has received for its debut year $ 267m in new federal spending , largely targeted at HIV transmission hotspots across the US .
The central aim of the Trump-backed plan is to improve access to antiretrovirals , given that successfully treating HIV with such medications eliminates transmission risk .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater use of PrEP – a daily antiretroviral tablet that cuts the risk of HIV by more than 99 % among gay and bisexual men , who are its predominant users and account for seven in 10 new infections .
Given antiretrovirals ’ enormous cost , the ACA and its broadening of insurance access serves as backbone to the HIV plan , which seeks a 90 % reduction by 2030 to the otherwise slowly declining or stagnant national HIV transmission rate of about 37,000 new cases annually .
“ The plan is dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down , ” said Amy Killelea , senior director of health systems and policy at Nastad , an HIV public policy non-profit .
“ President Trump ’ s healthcare agenda , in particular his plan to get the supreme court to rule against families ’ healthcare , does more to end access to HIV care than it does to end HIV , ” said the Washington state senator Patty Murray .
Kaiser found that between 2012 and 2018 , the proportion of the non-elderly HIV population lacking insurance declined from about 18 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainly driven by the expansion of Medicaid in the states that opted under the ACA to open the program to all residents with incomes below 138 % of the federal poverty level .
About 60 % of non-elderly people receiving care for HIV fall into that lowest of income brackets .
Forty per cent of people with HIV receive Medicaid , compared with 15 % of the general population .
“ Striking down the ACA would lead many people with HIV to lose insurance coverage , ” said Jennifer Kates , director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kaiser Family Foundation .
Medicaid expansion has also been tied to increased HIV testing and PrEP use .
In Louisiana , the only state in the deep south to expand Medicaid , state officials attributed a 12 % decline in HIV diagnoses between 2015 and 2018 to such effects .
For an overall population as vulnerable and stigmatized as those living with and at risk for HIV – one that is disproportionately Black and Latino , with a high rate of substance use disorders , mental illness , homelessness , incarceration and especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sudden loss of health insurance can prove critically disruptive to consistent healthcare engagement and access to antiretrovirals .
When individuals stop taking such medications , HIV can spread more widely as viral load rises to a transmissible level in people with the virus and HIV-negative people lose PrEP ’ s protection .
The pandemic has already disrupted such access .
Preliminary analyses point to rising rates of unsuppressed HIV and major declines in PrEP refills and testing for the virus in recent months .
“ In light of the extraordinary public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the idea that the supreme court would reverse the great progress we have made in efforts to eliminate HIV in the United States is heartbreaking and morally reprehensible , ” said Robert Greenwald , director of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School .
The federal Ryan White HIV/Aids Program and its $ 2.4bn budget will continue to provide uninsured people with HIV with at least some form of safety net , helping to cover care and treatment should Obamacare fall .
But since the ACA ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ryan White has undergone a major shift , especially in Medicaid expansion states , toward focusing on covering ancillary “ wraparound ” services for insured people with HIV , such as case management , housing and transportation .
The program also increasingly pays for private Obamacare plan premiums .
These shifts , research indicates , have improved viral suppression rates .
Ryan White ’ s wraparound coverage would dissipate if funds were more urgently needed to address an insurance-loss surge .
Kates and other experts predict the program might not prove nimble @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a post-ACA era .
Experts also fear a return of waiting lists for HIV treatment coverage by the Aids Drug Assistance Program , a Ryan White component that co-funds medication or health insurance premium coverage with the states .
These notorious lists have tended to lengthen during economic downturns , thanks to tightening state budgets .
Decimating the ACA would also vaporize numerous less widely appreciated facets of the law that provide crucial protections for insured people living with and at risk for HIV .
These include the elimination of annual and lifetime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caps on out-of-pocket costs , and the promise of no such costs for validated preventive services , such as HIV testing and PrEP .
The law ’ s anti-discrimination provisions have also helped ensure more equitable healthcare access .
Trump ’ s claim he can simply forbid pre-existing condition exclusions by executive order notwithstanding , a loss of this cherished ACA-guaranteed protection would , Kaiser research indicates , render people with HIV uninsurable on the open market .
The opioid crisis , which along with other forms of substance abuse has begun to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among people who inject drugs , is also poised to worsen if the nation loses ACA-based coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment in particular .
Greg Millett , director of public policy at amfAR , The Foundation for Aids Research , noted that during a year defined by urgent calls for racial justice , the harsh demographic realities of the intersecting Covid-19 and HIV epidemics serve as prime examples of the nation ’ s long failure to address race-based health inequities .
“ It ’ s no mistake with this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science comprehensively in addressing HIV , nor Covid-19 , ” Millett said .
“ And unfortunately , not following the science to address HIV or Covid-19 primarily impacts people of color.
” The Trump administration ’ s “ ham-fisted ” handling of Covid-19 , Millett said , has already jeopardized achieving the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030 .
Michelle Collins-Ogle , a pediatric and adolescent HIV physician at Montefiore medical center in the Bronx , expressed outrage over conservatives ’ dogged battle to destroy the signature legislative achievement of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Here I am , working hard to take care of people who are indigent and vulnerable , ” Collins-Ogle said .
“ And you want to take away from me the one tool I have to make sure that I do the best for these people ?

In his State of the Union address in February 2019, Donald Trump vowed to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
But if Trump has his way and the supreme court strikes down the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the resulting seismic disruption to the healthcare system would end that dream.
Democrats have expressed grave concern that if Amy Coney Barrett is seated on the supreme court, the conservative jurist could cast a decisive vote to destroy the ACA in the California v Texas case scheduled for oral argument starting 10 November. The Senate judiciary committee committee voted to advance Barrett’s nomination on Thursday. A full Senate vote is expected on Monday.
The brainchild of Dr Anthony Fauci and other top brass at the Department of Health and Human Services, the ambitious Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America has received for its debut year $267m in new federal spending, largely targeted at HIV transmission hotspots across the US.
Amy Coney Barrett listens during a confirmation hearing. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker/AP
The central aim of the Trump-backed plan is to improve access to antiretrovirals, given that successfully treating HIV with such medications eliminates transmission risk. For HIV-negative people, the plan promotes greater use of PrEP – a daily antiretroviral tablet that cuts the risk of HIV by more than 99% among gay and bisexual men, who are its predominant users and account for seven in 10 new infections.
Given antiretrovirals’ enormous cost, the ACA and its broadening of insurance access serves as backbone to the HIV plan, which seeks a 90% reduction by 2030 to the otherwise slowly declining or stagnant national HIV transmission rate of about 37,000 new cases annually.
“The plan is dead in the water if the ACA goes down,” said Amy Killelea, senior director of health systems and policy at Nastad, an HIV public policy non-profit.
“President Trump’s healthcare agenda, in particular his plan to get the supreme court to rule against families’ healthcare, does more to end access to HIV care than it does to end HIV,” said the Washington state senator Patty Murray.
‘Heartbreaking and morally indefensible’
Kaiser found that between 2012 and 2018, the proportion of the non-elderly HIV population lacking insurance declined from about 18% to 11%. This shift was mainly driven by the expansion of Medicaid in the states that opted under the ACA to open the program to all residents with incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level.
About 60% of non-elderly people receiving care for HIV fall into that lowest of income brackets. Forty per cent of people with HIV receive Medicaid, compared with 15% of the general population.
“Striking down the ACA would lead many people with HIV to lose insurance coverage,” said Jennifer Kates, director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Not following the science to address HIV or Covid-19 primarily impacts people of color Greg Millett
Medicaid expansion has also been tied to increased HIV testing and PrEP use. In Louisiana, the only state in the deep south to expand Medicaid, state officials attributed a 12% decline in HIV diagnoses between 2015 and 2018 to such effects.
For an overall population as vulnerable and stigmatized as those living with and at risk for HIV – one that is disproportionately Black and Latino, with a high rate of substance use disorders, mental illness, homelessness, incarceration and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, unemployment – a sudden loss of health insurance can prove critically disruptive to consistent healthcare engagement and access to antiretrovirals.
When individuals stop taking such medications, HIV can spread more widely as viral load rises to a transmissible level in people with the virus and HIV-negative people lose PrEP’s protection.
The pandemic has already disrupted such access. Preliminary analyses point to rising rates of unsuppressed HIV and major declines in PrEP refills and testing for the virus in recent months.
“In light of the extraordinary public health and economic challenges we are currently facing, the idea that the supreme court would reverse the great progress we have made in efforts to eliminate HIV in the United States is heartbreaking and morally reprehensible,” said Robert Greenwald, director of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School.
The federal Ryan White HIV/Aids Program and its $2.4bn budget will continue to provide uninsured people with HIV with at least some form of safety net, helping to cover care and treatment should Obamacare fall.
You want to take away from me the one tool I have to make sure that I do the best for these people? How dare you? Michelle Collins-Ogle
But since the ACA’s major insurance provisions launched in 2014, Ryan White has undergone a major shift, especially in Medicaid expansion states, toward focusing on covering ancillary “wraparound” services for insured people with HIV, such as case management, housing and transportation. The program also increasingly pays for private Obamacare plan premiums. These shifts, research indicates, have improved viral suppression rates.
Ryan White’s wraparound coverage would dissipate if funds were more urgently needed to address an insurance-loss surge. Kates and other experts predict the program might not prove nimble enough to promise a smooth transition into a post-ACA era.
Experts also fear a return of waiting lists for HIV treatment coverage by the Aids Drug Assistance Program, a Ryan White component that co-funds medication or health insurance premium coverage with the states. These notorious lists have tended to lengthen during economic downturns, thanks to tightening state budgets.
Michelle Collins-Ogle, a pediatric and adolescent HIV physician at Montefiore medical center in the Bronx, relies on the Affordable Care Act to help her care for a vulnerable population of young people living with or at risk for the virus. Photograph: Benjamin Ryan/The Guardian
Decimating the ACA would also vaporize numerous less widely appreciated facets of the law that provide crucial protections for insured people living with and at risk for HIV. These include the elimination of annual and lifetime coverage caps, the establishment of annual caps on out-of-pocket costs, and the promise of no such costs for validated preventive services, such as HIV testing and PrEP. The law’s anti-discrimination provisions have also helped ensure more equitable healthcare access.
Trump’s claim he can simply forbid pre-existing condition exclusions by executive order notwithstanding, a loss of this cherished ACA-guaranteed protection would, Kaiser research indicates, render people with HIV uninsurable on the open market.
‘Ham-fisted’
The opioid crisis, which along with other forms of substance abuse has begun to reverse the two-decade decline in HIV diagnoses among people who inject drugs, is also poised to worsen if the nation loses ACA-based coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment in particular.
Greg Millett, director of public policy at amfAR, The Foundation for Aids Research, noted that during a year defined by urgent calls for racial justice, the harsh demographic realities of the intersecting Covid-19 and HIV epidemics serve as prime examples of the nation’s long failure to address race-based health inequities.
“It’s no mistake with this administration that they are not following the science comprehensively in addressing HIV, nor Covid-19,” Millett said. “And unfortunately, not following the science to address HIV or Covid-19 primarily impacts people of color.”
The Trump administration’s “ham-fisted” handling of Covid-19, Millett said, has already jeopardized achieving the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.
Michelle Collins-Ogle, a pediatric and adolescent HIV physician at Montefiore medical center in the Bronx, expressed outrage over conservatives’ dogged battle to destroy the signature legislative achievement of the Obama administration, the ACA.
“Here I am, working hard to take care of people who are indigent and vulnerable,” Collins-Ogle said. “And you want to take away from me the one tool I have to make sure that I do the best for these people?
“How dare you?”


theguardian--2020-10-23--‘What did we all do?’: why women who voted for Trump could decide the 2020 election

When Sandy Orth reads 2 Timothy 3 in the Bible , which advises good Christians to steer clear of “ lovers of themselves , lovers of money , [ the ] boastful , proud , abusive ” , the first person she is reminded of is the US president .
Orth , an evangelical Christian from the suburbs of Des Moines , Iowa , voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but will be voting for his Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , in 2020 .
“ As a lifelong Republican I was willing to give him a chance and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ position , but that didn ’ t happen , ” Orth told the Guardian .
The 77-year-old could help fuel what is expected to be the largest gender gap in any presidential election in US history .
White women in particular appear to be moving away from Trump , while men seem to be sticking by him .
Orth ’ s vote will also have an outsized importance because she is in a state which Trump flipped in 2016 after it twice elected Barack Obama .
It was assumed Trump would carry Iowa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polls have showed a much closer race than anticipated .
Trump is specifically struggling with Iowa ’ s women .
In a CBS News/YouGov poll of 1,048 Iowa voters conducted on 6-9 October , Biden had an 11-percentage-point advantage among women compared with Trump .
In a Quinnipiac University poll of 1,205 Iowa voters conducted on 1-5 October Biden had a 26-point advantage among women compared with Trump – one of the biggest differences found in any state .
The president , meanwhile , has responded to the polls by both bullying and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nationally , CNN ’ s Harry Enten said Biden was up by 25 points among female voters based on an analysis last week of five live interview polls .
That is the largest lead a candidate has ever had among women voters in the polling era .
In Pennsylvania on 13 October , Trump asked : “ Suburban women , will you please like me ?
” On 17 October in Michigan , he implored : “ I saved your suburbs – women – suburban women , you ’ re supposed to love @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nevada , Trump begged : “ Suburban women , please vote for me .
I ’ m saving your house .
I ’ m saving your community .
I ’ m keeping your crime way down.
” These half-hearted pleas are about three years too late for voters like Becky , who lives in a suburb of Des Moines and asked for her last name not to be used because she was worried about being targeted for her opinions .
It didn ’ t take the 63-year-old long to regret her vote for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of office within weeks of him becoming president .
“ I remember thinking , ‘ Oh my God , what did I do ?
What did we all do ?
What would ’ ve been so bad about Hillary ?
’ ” Becky said .
“ He ’ s so good with his lies .
He made you believe she was hiding her emails , doing all these things she shouldn ’ t be doing.
” At this point , Becky can ’ t stand the president and laughed before calling him the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ badly I feel about him , ” she said .
“ If we don ’ t get him out , we ’ re in a load of trouble here.
” Becky , who is registered independent but usually votes Democrat , is not a huge Joe Biden fan either though she likes his vice-president nominee , Kamala Harris .
A yard sign tucked away in her garage out of fear it will make her family the target of harassment or violence spells out her position for this election : “ Anyone but Trump.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ wouldn ’ t be afraid to say who you support , ” she said .
“ It didn ’ t mean that you could get hurt or have your family hurt , but the divisiveness that he ’ s created , it ’ s crazy.
” She has seen the divisiveness in her own family , where people have stopped speaking to each other because their support , or lack of , for Trump .
Though one close female relative is also changing their vote from Trump to Biden .
For Orth , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to make her decision about 2020 .
She reluctantly voted for Trump in 2016 , deciding he was narrowly preferable to his Democratic challenger , Hillary Clinton .
But Orth was soon upset with his behavior , which she said reminded her of a school bully .
“ It wasn ’ t just one thing that happened one day , it was kind of almost from the beginning that things weren ’ t looking good , ” Orth said .
Her list of problems with the president has since grown to include @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationship with its allies and the high number of his associates who are convicted criminals .
A few months ago , she and a couple of friends tried to determine one good thing the president had done for the country – she still doesn ’ t have an answer .
Her friends who do support Trump point to his unprecedented number of conservative judicial appointments , which could have the longest and most far-reaching impacts on people ’ s daily lives of any of his policies .
“ The fact that he appoints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pass in my mind for all the negative things , ” Orth said .
But Trump is not the only subject of Orth ’ s ire – she also feels betrayed by the Republican party she has supported for decades .
“ I am very upset and angry at how they have enabled Donald Trump to be such a bad president , ” Orth said .
“ I blame them for a lot of things that are happening in this country too.
” That ’ s another frustration she will be channeling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote for the Democratic challenger in Iowa ’ s Senate race – one of the most closely contested Senate elections in the country in an election year that could see the chamber flip from red to blue .
The incumbent Republican senator Joni Ernst ’ s run for re-election in Iowa is now considered a bellwether to see if Democrats can take the Senate despite Trump ’ s unpopularity .
In the final weeks before the election , Republicans fearful of polling in Biden ’ s favor are trying to master the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reeling back in the moderates drifting away .
Ernst , the first woman Iowa sent to Congress , has largely stood by Trump through his first term and is in a closely contested race .
Ernst polled one percentage point ahead of her Democratic challenger , Theresa Greenfield , in a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Wednesday .
But in the month before , Ernst trailed Greenfield in every poll .
As Ernst ’ s predicament shows , no matter the result of the presidential election , Trump ’ s unpopularity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Republican party .
Biotech consultant Leslie Dow usually votes Republican and travels in conservative circles but she is so frustrated with the party for enabling Trump that she is also now the Democratic precinct chair in LeClaire , a small town on the Mississippi River .
Dow , 63 , has always been engaged with specific issues , as a teenager fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment , which would change the US constitution to ban discrimination on the basis of sex , and in support of Planned Parenthood .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the 2016 election which galvanized her participation in electoral politics .
“ I don ’ t think I ever felt so alone as when I watched her go through that stuff , ” Dow said .
“ I lost friends over it because they thought I was just being silly.
” She doesn ’ t plan on sticking with the party , but is proud to support Biden .
“ I want solutions that have a chance of doing something , ” Dow said .
“ And I feel like Biden has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I am a moderate.
” If the Democrats take the presidency and the Senate , Dow may remain involved with local party politics in the hopes of moderating some of their more liberal positions , but ultimately she hopes to be a part of rebuilding the Republican party .
“ I don ’ t think that ’ s the Republican party any more , ” Dow said .
“ It ’ s the party of Trump .
”

When Sandy Orth reads 2 Timothy 3 in the Bible, which advises good Christians to steer clear of “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, [the] boastful, proud, abusive”, the first person she is reminded of is the US president.
Orth, an evangelical Christian from the suburbs of Des Moines, Iowa, voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but will be voting for his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, in 2020.
“As a lifelong Republican I was willing to give him a chance and was hoping he would be humbled by the position, but that didn’t happen,” Orth told the Guardian.
The 77-year-old could help fuel what is expected to be the largest gender gap in any presidential election in US history. White women in particular appear to be moving away from Trump, while men seem to be sticking by him.
Orth’s vote will also have an outsized importance because she is in a state which Trump flipped in 2016 after it twice elected Barack Obama. It was assumed Trump would carry Iowa again this time around, but recent polls have showed a much closer race than anticipated.
Trump is specifically struggling with Iowa’s women. In a CBS News/YouGov poll of 1,048 Iowa voters conducted on 6-9 October, Biden had an 11-percentage-point advantage among women compared with Trump. In a Quinnipiac University poll of 1,205 Iowa voters conducted on 1-5 October Biden had a 26-point advantage among women compared with Trump – one of the biggest differences found in any state.
The president, meanwhile, has responded to the polls by both bullying and begging suburban women to support him.
Nationally, CNN’s Harry Enten said Biden was up by 25 points among female voters based on an analysis last week of five live interview polls. That is the largest lead a candidate has ever had among women voters in the polling era.
In Pennsylvania on 13 October, Trump asked: “Suburban women, will you please like me?” On 17 October in Michigan, he implored: “I saved your suburbs – women – suburban women, you’re supposed to love Trump.” And the next day in Nevada, Trump begged: “Suburban women, please vote for me. I’m saving your house. I’m saving your community. I’m keeping your crime way down.”
These half-hearted pleas are about three years too late for voters like Becky, who lives in a suburb of Des Moines and asked for her last name not to be used because she was worried about being targeted for her opinions.
It didn’t take the 63-year-old long to regret her vote for Donald Trump, who she wanted out of office within weeks of him becoming president.
As a lifelong Republican I was willing to give him a chance and was hoping he would be humbled by the position, but that didn’t happen Sandy Orth
“I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, what did I do? What did we all do? What would’ve been so bad about Hillary?’” Becky said. “He’s so good with his lies. He made you believe she was hiding her emails, doing all these things she shouldn’t be doing.”
At this point, Becky can’t stand the president and laughed before calling him the antichrist.
“That’s how badly I feel about him,” she said. “If we don’t get him out, we’re in a load of trouble here.”
Becky, who is registered independent but usually votes Democrat, is not a huge Joe Biden fan either though she likes his vice-president nominee, Kamala Harris. A yard sign tucked away in her garage out of fear it will make her family the target of harassment or violence spells out her position for this election: “Anyone but Trump.”
“Five years ago, you wouldn’t be afraid to say who you support,” she said. “It didn’t mean that you could get hurt or have your family hurt, but the divisiveness that he’s created, it’s crazy.”
She has seen the divisiveness in her own family, where people have stopped speaking to each other because their support, or lack of, for Trump. Though one close female relative is also changing their vote from Trump to Biden.
For Orth, it didn’t take long for her to make her decision about 2020. She reluctantly voted for Trump in 2016, deciding he was narrowly preferable to his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton.
But Orth was soon upset with his behavior, which she said reminded her of a school bully. “It wasn’t just one thing that happened one day, it was kind of almost from the beginning that things weren’t looking good,” Orth said.
Her list of problems with the president has since grown to include his disregard for the country’s relationship with its allies and the high number of his associates who are convicted criminals.
A few months ago, she and a couple of friends tried to determine one good thing the president had done for the country – she still doesn’t have an answer.
Her friends who do support Trump point to his unprecedented number of conservative judicial appointments, which could have the longest and most far-reaching impacts on people’s daily lives of any of his policies. “The fact that he appoints conservative judges doesn’t give him a pass in my mind for all the negative things,” Orth said.
But Trump is not the only subject of Orth’s ire – she also feels betrayed by the Republican party she has supported for decades.
“I am very upset and angry at how they have enabled Donald Trump to be such a bad president,” Orth said. “I blame them for a lot of things that are happening in this country too.”
That’s another frustration she will be channeling at the ballot box. Orth plans to vote for the Democratic challenger in Iowa’s Senate race – one of the most closely contested Senate elections in the country in an election year that could see the chamber flip from red to blue.
The incumbent Republican senator Joni Ernst’s run for re-election in Iowa is now considered a bellwether to see if Democrats can take the Senate despite Trump’s unpopularity. In the final weeks before the election, Republicans fearful of polling in Biden’s favor are trying to master the balance between keeping Trump supporters close while reeling back in the moderates drifting away.
Ernst, the first woman Iowa sent to Congress, has largely stood by Trump through his first term and is in a closely contested race. Ernst polled one percentage point ahead of her Democratic challenger, Theresa Greenfield, in a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Wednesday. But in the month before, Ernst trailed Greenfield in every poll.
As Ernst’s predicament shows, no matter the result of the presidential election, Trump’s unpopularity presents a bigger question for the future of the Republican party.
Biotech consultant Leslie Dow usually votes Republican and travels in conservative circles but she is so frustrated with the party for enabling Trump that she is also now the Democratic precinct chair in LeClaire, a small town on the Mississippi River.
I want solutions that have a chance of doing something Leslie Dow
Dow, 63, has always been engaged with specific issues, as a teenager fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment, which would change the US constitution to ban discrimination on the basis of sex, and in support of Planned Parenthood. But it was the sexist treatment of Clinton in the 2016 election which galvanized her participation in electoral politics.
“I don’t think I ever felt so alone as when I watched her go through that stuff,” Dow said. “I lost friends over it because they thought I was just being silly.”
She doesn’t plan on sticking with the party, but is proud to support Biden.
“I want solutions that have a chance of doing something,” Dow said. “And I feel like Biden has those because he’s a moderate and I am a moderate.”
If the Democrats take the presidency and the Senate, Dow may remain involved with local party politics in the hopes of moderating some of their more liberal positions, but ultimately she hopes to be a part of rebuilding the Republican party.
“I don’t think that’s the Republican party any more,” Dow said. “It’s the party of Trump.”


theguardian--2020-10-23--The final Trump-Biden presidential debate: five key takeaways

Trump tried to show he ’ s learned a few things In the days leading up to the debate , Donald Trump ’ s advisers urged the president to stay calmer than he was at the first presidential debate in Cleveland last month , when he was widely criticized for repeatedly and aggressively interrupting his Democratic presidential rival , Joe Biden .
The president , who trails his rival in national polls , accomplished that , though it was a low bar .
He interrupted the former vice-president less and he didn ’ t feud with the moderator , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He even followed the debate rules of letting Biden talk when it was Biden ’ s turn – for the most part .
Much of the credit for that control went to Welker herself .
Trump , who has been attempting to appeal to female voters who have been turning away from his campaign , praised Welker ’ s moderation ( saying “ thank you ” and “ I appreciate that ” ) despite spending the days leading up to the debate disparaging her .
Trump also wanted to appeal to voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the first debate , but with mixed results .
He said he “ learned a lot ” about the disease when he contracted it , said – without evidence and contrary to the statements of public health experts – that a vaccine should be available in the coming weeks .
“ I take full responsibility .
It ’ s not my fault that it came here , it ’ s China ’ s fault , ” Trump said .
More than 220,000 people have died in the US during the pandemic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been affected – far more than any other country in the world .
When Welker announced the debate topics , both Biden and Trump wanted to weigh in on foreign policy .
But that ’ s where the common ground ended .
Trump wanted to highlight unverified reports that Biden ’ s son Hunter was using his father ’ s influence to benefit himself and the Biden family .
Biden was eager to talk about a secret bank account the president has kept in China .
The attacks at moments mirrored each other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of money from Russia .
They were paying you a lot of money and they probably still are , ” Trump said at one point , without evidence .
“ What are you hiding ?
Why are you hiding ?
” Biden said at another point .
“ The foreign countries are paying you a lot.
” Biden also wanted to frame Trump as a crony of strongmen dictators such as the Russian president , Vladimir Putin , and North Korea ’ s Kim Jong-un .
For most of the 2020 presidential campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his former boss ’ s signature legislation – Obamacare .
But during Thursday night ’ s debate that changed .
Biden advocated Obamacare “ with a public option ” – offering an expansion of existing public programs .
“ Call it ‘ Bidencare ’ , ” he said .
Trump meanwhile refrained from offering what his own healthcare replacement plan would be , simply repeating that “ Obamacare is no good ” .
Trump ’ s main argument on healthcare was to suggest – without evidence – that any alternative to gutting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would “ destroy ” Medicare and social security , two wildly popular programs .
The most heated exchanges of the night came when Welker steered the discussion toward racism in the US , which has become a key voting issue following the police killing of George Floyd , which sparked mass protests over the summer .
Trump , as he often does , claimed that his record on race relations tops almost any other politician ’ s in American history , except for Abraham Lincoln .
He ticked off his favorite points on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice reform bill , increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities , and how African American unemployment had dipped under his leadership .
But he said all of that in response to a question from Welker on racism in America , without directly answering the question .
He also conspicuously never used the phrase “ institutional racism ” or pulled back from his previous criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement .
He was eager to attack Biden on the former vice-president ’ s support for a crime bill from two decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack , mocking Trump by sarcastically calling him “ Abraham Lincoln ” before saying he ’ s “ one of the most racist presidents in American history .
He pours fuel on every single racist fire.
” Trump was most defensive when Welker asked both candidates about recent reports on family separations of undocumented immigrants .
Specifically , Welker asked the candidates about more than 500 children who had been separated from their parents as part of the Trump administration ’ s push to deter immigration along the southern border .
The United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children with their parents .
Trump didn ’ t offer a direct answer .
Instead he claimed – wrongly – that many of the children were illegally brought into the country through cartels .
He also said the Obama-Biden administration was to blame .
“ They built cages .
They used to say I built the cages , ” Trump said .
He went on to say “ we ’ re trying very hard ” to reunite the children with their parents .
Biden , on the other hand , called the practice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separated them at the border to make it a disincentive to come to begin with ” .
The former vice-president added : “ It makes us a laughing stock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation.
” Trump ’ s response to the pandemic and its economic fallout has seen his poll numbers drop , and the president needed to reset his appeal with the coalition of supporters who propelled him to the White House in 2016 .
But , despite his slightly calmer demeanor , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was perceived as the winner of the final debate , according to a quick CNN poll of debate viewers and a panel of undecided North Carolina voters .

Trump tried to show he’s learned a few things
In the days leading up to the debate, Donald Trump’s advisers urged the president to stay calmer than he was at the first presidential debate in Cleveland last month, when he was widely criticized for repeatedly and aggressively interrupting his Democratic presidential rival, Joe Biden.
The president, who trails his rival in national polls, accomplished that, though it was a low bar. He interrupted the former vice-president less and he didn’t feud with the moderator, the NBC journalist Kristen Welker, as much. He even followed the debate rules of letting Biden talk when it was Biden’s turn – for the most part.
Much of the credit for that control went to Welker herself. Trump, who has been attempting to appeal to female voters who have been turning away from his campaign, praised Welker’s moderation (saying “thank you” and “I appreciate that”) despite spending the days leading up to the debate disparaging her.
Trump also wanted to appeal to voters by applying his own experience contracting Covid-19 after the first debate, but with mixed results. He said he “learned a lot” about the disease when he contracted it, said – without evidence and contrary to the statements of public health experts – that a vaccine should be available in the coming weeks.
“I take full responsibility. It’s not my fault that it came here, it’s China’s fault,” Trump said. More than 220,000 people have died in the US during the pandemic, and more than 8 million people have been affected – far more than any other country in the world.
03:26 Trump and Biden clash on coronavirus during final presidential debate – video
Foreign policy dominated the debate
When Welker announced the debate topics, both Biden and Trump wanted to weigh in on foreign policy. But that’s where the common ground ended. Trump wanted to highlight unverified reports that Biden’s son Hunter was using his father’s influence to benefit himself and the Biden family. Biden was eager to talk about a secret bank account the president has kept in China.
The attacks at moments mirrored each other.
“You were getting a lot of money from Russia. They were paying you a lot of money and they probably still are,” Trump said at one point, without evidence.
“What are you hiding? Why are you hiding?” Biden said at another point. “The foreign countries are paying you a lot.”
Biden also wanted to frame Trump as a crony of strongmen dictators such as the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
Bidencare
For most of the 2020 presidential campaign Biden has portrayed himself as a defender of his former boss’s signature legislation – Obamacare. But during Thursday night’s debate that changed. Biden advocated Obamacare “with a public option” – offering an expansion of existing public programs. “Call it ‘Bidencare’,” he said.
Trump meanwhile refrained from offering what his own healthcare replacement plan would be, simply repeating that “Obamacare is no good”. Trump’s main argument on healthcare was to suggest – without evidence – that any alternative to gutting Obamacare, including anything Biden proposed, would “destroy” Medicare and social security, two wildly popular programs.
02:09 'Abraham Lincoln over here': Trump and Biden clash on racism at presidential debate – video
Biden accuses Trump of fueling racism
The most heated exchanges of the night came when Welker steered the discussion toward racism in the US, which has become a key voting issue following the police killing of George Floyd, which sparked mass protests over the summer.
Trump, as he often does, claimed that his record on race relations tops almost any other politician’s in American history, except for Abraham Lincoln. He ticked off his favorite points on how the Trump administration passed a criminal justice reform bill, increased funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and how African American unemployment had dipped under his leadership.
But he said all of that in response to a question from Welker on racism in America, without directly answering the question. He also conspicuously never used the phrase “institutional racism” or pulled back from his previous criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.
He was eager to attack Biden on the former vice-president’s support for a crime bill from two decades ago.
Biden meanwhile went on the attack, mocking Trump by sarcastically calling him “Abraham Lincoln” before saying he’s “one of the most racist presidents in American history. He pours fuel on every single racist fire.”
Family separations
Trump was most defensive when Welker asked both candidates about recent reports on family separations of undocumented immigrants. Specifically, Welker asked the candidates about more than 500 children who had been separated from their parents as part of the Trump administration’s push to deter immigration along the southern border. The United States has been unable to reunite those children with their parents.
Trump didn’t offer a direct answer. Instead he claimed – wrongly – that many of the children were illegally brought into the country through cartels. He also said the Obama-Biden administration was to blame.
“They built cages. They used to say I built the cages,” Trump said. He went on to say “we’re trying very hard” to reunite the children with their parents.
02:15 'Children brought here by coyotes': Trump squares off with Biden on immigration – video
Biden, on the other hand, called the practice “criminal” and said “they separated them at the border to make it a disincentive to come to begin with”.
The former vice-president added: “It makes us a laughing stock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation.”
Moving the dial?
Trump’s response to the pandemic and its economic fallout has seen his poll numbers drop, and the president needed to reset his appeal with the coalition of supporters who propelled him to the White House in 2016. But, despite his slightly calmer demeanor, it’s unclear whether he achieved that.
Biden was perceived as the winner of the final debate, according to a quick CNN poll of debate viewers and a panel of undecided North Carolina voters.