theguardian--2020-10-19--Georgia: two rightwing Republicans face Democrat in special election debate

Kelly Loeffler , the Republican US senator from Georgia who has embraced a follower of the toxic rightwing conspiracy theory QAnon in a desperate bid to hang on to her seat , squared off with her Trump-supporting rival and the leading Democratic candidate in their first debate on Monday .
The virtual debate , staged through separate video links to ensure safety amid the pandemic , was a chance for voters to get to grips with one of the most volatile and chaotic races in the nation .
Some 20 candidates are standing in a race which , as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Loeffler , who was appointed to the seat in January following the resignation of Johnny Isakson , is having to fend off a fierce challenge from Doug Collins , an avidly Trump-supporting congressman .
The pair have been scrambling over each other in a rapid dash to the right , trying to outdo the other in their radical conservative credentials .
An exchange between Collins and Loeffler featured sparring on a personal angle .
“ You ’ ve attacked my hair , my makeup , how I talk , my clothes , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , adding : “ I am the true conservative .
I don ’ t have to have a record I have to lie about , ” the Gainesville Times reported .
Collins shot back : “ I ’ ve never mentioned anything personally – her fixtures , hair or anything else .
But it ’ s amazing what she [ says ] about me.
” Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock , senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist church in Atlanta , where Martin Luther King preached for eight years , asked Collins if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virulent conspiracy theory rapidly which claims a cabal of Democrats and billionaires is running a paedophile and human trafficking ring and which the FBI has warned is a domestic terrorism threat .
“ I don ’ t agree with QAnon … and don ’ t support them , ” Collins said .
Loeffler said : “ I don ’ t know anything about QAnon.
” However , last week Loeffler appeared at a press conference with Marjorie Taylor Greene , who has spoken favorably about QAnon in the past , to accept @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who has no Democratic opponent in a staunchly conservative House district in north-west Georgia , has made racist statements and was an early adopter of QAnon From 2017 Greene was an active proponent of QAnon , publicly praising its anonymous originator as a patriot who “ very much loves his country ” and is “ on the same page as us ” .
More recently she claimed to have moved away from the movement , telling Fox News she was not a QAnon candidate .
At last week ’ s event , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , telling reporters : “ No one in Georgia cares about the QAnon business.
” Warnock , by contrast , has successfully united his party .
Recent polls put Warnock at around 31 % , Loeffler at 23 % and Collins at 22 % .
Under special election rules , the race will go into a January run-off between the top two should none of the candidates secure at least 50 % of the vote .
Most observers expect a head-to-head between Warnock and the winner of Loeffler and Collins ’ s bitter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s fantasies have caused considerable difficulties for Republicans in the 2020 election cycle .
Last week Trump declined to denounce the conspiracy theory , praising it for being “ strongly against paedophilia ” .
On Sunday , the chair of the Republican national committee , Ronna McDaniel , similarly sidestepped questions on QAnon during an appearance on ABC News .
Asked if she would condemn it , she replied : “ I knew you were going to ask me that question .
I knew it because it ’ s something the voters are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a fringe group .
It ’ s not part of our party.
” The Loeffler battle is one of two US Senate races in Georgia that goes to the polls on 3 November .
In the second contest , the incumbent Republican David Perdue is in an exceptionally tight fight against the Democrat Jon Ossoff .
Perdue he took the stage at a Trump rally last week and mangled Kamala Harris ’ s name , which unleashed a flood of almost $ 2m into Ossoff ’ s already swollen campaign coffers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a riposte from Doug Emhoff , Harris ’ s husband .
He said : “ Let me help what ’ s-his-face pronounce this : M-V-P .
If he can ’ t remember her name , how about Madam Vice-President ?
”

Kelly Loeffler, the Republican US senator from Georgia who has embraced a follower of the toxic rightwing conspiracy theory QAnon in a desperate bid to hang on to her seat, squared off with her Trump-supporting rival and the leading Democratic candidate in their first debate on Monday.
The virtual debate, staged through separate video links to ensure safety amid the pandemic, was a chance for voters to get to grips with one of the most volatile and chaotic races in the nation. Some 20 candidates are standing in a race which, as a special election, had no primary.
Loeffler, who was appointed to the seat in January following the resignation of Johnny Isakson, is having to fend off a fierce challenge from Doug Collins, an avidly Trump-supporting congressman. The pair have been scrambling over each other in a rapid dash to the right, trying to outdo the other in their radical conservative credentials.
An exchange between Collins and Loeffler featured sparring on a personal angle.
“You’ve attacked my hair, my makeup, how I talk, my clothes, where I’m from,” Loeffler said, adding: “I am the true conservative. I don’t have to have a record I have to lie about,” the Gainesville Times reported.
Collins shot back: “I’ve never mentioned anything personally – her fixtures, hair or anything else. But it’s amazing what she [says] about me.”
Democratic candidate Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist church in Atlanta, where Martin Luther King preached for eight years, asked Collins if he would condemn QAnon.
That is the virulent conspiracy theory rapidly which claims a cabal of Democrats and billionaires is running a paedophile and human trafficking ring and which the FBI has warned is a domestic terrorism threat.
“I don’t agree with QAnon … and don’t support them,” Collins said.
Loeffler said: “I don’t know anything about QAnon.”
However, last week Loeffler appeared at a press conference with Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has spoken favorably about QAnon in the past, to accept the latter’s endorsement.
Greene, who has no Democratic opponent in a staunchly conservative House district in north-west Georgia, has made racist statements and was an early adopter of QAnon
From 2017 Greene was an active proponent of QAnon, publicly praising its anonymous originator as a patriot who “very much loves his country” and is “on the same page as us”. More recently she claimed to have moved away from the movement, telling Fox News she was not a QAnon candidate.
At last week’s event, Loeffler tried to bat away the controversy, telling reporters: “No one in Georgia cares about the QAnon business.”
Warnock, by contrast, has successfully united his party.
Recent polls put Warnock at around 31%, Loeffler at 23% and Collins at 22%. Under special election rules, the race will go into a January run-off between the top two should none of the candidates secure at least 50% of the vote.
Most observers expect a head-to-head between Warnock and the winner of Loeffler and Collins’s bitter fight on the right.
QAnon’s fantasies have caused considerable difficulties for Republicans in the 2020 election cycle. Last week Trump declined to denounce the conspiracy theory, praising it for being “strongly against paedophilia”.
On Sunday, the chair of the Republican national committee, Ronna McDaniel, similarly sidestepped questions on QAnon during an appearance on ABC News. Asked if she would condemn it, she replied: “ I knew you were going to ask me that question. I knew it because it’s something the voters are not even thinking about. It’s a fringe group. It’s not part of our party.”
The Loeffler battle is one of two US Senate races in Georgia that goes to the polls on 3 November. In the second contest, the incumbent Republican David Perdue is in an exceptionally tight fight against the Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Perdue he took the stage at a Trump rally last week and mangled Kamala Harris’s name, which unleashed a flood of almost $2m into Ossoff’s already swollen campaign coffers.
Perdue’s insulting jab also earned a riposte from Doug Emhoff, Harris’s husband. He said: “Let me help what’s-his-face pronounce this: M-V-P. If he can’t remember her name, how about Madam Vice-President?”


theguardian--2020-10-19--'Trump's opposite': Rolling Stone endorses Joe Biden for president

Two days after the New York Times published a profile entitled “ Joe Biden ’ s Non-Radical 1960s ” , the Democratic nominee for president picked up the endorsement of Rolling Stone , a magazine founded as a bible of sex , drugs and rock ’ n ’ roll at the height of the counterculture , in 1967 .
“ We ’ ve lived for the past four years under a man categorically unfit to be president , ” the magazine ’ s editorial board wrote of Donald Trump , whom Biden leads in most national and battleground polls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Fortunately for America , Joe Biden is Donald Trump ’ s opposite in nearly every category : the Democratic presidential nominee evinces competence , compassion , steadiness , integrity , and restraint .
“ Perhaps most important in this moment , Biden holds a profound respect for the institutions of American democracy , as well as a deep knowledge about how our government – and our system of checks and balances – is meant to work ; he aspires to lead the nation as its president , not its dictator .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation a chance to reboot and rebuild from the racist , authoritarian , know-nothing wreckage wrought by the 45th president .
And there are few Americans better suited to the challenge than Joe Biden.
” Biden , 77 , was a US senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009 , when he became vice-president to Barack Obama , a position he filled until 2017 .
A Washington insider with a fondness for working across the aisle ( and across ideological divides within his own party , controversially so when he reminisced about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to some voters and opponents in the primary to be too conservative for the diverse Democratic base .
But he stormed to the nomination on the back of strong African American support in South Carolina and has run a disciplined campaign , naming the California senator Kamala Harris as the first Black woman on a major party presidential ticket and building both a healthy polling lead and a commanding fundraising advantage .
“ It is no exaggeration to say that the American experiment hangs in the balance in the November election , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ envisions a revival anchored in unity ” and has “ delivered more than just happy talk … leading by example in his campaign ” .
Rolling Stone has endorsed before .
Four years ago , founder Jann Wenner picked Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders , her progressive primary challenger , writing : “ Idealism and honesty are crucial qualities for me , but I also want someone with experience who knows how to fight hard.
” Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3m ballots , but lost the presidency to Trump @ @ @ @ @

Two days after the New York Times published a profile entitled “Joe Biden’s Non-Radical 1960s”, the Democratic nominee for president picked up the endorsement of Rolling Stone, a magazine founded as a bible of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll at the height of the counterculture, in 1967.
“We’ve lived for the past four years under a man categorically unfit to be president,” the magazine’s editorial board wrote of Donald Trump, whom Biden leads in most national and battleground polls, two weeks out from election day.
“Fortunately for America, Joe Biden is Donald Trump’s opposite in nearly every category: the Democratic presidential nominee evinces competence, compassion, steadiness, integrity, and restraint.
“Perhaps most important in this moment, Biden holds a profound respect for the institutions of American democracy, as well as a deep knowledge about how our government – and our system of checks and balances – is meant to work; he aspires to lead the nation as its president, not its dictator.
“The 2020 election, then, offers the nation a chance to reboot and rebuild from the racist, authoritarian, know-nothing wreckage wrought by the 45th president. And there are few Americans better suited to the challenge than Joe Biden.”
Biden, 77, was a US senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009, when he became vice-president to Barack Obama, a position he filled until 2017.
A Washington insider with a fondness for working across the aisle (and across ideological divides within his own party, controversially so when he reminisced about working with segregationists), he seemed to some voters and opponents in the primary to be too conservative for the diverse Democratic base.
But he stormed to the nomination on the back of strong African American support in South Carolina and has run a disciplined campaign, naming the California senator Kamala Harris as the first Black woman on a major party presidential ticket and building both a healthy polling lead and a commanding fundraising advantage.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the American experiment hangs in the balance in the November election,” Rolling Stone said, adding that Biden “envisions a revival anchored in unity” and has “delivered more than just happy talk … leading by example in his campaign”.
Rolling Stone has endorsed before. Four years ago, founder Jann Wenner picked Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders, her progressive primary challenger, writing: “Idealism and honesty are crucial qualities for me, but I also want someone with experience who knows how to fight hard.”
Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3m ballots, but lost the presidency to Trump in the electoral college.


theguardian--2020-10-19--Trump says Americans 'tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots' discuss Covid

Donald Trump has once again attacked his top public health expert , using a call with campaign staff on Monday to deride Anthony Fauci as “ a disaster ” and to claim “ people are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots ” discuss ways to combat the coronavirus .
The president spoke one day after CBS ’ s 60 Minutes aired an interview with Fauci , in which the 79-year-old said he was “ absolutely not ” surprised Trump recently contracted the coronavirus himself , because he was holding crowded events with minimal social distancing and use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms .
Fauci also told CBS the White House had been controlling his media appearances .
“ I certainly have not been allowed to go on many , many , many shows that have asked for me , ” he said , adding that restrictions had been inconsistent .
On the campaign call , Trump said : “ Every time he goes on television , there ’ s always a bomb , but there ’ s a bigger bomb if you fire him.
” The chances of Trump firing Fauci have been an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic , the doctor ’ s straight answers to media questions often placing him at odds with a president who equally habitually makes misleading claims or lies outright .
Fauci has also become something of a media darling , beloved of the public , even appearing with his wife in a fashion shoot .
Previous advisers to Trump whose profile rose to such heights – the campaign manager , White House strategist and now indicted fraudster Steve Bannon prominent among them – have not lasted long .
On Monday Trump acknowledged that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But he seemed unconcerned about his attacks on Fauci being made public .
“ If there ’ s a reporter on , you can have it just the way I said it , I couldn ’ t care less , ” he said .
The president also said Fauci was a “ nice guy ” , but said he had “ been here for 500 years ” .
Fauci has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 , serving six presidents .
More than 8m cases of Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 220,000 people have died .
Case numbers have risen to their highest levels since July , as a majority of states struggle to contain the virus .
Fauci has said the US is not experiencing a second wave , because it never managed to contain the first .
As Trump attacked him , the infectious disease expert was accepting an award for “ exemplary leadership ” .
In his remarks accepting the award , Fauci warned the US was “ going through a time that ’ s disturbingly anti-science in certain segments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CBS interview , Fauci said he had received death threats since the start of the pandemic , and family members had been harassed .
Footage accompanying the interview showed the doctor and his wife out power-walking , accompanied by a federal security detail .
“ That ’ s sad , ” Fauci said , “ that a public health message to save lives triggers such venom and animosity to me that it results in real and credible threats to my life and my safety .
But it bothers me less than the hassling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I mean , gim me a break.
” Two weeks from election day , Trump trails Joe Biden in national and most battleground state polls and also in polls regarding public trust to handle the pandemic .
He also trails Fauci : according to a New York Times/Siena College survey taken in June , 67 % of American voters say they trust Fauci as a source of information on the pandemic while just 26 % say the same of Trump .
On Monday , the president was in Arizona for two scheduled rallies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed without evidence that the death toll would have been as high as 800,000 if he had followed Fauci ’ s advice .
“ Fauci is a disaster , ” he insisted , adding : “ People are tired of coronavirus .
People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.
” Last week , the Trump campaign used comments from Fauci in an ad that praised Trump ’ s pandemic response .
The doctor protested , saying the ad “ clearly implies strongly that I ’ m endorsing a political candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my permission to do that ” .
He added : “ The quote that they took is completely out of context.
” News of Trump ’ s comments on the campaign call came as the Washington Post reported that White House coronavirus taskforce members led by Dr Deborah Birx had sought the firing of Dr Scott Atlas , a Stanford scientist and Fox News contributor who has gained the president ’ s ear .
Atlas opposes accepted anti-Covid measures .
At the weekend , Twitter removed a message from Atlas that said masks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump has made similar claims .

Donald Trump has once again attacked his top public health expert, using a call with campaign staff on Monday to deride Anthony Fauci as “a disaster” and to claim “people are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots” discuss ways to combat the coronavirus.
The president spoke one day after CBS’s 60 Minutes aired an interview with Fauci, in which the 79-year-old said he was “absolutely not” surprised Trump recently contracted the coronavirus himself, because he was holding crowded events with minimal social distancing and use of masks in the days before he developed symptoms.
Fauci also told CBS the White House had been controlling his media appearances.
“I certainly have not been allowed to go on many, many, many shows that have asked for me,” he said, adding that restrictions had been inconsistent.
On the campaign call, Trump said: “Every time he goes on television, there’s always a bomb, but there’s a bigger bomb if you fire him.”
Biden was off the campaign trail on Monday, but his campaign praised Fauci and criticized Trump for “reckless and negligent leadership” that “threatens to put more lives at risk.”
“Trump’s closing message in the final days of the 2020 race is to publicly mock Joe Biden for trusting science and to call Dr Fauci, the leading public health official on Covid-19, a ‘disaster’ and other public health officials idiots,’” the campaign said.
The chances of Trump firing Fauci have been an ever-present part of US political life under the pandemic, the doctor’s straight answers to media questions often placing him at odds with a president who equally habitually makes misleading claims or lies outright.
Fauci has also become something of a media darling, beloved of the public, even appearing with his wife in a fashion shoot. Previous advisers to Trump whose profile rose to such heights – the campaign manager, White House strategist and now indicted fraudster Steve Bannon prominent among them – have not lasted long.
Every time he goes on television, there’s always a bomb, but there’s a bigger bomb if you fire him Donald Trump
On Monday Trump acknowledged that reporters were listening in to the call. But he seemed unconcerned about his attacks on Fauci being made public.
“If there’s a reporter on, you can have it just the way I said it, I couldn’t care less,” he said.
The president also said Fauci was a “nice guy”, but said he had “been here for 500 years”. Fauci has led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984, serving six presidents.
More than 8m cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the US and nearly 220,000 people have died. Case numbers have risen to their highest levels since July, as a majority of states struggle to contain the virus. Fauci has said the US is not experiencing a second wave, because it never managed to contain the first.
As Trump attacked him, the infectious disease expert was accepting an award for “exemplary leadership”. In his remarks accepting the award, Fauci warned the US was “going through a time that’s disturbingly anti-science in certain segments of our society”.
In his CBS interview, Fauci said he had received death threats since the start of the pandemic, and family members had been harassed. Footage accompanying the interview showed the doctor and his wife out power-walking, accompanied by a federal security detail.
“That’s sad,” Fauci said, “that a public health message to save lives triggers such venom and animosity to me that it results in real and credible threats to my life and my safety. But it bothers me less than the hassling of my wife and my children. I mean, gimme a break.”
Two weeks from election day, Trump trails Joe Biden in national and most battleground state polls and also in polls regarding public trust to handle the pandemic. He also trails Fauci: according to a New York Times/Siena College survey taken in June, 67% of American voters say they trust Fauci as a source of information on the pandemic while just 26% say the same of Trump.
On Monday, the president was in Arizona for two scheduled rallies. On the campaign call, he claimed without evidence that the death toll would have been as high as 800,000 if he had followed Fauci’s advice.
“Fauci is a disaster,” he insisted, adding: “People are tired of coronavirus. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.”
Last week, the Trump campaign used comments from Fauci in an ad that praised Trump’s pandemic response. The doctor protested, saying the ad “clearly implies strongly that I’m endorsing a political candidate, and I have not given them my permission to do that”.
He added: “The quote that they took is completely out of context.”
News of Trump’s comments on the campaign call came as the Washington Post reported that White House coronavirus taskforce members led by Dr Deborah Birx had sought the firing of Dr Scott Atlas, a Stanford scientist and Fox News contributor who has gained the president’s ear.
Atlas opposes accepted anti-Covid measures. At the weekend, Twitter removed a message from Atlas that said masks did not work to combat the virus. Trump has made similar claims.


theguardian--2020-10-20--USA Today supports Joe Biden in first ever presidential endorsement

Saying “ this is not something we do lightly or do eagerly ” , USA Today has made its first ever presidential endorsement – of Joe Biden .
In 2016 , the widely read paper , which was founded in 1982 , urged readers not to vote for Donald Trump .
But it did not endorse Hillary Clinton .
On Tuesday , the editorial board wrote that four years ago , it called “ the Republican nominee unfit for office because he lacked the ‘ temperament , knowledge , steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents ’ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it said , because she was “ polarising ” .
But , it said , “ this year , the editorial board unanimously supports the election of Joe Biden , who offers a shaken nation a harbor of calm and competence ” .
Bill Sternberg , head of the board , told Axios : “ This is not something we do lightly or do eagerly.
” Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3m ballots but Trump won the presidency in the electoral college .
Two weeks before election day , Biden has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and battleground polls .
Saying it was targeting the few voters who remain undecided , USA Today said : “ Beset by disease , economic suffering , a racial reckoning and natural disasters fueled by a changing climate , the nation is dangerously off course .
“ We spoke to dozens of people in Michigan , Ohio and Wisconsin , battleground states that helped propel Trump into the White House in 2016 .
Many declined to comment , citing a general disgust with the election or fear of speaking out publicly .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most of those willing to talk on camera expressed anguish and dismay about the nation ’ s direction.
” The editorial presented some such views , then said : “ When you are a passenger on an airplane , you root for the pilot , even one who has never been in a cockpit before .
“ Whether you are a pilot or the president , the most important part of your job is crisis management .
But when confronted with an emergency – Covid-19 , the biggest public health threat in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t land the plane safely on the Hudson river.
” That was a reference to the “ Miracle on the Hudson ” in 2009 , in which an airline pilot , Chesley “ Sully ” Sullenberger , landed his plane on the river on the west side of New York City , saving all on board , after losing power .
Sullenberger has endorsed Biden , too .
USA Today became one of a number of local and national publications to make Biden its first endorsement a day after Trump attacked his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called respected public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci “ a disaster ” .
At the same time , the Washington Post reported on opposition within the White House task force to the controversial Dr Scott Atlas , Trump ’ s favoured adviser on Covid .
More than 8.2m cases have been recorded across the US and nearly 220,000 have died .
Cases are rising steeply , with positive tests at record levels in key electoral states .
“ There is little doubt that Biden would have handled the crisis more capably , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its endorsement on wider criteria , however .
“ For nearly four decades , ” it said , “ the editorial board has stood for certain core values : truth , accountability , civility in public discourse , opposition to racism , common-ground solutions to the nation ’ s problems , and steadfast support for first amendment rights .
These aren ’ t partisan issues , or at least they shouldn ’ t be .
“ Donald Trump has trampled each of these principles , making more than 20,000 false or misleading statements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spewing streams of invective at his critics , trafficking in racial fear-mongering , governing more as the leader of the red states than of the United States , and relentlessly attacking the free press .
“ Everything about Biden ’ s nearly half-century political career suggests he would do a far better job of respecting these values .
”

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Saying “this is not something we do lightly or do eagerly”, USA Today has made its first ever presidential endorsement – of Joe Biden.
In 2016, the widely read paper, which was founded in 1982, urged readers not to vote for Donald Trump. But it did not endorse Hillary Clinton.
On Tuesday, the editorial board wrote that four years ago, it called “the Republican nominee unfit for office because he lacked the ‘temperament, knowledge, steadiness and honesty that America needs from its presidents’.”
It did not endorse Clinton, it said, because she was “polarising”.
But, it said, “this year, the editorial board unanimously supports the election of Joe Biden, who offers a shaken nation a harbor of calm and competence”.
Bill Sternberg, head of the board, told Axios: “This is not something we do lightly or do eagerly.”
Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3m ballots but Trump won the presidency in the electoral college. Two weeks before election day, Biden has healthy leads over Trump in most national and battleground polls.
Saying it was targeting the few voters who remain undecided, USA Today said: “Beset by disease, economic suffering, a racial reckoning and natural disasters fueled by a changing climate, the nation is dangerously off course.
“We spoke to dozens of people in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, battleground states that helped propel Trump into the White House in 2016. Many declined to comment, citing a general disgust with the election or fear of speaking out publicly. While some said they were personally better off, most of those willing to talk on camera expressed anguish and dismay about the nation’s direction.”
The editorial presented some such views, then said: “When you are a passenger on an airplane, you root for the pilot, even one who has never been in a cockpit before.
“Whether you are a pilot or the president, the most important part of your job is crisis management. But when confronted with an emergency – Covid-19, the biggest public health threat in more than a century – Trump didn’t land the plane safely on the Hudson river.”
That was a reference to the “Miracle on the Hudson” in 2009, in which an airline pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, landed his plane on the river on the west side of New York City, saving all on board, after losing power.
Sullenberger has endorsed Biden, too.
USA Today became one of a number of local and national publications to make Biden its first endorsement a day after Trump attacked his coronavirus advisers as “idiots” and called respected public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci “a disaster”. At the same time, the Washington Post reported on opposition within the White House task force to the controversial Dr Scott Atlas, Trump’s favoured adviser on Covid.
More than 8.2m cases have been recorded across the US and nearly 220,000 have died. Cases are rising steeply, with positive tests at record levels in key electoral states.
“There is little doubt that Biden would have handled the crisis more capably,” USA Today said.
The paper based its endorsement on wider criteria, however.
“For nearly four decades,” it said, “the editorial board has stood for certain core values: truth, accountability, civility in public discourse, opposition to racism, common-ground solutions to the nation’s problems, and steadfast support for first amendment rights. These aren’t partisan issues, or at least they shouldn’t be.
“Donald Trump has trampled each of these principles, making more than 20,000 false or misleading statements, ducking responsibility for his actions, spewing streams of invective at his critics, trafficking in racial fear-mongering, governing more as the leader of the red states than of the United States, and relentlessly attacking the free press.
“Everything about Biden’s nearly half-century political career suggests he would do a far better job of respecting these values.”


theguardian--2020-10-20--The animal species imperiled by Trump's war on the environment

The prognosis for biodiversity on Earth is grim .
According to a sobering report released by the United Nations last year , 1 million land and marine species across the globe are threatened with extinction – more than at any other period in human history .
According to a recent study , about 20 % of the countries in the world risk ecosystem collapse due to the destruction of wildlife and their habitats , a result of human activity in tandem with a warming climate .
The United States is the ninth most at risk .
Despite this desperate outlook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its aggressive rollback of regulations designed to protect the environment , has lifted protections for America ’ s animals .
It has shrunk several national monuments and opened up a huge amount of federal land for oil and gas drilling , coalmining and other industrial activities – actions that conservationists warn could imperil species whose numbers are already dwindling and that are core to the health of our ecosystems .
Here we look at some of the animals most at risk from Trump ’ s rollbacks .
In 2019 , the Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Act is applied , making it harder to protect animals .
“ There are many species that have been wrongly denied protection over the last several years because of this , ” says Brett Hartl , government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity .
Just last week , the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will deny protections for the snow-loving wolverine under the Endangered Species Act .
Wolverines were wiped out across most of the country by the early 1900s following unregulated trapping and poisoning campaigns .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way back in some areas but there are presently fewer than 300 wolverines left in the contiguous United States .
The Trump administration plans to open up drilling on 9m acres of public land in the west , which are the habitat for thegreater sage grouse , a bird known for its mating dance and is considered an “ umbrella species ” – a bellwether for the health of many other species .
Sage – grouse once numbered as high as 16 million across the western United States , but the bird ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To accomplish its goal , the Trump administration planned to lift the protected status of the greater sage grouse in order to lease the land for oil and gas drilling , mining and other development projects .
This despite the interior department ’ s research that the impacts of oil and gas on the sage grouse are “ universally negative and typically severe ” .
In May , a judge put those rollbacks on hold , citing the National Environmental Policy Act ( Nepa ) , a key law that requires federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planned projects .
But in July , Trump gutted Nepa .
Conservationists worry the Trump administration will now be able to get away with removing protections for the greater sage grouse – among many other critical species .
Thanks to overfishing and the continuing demand for bluefin tuna on the lucrative sushi market , the Atlantic bluefin tuna is at a fraction of its historic population .
Earlier this year , the National Marine Fisheries Service passed a rule removing critical longline fishing gear restrictions in specific areas of the Gulf of Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s peak spawning time .
The easing of these protections means vessels can fish for similar yellowfin tuna with longline gear and kill a certain number of bluefin as accidental “ bycatch ” .
The endangered whooping crane , the tallest bird in North America , has made an amazing comeback from the brink of extinction since 1940 when only 15 birds survived .
Since then , captive breeding programs and reintroduction efforts have boosted their numbers to several hundred .
But that comeback is now threatened .
Earlier this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Migratory Bird Treaty Act ( MBTA ) , a 100-year-old law that protects more than 1,000 bird species , including the whooping crane .
The new stance from the federal government will essentially allow the “ incidental ” killing of birds via buildings , energy production and other developments that act as avian death traps .
A federal court recently struck down the Trump administration ’ s reinterpretation of the law .
Last week , the government announced its intention to appeal .
Human development has eradicated large swaths of the monarch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Along with severe weather , this has resulted in a 90 % loss in the monarch ’ s numbers over the last two decades .
“ They could be wiped out in just a few decades , ” Hartl says .
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is currently reviewing the monarch ’ s designation under the Endangered Species Act .
A ruling is expected by December of this year .
But the Trump administration ’ s changes to the Endangered Species Act threaten efforts to preserve the monarch , which many scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ butterfly as an “ endangered ” or “ threatened ” species could extend it protections from the soybean and corn farmers that compete for its habitat – but changes to the ESA end blanket policies protecting all “ threatened ” species in favor of individual plans developed for each species on a case-by-case basis .
The Trump administration scrapped an Obama-era ban on a series of practices that limited how hunters killed bears and other predators on Alaskan national preserves .
In doing so , the administration gave the green light to practices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ killing bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens .
“ When you allow widespread hunting of carnivores , that has a huge impact on the entire ecosystem , ” Hartl says .
The ban aimed at avoiding artificially reducing Alaska ’ s predator populations in an effort to keep ecosystems in balance .
Bees and other pollinators are vital for global food security .
But they – and , in turn , our food chain – are under threat .
In 2018 , the Trump administration weakened regulations on pesticide use in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increased pesticide use across 150m acres of important pollinator habitat .
The decision reverses an Obama-era ban on the use of neonicotinoid , or “ neonic ” , insecticides as well as genetically engineered crops within refuges .
Neonic insecticides are a leading factor in mass pollinator die-offs worldwide .
A report released last year found that US agriculture is 48 times more toxic to insects like bees and other pollinators than it was 20 years ago , largely due to an increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides .
What ’ s worse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the use of such toxic pesticides will harm not only pollinators but birds , fish and other wildlife .
In June , Trump announced that commercial fishing will be allowed in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts marine national monument off the coast of southern New England .
As a result , hundreds of marine mammals that swim in the monument , like the endangered North Atlantic right whale , will be at increased risk of entanglement in fishing gear .
After centuries of commercial whaling , only about 500 North Atlantic right whales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protected status in the 1930s , North Atlantic right whales have been slow to recover , in part due to deaths from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement .
In 2017 , the Trump administration withdrew a proposed rule meant to protect whales , turtles and dolphins , including several endangered species among them , from mile-long swordfishing gill nets off the west coast .
Fishermen use these nets by hanging them like walls above the seafloor and they often indiscriminately catch whatever flows into them .
( Gill net fishing is banned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high seas . )
Death and injuries from entanglement spell trouble for endangered marine creatures such as humpback whales and leatherback turtles that feed off the Pacific coast .
In 2016 , at least 54 humpback whales were found tangled in fishing gear off the west coast .

The prognosis for biodiversity on Earth is grim. According to a sobering report released by the United Nations last year, 1 million land and marine species across the globe are threatened with extinction – more than at any other period in human history.
According to a recent study, about 20% of the countries in the world risk ecosystem collapse due to the destruction of wildlife and their habitats, a result of human activity in tandem with a warming climate. The United States is the ninth most at risk.
Despite this desperate outlook, the Trump administration, as part of its aggressive rollback of regulations designed to protect the environment, has lifted protections for America’s animals. It has shrunk several national monuments and opened up a huge amount of federal land for oil and gas drilling, coalmining and other industrial activities – actions that conservationists warn could imperil species whose numbers are already dwindling and that are core to the health of our ecosystems.
Here we look at some of the animals most at risk from Trump’s rollbacks.
Wolverines
A wolverine walks along rocks in Montana. Photograph: Natural Visions/Alamy Stock Photo
In 2019, the Trump administration changed the way the Endangered Species Act is applied, making it harder to protect animals. “There are many species that have been wrongly denied protection over the last several years because of this,” says Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Just last week, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced it will deny protections for the snow-loving wolverine under the Endangered Species Act. Wolverines were wiped out across most of the country by the early 1900s following unregulated trapping and poisoning campaigns. According to Hartl, they are slowly clawing their way back in some areas but there are presently fewer than 300 wolverines left in the contiguous United States.
Sage grouse
A greater sage grouse fleeing the ‘lek’ – an area for courtship display – at the first sign of a predator on the McStay ranch in Craig, Colorado. Photograph: Joe Amon/Denver Post/Getty Images
The Trump administration plans to open up drilling on 9m acres of public land in the west, which are the habitat for thegreater sage grouse, a bird known for its mating dance and is considered an “umbrella species” – a bellwether for the health of many other species. Sage – grouse once numbered as high as 16 million across the western United States, but the bird’s populations have plummeted in recent decades.
To accomplish its goal, the Trump administration planned to lift the protected status of the greater sage grouse in order to lease the land for oil and gas drilling, mining and other development projects. This despite the interior department’s research that the impacts of oil and gas on the sage grouse are “universally negative and typically severe”.
In May, a judge put those rollbacks on hold, citing the National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa), a key law that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impact of planned projects. But in July, Trump gutted Nepa. Conservationists worry the Trump administration will now be able to get away with removing protections for the greater sage grouse – among many other critical species.
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna swimming around a fishermen’s net. Photograph: Pablo Blázquez Domínguez/Getty Images
Thanks to overfishing and the continuing demand for bluefin tuna on the lucrative sushi market, the Atlantic bluefin tuna is at a fraction of its historic population.
Earlier this year, the National Marine Fisheries Service passed a rule removing critical longline fishing gear restrictions in specific areas of the Gulf of Mexico during April and May, the bluefin’s peak spawning time. The easing of these protections means vessels can fish for similar yellowfin tuna with longline gear and kill a certain number of bluefin as accidental “bycatch”.
Whooping crane
A female whooping crane hunting in a pond at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Photograph: Wild Horizon/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
The endangered whooping crane, the tallest bird in North America, has made an amazing comeback from the brink of extinction since 1940 when only 15 birds survived. Since then, captive breeding programs and reintroduction efforts have boosted their numbers to several hundred.
But that comeback is now threatened. Earlier this year, the Trump administration weakened critical protections in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), a 100-year-old law that protects more than 1,000 bird species, including the whooping crane.
The new stance from the federal government will essentially allow the “incidental” killing of birds via buildings, energy production and other developments that act as avian death traps. A federal court recently struck down the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of the law. Last week, the government announced its intention to appeal.
Monarch butterfly
Human development has eradicated large swaths of the monarch butterfly’s native milkweed habitat. Along with severe weather, this has resulted in a 90% loss in the monarch’s numbers over the last two decades. “They could be wiped out in just a few decades,” Hartl says.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is currently reviewing the monarch’s designation under the Endangered Species Act. A ruling is expected by December of this year.
But the Trump administration’s changes to the Endangered Species Act threaten efforts to preserve the monarch, which many scientists view as threatened. Listing the monarch butterfly as an “endangered” or “threatened” species could extend it protections from the soybean and corn farmers that compete for its habitat – but changes to the ESA end blanket policies protecting all “threatened” species in favor of individual plans developed for each species on a case-by-case basis.
Black bears
An American black bear looking for salmon near Ketchikan in south-east Alaska. Photograph: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/Getty Images
The Trump administration scrapped an Obama-era ban on a series of practices that limited how hunters killed bears and other predators on Alaskan national preserves. In doing so, the administration gave the green light to practices like setting dogs on black bears and killing bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens.
“When you allow widespread hunting of carnivores, that has a huge impact on the entire ecosystem,” Hartl says. The ban aimed at avoiding artificially reducing Alaska’s predator populations in an effort to keep ecosystems in balance.
Bees
A honey bee visits a purple cornflower blossom in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photograph: Robert Alexander/Getty Images
Bees and other pollinators are vital for global food security. But they – and, in turn, our food chain – are under threat. In 2018, the Trump administration weakened regulations on pesticide use in national wildlife refuges, opening the door to increased pesticide use across 150m acres of important pollinator habitat. The decision reverses an Obama-era ban on the use of neonicotinoid, or “neonic”, insecticides as well as genetically engineered crops within refuges.
Neonic insecticides are a leading factor in mass pollinator die-offs worldwide. A report released last year found that US agriculture is 48 times more toxic to insects like bees and other pollinators than it was 20 years ago, largely due to an increased use of neonicotinoid pesticides. What’s worse, according to Hartl, is that the use of such toxic pesticides will harm not only pollinators but birds, fish and other wildlife.
North Atlantic right whale
A right whale feeds off the shores of Duxbury Beach, Massachusetts. Photograph: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
In June, Trump announced that commercial fishing will be allowed in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts marine national monument off the coast of southern New England. As a result, hundreds of marine mammals that swim in the monument, like the endangered North Atlantic right whale, will be at increased risk of entanglement in fishing gear.
After centuries of commercial whaling, only about 500 North Atlantic right whales remain. Although the imperiled species received protected status in the 1930s, North Atlantic right whales have been slow to recover, in part due to deaths from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglement.
Leatherback turtles/humpback whales
A humpback whale. Photograph: Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images
In 2017, the Trump administration withdrew a proposed rule meant to protect whales, turtles and dolphins, including several endangered species among them, from mile-long swordfishing gill nets off the west coast. Fishermen use these nets by hanging them like walls above the seafloor and they often indiscriminately catch whatever flows into them. (Gill net fishing is banned in most of the world’s high seas.)
Death and injuries from entanglement spell trouble for endangered marine creatures such as humpback whales and leatherback turtles that feed off the Pacific coast. In 2016, at least 54 humpback whales were found tangled in fishing gear off the west coast.


theguardian--2020-10-20--Donald Trump may try to steal the election. We need to start preparing for that now | Ashley Dawson

Donald Trump has told us openly that he is planning to steal the election .
In recent months he has explicitly declared that any election in which he does not win will have been rigged and illegitimate .
He has claimed repeatedly and against all evidence that mail-in ballots are invalid .
He and his allies in the US Senate are rushing a hard-right nominee through the US supreme court in order to ensure that the court will declare him the victor if there is any uncertainty in the results .
Vice-President Mike Pence refused to say what he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election results in his recent debate with Senator Kamala Harris .
And , most notoriously , Trump has ominously encouraged neo-fascist goons like the Proud Boys to “ stand back and stand by ” .
There has been remarkably little discussion of how to stop Trump .
In the face of open declarations of plans to overthrow the tattered remnants of democracy in this country , American exceptionalism seems to have lulled many people into a false sense of complacency that a coup can not happen in the US .
But a coup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not counted and honored , and Trump ’ s attacks on mail-in ballots suggests this is exactly the strategy he intends to pursue .
Seeking to challenge our complacency , commentators such as Thomas Friedman have warned that we should take Trump ’ s threats to steal the election seriously .
But Friedman doesn ’ t say what we should actually do in the face of such threats beyond “ help register someone to vote for Joe Biden ” .
The main plan to foil Trump ’ s plot to steal the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bouie , consists of mobilizing repentant swing voters in battleground states to turn out alongside the majority that did not elect Trump in 2016 , producing an unstoppable landslide .
This is a good plan , but what if it doesn ’ t pan out because of interference at polling stations , legal machinations around mail-in ballots , or – in a worst-case scenario - Trump ’ s brazen refusal to accept defeat ?
Of course we should concentrate on getting out the vote , but given what we know about Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a Plan B .
According to the civil rights activist George Lakey , planning to defeat a coup can actually help reduce the chances of attempts to overthrow democracy since plotters are likely to think again if they know the public is well prepared .
In addition , power grabs tend to succeed or fail in a matter of weeks or months .
Scholars such as the political scientist Stephen Zunes , who studied a dozen attempted coups around the world since 1958 , have shown that opposition forces that did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time building alliances and mobilizing for action subsequently .
Advance preparation often made a decisive difference in defeating coup attempts .
Here are some of the steps those who wish to defend democracy should take in the weeks we have left before the election : First of all , begin conversations about what to do about a stolen election .
Preparing for popular mobilization in the event that Trump clings to power illegitimately is essential because research has shown that people have beaten back power grabs successfully by massing in the streets and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarkable number of people and groups have risen up during the Trump presidency , including the Movement for Black Lives , climate justice activists , the immigrant rights movement , teacher and workers ’ strikes , mutual aid organizations during the pandemic , and many more .
Now is the time to forge stronger connections within and between these groups .
Organizations should also begin readying their members to resist a coup .
They can draw on resources for planning that already exist , including a research-based manual for trainers helping groups in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor , who served on Martin Luther King Jr ’ s national staff .
Another concrete and immediate step that movements could adopt would be to circulate a pledge of resistance that lays out specific steps for their members to take if Trump refuses to leave office .
Such a pledge would work to prepare people psychologically to resist a coup by naming it as such .
It would help them make the psychic break from the confusing disinformation campaigns likely to be run from the White House and circulated through social media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Another key step is to prepare strategic sectors of the workforce to challenge an illegitimate power grab .
Most immediately , government workers should organize to strike in the event of a coup .
Organizers and unions in other key sectors of the economy such as transportation should also begin planning actions .
Ideally these disparate groups could coordinate their actions and build towards a series of rolling general strikes that would shut down the country until democracy is restored .
A general strike that brings people into the streets could be combined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an illegitimate federal authority .
Such actions would build on existing campaigns against the iniquitous character of neoliberal finance , which condemns many Americans who wish to pursue higher education or have health conditions to decades of debt peonage .
Activists could also prepare a citizen campaign calling on other nations to adopt an economic embargo of the US following a coup .
We know from the embargo against the apartheid government in South Africa during the 1980s that such campaigns can be highly effective against a rogue regime , particularly when economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sectors such as sports .
Many other strategies will surely arise as people organize to foil a coup .
Plans such as these to mobilize people will not be in vain if Trump ’ s declared intention to remain in power turns out to be purely bluster .
They will knit the fabric of democracy tighter no matter the outcome .
If Trump wins the election legitimately , for example , we will need mass non-violent resistance in order to counter what is sure to be a stunningly regressive agenda over the next @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election proceeds without a hitch and Biden is victorious , progressives will need to keep popular pressure on to win meaningful policies to address the climate crisis , police violence , and the myriad other problems that beset the US at present .
Come what may , we must not go unprepared into this dark night of democracy .
• None Ashley Dawson is professor of postcolonial studies at the City University of New York

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Donald Trump has told us openly that he is planning to steal the election. In recent months he has explicitly declared that any election in which he does not win will have been rigged and illegitimate. He has claimed repeatedly and against all evidence that mail-in ballots are invalid. He and his allies in the US Senate are rushing a hard-right nominee through the US supreme court in order to ensure that the court will declare him the victor if there is any uncertainty in the results. Vice-President Mike Pence refused to say what he would do if Trump refused to accept the election results in his recent debate with Senator Kamala Harris. And, most notoriously, Trump has ominously encouraged neo-fascist goons like the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”.
There has been remarkably little discussion of how to stop Trump. In the face of open declarations of plans to overthrow the tattered remnants of democracy in this country, American exceptionalism seems to have lulled many people into a false sense of complacency that a coup cannot happen in the US. But a coup will have taken place if all votes are not counted and honored, and Trump’s attacks on mail-in ballots suggests this is exactly the strategy he intends to pursue.
Seeking to challenge our complacency, commentators such as Thomas Friedman have warned that we should take Trump’s threats to steal the election seriously. But Friedman doesn’t say what we should actually do in the face of such threats beyond “help register someone to vote for Joe Biden”. The main plan to foil Trump’s plot to steal the election, articulated most forcefully by Jamelle Bouie, consists of mobilizing repentant swing voters in battleground states to turn out alongside the majority that did not elect Trump in 2016, producing an unstoppable landslide.
This is a good plan, but what if it doesn’t pan out because of interference at polling stations, legal machinations around mail-in ballots, or – in a worst-case scenario - Trump’s brazen refusal to accept defeat? Of course we should concentrate on getting out the vote, but given what we know about Trump’s intentions it would be prudent to have a Plan B.
According to the civil rights activist George Lakey, planning to defeat a coup can actually help reduce the chances of attempts to overthrow democracy since plotters are likely to think again if they know the public is well prepared. In addition, power grabs tend to succeed or fail in a matter of weeks or months. Scholars such as the political scientist Stephen Zunes, who studied a dozen attempted coups around the world since 1958, have shown that opposition forces that did not prepare for a coup often lost valuable time building alliances and mobilizing for action subsequently. Advance preparation often made a decisive difference in defeating coup attempts.
Here are some of the steps those who wish to defend democracy should take in the weeks we have left before the election:
First of all, begin conversations about what to do about a stolen election. Preparing for popular mobilization in the event that Trump clings to power illegitimately is essential because research has shown that people have beaten back power grabs successfully by massing in the streets and engaging in non-violent resistance. Fortunately a remarkable number of people and groups have risen up during the Trump presidency, including the Movement for Black Lives, climate justice activists, the immigrant rights movement, teacher and workers’ strikes, mutual aid organizations during the pandemic, and many more. Now is the time to forge stronger connections within and between these groups.
Organizations should also begin readying their members to resist a coup. They can draw on resources for planning that already exist, including a research-based manual for trainers helping groups in a pre-coup situation written by Richard K Taylor, who served on Martin Luther King Jr’s national staff.
Most immediately, government workers should organize to strike in the event of a coup
Another concrete and immediate step that movements could adopt would be to circulate a pledge of resistance that lays out specific steps for their members to take if Trump refuses to leave office. Such a pledge would work to prepare people psychologically to resist a coup by naming it as such. It would help them make the psychic break from the confusing disinformation campaigns likely to be run from the White House and circulated through social media in the days after 3 November.
Another key step is to prepare strategic sectors of the workforce to challenge an illegitimate power grab. Most immediately, government workers should organize to strike in the event of a coup. Organizers and unions in other key sectors of the economy such as transportation should also begin planning actions. Ideally these disparate groups could coordinate their actions and build towards a series of rolling general strikes that would shut down the country until democracy is restored.
A general strike that brings people into the streets could be combined with debt strikes against what would be an illegitimate federal authority. Such actions would build on existing campaigns against the iniquitous character of neoliberal finance, which condemns many Americans who wish to pursue higher education or have health conditions to decades of debt peonage.
Activists could also prepare a citizen campaign calling on other nations to adopt an economic embargo of the US following a coup. We know from the embargo against the apartheid government in South Africa during the 1980s that such campaigns can be highly effective against a rogue regime, particularly when economic damage is combined with action against cultural sectors such as sports.
Many other strategies will surely arise as people organize to foil a coup. Plans such as these to mobilize people will not be in vain if Trump’s declared intention to remain in power turns out to be purely bluster. They will knit the fabric of democracy tighter no matter the outcome. If Trump wins the election legitimately, for example, we will need mass non-violent resistance in order to counter what is sure to be a stunningly regressive agenda over the next four years. And even if the election proceeds without a hitch and Biden is victorious, progressives will need to keep popular pressure on to win meaningful policies to address the climate crisis, police violence, and the myriad other problems that beset the US at present.
Come what may, we must not go unprepared into this dark night of democracy.


theguardian--2020-10-20--Feeling down about the state of America? Me too. But good news may be coming | Art Cullen

Leaves fall , blue turns to gray , snow covers the ground , and I should not write bad poetry .
These are things you think when you go to the doctor at my age ( 63 ) to get blood drawn .
It ’ s enough to give you a temporary hypertensive alarm .
I was presented a mental health survey to complete while waiting for results , where I intimated that I may be a desperate man .
Irritable ?
Every day .
Forlorn at least half the time .
Sometimes close to despondent .
Living in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A maniac , or at least a narcissistic oaf , occupies the Oval Office .
Armed men in Hawaiian shirts threaten to subvert civil order .
Not wearing a face mask is considered around some parts a sign of machismo .
The number of Covid cases has been rising nonstop , and assaults on our democratic institutions are relentless .
“ Lock them all up !
” Donald Trump bellows to the sheep .
It ’ s these kinds of things that apparently drove former first lady Michelle Obama to admit that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctor sympathized .
After all , she bears the burden , day after day , of treating people with bad coughs , bad attitudes and worse .
She told me her mom is sort of conservative from a small town and her dad is sort of liberal from a college town so she is sort of moderate and shares my concerns .
Can ’ t we just all get along as her parents did ?
What has happened to us ?
I took a rain check on antidepressants .
They have seen survey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , relief may be around the corner .
In just two weeks , my heart and the bookies in England say that Joe Biden will be elected president – a 90 % chance , according to the number-crunchers who follow the horses .
The polls tend to back it up .
Biden has a slight lead in Iowa and Ohio , and healthy advantages in Michigan and Wisconsin .
Senator Joni Ernst , a Republican from Iowa , who has been among Trump ’ s craven enablers , is in serious trouble what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during her most recent debate .
Trump has undermined the rule of law , sold out our national security interests , and conducted his affairs as if it were a Viking orgy .
Everything I was taught in school about America has been turned on its head .
But look at the huge turnouts already in Atlanta and Houston – people of color , in particular , are lining up to vote across America following a summer of peaceful protests .
In part , the lines are long because Republican governors are trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ persist .
Nobody will deny them their franchise this year , and Black women in particular are not taking it for granted .
God bless them .
Trump is down in the polls by seven points in Georgia , the kind of Democratic edge not seen in that state since Jimmy Carter ’ s days .
We can wrestle this virus to the mat with a coherent strategy .
People are coming around to it .
Biden offers people a way to put down their political defenses , to wear a face mask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is for national unity and rebuilding America , not a civil war .
Voters yearn to turn their swords into plowshares .
The doctor hopes that we will have an effective vaccine in hand by summer .
She , too , prays for an end to government by chaos .
After sitting alone wondering if it is just you thinking this way , it was good to hear the woman behind the PPE telling me I am not that crazy , and that I should live long enough to see this rascal run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking back its democracy is a sure cure to what ’ s ailing me and most of us .
• None Legendary Watergate reporter Bob Woodward will discuss the Trump presidency at a Guardian Live online event on Tuesday 27 October , 7pm GMT .
Book tickets here • None Art Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times in north-west Iowa , where he won the Pulitzer prize for editorial writing .
He is a Guardian US columnist and author of the book Storm Lake : Change , Resilience , and Hope @ @ @ @ @

Leaves fall, blue turns to gray, snow covers the ground, and I should not write bad poetry. These are things you think when you go to the doctor at my age (63) to get blood drawn. It’s enough to give you a temporary hypertensive alarm. I was presented with a mental health survey to complete while waiting for results, where I intimated that I may be a desperate man.
Irritable? Every day. Forlorn at least half the time. Sometimes close to despondent.
Living in the US has been a real drag lately. A maniac, or at least a narcissistic oaf, occupies the Oval Office. Armed men in Hawaiian shirts threaten to subvert civil order. Not wearing a face mask is considered around some parts a sign of machismo. The number of Covid cases has been rising nonstop, and assaults on our democratic institutions are relentless. “Lock them all up!” Donald Trump bellows to the sheep.
It’s these kinds of things that apparently drove former first lady Michelle Obama to admit that she feels a little down.
My doctor sympathized. After all, she bears the burden, day after day, of treating people with bad coughs, bad attitudes and worse.
She told me her mom is sort of conservative from a small town and her dad is sort of liberal from a college town so she is sort of moderate and shares my concerns. Can’t we just all get along as her parents did? What has happened to us?
I took a rain check on antidepressants. They have seen survey scores far worse than mine. Plus, relief may be around the corner.
In just two weeks, my heart and the bookies in England say that Joe Biden will be elected president – a 90% chance, according to the number-crunchers who follow the horses. The polls tend to back it up. Biden has a slight lead in Iowa and Ohio, and healthy advantages in Michigan and Wisconsin. Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, who has been among Trump’s craven enablers, is in serious trouble what with not knowing the price of soybeans during her most recent debate.
Everything I was taught in school about America has been turned on its head
Trump has undermined the rule of law, sold out our national security interests, and conducted his affairs as if it were a Viking orgy. Everything I was taught in school about America has been turned on its head.
But look at the huge turnouts already in Atlanta and Houston – people of color, in particular, are lining up to vote across America following a summer of peaceful protests. In part, the lines are long because Republican governors are trying to make voting difficult. Yet voters persist. Nobody will deny them their franchise this year, and Black women in particular are not taking it for granted. God bless them. Trump is down in the polls by seven points in Georgia, the kind of Democratic edge not seen in that state since Jimmy Carter’s days.
We can wrestle this virus to the mat with a coherent strategy. People are coming around to it. Biden offers people a way to put down their political defenses, to wear a face mask without losing face. His primary call is for national unity and rebuilding America, not a civil war. Voters yearn to turn their swords into plowshares.
The doctor hopes that we will have an effective vaccine in hand by summer. She, too, prays for an end to government by chaos. After sitting alone wondering if it is just you thinking this way, it was good to hear the woman behind the PPE telling me I am not that crazy, and that I should live long enough to see this rascal run off from the Rose Garden. America taking back its democracy is a sure cure to what’s ailing me and most of us.


theguardian--2020-10-21--Coronavirus economic relief talks resume as McConnell reportedly offers resistance - as it happened

For decades , companies like Google have enjoyed exponential growth and an almost unobstructed rise to power .
But the tide appears to be turning , as US lawmakers crack down on alleged monopolistic practices and public sentiment sours on the former wunderkinds of Silicon Valley .
Antitrust charges brought against Google on Tuesday by the US justice department mark the latest – and most significant – legal challenge yet for big tech .
Barry Lynn , the executive director of the Open Markets Institute , and a longtime critic of tech monopolies , calls the case “ an incredibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By the time this ends I think we will see a radically different company and industry , ” he said .
But the charges are also “ just a start ” , he said , and questions remain about exactly what laws will be created to regulate big tech , with partisan bias and a disorganized smattering of agencies investigating tech firms muddying the waters .
The charges filed against Google are not without controversy .
The case was reportedly rushed through by Donald Trump ’ s attorney general , William Barr , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the wishes of lawyers who wanted to take more time on the case .
Doing so on the cusp of an election that may result in a change of administration “ could be detrimental ” to the long-term goal of reining in tech giants , said Carl Tobias , a University of Richmond law professor .
“ It is altogether messy , ” he said .
“ It is not clear whether what comes out of it will be systematic and well-thought-through.
” The Department of Justice is just one entity racing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September 2019 , attorneys general in 50 US states and territories announced an investigation into both Google and Facebook over alleged “ monopolistic behavior ” .
Meanwhile , the Federal Trade Commission has been separately investigating Amazon and Facebook to determine if they abused their massive market power .
And in October , a major report detailing an investigation by the House judiciary committee concluded that big tech wielded “ too much power ” and was censoring political speech , spreading fake news and “ killing ” the engines of the American economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the fact that opposition to big tech has become largely politicized , with Democrats mostly targeting companies for their monopoly power and Republicans accusing them of censoring conservative speech .

Maanvi Singh (now), Joan E Greve and Martin Belam (earlier)

21 Oct 2020 03.02 BST Summary House speaker Nancy Pelosi and treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin had another call about a coronavirus relief bill. After the call, Pelosi said the she is “closer” to reaching a deal with the White House, but she acknowledged earlier today that a relief bill may not be passed until after Election Day.
After the call, Pelosi said the she is “closer” to reaching a deal with the White House, but she acknowledged earlier today that a relief bill may not be passed until after Election Day. Mitch McConnell reportedly told Republicans that he has urged the White House not to push for a coronavirus relief deal before the election. According to multiple reports, the Senate majority leader expressed concern that a coronavirus relief deal could complicate the timing of Amy Coney Barrett ’s confirmation to the supreme court. McConnell currently plans to hold a final vote on Barrett’s nomination next Monday.
According to multiple reports, the Senate majority leader expressed concern that a coronavirus relief deal could complicate the timing of ’s confirmation to the supreme court. McConnell currently plans to hold a final vote on Barrett’s nomination next Monday. The US has seen nearly 300,000 excess deaths since late January, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC said 299,028 excess deaths occurred in the US between January 26 and October 3.
according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC said 299,028 excess deaths occurred in the US between January 26 and October 3. The justice department filed its antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the search engine giant of unfairly stifling competition. Attorney general William Barr described the lawsuit as “a monumental case for the Department of Justice and, more importantly, for the American consumer.”
accusing the search engine giant of unfairly stifling competition. Attorney general described the lawsuit as “a monumental case for the Department of Justice and, more importantly, for the American consumer.” USA Today gave its first-ever presidential endorsement to Joe Biden. “Biden is a worthy antidote to Trump ’s unbounded narcissism and chronic chaos,” the newspaper’s editorial board said in the endorsement.
“Biden is a worthy antidote to ’s unbounded narcissism and chronic chaos,” the newspaper’s editorial board said in the endorsement. Melania Trump canceled her planned appearance at a Pennsylvania campaign rally tonight due to a lingering cough from coronavirus. The first lady’s chief of staff said she had canceled her travel plans out an abundance of caution about her lingering symptoms.
The first lady’s chief of staff said she had canceled her travel plans out an abundance of caution about her lingering symptoms. Trump’s financial documents revealed that the president has a bank account in China, per the latest installment in a New York Times series investigating the president’s tax records. Trump often derides his opponent as a China sympathizer, pointing to Hunter Biden’s dealings in China as evidence.
Trump often derides his opponent as a China sympathizer, pointing to Hunter Biden’s dealings in China as evidence. Lawyers said they were unable to reach the parents of 545 children separated at the border by the Trump administration. In a legal filing, they said about two-thirds of parents may have already been deported. – Joan E Greve and Maanvi Singh
21 Oct 2020 02.36 BST Trump fundraiser pleads guilty to operating as an unregistered foreign agent Elliott Broidy, a major fundraiser for Republicans and Trump has pleaded guilty to a rare charge of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Broidy was charged with working on behalf of Malaysian and Chinese interests, accepting millions of dollars to lobby the Trump administration. Trump associates Paul Manafort and Rick Gates were also prosecuted based on their foreign lobbying. “Elliott Broidy sought to lobby the highest levels of the U.S. government to drop one of the largest fraud and money laundering prosecutions ever brought and to deport a critic of the Chinese Communist Party, all the while concealing the foreign interests whose bidding he was doing,” Assistant Attorney General John Demers wrote in a statement.
21 Oct 2020 02.05 BST Lawyers said they're unable to reach the parents of hundreds of children separated at the border Lawyers have been unable to locate the families of 545 children separated from their parents due to a Trump immigration policy. In a court filing today, a committee assigned to reunify families ripped apart by the policy has attempted to find the parents and guardians for 1,030 children – but have not been able to reach the families of 545. About “two-thirds” of the parents may have been deported without their children, the filing said. “Following a suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, limited physical on-the-ground searches for separated parents has now resumed where possible to do so while protecting the health of personnel working with the steering committee and members of vulnerable communities in separated parents’ home countries,” the filing said. In 2018, the Trump administration issued a “zero tolerance” policy that separated children from their families at the southern border. About 2,800 families separated under that policy, which was reversed under immense political pressure. But the administration had begun separating families earlier as part of a pilot program – and many of the parents had been deported before a US judge mandated that they be reunited.
Updated at 02.07 BST
21 Oct 2020 01.39 BST Paola Rosa-Aquino reports: The prognosis for biodiversity on Earth is grim. According to a sobering report released by the United Nations last year, 1 million land and marine species across the globe are threatened with extinction – more than at any other period in human history.
According to a recent study, about 20% of the countries in the world risk ecosystem collapse due to the destruction of wildlife and their habitats, a result of human activity in tandem with a warming climate. The United States is the ninth most at risk. Despite this desperate outlook, the Trump administration, as part of its aggressive rollback of regulations designed to protect the environment, has lifted protections for America’s animals. It has shrunk several national monuments and opened up a huge amount of federal land for oil and gas drilling, coalmining and other industrial activities – actions that conservationists warn could imperil species whose numbers are already dwindling and that are core to the health of our ecosystems. Here we look at some of the animals most at risk from Trump’s rollbacks. Bears, whales and wolverines: the species imperiled by Trump's war on the environment Read more
21 Oct 2020 01.04 BST In the latest installment of their series on Trump’s financial records, reporters at the New York Times have found that the president has a bank account in China. The Times reports: President Trump and his allies have tried to paint the Democratic nominee, Joseph R. Biden Jr., as soft on China, in part by pointing to his son’s business dealings there. Senate Republicans produced a report asserting, among other things, that Mr. Biden’s son Hunter “opened a bank account” with a Chinese businessman, part of what it said were his numerous connections to “foreign nationals and foreign governments across the globe.” But Mr. Trump’s own business history is filled with overseas financial deals, and some have involved the Chinese state. He spent a decade unsuccessfully pursuing projects in China, operating an office there during his first run for president and forging a partnership with a major government-controlled company. China is one of only three foreign nations — the others are Britain and Ireland — where Mr. Trump maintains a bank account, according to an analysis of the president’s tax records, which were obtained by The New York Times. The foreign accounts do not show up on Mr. Trump’s public financial disclosures, where he must list personal assets, because they are held under corporate names. The identities of the financial institutions are not clear. In response to questions from The Times, Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, said the company had “opened an account with a Chinese bank having offices in the United States in order to pay the local taxes” associated with efforts to do business there.
20 Oct 2020 00.08 BST Jason Wilson A new lawsuit filed by environmental and human rights groups in Oregon alleges that federal agencies’ use of chemical crowd control weapons in Portland, like CS gas, has created “potentially grave health and environmental hazards”, and that the use of such weapons should be subject to assessments of its environmental impact. The complaint filed Tuesday by Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticide (NCAP), Willamette Riverkeeper, Cascadia Widlands, Neighbors for Clean Air (NCA), 350 Portland and the ACLU of Oregon names the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its acting secretary Chad Wolf as defendants. It seeks remedies for what it calls “months of sustained, repeated, high-volume use of teargas and other chemical munitions” in response to demonstrations in Portland. Teargas used on Portland protesters risks ‘grave health hazards’, says lawsuit Read more
Updated at 00.14 BST
20 Oct 2020 23.41 BST Donald Trump appears to be angry about his 60 Minutes interview – which he reportedly only taped for 45 minutes. The president, who has been ramping up attacks on the media ahead of the election, is apparently displeased with how the interview was conducted and has taken to Twitter. To retaliate for what he characterized as a “FAKE and BIASED interview”, Trump is threatening to ... post the interview online “PRIOR TO AIRTIME!” I am pleased to inform you that, for the sake of accuracy in reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, PRIOR TO AIRTIME! This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2020
Updated at 23.55 BST
20 Oct 2020 23.20 BST Two hundred million miles from Earth, NASA’s first asteroid-sampling spacecraft OSIRIS-REx has made contact with asteroid Bennu to collect a sample of space rocks. TOUCHDOWN!
Sampling in progress 💥#ToBennuAndBack pic.twitter.com/8dj2g8AUxK — NASA's OSIRIS-REx (@OSIRISREx) October 20, 2020 If the mission is successful, scientists will be able to study the rocks to learn more about the solar system – including what it was like at the beginning, 4.5bn years ago.
20 Oct 2020 23.09 BST No surprise here, but the Senate has defeated the $2.2tn stimulus bill that the House passed. 45-52: Senate defeated Democrats' effort to call up House-passed $2.2T COVID-19 relief bill on a party line vote. 3 Senators Harris, Paul and Sinema did not vote. pic.twitter.com/FWa1NJ4W2m — Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) October 20, 2020 House Speaker Pelosi and the White House are continuing negotiations, but Senate leader Mitch McConnell reportedly told Republicans that a deal is “unlikely in the next three weeks”.
20 Oct 2020 22.52 BST Electoral college explained: how Biden faces an uphill battle in the US election Helena Robertson, Ashley Kirk and Frank Hulley-Jones report: When Americans cast their ballots for the US president, they are actually voting for a representative of that candidate’s party known as an elector. There are 538 electors who then vote for the president on behalf of the people in their state. Each state is assigned a certain number of these electoral votes, based on the number of congressional districts they have, plus two additional votes representing the state’s Senate seats. Washington DC is also assigned three electoral votes, despite having no voting representation in Congress. A majority of 270 of these votes is needed to win the presidency. The process of nominating electors varies by state and by party, but is generally done one of two ways. Ahead of the election, political parties either choose electors at their national conventions, or they are voted for by the party’s central committee. The electoral college nearly always operates with a winner-takes-all system, in which the candidate with the highest number of votes in a state claims all of that state’s electoral votes. For example, in 2016, Trump beat Clinton in Florida by a margin of just 2.2%, but that meant he claimed all 29 of Florida’s crucial electoral votes. Such small margins in a handful of key swing states meant that, regardless of Clinton’s national vote lead, Trump was able to clinch victory in several swing states and therefore win more electoral college votes.
Biden could face the same hurdle in November, meaning he will need to focus his attention on a handful of battleground states to win the presidency. Electoral college explained: how Biden faces an uphill battle in the US election Read more
20 Oct 2020 22.37 BST President Barack Obama has taped a new ad supporting the Democratic challenger to senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina. “If you want a senator that will fight for criminal justice reform, lower college costs and to make health care affordable, you’ve got to vote for my friend Jaime Harrison,” Obama says in the video. “Now you have the power to make history again by sending Jaime Harrison to the US Senate.” Graham, the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, has been derided by his opponent for promising to never consider a supreme court nominee during an election year after blocking Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland, and then fully reversing course to help rush Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett through. He has been facing in the toughest reelection campaign of his senate career, with his opponent Harrison outraising him and garnering support from Democrats across the country. In a fundraising email sent after the Obama ad launched, Graham wrote to supporters: “President Obama’s endorsement makes it absolutely clear that the Left is determined to defeat me and flip the Senate to blue.”
Updated at 23.45 BST
20 Oct 2020 22.11 BST Pelosi’s chief of staff Drew Hammill has provided more updates about the speaker’s discussion with the treasury secretary. They spoke for 45 minutes, he said, and saw that “decisions could be reached and language could be exchanged, demonstrating that both sides are serious about finding a compromise”. Both sides plan to meet again tomorrow, Hammill said. The Speaker and Secretary Mnuchin spoke at 3:00 p.m. today for approximately 45 minutes. Their conversation provided more clarity and common ground as they move closer to an agreement. (1/3) — Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) October 20, 2020
Updated at 22.46 BST


theguardian--2020-10-20--Melania Trump cancels rally appearance due to ‘lingering cough’

Melania Trump withdrew from a scheduled return to the campaign trail on Tuesday , two weeks out from election day , due to a “ lingering cough ” .
Like her husband , Donald Trump , and her son , Barron , the first lady recently contracted the coronavirus and entered treatment and isolation .
She said last week she had recovered and she had been due to travel with her husband to Erie , Pennsylvania , for an evening election rally .
But a spokeswoman , Stephanie Grisham , said : “ Mrs Trump continues to feel better every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but with a lingering cough , and out of an abundance of caution , she will not be traveling today.
” Trump and his administration have been widely accused of failing to show proper caution in staging public events during the coronavirus pandemic .
Trump rallies do not feature enforced mitigation measures , including mask-wearing and social distancing .
The president , first lady and other senior figures fell ill after attending a White House introduction for supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on 26 September , which has been labelled a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcing her recovery , Melania Trump said she “ was very fortunate as my diagnosis came with minimal symptoms , though they hit me all at once and it seemed to be a rollercoaster of symptoms in the days after .
I experienced body aches , a cough and headaches , and felt extremely tired most of the time.
” In contrast to her husband , who received treatment not available to the general public , she did not spend time in hospital and said she “ chose to go a more natural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more for vitamins and healthy food ” .
More than 8.2m cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in the US and nearly 220,000 people have died .
Case numbers are rising nationwide , with record daily increases in a number of states that will be key to deciding the presidential election , which is just two weeks away .
On Tuesday a New York Times analysis of polling averages put Trump behind his challenger , Joe Biden , in every swing state in which he beat Hillary Clinton in 2016 , Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have said they trust the Democratic candidate more than the Republican incumbent when it comes to handling the pandemic .
Regardless , in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning Trump once again criticised Dr Anthony Fauci , the infectious diseases expert who has served six presidents but whom Trump called “ a disaster ” the day before .
“ Look , he ’ s a nice guy , ” Trump said .
“ He has got a really bad arm and not a good baseball thrower , but he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I say is , he ’ s a little bit sometimes not a team player , but he is a Democrat.
” In fact records show Fauci is not registered as a Democrat or a Republican .
He has repeatedly professed himself non-partisan .

Melania Trump withdrew from a scheduled return to the campaign trail on Tuesday, two weeks out from election day, due to a “lingering cough”.
Like her husband, Donald Trump, and her son, Barron, the first lady recently contracted the coronavirus and entered treatment and isolation. She said last week she had recovered and she had been due to travel with her husband to Erie, Pennsylvania, for an evening election rally.
But a spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said: “Mrs Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from Covid-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today.”
Trump and his administration have been widely accused of failing to show proper caution in staging public events during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump rallies do not feature enforced mitigation measures, including mask-wearing and social distancing. The president, first lady and other senior figures fell ill after attending a White House introduction for supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on 26 September, which has been labelled a “super-spreader” event.
In her statement announcing her recovery, Melania Trump said she “was very fortunate as my diagnosis came with minimal symptoms, though they hit me all at once and it seemed to be a rollercoaster of symptoms in the days after. I experienced body aches, a cough and headaches, and felt extremely tired most of the time.”
In contrast to her husband, who received treatment not available to the general public, she did not spend time in hospital and said she “chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food”.
More than 8.2m cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in the US and nearly 220,000 people have died. Case numbers are rising nationwide, with record daily increases in a number of states that will be key to deciding the presidential election, which is just two weeks away.
On Tuesday a New York Times analysis of polling averages put Trump behind his challenger, Joe Biden, in every swing state in which he beat Hillary Clinton in 2016, Pennsylvania among them.
Majorities in multiple polls have said they trust the Democratic candidate more than the Republican incumbent when it comes to handling the pandemic.
Regardless, in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning Trump once again criticised Dr Anthony Fauci, the infectious diseases expert who has served six presidents but whom Trump called “a disaster” the day before.
“Look, he’s a nice guy,” Trump said. “He has got a really bad arm and not a good baseball thrower, but he’s a nice guy. The only thing I say is, he’s a little bit sometimes not a team player, but he is a Democrat.”
In fact records show Fauci is not registered as a Democrat or a Republican. He has repeatedly professed himself non-partisan.