theguardian--2020-06-21--Could New York become a progressive beacon in the United States? | Jabari Brisport

Imagine this : it ’ s the day after the presidential election , and Donald Trump is officially on his way out .
The era of toddler imprisonment , pandemic denial , regulatory rollbacks and constitution shredding is over .
And under new leadership from a Democrat in the White House , we can finally focus on making sure every American has access to healthcare , quality education , stable housing and a livable planet .
Right ?
Wrong .
I hope Trump and the Republicans get voted out of Washington this November , but here ’ s the sobering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has told us in no uncertain terms that he ’ s not interested in changing the status quo .
While I love and respect our progressive allies in Congress , and I hope to see their numbers grow in November , we simply can ’ t wait for the rest of Washington to wake up and adopt a progressive agenda .
But we can win real progress over the next four years , by fighting at the state level to do what Washington won ’ t .
That ’ s where New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised in Brooklyn , and I ’ ve seen New York politics change a lot in that time , but nothing compares to the last few years .
The 2016 presidential election was a wake-up call for Democrats , and New York progressives leapt to their feet and got to work .
We showed up at the polls for progressives and broke the Republican stranglehold on the New York state legislature , and finally put an end to the ridiculous Independent Democratic Conference .
We embarrassed the centrist establishment and gave hope to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ocasio-Cortez to the US House of Representatives .
In just four years , we have chipped away at the complacent , corporate-funded , pseudo-progressive Democratic establishment that ’ s never prioritized working-class people and we have forced them to listen to what working-class people need .
The resurgent , grassroots socialist movement we have built is fast becoming a beacon of humanity in an inhumane , capitalist country whose establishment politicians – yes , including Democrats – resist real change at every turn .
This nation is crying out for progressive leadership , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Even with lackluster leaders such as Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio in our executive branches , New Yorkers are hungry for serious change .
Amid an unprecedented global pandemic that ’ s led to record unemployment and housing instability , New Yorkers are putting their hard-earned dollars , time and energy behind progressive movements .
The nation is not going to get universal healthcare under Joe Biden .
Yet last year , in New York , we were just one vote shy of passing a bill to give every New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few more true progressives in Albany , we can finally pass the New York Health Act and guarantee free healthcare to every single one of the nearly 20 million people who call New York home .
We can also become the first state to fully fund the infrastructure that will protect us from climate change , and we can power every home and business from Staten Island to Champlain with clean , renewable energy .
We can reclaim our power grid from greedy corporations and distribute that energy via a public utility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States what happens when everyone has the right to a free , quality education from preschool to college .
We can defund the nation ’ s largest police department and reinvest in our communities , modeling an approach to public safety that doesn ’ t rely on guns and mass incarceration .
And we can decide that the ultra-wealthy no longer profit from our state without paying their fair share of taxes .
In a lot of this country , even Democrats would call these policies pipe dreams .
Let ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York , they can become reality , because we ’ re not going to settle for the status quo .
The need for these changes has never been more urgent , and no one is in a better position to implement them than the progressive wing of the New York Democratic party .
New York has the chance to serve as a blueprint for how the nation moves forward , even without progressive leadership in Washington .
We ’ re not willing to wait , so we ’ ll have to lead the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a candidate for New York state senate

Imagine this: it’s the day after the presidential election, and Donald Trump is officially on his way out. The era of toddler imprisonment, pandemic denial, regulatory rollbacks and constitution shredding is over. And under new leadership from a Democrat in the White House, we can finally focus on making sure every American has access to healthcare, quality education, stable housing and a livable planet. Right? Wrong.
I hope Trump and the Republicans get voted out of Washington this November, but here’s the sobering truth: our presumptive Democratic presidential candidate has told us in no uncertain terms that he’s not interested in changing the status quo. While I love and respect our progressive allies in Congress, and I hope to see their numbers grow in November, we simply can’t wait for the rest of Washington to wake up and adopt a progressive agenda. But we can win real progress over the next four years, by fighting at the state level to do what Washington won’t. That’s where New York comes in.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, and I’ve seen New York politics change a lot in that time, but nothing compares to the last few years. The 2016 presidential election was a wake-up call for Democrats, and New York progressives leapt to their feet and got to work. We showed up at the polls for progressives and broke the Republican stranglehold on the New York state legislature, and finally put an end to the ridiculous Independent Democratic Conference. We embarrassed the centrist establishment and gave hope to the entire country when we elected Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to the US House of Representatives. In just four years, we have chipped away at the complacent, corporate-funded, pseudo-progressive Democratic establishment that’s never prioritized working-class people and we have forced them to listen to what working-class people need. The resurgent, grassroots socialist movement we have built is fast becoming a beacon of humanity in an inhumane, capitalist country whose establishment politicians – yes, including Democrats – resist real change at every turn.
We simply can’t wait for the rest of Washington to wake up and adopt a progressive agenda
This nation is crying out for progressive leadership, and New York is poised to deliver it. Even with lackluster leaders such as Andrew Cuomo and Bill de Blasio in our executive branches, New Yorkers are hungry for serious change. Amid an unprecedented global pandemic that’s led to record unemployment and housing instability, New Yorkers are putting their hard-earned dollars, time and energy behind progressive movements.
The nation is not going to get universal healthcare under Joe Biden. Yet last year, in New York, we were just one vote shy of passing a bill to give every New Yorker access to healthcare. With just a few more true progressives in Albany, we can finally pass the New York Health Act and guarantee free healthcare to every single one of the nearly 20 million people who call New York home.
We can also become the first state to fully fund the infrastructure that will protect us from climate change, and we can power every home and business from Staten Island to Champlain with clean, renewable energy. We can reclaim our power grid from greedy corporations and distribute that energy via a public utility. We can remind the rest of the United States what happens when everyone has the right to a free, quality education from preschool to college. We can defund the nation’s largest police department and reinvest in our communities, modeling an approach to public safety that doesn’t rely on guns and mass incarceration. And we can decide that the ultra-wealthy no longer profit from our state without paying their fair share of taxes.
In a lot of this country, even Democrats would call these policies pipe dreams. Let’s prove them wrong. In New York, they can become reality, because we’re not going to settle for the status quo. The need for these changes has never been more urgent, and no one is in a better position to implement them than the progressive wing of the New York Democratic party. New York has the chance to serve as a blueprint for how the nation moves forward, even without progressive leadership in Washington. We’re not willing to wait, so we’ll have to lead the way.


theguardian--2020-06-21--Why be shocked by John Bolton's book? Trump's disasters are always plain to see

Disgraceful though it is , the revelation that Donald Trump allegedly sought covert assistance for his re-election bid from Xi Jinping , his authoritarian alter ego in Beijing , should not surprise students of the Ukraine inquiry , Trump ’ s impeachment and the Mueller report into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 campaign .
It has long been clear that this ever-unscrupulous US president is prepared to co-opt almost anyone , however objectionable , cut any deal , however shady , and tell any lie , however blatant , to win a second White House term .
Unabashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how he manipulated and subverted US foreign policy for his own ends , Trump will surely plan more of the same ahead of November ’ s election , which ( with good reason ) he is desperately afraid of losing .
His former national security adviser ’ s book presents an established pattern of ongoing unethical , illegal and arguably treasonable behaviour abroad that echoes allegations of repeated law-breaking and obstruction at home .
An early example of Trump ’ s self-serving approach to international relations was his embarrassing bid to woo North @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ignoring the experts ( including Bolton ) , Trump figured his smarmy charm and deal-making hooey could persuade Kim to forsake nuclear weapons .
Two summits and a mountain of blather later , Kim has banked his winnings from Trump ’ s diplomatic kerb-crawling , which include a raised profile and a slackening of the international sanctions regime , and resumed intimidation of South Korea .
Last week , in a cry for help , he blew up a border liaison office .
Be warned : needy Kim and sinking Trump have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Asia crisis this autumn .
Trump ’ s efforts to portray himself as a peacemaker deserving of a Nobel prize – and the undying gratitude of American voters – also presage imminent trouble in Israel-Palestine .
His absurdly lop-sided “ peace plan ” has been taken as a green light by Benjamin Netanyahu , Israel ’ s hard-right prime minister , to illegally annex large swathes of Palestinian land .
A land-grab could begin as soon as 1 July , if domestic critics can be placated and the Gulf Arabs squared away .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jewish-American voters by selling out the Palestinians .
The prospective price is the destruction of an equitable , sensible , two-state solution and a new intifada .
On another Middle East front , Trump is rushing to finally bury the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose an international arms embargo on Tehran .
He insists Iran ’ s support for terrorism justifies further escalation .
Trump wants to be able to tell voters he has “ neutralised ” Iran .
In fact , his tactics have goaded Iran into reviving nuclear-related activities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and driven the region to the brink of war .
A deliberate US military provocation in the coming months can not be ruled out .
After wrecking western policy in Syria by peremptorily withdrawing US troops and handing strategic victory to Vladimir Putin ’ s Russia , Trump is intent on pulling the same trick in Afghanistan – so he can tell voters he ended America ’ s longest war .
Trump ’ s disastrous attempt to hold a secret summit with the Taliban at Camp David was the low-point of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sacrifices made by US and Nato troops since 2001 ?
What of the horrendous suffering of the Afghan people and the tens of thousands who died believing America ’ s pledge to build a safer , more just society ?
Draft-dodger Trump , who cowers in a bunker at the first sign of trouble , is oblivious .
He fights for votes , not democracy .
His well-documented hostility to Nato , the EU , Europeans , and multilateralism in general points to another likely autumn battle zone .
Candidate Trump enjoys @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies and the UN .
A video conference last week between EU foreign ministers and Mike Pompeo , America ’ s top diplomat and chief bully-boy , dramatised the widening transatlantic gulf .
On Israel-Palestine , on Iran , on China , on the International Criminal Court ( which Trump and Pompeo appear determined to destroy ) , on the World Health Organization and the pandemic , the two sides were worlds apart .
Trump ’ s new plan to withdraw US troops from Germany and his fawning attitude to Putin increase suspicions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expediently ignored , and its dilemmas purposefully aggravated , between now and November .
The main thrust of Trump ’ s re-election bid so far , however , centres on China and his all-out effort to blame Beijing for causing and covering up the pandemic , then triggering an economic meltdown .
He wants to escape censure for his own incompetence .
He wants Europe to take his side .
Most of all , he wants to identify Joe Biden , his Democrat rival , with the new enemy : Beijing .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden could get very nasty indeed .
If Trump wants to pick a fight , there are any number of simmering flashpoints – trade , Taiwan , the South China Sea , Hong Kong , Huawei , human rights , cyber attacks ( such as those against Australia this week ) and now the Himalayas .
For Trump , a short , sharp conflict might serve his purposes very well .
Unthinkable ?
Think again .
This is the man who deployed the military to the Mexican border before the 2018 mid-term elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unarmed migrants .
This is the man who sent troops to harry peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters .
Does Trump see the contradiction in the claim that he tried to recruit China ’ s Xi Jinping one day , then appointed him America ’ s new bogeyman the next ?
Does he care about the possible consequences , or what the world thinks , or what the constitution says ?
No .
All that matters is himself alone , winning .

Disgraceful though it is, the revelation that Donald Trump allegedly sought covert assistance for his re-election bid from Xi Jinping, his authoritarian alter ego in Beijing, should not surprise students of the Ukraine inquiry, Trump’s impeachment and the Mueller report into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 campaign.
It has long been clear that this ever-unscrupulous US president is prepared to co-opt almost anyone, however objectionable, cut any deal, however shady, and tell any lie, however blatant, to win a second White House term.
Unabashed by John Bolton’s account of how he manipulated and subverted US foreign policy for his own ends, Trump will surely plan more of the same ahead of November’s election, which (with good reason) he is desperately afraid of losing.
His former national security adviser’s book presents an established pattern of ongoing unethical, illegal and arguably treasonable behaviour abroad that echoes allegations of repeated law-breaking and obstruction at home.
An early example of Trump’s self-serving approach to international relations was his embarrassing bid to woo North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un.
Ignoring the experts (including Bolton), Trump figured his smarmy charm and deal-making hooey could persuade Kim to forsake nuclear weapons. Two summits and a mountain of blather later, Kim has banked his winnings from Trump’s diplomatic kerb-crawling, which include a raised profile and a slackening of the international sanctions regime, and resumed intimidation of South Korea. Last week, in a cry for help, he blew up a border liaison office. Be warned: needy Kim and sinking Trump have a shared interest in fomenting an east Asia crisis this autumn.
Trump’s efforts to portray himself as a peacemaker deserving of a Nobel prize – and the undying gratitude of American voters – also presage imminent trouble in Israel-Palestine. His absurdly lop-sided “peace plan” has been taken as a green light by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s hard-right prime minister, to illegally annex large swathes of Palestinian land.
A land-grab could begin as soon as 1 July, if domestic critics can be placated and the Gulf Arabs squared away.
Most of all, Trump wants to identify Joe Biden, his Democrat rival, with the new enemy: Beijing
Trump hopes to impress Christian evangelical and Jewish-American voters by selling out the Palestinians. The prospective price is the destruction of an equitable, sensible, two-state solution and a new intifada.
On another Middle East front, Trump is rushing to finally bury the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose an international arms embargo on Tehran. He insists Iran’s support for terrorism justifies further escalation. Trump wants to be able to tell voters he has “neutralised” Iran. In fact, his tactics have goaded Iran into reviving nuclear-related activities, given succour to the oppressive Saudi regime, and driven the region to the brink of war. A deliberate US military provocation in the coming months cannot be ruled out.
After wrecking western policy in Syria by peremptorily withdrawing US troops and handing strategic victory to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Trump is intent on pulling the same trick in Afghanistan – so he can tell voters he ended America’s longest war.
Trump’s disastrous attempt to hold a secret summit with the Taliban at Camp David was the low-point of this heinous saga of betrayal.
What of the sacrifices made by US and Nato troops since 2001? What of the horrendous suffering of the Afghan people and the tens of thousands who died believing America’s pledge to build a safer, more just society?
At the summit with Kim Jong-un in 2018, Trump hoped to charm the North Korean dictator into forsaking nuclear weapons. Photograph: Saul Loeb/Getty
Draft-dodger Trump, who cowers in a bunker at the first sign of trouble, is oblivious. He fights for votes, not democracy. His well-documented hostility to Nato, the EU, Europeans, and multilateralism in general points to another likely autumn battle zone. Candidate Trump enjoys nothing more than denigrating America’s allies and the UN. A video conference last week between EU foreign ministers and Mike Pompeo, America’s top diplomat and chief bully-boy, dramatised the widening transatlantic gulf.
On Israel-Palestine, on Iran, on China, on the International Criminal Court (which Trump and Pompeo appear determined to destroy), on the World Health Organization and the pandemic, the two sides were worlds apart.
Trump’s new plan to withdraw US troops from Germany and his fawning attitude to Putin increase suspicions that Europe’s interests will be expediently ignored, and its dilemmas purposefully aggravated, between now and November.
The main thrust of Trump’s re-election bid so far, however, centres on China and his all-out effort to blame Beijing for causing and covering up the pandemic, then triggering an economic meltdown. He wants to escape censure for his own incompetence. He wants Europe to take his side. Most of all, he wants to identify Joe Biden, his Democrat rival, with the new enemy: Beijing.
This scapegoating of China in order to beat Biden could get very nasty indeed. If Trump wants to pick a fight, there are any number of simmering flashpoints – trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Huawei, human rights, cyber attacks (such as those against Australia this week) and now the Himalayas.
For Trump, a short, sharp conflict might serve his purposes very well. Unthinkable? Think again. This is the man who deployed the military to the Mexican border before the 2018 mid-term elections to repel an “invasion” of unarmed migrants. This is the man who sent troops to harry peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters.
Does Trump see the contradiction in the claim that he tried to recruit China’s Xi Jinping one day, then appointed him America’s new bogeyman the next? Does he care about the possible consequences, or what the world thinks, or what the constitution says?
No. All that matters is himself alone, winning.


theguardian--2020-06-21--What Defund the Police really means: swapping social control for investment | Robert Reich

Some societies center on social control , others on social investment .
Social-control societies put substantial resources into police , prisons , surveillance , immigration enforcement and the military .
Their purpose is to utilize fear , punishment and violence , to maintain what they consider order .
Social-investment societies put more resources into healthcare , education , affordable housing , jobless benefits and children .
Their purpose is to free people from the risks and anxieties of daily life and give everyone a fair shot at making it .
Donald Trump epitomizes the former .
He calls himself the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He even wants to sic the military on Americans protesting against police brutality .
Trump is really the culmination of 40 years of increasing social control in the US and decreasing social investment .
Spending on policing in the US has almost tripled , from $ 42.3bn in 1977 to $ 114.5bn in 2017 .
America now locks away 2.2 million people .
That ’ s a 500 % increase from 40 years ago .
The US has the largest incarcerated population in the world .
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has exploded .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than ever in its history .
Total military spending has soared from $ 437bn in 2003 to $ 935.8bn this fiscal year .
The more societies spend on social controls , the less they have left for social investment .
More police mean fewer social services .
This year , American taxpayers will spend $ 107.5bn more on police than on public housing .
More prisons mean fewer dollars for education .
In fact , America is now spending more money on prisons than on public schools .
Fifteen states now spend $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ per student .
As spending on controls has increased , spending on public assistance has shrunk .
Fewer people are receiving food stamps .
Outlays for public health have declined .
America can ’ t even seem to find money to extend unemployment benefits during this pandemic .
Such cause-and-effect works the other way , too .
As societies skimp on social investment , they turn to social controls to contain the anger and desperation of people who are marginalized and excluded .
The United States began as a control society .
Slavery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depended on the harshest conceivable controls .
Jim Crow wasn ’ t much better .
But in the decades following the second world war , the nation began inching toward social investment .
In 1954 , the supreme court barred segregated schools and began investing in better education for all children .
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act of 1968 advanced equal opportunity .
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 moved America toward more equal political rights .
Throughout these years , spending on healthcare and public assistance expanded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burgeoned and inequality declined .
Then a backlash set in .
America swung backward from social investment to social control .
Richard Nixon declared a “ war on drugs ” that criminalized possession of illicit drugs for personal use .
Since then , four times as many people have been arrested for possessing drugs as for selling them , and half of those arrested for possession have been charged with possessing marijuana for their own use .
Bill Clinton ’ s Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 put 88,000 additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentences for criminals convicted of a felony after two or more prior convictions , including drug crimes .
This so-called “ three strikes , you ’ re out ” law was replicated by many states .
Clinton also abolished welfare .
Why did America swing so sharply backward toward social control ?
Part of the answer has to do with widening inequality .
As the middle class collapsed and the ranks of the poor grew , those in power viewed social controls as cheaper than social investment , which would require additional taxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used racism – from Nixon ’ s “ law and order ” and Ronald Reagan ’ s “ welfare queens ” to Donald Trump ’ s more overt racist memes – to deflect the anxieties of an increasingly overwhelmed white working class .
But as we ’ ve witnessed over the last weeks of protests and demonstrations , social controls are not sustainable .
They require more and more oppressive means of containing people who stand up against oppression .
In any event , the core of America ’ s identity is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uniformity of our ethnicity .
It is the ideals we share , however imperfectly achieved .
Moving toward those ideals requires that we relinquish social control and renew our commitment to social investment .
For starters , defund the police and invest in our communities .
• None Robert Reich , a former US secretary of labor , is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism : For the Many , Not the Few and The Common Good .
His new book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How We Fix It , is out now .
He is a columnist for Guardian US

Some societies center on social control, others on social investment.
Social-control societies put substantial resources into police, prisons, surveillance, immigration enforcement and the military. Their purpose is to utilize fear, punishment and violence, to maintain what they consider order.
Social-investment societies put more resources into healthcare, education, affordable housing, jobless benefits and children. Their purpose is to free people from the risks and anxieties of daily life and give everyone a fair shot at making it.
Donald Trump epitomizes the former. He calls himself the “law and order” president. He even wants to sic the military on Americans protesting against police brutality.
Trump is really the culmination of 40 years of increasing social control in the US and decreasing social investment.
The United States began as a control society. Slavery depended on the harshest conceivable controls
Spending on policing in the US has almost tripled, from $42.3bn in 1977 to $114.5bn in 2017.
America now locks away 2.2 million people. That’s a 500% increase from 40 years ago. The US has the largest incarcerated population in the world.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has exploded. More people are now in Ice detention than ever in its history.
Total military spending has soared from $437bn in 2003 to $935.8bn this fiscal year.
The more societies spend on social controls, the less they have left for social investment. More police mean fewer social services. This year, American taxpayers will spend $107.5bn more on police than on public housing.
More prisons mean fewer dollars for education. In fact, America is now spending more money on prisons than on public schools. Fifteen states now spend $27,000 more per prisoner than they do per student.
As spending on controls has increased, spending on public assistance has shrunk. Fewer people are receiving food stamps. Outlays for public health have declined.
America can’t even seem to find money to extend unemployment benefits during this pandemic.
Such cause-and-effect works the other way, too. As societies skimp on social investment, they turn to social controls to contain the anger and desperation of people who are marginalized and excluded.
The United States began as a control society. Slavery – America’s original sin – depended on the harshest conceivable controls. Jim Crow wasn’t much better.
But in the decades following the second world war, the nation began inching toward social investment.
06:54 What does it mean to defund the police? – video
In 1954, the supreme court barred segregated schools and began investing in better education for all children. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Fair Housing Act of 1968 advanced equal opportunity. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 moved America toward more equal political rights.
Throughout these years, spending on healthcare and public assistance expanded and poverty diminished. The middle class burgeoned and inequality declined.
Then a backlash set in. America swung backward from social investment to social control.
Social controls are not sustainable. They require more and more oppressive means of containing people
Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs” that criminalized possession of illicit drugs for personal use. Since then, four times as many people have been arrested for possessing drugs as for selling them, and half of those arrested for possession have been charged with possessing marijuana for their own use.
Bill Clinton’s Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 put 88,000 additional police on the streets and mandated life sentences for criminals convicted of a felony after two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes. This so-called “three strikes, you’re out” law was replicated by many states. Clinton also abolished welfare.
Why did America swing so sharply backward toward social control?
Part of the answer has to do with widening inequality. As the middle class collapsed and the ranks of the poor grew, those in power viewed social controls as cheaper than social investment, which would require additional taxes and massive redistribution.
Meanwhile, politicians used racism – from Nixon’s “law and order” and Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queens” to Donald Trump’s more overt racist memes – to deflect the anxieties of an increasingly overwhelmed white working class.
But as we’ve witnessed over the last weeks of protests and demonstrations, social controls are not sustainable. They require more and more oppressive means of containing people who stand up against oppression.
In any event, the core of America’s identity is not the whiteness of our skin or the uniformity of our ethnicity. It is the ideals we share, however imperfectly achieved.
Moving toward those ideals requires that we relinquish social control and renew our commitment to social investment. For starters, defund the police and invest in our communities.


theguardian--2020-06-21--Don't call it a comeback: Trump's Tulsa rally was just another sad farce | Richard Wolffe

There have been so many reasons to feel embarrassed about Donald Trump .
There was the time he paid off a porn star .
There was the time he lied about the size of his inauguration crowd .
The time he talked about the big water around Puerto Rico .
The time he thought you could kill the coronavirus by injecting yourself with bleach .
But nothing truly comes close to the embarrassment of his so-called comeback rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on Saturday .
It was so toe-curlingly cringeworthy , such a crushing humiliation .
There are 80s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Donald Trump .
To understand how much of his insides will always melt at the thought of that Tulsa rally , it ’ s worth quoting Trump ’ s fine words just before he boarded Marine One at the White House .
“ The event in Oklahoma is unbelievable , ” he boasted .
“ The crowds are unbelievable .
They haven ’ t seen anything like it .
And we will go there now .
We ’ ll give a , hopefully , good speech .
We ’ re going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of great friends .
And pretty much , that ’ s it .
OK ?
” We really haven ’ t seen anything like that .
For a man who loves peddling superlatives , this was the worst measure of his oh-so-sad popularity .
The lowest point in electoral incompetence .
The saddest campaign fiasco .
The event in Oklahoma was literally unbelievable if you believe that the Trump campaign is competent , and that Trump himself is actually popular .
That ’ s the weird thing about our populist president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 % and are now stuck firmly in the low 40s .
Perhaps that ’ s why he ’ s trailing Joe Biden by double-digits in recent polls .
As Trump likes to say : Pretty much , that ’ s it .
At least it is for everyone grifting at the Trump campaign .
Especially Brad Parscale , the Ferrari-driving manager who went from website builder to social media genius in 2016 but who now faces an imminent return to his website-building career , after predicting a monster rally in Tulsa .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ requests ” earlier this week , a number he was so confident about that he built an outdoor event stage for Trump to talk to the massive overflow crowd .
That was the day after Parscale tweeted about the “ biggest data haul and rally signup of all time by 10x .
Saturday is going to be amazing !
” Brad , it was indeed amazing .
You got punked by several hundred thousand TikTok users , organized by a grandmother in Fort Dodge , Iowa .
Mary Jo Laupp was apparently so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Trump ’ s rally – the city where one of America ’ s worst racist massacres took place , in 1921 – that she asked people to sign up for the rally and not show up .
Laupp only joined TikTok earlier this year , but her call connected with thousands of K-Pop fans who are what Trump might call a silent majority .
Trump knows as much about Korean pop as he does about the Tulsa massacre and Juneteenth , the original date of his epic comeback rally .
Of course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service agent to explain the meaning of Juneteenth , the holiday marking the emancipation of enslaved people .
“ I did something good : I made Juneteenth very famous , ” he told the Wall Street Journal .
“ It ’ s actually an important event , an important time .
But nobody had ever heard of it.
” As it happened , nobody has ever heard of Trump ’ s comeback either .
That ’ s in Oklahoma , a state he won by 36 points in 2016 .
A state no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Perhaps the Secret Service could do Trump another favor by explaining how his official excuse for the miserable crowds is even more laughable than all that bragging about MAGA fans .
“ Sadly protesters interfered with supporters , even blocking access to the metal detectors , which prevented people from entering the rally , ” said Tim Murtaugh , a campaign spokesman who should urgently seek alternative employment .
CNN reporters estimated there were around 175 protesters in Tulsa , so few , in fact , that the sidewalks were clear .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they saw no protesters or supporters en route .
This is the second time in one week that Trump has blown up his own campaign .
If the geniuses running his train-wreck of a re-election had any argument against Biden it was this : Biden was soft on China and too unpopular to build a crowd .
But then came John Bolton ’ s book , revealing Trump ’ s bootlicking approach to being tough on China .
Trump told Xi Jinping he was the greatest leader in Chinese history , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Secret Service .
Then the campaign was readying the most awesome contrast between the Tulsa rally and Biden ’ s socially-distanced campaigning .
“ Barely There Biden ” was supposed to be the sequel to “ Beijing Biden ” .
There ’ s something else that ’ s barely there : Trump supporters .
To be fair , if they weren ’ t discouraged by the many dozens of protesters , Trump ’ s multitude of Maga-heads might have been discouraged by the pandemic that is now surging in , um @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and campaign would love its fans to pretend the pandemic has disappeared , like a miracle , just as Trump said it would .
Sadly six of their own staffers tested positive for the virus on the day of the Tulsa rally , so this is a miracle that is moving as quickly as a president shuffling down a ramp .
Trump told the crowd at great length why he couldn ’ t possibly walk down a ramp unaided .
He even re-enacted his walk down the deadly incline .
He also treated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he couldn ’ t hold a glass of water with one hand .
It apparently has something to do with protecting his expensive silk tie .
Man of the people , that Trump guy .
Just as well he didn ’ t try to heal the nation ’ s racial divide .
He might have tried to re-enact something far worse .
For the half-filled arena ( capacity , 19,000 ) , it was hardly worth risking infection for this mask-free , fact-free and momentum-free event .
“ I wish they would spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s doctor-in-chief Sanjay Gupta .
“ It looks like they have the space to do so.
” Soon there will be even more space freed up at Trump ’ s campaign headquarters .
Team Trump : don ’ t bother planning another rally .
You are about to lose your job .

There have been so many reasons to feel embarrassed about Donald Trump.
There was the time he paid off a porn star. There was the time he lied about the size of his inauguration crowd. The time he talked about the big water around Puerto Rico. The time he thought you could kill the coronavirus by injecting yourself with bleach.
But nothing truly comes close to the embarrassment of his so-called comeback rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday.
It was so toe-curlingly cringeworthy, such a crushing humiliation. There are 80s pop bands who have enjoyed greater comebacks than Donald Trump.
To understand how much of his insides will always melt at the thought of that Tulsa rally, it’s worth quoting Trump’s fine words just before he boarded Marine One at the White House.
“The event in Oklahoma is unbelievable,” he boasted. “The crowds are unbelievable. They haven’t seen anything like it. And we will go there now. We’ll give a, hopefully, good speech. We’re going to see a lot of great people, a lot of great friends. And pretty much, that’s it. OK?”
Trump got punked by several hundred thousand TikTok users, organized by a grandmother in Fort Dodge, Iowa
We really haven’t seen anything like that. For a man who loves peddling superlatives, this was the worst measure of his oh-so-sad popularity. The lowest point in electoral incompetence. The saddest campaign fiasco.
The event in Oklahoma was literally unbelievable if you believe that the Trump campaign is competent, and that Trump himself is actually popular. That’s the weird thing about our populist president: his approval ratings have never cracked 50% and are now stuck firmly in the low 40s. Perhaps that’s why he’s trailing Joe Biden by double-digits in recent polls.
As Trump likes to say: Pretty much, that’s it. At least it is for everyone grifting at the Trump campaign. Especially Brad Parscale, the Ferrari-driving manager who went from website builder to social media genius in 2016 but who now faces an imminent return to his website-building career, after predicting a monster rally in Tulsa.
Parscale bragged about “over 1m ticket requests” earlier this week, a number he was so confident about that he built an outdoor event stage for Trump to talk to the massive overflow crowd. That was the day after Parscale tweeted about the “biggest data haul and rally signup of all time by 10x. Saturday is going to be amazing!”
Brad, it was indeed amazing. You got punked by several hundred thousand TikTok users, organized by a grandmother in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Mary Jo Laupp was apparently so upset by the original date and place of Trump’s rally – the city where one of America’s worst racist massacres took place, in 1921 – that she asked people to sign up for the rally and not show up.
Laupp only joined TikTok earlier this year, but her call connected with thousands of K-Pop fans who are what Trump might call a silent majority.
Trump knows as much about Korean pop as he does about the Tulsa massacre and Juneteenth, the original date of his epic comeback rally. Of course he had to ask a black Secret Service agent to explain the meaning of Juneteenth, the holiday marking the emancipation of enslaved people.
“I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.”
As it happened, nobody has ever heard of Trump’s comeback either. That’s in Oklahoma, a state he won by 36 points in 2016. A state no Democratic presidential nominee has won since 1964.
Perhaps the Secret Service could do Trump another favor by explaining how his official excuse for the miserable crowds is even more laughable than all that bragging about MAGA fans.
“Sadly protesters interfered with supporters, even blocking access to the metal detectors, which prevented people from entering the rally,” said Tim Murtaugh, a campaign spokesman who should urgently seek alternative employment.
CNN reporters estimated there were around 175 protesters in Tulsa, so few, in fact, that the sidewalks were clear. Pool reporters traveling with the presidential motorcade said they saw no protesters or supporters en route.
This is the second time in one week that Trump has blown up his own campaign. If the geniuses running his train-wreck of a re-election had any argument against Biden it was this: Biden was soft on China and too unpopular to build a crowd.
But then came John Bolton’s book, revealing Trump’s bootlicking approach to being tough on China. Trump told Xi Jinping he was the greatest leader in Chinese history, which is quite a long time, according to the Secret Service.
Then the campaign was readying the most awesome contrast between the Tulsa rally and Biden’s socially-distanced campaigning. “Barely There Biden” was supposed to be the sequel to “Beijing Biden”.
There’s something else that’s barely there: Trump supporters.
Supporters listen to Trump speak. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
To be fair, if they weren’t discouraged by the many dozens of protesters, Trump’s multitude of Maga-heads might have been discouraged by the pandemic that is now surging in, um, Tulsa.
The Trump White House and campaign would love its fans to pretend the pandemic has disappeared, like a miracle, just as Trump said it would. Sadly six of their own staffers tested positive for the virus on the day of the Tulsa rally, so this is a miracle that is moving as quickly as a president shuffling down a ramp.
Trump told the crowd at great length why he couldn’t possibly walk down a ramp unaided. He even re-enacted his walk down the deadly incline. He also treated them to a long excuse about why he couldn’t hold a glass of water with one hand. It apparently has something to do with protecting his expensive silk tie. Man of the people, that Trump guy.
Just as well he didn’t try to heal the nation’s racial divide. He might have tried to re-enact something far worse.
For the half-filled arena (capacity 19,000), it was hardly worth risking infection for this mask-free, fact-free and momentum-free event.
“I wish they would spread out a bit,” said CNN’s doctor-in-chief Sanjay Gupta. “It looks like they have the space to do so.”
Soon there will be even more space freed up at Trump’s campaign headquarters. Team Trump: don’t bother planning another rally. You are about to lose your job.


theguardian--2020-06-21--Trump calls coronavirus 'kung flu' and says he slowed testing – video

Donald Trump calls the coronavirus 'kung flu ' and 'the Chinese virus ' during a campaign rally in Tulsa , @ @ @ @ @ .
The US president also tells the crowd that he had asked his people to @ @ @ @ @ the country because it would find more cases

Donald Trump calls the coronavirus 'kung flu' and 'the Chinese virus' during a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday night. The US president also tells the crowd that he had asked his people to slow down Covid-19 testing across the country because it would find more cases


theguardian--2020-06-22--Trump and Navarro condemn John Bolton's China claim

The White House fired back at John Bolton on Sunday , seeking to rubbish a key claim in the former national security adviser ’ s bombshell new book , that Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping , the Chinese president , for help in winning re-election .
“ I never heard that , ” trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Sunday morning , echoing remarks by US trade representative Robert Lighthizer .
“ I was in the room.
” Bolton ’ s book , The Room Where It Happened , is based on notes taken in a series of rooms during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s third national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019 .
“ I hate the title of that book , ” Navarro said .
“ But I was in those rooms too.
” Trump also rubbished Bolton ’ s claim in an interview with Axios recorded on Friday and released on Sunday evening .
“ Remember , ” the president said , “ when I ’ m dealing with [ Xi ] , the whole room is loaded up with people .
We ’ re in a large room with many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want to say a thing like that.
” Trump also said he did not “ even know if that would be wrong ” , but added : “ Why would I say a thing like that ?
And I certainly wouldn ’ t say it anyway , but I certainly wouldn ’ t say it in a room full of people.
” Bolton claims Trump ’ s request was evidence of impeachable conduct similar to but well beyond the president ’ s approaches to Ukraine , for political dirt on Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dock in the Senate .
On Saturday , a judge in Washington declined the administration ’ s attempt to block publication on Tuesday , but had harsh words for Bolton ’ s conduct and treatment of sensitive material .
Trump indicated that a civil suit to seize all profits from the book will continue , and hinted at criminal prosecution .
One policy hawk attacking another , Navarro said in a combative appearance on CNN ’ s State of the Union : “ That guy should be turning in his seersucker suit for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Bolton “ will not only not get the profits from that book , but he risks a jail sentence .
He has done something that is very , very serious in terms of American national security , and he ’ s got to pay a price for that.
” Bolton writes that direct quotes from the conversation with Xi were redacted from his book to satisfy its national security review .
But Vanity Fair has since reported that during a dinner at a G20 summit in Japan in 2019 , Trump told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I will probably win anyway , so don ’ t hurt my farms … Buy a lot of soybeans and wheat and make sure we win.
” Navarro insisted the explosive allegation was “ just silly ” , because “ this president has been the toughest president on China of any American president ever ” .
Trump told Axios “ What I told everybody we deal with – not just President Xi – I want them to do business with this country .
I want them to do a lot more business @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way , what ’ s good for the country is good for me .
What ’ s good for the country is also good for an election.
” As fallout from the book deepens , Bolton told the ABC he would not vote for Trump at the November election .
“ I hope ( history ) will remember him as a one-term president who didn ’ t plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral we can ’ t recall from .
We can get over one term - I have absolute confidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the miracle of a conservative Republican being elected in November .
Two terms , I ’ m more troubled about.
” Bolton also writes that Trump expressed approval of Xi ’ s policy of building concentration camps to detain Uighur and other Muslim minorities , a claim which has proved another lightning rod for controversy .
Trump told Axios he had not sanctioned China over the camps , agreed by world bodies to be a gross human rights abuse , because “ we were in the middle of a major trade deal ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal , ” he said , “ $ 250bn potentially worth of purchases .
And by the way , they ’ re buying a lot , you probably have seen .
“ And when you ’ re in the middle of a negotiation and then all of a sudden you start throwing additional sanctions on – we ’ ve done a lot .
I put tariffs on China , which are far worse than any sanction you can think of .
”

The White House fired back at John Bolton on Sunday, seeking to rubbish a key claim in the former national security adviser’s bombshell new book, that Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, for help in winning re-election.
“I never heard that,” trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Sunday morning, echoing remarks by US trade representative Robert Lighthizer. “I was in the room.”
Bolton’s book, The Room Where It Happened, is based on notes taken in a series of rooms during Bolton’s spell as Trump’s third national security adviser from April 2018 to September 2019.
“I hate the title of that book,” Navarro said. “But I was in those rooms too.”
Trump also rubbished Bolton’s claim in an interview with Axios recorded on Friday and released on Sunday evening.
“Remember,” the president said, “when I’m dealing with [Xi], the whole room is loaded up with people. We’re in a large room with many people in that room. I wouldn’t want to say a thing like that.”
Trump also said he did not “even know if that would be wrong”, but added: “Why would I say a thing like that? And I certainly wouldn’t say it anyway, but I certainly wouldn’t say it in a room full of people.”
Bolton claims Trump’s request was evidence of impeachable conduct similar to but well beyond the president’s approaches to Ukraine, for political dirt on Joe Biden, which eventually landed him in the dock in the Senate.
On Saturday, a judge in Washington declined the administration’s attempt to block publication on Tuesday, but had harsh words for Bolton’s conduct and treatment of sensitive material.
Trump indicated that a civil suit to seize all profits from the book will continue, and hinted at criminal prosecution.
One policy hawk attacking another, Navarro said in a combative appearance on CNN’s State of the Union: “That guy should be turning in his seersucker suit for a jumpsuit.”
He added a prediction that Bolton “will not only not get the profits from that book, but he risks a jail sentence. He has done something that is very, very serious in terms of American national security, and he’s got to pay a price for that.”
Bolton writes that direct quotes from the conversation with Xi were redacted from his book to satisfy its national security review. But Vanity Fair has since reported that during a dinner at a G20 summit in Japan in 2019, Trump told Xi: “Make sure I win. I will probably win anyway, so don’t hurt my farms … Buy a lot of soybeans and wheat and make sure we win.”
Navarro insisted the explosive allegation was “just silly”, because “this president has been the toughest president on China of any American president ever”.
Trump told Axios “What I told everybody we deal with – not just President Xi – I want them to do business with this country. I want them to do a lot more business with this country.
“By the way, what’s good for the country is good for me. What’s good for the country is also good for an election.”
As fallout from the book deepens, Bolton told the ABC he would not vote for Trump at the November election.
“I hope (history) will remember him as a one-term president who didn’t plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral we can’t recall from. We can get over one term - I have absolute confidence, even if it’s not the miracle of a conservative Republican being elected in November. Two terms, I’m more troubled about.”
Bolton also writes that Trump expressed approval of Xi’s policy of building concentration camps to detain Uighur and other Muslim minorities, a claim which has proved another lightning rod for controversy.
Trump told Axios he had not sanctioned China over the camps, agreed by world bodies to be a gross human rights abuse, because “we were in the middle of a major trade deal”.
“And I made a great deal,” he said, “$250bn potentially worth of purchases. And by the way, they’re buying a lot, you probably have seen.
“And when you’re in the middle of a negotiation and then all of a sudden you start throwing additional sanctions on – we’ve done a lot. I put tariffs on China, which are far worse than any sanction you can think of.”


theguardian--2020-06-21--Trump plans border visit and speech in aftermath of Tulsa rally flop – as it happened

Nascar ’ s ban of the Confederate flag got off to a checkered start with Sunday afternoon ’ s Geico 500 at Alabama ’ s Talladega Superspeedway , which marked the first large-scale sporting event in the United States to allow fans to attend since the start of the coronavirus outbreak .
The Cup series race was the first Nascar event with spectators since it banned the Confederate flag from its properties earlier this month , formally distancing itself from what for many is a symbol of slavery and racism that had been a familiar sight at stock car events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was hard to gauge the effect of the ban with only 5,000 fans allowed into a venue that can accommodate upwards of 100,000 , at least one faraway spectator made their stance clear : a plane circled above the superspeedway with the message DEFUND NASCAR trailing behind it .
As Guardian contributor Andrew Lawrence has written , enforcement is the big question when it comes to the flag ban .
Nascar , for its part , has not disclosed how it will handle attendees flying the stars ‘ n bars , nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campgrounds and tailgates that are as much a part of the Nascar experience as the races themselves .
And yet : I can ’ t help but wonder – what does enforcement of this new policy even look like ?
You know , when spectators are actually allowed back on-site ?
A Nascar race , after all , is a sprawling spectacle that attracts stars ‘ n bars enthusiasts by the tens of thousands .
Even if a track ’ s army of blue-haired volunteers manages to turn back a few of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still acres of grassy parking space around the track for rebel tailgaters to let their freak flag fly .
You ’ re telling me the local police who are regularly tasked with keeping the peace at races are gon na be the ones hauling off these tailgaters kicking and screaming ?
Nascar ’ s enforcement problem was underscored by the group of roughly two dozen protesters on pickup trucks and wagons with Confederate flags flying from the back who drove back and forth along Speedway Boulevard outside the venue in defiance of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been pushed to death and we are tired of it , ” Alabama native Charles Burdette , who organized the demonstration , told Kickin ’ the Tires .
“ Nascar is going to be a thing of the past .
They are taking everything out for what it stands for .
It was put together by rednecks , moonshiners and hillbillies.
” The green flag for Sunday ’ s race was delayed for several hours due to heavy rain and lightning in the area , then postponed until Monday afternoon .

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

21 Jun 2020 22.42 BST The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a further 32,411 coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 2,248,029. This marks the third straight day with total new cases exceeding 30,000 after more than a week of the daily count holding between 19,000 and 28,000. The number of deaths has risen by 560 to 119,615. The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.
21 Jun 2020 22.15 BST Seattle police on Sunday continued to pursue their investigation of a shooting in a park in the city’s protest zone which left a 19-year-old man dead and another person critically injured. No arrests had been made, the AP reported. The shooting occurred at about 2.30am on Saturday in an area near downtown known as Chaz, for “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone”. The zone, an area cordoned off by protesters, evolved after weeks of protests over police brutality and racism following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. According to a police blog, officers responding to the shooting said they “were met by a violent crowd that prevented officers safe access to the victims”. Video released by police appeared to show officers arriving at the protest zone saying they wanted to get to the victim and entering as people yelled that the victim was already gone. Police mostly retreated from the zone after clashes with protesters, KIRO-TV reported. Private vehicles took two males with gunshot wounds to Harborview Medical Center, where the 19-year-old died and the other was in critical condition in intensive care. Seattle Chaz shooting: police say violent crowd prevented access to victims Read more
21 Jun 2020 21.53 BST Nascar’s ban of the Confederate flag got off to a checkered start with Sunday afternoon’s Geico 500 at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway, which marked the first large-scale sporting event in the United States to allow fans to attend since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. The Cup series race was the first Nascar event with spectators since it banned the Confederate flag from its properties earlier this month, formally distancing itself from what for many is a symbol of slavery and racism that had been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years. While it was hard to gauge the effect of the ban with only 5,000 fans allowed into a venue that can accommodate upwards of 100,000, at least one faraway spectator made their stance clear: a plane circled above the superspeedway with the message DEFUND NASCAR trailing behind it. A banner flies behind a plane that says ‘DEFUND NASCAR’ at Talladega Superspeedway. Photograph: Marvin Gentry/USA Today Sports As Guardian contributor Andrew Lawrence has written, enforcement is the big question when it comes to the flag ban. Nascar, for its part, has not disclosed how it will handle attendees flying the stars ‘n bars, nor any policy for Confederate standards in the campgrounds and tailgates that are as much a part of the Nascar experience as the races themselves. And yet: I can’t help but wonder – what does enforcement of this new policy even look like? You know, when spectators are actually allowed back on-site? A Nascar race, after all, is a sprawling spectacle that attracts stars ‘n bars enthusiasts by the tens of thousands. Even if a track’s army of blue-haired volunteers manages to turn back a few of these rebels at the gate, there are still acres of grassy parking space around the track for rebel tailgaters to let their freak flag fly. You’re telling me the local police who are regularly tasked with keeping the peace at races are gonna be the ones hauling off these tailgaters kicking and screaming? Nascar’s enforcement problem was underscored by the group of roughly two dozen protesters on pickup trucks and wagons with Confederate flags flying from the back who drove back and forth along Speedway Boulevard outside the venue in defiance of the ban. Protesters of Nascar banning the Confederate flag cruise down Speedway Boulevard prior to the race on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. Photograph: Marvin Gentry/USA Today Sports “Our southern heritage has been pushed to death and we are tired of it,” Alabama native Charles Burdette, who organized the demonstration, told Kickin’ the Tires. “Nascar is going to be a thing of the past. They are taking everything out for what it stands for. It was put together by rednecks, moonshiners and hillbillies.” The green flag for Sunday’s race was delayed for several hours due to heavy rain and lightning in the area, then postponed until Monday afternoon.
Nascar sees banned Confederate flags outside, and above, Talladega racetrack Read more
Updated at 22.51 BST
21 Jun 2020 21.25 BST As Donald Trump’s reelection campaign has worked overtime to spin Saturday night’s Tulsa debacle in its favor, Fox News anchor Chris Wallace proved an unaccommodating dance partner on Sunday morning. The veteran newsman repeatedly pushed back at Trump campaign adviser Mercedes Schlapp’s excuses for Saturday’s poor turnout in an interview on Fox News Sunday, noting the BOK Arena was far from packed to capacity, as breathlessly promised throughout the run-up, and that an overflow crowd stage event outside the building was canceled. After boasting of the sizable digital audience for the campaign reboot and large (and perhaps artificially inflated) number of RSVPs for tickets, Schlapp went on to blame protesters blocking entrances and metal detectors for preventing people from entering the rally – a theory Wallace calmly punctured. “He didn’t fill an arena last night,” Wallace said. “And you guys were so far off that you had planned an outdoor rally and there wasn’t an overflow crowd and watching the coverage and talking to [Fox News correspondent] Mark Meredith on the ground today, protesters did not stop people from coming to that rally.” From there Schlapp rapidly pivoted to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, saying: “I’d love to see a Joe Biden rally. Let’s bring it on, because there is no comparison. The phenomenon of the rally came because of President Trump, and people came out. Those people that knew that they wanted to be there physically present with the president. They joined us, and they’re family-oriented individuals who wanted to come out and be with us.” To which Wallace responded: “Mercedes, please don’t filibuster. We’re showing pictures here and it shows big, empty areas. Frankly, it makes you guys look silly when you deny the reality of what happened.”
Updated at 21.25 BST
21 Jun 2020 20.51 BST White House confirms Trump will tour border wall construction on Tuesday The White House has confirmed Donald Trump will visit the Arizona border on Tuesday to commemorate the completion of 200 miles of wall along America’s southern border with Mexico. This wil mark Trump’s second visit in as many months to Arizona, which has emerged as a key battleground state ahead of the November general election. Trump’s visit comes at a time when coronavirus cases in Arizona have nearly doubled in the last two weeks. Arizona health officials reported 2,592 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 52,390. On 7 June, the state reported 26,989 total cases, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally. Following a stopover in Yuma to inspect the long-promised border wall, Trump will head to Phoenix to deliver “an address to young Americans”. “The President promised to build a strong border wall system and he continues to deliver on his promises,” the White House said last week in a statement. “His Administration continues to take bold, decisive action to safeguard our nation. A strong border system also combats the heinous human trafficking and exploitation of children and vulnerable populations by cartels.”
21 Jun 2020 20.28 BST Oklahoma health officials have reported a new daily record for coronavirus cases on Sunday, one day after Donald Trump’s much-ballyhooed comeback rally at an indoor arena in Tulsa. The state’s department of health said there were 478 new cases in the last 24-hour period, bringing the statewide total to 10,515. Health department officials reported one virus-related death on Sunday, raising the overall toll to 369. Daily counts of new virus cases in the United States are the highest they’ve been in more than a month, but public health experts say “second wave” is probably the wrong term to describe what’s happening. “When you have 20,000-plus infections per day, how can you talk about a second wave?” said Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and key member of the White House coronavirus taskforce. “We’re in the first wave.”
21 Jun 2020 20.02 BST The family of Tom Petty has issued a formal cease and desist letter to the Donald Trump campaign over its use of his song I Won’t Back Down at Saturday night’s rally in Tulsa. In a statement posted on Twitter, Adria, Annakim, Dana and Jane Petty said the US president was “in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense left behind”. They said the late musician and his family “firmly stand against racism and discrimination of any kind. Tom Petty would not want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together”. pic.twitter.com/mxToRoHWNn — Tom Petty (@tompetty) June 21, 2020 Petty’s family declared their support for America and for democracy, but said “Donald Trump is not representing the noble ideals of either. We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage”. Back in 2000, Petty himself issued an eerily similar notice to then-candidate George W Bush when he used I Won’t Back Down on the campaign trail, claiming his use of the song implied an endorsement.
Updated at 20.08 BST
21 Jun 2020 19.37 BST New York City is set to enter phase two of reopening on Monday, which includes the return of outdoor dining, offices, in-store retail, hair salons and barbershops, real estate services, houses of worship as well as car sales and rentals. Anything indoors will include reduced capacity, social distancing and mandatory facemask compliance. “The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t over, and as we reopen New York safely and incrementally, the state government will continue to provide timely information so that New Yorkers can make educated decisions for themselves and their families,” New York governor Andrew Cuomo said. “Yesterday, less than 1 percent of COVID-19 tests conducted in the state were positive, which means we continue to be on the right path toward defeating the virus.” The state reported 664 new coronavirus cases on Sunday from 67,526 tests administered, a positive rate of less than 1%.


theguardian--2020-06-21--Peter Navarro: Trump call to slow Covid-19 testing was 'tongue-in-cheek'

White House adviser Peter Navarro claimed Donald Trump was being “ tongue-in-cheek ” when he claimed to have asked public health officials to slow down coronavirus testing .
Trump made the remark at a campaign rally in Tulsa , Oklahoma , on Saturday evening .
On Sunday , Navarro also told CNN ’ s Jake Tapper he “ did not hear me wrong ” when he claimed without foundation that the “ virus was a product of the Chinese Communist party ” .
“ China created this pandemic , ” the trade adviser said .
“ They hid the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they sent over hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens here to spread that around and around the world .
“ Whether they did that on purpose , that ’ s an open question .
But that ’ s a fact.
” Experts agree Covid-19 originated in Wuhan province , most likely in a market where live animals are sold .
Trump and allies have sought to blame China for the spread of the virus , some advancing the conspiracy theory that it was created in a military lab .
Navarro told CNN : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I wrote called The Coming China Wars .
On page 150 , I predicted that China would create a viral pandemic that could possibly kill millions .
“ Why did I do that at the time ?
Because the whole structure of that authoritarian , repressive , non-transparent society is geared towards giving us exactly what they given us , which is a pandemic.
” As the Guardian reported in April , Navarro “ was first recruited by Trump because he wrote a string of books about the Chinese strategic threat – one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent almost no time in the country and having no grasp of the language .
“ Five of Navarro ’ s books cited a China hand with a particularly pithy turn of phrase called Ron Vara , who turned out not to exist .
The name is an anagram of Navarro and the imaginary expert operated as an alter ego , confirming the author ’ s views.
” Navarro ’ s latest comments about China were as incendiary as Trump ’ s remarks about testing were , to many , alarming .
Experts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US may face a second wave of infections , but only because the first isn ’ t over .
“ When you have 20,000-plus infections per day , how can you talk about a second wave ?
” Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told the Associated Press .
“ We ’ re in the first wave .
Let ’ s get out of the first wave before you have a second wave.
” According to Johns Hopkins University , the US has confirmed more than 2.2m cases and nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are believed to be higher .
New cases have shown sudden rises in several states , but not just due to testing – many states , most Republican-led are seeking to reopen from lockdown .
The wearing of masks and other public health guidelines has become a political fault line , with many Americans refusing to follow such advice .
Saturday ’ s rally in Tulsa took place amid climbing case numbers in Oklahoma and against pleas from local health officials not to stage the event at all .
Six campaign staffers tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the “ bad part ” of widespread testing is that it leads to logging more cases .
The president had already used racist language aimed at China , referring to Covid-19 as “ kung flu ” .
He then described testing as a “ double-edged sword ” .
The US had now tested 25 million people , far more than other countries , Trump said , adding : “ When you do testing to that extent , you ’ re gon na find more people , you ’ re gon na find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my people slow the testing down.
” Navarro insisted Trump ’ s comment was “ tongue in cheek ” and made in a “ light moment ” .
To Tapper ’ s contention that “ a deadly pandemic , where almost 120,000 Americans ” have died might not be “ really a good subject for a light moment ” , Navarro said : “ He takes that absolutely seriously.
” On Sunday , Oklahoma reported a record number of new cases , at 478 .
The state ’ s previous record of 450 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set on Thursday .
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized Trump for putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans .
House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president was “ ethically unfit and intellectually unprepared to lead ” .
Also on CNN , Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms , a potential Biden running mate , said : “ This is no time to joke .
Even if it were a joke , which it was not , it was an inappropriate joke .
Do you think the people , the 120,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loved ones thought it was funny ?
” Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf told NBC ’ s Meet the Press the White House coronavirus taskforce is working with governors to make sure the US “ can open up this economy in a safe and reasonable way ” .
“ I think that ’ s what we ’ re seeing , ” he said .
Wolf told CBS ’ s Face the Nation the task force was “ on top of all of these outbreaks ” , including in Arizona , Texas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spots ” .
The administration , he said , had sent medical equipment , staff and personnel to assist with reopening efforts .
Bottoms also condemned Trump for staging his rally in Tulsa , the site of a historic race massacre , after a month of protests and civil unrest over racism and police brutality , subjects he skipped entirely during his speech .
“ That rally was an embarrassment , ” she said .
“ It was absolutely what the nation does not need right now .
He did not speak about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the racial tensions that are happening across our country .
“ Instead , he does what he always does .
He continues to try and divide us and really inflames the worst in people .
And so I just hope that this is a good sign that the country is moving on from him .
”

White House adviser Peter Navarro claimed Donald Trump was being “tongue-in-cheek” when he claimed to have asked public health officials to slow down coronavirus testing.
Trump made the remark at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, Navarro also told CNN’s Jake Tapper he “did not hear me wrong” when he claimed without foundation that the “virus was a product of the Chinese Communist party”.
“China created this pandemic,” the trade adviser said. “They hid the virus. They created that virus. And they sent over hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens here to spread that around and around the world.
“Whether they did that on purpose, that’s an open question. But that’s a fact.”
Experts agree Covid-19 originated in Wuhan province, most likely in a market where live animals are sold. Trump and allies have sought to blame China for the spread of the virus, some advancing the conspiracy theory that it was created in a military lab.
Navarro told CNN: “In 2006, in a book I wrote called The Coming China Wars. On page 150, I predicted that China would create a viral pandemic that could possibly kill millions.
“Why did I do that at the time? Because the whole structure of that authoritarian, repressive, non-transparent society is geared towards giving us exactly what they given us, which is a pandemic.”
As the Guardian reported in April, Navarro “was first recruited by Trump because he wrote a string of books about the Chinese strategic threat – one called Death by China – despite having spent almost no time in the country and having no grasp of the language.
“Five of Navarro’s books cited a China hand with a particularly pithy turn of phrase called Ron Vara, who turned out not to exist. The name is an anagram of Navarro and the imaginary expert operated as an alter ego, confirming the author’s views.”
Navarro’s latest comments about China were as incendiary as Trump’s remarks about testing were, to many, alarming. Experts have sought to dampen fears that the US may face a second wave of infections, but only because the first isn’t over.
“When you have 20,000-plus infections per day, how can you talk about a second wave?” Dr Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health told the Associated Press. “We’re in the first wave. Let’s get out of the first wave before you have a second wave.”
According to Johns Hopkins University, the US has confirmed more than 2.2m cases and nearly 120,000 Covid-19 deaths. The real numbers are believed to be higher.
New cases have shown sudden rises in several states, but not just due to testing – many states, most Republican-led are seeking to reopen from lockdown. The wearing of masks and other public health guidelines has become a political fault line, with many Americans refusing to follow such advice.
Saturday’s rally in Tulsa took place amid climbing case numbers in Oklahoma and against pleas from local health officials not to stage the event at all. Six campaign staffers tested positive, but in his speech Trump said the “bad part” of widespread testing is that it leads to logging more cases.
The president had already used racist language aimed at China, referring to Covid-19 as “kung flu”. He then described testing as a “double-edged sword”. The US had now tested 25 million people, far more than other countries, Trump said, adding: “When you do testing to that extent, you’re gonna find more people, you’re gonna find more cases. So I said to my people slow the testing down.”
Navarro insisted Trump’s comment was “tongue in cheek” and made in a “light moment”. To Tapper’s contention that “a deadly pandemic, where almost 120,000 Americans” have died might not be “really a good subject for a light moment”, Navarro said: “He takes that absolutely seriously.”
On Sunday, Oklahoma reported a record number of new cases, at 478. The state’s previous record of 450 new cases in a day, was set on Thursday.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized Trump for putting politics ahead of the safety and health of Americans. House speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president was “ethically unfit and intellectually unprepared to lead”.
Also on CNN, Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a potential Biden running mate, said: “This is no time to joke. Even if it were a joke, which it was not, it was an inappropriate joke. Do you think the people, the 120,000 families out there who are missing their loved ones thought it was funny?”
Acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf told NBC’s Meet the Press the White House coronavirus taskforce is working with governors to make sure the US “can open up this economy in a safe and reasonable way”.
“I think that’s what we’re seeing,” he said.
Wolf told CBS’s Face the Nation the task force was “on top of all of these outbreaks”, including in Arizona, Texas, Florida and other states “having hot spots”. The administration, he said, had sent medical equipment, staff and personnel to assist with reopening efforts.
Bottoms also condemned Trump for staging his rally in Tulsa, the site of a historic race massacre, after a month of protests and civil unrest over racism and police brutality, subjects he skipped entirely during his speech.
“That rally was an embarrassment,” she said. “It was absolutely what the nation does not need right now. He did not speak about healing. He did not recognize any of the racial tensions that are happening across our country.
“Instead, he does what he always does. He continues to try and divide us and really inflames the worst in people. And so I just hope that this is a good sign that the country is moving on from him.”


theguardian--2020-06-21--Brad Parscale faces Trump 'fury' after Tulsa comeback rally flops

Donald Trump ’ s campaign manager , Brad Parscale , was under pressure on Sunday after claiming hundreds of thousands of people had applied for tickets to the president ’ s return to the campaign trail in Tulsa , only for the rally to attract a sparse crowd .
At the BOK Center in the Oklahoma city on Saturday night , as the president took the stage to give his first campaign speech since the Covid-19 pandemic put large parts of America under lockdown , vast banks of empty seats could be seen .
The Tulsa fire department said 6,200 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12,000 .
The arena holds 19,000 .
The campaign had built an “ overflow ” stage outside the BOK Center , to host brief remarks by Trump and Mike Pence .
Those speeches were cancelled .
Trump ’ s demeanour on returning to Washington was widely scrutinised .
He was initially quiet on Twitter on Sunday but the president was reported to be “ furious ” at the “ underwhelming ” event , which followed a week of controversy about whether it should even be held .
According to NBC , Trump was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left DC , aides made public that six members of team in Tulsa tested positive for Covid-19 ” .
CNN reported that the president ’ s daughter and son-in-law , Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner , were “ pissed ” that Parscale had promised huge crowds .
Trump also claimed this week that more than a million people wanted to attend his rally .
In a statement , Parscale blamed the low attendance on “ a week ’ s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said “ coupled with recent images of American cities on fire , had a real impact on people bringing their families and children to the rally ” .
He then appeared to threaten to rescind accreditation for journalists critical of the Trump campaign .
“ For the media to now celebrate the fear that they helped create is disgusting , but typical , ” he said .
“ And it makes us wonder why we bother credentialing media for events when they don ’ t do their full jobs as professionals.
” Parscale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the 2016 campaign but pressure has increased as the re-election campaign heats up , with reports of a president furious about polling results and pondering a reorganisation .
Trump trails Joe Biden nationally and in most polls in battleground states .
Rick Wilson , a bestselling author , former Republican consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project , an anti-Trump super pac , was critical of Parscale ’ s approach .
“ Brad broke the first rule of American politics : under promise and over deliver , ” he told the Guardian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depends on the good offices of his patrons inside the Trump camp , and [ Ivanka and Kushner ] are already signaling their displeasure to the media .
“ The only X factor is whether anyone else in Trump ’ s crew of skells [ and ] grifters … has offered to keep the scam running.
” It has been reported that the number of applicants for tickets to Saturday ’ s rally was inflated by young users of the social media platform TikTok applying but then deliberately not attending .
“ Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans in so many ways , and to me , this was the protest I was able to perform , ” Erin Hoffman , an 18-year-old New Yorker , told the New York Times .
The Trump campaign said protesters blocked entrances and metal detectors , preventing people from entering the rally .
However , reporters on the ground including the Guardian ’ s Oliver Laughland said they saw no evidence of such tactics .
As Covid-19 cases in Oklahoma rise , public health officials had warned against holding a large indoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ require attendees to wear masks .
Some observers speculated fear of Covid-19 may have stopped some supporters from attending the rally .

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, was under pressure on Sunday after claiming hundreds of thousands of people had applied for tickets to the president’s return to the campaign trail in Tulsa, only for the rally to attract a sparse crowd.
At the BOK Center in the Oklahoma city on Saturday night, as the president took the stage to give his first campaign speech since the Covid-19 pandemic put large parts of America under lockdown, vast banks of empty seats could be seen.
The Tulsa fire department said 6,200 people attended. The Trump campaign claimed 12,000. The arena holds 19,000.
The campaign had built an “overflow” stage outside the BOK Center, to host brief remarks by Trump and Mike Pence. Those speeches were cancelled.
Trump’s demeanour on returning to Washington was widely scrutinised. He was initially quiet on Twitter on Sunday but the president was reported to be “furious” at the “underwhelming” event, which followed a week of controversy about whether it should even be held. According to NBC, Trump was “particularly angry that before he even left DC, aides made public that six members of team in Tulsa tested positive for Covid-19”.
01:07 Trump calls coronavirus 'kung flu' and says he slowed testing – video
CNN reported that the president’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, were “pissed” that Parscale had promised huge crowds. Trump also claimed this week that more than a million people wanted to attend his rally.
In a statement, Parscale blamed the low attendance on “a week’s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of Covid and protesters”, which he said “coupled with recent images of American cities on fire, had a real impact on people bringing their families and children to the rally”.
He then appeared to threaten to rescind accreditation for journalists critical of the Trump campaign.
“For the media to now celebrate the fear that they helped create is disgusting, but typical,” he said. “And it makes us wonder why we bother credentialing media for events when they don’t do their full jobs as professionals.”
Parscale has been widely credited for his work on the 2016 campaign but pressure has increased as the re-election campaign heats up, with reports of a president furious about polling results and pondering a reorganisation.
Trump trails Joe Biden nationally and in most polls in battleground states.
Rick Wilson, a bestselling author, former Republican consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump super pac, was critical of Parscale’s approach.
Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House after returning from the Tulsa rally. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP
“Brad broke the first rule of American politics: under promise and over deliver,” he told the Guardian. “Brad’s survival now depends on the good offices of his patrons inside the Trump camp, and [Ivanka and Kushner] are already signaling their displeasure to the media.
“The only X factor is whether anyone else in Trump’s crew of skells [and] grifters … has offered to keep the scam running.”
It has been reported that the number of applicants for tickets to Saturday’s rally was inflated by young users of the social media platform TikTok applying but then deliberately not attending.
“Trump has been actively trying to disenfranchise millions of Americans in so many ways, and to me, this was the protest I was able to perform,” Erin Hoffman, an 18-year-old New Yorker, told the New York Times.
The Trump campaign said protesters blocked entrances and metal detectors, preventing people from entering the rally. However, reporters on the ground including the Guardian’s Oliver Laughland said they saw no evidence of such tactics.
As Covid-19 cases in Oklahoma rise, public health officials had warned against holding a large indoor gathering. The Trump campaign did not require attendees to wear masks. Some observers speculated fear of Covid-19 may have stopped some supporters from attending the rally.


theguardian--2020-06-21--Trump 'played' by K-pop fans and TikTok users who disrupted Tulsa rally

K-pop fans and users of TikTok claimed tickets to Donald Trump ’ s Saturday night rally in Tulsa then did not use them , as part of a coordinated effort which helped to leave hundreds of seats empty in a 19,000-capacity venue .
As reported by the New York Times , the scheme stemmed from a 11 June tweet from the Trump campaign promoting free registration online and via cellphones .
The scheme exploded on the TikTok app , where young users implored followers to join in .
“ Trump has been actively trying to disenfranchise millions of Americans in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this was the protest I was able to perform , ” Erin Hoffman , an 18-year-old New Yorker , told the Times , adding that she reserved two tickets and persuaded a parent to book two more .
Following Saturday ’ s abysmal turnout , Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale blamed Black Lives Matter protesters outside the BOK Center for the small crowd , claiming they “ even blocked access to the metal detectors , preventing people from entering ” .
In a statement on Sunday , Parscale rubbished reports of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attendance had been dampened by “ a week ’ s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of Covid and protesters , coupled with recent images of American cities on fire ” .
But politicians and analysts , many with children who participated , confirmed the scheme to disrupt the rally .
“ He was played by young people and K-pop fans who ordered tickets with no intention of going , ” said Joy Reid of MSNBC on air , following Trump ’ s speech .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than a million tickets had been requested , on TikTok , young people shared screenshots of themselves using Tulsa-area zip codes to reserve seats with no intention of showing up .
“ It spread mostly through Alt TikTok , we kept it on the quiet side where people do pranks and a lot of activism , ” one user told the Times .
“ K-pop Twitter and Alt TikTok have a good alliance where they spread information amongst each other very quickly .
They all know the algorithms and how they can boost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Users of the popular social media sites have often sought to thwart conservative campaigning by far-right accounts .
In recent weeks , for example , hashtags supporting “ Blue Lives Matter ” , a movement in support of police officers , were co-opted by fans tweeting memes of famous blue characters like the Smurfs and Captain Planet .
New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez took a shot at Parscale while thanking Korean fans for their diligent trolling .
“ You just got rocked , ” she said , “ by teens on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during Covid .
“ KPop allies , we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice.
” The Trump campaign pushed back , accusing Ocasio-Cortez of encouraging a foreign-owned platform to interfere with US elections and politics .
TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance .
In a statement , Joe Biden ’ s campaign denied playing any role in the social media effort .
“ Donald Trump has abdicated leadership and it is no surprise that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said a spokesman , Andrew Bates .

K-pop fans and users of TikTok claimed tickets to Donald Trump’s Saturday night rally in Tulsa then did not use them, as part of a coordinated effort which helped to leave hundreds of seats empty in a 19,000-capacity venue.
As reported by the New York Times, the scheme stemmed from a 11 June tweet from the Trump campaign promoting free registration online and via cellphones. The scheme exploded on the TikTok app, where young users implored followers to join in.
“Trump has been actively trying to disenfranchise millions of Americans in so many ways, and to me, this was the protest I was able to perform,” Erin Hoffman, an 18-year-old New Yorker, told the Times, adding that she reserved two tickets and persuaded a parent to book two more.
Following Saturday’s abysmal turnout, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale blamed Black Lives Matter protesters outside the BOK Center for the small crowd, claiming they “even blocked access to the metal detectors, preventing people from entering”.
01:07 Trump calls coronavirus 'kung flu' and says he slowed testing – video
In a statement on Sunday, Parscale rubbished reports of the TikTok campaign, criticised reporters and insisted attendance had been dampened by “a week’s worth of the fake news media warning people away from the rally because of Covid and protesters, coupled with recent images of American cities on fire”.
But politicians and analysts, many with children who participated, confirmed the scheme to disrupt the rally.
“He was played by young people and K-pop fans who ordered tickets with no intention of going,” said Joy Reid of MSNBC on air, following Trump’s speech.
As Trump and his campaign gloated that more than a million tickets had been requested, on TikTok, young people shared screenshots of themselves using Tulsa-area zip codes to reserve seats with no intention of showing up.
“It spread mostly through Alt TikTok, we kept it on the quiet side where people do pranks and a lot of activism,” one user told the Times.
“K-pop Twitter and Alt TikTok have a good alliance where they spread information amongst each other very quickly. They all know the algorithms and how they can boost videos to get where they want.”
Users of the popular social media sites have often sought to thwart conservative campaigning by far-right accounts. In recent weeks, for example, hashtags supporting “Blue Lives Matter”, a movement in support of police officers, were co-opted by fans tweeting memes of famous blue characters like the Smurfs and Captain Planet.
New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez took a shot at Parscale while thanking K-pop fans for their diligent trolling.
“You just got rocked,” she said, “by teens on TikTok who … tricked you into believing a million people wanted your white supremacist open mic enough to pack an arena during Covid.
“KPop allies, we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice.”
The Trump campaign pushed back, accusing Ocasio-Cortez of encouraging a foreign-owned platform to interfere with US elections and politics. TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance.
In a statement, Joe Biden’s campaign denied playing any role in the social media effort.
“Donald Trump has abdicated leadership and it is no surprise that his supporters have responded by abandoning him,” said a spokesman, Andrew Bates.