theguardian--2020-09-02--Exclusive: Trump's postal chief ousted brother to win control of family firm, court files allege

Last week , as the Louis DeJoy testified before the House of Representatives about mail slowdowns around the country , the Republican congressman Jim Jordan praised the embattled postmaster general ’ s career as the chief executive of New Breed Logistics , saying DeJoy had an “ amazing record in business ” .
But court documents reviewed by the Guardian allege that as DeJoy expanded his father ’ s shipping company into a logistics empire , he alienated his own family , pushing his brother Dominick out of the company and triggering an acrimonious legal battle with long-lasting consequences .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ insight into how Louis DeJoy came to control the company that made him wealthy and put him in a position to become a top Republican donor and , later , the postmaster general .
A complaint filed by Dominick DeJoy in North Carolina state court in January 2000 alleges that Louis DeJoy : • None forged his brother ’ s signature to establish joint bank accounts in both of their names .
• None forced his brother to sign away his ownership stake in New Breed .
• None restructured New Breed ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profits .
• None concealed evidence of the new ownership structure from his brother .
Family patriarch Dominick DeJoy Sr founded New Breed in 1968 as a small-time trucking concern in New York and New Jersey .
After suffering a debilitating injury in 1977 , he passed control of the company to his sons Dominick Jr and Michael ; Louis , the eldest , was in college at the time , studying to become an accountant .
Dominick did not go to college , instead taking over New Breed ’ s operations after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the following year and became a certified public accountant shortly after , and returned to New York to join his brothers at the helm of their father ’ s company .
For the next decade , Louis was New Breed ’ s chief financial officer , handling the company ’ s bank accounts and tax filings .
Together , the three brothers reincorporated New Breed with Louis as president and each brother owning a third of the company .
They then pushed business outward from the New York area , expanding operations nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; according to the court filing , the brothers only held one in-person board meeting over the course of more than 15 years , despite Dominick and Louis living just a few miles apart in Greensboro .
“ Dominick Jr trusted Louis , believed he was a capable [ accountant ] , and believed that Louis would responsibly look after all three brothers ’ interests , ” said the court filing .
Some time in the 1990s , Louis and his brother Michael allegedly executed a kind of financial shell game to deprive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family business , according to the complaint .
Michael established a new set of holding companies that did business with New Breed ’ s clients , and Louis allegedly told his brother Dominick multiple times that he would be entitled to a third of the proceeds from these new companies .
In fact , according to Dominick ’ s complaint , the new arrangement gave Dominick no equity in the companies whatsoever .
It wasn ’ t until April 1998 , when Louis undertook to reorganize the entire company once again , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he claimed was a scheme to defraud him .
The ownership structure of the reorganized company would reduce Dominick ’ s share in New Breed by more than half , giving him a 15 % stake instead of the one-third stake he thought he had .
According to the court documents , Louis and Michael “ conspired and did force ” Dominick to sign the agreement .
The following year , according to the court documents , Dominick made an even more shocking discovery : Louis had established multiple accounts in his name @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forging Dominick ’ s signature in order to set up accounts of which they were supposedly the joint owners .
Louis then deposited Dominick ’ s New Breed earnings into these accounts and either spent the money on his own personal expenses or funneled it back into New Breed , according to the court documents .
When certain employees tried to send evidence of these fake accounts to Dominick , Louis allegedly sent his own employees to intercept the documents and prevent Dominick from seeing them .
No sooner did Dominick sue Louis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s behalf , demanding Dominick drop his lawsuit .
Court records show that the cases were consolidated in a state business court later that year .
Records also show that the presiding judge arranged in January 2001 for Dominick to depose an employee of Wachovia Securities , a bank that was considering an outside investment in New Breed .
But later that month , just two days before the deposition was scheduled to take place , the brothers reached a confidential settlement and the judge dismissed the case .
Even before Dominick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his relationship with Louis was a contentious one , with the brothers often getting into heated arguments during meetings , according to two people who worked at New Breed .
As tensions rose , Louis and Michael held a board meeting where they voted Dominick out of the company , and later had security escort him from the building .
One person remembered a group of police officers standing outside the door of New Breed headquarters the next day to bar Dominick from coming back into the office .
According to a person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not spoken with either of his two brothers since he left New Breed .
He now lives in La Jolla , California , and leads a small company that produces an “ inertia drive ” propulsion technology that creates a “ constant steady state acceleration force due to an imbalance in angular momentum ” .
Another person familiar with the lawsuit who declined to be named said the resolution of the lawsuit was favorable to Louis .
This person also said that the dispute behind the lawsuit had to do not just with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Breed but also with the brothers ’ competing visions for how the company should grow .
“ I think in the end Dominick wanted to cash out , and Louis was happy for him to cash out , they were just arguing over the price , ” this person said .
But another person who was familiar with the situation said that while Louis was the “ brains ” of the company , Dominick had been the one who had been in charge of building dozens of equipment sorting centers around the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company so valuable to the US Postal Service , which awarded it millions of dollars in logistics contracts over the years .
“ Dominick spent years building out the logistics side , and then once we rolled out all those sites , it was like we didn ’ t need him any more , ” this person said .
“ He was gone pretty soon after that.
” After Dominick ’ s departure , Louis became the controlling shareholder of New Breed rather than one partner among three .
As a result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ XPO Logistics more than a decade later , for a reported price of $ 615m , he got the lion ’ s share of that payout .
If Dominick had still been an equal partner in the company the brothers would have had to split the sale price between them .
It is unclear whether Michael received any money as part of the XPO deal , but for Louis the windfall helped catapult him into the top ranks of Republican donors .
He funneled at least some of this payout to Republican candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Trump campaign alone over the next five years and endearing himself to the party establishment .
The Postal Service ’ s board of governors nominated DeJoy to serve as postmaster general in May after a months-long search spearheaded by the treasury secretary , Steven Mnuchin , according to the New York Times .
Robert Duncan , a former Republican National Committee chairman who Trump appointed to the board of governors in 2017 , was the first to suggest DeJoy for the position .
The board ’ s vice-chairman , longtime postal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a testimony earlier this month that DeJoy “ didn ’ t strike [ him ] as a serious candidate ” for the job .
Williams resigned from the board , whose members are all Trump appointees , when it became clear that the board intended to approve the selection of DeJoy .
Since taking office , DeJoy has been criticized by postal workers , union leaders and Democratic politicians for implementing policies that have slowed down mail delivery , including by limiting overtime work and removing mail-sorting machines from postal stations .
Amid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would suspend some of these changes until after the election , and recent data suggests that service has rebounded in recent weeks , but Democrats in the House of Representatives this week announced their plan to subpoena DeJoy over the changes .
A spokesperson for DeJoy ’ s family foundation said that the postmaster general “ is extremely proud of the logistics and shipping company that he and his leadership team , including family members , built over decades of hard work ” .
The spokesperson said : “ The DeJoy brothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions were dismissed by agreement of all the brothers .
Mr DeJoy continues to honor the terms of the agreement to not disclose additional details .
“ Immediately following the settlement , New Breed began a 15-year period of substantial growth supported by both public and private investors who embraced the company ’ s commitment to the highest standards of financial discipline and ethical operations.
” Dominick declined to comment for this article .
Michael did not respond to multiple requests for comment .

Last week, as Louis DeJoy testified before the House of Representatives about mail slowdowns around the country, the Republican congressman Jim Jordan praised the embattled postmaster general’s career as the chief executive of New Breed Logistics, saying DeJoy had an “amazing record in business”.
But court documents reviewed by the Guardian allege that as DeJoy expanded his father’s shipping company into a logistics empire, he alienated his own family, pushing his brother Dominick out of the company and triggering an acrimonious legal battle with long-lasting consequences. The lawsuit and its outcome provide new insight into how Louis DeJoy came to control the company that made him wealthy and put him in a position to become a top Republican donor and, later, the postmaster general.
A complaint filed by Dominick DeJoy in North Carolina state court in January 2000 alleges that Louis DeJoy:
forged his brother’s signature to establish joint bank accounts in both of their names.
forced his brother to sign away his ownership stake in New Breed.
restructured New Breed’s ownership to exclude Dominick from the profits.
concealed evidence of the new ownership structure from his brother.
Family patriarch Dominick DeJoy Sr founded New Breed in 1968 as a small-time trucking concern in New York and New Jersey. After suffering a debilitating injury in 1977, he passed control of the company to his sons Dominick Jr and Michael; Louis, the eldest, was in college at the time, studying to become an accountant. Dominick did not go to college, instead taking over New Breed’s operations after graduating from high school.
Louis graduated the following year and became a certified public accountant shortly after, and returned to New York to join his brothers at the helm of their father’s company. For the next decade, Louis was New Breed’s chief financial officer, handling the company’s bank accounts and tax filings.
Together, the three brothers reincorporated New Breed with Louis as president and each brother owning a third of the company. They then pushed business outward from the New York area, expanding operations nationwide and moving the headquarters to North Carolina; according to the court filing, the brothers only held one in-person board meeting over the course of more than 15 years, despite Dominick and Louis living just a few miles apart in Greensboro.
“Dominick Jr trusted Louis, believed he was a capable [accountant], and believed that Louis would responsibly look after all three brothers’ interests,” said the court filing.
Some time in the 1990s, Louis and his brother Michael allegedly executed a kind of financial shell game to deprive Dominick Jr of his stake in the family business, according to the complaint. Michael established a new set of holding companies that did business with New Breed’s clients, and Louis allegedly told his brother Dominick multiple times that he would be entitled to a third of the proceeds from these new companies.
Louis allegedly sent his own employees to intercept the documents and prevent Dominick from seeing them
In fact, according to Dominick’s complaint, the new arrangement gave Dominick no equity in the companies whatsoever.
It wasn’t until April 1998, when Louis undertook to reorganize the entire company once again, that Dominick alleges he became aware of what he claimed was a scheme to defraud him. The ownership structure of the reorganized company would reduce Dominick’s share in New Breed by more than half, giving him a 15% stake instead of the one-third stake he thought he had. According to the court documents, Louis and Michael “conspired and did force” Dominick to sign the agreement.
The following year, according to the court documents, Dominick made an even more shocking discovery: Louis had established multiple accounts in his name at local banks and investment trusts, forging Dominick’s signature in order to set up accounts of which they were supposedly the joint owners. Louis then deposited Dominick’s New Breed earnings into these accounts and either spent the money on his own personal expenses or funneled it back into New Breed, according to the court documents. When certain employees tried to send evidence of these fake accounts to Dominick, Louis allegedly sent his own employees to intercept the documents and prevent Dominick from seeing them.
No sooner did Dominick sue Louis than New Breed sued Dominick on Louis’s behalf, demanding Dominick drop his lawsuit. Court records show that the cases were consolidated in a state business court later that year. Records also show that the presiding judge arranged in January 2001 for Dominick to depose an employee of Wachovia Securities, a bank that was considering an outside investment in New Breed. But later that month, just two days before the deposition was scheduled to take place, the brothers reached a confidential settlement and the judge dismissed the case.
Since taking office, DeJoy has been condemned for implementing policies that have slowed down mail delivery. Photograph: Kyle Grillot/AFP/Getty Images
Even before Dominick’s departure from the company, his relationship with Louis was a contentious one, with the brothers often getting into heated arguments during meetings, according to two people who worked at New Breed. As tensions rose, Louis and Michael held a board meeting where they voted Dominick out of the company, and later had security escort him from the building. One person remembered a group of police officers standing outside the door of New Breed headquarters the next day to bar Dominick from coming back into the office.
According to a person familiar with the family, Dominick has not spoken with either of his two brothers since he left New Breed. He now lives in La Jolla, California, and leads a small company that produces an “inertia drive” propulsion technology that creates a “constant steady state acceleration force due to an imbalance in angular momentum”.
Another person familiar with the lawsuit who declined to be named said the resolution of the lawsuit was favorable to Louis. This person also said that the dispute behind the lawsuit had to do not just with Dominick’s financial stake in New Breed but also with the brothers’ competing visions for how the company should grow.
“I think in the end Dominick wanted to cash out, and Louis was happy for him to cash out, they were just arguing over the price,” this person said.
But another person who was familiar with the situation said that while Louis was the “brains” of the company, Dominick had been the one who had been in charge of building dozens of equipment sorting centers around the country. It was these centers that made the company so valuable to the US Postal Service, which awarded it millions of dollars in logistics contracts over the years.
“Dominick spent years building out the logistics side, and then once we rolled out all those sites, it was like we didn’t need him any more,” this person said. “He was gone pretty soon after that.”
After Dominick’s departure, Louis became the controlling shareholder of New Breed rather than one partner among three. As a result, when Louis sold New Breed to XPO Logistics more than a decade later, for a reported price of $615m, he got the lion’s share of that payout. If Dominick had still been an equal partner in the company the brothers would have had to split the sale price between them.
It is unclear whether Michael received any money as part of the XPO deal, but for Louis the windfall helped catapult him into the top ranks of Republican donors. He funneled at least some of this payout to Republican candidates and pacs, donating almost $3m to the Trump campaign alone over the next five years and endearing himself to the party establishment.
The Postal Service’s board of governors nominated DeJoy to serve as postmaster general in May after a months-long search spearheaded by the treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, according to the New York Times. Robert Duncan, a former Republican National Committee chairman who Trump appointed to the board of governors in 2017, was the first to suggest DeJoy for the position.
The board’s vice-chairman, longtime postal executive David Williams, told Congress in a testimony earlier this month that DeJoy “didn’t strike [him] as a serious candidate” for the job. Williams resigned from the board, whose members are all Trump appointees, when it became clear that the board intended to approve the selection of DeJoy.
Since taking office, DeJoy has been criticized by postal workers, union leaders and Democratic politicians for implementing policies that have slowed down mail delivery, including by limiting overtime work and removing mail-sorting machines from postal stations.
Amid intense public pressure, DeJoy recently said he would suspend some of these changes until after the election, and recent data suggests that service has rebounded in recent weeks, but Democrats in the House of Representatives this week announced their plan to subpoena DeJoy over the changes.
A spokesperson for DeJoy’s family foundation said that the postmaster general “is extremely proud of the logistics and shipping company that he and his leadership team, including family members, built over decades of hard work”.
The spokesperson said: “The DeJoy brothers amicably settled these issues and all civil actions were dismissed by agreement of all the brothers. Mr DeJoy continues to honor the terms of the agreement to not disclose additional details.
“Immediately following the settlement, New Breed began a 15-year period of substantial growth supported by both public and private investors who embraced the company’s commitment to the highest standards of financial discipline and ethical operations.”
Dominick declined to comment for this article. Michael did not respond to multiple requests for comment.


theguardian--2020-09-02--Electoral college explained: how Biden faces an uphill battle in the US election

Who elects the US president ?
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ electoral votes a state is assigned somewhat reflects its population , the minimum of three votes per state means that the relative value of electoral votes varies across America .
The least populous states like North and South Dakota and the smaller states of New England are overrepresented because of the required minimum of three electoral votes .
Meanwhile , the states with the most people – California , Texas and Florida – are underrepresented in the electoral college .
Wyoming has one electoral college vote for every 193,000 people , compared with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote per 718,000 people .
This means that each electoral vote in California represents over three times as many people as one in Wyoming .
These disparities are repeated across the country .
Who does it favour ?
Experts have warned that , after returning two presidents that got fewer votes than their opponents since 2000 , the electoral college is flawed .
In 2000 , Al Gore won over half a million more votes than Bush , yet Bush became president after winning Florida by just 537 votes .
Professor George Edwards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University , said : “ The electoral college violates the core tenet of democracy , that all votes count equally and allows the candidate finishing second to win the election .
Why hold an election if we do not care who received the most votes ?
“ At the moment , the electoral college favours Republicans because of the way Republican votes are distributed across the country .
They are more likely to occur in states that are closely divided between the parties.
” Under the winner-takes-all system , the margin of victory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 , Clinton ’ s substantial margins in states such as California and New York failed to earn her enough electoral votes , while close races in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan took Trump over the 270 majority .
As candidates easily win the electoral votes of their solid states , the election plays out in a handful of key battlegrounds .
In 2016 , Trump won six such states - Florida , Iowa , Michigan , Ohio , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – adding 99 electoral votes to his total .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national average .
They are older , have more white voters without college degrees , and often have smaller non-white populations .
These characteristics generally favour Republicans , and made up the base of Trump ’ s votes in 2016 .
For example , 67 % of non-college-educated white people voted for Trump in 2016 .
In all six swing states , this demographic is overrepresented by at least six percentage points more than the national average .
Several alternative systems for electing the president have been proposed and grown in favour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abolish the electoral college .
Two states – Maine and Nebraska – already use a different method of assigning their electoral college votes .
The two “ Senate ” votes go to the state-wide popular vote winner , but the remaining district votes are awarded to the winner of that district .
However , implementing this congressional district method across the country could result in greater bias than the current system .
The popular vote winner could still lose the election , and the distribution of voters would still strongly favour Republicans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) is another option , in which each state would award all of its electoral college votes in line with the national popular vote .
If enough states signed up to this agreement to reach the 270 majority , the candidate who gained the most votes nationwide would always win the presidency .
However , the NPVC has more practical issues .
Professor Norman Williams , from Willamette University , questioned how a nationwide recount would be carried out under the NPVC , and said that partisanship highlighted its major flaws .
Only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but support could simply switch in the future if a Republican candidate faces winning the popular vote but not the presidency .
The NPVC is a solution that would elect the president with the most votes without the difficulty of abolishing the electoral college that is enshrined in the constitution .
In 1787 , the Founding Fathers could not decide on the best system to elect the president .
Some delegates opposed a straight nomination by Congress , while others wanted to limit the influence of a potentially uninformed public and the power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direct popular vote .
The resulting electoral college , with electors acting as intermediaries for their states , is their compromise .
This system also invoked a clause known as the three-fifths compromise between northern and southern delegates , as they debated how slavery would affect a state ’ s representation .
Their agreement was that three-fifths of enslaved individuals ( who could not vote ) would count towards a state ’ s population , awarding a disproportionate amount of power in the electoral college to the southern states .
While the 13th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the three-fifths clause , the impacts of an unbalanced electoral college with unequal representation remain .
The current system is still vulnerable to distorted outcomes through actions such as gerrymandering .
This practice involves precisely redrawing the borders of districts to concentrate support in favour of a party .
The result being abnormally shaped districts that disenfranchise certain groups of voters .
Today , an amendment that would replace the college with a direct national popular vote is seen by many as the fairest electoral system .
According to Professor Edwards III , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to elect the president : add up all the votes and declare the candidate receiving the most votes the winner .
”

Helena Robertson, Ashley Kirk and Frank Hulley-Jones

Who elects the US president?
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.
The unequal distribution of electoral votes
While the number of electoral votes a state is assigned somewhat reflects its population, the minimum of three votes per state means that the relative value of electoral votes varies across America.
The least populous states like North and South Dakota and the smaller states of New England are overrepresented because of the required minimum of three electoral votes. Meanwhile, the states with the most people – California, Texas and Florida – are underrepresented in the electoral college.
Wyoming has one electoral college vote for every 193,000 people, compared with California’s rate of one electoral vote per 718,000 people. This means that each electoral vote in California represents over three times as many people as one in Wyoming. These disparities are repeated across the country.
Who does it favour?
Experts have warned that, after returning two presidents that got fewer votes than their opponents since 2000, the electoral college is flawed.
In 2000, Al Gore won over half a million more votes than Bush, yet Bush became president after winning Florida by just 537 votes. In all, the US has had five presidents who lost the overall popular vote but won the election.
Professor George Edwards III, at Texas A&M University, said: “The electoral college violates the core tenet of democracy, that all votes count equally and allows the candidate finishing second to win the election. Why hold an election if we do not care who received the most votes?
“At the moment, the electoral college favours Republicans because of the way Republican votes are distributed across the country. They are more likely to occur in states that are closely divided between the parties.”
Under the winner-takes-all system, the margin of victory in a state becomes irrelevant. In 2016, Clinton’s substantial margins in states such as California and New York failed to earn her enough electoral votes, while close races in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and Michigan took Trump over the 270 majority.
As candidates easily win the electoral votes of their solid states, the election plays out in a handful of key battlegrounds. In 2016, Trump won six such states - Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – adding 99 electoral votes to his total.
The demographics of these states differ from the national average. They are older, have more white voters without college degrees, and often have smaller non-white populations. These characteristics generally favour Republicans, and made up the base of Trump’s votes in 2016.
For example, 67% of non-college-educated white people voted for Trump in 2016. In all six swing states, this demographic is overrepresented by at least six percentage points more than the national average.
Trump's core demographics are over-represented in swing states The key battlegrounds where Trump was elected in 2016 have a higher percentage of white population than the average US state. Out of these, white non-college-educated are more over-represented than college-educated voters. Lower than average non-white populations favour Republicans. Most of Florida’s Cuban-American community also voted Trump in 2016. These states have larger elderly populations. Older voters have reliably voted Republican in recent elections. Guardian graphic. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014-2018 American community survey five-year estimates
The alternatives
Several alternative systems for electing the president have been proposed and grown in favour, as many seek to change or abolish the electoral college.
Two states – Maine and Nebraska – already use a different method of assigning their electoral college votes. The two “Senate” votes go to the state-wide popular vote winner, but the remaining district votes are awarded to the winner of that district. However, implementing this congressional district method across the country could result in greater bias than the current system. The popular vote winner could still lose the election, and the distribution of voters would still strongly favour Republicans.
The National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC) is another option, in which each state would award all of its electoral college votes in line with the national popular vote. If enough states signed up to this agreement to reach the 270 majority, the candidate who gained the most votes nationwide would always win the presidency.
However, the NPVC has more practical issues. Professor Norman Williams, from Willamette University, questioned how a nationwide recount would be carried out under the NPVC, and said that partisanship highlighted its major flaws. Only Democratic states are currently signed up, but support could simply switch in the future if a Republican candidate faces winning the popular vote but not the presidency.
The NPVC is a solution that would elect the president with the most votes without the difficulty of abolishing the electoral college that is enshrined in the constitution.
The current system is also vulnerable to distorted outcomes through actions such as gerrymandering. This practice involves precisely redrawing the borders of districts to concentrate support in favour of a party. The result being abnormally shaped districts that disenfranchise certain groups of voters.
Today, an amendment that would replace the college with a direct national popular vote is seen by many as the fairest electoral system.
According to Professor Edwards III, “There is only one appropriate way to elect the president: add up all the votes and declare the candidate receiving the most votes the winner.”


theguardian--2020-09-02--The secret to Donald Trump's electoral strategy? Emotion, not policy | Arlie Russell Hochschild

In the grandiose evening finale to the Republican national convention , a dazzling row of illuminated American flags topped with golden eagles stand like soldiers guarding the pillared back side of the White House .
Donald , and Melania , in a flowing , springtime green gown and spike heels , walk grandly down a long red carpet to the center stage .
We hear fiery speeches , soaring notes of God Bless the USA , the cameras panning to dazzling bursts of fireworks which seem to shower the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial .
For many of the 24 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the imperial finale of the four-day Republican convention was magical in every sense .
Pundits ask about “ Trump ’ s strategy ” and search for logic and fact in a campaign platform that does not exist – for the first time in recent memory .
Analysts find logical inconsistencies : Trump proclaims himself the “ law and order president ” while on Fox he compares shooting to golf strokes ; daily dashes off reckless go-get-em tweets ; and seven of his closest advisers – Cohen , Flynn , Manafort , Papadopoulos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been indicted .
He makes misleading statements such as : “ The US has among the lowest case fatality rates of any major country.
” In a video on day two of the convention , Trump is shown congratulating five grateful immigrants who have become American citizens , magically erasing his description of Mexican immigrants as “ rapists ” and “ animals ” and his border policy of caging children .
All of this incoherence leads some analysts to conclude Trump has no strategy .
But he has one .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like magic .
Its aim is to evoke or suppress a range of emotions – fear , depression , anger at “ fake Americans ” , love of “ real Americans ” and , above all , awe of himself .
In pursuit of this strategy , emotion is everything .
Other public figures have used emotional strategies too , of course , but they use them as part of some larger approach or show less gift for it .
But Trump strongly identifies with his chosen target audience – white , fearful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the truth itself as a dramaturgical tool .
He treats reality – climate change , Covid-19 – as just another switch one can turn off or on , like starting the music or cueing the fireworks .
The key targets of his strategy , and the most susceptible to it , are white , older , non-college-educated , evangelical and male .
They live in economically declining rural , rust belt or blue-collar suburban America .
Millions of such white men are insecurely employed , in unsteady webs of family relations , subject @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coal jobs left , ” a 39-year-old , high-school-educated recovering addict , grandson of a coalminer and son of a truck driver from eastern Kentucky , told me a few days ago , “ I felt like the whole town turned into a funeral parlor .
Everyone was bummed.
” He described what he saw coming down the road in front of a women ’ s recovery center where he works as a night watchman .
“ I saw a dad walking beside his five-year-old son who was pedaling his four-wheeler car .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for around here , ” he added .
“ But then I saw their flag ; it had Trump ’ s head on Rambo ’ s body , holding a machine gun , a military helicopter to his side.
” A series of flags and posters carry Trump ’ s magic farther – one poster shows him as Washington bravely crossing the Delaware , eagle on extended arm .
In another , he ’ s standing in a business suit atop a military tank , flag behind him , explosions all about .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ again in a suit , riding a dinosaur , shooting a gun .
Nationwide , compared with men of color or white men with bachelor ’ s degrees , white men without four-year degrees are most likely to feel that their standard of living is worse than that of their parents .
And whatever their race , compared with those with college degrees or more , men with high school educations or less are three times as likely to say the American dream is “ out of reach ” .
Especially now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this group craves to lift shame off themselves , blame protesters , immigrants and the left , and seek promise in magical solutions .
The convention spectacle seemed to speak to them .
Trump especially evokes the emotions on the two sides of law and order .
On one side , he invites compassion for Mark and Patricia McCloskey of St Louis , who , fearful for their suburban home , drew guns on trespassing Black Lives Matter marchers who broke their iron gate .
Their home , their suburb , their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the other side , he stirs the image of the – tacitly male , uniformed – heroic protector of the McCloskeys of America .
Or would-be protector .
On day four , the convention featured Madison Cawthorn , a partly paralyzed 25-year-old Republican politician from North Carolina .
Looking back five years , Cawthorn described “ feeling hopeless ” .
Then , he rose from his wheelchair , with help , to get on his feet to salute the flag .
For those who have felt hopeless too , his effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost entirely sidesteps the black and white rage at the murder of George Floyd and others .
“ I ’ m not here to receive or address your anger and grief , ” he seems to say .
Indeed , he seems to propose a tacit emotional division of labor between the two political parties .
“ I ’ ll lead Republicans in avoiding the task of listening to that rage , fear and despair , ” he says , in effect , while offering no concrete plan to address the underlying cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party be the compassionate social workers , while we Republicans bravely guard America from endlessly haranguing marauders with darker skin .
Meanwhile , on that final evening on the South Lawn , 1,500 of the president ’ s elite supporters , dazzled by the spectacle , sat mostly maskless , unprotected from a virus against which the second amendment is no help .
Magically passing over the 6,000,000 Americans who have contracted Covid and the 180,000 who have died in the trenches of this ill-gotten war , Trump threw all caution to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Covid-19 like those timid scientists , he seemed to say .
Be bold .
Be fearless .
Take your Covid-19 like a man .
The Democratic national convention organized itself , by contrast , in recognition of the dangers of Covid-19 .
No maskless throngs mixed .
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris even skipped the usual arms-around-shoulder embrace .
Instead of focusing on law and order , the convention celebrated racial justice and offered a new deal for all working families .
Instead of central control , it gave the impression of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hollywood MC , the actor and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus , irony and humor .
Instead of one man , it seemed to offer the model of governance through collaboration .
This contrast poses the most urgent and ominous challenge for the Democrats and this embattled nation in the 10 weeks ahead .
To complex problems , Trump offers simplistic , strongman magic .
Like the image on the five-year-old boy ’ s flag of a Rambo-Trump , muscular arms wrapped around a magical missile gun , the image fits his magical claim that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden must show that real strength doesn ’ t depend on magic .
It comes from getting real – about Covid , climate change , racism and also about pain felt by the other side .
It comes from pursuit of another emotional strategy – to reward goodness , heal unnecessary shame , and speak to a shared desire to join as one nation .
We ’ re in for a tough fight .
But over the long haul , sheer force yields frightening but brittle power , while the political legitimacy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but more lasting and resilient power .
Goodness has a magic of its own .
• None Arlie Russell Hochschild ’ s most recent book is Strangers in Their Own Land : Anger and Mourning on the American Right , a finalist for the National Book Award

In the grandiose evening finale to the Republican national convention, a dazzling row of illuminated American flags topped with golden eagles stand like soldiers guarding the pillared back side of the White House. Donald, and Melania, in a flowing, springtime green gown and spike heels, walk grandly down a long red carpet to the center stage. We hear fiery speeches, soaring notes of God Bless the USA, the cameras panning to dazzling bursts of fireworks which seem to shower the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. For many of the 24 million viewers watching, mainly on Fox, the imperial finale of the four-day Republican convention was magical in every sense.
Pundits ask about “Trump’s strategy” and search for logic and fact in a campaign platform that does not exist – for the first time in recent memory. Analysts find logical inconsistencies: Trump proclaims himself the “law and order president” while on Fox he compares shooting to golf strokes; daily dashes off reckless go-get-em tweets; and seven of his closest advisers – Cohen, Flynn, Manafort, Papadopoulos, Gates, Stone, Bannon – have been indicted. He makes misleading statements such as: “The US has among the lowest case fatality rates of any major country.” In a video on day two of the convention, Trump is shown congratulating five grateful immigrants who have become American citizens, magically erasing his description of Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and “animals” and his border policy of caging children.
All of this incoherence leads some analysts to conclude Trump has no strategy. But he has one. It’s an emotional strategy and it works like magic. Its aim is to evoke or suppress a range of emotions – fear, depression, anger at “fake Americans”, love of “real Americans” and, above all, awe of himself. In pursuit of this strategy, emotion is everything.
Other public figures have used emotional strategies too, of course, but they use them as part of some larger approach or show less gift for it. But Trump strongly identifies with his chosen target audience – white, fearful, resentful, humiliated. Trump uses the truth itself as a dramaturgical tool. He treats reality – climate change, Covid-19 – as just another switch one can turn off or on, like starting the music or cueing the fireworks.
The key targets of his strategy, and the most susceptible to it, are white, older, non-college-educated, evangelical and male. They live in economically declining rural, rust belt or blue-collar suburban America. Millions of such white men are insecurely employed, in unsteady webs of family relations, subject to addiction and despair.
“When coal jobs left,” a 39-year-old, high-school-educated recovering addict, grandson of a coalminer and son of a truck driver from eastern Kentucky, told me a few days ago, “I felt like the whole town turned into a funeral parlor. Everyone was bummed.”
He described what he saw coming down the road in front of a women’s recovery center where he works as a night watchman. “I saw a dad walking beside his five-year-old son who was pedaling his four-wheeler car. It was sweet, a rare sight for around here,” he added. “But then I saw their flag; it had Trump’s head on Rambo’s body, holding a machine gun, a military helicopter to his side.”
Donald Trump speaks from the South Lawn of the White House on the fourth day of the Republican national convention. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
A series of flags and posters carry Trump’s magic farther – one poster shows him as Washington bravely crossing the Delaware, eagle on extended arm. In another, he’s standing in a business suit atop a military tank, flag behind him, explosions all about. In a third, he’s again in a suit, riding a dinosaur, shooting a gun.
Nationwide, compared with men of color or white men with bachelor’s degrees, white men without four-year degrees are most likely to feel that their standard of living is worse than that of their parents. And whatever their race, compared with those with college degrees or more, men with high school educations or less are three times as likely to say the American dream is “out of reach”. Especially now, fearful of job loss and urban turmoil, this group craves to lift shame off themselves, blame protesters, immigrants and the left, and seek promise in magical solutions.
The convention spectacle seemed to speak to them. Trump especially evokes the emotions on the two sides of law and order. On one side, he invites compassion for Mark and Patricia McCloskey of St Louis, who, fearful for their suburban home, drew guns on trespassing Black Lives Matter marchers who broke their iron gate. Their home, their suburb, their assumptions about life, all threatened. On the other side, he stirs the image of the – tacitly male, uniformed – heroic protector of the McCloskeys of America. Or would-be protector. On day four, the convention featured Madison Cawthorn, a partly paralyzed 25-year-old Republican politician from North Carolina. Looking back five years, Cawthorn described “feeling hopeless”. Then, he rose from his wheelchair, with help, to get on his feet to salute the flag. For those who have felt hopeless too, his effort to stand tall was undoubtedly inspiring.
To complex problems, Trump offers simplistic, strongman magic. Biden must show that real strength doesn’t depend on magic
Trump almost entirely sidesteps the black and white rage at the murder of George Floyd and others. “I’m not here to receive or address your anger and grief,” he seems to say. Indeed, he seems to propose a tacit emotional division of labor between the two political parties. “I’ll lead Republicans in avoiding the task of listening to that rage, fear and despair,” he says, in effect, while offering no concrete plan to address the underlying cause of such feelings. Let the Democratic party be the compassionate social workers, while we Republicans bravely guard America from endlessly haranguing marauders with darker skin.
Meanwhile, on that final evening on the South Lawn, 1,500 of the president’s elite supporters, dazzled by the spectacle, sat mostly maskless, unprotected from a virus against which the second amendment is no help. Magically passing over the 6,000,000 Americans who have contracted Covid and the 180,000 who have died in the trenches of this ill-gotten war, Trump threw all caution to the wind. Don’t feel afraid of Covid-19 like those timid scientists, he seemed to say. Be bold. Be fearless. Take your Covid-19 like a man.
The Democratic national convention organized itself, by contrast, in recognition of the dangers of Covid-19. No maskless throngs mixed. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris even skipped the usual arms-around-shoulder embrace. Instead of focusing on law and order, the convention celebrated racial justice and offered a new deal for all working families. Instead of central control, it gave the impression of creativity, and even, through a Hollywood MC, the actor and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, irony and humor. Instead of one man, it seemed to offer the model of governance through collaboration.
This contrast poses the most urgent and ominous challenge for the Democrats and this embattled nation in the 10 weeks ahead. To complex problems, Trump offers simplistic, strongman magic. Like the image on the five-year-old boy’s flag of a Rambo-Trump, muscular arms wrapped around a magical missile gun, the image fits his magical claim that only he can fix everything.
But Biden must show that real strength doesn’t depend on magic. It comes from getting real – about Covid, climate change, racism and also about pain felt by the other side. It comes from pursuit of another emotional strategy – to reward goodness, heal unnecessary shame, and speak to a shared desire to join as one nation. We’re in for a tough fight. But over the long haul, sheer force yields frightening but brittle power, while the political legitimacy of compassion leads to a harder to achieve but more lasting and resilient power. Goodness has a magic of its own.


theguardian--2020-09-01--Five bizarre moments from Trump's interview with Fox's Laura Ingraham

On Monday night , Fox News broadcast the first part of an interview between Donald Trump and Laura Ingraham .
The primetime host is one of the president ’ s chief boosters , having spoken on his behalf at the Republican convention in 2016 .
But things did not go entirely smoothly .
Echoing the fallout from recent one-on-ones with Chris Wallace of Fox and Jonathan Swan of Axios , much tougher interrogators , Trump ’ s rambling , confused , conspiracy-tinged answers swiftly dominated the news agenda .
Even by his own standards , the interview contained some bizarre @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due on Tuesday night .
But according to the influential Politico Playbook newsletter , “ very many people in the White House who would like Trump to win re-election are against the sit-down TV interviews the president has been doing.
” Here are five reasons why : Amid an extended riff about the Democratic nominee being a “ weak person ” unable to deal with protests over racism and police brutality in many US cities , Trump said : “ I don ’ t even like to mention Biden , because he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him.
” Ingraham gave Trump a chance to develop the thought : “ Who do you think is pulling Biden ’ s strings ?
Is it former Obama officials ?
” ‘ People that you ’ ve never heard of , ” he said .
“ People that are in the dark shadows .
People that – ” Ingraham interjected : “ What does that mean ?
That sounds like conspiracy theory .
Dark shadows , what is that ?
” “ No , ” said Trump .
“ People that you haven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re people that are on the streets .
They ’ re people that are controlling the streets.
” “ We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend , ” he said , “ and in the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms , black uniforms with gear and this and that .
They ’ re on a plane.
” “ I ’ ll tell you some time , ” Trump said , “ but it ’ s under investigation right now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and this person was coming to the Republican national convention , and there were like seven people on the plane like this person , and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage .
They were coming for – ” Ingraham asked if he meant these people on a plane were coming to Washington .
“ Yes , ” Trump said .
“ This is all happening.
” It may have happened on Facebook .
In the real world , less so .
Ingraham moved on .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Trump said , as conversation turned to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin , the killings of other African Americans and protests over such deaths .
“ They can do 10,000 great acts , which is what they do , and one bad apple – or a choker – you know , a choker .
They choke .
Shooting the guy [ Blake ] – shooting the guy in the back many times .
I mean , couldn ’ t you have done something different ?
Couldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I mean , in the meantime , he might have been going for a weapon , and , you know , there ’ s a whole big thing there , but they choke .
Just like in a golf tournament , they miss a 3ft putt.
” “ You ’ re not comparing to golf , ” she said , “ because , of course , that ’ s what the media would say.
” “ Let ’ s say for the sake of argument , ” Ingraham said , in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data , “ you have a deficit among female voters who may in some cases [ think ] you ’ re too aggressive , your tone or your tweets .
What do you say to them directly about what you ’ ll do in a second term ?
” “ I have to be aggressive , ” Trump said , “ because I ’ m like standing here in a sea of incompetent people , stupid people and violent people – very violent people.
” Ingraham suggest that “ kind of language ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attracting women ’ s support .
“ Well , ” Trump said , “ Where are we ?
We ’ re in the White House , I see .
See ?
OK .
So I ’ m standing here in a sea of people , and we need law and order in this country and women see that with me .
You ’ re never going to have law and order with Biden.
” Ingraham invited Trump to attack Democrats who run New York , over crime and the coronavirus .
He did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio .
But in yearning for the days when he was just another race-baiting Manhattan billionaire backing a mayor who cracked down hard on crime , he perhaps nodded to those who say that mayor , who somehow became Trump ’ s personal attorney and fixer , may now have seen better days .
“ You need a young version of Rudy Giuliani , ” Trump said .
“ He was a great mayor .
He did a great job .
I think people are really beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night .
He was at the event [ the Republican convention , where Giuliani spoke ] .
People were – ‘ Rudy , we love you , Rudy.
’ They ’ re desperate for a younger version .
“ We should probably put Rudy back now , he ’ s doing great .
But you need a young version or a younger version of Rudy Giuliani .
You need a tough , smart guy.
” Trump also said he had “ a very good shot ” of winning New York in the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @

On Monday night, Fox News broadcast the first part of an interview between Donald Trump and Laura Ingraham. The primetime host is one of the president’s chief boosters, having spoken on his behalf at the Republican convention in 2016.
But things did not go entirely smoothly.
Echoing the fallout from recent one-on-ones with Chris Wallace of Fox and Jonathan Swan of Axios, much tougher interrogators, Trump’s rambling, confused, conspiracy-tinged answers swiftly dominated the news agenda. Even by his own standards, the interview contained some bizarre and outrageous statements.
Part two is due on Tuesday night. But according to the influential Politico Playbook newsletter, “very many people in the White House who would like Trump to win re-election are against the sit-down TV interviews the president has been doing.”
Here are five reasons why:
1. Biden and the shadow people
Amid an extended riff about the Democratic nominee being a “weak person” unable to deal with protests over racism and police brutality in many US cities, Trump said: “I don’t even like to mention Biden, because he’s not controlling anything. They control him.”
Ingraham gave Trump a chance to develop the thought: “Who do you think is pulling Biden’s strings? Is it former Obama officials?”
Trump didn’t think that.
‘People that you’ve never heard of,” he said. “People that are in the dark shadows. People that –”
Ingraham interjected: “What does that mean? That sounds like conspiracy theory. Dark shadows, what is that?”
“No,” said Trump. “People that you haven’t heard of. They’re people that are on the streets. They’re people that are controlling the streets.”
Joe Biden boards a plane in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on Monday. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images
2. Shapes on a plane
The president wasn’t finished.
“We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend,” he said, “and in the plane it was almost completely loaded with thugs wearing these dark uniforms, black uniforms with gear and this and that. They’re on a plane.”
Ingraham asked: “Where was this?”
“I’ll tell you some time,” Trump said, “but it’s under investigation right now, but they came from a certain city, and this person was coming to the Republican national convention, and there were like seven people on the plane like this person, and then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage. They were coming for –”
Ingraham asked if he meant these people on a plane were coming to Washington.
“Yes,” Trump said. “This is all happening.”
It may have happened on Facebook. In the real world, less so. Ingraham moved on.
3. Police shootings are like golf
“The police are under siege,” Trump said, as conversation turned to the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the killings of other African Americans and protests over such deaths.
“They can do 10,000 great acts, which is what they do, and one bad apple – or a choker – you know, a choker. They choke. Shooting the guy [Blake] – shooting the guy in the back many times. I mean, couldn’t you have done something different? Couldn’t you have wrestled him? You know, I mean, in the meantime, he might have been going for a weapon, and, you know, there’s a whole big thing there, but they choke. Just like in a golf tournament, they miss a 3ft putt.”
Ingraham seemed alarmed.
“You’re not comparing to golf,” she said, “because, of course, that’s what the media would say.”
“No,” said Trump. “I’m saying people choke.”
“People panic,” Ingraham said. “Yes.”
00:44 Trump likens police brutality to golfer missing 'a 3ft putt' – video
4. ‘A sea of incompetent people’
“Let’s say for the sake of argument,” Ingraham said, in fact posing a question backed by solid polling data, “you have a deficit among female voters who may in some cases [think] you’re too aggressive, your tone or your tweets. What do you say to them directly about what you’ll do in a second term?”
“I have to be aggressive,” Trump said, “because I’m like standing here in a sea of incompetent people, stupid people and violent people – very violent people.”
Ingraham suggest that “kind of language” might be to blame for problems with attracting women’s support.
“Well,” Trump said, “Where are we? We’re in the White House, I see. See? OK. So I’m standing here in a sea of people, and we need law and order in this country and women see that with me. You’re never going to have law and order with Biden.”
5. Rudy Giuliani is past it
Ingraham invited Trump to attack Democrats who run New York, over crime and the coronavirus. He did so gladly, lashing out at Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Rudy Giuliani talks to journalists in Washington in July. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
But in yearning for the days when he was just another race-baiting Manhattan billionaire backing a mayor who cracked down hard on crime, he perhaps nodded to those who say that mayor, who somehow became Trump’s personal attorney and fixer, may now have seen better days.
“You need a young version of Rudy Giuliani,” Trump said. “He was a great mayor. He did a great job. I think people are really beginning to – I saw it the other night. He was at the event [the Republican convention, where Giuliani spoke]. People were – ‘Rudy, we love you, Rudy.’ They’re desperate for a younger version.
“We should probably put Rudy back now, he’s doing great. But you need a young version or a younger version of Rudy Giuliani. You need a tough, smart guy.”
Trump also said he had “a very good shot” of winning New York in the presidential election. Most New Yorkers disagree.


theguardian--2020-09-03--Barr echoes mail-in ballot falsehoods and denies racism in policing

In a CNN interview , William Barr , the attorney general , echoed Donald Trump ’ s misinformation about mail-in voting and denied racism in the policing – but on both counts came up short when asked to provide evidence to back up his claims .
Barr said he didn ’ t have evidence to prove that foreign countries could interfere in US elections with counterfeit ballots , as he has previously claimed ; rather , he ’ s basing his assertion “ on logic ” .
On policing , Barr defied logic and denied that police discrimination against Black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think there are some situations when statistics would suggest they are treated differently , but I don ’ t think that ’ s necessarily racism , ” he told CNN ’ s Wolf Blitzer .
He added : “ There appears to be a phenomenon in the country where African-Americans feel that they ’ re treated , when they ’ re stopped by police , frequently , as suspects before they are treated as citizens .
I don ’ t think that that necessarily reflects some deep-seated racism.
” Barr also said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US justice system , and that there is a “ false narrative ” that the country is in an “ epidemic ” of Black people being killed by white police officers .
Investigations by the Guardian and the Washington Post have found that Black people in America are more than twice as likely to be killed by the police than white people .
Barr also used the CNN interview to reiterate key talking points of Trump ’ s , including the vilification of the leftwing protesters and denouncing the safety of voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ change the rules to this methodology , which , as a matter of logic , is very open to fraud and coercion , ” Barr said of mail-in voting .
“ It ’ s reckless and dangerous , and people are playing with fire.
” Trump and Barr have been sowing mistrust in the electoral system .
In North Carolina on Wednesday , the president told voters they should cast two ballots , once by mail and once in person , even though doing so would be illegal .
“ Let them send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and let them go vote , and if their system ’ s as good as they say it is , then obviously they won ’ t be able to vote .
If it isn ’ t tabulated , they ’ ll be able to vote , ” Trump said , in response to a question about whether he was confident about the voting system .
“ So that ’ s the way it is .
And that ’ s what they should do.
” However , experts say voter fraud of any kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An analysis of voter fraud cases by the Heritage Foundation , a conservative thinktank , found 143 cases of criminal convictions involving mail-in or absentee ballots over the past two decades – which means that about 0.00006 % of total votes cast would be fraudulent .
Elections experts have also said that a foreign scheme of counterfeit ballots would be prohibitively difficult .
Rick Bates , a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine recently wrote that “ the possibility of a foreign entity swaying election by mailing fraudulent absentee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots are difficult to duplicate , and people could easily find out if someone else had voted in their name .
Barr also told CNN the Justice Department was monitoring Antifa , claiming that it is at the heart of violence in cities around the country .
“ I ’ ve talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence , ” Barr said .
“ They are flying around the country .
We know people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We see some of the purchases they are making before the riots of weapons to use in those riots , ” Barr added .
“ So , we are following them.
” Barr ’ s comments mirrored claims made by Trump in a Fox News interview late on Monday , in which he said an investigation was under way into alleged “ thugs ” who boarded a plane seeking to cause damage last week during the Republican party convention , without providing details or evidence .
Trump has made fear-mongering about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a key theme of his re-election campaign .
Yet , research has found that Antifa activists have not been linked to a single murder in decades .
However , rightwing extremists have been linked to attacks that have left at least 329 victims dead over the past 25 years , according to a database of nearly 900 politically motivated attacks and plots .

In a CNN interview, William Barr, the attorney general, echoed Donald Trump’s misinformation about mail-in voting and denied racism in policing – but on both counts came up short when asked to provide evidence to back up his claims.
Barr said he didn’t have evidence to prove that foreign countries could interfere in US elections with counterfeit ballots, as he has previously claimed; rather, he was basing his assertion “on logic”. On policing, Barr defied logic and denied that police discrimination against Black Americans amounted to racism.
“I think there are some situations when statistics would suggest they are treated differently, but I don’t think that’s necessarily racism,” he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
He added: “There appears to be a phenomenon in the country where African Americans feel that they’re treated, when they’re stopped by police, frequently, as suspects before they are treated as citizens. I don’t think that that necessarily reflects some deep-seated racism.”
Attorney General Barr says he doesn’t have evidence that foreign countries could successfully interfere in the election with fake ballots. He says he’s "basing it on logic."
Wolf: Pardon?
Barr: "Logic." pic.twitter.com/FzzIRL2PrK — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) September 2, 2020
Barr also said he thought there was no systemic racism in the US justice system, and that there is a “false narrative” that the country is in an “epidemic” of Black people being killed by white police officers.
Investigations by the Guardian and the Washington Post have found that Black people in America are more than twice as likely to be killed by the police than white people.
Barr also used the CNN interview to reiterate key talking points of Trump’s, including the vilification of leftwing protesters and denouncing the safety of voting by mail.
“People trying to change the rules to this methodology, which, as a matter of logic, is very open to fraud and coercion,” Barr said of mail-in voting. “It’s reckless and dangerous, and people are playing with fire.”
Trump and Barr have been sowing mistrust in the electoral system. In North Carolina on Wednesday, the president told voters they should cast two ballots, once by mail and once in person, even though doing so would be illegal.
“Let them send it [their mail-in ballot] in and let them go vote, and if their system’s as good as they say it is, then obviously they won’t be able to vote. If it isn’t tabulated, they’ll be able to vote,” Trump said, in response to a question about whether he was confident about the voting system. “So that’s the way it is. And that’s what they should do.”
However, experts say voter fraud of any kind is exceedingly rare in the United States. An analysis of voter fraud cases by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank, found 143 cases of criminal convictions involving mail-in or absentee ballots over the past two decades – which means that about 0.00006% of total votes cast would be fraudulent.
Elections experts have also said that a foreign scheme of counterfeit ballots would be prohibitively difficult. Rick Bates, a professor of law and political science at UC Irvine recently wrote that “the possibility of a foreign entity swaying election by mailing fraudulent absentee ballots … defies common sense.”
05:32 Voter suppression: how Trump is undermining the US election – video explainer
Mail-in ballots are difficult to duplicate, and people could easily find out if someone else had voted in their name.
Barr also told CNN the justice department was monitoring anti-fascist groups known as Antifa, claiming that it is at the heart of violence in cities around the country.
“I’ve talked to every police chief in every city where there has been major violence and they all have identified Antifa as the ramrod for the violence,” Barr said. “They are flying around the country. We know people who are flying around the country.”
“We see some of the purchases they are making before the riots of weapons to use in those riots,” Barr added. “So, we are following them.”
Barr’s comments mirrored claims made by Trump in a Fox News interview late on Monday, in which he said an investigation was under way into alleged “thugs” who boarded a plane seeking to cause damage last week during the Republican party convention, without providing details or evidence.
Trump has made fearmongering about the threat of Antifa and the far left a key theme of his re-election campaign. Yet, research has found that Antifa activists have not been linked to a single murder in decades. However, rightwing extremists have been linked to attacks that have left at least 329 victims dead over the past 25 years, according to a database of nearly 900 politically motivated attacks and plots.


theguardian--2020-09-02--Washington imposes new restrictions on Chinese diplomats in US

The US has put new restrictions on Chinese diplomats in America , barring senior envoys from visiting universities or meeting local government officials without approval , in the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries .
Announcing the latest measures , the state department said it was responding to “ significant barriers ” on its own diplomats based in China .
“ We ’ re simply demanding reciprocity , ” US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told a news briefing .
“ Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s steps will move us substantially in that direction , ” he said .
China ’ s Washington embassy called the move “ yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel ” that “ runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the US side ” .
The US-China relationship has been increasingly strained over a range of issues from Huawei and trade disputes , to coronavirus , China ’ s crackdown in Hong Kong and human rights violations in Xinjiang .
A round of tit-for-tat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen both countries close a major consulate , and increase restrictions on journalists , with American journalists for outlets including the New York Times , Washington Post and Wall Street Journal forced to leave China .
In addition to controls on university visits and meetings with officials , US authorities will have to give approval for all cultural events with an audience of more than 50 people hosted by Chinese diplomats outside their own embassies and consulates .
The state department also pledged to ensure all diplomatic social media accounts were labelled as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what this would mean , or how it would be implemented .
Some social media outlets such as Twitter already flag up accounts run by Chinese authorities .
Pompeo also said that Keith Krach , the state department ’ s undersecretary for economic growth , had written recently to the governing boards of US universities alerting them to threats posed by the Chinese communist party .
“ These threats can come in the form of illicit funding for research , intellectual property theft , intimidation of foreign students and opaque talent recruitment efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ universities could ensure they had clean investments and endowment funds , “ by taking a few key steps to disclose all [ Chinese ] companies ’ investments invested in the endowment funds , especially those in emerging-market index funds ” .
With the US presidential election looming , the incumbent , Donald Trump , has sharpened his administration ’ s offensive against China – with sanctions and strong rhetoric replacing past enthusiasm for a new trade deal – while trying to paint his Democratic rival , Joe Biden , as soft on Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and diplomats , Trump ’ s administration has brought in a range of sanctions on senior officials it alleges were involved in rights abuses in Xinjiang and the crackdown in Hong Kong .
He also issued a pair of executive orders that will ban any US transactions with the Chinese companies that own social media apps TikTok and WeChat from later this month , saying the US must take “ aggressive action ” in the interest of national security .

The US has put new restrictions on Chinese diplomats in America, barring senior envoys from visiting universities or meeting local government officials without approval, in the latest escalation in tensions between the two countries.
Announcing the latest measures, the state department said it was responding to “significant barriers” on its own diplomats based in China.
“We’re simply demanding reciprocity,” US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told a news briefing. “Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today’s steps will move us substantially in that direction,” he said.
China’s Washington embassy called the move “yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel” that “runs counter to the self-proclaimed values of openness and freedom of the US side”.
The US-China relationship has been increasingly strained over a range of issues from Huawei and trade disputes, to coronavirus, China’s crackdown in Hong Kong and human rights violations in Xinjiang.
A round of tit-for-tat controls on embassies and media have already seen both countries close a major consulate, and increase restrictions on journalists, with American journalists for outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal forced to leave China.
In addition to controls on university visits and meetings with officials, US authorities will have to give approval for all cultural events with an audience of more than 50 people hosted by Chinese diplomats outside their own embassies and consulates.
The state department also pledged to ensure all diplomatic social media accounts were labelled as government accounts, although it was unclear what this would mean, or how it would be implemented. Some social media outlets such as Twitter already flag up accounts run by Chinese authorities.
Pompeo also said that Keith Krach, the state department’s undersecretary for economic growth, had written recently to the governing boards of US universities alerting them to threats posed by the Chinese communist party.
“These threats can come in the form of illicit funding for research, intellectual property theft, intimidation of foreign students and opaque talent recruitment efforts,” Pompeo said.
He said universities could ensure they had clean investments and endowment funds, “by taking a few key steps to disclose all [Chinese] companies’ investments invested in the endowment funds, especially those in emerging-market index funds”.
With the US presidential election looming, the incumbent, Donald Trump, has sharpened his administration’s offensive against China – with sanctions and strong rhetoric replacing past enthusiasm for a new trade deal – while trying to paint his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, as soft on Beijing.
In addition to controls on media and diplomats, Trump’s administration has brought in a range of sanctions on senior officials it alleges were involved in rights abuses in Xinjiang and the crackdown in Hong Kong.
He also issued a pair of executive orders that will ban any US transactions with the Chinese companies that own social media apps TikTok and WeChat from later this month, saying the US must take “aggressive action” in the interest of national security.


theguardian--2020-09-02--CDC tells health officials to expect a coronavirus vaccine by November

Health officials across the US have reportedly been notified that they should expect a coronavirus vaccine available to health workers and high-risk groups by November , amid concerns the accelerated vaccine development process has become politicized .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) informed health officials that “ limited Covid-19 vaccine doses may be available by early November 2020 ” , the New York Times reported .
Meanwhile , in a letter to governors dated 27 August , Robert Redfield , the director of the CDC , said states “ in the near future ” will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals .
“ CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and , if necessary , asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1 , 2020 , ” Redfield wrote in a letter obtained by the Associated Press and McClatchy .
The ambitious timeline has raised concern among public health experts about an “ October surprise ” – a vaccine approval @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election , rather than science .
Critics fear the Trump administration has politicized the vaccine development process and that the president is seeking to rush a vaccine before election day , and may push for the release of a vaccine that has not undergone all the necessary safety tests .
The government ’ s top infectious disease expert , Dr Anthony Fauci said he is “ cautiously optimistic ” for a vaccine by the end of this year , but added that he “ will not be satisfied regarding the release of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is safe and effective ” .
But the US president has been playing up confidence that a vaccine will be available soon .
As the CDC began notifying health officials of the possibility last week , Trump told supporters during his Republican national convention speech : “ We are delivering lifesaving therapies , and will produce a vaccine before the end of the year , or maybe even sooner.
” Healthcare workers , national security employees and other high-risk groups would receive the first round of vaccines , according to guidance from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ senior vice-president at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials , said the CDC was offering “ an aggressive but necessary timetable ” and that public health agencies were mobilizing to prepare detailed plans .
Several vaccine and public health experts pointed out that final stage trials of experimental vaccines are still recruiting , and are at best halfway through that process .
The vaccines are two doses , and each is given a month apart .
Several experts told the AP they did not understand how there could be adequate data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe before 1 November .
“ Being ready is reasonable .
Cutting short phase 3 trials before you get the information you need isn ’ t , ” said Dr Paul Offit , a Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia immunization expert who sits on the FDA ’ s vaccine advisory committee .
Peter Hotez , the dean of Baylor University ’ s tropical medicine school , said he was “ very concerned ” about whether the Food and Drug Administration would use an emergency use authorization to approve a vaccine before knowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It gives the appearance of a stunt rather than an expression of public health concern , ” Hotez said .

Health officials across the US have reportedly been notified that they should expect a coronavirus vaccine available to health workers and high-risk groups by November, amid concerns the accelerated vaccine development process has become politicized.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed health officials that “limited Covid-19 vaccine doses may be available by early November 2020”, the New York Times reported.
Meanwhile, in a letter to governors dated 27 August, Robert Redfield, the director of the CDC, said states “in the near future” will receive permit applications from McKesson, a company which has contracted with CDC to distribute vaccines to places including state and local health departments and hospitals.
“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020,” Redfield wrote in a letter obtained by the Associated Press and McClatchy.
The ambitious timeline has raised concern among public health experts about an “October surprise” – a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of a presidential election, rather than science.
Critics fear the Trump administration has politicized the vaccine development process and that the president is seeking to rush a vaccine before election day, and may push for the release of a vaccine that has not undergone all the necessary safety tests.
The government’s top infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci said he is “cautiously optimistic” for a vaccine by the end of this year, but added that he “will not be satisfied regarding the release of a vaccine unless we know that it is safe and effective”.
But the US president has been playing up confidence that a vaccine will be available soon. As the CDC began notifying health officials of the possibility last week, Trump told supporters during his Republican national convention speech: “We are delivering lifesaving therapies, and will produce a vaccine before the end of the year, or maybe even sooner.”
Healthcare workers, national security employees and other high-risk groups would receive the first round of vaccines, according to guidance from the CDC.
James S Blumenstock, a senior vice-president at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said the CDC was offering “an aggressive but necessary timetable” and that public health agencies were mobilizing to prepare detailed plans.
Several vaccine and public health experts pointed out that final stage trials of experimental vaccines are still recruiting, and are at best halfway through that process. The vaccines are two doses, and each is given a month apart. Several experts told the AP they did not understand how there could be adequate data on whether the vaccines work and are safe before 1 November.
“Being ready is reasonable. Cutting short phase 3 trials before you get the information you need isn’t,” said Dr Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia immunization expert who sits on the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee.
Peter Hotez, the dean of Baylor University’s tropical medicine school, said he was “very concerned” about whether the Food and Drug Administration would use an emergency use authorization to approve a vaccine before knowing whether it works and is safe.
“It gives the appearance of a stunt rather than an expression of public health concern,” Hotez said.


theguardian--2020-09-02--Nancy Pelosi says she was victim of 'setup' in hair salon mask dispute

Nancy Pelosi has claimed to have been “ set up ” , after she was photographed in a San Francisco hair salon without a face covering , breaking the city ’ s coronavirus prevention rules .
“ I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I ’ ve been to many times , ” the House speaker said on Wednesday afternoon , as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle .
“ It was a setup , and I take responsibility for falling for a setup.
” Salons in San Francisco have been closed during the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only on Tuesday .
Security camera footage obtained by Fox News showed Pelosi , the House speaker and the most powerful Democrat in Washington , walking through the e Salon SF with a mask around her neck .
The footage was filmed on Monday .
Pelosi has regularly told US citizens to wear masks and follow guidelines intended to limit the spread of coronavirus .
The salon ’ s owner , Erica Kious , said one of her hairstylists who rented a chair at the business opened it specially for Pelosi ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the face that she went in , you know , that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in , and I can ’ t work , ” Kious told Fox News .
“ We have been shut down for so long , not just me , but most of the small businesses and I just can ’ t – it ’ s a feeling … of being deflated , helpless and honestly beaten down.
” Kious said that according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blow-drying hair was prohibited .
“ I have been fighting for six months for a business that took me 12 years to build to reopen , ” she said .
“ I am a single mom , I have two small children , and I have no income .
We ’ re supposed to look up to this woman , right ?
It is just disturbing.
” A spokesman for Pelosi , Drew Hammill , said : “ This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one customer at a time in the business .
“ The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.
” Donald Trump weighed in , tweeting that Pelosi was “ being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened , when all others are closed , and for not wearing a mask – despite constantly lecturing everyone else ” .
Trump has recommended that people wear masks and has occasionally worn one himself .
He has also resisted calls for a national mask mandate and last week staged a Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at best inconsistently observed .
Pelosi , who has called Trump ’ s stance on masks “ cowardly ” , fired back .
“ I think that this salon owes me an apology for setting me up , ” she said , adding that she had been “ inundated ” with comments from people in the hair service industry , thanking her “ for calling attention to this ” and saying “ We need to get back to work ” .
“ Many [ are ] annoyed at the setup , ” she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a purpose that has nothing to do with ending the crisis.
” Pelosi said she had worn her mask round her neck because she had “ just had my hair washed .
I don ’ t wear a mask when I ’ m washing my hair .
Do you wear a mask when you ’ re washing your hair ?
I always wear a mask … And that picture is when I just came out of the bowl .
”

Nancy Pelosi has claimed to have been “set up”, after she was photographed in a San Francisco hair salon without a face covering, breaking the city’s coronavirus prevention rules.
“I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I’ve been to many times,” the House speaker said on Wednesday afternoon, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. “It was a setup, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup.”
Salons in San Francisco have been closed during the coronavirus pandemic, with limited outdoor operations beginning only on Tuesday.
Security camera footage obtained by Fox News showed Pelosi, the House speaker and the most powerful Democrat in Washington, walking through the e Salon SF with a mask around her neck. The footage was filmed on Monday.
Pelosi has regularly told US citizens to wear masks and follow guidelines intended to limit the spread of coronavirus.
The salon’s owner, Erica Kious, said one of her hairstylists who rented a chair at the business opened it specially for Pelosi’s appointment.
00:15 CCTV footage shows Nancy Pelosi not wearing mask in hair salon – video
“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work,” Kious told Fox News.
“We have been shut down for so long, not just me, but most of the small businesses and I just can’t – it’s a feeling … of being deflated, helpless and honestly beaten down.”
Kious said that according to her interpretation of coronavirus safety precautions, blow-drying hair was prohibited.
“I have been fighting for six months for a business that took me 12 years to build to reopen,” she said. “I am a single mom, I have two small children, and I have no income. We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right? It is just disturbing.”
A spokesman for Pelosi, Drew Hammill, said: “This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business.
“The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.”
Donald Trump weighed in, tweeting that Pelosi was “being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a mask – despite constantly lecturing everyone else”.
Trump has recommended that people wear masks and has occasionally worn one himself. He has also resisted calls for a national mask mandate and last week staged a Republican convention at which coronavirus prevention measures were at best inconsistently observed.
Pelosi, who has called Trump’s stance on masks “cowardly”, fired back.
“I think that this salon owes me an apology for setting me up,” she said, adding that she had been “inundated” with comments from people in the hair service industry, thanking her “for calling attention to this” and saying “We need to get back to work”.
“Many [are] annoyed at the setup,” she said, “that was there for a purpose that has nothing to do with ending the crisis.”
Pelosi said she had worn her mask round her neck because she had “just had my hair washed. I don’t wear a mask when I’m washing my hair. Do you wear a mask when you’re washing your hair? I always wear a mask … And that picture is when I just came out of the bowl.”