theguardian--2020-09-30--Presidential debate reaction: Trump condemned over failure to criticise far-right group –  live

Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is in Europe this week .
he ’ s already enjoyed a couple of days in Greece , and today headed across to Italy , which he considers to be his ancestral homeland .
Reuters have some of his words this morning , on a trip that has been marked by his criticism of the Vatican for pursuing closer ties between the Catholic church and Beijing .
“ Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than in China , ” Pompeo told a symposium hosted by the US Embassy to the Holy See , saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was looking to “ to snuff out the lamp of freedom ... on a horrifying scale ” .
Pompeo denounced Beijing ’ s treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority , and said all religious groups faced repression .
“ The CCP has battered every religious community in China , Protestant house churches , Tibetan Buddhists , Falun Gong devotees and more .
Nor of course have Catholics been spared this wave of repression , ” he said .
China has consistently defended its human rights record and has denied any mistreatment of Uighurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when , ahead of his planned visit to Rome , Pompeo published an essay in a conservative Catholic magazine that sharply criticised the Holy See for plans to renew a two-year-old agreement with Beijing .
Pompeo said the deal , which gives the pope some say over the appointment of Chinese bishops , endangers the Vatican ’ s moral authority .
Vatican officials say that while the arrangement is not perfect , it is an improvement after decades during which Chinese Catholics who recognise the pope were forced underground .
Pompeo is due @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parolin , the Vatican ’ s top diplomat .
Pope Francis saw Pompeo when he came to Italy last year , but with relationships more strained , no such meeting is scheduled this time around .

30 Sept 2020 00.56 BST Summary That’s it for today from me and Joan E Greve. The Senate passed a funding bill averting a government shutdown until 11 December, six hours before funding for the government was set to expire. The last-minute vote on the stopgap bill received bipartisan support but postponed big discussions on government funding till after the election.
The last-minute vote on the stopgap bill received bipartisan support but postponed big discussions on government funding till after the election. Republican senator Lindsay Graham, who as head of the judiciary committee is barreling ahead to approve Donald Trump’s supreme court nominee despite vowing not to consider one during an election year, is tied with his Democratic challenger in a new poll . A Democrat hasn’t been elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998, but Graham has found himself neck and neck with his challenger Jamie Harrison in recent weeks. Likely voters in a Quinnipiac poll ranked Harrison higher on honesty.
. A Democrat hasn’t been elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998, but Graham has found himself neck and neck with his challenger Jamie Harrison in recent weeks. Likely voters in a Quinnipiac poll ranked Harrison higher on honesty. Joe Biden told white supremacist groups to “cease and desist”, after Trump refused to condemn white supremacist violence at last night’s debate. Speaking to reporters during a campaign stop in Ohio, Biden said, “The president of the United States conducting himself the way he did, I think it was just a national embarrassment.”
after refused to condemn white supremacist violence at last night’s debate. Speaking to reporters during a campaign stop in Ohio, Biden said, “The president of the United States conducting himself the way he did, I think it was just a national embarrassment.” Trump denied knowing who the Proud Boys were, a day after telling the extremist far-right group to “stand back and stand by”. “I don’t know who the Proud Boys are. I mean, you’ll have to give me a definition because I really don’t know who they are,” Trump told reporters. “I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.”
“I don’t know who the Proud Boys are. I mean, you’ll have to give me a definition because I really don’t know who they are,” Trump told reporters. “I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.” The Commission on Presidential Debates said “additional structure” would be needed for the remaining presidential debates. According to CBS News, the CPD will soon announce rules changes to the debates, including allowing moderators to cut candidates’ microphones when they ignore the agreed-upon structure of the debates.
According to CBS News, the CPD will soon announce rules changes to the debates, including allowing moderators to cut candidates’ microphones when they ignore the agreed-upon structure of the debates. Former FBI director James Comey testified before the Senate judiciary committee. Comey pushed back against criticism from attorney general William Barr, who has denounced the Russia investigation as “completely baseless”. Comey said of Barr, “I have no idea on Earth what he’s talking about.”
Comey pushed back against criticism from attorney general who has denounced the Russia investigation as “completely baseless”. Comey said of Barr, “I have no idea on Earth what he’s talking about.” A judge granted the attorney general of Kentucky a two-day delay in releasing the grand jury records in the Breonna Taylor case, which were supposed to be made public today. Attorney general Daniel Cameron claimed more time was needed to redact information that could reveal jurors’ identities. The announcement comes one week after a grand jury declined to issue charges in direct connection to the killing of Taylor, who was fatally shot by Louisville police officers in March.
Updated at 01.22 BST
30 Sept 2020 00.53 BST Joe Biden saw one of the biggest crowds he’s encountered on the campaign trail since the pandemic hit when supporters gathered to greet him in Pennsylvania as he exited a train station in Greensburg. The Democratic candidate’s speeches are being delivered to distanced, sparse crowds. He has been critical of Donald Trump for hosting large rallies where supporters eschewed masks and social distancing. Joe Biden greets the largest crowd he has likely seen since March as he exits the train station in Greensburg, Pennsylvania pic.twitter.com/uBmc6jXoKf — Tyler Pager (@tylerpager) September 30, 2020 Biden was met by several hundred as he exited the train station, per reporters traveling with him. Several dozen Trump supporters had also gathered, per the press pool. The former vice-president is on a train tour in Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
Updated at 00.56 BST
30 Sept 2020 00.22 BST Republican senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, who is facing the toughest re-election race of his career, is tied with his Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, 48-48, in a Quinnipiac University poll. Other recent polls have also suggested an increasingly tight race. Graham, the chair of the Senate judiciary committee, is moving swiftly on the nomination of conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the supreme court seat vacated by Ruth Bader Ginsburg – despite saying four years ago no president at the end of his term should nominate a supreme court justice. “If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said, ‘Let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination,’” he said in 2016, when Justice Antonin Scalia died, and Graham refused to consider then-president Barack Obama’s nominee. The Quinnipiac poll sampled likely voters. Of those polled, 49% said the winner of the presidential election should nominate a justice, whereas 47 % said Donald Trump should select a justice before the election. South Carolinians also said Harrison was more honest and empathetic than Graham. No Democrat has been elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998.
Updated at 00.58 BST
30 Sept 2020 00.00 BST Sam Levin The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) gave 63% of its citations for “loitering while standing” to Black residents in recent years, despite African Americans making up just 7% of the city’s population, a new analysis of public records has revealed. A report released on Wednesday by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights analyzed low-level infractions in California between 2017 and 2019 and found that LAPD and police agencies across the state disproportionately target Black residents. The advocacy group collected data on the most minor municipal offenses and tickets (outside of traffic citations) – including standing or sleeping outside, owning a dog without a proper license, jaywalking and entering a park after dark – and found a pattern of severe racial disparities in major cities and regions throughout the state. Key findings include: Overall, Black residents in California are 9.7 times more likely to receive a citation for local infractions than white residents in their jurisdictions, and Latinx residents were 5.8 times more likely to be cited than their white neighbors.
Black residents in LA were 3.8 times more likely to be cited for minor infractions compared with white residents, accounting for 30% of all low-level infractions.
Despite being only 7% of the adult population, Black Angelenos accounted for 27% of “drinking in public infractions”, 33% of “sleeping or sitting” loitering tickets; and 63% of “loitering while standing” citations.
There were similar patterns of disparate treatment of Black residents in liberal and more conservative regions of the state, including in the Bay Area, the Central Valley, Kern county, San Diego and other municipalities. Black residents nearly four times as likely to be cited by Los Angeles police, report finds Read more
30 Sept 2020 23.37 BST Poppy Noor Americans rushed to Google “How to move to Canada” after last night’s debate. Following a debate derailed by interruptions, people speaking over each other, and insults hurled back and forth, Google reported a peak number of searches for “How to apply for Canadian citizenship” in the US. Some people seemed in such a hurry to get out they couldn’t even get the name right: searches for “How to move to Canda” also spiked alongside the correct “How to move to Canada”. Searches initially peaked about an hour into the debate, at about 10.30pm, according to the search engine. But it looks like the news unsettled people into the night – there has since been a second wave of searches on how to get Canadian citizenship – with most of the searches happening in the early hours of this morning. The search was most popular in Massachusetts, followed by Washington and Michigan. The results are not unprecedented, however – in fact, every election sees a swath of voters contemplating moving over to the other side (of the border). Some even go through with it. 'How to move to Canada': Americans rush to Google after unwatchable debate Read more
30 Sept 2020 23.21 BST Senate approves bill to avert shutdown The Senate passed a spending bill, 84-10, to fund the government through 11 December. The bill will now go to Donald Trump for his signature, with six hours to spare before the government is set to shutdown. The House approved the bill last week. The bill includes some pandemic relief funds – including $8bn for food assistance. It also includes billions for a farm bailout program that Republicans championed, which will help farmers affected by Trump’s trade policies and the pandemic. A government shutdown amid the pandemic would be a political disaster for lawmakers from both parties, and lawmakers were exected to do what it takes to avert one. This stopgap bill avoids addressing bigger debates around federal funding – leaving those for after the 3 November elections. It remains unclear though whether Congress will now take a fall recess. House Democrats have yet to vote on their coronavirus relief bill – which faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
Updated at 23.25 BST
30 Sept 2020 22.48 BST Representative Katie Porter, a Democrat of California known for her prosecutorial questioning, excoriated the CEO of the drug company Calgene during a House Oversight Committee hearing. Using a whiteboard, she displayed the company’s repeated price hikes for Revlimid, which is used to treat bone marrow cancer. The drug now cases $763 per dose, compared to $215 per dose in 2005. “Did the drug start to work faster? Were there fewer side effects? How did you change the formula or production of Revlimid to justify this price increase?” Porter asked Mark Alles, who served as Celgene’s CEO until another company acquired it in 2019. “To recap here: The drug didn’t get any better, the cancer patients didn’t get any better, you just got better at making money, you just refined your skills at price gouging.” Watch the full exchange here: Oh my god, Katie Porter. pic.twitter.com/tO6B7xCx3G — Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) September 30, 2020 The hearing was held so that lawmakers could press CEOs of drug companies ono the findings of an 18-month investigation into the pricing of Revlimid and another drug.
30 Sept 2020 22.24 BST Congress no longer plans to vote tonight on a $2.2 trillion stimulus package, so they can take more time to work out a deal with the White House, per multiple reports. After meeting earlier with treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, House speaker Nancy Pelosi initially seemed to indicate that the House would modify and move forward with voting on the Heroes Act, the latest coronavirus relief package. “Today, Secretary Mnuchin and I had an extensive conversation and we found areas where we are seeking further clarification. Our conversations will continue,” the Democratic speaker had said. While the bill, as is, is sure to pass the Democrat-controlled House, it’s future in the Republican-led Senate is uncertain. Efforts to pass a stimulus bill had been stalled for nearly two months - with Republicans and Democrats divided over the price tag. This latest legislation has been slimmed down though it contains many of the components of the $3.4 trillion package Democrats approved in May. Lawmakers cut aid to the Post Office from $25bn to o$15bn and cut in half a proposed $1tn for state and local governments.
30 Sept 2020 22.00 BST Today so far That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours. Here’s where the day stands so far: Joe Biden told white supremacist groups to “cease and desist,” after Trump refused to condemn white supremacist violence at last night’s debate. Speaking to reporters during a campaign stop in Ohio moments ago, Biden said, “The president of the United States conducting himself the way he did, I think it was just a national embarrassment.”
after refused to condemn white supremacist violence at last night’s debate. Speaking to reporters during a campaign stop in Ohio moments ago, Biden said, “The president of the United States conducting himself the way he did, I think it was just a national embarrassment.” Trump denied knowing who the Proud Boys were, a day after telling the extremist far-right group to “stand back and stand by.” “I don’t know who the Proud Boys are. I mean, you’ll have to give me a definition because I really don’t know who they are,” Trump told reporters. “I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.”
“I don’t know who the Proud Boys are. I mean, you’ll have to give me a definition because I really don’t know who they are,” Trump told reporters. “I can only say they have to stand down, let law enforcement do their work.” The Commission on Presidential Debates said “additional structure” would be needed for the remaining presidential debates. According to CBS News, the CPD will soon announce rules changes to the debates, including allowing moderators to cut candidates’ microphones when they ignore the agreed-upon structure of the debates.
According to CBS News, the CPD will soon announce rules changes to the debates, including allowing moderators to cut candidates’ microphones when they ignore the agreed-upon structure of the debates. Former FBI director James Comey testified before the Senate judiciary committee. Comey pushed back against criticism from attorney general William Barr, who has denounced the Russia investigation as “completely baseless.” Comey said of Barr, “I have no idea on Earth what he’s talking about.”
Comey pushed back against criticism from attorney general who has denounced the Russia investigation as “completely baseless.” Comey said of Barr, “I have no idea on Earth what he’s talking about.” A judge granted the attorney general of Kentucky a two-day delay in releasing the grand jury records in the Breonna Taylor case, which were supposed to be made public today. Attorney general Daniel Cameron claimed more time was needed to redact information that could reveal jurors’ identities. The announcement comes one week after a grand jury declined to issue charges in direct connection to the killing of Taylor, who was fatally shot by Louisville police officers in March. Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated at 00.40 BST
30 Sept 2020 21.46 BST CNN host Jake Tapper cut short an interview with a senior Trump campaign official as he dodged questions about the president’s refusal to condemn white supremacist violence. Jake Tapper boots Trumps campaign goblin from his air after he hems and haws about Trumps support for white supremacists pic.twitter.com/jabcidzpYf — Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) September 30, 2020 Communications director Tim Murtaugh deflected Tapper’s questions by repeatedly trying to redirect the conversation toward Biden’s work with segregationist senators in the 1970’s. As Murtaugh kept talking over Tapper’s questions, the CNN host eventually said, “You know what, I’m not Chris Wallace. Thank you, Tim, appreciate it.” With that, the interview was over.
30 Sept 2020 21.25 BST Debate moderator Chris Wallace said he was “sad with the way last night turned out,” after the Fox News anchor was widely criticized for failing to rein in Trump as the president repeatedly interrupted Biden and ignored the format of the debate. “I never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did,” Wallace told the New York Times, in his first interview since last night’s debate. “I guess I didn’t realize — and there was no way you could, hindsight being 20/20 — that this was going to be the president’s strategy, not just for the beginning of the debate but the entire debate.” When asked if Trump was responsible for derailing the debate, Wallace said, “Well, he certainly didn’t help.”
But Wallace declined to elaborate on that answer. “To quote the president, ‘It is what it is,’” Wallace said.


theguardian--2020-09-30--Proud Boys: who are far-right group that backs Donald Trump?

Freshly brought to the world ’ s attention by Donald Trump ’ s refusal to condemn their associations with white supremacist ideology during Tuesday night ’ s US presidential debate , the Proud Boys were created by the Canadian-British rightwing activist and Vice magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes in 2016 in the lead-up to Trump ’ s election as US president .
The group , which admits men only , was classified in 2018 by the FBI as an “ extremist group ” , while the Southern Poverty Law Center ( SPLC ) lists it as a hate group .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Islamophobic , transphobic and anti-immigration .
To join the group , members must make an oath : “ I am a proud western chauvinist , I refuse to apologise for creating the modern world.
” While the group maintains it is not racist , and simply want to hark back to traditional “ `` western ” values , its worldview incorporates elements of the “ white genocide ” conspiracy theory .
Members are pro-gun rights , against feminism and gender equality , and take a libertarian stance on issues such as welfare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked repeatedly by the moderator , Chris Wallace , to condemn violence by white supremacists and rightwing groups , such as armed militias .
Trump addressed the Proud Boys , saying : “ Proud Boys , stand back and stand by !
But I ’ ll tell you what , somebody ’ s got to do something about Antifa and the left.
” The Proud Boys immediately celebrated the president ’ s comment in posts on social media platform Telegram .
One Proud Boys group added the phrase “ Stand Back , Stand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post was a message to Trump : “ Standing down and standing by sir.
” The Proud Boys have a history of street violence against leftwing activists and protest movements .
In recent months they have repeatedly turned up to oppose Black Lives Matter or Antifa demonstrations , with their presence often sparking violent clashes .
Last year , two members were jailed for four years for beating up anti-fascist activists in New York .
The group are identifiable by their uniform of red Make America Great Again caps and black and yellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clothing manufacturer recently withdrew the design , citing its unwillingness to be associated with the group .
Former Proud Boys member Jason Kessler was instrumental in bringing together the the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in August 2017 that included among its attendees members of the Ku Klux Klan and neo-nazi groups .
Heather Heyer was killed after a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters at the event by white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr , who is now serving a life sentence .
At the time Trump said there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both sides ” .
McInnes has since distanced himself from the Proud Boys , having tried to sue the SPLC for defamation over the hate group designation .
The current chairman of the Proud Boys is Enrique Tarrio .
The majority of mainstream social networks have banned the group ’ s presence – including Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube .

Freshly brought to the world’s attention by Donald Trump’s refusal to condemn their associations with white supremacist ideology during Tuesday night’s US presidential debate, the US neo-fascist group the Proud Boys was created by the Canadian-British far-right activist and Vice magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes in 2016 in the lead-up to Trump’s election as president.
The group, which admits men only, was classified in 2018 by the FBI as an “extremist group”, while the US research and advocacy organization Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) lists it as a hate group. The Anti-Defamation League describes the group as misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration.
It is based in America, mostly the western US, but has a presence in some other countries, notably Canada, the UK and Australia.
And while it has an outsize reputation based on the high-profile agitation events and street brawls its members are most infamous for, and now a reference in a presidential debate, the Proud Boys is believed to be a very small group comprising maybe just a few hundred members in the US.
It is one of a sheaf of far-right groups with ready access to legal firearms in the US and with overtly pro-Trump or libertarian stances and an affinity for presenting as vigilantes or paramilitaries, especially during far-right gatherings or when showing up to disrupt liberal-leaning protests.
To join the Proud Boys, members must make an oath: “I am a proud western chauvinist, I refuse to apologise for creating the modern world”, as well as endure a violent “hazing” process. While the group maintains it is not racist, and simply wants to hark back to traditional ““western” values, its worldview incorporates elements of the “white genocide” conspiracy theory. Members are pro-gun rights, against feminism and gender equality, and take a libertarian stance on issues such as welfare.
During the debate, Trump was asked repeatedly by the moderator, Chris Wallace, to condemn violence by white supremacists and rightwing groups, such as armed militias.
When Trump asked specifically who he should be addressing, Biden prompted him by saying the Proud Boys.
Trump then addressed the Proud Boys, saying: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by! But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left.”
Members of the group immediately celebrated the president’s comment in posts on social media and rightwing discussion-board platforms such as Telegram and Parler. One Proud Boys group added the phrase “Stand Back, Stand By” to their logo. Another post was a message to Trump: “Standing down and standing by sir.”
On Parler, the term Proud Boys was still trending on Wednesday morning. McInnes posted Trump’s quote amid a slew of his more typical messages, including several which were homophobic.
The Proud Boys have a history of street violence against leftwing activists and protest movements. In recent months they have repeatedly turned up to oppose Black Lives Matter marches or any demonstrations where they sense an opportunity to counter, often with violence, far-left activists loosely characterized by their adherence to anti-fascist ideology and known collectively by the short-form term antifa. Last year, two members were jailed for four years for beating up anti-fascist activists in New York.
01:16 Trump namechecks Proud Boys as he refuses to condemn white supremacists in debate – video
The group are identifiable by their adopted uniform of red “Make America Great Again” caps, associated with Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 election campaigns, and black Fred Perry polo shirts with some narrow yellow stripes and the company’s yellow laurel wreath logo, which the company earlier this week stopped selling as a result. The sports clothing manufacturer recently withdrew the design, citing its unwillingness to be associated with the group.
Former Proud Boys member Jason Kessler was instrumental in bringing together the the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 that included among its attendees members of the Ku Klux Klan and a number of neo-Nazi groups, many wearing body armor, far-right symbols and with guns and other weapons.
A young civil rights activist, Heather Heyer, was killed after a car was driven into a crowd of counter-protesters at the event by white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr, who is now serving a life sentence. At the time Trump said there had been “very fine people on both sides”.
McInnes tried to sue the SPLC for defamation over the hate group designation. The current chairman of the Proud Boys is Enrique Tarrio, who also posted gleefully online after Trump’s shout-out.
The majority of mainstream social networks have banned the group’s presence – including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
Joanna Walters contributed reporting


theguardian--2020-09-30--Trump plunges presidential debate into chaos as he repeatedly talks over Biden

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden deteriorated into an ugly display of contempt on Tuesday night , as the president relentlessly interrupted and attacked his Democratic rival during clashes over the coronavirus pandemic , race , the economy and the future of the supreme court .
Over the course of an extraordinarily combative and chaotic 90-minute performance , a fitting coda to what has been one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in recent memory , Trump interjected so frequently that Biden at one point lost his patience and snapped : “ Will you shut up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With just five weeks left until election day , Trump is trailing in national and battleground state polls .
Amid accusations that he has mishandled the pandemic and damaging reports about his finances and past comments on the military , the debate was perhaps Trump ’ s best opportunity yet to shift the dynamics of the race , which has been remarkable steady throughout an exceptional turbulent summer .
Dominating the conversation appeared to be Trump ’ s central strategy , but he did on occasion return to the themes he has pressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused him of being the “ worst president America has ever had ” , Trump shot back that he had done “ more in 47 months than you ’ ve done in 47 years ” , an indictment of the former vice-president ’ s long career in Washington .
But even as Trump attempted to pin Biden , he trampled his own message with a stunning refusal to condemn white nationalism and commit to a peaceful transition of power .
Prompted by the moderator , Chris Wallace of Fox News , to denounce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were killed during protests in Kenosha , Wisconsin , the president said “ sure ” and asked which group he should condemn .
Biden named the Proud Boys , a far-right extremist group .
“ Proud Boys ?
Stand back and stand by , ” Trump said , before blaming the violence on the left .
Social media users who identify as members of the group immediately celebrated the remark .
Trump once again declined to honor the results of the election and continued to undermine the integrity of mail-in balloting , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Without evidence , he asserted that the process of voting by mail , which states have expanded in response to the pandemic , was rife with fraud .
The first debate took place in Cleveland , Ohio , against the backdrop of a nation in crisis : the pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 204,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs , while racial justice protests and climate-induced disasters demand urgent responses .
In a sign of the times , there was no public audience , handshakes were omitted , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and empty seats separated the campaign staff and the candidate ’ s family members in attendance .
In a striking contrast , Biden ’ s family and guests wore masks for the duration of the event , while the first lady , Melania Trump , and the rest of the president ’ s family removed theirs after being seated .
The debate opened with a question on the supreme court , about Trump ’ s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just days after Ginsburg ’ s death and just weeks before election day .
“ We won the election , and therefore we have the right to choose her , ” he said .
Biden said Ginsburg ’ s replacement should be chosen by the winner of this November ’ s presidential election and warned that the confirmation of Barrett – whom he called a “ very fine person ” – would lead to the gutting of the Affordable Care Act , commonly known as Obamacare .
Trump jumped in to accuse Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ socialist medicine ” and attempted to tie the former vice-president to his former Democratic presidential rival Bernie Sanders .
“ I beat Bernie Sanders , ” Biden snapped .
Forcefully denying the accusation that he is under the control of his party ’ s leftwing , he asserted : “ I am the Democratic party now.
” Biden refused to directly answer a question about court-packing , an idea gaining traction on the left that would expand the number of supreme court justices to even out the political leanings of the bench @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority if Barrett is confirmed .
Pressed on new revelations that he avoided paying any federal taxes for years and paid only $ 750 in 2016 and 2017 , Trump claimed without evidence that he had paid “ millions of dollars ” in taxes in those years , but he did not commit to releasing his returns as proof .
He also bragged that he took advantage of tax loopholes and that as a successful businessman he didn ’ t “ want to pay taxes ” .
In the hours before the debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kamala Harris , released their 2019 tax returns .
According to the documents , the Bidens paid nearly $ 300,000 in taxes in 2019 .
In a segment on the coronavirus crisis , Biden hammered Trump over his handling of the pandemic , in which the US has seen far more cases and deaths than any other country .
“ Do you believe for a moment what he ’ s telling you , in light of all the lies he ’ s telling you , about Covid ?
” Biden asked .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the primary driver of climate change and intensifying extreme weather , including record wildfires in the US west .
Despite the array of topics discussed , the debate will probably be remembered for the unsparing insults .
Biden called the president a clown , a liar and a racist .
Trump said Biden “ doesn ’ t have it in his blood ” to be a strong , decisive leader and claimed that his opponent avoided holding campaign ralliesbecause “ nobody would show up ” .
Trump also tangled with the moderator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligible amid the crosstalk and interruptions .
At one point , Wallace attempted to ask Trump why he hadn ’ t released a healthcare plan to replace the Affordable Care Act .
Displeased with the query , Trump shot back : “ I guess I ’ m debating you , not him , but that ’ s OK.
I ’ m not surprised.
” Moderators of presidential debates typically do not fact-check the candidates , and Wallace made clear well in advance that he did not view that as his role .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s misstatements , overstatements and falsehoods , which were plentiful .
Biden , who was more truthful , employed a favorite catchphrase – “ Here ’ s the deal ” – to try to set the record straight , but Trump ’ s hectoring made a rebuttal difficult .
On occasion , Biden just smiled and shook his head in amazement .
“ The fact is that everything he ’ s said so far is simply a lie , ” Biden said .
“ I ’ m not here to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s a liar.
” As expected , Trump raised unfounded accusations about Biden ’ s son , Hunter , related to his business dealings in Ukraine .
Trump was impeached for pushing government officials in Kiev to investigate the Biden family .
Despite no evidence of wrongdoing , Republican allies of the president have continued to fixate on the manufactured controversy .
Biden said the accusations were false and attempted to redirect the conversation back to the pandemic , but Trump refused to let it go .
He returned to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s past drug use .
Biden , looking directly into the camera , explained that like many Americans , his son had struggled with addiction .
“ My son had a drug problem , but he ’ s overcome it and I ’ m proud of him , ” Biden said .
Ahead of the debate , Trump ’ s allies attempted to cast Biden as incoherent and fanned baseless online conspiracy theories that Biden requires cue cards or an earpiece to answer questions .
The looming question is whether Tuesday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While nearly three in four voters said they planned to watch the debate on Tuesday night , according to a recent Monmouth University poll , just 3 % of voters said it was “ very likely ” to affect their vote in November .
“ It ’ s been an interesting hour and a half , ” Wallace said , with a chuckle that seemed to acknowledge his own understatement .

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden deteriorated into an ugly display of contempt on Tuesday night, as the president relentlessly interrupted and attacked his Democratic rival during clashes over the coronavirus pandemic, race, the economy and the future of the supreme court.
Over the course of an extraordinarily combative and chaotic 90-minute performance, a fitting coda to what has been one of the nastiest presidential campaigns in recent memory, Trump interjected so frequently that Biden at one point lost his patience and snapped: “Will you shut up, man? This is so unpresidential.”
With just five weeks left until election day, Trump is trailing in national and battleground state polls. Amid accusations that he has mishandled the pandemic and damaging reports about his finances and past comments on the military, the debate was perhaps Trump’s best opportunity yet to shift the dynamics of the race, which has been remarkable steady throughout an exceptional turbulent summer.
Dominating the conversation appeared to be Trump’s central strategy, but he did on occasion return to the themes he has pressed on the campaign trail.
When Biden accused him of being the “worst president America has ever had”, Trump shot back that he had done “more in 47 months than you’ve done in 47 years”, an indictment of the former vice-president’s long career in Washington.
But even as Trump attempted to pin Biden, he trampled his own message with a stunning refusal to condemn white nationalism and commit to a peaceful transition of power.
Prompted by the moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, to denounce white supremacist violence after two anti-racist activists were killed during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the president said “sure” and asked which group he should condemn. Biden named the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group.
“Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by,” Trump said, before blaming the violence on the left. Social media users who identify as members of the group immediately celebrated the remark.
01:16 Trump namechecks Proud Boys as he refuses to condemn white supremacists in debate – video
Trump once again declined to honor the results of the election and continued to undermine the integrity of mail-in balloting, which is already under way in many states. Without evidence, he asserted that the process of voting by mail, which states have expanded in response to the pandemic, was rife with fraud.
The first debate took place in Cleveland, Ohio, against the backdrop of a nation in crisis: the pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 204,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs, while racial justice protests and climate-induced disasters demand urgent responses.
In a sign of the times, there was no public audience, handshakes were omitted, the podiums were staged a safe distance apart and empty seats separated the campaign staff and the candidate’s family members in attendance. In a striking contrast, Biden’s family and guests wore masks for the duration of the event, while the first lady, Melania Trump, and the rest of the president’s family removed theirs after being seated.
The debate opened with a question on the supreme court, about Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump defended his decision to advance the nomination just days after Ginsburg’s death and just weeks before election day.
“We won the election, and therefore we have the right to choose her,” he said.
05:32 Voter suppression: how Trump is undermining the US election – video explainer
Biden said Ginsburg’s replacement should be chosen by the winner of this November’s presidential election and warned that the confirmation of Barrett – whom he called a “very fine person” – would lead to the gutting of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
Trump jumped in to accuse Biden of wanting to pave the way for “socialist medicine” and attempted to tie the former vice-president to his former Democratic presidential rival Bernie Sanders.
“I beat Bernie Sanders,” Biden snapped. Forcefully denying the accusation that he is under the control of his party’s leftwing, he asserted: “I am the Democratic party now.”
“He just lost the left,” Trump quipped.
Biden refused to directly answer a question about court-packing, an idea gaining traction on the left that would expand the number of supreme court justices to even out the political leanings of the bench, poised to have a 6-3 conservative majority if Barrett is confirmed.
Pressed on new revelations that he avoided paying any federal taxes for years and paid only $750 in 2016 and 2017, Trump claimed without evidence that he had paid “millions of dollars” in federal taxes in those years, but he did not commit to releasing his returns as proof. He also bragged that he took advantage of tax loopholes and that as a successful businessman he didn’t “want to pay taxes”.
02:59 Biden tells Trump 'you are the worst president America has ever had' in battle over taxes – video
In the hours before the debate, Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, released their 2019 tax returns. According to the documents, the Bidens paid nearly $300,000 in taxes in 2019.
In a segment on the coronavirus crisis, Biden hammered Trump over his handling of the pandemic, in which the US has seen far more cases and deaths than any other country.
“Do you believe for a moment what he’s telling you, in light of all the lies he’s telling you, about Covid?” Biden asked.
Trump later cast doubt on evidence that humans are the primary driver of climate change and intensifying extreme weather, including record wildfires in the US west.
Despite the array of topics discussed, the debate will probably be remembered for the unsparing insults. Biden called the president a clown, a liar and a racist. Trump said Biden “doesn’t have it in his blood” to be a strong, decisive leader and claimed that his opponent avoided holding campaign ralliesbecause “nobody would show up”.
Trump also tangled with the moderator, who struggled to keep the proceedings intelligible amid the crosstalk and interruptions. At one point, Wallace attempted to ask Trump why he hadn’t released a healthcare plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. Displeased with the query, Trump shot back: “I guess I’m debating you, not him, but that’s OK. I’m not surprised.”
01:41 US presidential debate moderator Chris Wallace struggles to contain Trump – video
Moderators of presidential debates typically do not factcheck the candidates, and Wallace made clear well in advance that he did not view that as his role. That left no one on stage to correct the president’s misstatements, overstatements and falsehoods, which were plentiful. Biden, who was more truthful, employed a favorite catchphrase – “Here’s the deal” – to try to set the record straight, but Trump’s hectoring made a rebuttal difficult. On occasion, Biden just smiled and shook his head in amazement.
“The fact is that everything he’s said so far is simply a lie,” Biden said. “I’m not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he’s a liar.”
As expected, Trump raised unfounded accusations about Biden’s son, Hunter, related to his business dealings in Ukraine. Trump was impeached for pushing government officials in Kiev to investigate the Biden family. Despite no evidence of wrongdoing, Republican allies of the president have continued to fixate on the manufactured controversy.
Biden said the accusations were false and attempted to redirect the conversation back to the pandemic, but Trump refused to let it go.
He returned to the subject, reminding viewers of Hunter Biden’s past drug use. Biden, looking directly into the camera, explained that like many Americans, his son had struggled with addiction.
“My son had a drug problem” Biden said. “He’s overtaken it. He’s fixed it. He’s worked on it. And I’m proud of him.”
02:52 Trump interrupts Biden's tribute to late son to raise unfounded accusations – video
Ahead of the debate, Trump’s allies attempted to cast Biden as incoherent and fanned baseless online conspiracy theories that Biden requires cue cards or an earpiece to answer questions.
Biden’s campaign flatly denied the accusations.
The looming question is whether Tuesday night’s performance will sway voters. While nearly three in four voters said they planned to watch the debate on Tuesday night, according to a recent Monmouth University poll, just 3% of voters said it was “very likely” to affect their vote in November.
“It’s been an interesting hour and a half,” Wallace said, with a chuckle that seemed to acknowledge his own understatement.


theguardian--2020-09-30--First 2020 presidential debate as it happened: Trump tries to steamroll  Biden in chaotic clash

Cry , the beloved country .
Donald Trump ensured Tuesday ’ s first US presidential debate was the worst in American history , a national humiliation .
The rest of the world – and future historians – will presumably look at it and weep .
More likely than not , according to opinion polls , his opponent Joe Biden will win the November election and bring the republic back from the brink .
If Trump is re-elected , however , this dark , horrifying , unwatchable fever dream will surely be the first line of America ’ s obituary .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the debate stage in Cleveland , Ohio , and it was not the incumbent .
He interrupted , ranted , raged , spewed lies and interrupted some more .
Oh , and he passed on an opportunity to condemn white supremacists , instead telling them to “ stand back and stand by ” .
The debate moderator , Chris Wallace of Fox News , did not cover himself in glory either .
He was a like a school supply teacher , hopelessly out of his depth as unruly children run riot .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s mic .
Facing this asymmetric bullying , Biden showed self-control and stood his ground .
He spoke for tens of millions of Americans when he demanded : “ Will you shut up , man ?
” – the Biden campaign rushed out this slogan on a T-shirt before the debate was even over .
Five weeks before the election , the debate pitted an ageing white male against an ageing orange male sweating like Richard Nixon in 1960 .
Anyone hoping for elegant verbal jousting or rapier-like wit was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here : Donald Trump ensures first presidential debate is national humiliation

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

30 Sept 2020 11.37 BST Kathleen Hunter at Bloomberg has this morning described last night as a “mud-wrestling match”. She writes: Refusing to give any ground, the president at times flustered Biden – whom he has for months sought to paint as senile — with unrelenting attacks on his family and policies. Trump, 74, made assertions — on election integrity, his income taxes, a potential coronavirus vaccine and other topics — that don’t stand up to fact-checking. For her, she thought “The biggest takeaway from the unedifying spectacle might be Trump’s refusal again to commit to a peaceful transition.”
And she had this to say about the prospect of the remaining two debates: The question now is whether the exchange will be more civil when the candidates meet on 15 October for their second debate and whether – with large portions of the electorate already having either decided on their pick or cast their ballot — the sessions even matter much. Read it here: Bloomberg – US debate descends into mud-wrestling match
30 Sept 2020 11.07 BST Reuters report what sounds like a testy reply from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in his daily conference call with reporters this morning. Ask to comment on the US election, Peskov said that Russia, like many other nations in the world, is closely following the campaign, adding: “But we do not want to make any statements as this could be viewed as an attempt to intervene. Russia has never, is not and is not going to intervene in US domestic affairs.” This denial is, of course, at odds with the CIA finding that Russia did attempt to interfere in the 2016 election, and recent warnings from William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, that Russia, China and Iran are all seeking to influence November’s vote.
30 Sept 2020 10.43 BST Perhaps one of Joe Biden’s most effective moments in the debate last night was when he was asking the nation how many of you have an empty chair now at the breakfast table because you’ve lost someone through Covid. It demonstrated a personal empathy with the emotional impact of the pandemic across America that the president has often been criticised for not showing. However, Time magazine’s Alice Park was unhappy with both candidates overnight in the way they approached the subject of the pandemic during the debate. She writes: During the 15-minute segment dedicated to Covid-19 — which is still killing hundreds of Americans each day, and stands to worsen once again — neither Trump nor Biden provided any substantive plans for what health experts say will be a critical next few months, and possibly years, in the fight against the coronavirus. Instead of thoughtful plans for addressing the deadliest and most disruptive public health crisis the world has faced in a century, viewers got a mud-slinging brawl between two candidates who were mostly more interested in landing jabs than in providing any reassurance to an already edgy public reeling from lost loved ones, lost jobs and disrupted lives. The personal attacks and repeated interruptions from the candidates overshadowed any opportunity for voters to form a firm picture of how either Trump or Biden plan to navigate the remainder of this pandemic—not to mention the upcoming flu season. In particular she pointed out that instead of explaining how a vaccine could be distributed, “Trump and Biden tussled over the Trump Administration’s constant conflict with scientists and public health experts and their differing views on how to safely reopen society.” Yesterday there were 43,355 new coronavirus cases and 918 new Covid deaths reported in the US. Read it here: Time – The Trump-Biden debate was a missed opportunity to provide Americans with clarity on Covid-19
30 Sept 2020 10.31 BST Nevada is another closely watched state during presidential elections. Hillary Clinton won it last time out, as Barack Obama had done in the previous two elections. But Nevada voted Republican for Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush and George W. Bush. The state’s attorney general, Aaron D. Ford, expressed concern on social media last night after the president appeared to be encouraging voter intimidation during the debate. Trump also told "his supporters" to "go into the polls and watch very carefully."
But he wasn't talking about poll watching. He was talking about voter intimidation.
FYI -- voter intimidation is illegal in Nevada. Believe me when I say it: You do it, and you will be prosecuted. — Aaron D. Ford (@AaronDFordNV) September 30, 2020
30 Sept 2020 10.27 BST The battle to win Florida in November is a keenly fought one, with 29 Electoral College votes at stake. Last time Trump carried the state by 49-47 against Hillary Clinton. The Miami Herald this morning is leading with two direct quotes from the candidates. Trump telling Biden “There’s nothing smart about you. 47 years, you’ve done nothing”, and Biden telling Trump “You are the worse president America has ever had.” Good morning, South Florida. Here is Wednesday's front page. Keep up with the news at https://t.co/SUDth1TjN2 ... And subscribe to support local coverage: https://t.co/QBR6bTYsRC pic.twitter.com/bfv21q8TTM — Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) September 30, 2020 Biden will be visiting Miami for the first time during his 2020 campaign on Monday, when he will be doing a town hall style debate for NBC.
30 Sept 2020 10.12 BST Associated Press have rounded up a little international reaction to last night. They note that Hu Xijin, editor of China’s nationalistic Communist party tabloid Global Times, said that the “chaos, interruptions, personal attacks and insults” on display were a reflection of America’s “overarching division, anxiety and the accelerating erosion of the system’s original advantages.” “I used to admire this kind of televised debate in American politics, but I have much more mixed feelings when watch it again now,” wrote Hu, who personally and through his paper routinely attacks American policies. “Indeed, the overall image of the United States is growing more and more complicated in my eyes,” Hu wrote. The editor-at-large of the newspaper The Australian, Paul Kelly, described the debate as a “spiteful, chaotic, abusive, often out-of-control brawling encounter with both candidates revealing their contempt for each other.” Another Australian, conservative politician Tim Wilson, told ABC that “For most part, it was a slanging match between President Trump and Vice President Biden. I’ve got to say, I thought it was pretty unedifying in terms of a discussion, not just about the future of America, but ultimately because of the might of the United States, about the rest of the world as well.”
Updated at 10.13 BST
30 Sept 2020 10.01 BST Here’s our highlights reel from last night – it is six minutes that will give the you the flavour of the extent to which the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden deteriorated into an ugly display of contempt. The president relentlessly interrupted and attacked his Democratic rival during clashes over the coronavirus pandemic, racism, the economy, mail-in voting and the future of the supreme court, with moderator Chris Wallace seemingly powerless to intervene. 06:22 Biden and Trump trade insults in frenzied presidential debate – video highlights
30 Sept 2020 09.46 BST The world-weary tone of the Washington Post fact-checkers was in evidence again as they assessed the truthfulness of 21 claims made during the debate. As they put it: “Trump repeatedly relied on troublesome and false facts that have been debunked throughout his presidency. Biden, by contrast, stretched the truth on occasion.” Among the more trivial claims from Trump they debunk are that he was responsible for bring back Big Ten football, a falsehood about where Biden went to college, saying Biden supported the Green New Deal whose details Trump mis-stated into the bargain, and over-estimating the number of judges he’s appointed.
More seriously, the Post had this to say about Trump’s rigged election message: As usual, Trump offered a baseless conspiracy theory that widespread use of mail ballots during an infectious disease pandemic would lead to massive voter fraud. There is simply no evidence for these claims. The Department of Homeland Security says Russia is spreading the same kind of disinformation to sow doubts about mail balloting and the integrity of the US election. On his claim to be lowering drug prices, the Post notes “There is just no evidence for this pie-in-the-sky prediction”, and on his frequent boast about having presided over the best US economy of all time, they state “By just about any important measure, the economy under Trump has not done as well as it did under presidents Eisenhower, Johnson and Clinton.” For his part, Joe Biden was incorrect to claim that the US has “a higher deficit with China now than we did before”, and the Post said that he used a “selective presentation” of crime figures to put his record in a better light than Trump’s.
Read it here: Washington Post – Fact-checking the first Trump-Biden presidential debate
30 Sept 2020 09.08 BST A debate like last night’s – 90 minutes long and a torrent of false and misleading claims – is an absolute nightmare for the fact-checkers among us. However, it does become slightly easier if the subject of the false claims can provide their own fact-check in real-time.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports this morning that Multnomah county sheriff Mike Reese jumped straight onto Twitter after president Donald Trump appeared to claim that he had secured the endorsement of the “Portland sheriff” In tonight’s presidential debate the President said the “Portland Sheriff” supports him. As the Multnomah County Sheriff I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him. — Mike Reese (@SheriffReese) September 30, 2020 Portland in Oregon has seen near-continuous nightly Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd in May, which have often been met with force by local and federal authorities.
30 Sept 2020 08.53 BST This was the verdict of Delaware’s Democratic Senator Chris Coons on last night, as the chaotic debate opens the possibility that the Biden campaign may request format changes going forward. It was very hard to follow what was being said, and President Trump showed not just disrespect to the moderator, but to the American people who tuned in trying to figure out what his plans are. The point of the debate is for the American people to make a decision, informed by hearing from the two candidates on what’s your record, what are your values? Joe Biden came prepared to respect the American people. Donald Trump did not. As well as next week’s hotly anticipated vice presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, there are two further Trump-Biden debates currently in the calendar. You can pop Thursday 15 October at 9pm ET in Florida and Thursday 22 October at 8pm CDT in Tennessee into your diary now. There were questions from the media immediately after last night as to whether Joe Biden and his team might pull out of the remaining two due to the president’s behaviour. They’ve ruled that out. However, on a call with reporters, Biden deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said that the campaign was in ongoing talks with the commission who govern the rules for the debates, saying “I would imagine there would be some additional conversations” going forward. The Trump campaign were also unhappy with the moderation by Chris Wallace last night. However, their view was that “Chris Wallace jumped in too often to save Biden from himself when he had backed himself into a corner or couldn’t come up with an answer”, according to campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh.


theguardian--2020-09-30--Plan to solve Florida's non-existent protest problem is pure 'mini-Trump'

For many who heard Ron DeSantis outline his proposed “ Combatting Violence , Disorder and Looting Act ” it was a head-scratcher .
Why would Florida ’ s Republican governor suddenly be pushing severe penalties on protesters in a state that escaped the disorder of summer Black Lives Matter gatherings elsewhere ?
Why threaten to withhold state money from municipalities that defund police even as Florida cities including Miami and Tampa were actually increasing law enforcement spending ?
To Democrats , civil rights advocates , voters ’ groups and others who have studied the behavior of a politician they see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s solving of problems that appear not to exist was no mystery .
A strong law-and-order pitch to voters in the key swing state just weeks before a presidential election deflected attention from a botched response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 14,000 in Florida , they say .
And it echoed the fearmongering tactics employed on a national scale that Trump believes will win him a second term in the White House .
“ He doesn ’ t want us to address his terrible track record so he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an election stunt to distract and scare voters , ” said Anna Eskamani , a Democratic state representative for Orlando .
“ It ’ s a complete act [ and ] Governor DeSantis is taking a page from Trump ’ s playbook.
” Eskamani and her colleagues see the DeSantis proposals , which the governor said he wants passed by the state legislature as early as November , as “ fear-based legislation ” and an assault on first amendment rights .
They include a six-month prison sentence for anybody striking or throwing objects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of seven or more people resulting in injury or property damage as unlawful .
Additionally , any driver who injures or kills a person during such a gathering will not be held liable – raising the prospect of almost legalizing vehicular attacks on protests .
“ We already have laws on the books against violent acts .
And calls for racial justice in Florida have been overwhelmingly peaceful , ” Eskamani said .
“ I know , I have marched in protest alongside others .
Anyone who dares to hit someone or break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controversy came in a busy week for the election in Florida during which mail-in voting began and polls showed Trump virtually tied with his Democratic challenger , Joe Biden , after trailing all year .
DeSantis drew criticism for announcing on Friday that he was removing most remaining coronavirus restrictions even though the state is still a hotspot .
Also capturing attention was an escalating spat between DeSantis ’ s administration and Michael Bloomberg , the Democratic former presidential candidate who provided $ 16m to pay off court fees and fines of convicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Timing is everything in politics and they must have seen the same polling showing up in ABC that law and order was number three issue in this election after the economy and Covid , ” said Susan MacManus , professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida .
“ Older people don ’ t like unsettling times , the riots and the violence .
On top of some of the other things that are happening , it could be just unsettling enough to cause some of those who were going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home and vote for Trump , ” she added .
DeSantis himself acknowledged his manifesto was not built on anything that had taken place in the state .
“ We have seen attacks on law enforcement , we ’ ve seen disorder and tumult in many cities .
I will not allow this kind of violence to occur here in Florida , ” he said during a press conference in Winter Haven , at which he was flanked by senior state Republicans and law enforcement officials .
Equality advocates are particularly outraged at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from drivers “ fleeing for safety from a mob ” .
“ [ It ] would protect individuals who injure protesters with their vehicles just three years after Heather Heyer , an anti-racism activist , was murdered when a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville , Virginia , ” said Andrea Mercado , executive director of the political organising group New Florida Majority .
Some local government officials , meanwhile , decry the governor ’ s threat to hold back state money from municipalities perceived to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeks to bully local governments from reallocating law enforcement budgets and seeking reforms like we ’ re trying to do , ” said Sabrina Javellana , vice-mayor of Hallandale Beach .
“ Sanctions only hurt the people he is purporting to help .
Many crimes are committed out of poverty .
If we can reduce poverty we can reduce crime.
” Shevrin Jones , a Democratic state senator-elect , said DeSantis was guilty of “ blatant overreach ” by seeking to criminalize protests .
“ I am confident that all Floridians , white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this for what it is , a desperate violation of our constitutional rights just ahead of a critical election in which every single vote counts , ” he said .
“ We ’ re going to fight this tooth and nail .
You ’ ve just declared war on our civil rights .
We ’ re prepared to strap up our boots and in the spirit of John Lewis get in some good trouble .
”

For many who heard Ron DeSantis outline his proposed “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting Act” it was a head-scratcher.
Why would Florida’s Republican governor suddenly be pushing severe penalties on protesters in a state that escaped the disorder of summer Black Lives Matter gatherings elsewhere? Why threaten to withhold state money from municipalities that defund police even as Florida cities including Miami and Tampa were actually increasing law enforcement spending?
To Democrats, civil rights advocates, voters’ groups and others who have studied the behavior of a politician they see as a mini-Donald Trump, the governor’s solving of problems that appear not to exist was no mystery.
A strong law-and-order pitch to voters in the key swing state just weeks before a presidential election deflected attention from a botched response to the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 14,000 in Florida, they say. And it echoed the fearmongering tactics employed on a national scale that Trump believes will win him a second term in the White House.
“He doesn’t want us to address his terrible track record so he’s using law and order as an election stunt to distract and scare voters,” said Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative for Orlando.
“It’s a complete act [and] Governor DeSantis is taking a page from Trump’s playbook.”
Eskamani and her colleagues see the DeSantis proposals, which the governor said he wants passed by the state legislature as early as November, as “fear-based legislation” and an assault on first amendment rights.
They include a six-month prison sentence for anybody striking or throwing objects at law enforcement officers and designate gatherings of seven or more people resulting in injury or property damage as unlawful. Additionally, any driver who injures or kills a person during such a gathering will not be held liable – raising the prospect of almost legalizing vehicular attacks on protests.
“We already have laws on the books against violent acts. And calls for racial justice in Florida have been overwhelmingly peaceful,” Eskamani said. “I know, I have marched in protest alongside others. Anyone who dares to hit someone or break property, they are arrested.”
The controversy came in a busy week for the election in Florida during which mail-in voting began and polls showed Trump virtually tied with his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, after trailing all year.
DeSantis drew criticism for announcing on Friday that he was removing most remaining coronavirus restrictions even though the state is still a hotspot. Also capturing attention was an escalating spat between DeSantis’s administration and Michael Bloomberg, the Democratic former presidential candidate who provided $16m to pay off court fees and fines of convicted felons so they could vote.
“Timing is everything in politics and they must have seen the same polling showing up in ABC that law and order was number three issue in this election after the economy and Covid,” said Susan MacManus, professor emeritus of political science at the University of South Florida.
“Older people don’t like unsettling times, the riots and the violence. On top of some of the other things that are happening, it could be just unsettling enough to cause some of those who were going to vote for Biden to come back home and vote for Trump,” she added.
Black Lives Matter protests in Florida this summer, such as this one in Fort Lauderdale in June, have been overwhelmingly peaceful. Photograph: JLN Photography/REX/Shutterstock
DeSantis himself acknowledged his manifesto was not built on anything that had taken place in the state.
“We have seen attacks on law enforcement, we’ve seen disorder and tumult in many cities. I will not allow this kind of violence to occur here in Florida,” he said during a press conference in Winter Haven, at which he was flanked by senior state Republicans and law enforcement officials.
Equality advocates are particularly outraged at the loosely defined clause removing criminal liability from drivers “fleeing for safety from a mob”.
“[It] would protect individuals who injure protesters with their vehicles just three years after Heather Heyer, an anti-racism activist, was murdered when a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia,” said Andrea Mercado, executive director of the political organising group New Florida Majority.
Some local government officials, meanwhile, decry the governor’s threat to hold back state money from municipalities perceived to have “defunded” police.
“It seeks to bully local governments from reallocating law enforcement budgets and seeking reforms like we’re trying to do,” said Sabrina Javellana, vice-mayor of Hallandale Beach.
“Sanctions only hurt the people he is purporting to help. Many crimes are committed out of poverty. If we can reduce poverty we can reduce crime.”
Shevrin Jones, a Democratic state senator-elect, said DeSantis was guilty of “blatant overreach” by seeking to criminalize protests.
“I am confident that all Floridians, white, black, brown, will see this for what it is, a desperate violation of our constitutional rights just ahead of a critical election in which every single vote counts,” he said.
“We’re going to fight this tooth and nail. You’ve just declared war on our civil rights. We’re prepared to strap up our boots and in the spirit of John Lewis get in some good trouble.”


theguardian--2020-09-30--They hate each other's political views – so why have they become friends?

When Glenn Stanton and Sheila Kloefkorn first ended up in the same room together , they knew they were not going to see eye to eye .
Stanton , the director of the evangelical Christian values organization Focus on the Family , had spent years vociferously fighting gay marriage .
Kloefkorn , on the other hand , had married her wife in 2014 , on the day gay marriage became legal in Arizona .
Having fought for equal marriage for decades , finally being able to wed meant letting go of a life ’ s share of feeling like a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stanton and Kloefkorn are friends .
They met through Braver Angels , an organization which encourages people to befriend and understand people who have differing political opinions .
Today , they laugh when people are surprised at their friendship .
“ I don ’ t believe that Glenn is out to get me in the way I probably would have in the beginning of my activism .
I just really believe he feels strongly about the things he cares about , and that ’ s a great thing , ” says Kloefkorn .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ passionately anti-abortion ( he believes that life begins at conception ) ; a firm belief in what he calls the “ traditional ” family structure ( he calls fatherless families a “ human tragedy ” ) ; and he is so against gay marriage , he says he wouldn ’ t have gone to Kloefkorn ’ s wedding if they had met before she was married .
Kloefkorn , for her part , rejoiced when the rainbow flag was projected on to the White House for Pride .
She believes that functioning families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and is pro-choice .
Reaching to the other side may sound like self-inflected pain , but Kloefkorn took those steps for a very personal reason : she the only liberal in her staunchly conservative , evangelical family .
Growing up , her mother was the only person she could relate to politically , so when she died in 2015 , Kloefkorn found herself increasingly isolated .
And Trump ’ s election only exacerbated this feeling .
“ My dad ’ s wife texted me the day after Trump won and said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won .
We are sorry that your life ’ s work is over , ’ ” Kloefkorn explains .
“ I kept on thinking , I ’ ve got to figure out how to handle this .
I very much do not want my dad to die and for us to be on a bad foot.
” Stanton ’ s motivations are less fraught : he sees pairing up with someone different from him as an opportunity .
He likes the idea of making new friends , and wants to learn how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the friends that we can , and learning all of the different stories that I know nothing about : that ’ s worth the effort , ” he says .
The work can sometimes be tough , revealing , anxiety-inducing .
It requires workshops , disabling one ’ s own ego , and sometimes even being subjected to offensive ideas .
And yet thousands of people across the US are returning every week to do the work and broaden their friendship circles and their minds , in hopes that the country will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Where did we get the idea that we can ’ t be friends with people we don ’ t agree with ?
” asks Stanton when I talk to him on the phone , in his chipper , almost singsong voice .
“ I work in a very partisan world , and I am an advocate for things I believe deeply .
But I really am troubled by the divisive nature of our culture and the way we tag each other so dismissively.
” That might sound simple enough , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than just disagreement .
Most Americans today choose to spend their time with people who vote the same way as them .
People increasingly look badly upon – even loathe – people with differing views : a 2016 Pew poll found that 47 % of Republicans judged Democrats to be more immoral than other Americans ; 35 % of Democrats said the same about Republicans .
And this year , a Gallup poll recorded the most divided results it had ever seen on Republican ( 89 % ) versus Democratic ( 7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an 82-point gap .
We find it more and more stressful to talk to people with different views , and people are increasingly also choosing to sort themselves into politically segregated communities .
And while it might feel like politicians have always hurled mud at each other , our political culture is becoming increasingly antagonistic : during the 1960 presidential campaign , only 10 % of political advertisements were negative ; by Obama ’ s second election in 2012 , only about 14 % of campaign ads were positive .
This increasing polarization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show compassion , and on our emotional and political health .
“ When people become over-identified with a very negative or judgmental stance , it has a way of limiting their ability to perceive larger possibilities in their world , ” says Kirk Schneider , a psychotherapist who been researching polarization and its effects on the human psyche for decades .
“ Being continually consumed with seeing the other as evil [ prevents a person from ] experiencing a wider range of relationships in their life , of having new discoveries , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the world , ” he says .
Polarization is also dangerous for democracy .
Schneider – who is a Braver Angels moderator – points out that when societies become heavily divided , they tend to reach an impasse .
Political objectives seem less achievable .
People who have a less mixed range of views tend to move away from a give-and-take approach to politics , and start to endorse the idea that the other side – not their own – is the one that should be doing the giving .
“ People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ re going to have sustainable peaceful coexistence with one another , ” says Schneider .
Wesley Dennis is so terrified of racism in Trump ’ s America he has already started planning his exit route should Trump win another election .
But he doesn ’ t want to be this scared .
He wants to hear why he shouldn ’ t be afraid of Trump voters – he wants some reason to feel if not optimistic , at least not horrified .
And so , most weeks , he manages to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the work of depolarizing himself , and hopefully some of the rest of America .
Dennis has been engaged with Make America Dinner Again ( Mada ) since the 2016 election , an organization that started out by asking people to have polite disagreement over dinner in people ’ s homes , and has moved online since the pandemic .
Sometimes the posts that he submits to Mada ’ s Facebook forum take two , three , maybe even four attempts to write .
He will carve out six paragraphs explaining why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take down statues honoring Confederate generals , and then he will screen his own writing .
He wants to be as approachable , rational , and careful as possible to help Trump voters understand his side .
Sometimes the responses he receives are infuriating .
People call him over-emotional about racism , or unable to be rational .
They suggest that Black people are inherently criminal .
Sometimes they don ’ t even gratify him with a response .
“ Some days I spend hours writing comments to people who have said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for them to say , ‘ I don ’ t like your tone , ’ ” he says .
Dennis points out that while he knows it is not his job to educate anyone , if he doesn ’ t speak up the “ other side ” might never hear from a Black American .
“ Take this idea that Black people are somehow inherently suspect ; or that police brutality stories are just an example of ‘ one bad cop ’ , ” he says .
“ People [ on these forums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the solution is more education , or for Black fathers to stop being so derelict.
’ And I say , look , I grew up with both parents and I have a Yale degree , and I still experience this sort of profiling and harassment.
” There have been small points of relief throughout his work .
He is now less likely to lump all conservatives together , which he believes is good for democracy .
Sometimes he will see a post about guns that makes him certain someone is an archetypal , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minute , he ’ ll see the same person attending a person of color-led Zoom talk about race that makes him reconsider his assumptions .
And while he can ’ t be sure he has helped the more conservative members to see his side of things , he has certainly made ground with some .
One of his Mada partners , Patrick Yu – who voted Republican until Trump ’ s election – said he struggled to understand systemic racism in the very abstract ways he felt it was written about in news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dennis helped to broaden his worldview .
For Dennis , there is another benefit : he feels less powerless .
At least if he chooses to engage with those he disagrees with , he might broaden their perspective – and that is something he can hold on to .
Political divides tear families apart .
Some no longer speak to their Trump-voting relatives ; they find election season unbearable and already shudder when they think about Thanksgiving.. Depolarizing is not easy .
Some people years into the process say they still have paranoid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their values could be compromised by them talking to their political opponents ; that the other side will take over and destroy society ; and that those they care for could be harmed as a result .
Sometimes those fears materialize : after Kloefkorn joined Braver Angels , her own friends berated her , accusing her of compromising her values by being friends with a man who had opposed gay marriage .
That is why the Braver Angels model focuses on techniques taken from marriage counseling to help repair wounds .
People listen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they have been subjected to , and how it makes them feel .
Ultimately , they are filling out their political opponents ’ humanity , putting the parts of them back together in a way that makes them less of a caricature .
“ It helps to expose myself to other beliefs and I have an understanding of where people are coming from , even though I don ’ t agree .
It helps me because then I don ’ t have to feel so bad all the time , especially at family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s more , she isn ’ t carrying around the weight of assuming that others are against her any more .
“ It is just negative for me if I have that as a belief because I am just going to look for confirmation and then I am going to feel unsafe.
” Now , at Thanksgiving , Kloefkorn tries not to persuade , not to rationalize or reason with , but to disarm herself and take in what her father ’ s fears are .
“ On a bad day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , ” she says .
“ But when it is good we just focus on the things that we love about each other .
”

When Glenn Stanton and Sheila Kloefkorn first ended up in the same room together, they knew they were not going to see eye to eye.
Stanton, the director of Global Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian values organization, had spent years vociferously fighting gay marriage.
Kloefkorn, on the other hand, had married her wife in 2014, on the day gay marriage became legal in Arizona. Having fought for equal marriage for decades, finally being able to wed meant letting go of a life’s share of feeling like a second class citizen.
But today, Stanton and Kloefkorn are friends. They met through Braver Angels, an organization which encourages people to befriend and understand people who have differing political opinions. Today, they laugh when people are surprised at their friendship.
“I don’t believe that Glenn is out to get me in the way I probably would have in the beginning of my activism. I just really believe he feels strongly about the things he cares about, and that’s a great thing,” says Kloefkorn.
For Stanton, those things include being passionately anti-abortion (he believes that life begins at conception); a firm belief in what he calls the “traditional” family structure (he calls fatherless families a “human tragedy”); and he is so against gay marriage, he says he wouldn’t have gone to Kloefkorn’s wedding if they had met before she was married. Kloefkorn, for her part, rejoiced when the rainbow flag was projected on to the White House for Pride. She believes that functioning families come in all different shapes and sizes, and is pro-choice.
Reaching to the other side may sound like self-inflected pain, but Kloefkorn took those steps for a very personal reason: she the only liberal in her staunchly conservative, evangelical family.
Growing up, her mother was the only person she could relate to politically, so when she died in 2015, Kloefkorn found herself increasingly isolated. And Trump’s election only exacerbated this feeling.
“My dad’s wife texted me the day after Trump won and said, ‘We are so happy that Trump won. We are sorry that your life’s work is over,’” Kloefkorn explains. “I kept on thinking, I’ve got to figure out how to handle this. I very much do not want my dad to die and for us to be on a bad foot.”
Glenn Stanton: ‘I really am troubled by the divisive nature of our culture and the way we tag each other so dismissively.’ Photograph: David Williams/The Guardian
Stanton’s motivations are less fraught: he sees pairing up with someone different from him as an opportunity. He likes the idea of making new friends, and wants to learn how to become a better citizen.
“Gaining all the friends that we can, and learning all of the different stories that I know nothing about: that’s worth the effort,” he says.
The work can sometimes be tough, revealing, anxiety-inducing. It requires workshops, disabling one’s own ego, and sometimes even being subjected to offensive ideas.
And yet thousands of people across the US are returning every week to do the work and broaden their friendship circles and their minds, in hopes that the country will be healed by learning to get along.
“Where did we get the idea that we can’t be friends with people we don’t agree with?” asks Stanton when I talk to him on the phone, in his chipper, almost singsong voice. “I work in a very partisan world, and I am an advocate for things I believe deeply. But I really am troubled by the divisive nature of our culture and the way we tag each other so dismissively.”
That might sound simple enough, but the polarization currently gripping America is about more than just disagreement.
Most Americans today choose to spend their time with people who vote the same way as them. People increasingly look badly upon – even loathe – people with differing views: a 2016 Pew poll found that 47% of Republicans judged Democrats to be more immoral than other Americans; 35% of Democrats said the same about Republicans. And this year, a Gallup poll recorded the most divided results it had ever seen on Republican (89%) versus Democratic (7%) approval of the president: an 82-point gap.
We find it more and more stressful to talk to people with different views, and people are increasingly also choosing to sort themselves into politically segregated communities.
And while it might feel like politicians have always hurled mud at each other, our political culture is becoming increasingly antagonistic: during the 1960 presidential campaign, only 10% of political advertisements were negative; by Obama’s second election in 2012, only about 14% of campaign ads were positive.
This increasing polarization has devastating effects on our capacity to show compassion, and on our emotional and political health.
“When people become over-identified with a very negative or judgmental stance, it has a way of limiting their ability to perceive larger possibilities in their world,” says Kirk Schneider, a psychotherapist who been researching polarization and its effects on the human psyche for decades.
“Being continually consumed with seeing the other as evil [prevents a person from] experiencing a wider range of relationships in their life, of having new discoveries, and also perhaps feeling a sense of wonder about the world,” he says.
Polarization is also dangerous for democracy. Schneider – who is a Braver Angels moderator – points out that when societies become heavily divided, they tend to reach an impasse. Political objectives seem less achievable. People who have a less mixed range of views tend to move away from a give-and-take approach to politics, and start to endorse the idea that the other side – not their own – is the one that should be doing the giving.
“People have to sit with some discomfort if we’re going to have sustainable peaceful coexistence with one another,” says Schneider.
Focus on the Family, the evangelical group of which Stanton is a part. Photograph: David Williams/The Guardian
Wesley Dennis is so terrified of racism in Trump’s America he has already started planning his exit route should Trump win another election. But he doesn’t want to be this scared. He wants to hear why he shouldn’t be afraid of Trump voters – he wants some reason to feel if not optimistic, at least not horrified.
And so, most weeks, he manages to make it to his keyboard, to do the work of depolarizing himself, and hopefully some of the rest of America.
Dennis has been engaged with Make America Dinner Again (Mada) since the 2016 election, an organization that started out by asking people to have polite disagreement over dinner in people’s homes, and has moved online since the pandemic.
Sometimes the posts that he submits to Mada’s Facebook forum take two, three, maybe even four attempts to write. He will carve out six paragraphs explaining why he believes it’s not anti-American to take down statues honoring Confederate generals, and then he will screen his own writing. He wants to be as approachable, rational, and careful as possible to help Trump voters understand his side.
Sometimes the responses he receives are infuriating. People call him over-emotional about racism, or unable to be rational. They suggest that Black people are inherently criminal. Sometimes they don’t even gratify him with a response.
“Some days I spend hours writing comments to people who have said things that are offensively misguided, only for them to say, ‘I don’t like your tone,’” he says.
Dennis points out that while he knows it is not his job to educate anyone, if he doesn’t speak up the “other side” might never hear from a Black American. “Take this idea that Black people are somehow inherently suspect; or that police brutality stories are just an example of ‘one bad cop’,” he says. “People [on these forums] will say, ‘Well, the solution is more education, or for Black fathers to stop being so derelict.’ And I say, look, I grew up with both parents and I have a Yale degree, and I still experience this sort of profiling and harassment.”
There have been small points of relief throughout his work. He is now less likely to lump all conservatives together, which he believes is good for democracy. Sometimes he will see a post about guns that makes him certain someone is an archetypal, evil orthodox Trumpian – and the next minute, he’ll see the same person attending a person of color-led Zoom talk about race that makes him reconsider his assumptions.
And while he can’t be sure he has helped the more conservative members to see his side of things, he has certainly made ground with some. One of his Mada partners, Patrick Yu – who voted Republican until Trump’s election – said he struggled to understand systemic racism in the very abstract ways he felt it was written about in news articles and academic studies. But meeting Dennis helped to broaden his worldview.
For Dennis, there is another benefit: he feels less powerless. At least if he chooses to engage with those he disagrees with, he might broaden their perspective – and that is something he can hold on to.
Sheila Kloefkorn: ‘I don’t believe that Glenn is out to get me in the way I probably would have in the beginning of my activism.’ Photograph: Cassidy Araiza/The Guardian
Political divides tear families apart. Some no longer speak to their Trump-voting relatives; they find election season unbearable and already shudder when they think about Thanksgiving..
Depolarizing is not easy. Some people years into the process say they still have paranoid fantasies: they fear the sum of their values could be compromised by them talking to their political opponents; that the other side will take over and destroy society; and that those they care for could be harmed as a result.
Sometimes those fears materialize: after Kloefkorn joined Braver Angels, her own friends berated her, accusing her of compromising her values by being friends with a man who had opposed gay marriage.
That is why the Braver Angels model focuses on techniques taken from marriage counseling to help repair wounds. People listen to their partners talk about the stereotypes they have been subjected to, and how it makes them feel. Ultimately, they are filling out their political opponents’ humanity, putting the parts of them back together in a way that makes them less of a caricature.
“It helps to expose myself to other beliefs and I have an understanding of where people are coming from, even though I don’t agree. It helps me because then I don’t have to feel so bad all the time, especially at family dinners,” says Kloefkorn.
What’s more, she isn’t carrying around the weight of assuming that others are against her any more. “It is just negative for me if I have that as a belief because I am just going to look for confirmation and then I am going to feel unsafe.”
Now, at Thanksgiving, Kloefkorn tries not to persuade, not to rationalize or reason with, but to disarm herself and take in what her father’s fears are. “On a bad day, I just try not to talk about it,” she says. “But when it is good we just focus on the things that we love about each other.”