theguardian--2020-10-14--Amy Coney Barrett dodges abortion, healthcare and election law questions

On the second day of hearings before the Senate judiciary committee , Democrats pressed the supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on healthcare , election law and abortion rights – and met with little success .
Donald Trump ’ s third nominee for the highest court dodged questions on how she might rule on a challenge to the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ) ; whether she would recuse herself from any lawsuit about the presidential election ; and whether she would vote to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v Wade , which made abortion legal .
In lengthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s nomination was effectively a herald of the overturning of that ruling and the ACA , known popularly as Obamacare .
The California senator Kamala Harris , participating in the hearing remotely , argued that Barrett ’ s positions on key issues were clear .
“ I would suggest that we not pretend that we don ’ t know how this nominee views a women ’ s right to choose to make our own healthcare decisions , ” Harris said late in the hearings .
In an exchange with the Delaware senator Chris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act .
I ’ m just here to apply the law and adhere to the rule of law.
” Democratic senators pressed Barrett on whether she would recuse herself from a possible case about the outcome of the 2020 election .
The Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal said he was “ disappointed ” in Barrett ’ s refusal to commit to a position .
He added : “ It would be a dagger at the heart of the court and our democracy if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather than the American voters.
” Barrett argued that she was not a pundit , citing remarks by Justice Elena Kagan and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg in saying that outside of reviewing a specific case , it was not her place to offer a position .
“ No hints , no previews , no forecasts , ” Barrett quoted Ginsburg as saying , after the California senator Dianne Feinstein questioned her about how she might rule in any case challenging the legality of abortion .
She repeatedly denied any indication that her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the high court .
Harris at one point asked Barrett if she had heard Trump ’ s vows to seat a supreme court justice who would overturn Roe v Wade and the ACA .
“ I don ’ t recall seeing or hearing those statements , ” Barrett said .
Harris also pointed out that Trump nominated Barrett to serve as an appellate judge seven months after Barrett penned an article criticizing Justice John Roberts ’ ruling upholding the ACA .
Harris argued that showed Trump had been elevating Barrett to overturn the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Catholic whose previous statements and affiliations have come under close scrutiny .
Trump has said overturning Roe v Wade would be “ possible ” with Barrett on the court .
When she was asked about a newspaper ad she signed criticizing Roe v Wade , first reported by the Guardian , Barrett said she had “ no recollection ” of it and stressed she had nothing to hide .
At another point in Tuesday ’ s hearing , Barrett cited Kagan in saying she would not give “ a thumbs up or thumbs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Most of the Democrats ’ questioning centered on the ACA , and how a ruling by the high court overturning the law would take healthcare away from millions of Americans .
A hearing is due a week after election day .
Democrats see protecting the ACA as a productive electoral tactic .
That focus helped the party retake the House of Representatives in 2018 .
Barrett said she was not hostile to the ACA , abortion or gay rights , another area worrying progressives as the court seems set to tilt to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was simply focused on upholding the law .
“ I apply the law , I follow the law , ” Barrett said .
“ You make the policy.
” Asked about gay rights , Barrett said : “ I would not discriminate on the basis of sexual preference.
” Her choice of words conspicuously suggested that to her , sexuality is a choice .
Amid scrutiny of Barrett ’ s past , it has been reported that she was a trustee at a school whose handbook included stated opposition to same-sex marriage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue with her words , Barrett said she “ certainly didn ’ t mean and would never mean to use a term that would cause any offense to the LGBTQ community , ” adding : “ If I did , I greatly apologize for that.
” Republican senators also questioned Barrett on healthcare , the Iowa senator Chuck Grassley asking if she had been asked during the nomination process if she supported overturning the ACA .
“ Absolutely not , ” Barrett said .
“ I was never asked and if I had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ short conversation.
” Barrett said it was “ just not true ” that she wanted to strike down protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions .
Asked if she thought same-sex marriage should be a crime , she said the ruling in Obergefell v Hodges , in 2015 , made it the law of the land .
Asked if she would recuse herself on any lawsuit over the outcome of the 2020 election , however , Barrett declined to commit .
Instead she said : “ I have made no commitment to anyone – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House – on how I would decide a case.
” It was the first of two sessions of questioning , after which outside witnesses will be called .
Barrett , in addition to serving as an appellate judge , is also a professor at the University of Notre Dame .
Almost 100 of Barrett ’ s colleagues in a letter urged her to hold off on the confirmation process until after the presidential election in November .
The letter pointed out the “ rushed nature ” of events , adding that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people of a voice in selecting the next Supreme Court justice ” .
“ You are not , of course , responsible for the anti-democratic machinations driving your nomination , ” the letter added .
Trump and Republicans are eager to move quickly .
The president has said he wants to see Barrett confirmed before election day , which is in three weeks ’ time , suggesting that this is in part because he hopes she will rule in his favor if a challenge to the election result reaches the highest court .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday morning , Senate Democrats fretted about their chances of stopping Barrett .
“ The fact of the matter is this nominee is extreme , ” the Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal said .
“ Her views are outliers .
“ I think we are going to demonstrate today and tomorrow what ’ s at stake and how extreme and far right this nominee is.
” He conceded that Democrats had no “ magic ” tool to block Barrett .
They would , he said , use every procedural tool they had but “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are practically boasting that they have the votes.
” Blumenthal said Democrats were “ ultimately making our case to the American people ” , to make them realize the impact Barrett ’ s nomination was likely to have .

On the second day of hearings before the Senate judiciary committee, Democrats pressed the supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on healthcare, election law and abortion rights – and met with little success.
Donald Trump’s third nominee for the highest court dodged questions on how she might rule on a challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA); whether she would recuse herself from any lawsuit about the presidential election; and whether she would vote to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling Roe v Wade, which made abortion legal.
In lengthy speeches, Democrats maintained that Barrett’s nomination was effectively a herald of the overturning of that ruling and the ACA, known popularly as Obamacare. The California senator Kamala Harris, participating in the hearing remotely, argued that Barrett’s positions on key issues were clear.
“I would suggest that we not pretend that we don’t know how this nominee views a women’s right to choose to make our own healthcare decisions,” Harris said late in the hearings.
In an exchange with the Delaware senator Chris Coons, Barrett said: “I am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act. I’m just here to apply the law and adhere to the rule of law.”
Democratic senators pressed Barrett on whether she would recuse herself from a possible case about the outcome of the 2020 election. The Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal said he was “disappointed” in Barrett’s refusal to commit to a position. He added: “It would be a dagger at the heart of the court and our democracy if this election is decided by the court rather than the American voters.”
Barrett argued that she was not a pundit, citing remarks by Justice Elena Kagan and the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg in saying that outside of reviewing a specific case, it was not her place to offer a position.
“No hints, no previews, no forecasts,” Barrett quoted Ginsburg as saying, after the California senator Dianne Feinstein questioned her about how she might rule in any case challenging the legality of abortion.
She repeatedly denied any indication that her political views would color her rulings on the high court. Harris at one point asked Barrett if she had heard Trump’s vows to seat a supreme court justice who would overturn Roe v Wade and the ACA.
“I don’t recall seeing or hearing those statements,” Barrett said.
Harris also pointed out that Trump nominated Barrett to serve as an appellate judge seven months after Barrett penned an article criticizing Justice John Roberts’ ruling upholding the ACA. Harris argued that showed Trump had been elevating Barrett to overturn the healthcare law.
Supreme court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate judiciary committee. Photograph: Leah Millis/AFP/Getty Images
Barrett is a devout Catholic whose previous statements and affiliations have come under close scrutiny. Trump has said overturning Roe v Wade would be “possible” with Barrett on the court.
When she was asked about a newspaper ad she signed criticizing Roe v Wade, first reported by the Guardian, Barrett said she had “no recollection” of it and stressed she had nothing to hide.
At another point in Tuesday’s hearing, Barrett cited Kagan in saying she would not give “a thumbs up or thumbs down” on any hypothetical ruling.
Most of the Democrats’ questioning centered on the ACA, and how a ruling by the high court overturning the law would take healthcare away from millions of Americans. A hearing is due a week after election day. Democrats see protecting the ACA as a productive electoral tactic. That focus helped the party retake the House of Representatives in 2018.
Barrett said she was not hostile to the ACA, abortion or gay rights, another area worrying progressives as the court seems set to tilt to a 6-3 conservative majority. Barrett said she was simply focused on upholding the law.
“I apply the law, I follow the law,” Barrett said. “You make the policy.”
Asked about gay rights, Barrett said: “I would not discriminate on the basis of sexual preference.”
Her choice of words conspicuously suggested that to her, sexuality is a choice. Amid scrutiny of Barrett’s past, it has been reported that she was a trustee at a school whose handbook included stated opposition to same-sex marriage.
After the Democratic senator Mazie Hirono took issue with her words, Barrett said she “certainly didn’t mean and would never mean to use a term that would cause any offense to the LGBTQ community,” adding: “If I did, I greatly apologize for that.”
Republican senators also questioned Barrett on healthcare, the Iowa senator Chuck Grassley asking if she had been asked during the nomination process if she supported overturning the ACA.
“Absolutely not,” Barrett said. “I was never asked and if I had been that would’ve been a short conversation.”
Barrett said it was “just not true” that she wanted to strike down protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions.
01:38 Kamala Harris pushes Amy Coney Barrett on Trump's plan to dismantle Obamacare – video
Asked if she thought same-sex marriage should be a crime, she said the ruling in Obergefell v Hodges, in 2015, made it the law of the land.
Asked if she would recuse herself on any lawsuit over the outcome of the 2020 election, however, Barrett declined to commit. Instead she said: “I have made no commitment to anyone – not in the Senate, not in the White House – on how I would decide a case.”
It was the first of two sessions of questioning, after which outside witnesses will be called.
Barrett, in addition to serving as an appellate judge, is also a professor at the University of Notre Dame. Almost 100 of Barrett’s colleagues in a letter urged her to hold off on the confirmation process until after the presidential election in November.
The letter pointed out the “rushed nature” of events, adding that it “may effectively deprive the American people of a voice in selecting the next Supreme Court justice”.
“You are not, of course, responsible for the anti-democratic machinations driving your nomination,” the letter added.
Trump and Republicans are eager to move quickly. The president has said he wants to see Barrett confirmed before election day, which is in three weeks’ time, suggesting that this is in part because he hopes she will rule in his favor if a challenge to the election result reaches the highest court.
In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday morning, Senate Democrats fretted about their chances of stopping Barrett.
“The fact of the matter is this nominee is extreme,” the Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal said. “Her views are outliers.
“I think we are going to demonstrate today and tomorrow what’s at stake and how extreme and far right this nominee is.”
He conceded that Democrats had no “magic” tool to block Barrett. They would, he said, use every procedural tool they had but “the politics are difficult here. Republicans are practically boasting that they have the votes.”
Blumenthal said Democrats were “ultimately making our case to the American people”, to make them realize the impact Barrett’s nomination was likely to have.


theguardian--2020-10-13--Twitter suspends accounts for posing as Black Trump supporters

Twitter has suspended a network of accounts claiming to be owned by Black supporters of Donald Trump and his re-election campaign due to spam and platform manipulation , it said Tuesday .
The company is investigating the activity and may suspend additional similar accounts if they are found to be violating its policies , a spokesperson said .
The Washington Post first reported on the investigation , citing more than a dozen accounts using identical , inauthentic language including the phrase : “ YES IM BLACK AND IM VOTING FOR TRUMP !
!
!
” A review of some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stolen images to appear real .
The accounts sometimes claimed to be owned by military veterans or members of law enforcement .
This is not the first time Twitter has had to address a spam operation claiming to be led by Black voters .
NBC News also reported spam operations from fake accounts posing as Black Trump supporters in August .
Some accounts were able to attract thousands of followers before they were suspended .
One tweet , for example , amassed more than 10,000 retweets before it was removed , NBC News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ photo of a veteran who died last month to pose as a Trump supporter .
Polls show about 10 % of Black voters in the US support Trump .
These accounts raised suspicion for their identical language and stock image avatars .
Meanwhile , research shows Black Americans have been negatively impacted by misinformation campaigns online in recent months , particularly those focused on spreading misinformation about Covid-19 .
“ Black lives are consistently put in danger , and it is incumbent upon community actors , media , government , and tech companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that timely , local , relevant and redundant public health messages are served to all communities , ” a study from Harvard ’ s Shorenstein Center found .
Twitter rules prohibit using the platform “ in a manner intended to artificially amplify or suppress information or engage in behavior that manipulates or disrupts people ’ s experience on Twitter ” , a Twitter spokesman told the Guardian .
The company reports campaigns discovered to be state-backed in its public archive .
This month it revealed it had suspended more than 1,500 accounts affiliated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Thailand and Russia that had sought to spread misinformation .
It did not say where it believed the network of people posing as Black Trump supporters originated or whether it was state-backed .

Twitter has suspended a network of accounts claiming to be owned by Black supporters of Donald Trump and his re-election campaign due to spam and platform manipulation, it said Tuesday.
The company is investigating the activity and may suspend additional similar accounts if they are found to be violating its policies, a spokesperson said.
The Washington Post first reported on the investigation, citing more than a dozen accounts using identical, inauthentic language including the phrase: “YES IM BLACK AND IM VOTING FOR TRUMP!!!”
A review of some of the suspended accounts shows they often used stolen images to appear real. The accounts sometimes claimed to be owned by military veterans or members of law enforcement.
This is not the first time Twitter has had to address a spam operation claiming to be led by Black voters. NBC News also reported spam operations from fake accounts posing as Black Trump supporters in August.
Some accounts were able to attract thousands of followers before they were suspended. One tweet, for example, amassed more than 10,000 retweets before it was removed, NBC News found. Another account allegedly used a photo of a veteran who died last month to pose as a Trump supporter.
Polls show about 10% of Black voters in the US support Trump. These accounts raised suspicion for their identical language and stock image avatars.
Meanwhile, research shows Black Americans have been negatively impacted by misinformation campaigns online in recent months, particularly those focused on spreading misinformation about Covid-19.
“Black lives are consistently put in danger, and it is incumbent upon community actors, media, government, and tech companies alike to do their part to ensure that timely, local, relevant and redundant public health messages are served to all communities,” a study from Harvard’s Shorenstein Center found.
Twitter rules prohibit using the platform “in a manner intended to artificially amplify or suppress information or engage in behavior that manipulates or disrupts people’s experience on Twitter”, a Twitter spokesman told the Guardian.
The company reports campaigns discovered to be state-backed in its public archive. This month it revealed it had suspended more than 1,500 accounts affiliated with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Thailand and Russia that had sought to spread misinformation. It did not say where it believed the network of people posing as Black Trump supporters originated or whether it was state-backed.
Reuters contributed reporting


theguardian--2020-10-13--Trump administration can end census count early, supreme court rules

The US supreme court will allow the Trump administration to immediately end counting for the 2020 census , despite warnings that doing so would result in inaccurate data with severe consequences for the next decade .
The ruling essentially cuts short counting every living American resident , scheduled to end on 31 October , by two weeks .
The court did not offer any explanation for its order , which came after the Trump administration asked the justices to pause a lower court ruling extending the count while the case was appealed .
Only Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proceedings .
“ Meeting the deadline at the expense of the accuracy of the census is not a cost worth paying , especially when the Government has failed to show why it could not bear the lesser cost of expending more resources to meet the deadline or continuing its prior efforts to seek an extension from Congress , ” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent .
Lower courts had ordered the Trump administration to extend counting until 31 October .
The decennial survey , used to draw electoral districts and allocate $ 1.5tn in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end 30 September , but the Trump administration originally sought a one month extension earlier this year , pointing to delays because of the coronavirus pandemic .
In late August , the commerce department , which oversees the Census Bureau , abruptly reversed its position , saying it would try and complete counting by 30 September and deliver the data used to determine how many seats in Congress each state gets by the 31 December statutory deadline .
The reversal came even after the bureau ’ s own experts warned they could not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ludicrous to think we can complete 100 % of the nation ’ s data coverage earlier than 10/31 and any thinking person who would believe we can deliver apportionment by 12/31 has either a mental deficiency or political motivation , ” Tim Olson , a top bureau employee , wrote in a July email .
The decision to rush the count did not come from inside the bureau , which is staffed by nonpartisan career workers , an inspector general ’ s report found last month .
The 31 December deadline is set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration has not explained why it abandoned its earlier effort to get Congress to extend the deadline until next year .
There ’ s speculation the White House wants to ensure that Trump can oversee the allocation of US House seats , even if he loses re-election , and push to exclude undocumented immigrants from that total .
The Census Bureau claims it has already met its goal of counting 99.9 % of housing units in this state .
But to meet that goal , according to the New York Times , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looser , and potentially less accurate , efforts to count a household , such as asking a landlord for information about a household that failed to respond to the census .
Even with counting complete , there are concerns that the bureau ’ s experts have enough time to verify the accuracy of its data before 31 December .
In a typical census , experts at the bureau typically use this time to catch and fix errors .
There simply may not be enough time for researchers to do that this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ year ’ s census count are irreparable , ” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent .
“ And respondents will suffer their lasting impact for at least the next 10 years .
”

The US supreme court will allow the Trump administration to immediately end counting for the 2020 census, despite warnings that doing so would result in inaccurate data with severe consequences for the next decade.
The ruling essentially cuts short counting every living American resident, scheduled to end on 31 October, by two weeks. The court did not offer any explanation for its order, which came after the Trump administration asked the justices to pause a lower court ruling extending the count while the case was appealed. Only Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she would have blocked the request to halt the proceedings.
“Meeting the deadline at the expense of the accuracy of the census is not a cost worth paying, especially when the Government has failed to show why it could not bear the lesser cost of expending more resources to meet the deadline or continuing its prior efforts to seek an extension from Congress,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent.
Lower courts had ordered the Trump administration to extend counting until 31 October. The decennial survey, used to draw electoral districts and allocate $1.5tn in federal funds, was originally scheduled to end 30 September, but the Trump administration originally sought a one month extension earlier this year, pointing to delays because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In late August, the commerce department, which oversees the Census Bureau, abruptly reversed its position, saying it would try and complete counting by 30 September and deliver the data used to determine how many seats in Congress each state gets by the 31 December statutory deadline. The reversal came even after the bureau’s own experts warned they could not meet those deadlines.
“It is ludicrous to think we can complete 100% of the nation’s data coverage earlier than 10/31 and any thinking person who would believe we can deliver apportionment by 12/31 has either a mental deficiency or political motivation,” Tim Olson, a top bureau employee, wrote in a July email. The decision to rush the count did not come from inside the bureau, which is staffed by nonpartisan career workers, an inspector general’s report found last month.
The 31 December deadline is set in federal law, but the Trump administration has not explained why it abandoned its earlier effort to get Congress to extend the deadline until next year. There’s speculation the White House wants to ensure that Trump can oversee the allocation of US House seats, even if he loses re-election, and push to exclude undocumented immigrants from that total.
The Census Bureau claims it has already met its goal of counting 99.9% of housing units in this state. But to meet that goal, according to the New York Times, the bureau said it was willing to accept looser, and potentially less accurate, efforts to count a household, such as asking a landlord for information about a household that failed to respond to the census.
Even with counting complete, there are concerns that the bureau’s experts have enough time to verify the accuracy of its data before 31 December. In a typical census, experts at the bureau typically use this time to catch and fix errors. There simply may not be enough time for researchers to do that this year.
“The harms caused by rushing this year’s census count are irreparable,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent. “And respondents will suffer their lasting impact for at least the next 10 years.”


theguardian--2020-10-13--Obama to hit campaign trail in final sprint of election, Biden says

Democratic challenger Joe Biden indicated that his Barack Obama would soon be hitting the campaign trail in person to stump for his former running mate , with three weeks to go until the presidential election .
“ He ’ s doing enough for our campaign .
He ’ ll be out on the trail , ” Biden said on Tuesday before leaving for a campaign stop in Florida .
Obama has participated in virtual fundraisers for Biden , his former vice-president , and the two filmed a “ socially distanced conversation ” in July , which focused on criticizing Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Obama is seen by many as a brilliant campaigner , able to stir Democratic enthusiasm and get voters to the polls .
He ’ s also appeared in online fundraising with vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris .
Reports appeared to confirm the move that Obama would soon be stepping out .
“ President Obama plans to hit the trail soon , in addition to all the other activities he ’ s undertaken all year in support of electing VP Biden – as he ’ s said , we all have to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 , ” an aide to the former president told ABC News .
Any appearance by Obama on the stump in the final sprint of the election would also be in marked contrast to the attitude of the most recent former Republican president – George W Bush – who has not even expressed support for Trump , let alone joined him on his re-election bid .
Meanwhile , Biden kept up his withering assault on Trump ’ s record in office by hitting yet another key swing state .
In Pembroke Pines , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticizing the president ’ s response to Covid-19 , which is still out of control in the US , with cases rising in many states .
The Democratic nominee told senior voters that Trump had treated America ’ s older citizens like they were expendable , for his own ends .
To Trump , “ you ’ re expendable , you ’ re forgettable , you ’ re virtually nobody , ” Biden said at a senior center in Pembroke Pines , about 20 miles from Fort Lauderdale .
The “ only senior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is himself , Biden added .
“ I prayed for his recovery when he got Covid .
And I hoped he ’ d at least come out of it somewhat chastened , ” Biden said of the president .
“ But what has he done ?
He ’ s just doubled down on the misinformation he did before and [ is ] making it worse.
” Biden ’ s courting of seniors was a sign of his bet that a voting bloc that buoyed Trump four years ago has become disenchanted with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic , in particular .
It was Biden ’ s third visit to the state in a month , after making targeted appeals to other voting communities , including military veterans and Latinos .
Florida is an essential state for both candidates to win , but especially Trump , whose narrow triumph there in 2016 fueled his shock victory over Hillary Clinton .
Later , Biden was speaking at a voter mobilization rally in the heavily African American Florida community of Miramar .
His swing through the state coincided with a $ 500,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Bloomberg to increase Democratic turnout in Miami-Dade county .
It also corresponded with more encouraging polling for the Democrat who seems to have surged in recent weeks .
In most national polls he has a double digit lead over Trump and is also comfortably ahead in most swing state polls .
But a new poll on Tuesday evening showed Biden ’ s lead surging to 17 points , according to an Opinium Research and Guardian opinion poll .
About 57 % of likely voters surveyed said they intended to vote for Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor Trump .

Democratic challenger Joe Biden indicated that his Barack Obama would soon be hitting the campaign trail in person to stump for his former running mate, with three weeks to go until the presidential election.
“He’s doing enough for our campaign. He’ll be out on the trail,” Biden said on Tuesday before leaving for a campaign stop in Florida.
Obama has participated in virtual fundraisers for Biden, his former vice-president, and the two filmed a “socially distanced conversation” in July, which focused on criticizing Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Obama is seen by many as a brilliant campaigner, able to stir Democratic enthusiasm and get voters to the polls. He’s also appeared in online fundraising with vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Reports appeared to confirm the move that Obama would soon be stepping out. “President Obama plans to hit the trail soon, in addition to all the other activities he’s undertaken all year in support of electing VP Biden – as he’s said, we all have to do everything we can to win on November 3,” an aide to the former president told ABC News.
Any appearance by Obama on the stump in the final sprint of the election would also be in marked contrast to the attitude of the most recent former Republican president – George W Bush – who has not even expressed support for Trump, let alone joined him on his re-election bid.
Meanwhile, Biden kept up his withering assault on Trump’s record in office by hitting yet another key swing state. In Pembroke Pines, Florida, Biden focused a speech on criticizing the president’s response to Covid-19, which is still out of control in the US, with cases rising in many states.
The Democratic nominee told senior voters that Trump had treated America’s older citizens like they were expendable, for his own ends. To Trump, “you’re expendable, you’re forgettable, you’re virtually nobody,” Biden said at a senior center in Pembroke Pines, about 20 miles from Fort Lauderdale.
The “only senior Donald Trump seems to care about” is himself, Biden added.
“I prayed for his recovery when he got Covid. And I hoped he’d at least come out of it somewhat chastened,” Biden said of the president. “But what has he done? He’s just doubled down on the misinformation he did before and [is] making it worse.”
Biden’s courting of seniors was a sign of his bet that a voting bloc that buoyed Trump four years ago has become disenchanted with the White House’s handling of the pandemic, in particular. It was Biden’s third visit to the state in a month, after making targeted appeals to other voting communities, including military veterans and Latinos.
Florida is an essential state for both candidates to win, but especially Trump, whose narrow triumph there in 2016 fueled his shock victory over Hillary Clinton.
Later, Biden was speaking at a voter mobilization rally in the heavily African American Florida community of Miramar. His swing through the state coincided with a $500,000 donation from billionaire former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg to increase Democratic turnout in Miami-Dade county.
It also corresponded with more encouraging polling for the Democrat who seems to have surged in recent weeks. In most national polls he has a double digit lead over Trump and is also comfortably ahead in most swing state polls. But a new poll on Tuesday evening showed Biden’s lead surging to 17 points, according to an Opinium Research and Guardian opinion poll.
About 57% of likely voters surveyed said they intended to vote for Biden, while just 40% said they favor Trump.


theguardian--2020-10-13--Senators stir ghosts of Scalia and Ginsburg for Amy Coney Barrett hearing

Depending on your point of view , the woman seated before the Senate judiciary committee for her first day of questioning was either the female Scalia or the anti-RBG .
Or maybe , of course , both .
As proceedings commenced in a brightly lit and deeply sanitized hearing room , Amy Coney Barrett , Donald Trump ’ s third nominee to the supreme court , described herself as an originalist in the tradition of her mentor .
Like the late Antonin Scalia , for whom she clerked , she subscribes to a theory of constitutional interpretation that attempts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the constitution ] had at the time people ratified it ” .
That time was the 1780s , when only white and land-owning men could vote .
Oddly , Scalia often produced opinions that delighted conservatives .
Outside the Capitol on Tuesday , a group of conservative women gathered to sing and pray , hands extended heavenward .
Senator Lindsey Graham , the Republican committee chair , asked Barrett if it was appropriate to call her the “ female Scalia ” .
She demurred .
“ If I am confirmed , you would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she said .
“ You would be getting Justice Barrett.
” That , of course , is exactly what Democrats fear .
In several rounds of questioning , Democratic senators portrayed the would-be justice as a rightwing crusader , chosen to undermine the civil rights legacy of the justice she hopes to replace , Ruth Bader Ginsburg , a liberal icon , a world-famous champion of women .
Outside the Capitol on Monday , progressive activists had worn blood-red robes and bonnets , symbols of female oppression taken from The Handmaid ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel .
Barrett has roots in a charismatic Catholic group , People of Praise , which has been cited as an inspiration for Atwood .
Such citations are wrong , but in the hearing room on Tuesday Democratic senators nonetheless painted a determinedly dystopian picture , of an America ruled by a conservative court .
In their telling , millions – constituents with names , faces and gut-wrenching stories the senators took took pains to tell – stand to lose access to life-saving services provided by the Affordable Care Act ; poor women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an abortion will be forced to make dangerous choices ; same-sex couples may no longer have the right to marry .
Barrett declined to answer questions on such issues – and in doing so , perhaps provocatively , cited RBG .
A dictum Ginsburg set forth during her 1993 confirmation hearing : “ No hints , no forecasts , no previews.
” “ These are life and death questions for people , ” insisted Dianne Feinstein of California , the ranking Democrat on the panel .
Barrett ’ s repeated refusal to answer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feinstein said , noting that Ginsburg was far more forthcoming about her views on the issue .
“ I have no agenda , ” Barrett said , not for the first or last time .
The president chose Barrett from a list of what he called “ pro-life ” judges .
He has said he hopes , even expects , the court will overturn Roe v Wade , the 1973 ruling that established the right to abortion .
The president has also insisted he needs a ninth justice on the court before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contested .
“ Who came up with this notion , this insulting notion , that you might violate your oath ?
” Dick Durbin , a Democrat from Illinois , wondered sarcastically , in response to Republicans ’ accusation that his party was impugning Barrett ’ s judicial independence merely by asking where she stood on key issues .
“ Where could this idea have come from ?
Could it have come from the White House ?
Could it have come from the president ’ s tweets of what he expects a supreme @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
That is where it originated.
” Despite it all , the hearing played out with an air of inevitability .
Graham was clear .
This was “ the hearing to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court ” , rather than the traditional opportunity to “ consider ” her nomination .
Because of the pandemic , some senators participated remotely .
Cleaners sanitized the room during breaks .
No members of the public were allowed in .
There were still signs and sounds of dissent .
In the room , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honoring RBG .
Outside , protesters donned hazmat suits , a reminder the hearing was unfolding amid a pandemic , in the potential Petri dish otherwise known as Hart 216 .
Supporters of Barrett , many of whom have worked assiduously for the day when Roe v Wade might no longer be law , were outside the Capitol too .
On the side of a bus painted pink : “ Women For Amy , # ShePraysSheVotes.
” These women expect Barrett to follow Scalia .
But they also believe she has the potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a working mother as deeply religious as she is highly accomplished .
“ All of the young conservative women out there , this hearing to me is about a place for you , ” Graham said .
Turning to Barrett , he said : “ I hope when this is all over that there ’ ll be a place for you at the table , that there will be a spot for you at the supreme court like there was for Judge Ginsburg.
” For Democrats , as Sheldon Whitehouse put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the proceedings were nothing more than “ puppet theater ” .
If you were only paying attention to the show , the senator from Rhode Island warned , you were missing the story .

Depending on your point of view, the woman seated before the Senate judiciary committee for her first day of questioning was either the female Scalia or the anti-RBG. Or maybe, of course, both.
As proceedings commenced in a brightly lit and deeply sanitized hearing room, Amy Coney Barrett, Donald Trump’s third nominee to the supreme court, described herself as an originalist in the tradition of her mentor. Like the late Antonin Scalia, for whom she clerked, she subscribes to a theory of constitutional interpretation that attempts to understand and apply “meaning that [the constitution] had at the time people ratified it”.
That time was the 1780s, when only white and land-owning men could vote. Oddly, Scalia often produced opinions that delighted conservatives. Outside the Capitol on Tuesday, a group of conservative women gathered to sing and pray, hands extended heavenward.
Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican committee chair, asked Barrett if it was appropriate to call her the “female Scalia”. She demurred.
“If I am confirmed, you would not be getting Justice Scalia,” she said. “You would be getting Justice Barrett.”
All of the young conservative women out there, this hearing to me is about a place for you Lindsey Graham
That, of course, is exactly what Democrats fear.
In several rounds of questioning, Democratic senators portrayed the would-be justice as a rightwing crusader, chosen to undermine the civil rights legacy of the justice she hopes to replace, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon, a world-famous champion of women.
Outside the Capitol on Monday, progressive activists had worn blood-red robes and bonnets, symbols of female oppression taken from The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel.
Barrett has roots in a charismatic Catholic group, People of Praise, which has been cited as an inspiration for Atwood. Such citations are wrong, but in the hearing room on Tuesday Democratic senators nonetheless painted a determinedly dystopian picture, of an America ruled by a conservative court.
In their telling, millions – constituents with names, faces and gut-wrenching stories the senators took took pains to tell – stand to lose access to life-saving services provided by the Affordable Care Act; poor women who cannot afford to travel for an abortion will be forced to make dangerous choices; same-sex couples may no longer have the right to marry.
Barrett declined to answer questions on such issues – and in doing so, perhaps provocatively, cited RBG. A dictum Ginsburg set forth during her 1993 confirmation hearing: “No hints, no forecasts, no previews.”
“These are life and death questions for people,” insisted Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the panel. Barrett’s repeated refusal to answer questions on abortion was “distressing” Feinstein said, noting that Ginsburg was far more forthcoming about her views on the issue.
“I have no agenda,” Barrett said, not for the first or last time.
But Donald Trump does.
The president chose Barrett from a list of what he called “pro-life” judges. He has said he hopes, even expects, the court will overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that established the right to abortion.
The president tweets of what he expects a supreme court nominee to do politically for him Dick Durbin
The president has also insisted he needs a ninth justice on the court before the election, in case the result is contested.
“Who came up with this notion, this insulting notion, that you might violate your oath?” Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, wondered sarcastically, in response to Republicans’ accusation that his party was impugning Barrett’s judicial independence merely by asking where she stood on key issues.
“Where could this idea have come from? Could it have come from the White House? Could it have come from the president’s tweets of what he expects a supreme court nominee to do politically for him? That is where it originated.”
Despite it all, the hearing played out with an air of inevitability. Graham was clear. This was “the hearing to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court”, rather than the traditional opportunity to “consider” her nomination.
The committee chairman, Lindsey Graham, listens. Photograph: Getty Images
Because of the pandemic, some senators participated remotely. Cleaners sanitized the room during breaks. No members of the public were allowed in.
There were still signs and sounds of dissent. In the room, some Democrats wore masks or displayed accessories honoring RBG. Outside, protesters donned hazmat suits, a reminder the hearing was unfolding amid a pandemic, in the potential Petri dish otherwise known as Hart 216.
Supporters of Barrett, many of whom have worked assiduously for the day when Roe v Wade might no longer be law, were outside the Capitol too. On the side of a bus painted pink: “Women For Amy, #ShePraysSheVotes.”
These women expect Barrett to follow Scalia. But they also believe she has the potential to be the conservative equivalent of Ginsburg, a working mother as deeply religious as she is highly accomplished.
“All of the young conservative women out there, this hearing to me is about a place for you,” Graham said. Turning to Barrett, he said: “I hope when this is all over that there’ll be a place for you at the table, that there will be a spot for you at the supreme court like there was for Judge Ginsburg.”
For Democrats, as Sheldon Whitehouse put it to reporters moments before the gavel clacked, the proceedings were nothing more than “puppet theater”. If you were only paying attention to the show, the senator from Rhode Island warned, you were missing the story.


theguardian--2020-10-13--The Guardian view on North Korea's missiles: Trump and proliferation | Editorial

The 2020 Commission Report is – thank God – fiction .
But it is an alarmingly plausible account of a North Korean nuclear strike on America , presented as the findings of a US government investigation .
Its author , an arms control expert , makes the catalyst a rogue tweet from Donald Trump .
Even in a novel , the North is not suicidal enough to choose an attack ; the danger comes from mistakes and miscalculations .
The story ’ s broader truth is twofold : that the risk of something going wrong grows as weapons proliferate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his summits , the threat from Pyongyang has grown thanks to President Trump .
At the weekend , North Korea presented its largest ever display of new weaponry at a military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers ’ party .
It included an intercontinental ballistic missile described by one expert as a monster – possibly the world ’ s largest road-mobile ICBM , albeit one that is yet to be tested – and additional missile transporters .
This was “ demonstrative , not provocative ” : Kim Jong-un accompanied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without the threatening rhetoric of his new year address .
Anti-US slogans seen in previous years appeared to have been removed .
But the message was clearly aimed at Washington .
The North Korean leader offered an unusual – and tearful – apology for failing to live up to “ the trust of all the people ” , in passages reflecting his country ’ s dire economic straits .
The impact of sanctions and widespread flooding , in a country where around two in five inhabitants are malnourished , has been punitive .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ halting of relief shipments and trade by a border closure imposed to prevent Covid-19 hitting a barely functioning health system .
In the longer term , Pyongyang will need help .
Whether November brings us President Biden , as polls suggest , or President Trump again , it is unlikely to change North Korea ’ s calculus .
It uses its weaponry to push itself up the agenda of incoming administrations : expect more testing next year .
Mr Trump ’ s team has proved itself incapable of effective , constructive diplomacy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ domestic inbox and Iran is more likely to be a foreign policy priority .
Successive presidents have struggled to deal with Pyongyang , and it will be hard to launch another engagement bid immediately after the debacle of Mr Trump ’ s vanity diplomacy .
The broader pattern on proliferation is clear .
Mr Trump has quit three arms control agreements .
The US is spending $ 1.2tn to modernise its nuclear arsenal .
A report published in September by two American thinktanks warns that the decline of US influence and its withdrawal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the rise of authoritarian leaders , are fuelling proliferation .
World nuclear arms spending last year rose to $ 73bn .
A group of arms control experts has warned that the US is “ blundering toward nuclear chaos with potentially disastrous consequences ” .
Mr Trump is not the only one to blame , of course , and a Biden presidency would not be able to transform matters overnight .
But Mr Biden has at least said he would extend the New Start treaty with Russia , which expires early next year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has failed to sign a single non-proliferation deal so far , suddenly scrambles to agree something before the election .
President Biden would also be anxious to restore the image of the US as a reliable partner .
But even if the Democrat wins , undoing the damage of the last four years will be a long and difficult task .

The 2020 Commission Report is – thank God – fiction. But it is an alarmingly plausible account of a North Korean nuclear strike on America, presented as the findings of a US government investigation. Its author, an arms control expert, makes the catalyst a rogue tweet from Donald Trump. Even in a novel, the North is not suicidal enough to choose an attack; the danger comes from mistakes and miscalculations.
The story’s broader truth is twofold: that the risk of something going wrong grows as weapons proliferate, and that, despite the show business of his summits, the threat from Pyongyang has grown thanks to President Trump. At the weekend, North Korea presented its largest ever display of new weaponry at a military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ party. It included an intercontinental ballistic missile described by one expert as a monster – possibly the world’s largest road-mobile ICBM, albeit one that is yet to be tested – and additional missile transporters.
This was “demonstrative, not provocative”: Kim Jong-un accompanied the hardware with a softer speech, without the threatening rhetoric of his new year address. Anti-US slogans seen in previous years appeared to have been removed. But the message was clearly aimed at Washington.
The North Korean leader offered an unusual – and tearful – apology for failing to live up to “the trust of all the people”, in passages reflecting his country’s dire economic straits. The impact of sanctions and widespread flooding, in a country where around two in five inhabitants are malnourished, has been punitive. But the final straw has been the halting of relief shipments and trade by a border closure imposed to prevent Covid-19 hitting a barely functioning health system. In the longer term, Pyongyang will need help.
Whether November brings us President Biden, as polls suggest, or President Trump again, it is unlikely to change North Korea’s calculus. It uses its weaponry to push itself up the agenda of incoming administrations: expect more testing next year. Mr Trump’s team has proved itself incapable of effective, constructive diplomacy. But Mr Biden will have an overflowing domestic inbox and Iran is more likely to be a foreign policy priority. Successive presidents have struggled to deal with Pyongyang, and it will be hard to launch another engagement bid immediately after the debacle of Mr Trump’s vanity diplomacy.
The broader pattern on proliferation is clear. Mr Trump has quit three arms control agreements. The US is spending $1.2tn to modernise its nuclear arsenal. A report published in September by two American thinktanks warns that the decline of US influence and its withdrawal from the international order, as well as the rise of authoritarian leaders, are fuelling proliferation. World nuclear arms spending last year rose to $73bn. A group of arms control experts has warned that the US is “blundering toward nuclear chaos with potentially disastrous consequences”.
Mr Trump is not the only one to blame, of course, and a Biden presidency would not be able to transform matters overnight. But Mr Biden has at least said he would extend the New Start treaty with Russia, which expires early next year, while the Trump administration, which has failed to sign a single non-proliferation deal so far, suddenly scrambles to agree something before the election. President Biden would also be anxious to restore the image of the US as a reliable partner. But even if the Democrat wins, undoing the damage of the last four years will be a long and difficult task.


theguardian--2020-10-13--'Slayer Pete': Buttigieg emerges as Biden's unlikely Fox News fighter

At home , he is the unassuming former mayor of a small town in Indiana , where he lives happily with his husband , a junior high school teacher , and their two lazy dogs .
But on cable TV , where he has emerged in the homestretch of the presidential campaign as a likable and lethal surrogate for Democrat Joe Biden , Pete Buttigieg is something else : “ Slayer Pete ” .
Conferred on Buttigieg by the Los Angeles Times columnist Mary McNamara , the nickname captures the efficacy with which Buttigieg has turned his rhetorical chops to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump .
Buttigieg ’ s biggest scores have come on Fox News , an arena not many Democrats deign to enter , unwilling or unable to argue against an alternative reality where Covid-19 is a hoax , Hillary Clinton is public enemy No 1 and Trump is infallible .
But if the echo-chamber quality of most Fox broadcasts has led the hosts into a sense of complacency when challenging their guests , they have recently been fed rude surprises – in the nicest possible way – by the rapier-tongued “ mayor Pete ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vice-presidential debate , Buttigieg , whose own presidential bid came to an end in March , was asked on Fox News why Kamala Harris , Biden ’ s running mate , had modified her stance on healthcare reform after joining the presidential ticket .
“ Well , there ’ s a classic parlor game of trying to find a little bit of daylight between running mates , ” Buttigieg said .
“ And if people want to play that game , we could look into why an evangelical Christian like Mike Pence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president caught with a porn star , or how he feels about the immigration policy that he called ‘ unconstitutional ’ before he decided to team up with Donald Trump.
” Buttigieg is not universally loved .
His record on policing and racial justice as mayor of South Bend , Indiana , has been heavily criticized , and during the Democratic primary he had a long-running feud with Senator Amy Klobuchar , who in one debate quipped : “ I wish everyone was as perfect as you , Pete.
” But with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the battle lines now clearly drawn in an election with epic stakes , Biden supporters of every persuasion might feel free to sit back and enjoy one thing Buttigieg does seem practically perfect at : dissecting Trump sycophants with a smile .
When Fox host Steve Doocy tried to hit Biden for declining to debate Trump in person in the aftermath of Trump ’ s coronavirus diagnosis , Buttigieg deftly turned the tables .
“ It ’ s too bad , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t know why the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All of us have had to get used to a virtual format .
Parents are having to deal with e-learning , which is not what we ’ re used to .
We ’ re having to take meetings over Zoom .
It ’ s not something I think most of us enjoy , but it ’ s a safety measure .
“ I think part of why the US is badly behind the rest of the developed world on dealing with the pandemic is because every time there ’ s been a choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s more safe or less safe , this president seems to push for less safe.
” The range of Buttigieg ’ s analytical intelligence was on display in an interview in a friendlier forum , on MSNBC , when he was asked about a call by the supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for rulings to be “ fairly reasoned and grounded in the law ” .
“ This is what nominees do , ” Buttigieg said .
“ They write the most seemingly unobjectionable , dry stuff .
But really what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to judicial activism cloaked in judicial humility .
“ At the end of the day , rights in this country have been expanded because courts have understood what the true meaning of the letter of the law and the spirit of the constitution is .
“ And that is not about time-traveling yourself back to the 18th century and subjecting yourself to the same prejudices and limitations as the people who write these words .
“ The constitution is a living document because the English language is a living language .
And you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in order to serve on the court in a way that will actually make life better.
” Buttigieg then quoted Thomas Jefferson , smiled , and finished with a dagger : “ Even the founders that these kind of dead-hand originalists claim fidelity to understood better than their ideological descendants , today ’ s judicial so-called conservatives , the importance of keeping with the times .
”

At home, he is the unassuming former mayor of a small town in Indiana, where he lives happily with his husband, a junior high school teacher, and their two lazy dogs.
But on cable TV, where he has emerged in the homestretch of the presidential campaign as a likable and lethal surrogate for Democrat Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg is something else: “Slayer Pete”.
Conferred on Buttigieg by the Los Angeles Times columnist Mary McNamara, the nickname captures the efficacy with which Buttigieg has turned his rhetorical chops to the task of obliterating apologists for Donald Trump.
Buttigieg’s biggest scores have come on Fox News, an arena not many Democrats deign to enter, unwilling or unable to argue against an alternative reality where Covid-19 is a hoax, Hillary Clinton is public enemy No 1 and Trump is infallible.
But if the echo-chamber quality of most Fox broadcasts has led the hosts into a sense of complacency when challenging their guests, they have recently been fed rude surprises – in the nicest possible way – by the rapier-tongued “mayor Pete” (his other nickname).
Before the vice-presidential debate, Buttigieg, whose own presidential bid came to an end in March, was asked on Fox News why Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, had modified her stance on healthcare reform after joining the presidential ticket.
“Well, there’s a classic parlor game of trying to find a little bit of daylight between running mates,” Buttigieg said. “And if people want to play that game, we could look into why an evangelical Christian like Mike Pence wants to be on a ticket with the president caught with a porn star, or how he feels about the immigration policy that he called ‘unconstitutional’ before he decided to team up with Donald Trump.”
Pete Buttigieg - Fox News might not let you back after you destroyed their set like that 😂#Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/pWyCvBwxjo — Nerdy Pursuit (@nerdypursuit) October 8, 2020
Buttigieg is not universally loved. His record on policing and racial justice as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has been heavily criticized, and during the Democratic primary he had a long-running feud with Senator Amy Klobuchar, who in one debate quipped: “I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete.”
But with the Democrats having mended their differences and the battle lines now clearly drawn in an election with epic stakes, Biden supporters of every persuasion might feel free to sit back and enjoy one thing Buttigieg does seem practically perfect at: dissecting Trump sycophants with a smile.
When Fox host Steve Doocy tried to hit Biden for declining to debate Trump in person in the aftermath of Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis, Buttigieg deftly turned the tables.
“It’s too bad,” he said. “I don’t know why the president’s afraid to debate. All of us have had to get used to a virtual format. Parents are having to deal with e-learning, which is not what we’re used to. We’re having to take meetings over Zoom. It’s not something I think most of us enjoy, but it’s a safety measure.
“I think part of why the US is badly behind the rest of the developed world on dealing with the pandemic is because every time there’s been a choice between doing something in a way that’s more safe or less safe, this president seems to push for less safe.”
Pete Buttigieg is on a campaign to calmly eviscerate every Fox host before Election Day pic.twitter.com/QhRdjRf64b — Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) October 8, 2020
The range of Buttigieg’s analytical intelligence was on display in an interview in a friendlier forum, on MSNBC, when he was asked about a call by the supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for rulings to be “fairly reasoned and grounded in the law”.
“This is what nominees do,” Buttigieg said. “They write the most seemingly unobjectionable, dry stuff. But really what I see in there is a pathway to judicial activism cloaked in judicial humility.
“At the end of the day, rights in this country have been expanded because courts have understood what the true meaning of the letter of the law and the spirit of the constitution is.
“And that is not about time-traveling yourself back to the 18th century and subjecting yourself to the same prejudices and limitations as the people who write these words.
“The constitution is a living document because the English language is a living language. And you need to have some readiness to understand that in order to serve on the court in a way that will actually make life better.”
Buttigieg then quoted Thomas Jefferson, smiled, and finished with a dagger: “Even the founders that these kind of dead-hand originalists claim fidelity to understood better than their ideological descendants, today’s judicial so-called conservatives, the importance of keeping with the times.”


theguardian--2020-10-14--'How many people's hearts are broken?' Biden slams Trump over Covid-19 death toll – video

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has urged his supporters in the battleground state of Florida to vote out 'reckless ' @ @ @ @ @ at his response to the Covid-19 pandemic .
Biden accused Trump of not taking the @ @ @ @ @ outbreak seriously , leading to the growing death toll across the United States .
`` @ @ @ @ @ around the dining room table tonight because of his negligence ? ''
Biden asked .
@ @ @ @ @ hearts are broken ? ''

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has urged his supporters in the battleground state of Florida to vote out 'reckless' Donald Trump after taking aim at his response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Biden accused Trump of not taking the initial response to the coronavirus outbreak seriously, leading to the growing death toll across the United States. "How many empty chairs are around the dining room table tonight because of his negligence?" Biden asked. "How many people's hearts are broken?"


theguardian--2020-10-14--Amy Coney Barrett Senate hearing continues as Trump calls for stimulus deal – live

Amy Coney Barrett refused to be drawn yesterday on whether Donald Trump should commit in public to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election in three weeks time .
She described that as “ a political controversy right now [ and ] as a judge I want to stay out of it.
” That very question is the subject of our award-winning Today in Focus podcast today – what if Donald Trump refuses to concede ?
Prof Lawrence Douglas , the author of the recently published Will He Go ?
, tells Anushka Asthana that the stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the result hinges on small margins and mail-in ballots , which take longer to count .
In this scenario , he believes Trump is likely to refuse to concede if the vote goes against him .
It could open up a legal and political minefield that the US constitution and the separated powers of the US government is ill-equipped to deal with .
One thing is clear : a new president must be sworn in at noon on 21 January 2020 .
But who turns up to that ceremony could be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And with that I am off .
Joan E Greve will be here shortly to take you through the next session of the Amy Coney Barrett hearings , which you ’ ll be able to watch right here – you may need to refresh the page for the video to appear…

15 Oct 2020 01.06 BST Summary The third day of Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination hearings concluded. Barrett dodged questions from Democrats who tried to pin down her views on voting rights, climate change, and same-sex marriage. In a contentious exchange with vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Barrett said she believed Covid-19 was infectious and cigarettes cause cancer, but would provide an “opinion” on climate change.
Barrett dodged questions from Democrats who tried to pin down her views on voting rights, climate change, and same-sex marriage. In a contentious exchange with vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, Barrett said she believed Covid-19 was infectious and cigarettes cause cancer, but would provide an “opinion” on climate change. Lindsey Graham praised Barrett as “unashamedly pro-life,” describing her nomination as historic. “I have never been more proud of a nominee,” the Republican committee chairman said. “This is history being made, folks. This is the first time in American history that we’ve nominated a woman who is unashamedly pro-life and embraces her faith without apology. And she’s going to the court.”
describing her nomination as historic. “I have never been more proud of a nominee,” the Republican committee chairman said. “This is history being made, folks. This is the first time in American history that we’ve nominated a woman who is unashamedly pro-life and embraces her faith without apology. And she’s going to the court.” The first lady revealed Barron Trump had coronavirus. Melania Trump said Barron, her and the president’s 14-year-old son, tested positive for coronavirus but showed no symptoms. Barron and the first lady have both since tested negative, she said.
Melania Trump said Barron, her and the president’s 14-year-old son, tested positive for coronavirus but showed no symptoms. Barron and the first lady have both since tested negative, she said. Trump is in Des Moines, Iowa, where he held a campaign rally tonight. The president won Iowa by 9 points in 2016, but recent polls show Trump and Biden running neck and neck in the state.
where he held a campaign rally tonight. The president won Iowa by 9 points in 2016, but recent polls show Trump and Biden running neck and neck in the state. Virginia extended its voter registration deadline, after an accidentally cut cable caused the state’s online registration system to shut down yesterday. Virginia voters now have an additional two days to register.
after an accidentally cut cable caused the state’s online registration system to shut down yesterday. Virginia voters now have an additional two days to register. A judge ended efforts in North Carolina to help voters more easily fix problems with their ballots. This is the latest development in ongoing legal and political battles about which votes can be counted in a state where Biden and Trump are evenly matched.
This is the latest development in ongoing legal and political battles about which votes can be counted in a state where Biden and Trump are evenly matched. Twitter reportedly locked the account of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for sharing a controversial New York Post article. The article claims to have implicated Biden in his son Hunter Biden’s Ukraine business. Biden Sr has repeatedly denied any such involvement and its claims do not appear to be backed by facts. Nonetheless, Trump and his supporters have been seeking to widely promote the story. Amy Coney Barrett pledges 'open mind' and plays down conservative record Read more
Updated at 01.40 BST
14 Oct 2020 00.55 BST Donald Trump is speaking to his supporters in Des Moines, Iowa. Per usual, he has unleashed a slew of lies, promoting the New York Post article about Hunter Biden (and struggling to pronounce Burisma), insisting that polls that show him lagging are a lie, saying he won Iowa by a greater percentage in 2016 than he actually did, and claiming that network cameras’ recording lights turn off when he talks about polling. Per usual, supporters are not socially distanced and many are not wearing masks to slow the spread of coronavirus. He took off his tie – which was flapping in the wind – and tossed it away dramatically, which is a new twist.
Updated at 01.34 BST
14 Oct 2020 00.45 BST A federal judge ordered North Carolina to leave in place a policy allowing absentee ballots to be counted through Nov. 12, and blocked a policy that would have made it easier for voters to fix missing witness signatures on their ballots. Judge William Osteen directed state officials to revise a policy that would allow voters to fix a lack signature by returning an affidavit, rather than casing a whole new ballot and having their old one thrown out. However, he allowed the affidavit fix for other small errors, like an incomplete witness address or misplaced signature. Thousands of voters looking to fix problems with their ballots – mostly people of color – were left in limbo awaiting these decisions in a battleground state where Biden and Trump and polling neck and neck. Efforts to suppress the Black vote in North Carolina have been executed with “almost surgical precision,” per a court ruling in 2016. Republicans have been fighting efforts to make it easier for voters to correct mail-in ballot issues, even though the state’s bipartisan approved a plan to do allow affidavits as a fix for faulty ballots. That voters have to obtain a witness signature is an unfair burden to those who live alone and must avoid contact with others due to Covid-19, and works as a form of voter suppression itself, advocates have said - though efforts to do away with the requirement failed.
14 Oct 2020 00.23 BST Stephanie Kirchgaessner The Christian community where Amy Coney Barrett has previously served as a female leader – or handmaid – expels members who engage in gay sex, according to a 2018 interview with Craig Lent, the group’s current head. Lent told the South Bend Tribune that the People of Praise, a charismatic Christian community that has counted Barrett as a member, would end the membership of a person who discloses gay sex or any other “ongoing, deliberate, unrepentant wrongdoing”. Barrett, an appellate court judge who has been nominated by Donald Trump to serve on the supreme court, said in a confirmation hearing on Tuesday that she had “never discriminated on the basis of sexual preference and would not ever discriminate on the basis of sexual preference”. Barrett has never openly discussed her affiliation with People of Praise. But media reports have pointed out she appears to be a longstanding member based on multiple factors: her work as a trustee at a People of Praise-affiliated school, which required her to be a member; the fact that she lived with one of the group’s co-founders when she was a law student at Notre Dame; the publication of her picture and other family announcements in the group’s magazine, Vine and Branches; and her father’s role as a leader in the group. The Washington Post also was first to report that Barrett was listed as a handmaid, or female leader, in a 2010 directory. Asked by the Guardian to comment on the apparent policy of expelling members who have gay sex, and asked whether this was a discriminatory policy, a spokesperson for the People of Praise said in a statement: “In the People of Praise, as in the Roman Catholic church and many Protestant churches, we follow the traditional New Testament teaching that marriage is a union of one man and one woman.” Amy Coney Barrett faith group would expel members over gay sex, leader said Read more
14 Oct 2020 00.09 BST Twitter locked the White House press secretary from her account Kari Paul Twitter reportedly locked the account of White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany for sharing a controversial New York Post article, which claims to have implicated Biden in his son Hunter Biden’s Ukraine business. Biden Sr has repeatedly denied any such involvement.
Facebook and Twitter limited the spread of the NY Post article critical of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden Wednesday, sparking outrage among conservatives and accusations of partisan online censorship. “Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad,” the newspaper’s headline read. The New York Post said it reported the story by obtaining a computer abandoned by Biden’s son Hunter.
As Biden’s campaign denied he ever met the businessman, Facebook and Twitter placed restrictions on linking to the article, saying there were questions about its validity. AP contributed to this report.
14 Oct 2020 23.49 BST David Smith The US politics sketch: Barrett’s confirmation hearings bring few surprises Amy Coney Barrett, nominee for associate justice of the US Supreme Court, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Washington. Photograph: Stefani Reynolds/EPA It was the five-hour mark when the tech gods finally pulled the plug. As Senator Richard Blumenthal started questioning supreme court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, the Senate’s audio system crashed and her words floated away on the air. The gremlins were caused not by Covid-enforced video conferencing from some far-flung location but a simple breakdown in the committee room. By then the hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington had become background noise. Barrett and the Republican senators backing her have to pretend she is a tabula rasa, as ideologically blank as the notepad in front of her when it comes to deciding cases about abortion, healthcare, same-sex marriage or myriad other issues. So when the audio system cranked back into gear, Blumenthal of Connecticut asked if a ruling that barred states from criminalising contraceptive use was rightly decided. Barrett declined to say so. And when Blumenthal asked about her views on the climate crisis, she parried: “Senator Blumenthal, I don’t think I am competent to opine on what causes global warming or not.” Had he asked whether the president is allowed to stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, there is no guarantee that Barrett would have given an unambiguous answer. In fairness, she was merely applying the “Ginsburg rule”: the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dictum that nominees to the court should offer no hints, no previews, no forecasts. Or as the law professor Elena Kagan put it 25 years ago: “Hearings have presented to the public a vapid and hollow charade, in which repetition of platitudes has replaced discussion of viewpoints and personal anecdotes have supplanted legal analysis. Kagan is now a supreme court justice. Barrett, however, is taking the Kabuki dance to new extremes. She remained evasive even when Democrats asked about Donald Trump and his evident belief that she would take his side, just as he demanded “loyalty” from the former FBI director James Comey and other public servants. Democrats are resigned to losing the supreme court battle – but set on winning the war Read more
14 Oct 2020 23.30 BST Another competitive senate race that has a good chance of flipping from Republican to Democrat is in Montana. A new poll by Montana State University found that governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat, is leading slightly (by two points) ahead of incumbent Republican Steve Daines. The Cook Political Report rates this race between two Steves as a “tossup.” Trump is still likely to owin the presidential race in Montana, but by a smaller margin than he did in 2016 – while The MSU poll of 1,609 respondents found Bullock ahead by two points at 49%. The gap is within the margin of error.
14 Oct 2020 23.20 BST Lindsey Graham announced that his campaign raised $28m in the third quarter. The figure is a quarterly fundraising record for Republican Senate candidates but still lags well behind the $57m his opponent Jaime Harrison has raised. The two candidates are tied in the polls. Graham’s reliably Republican electorate has soured on him amid his flip-flopping on considering a Supreme Court nominee during an election year. As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he has rushed through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett despite promising publicly to oppose an election-year Supreme Court nomination when Republicans refused to consider Barack Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland.
A close ally of Trump, Graham is now facing the toughest re-election battle of his Senate career.
Updated at 23.20 BST
14 Oct 2020 22.48 BST Public hearing poortion ends Next is a closed hearing on FBI background checks. Tomorrow the judiciary committee will set up a vote and hear outside witnesses. “You will be confirmed, God willing,” said Lindsey Graham. “The hope was not to change anybody’s mind,” with the hearing, he noted - instead hope was for Americans to get to know Barrett.
Updated at 23.03 BST


theguardian--2020-10-14--Trump and Biden offer starkly different visions of US role in world

Foreign policy barely gets a mention in this US election , but for the rest of the world the outcome on 3 November will arguably be the most consequential in history .
All US elections have a global impact , but this time there are two issues of existential importance to the planet – the climate crisis and nuclear proliferation – on which the two presidential candidates could hardly be further apart .
Also at stake is the idea of “ the west ” as a like-minded grouping of democracies who thought they had won the cold war three decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showdown in November is probably the starkest choice between two different foreign policy visions that we ’ ve seen in any election in recent memory , ” said Rebecca Lissner , co-author of An Open World , a new book on the contest for 21st-century global order .
In an election which will determine so much about the future of America and the world , the Trump campaign has said very little about its intentions , producing what must be the shortest manifesto in the annals of US politics .
It appeared late @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points , of which five are about foreign policy – 41 words broken into a handful of slogans such as : “ Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans ” .
The word “ climate ” does not appear , but there are two bullet points on partnering with other countries to “ clean up ” the oceans , and a pledge to “ Continue to Lead the World in Access to the Cleanest Drinking Water and Cleanest Air ” .
( The phrase ignores a series of US scandals about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that millions of Americans can no longer afford their water bills . )
The US remains the world ’ s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and the average American ’ s carbon footprint is twice that of a European or Chinese citizen .
Joe Biden has pledged the US will rejoin the Paris climate accord on the first day of his presidency , and mount a diplomatic push for ambitious global targets .
He has vowed to make the climate crisis a national security priority and has outlined a plan to spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other climate investments .
“ By the end of the Obama administration climate change had become a central foreign policy priority in a way that it wasn ’ t necessarily at the beginning , ” Ben Rhodes , Obama ’ s closest foreign policy adviser , said .
“ I think that the evolution of the Democratic party will only heighten the prioritisation of climate change as a national security and foreign policy issue.
” On the second existential danger , nuclear weapon proliferation , the landscape has grown darker over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new mobile intercontinental ballistic missile in Pyongyang last weekend provided glaring proof that North Korea has continued to build up its nuclear arsenal despite Trump ’ s abortive face-to-face diplomacy with Kim Jong-un .
Iran has increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium since Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal , the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) , and Tehran has signaled it will continue to shrug off the JCPOA ’ s constraints on its activities as long as the US perseveres with “ maximum pressure ” sanctions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US and Russia ( who together possess more than 90 % of the world ’ s nuclear warheads ) are modernising and expanding their arsenals with new weapons .
The US-Russian treaty on Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces ( INF ) collapsed last year , and the last remaining constraint on them , the New Start Treaty , expires in February , possibly clearing the way for a new arms race .
On North Korea , Biden says he will “ jump-start ” an international campaign with China and others to try to constrain Pyongyang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful before .
Neither candidate has a convincing strategy to make Kim disarm .
On Iran , however , there is a sharp difference .
Biden has said one of his first foreign policy initiatives will be to rejoin the JCPOA if Tehran agrees to abide by its limits once more .
It could be hard , however , to rally international support and Iranian acquiescence , after the experience of the Trump administration .
“ We ’ re going to have to deal with these questions from our allies and partners such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we ’ ll be able to trust that the United States is going to stick with it this time ?
’ ” Matt Duss , Bernie Sanders ’ chief foreign policy adviser , warned .
“ The real challenge is forging a new political consensus that will outlast one presidency.
” If elected , Biden would have a few days before New Start expires to extend it by five years , something Russia has said it will agree to .
For nearly four years Trump refused to commit to an extension – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any new strategic arms deal , something Beijing has consistently refused to do , on the grounds that its arsenal is a fraction of the size of the two other powers .
With under three weeks left before the election , however , US negotiators are under pressure to produce a quick , temporary deal with Moscow , possibly involving a one-year New Start extension .
Moscow , suddenly bestowed leverage , is no hurry to cut such a deal , deriding hopeful briefings from US officials as “ delusion ” .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impulses .
He has frequently boasted about his ability to strike a grand nuclear bargain with other powers , but at the same time taken relish in brandishing the US nuclear sword , which he repeatedly promises to polish and enlarge at a price tag of $ 1.5tn or more in the next three decades .
Biden has promised to trim that budget , cutting some of the new weapons programmes and limiting their use to retaliation only against a nuclear attack on the US .
The November election is also likely to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US chooses its allies and partners in the coming years .
Trump has made a bonfire of multilateral treaties and international commitments in pursuit of the splendid isolation of America First .
He has threatened judges and lawyers at the international criminal court in the Hague with sanctions , and has severed US ties with the World Health Organization at the height of a global pandemic , refusing to play any part in a UN-sponsored global effort to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine .
He has shown a consistent preference for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s traditional democratic partners .
That trend is likely to be accentuated if he wins a second term , a success he would see as proof he need not be constrained by US traditions and institutions .
His former national security adviser , John Bolton , has suggested he might even take the US out of Nato , reshaping the world in an instant .
“ I think the west as a concept would no longer be meaningful and instead there would be a realignment , whereby the United States would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and more populist nationalist-leaning leaders , ” Lissner , an assistant professor at the US Naval War College , said .
Biden has vowed to reverse that trend , and put a new emphasis on partnerships with democracies beyond Europe and North America .
In his first year in office he has said he would host a global “ Summit for Democracy ” as a way of mobilising world opinion behind the US , sidestepping the chronic impasse in the US security council .
“ The US position in the world is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Rhodes , who maintains close informal ties to Biden ’ s foreign policy team .
“ And so I ’ d expect a much more concerted effort to try to reconsolidate some form of community of democracies , not just alliances , but around the idea of democracy itself.
” In the Middle East , that would mean a far more critical approach to Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Egypt and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia .
Biden has pledged to cut off all US support for the Saudi-led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win for the progressive wing of the Democratic party .
“ I think it ’ s already had substantial influence , ” Duss , the Sanders aide , said .
“ If you look at what Biden has been saying about making Saudi Arabia a pariah state , about ending support for the Yemen war , I think it ’ s clear he understands that relationships with repressive regimes need to change.
” It is not just autocratic regimes who risk losing influence in Washington under a Biden administration .
His foreign policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Europe as undermining western cohesion .
“ Boris Johnson is one of the most prominent leaders in that category , ” Rhodes said .
“ And so I think the center of gravity and transatlantic relations is more likely to be through Paris and Berlin than London.
” Another sign that progressive influence and the lesson of Trump ’ s original foreign policy appeal is in Biden ’ s manifesto promise to end America ’ s “ forever wars ” in Afghanistan and the Middle East .
“ This has been a progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic party priority .
I think progressives will be watching Biden closely on the pace of the withdrawals , ” Duss said .
“ Trump is tapping into something , because the majority of Americans don ’ t want to keep fighting these wars.
” Another area where there could be substantial continuity between a Biden and a Trump administration is in the adversarial relationship with China , which is being driven in large part by Xi Jinping ’ s increasingly assertive approach to the Chinese role in Asia and the Pacific .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s more accommodating policy to Beijing is no longer possible , but Biden has said he sees the solution to containing the Chinese as through reinvesting in Pacific alliances , which Trump has downgraded in his pursuit of bilateral trade deals .
Lissner argued a Biden approach – not just to the rivalry to China , but to foreign relations in general – will focus on making the US a more attractive partner on the world stage , through democratic renewal at home .
She said : “ I do think we also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the sources of American power lie at home , and that the US does have the capacity to outrun China if only we can get our house in order .
”

Foreign policy barely gets a mention in this US election, but for the rest of the world the outcome on 3 November will arguably be the most consequential in history.
All US elections have a global impact, but this time there are two issues of existential importance to the planet – the climate crisis and nuclear proliferation – on which the two presidential candidates could hardly be further apart.
Also at stake is the idea of “the west” as a like-minded grouping of democracies who thought they had won the cold war three decades ago.
“The Biden versus Trump showdown in November is probably the starkest choice between two different foreign policy visions that we’ve seen in any election in recent memory,” said Rebecca Lissner, co-author of An Open World, a new book on the contest for 21st-century global order.
In an election which will determine so much about the future of America and the world, the Trump campaign has said very little about its intentions, producing what must be the shortest manifesto in the annals of US politics.
It appeared late in the campaign and has 54 bullet points, of which five are about foreign policy – 41 words broken into a handful of slogans such as: “Wipe Out Global Terrorists Who Threaten to Harm Americans”.
The word “climate” does not appear, but there are two bullet points on partnering with other countries to “clean up” the oceans, and a pledge to “Continue to Lead the World in Access to the Cleanest Drinking Water and Cleanest Air”. (The phrase ignores a series of US scandals about poor water quality – and the fact that millions of Americans can no longer afford their water bills.)
The US remains the world’s second biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and the average American’s carbon footprint is twice that of a European or Chinese citizen.
A wildfire sign in Sequoia national park, California. The candidates’ positions on climate change could hardly be further apart. Photograph: Warming Images/Rex Shutterstock
Joe Biden has pledged the US will rejoin the Paris climate accord on the first day of his presidency, and mount a diplomatic push for ambitious global targets. He has vowed to make the climate crisis a national security priority and has outlined a plan to spend $2tn on clean energy infrastructure and other climate investments.
“By the end of the Obama administration climate change had become a central foreign policy priority in a way that it wasn’t necessarily at the beginning,” Ben Rhodes, Obama’s closest foreign policy adviser, said. “I think that the evolution of the Democratic party will only heighten the prioritisation of climate change as a national security and foreign policy issue.”
On the second existential danger, nuclear weapon proliferation, the landscape has grown darker over the past four years. The display of a new mobile intercontinental ballistic missile in Pyongyang last weekend provided glaring proof that North Korea has continued to build up its nuclear arsenal despite Trump’s abortive face-to-face diplomacy with Kim Jong-un.
Iran has increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium since Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and Tehran has signaled it will continue to shrug off the JCPOA’s constraints on its activities as long as the US perseveres with “maximum pressure” sanctions.
At the same time, the US and Russia (who together possess more than 90% of the world’s nuclear warheads) are modernising and expanding their arsenals with new weapons. The US-Russian treaty on Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) collapsed last year, and the last remaining constraint on them, the New Start Treaty, expires in February, possibly clearing the way for a new arms race.
On North Korea, Biden says he will “jump-start” an international campaign with China and others to try to constrain Pyongyang, but such campaigns have not proved successful before. Neither candidate has a convincing strategy to make Kim disarm.
On Iran, however, there is a sharp difference. Biden has said one of his first foreign policy initiatives will be to rejoin the JCPOA if Tehran agrees to abide by its limits once more. It could be hard, however, to rally international support and Iranian acquiescence, after the experience of the Trump administration.
“We’re going to have to deal with these questions from our allies and partners such as: ‘How do we know that we’ll be able to trust that the United States is going to stick with it this time?’” Matt Duss, Bernie Sanders’ chief foreign policy adviser, warned. “The real challenge is forging a new political consensus that will outlast one presidency.”
If elected, Biden would have a few days before New Start expires to extend it by five years, something Russia has said it will agree to. For nearly four years Trump refused to commit to an extension – insisting that China should be included in any new strategic arms deal, something Beijing has consistently refused to do, on the grounds that its arsenal is a fraction of the size of the two other powers.
With under three weeks left before the election, however, US negotiators are under pressure to produce a quick, temporary deal with Moscow, possibly involving a one-year New Start extension. Moscow, suddenly bestowed leverage, is no hurry to cut such a deal, deriding hopeful briefings from US officials as “delusion”.
The policy zigzag reflects Trump’s conflicting impulses. He has frequently boasted about his ability to strike a grand nuclear bargain with other powers, but at the same time taken relish in brandishing the US nuclear sword, which he repeatedly promises to polish and enlarge at a price tag of $1.5tn or more in the next three decades.
Biden has promised to trim that budget, cutting some of the new weapons programmes and limiting their use to retaliation only against a nuclear attack on the US.
Donald Trump’s three summits with Kim Jong-un have failed to limit North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
The November election is also likely to prove a decisive moment in determining how the US chooses its allies and partners in the coming years. Trump has made a bonfire of multilateral treaties and international commitments in pursuit of the splendid isolation of America First.
He has threatened judges and lawyers at the international criminal court in the Hague with sanctions, and has severed US ties with the World Health Organization at the height of a global pandemic, refusing to play any part in a UN-sponsored global effort to develop and distribute a coronavirus vaccine.
He has shown a consistent preference for dealing with autocrats abroad, over America’s traditional democratic partners.
That trend is likely to be accentuated if he wins a second term, a success he would see as proof he need not be constrained by US traditions and institutions. His former national security adviser, John Bolton, has suggested he might even take the US out of Nato, reshaping the world in an instant.
“I think the west as a concept would no longer be meaningful and instead there would be a realignment, whereby the United States would be increasingly in partnership with more authoritarian-leaning leaders, and more populist nationalist-leaning leaders,” Lissner, an assistant professor at the US Naval War College, said.
Biden has vowed to reverse that trend, and put a new emphasis on partnerships with democracies beyond Europe and North America. In his first year in office he has said he would host a global “Summit for Democracy” as a way of mobilising world opinion behind the US, sidestepping the chronic impasse in the US security council.
“The US position in the world is going to be an urgent priority,” said Rhodes, who maintains close informal ties to Biden’s foreign policy team. “And so I’d expect a much more concerted effort to try to reconsolidate some form of community of democracies, not just alliances, but around the idea of democracy itself.”
In the Middle East, that would mean a far more critical approach to Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Egypt and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. Biden has pledged to cut off all US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen – representing a clear win for the progressive wing of the Democratic party.
“I think it’s already had substantial influence,” Duss, the Sanders aide, said. “If you look at what Biden has been saying about making Saudi Arabia a pariah state, about ending support for the Yemen war, I think it’s clear he understands that relationships with repressive regimes need to change.”
It is not just autocratic regimes who risk losing influence in Washington under a Biden administration. His foreign policy team sees populist and nationalist governments in Europe as undermining western cohesion.
“Boris Johnson is one of the most prominent leaders in that category,” Rhodes said. “And so I think the center of gravity and transatlantic relations is more likely to be through Paris and Berlin than London.”
Supporters await Joe Biden’s motorcade in Miramar, Florida. Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP
Another sign that progressive influence and the lesson of Trump’s original foreign policy appeal is in Biden’s manifesto promise to end America’s “forever wars” in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
“This has been a progressive priority. It’s now a Democratic party priority. I think progressives will be watching Biden closely on the pace of the withdrawals,” Duss said. “Trump is tapping into something, because the majority of Americans don’t want to keep fighting these wars.”
Another area where there could be substantial continuity between a Biden and a Trump administration is in the adversarial relationship with China, which is being driven in large part by Xi Jinping’s increasingly assertive approach to the Chinese role in Asia and the Pacific.
Turning the clock back to Obama’s more accommodating policy to Beijing is no longer possible, but Biden has said he sees the solution to containing the Chinese as through reinvesting in Pacific alliances, which Trump has downgraded in his pursuit of bilateral trade deals.
Lissner argued a Biden approach – not just to the rivalry to China, but to foreign relations in general – will focus on making the US a more attractive partner on the world stage, through democratic renewal at home.
She said: “I do think we also see with Biden, a real conviction that the sources of American power lie at home, and that the US does have the capacity to outrun China if only we can get our house in order.”