theguardian--2020-07-02--California closes bars and indoor dining across state as Covid-19 cases surge – as it happened

Arizona recorded more coronavirus deaths , infections , hospitalizations and emergency-room visits in a single day than ever before in a crisis , in a day across the Sunbelt that sent a shudder through other parts of the country and led distant states to put their own reopening plans on hold .
In Florida , hospitals braced for an influx of patients , with the biggest medical center in Florida ’ s hardest-hit county , Miami ’ s Jackson Health System , scaling back elective surgeries and other procedures to make room for victims of the resurgence underway across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports .
Vice President Mike Pence , head of the White House coronavirus task force , planned to visit Arizona today , where cases have spiked since stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May .
Arizona reported record single-day highs of almost 4,900 new Covid-19 cases , 88 new deaths , close to 1,300 ER visits and a running total of nearly 2,900 people in the hospital .
Florida recorded more than 6,500 new cases down from around 9,000 on some days last week , but still alarming and a running total of over 3,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July , counties in South Florida are closing beaches to fend off large crowds that could spread the virus .
The run-up in cases has been blamed in part on what New Jersey ’ s governor called “ knucklehead behavior ” by Americans not wearing masks or obeying other social-distancing rules .
“ Too many people were crowding into restaurants late at night , turning these establishments into breeding grounds for this deadly virus , ” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in forbidding restaurants with seating for more than eight people from serving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health experts say the virus in Florida and other Southern states risks becoming uncontrollable , with case numbers too large to trace .
Marilyn Rauth , a senior citizen in Punta Gorda , said Florida ’ s reopening was “ too much too soon.
” “ The sad thing is the Covid-19 spread will probably go on for some time though we could have flattened the curve with responsible leadership , ” she said .
“ Experience now has shown most people won ’ t social distance at beaches , bars , etc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the health of the state ’ s citizens.
” Some distant states and cities that seemed to have tamed their outbreaks , including Colorado , Virginia , Delaware and New Jersey , hit pause or backtracked on some of their reopening plans for bars and restaurants .
And New York and New Jersey are asking visitors from 16 states from the Carolinas to California to quarantine themselves for two weeks .
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is delaying its resumption of indoor dining at restaurants , and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The number of confirmed cases in the US per day has roughly doubled over the past month , hitting 44,800 on Tuesday , according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University .
That is higher even than what the nation witnessed during the deadliest stretch of the crisis in mid-April through early May .

Maanvi Singh in Oakland, Kenya Evelyn in Washington and Martin Belam

1 Jul 2020 00.47 BST Summary California, Michigan and other states are dialing back reopening plans as coronavirus cases surge. New York City has decided not to let restaurants resume indoor service next week as planned, and Miami Beach has reinstated a curfew ahead of the Independence Day weekend.
New York City has decided not to let restaurants resume indoor service next week as planned, and Miami Beach has reinstated a curfew ahead of the Independence Day weekend. Donald Trump said the coronavirus pandemic is just going to “disappear” as cases climbed across the nation. In an interview with Fox, he said: “I think we’re gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.”
In an interview with Fox, he said: “I think we’re gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.” New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have restricted travel from parts of the country that are experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases. Travelers coming from 16 states will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival in the tri-state region.
Travelers coming from 16 states will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival in the tri-state region. A CIA official chose not to tell Trump of Russia bounty report, top adviser claimed. The claim from Robert O’Brien came as top members of the administration gave differing accounts on why Trump didn’t take action in response to intelligence reports that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers.
Updated at 07.14 BST
1 Jul 2020 00.17 BST The heads of four big tech firms – Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook – have agreed to participate in a House judiciary committee hearing in late July. The House judiciary antitrust subcommittee has been investigating whether the market power of these tech giants poses a threat to competition. The agreement was first announced in a New York Times interview with the representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island, who heads the subcommittee. It ends a stalemate between lawmakers and the heads of the tech firms – this will mark the first time the CEOs of all four companies will testify together.
Updated at 01.02 BST
1 Jul 2020 23.38 BST The Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign raised $131m in June, eclipsing the total they raised in any month in 2016, according to the RNC. The campaign has $295m on hand. How will that be spent? Here’s one way, per CNBC: President Donald Trump’s campaign, facing a growing disadvantage in polls, has started reserving spots for a television ad blitz set to run in several swing states during the final months of the race. The ad buy, worth more than $90 million, comes as some in the Trump campaign see warning signs in multiple key states, including Michigan, Georgia and North Carolina, according to people familiar with the matter. Ad tracking firms Advertising Analytics and Medium Buying announced that Trump’s campaign is reserving ad time starting in September in the key states of Arizona, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Trump won all six states in 2016. The ad buy comes on top of the ads currently airing against Joe Biden in North Carolina.
1 Jul 2020 23.32 BST David Smith An ember is defined as a small piece of burning or glowing coal or wood in a dying fire. Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, echoed her boss’s insistence on Wednesday that America is seeing mere embers of the coronavirus pandemic, even as daily cases rocket to a record 48,000.
At the press briefing, I asked through my face mask why she keeps referring to cases as embers when the latest surge more closely resembles a wildfire. McEnany replied: “I use the word ‘embers’ because that is what the president acknowledged that would happen around the country. You would see spikes across the country.
“He said at times you would see a fire across the country. Embers, fires, but at the same time, I would note the sixfold increase in testing, you identify more cases. I would also note that Secretary Azar said that we’ve seen nationwide fatalities at a two month low.”
She added: “So this is a different situation... We believe we’re equipped to handle what we see on the horizon.”
McEnany was also reminded that Trump recently repeated his infamous claim that the virus will just disappear. She insisted: “The president’s confident that it will disappear. He’s confident that he’s put together a revolutionary, first class team that is going to break through bureaucracy and get us a vaccine.”
The White House has been much criticised for trying to wish the pandemic away. McEnany began Wednesday’s briefing with an attention deflecting claim that Seattle had been “liberated from anarchists” – a reference to police clearing protesters away from the city’s autonomous zone.
Past press secretaries became accustomed to defending Trump’s social media posts with the phrase “the tweet speaks for itself”. Questioned about the president’s deleted retweet of a video in which a man shouted “white power!”, McEnany said without irony: “The deletion speaks for itself.”
Updated at 23.43 BST
1 Jul 2020 23.15 BST The Guardian’s Vivian Ho has more from California, where the governor has ordered the closure of all recently reopened bars and halted indoor operations of restaurants, movie theaters, museums and zoos across the majority of the state following a surge in coronavirus cases. The order affects 19 counties, amounting to 70% of California’s population, with some of the counties on the governor’s list among the most populous in the state: Los Angeles, Sacramento and Santa Clara. “The bottom line is the spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning,” Gavin Newsom said on Wednesday. California has seen 5,898 new cases in the past 24 hours and recorded 110 deaths. The positivity rate over the past 14 days increased from 4.6% two weeks ago to 6%. Newsom issued the order after much of the state’s economy had cautiously reopened, operating under new guidelines that allowed for social distancing. Newsom noted in the Wednesday briefing that an uptick in cases was to be expected. “As we open our economy, as more people mix, we’re going to see an increase in spread,” he said. “This was anticipated the day we advanced our efforts to curb the spread of this virus.” Read her full story: California rolls back reopening of bars, restaurants and indoor venues Read more
1 Jul 2020 22.47 BST Congress passes Paycheck Protection Program extension Just as the Paycheck Protection Program that offers forgivable loans to American businesses was set to expire, the House voted to extend the application period. The legislation has already passed the Senate and will now go to Trump desk for a signature. About $130bn in PPP funds were left untapped when the program stopped accepting new applications on Tuesday. The application period will now be extended till 8 August. But it’s unclear what the demand for this remaining money is. Many of the businesses shut out of the first sound of loans offered by the government went out of business. Other small businesses without banking relationships aren’t able to partake in the program, which relies on commercial lends to send out money.
1 Jul 2020 22.32 BST My colleague, voting rights reporter Sam Levine, brings us this update: Florida does not have to immediately move towards implementing a system where any person with a felony conviction can vote, a federal appeals court said Wednesday. The ruling is the latest development in one of the most significant voting rights cases in the United States. Florida is appealing a May decision from a lower court saying the state could not require those with felony convictions to repay fines and fees they owe before they can vote again if they cannot pay or figure out how much they owe. The US district Judge Robert Hinkle earlier this year also ordered Florida to come up with a formal system where someone with a felony conviction can ask the state to calculate how much they owe.
There are an estimated 774,000 people in Florida, a key battleground state in the presidential election, who cannot vote because they have a felony conviction and owe money. The US court of appeals for the 11th circuit offered no reason for its explanation to pause the lower court’s ruling. In an unusual move, the court announced that the entire court would immediately consider the appeal (voting rights appeals are usually first heard by three-judge panels rather than an entire circuit court). Oral arguments in the appeal are scheduled for the week of 10 August. The decision will likely add to mounting confusion over the state’s voting policies for people with felony convictions and makes it more uncertain whether the case will be resolved before the November election. During a trial this year, state and local officials testified that it was extremely difficult to figure out just how much someone owed. The state does not have a centralized system for people to figure out how much they owe. The case is expected to eventually go all the way to the United States supreme court.
Updated at 23.13 BST
1 Jul 2020 22.21 BST Hi there, it’s Maanvi Singh, writing from the west coast. Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has asked bars to cease serving customers indoors in parts of the state, including in the college town where about 140 infections were traced back to a single pub. Whitmer signed a bill that would allow bars and restaurants to sell cocktails to-go, in order to help businesses stay afloat through the pandemic. Pubs in parts of the state with low coronavirus case counts have been allowed to remain fully open, and throughout the state, bars can continue seating customers in outdoor patios. “Following recent outbreaks tied to bars, I am taking this action today to slow the spread of the virus and keep people safe,” said Whitmer. “If we want to be in a strong position to reopen schools for in-person classroom instruction this fall, then we need to take aggressive action right now to ensure we don’t wipe out all the progress we have made.”
Updated at 23.12 BST
1 Jul 2020 21.53 BST Cuomo adds eight states to travel advisory list New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are cracking down on domestic travelers heading to their states from parts of the country that are experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases. At his press conference, New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, announced he was adding eight additional states to New York’s travel advisory, bringing the total to 16. Any residents who travel to New York from them are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
“Time to wake up, America,” the governor said. “If that spread comes to New York, we could have to do this all over again. Doing this once in life is enough. We don’t need to climb another mountain.” The enhanced travel advisory comes as the former Food and Drug Administration chief Dr Scott Gottlieb estimated roughly 25% of New York City residents have likely been infected with the virus. The tri-state travel restriction now applies to the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.
Updated at 22.04 BST
1 Jul 2020 21.46 BST New York Times introduces readers to former Trump supporters The New York Times presented an eye-opening look at former supports of Donald Trump. Featuring men and women who voted for the president in 2016, but who now says there’s no chance they will vote for him this year. From one supporter: “He said he was going to, quote unquote, drain the swamp, and all he’s done is splashed around and rolled around in it.” According to New York Times/Siena College polling,they represent just 2% of all registered voters in the 6 states most likely to decide the presidency. Read more over at the Times.
1 Jul 2020 21.19 BST California governor shuts down bars and indoor dining bars as Covid-19 cases surge Effective immediately, California is instructing entertainment venues and restaurants to close their indoor operations. The dialed back reopening comes amid a drastic surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state. From KABC: Several counties in Southern California have already ordered all beaches to close for the holiday weekend. Counties with mandatory closures should consider cancelling Fourth of July fireworks shows, the governor said, and Californians should not gather with people they do not live with. The order applies to all counties that have been on the state’s watch list for three consecutive days. Those 19 counties represent over 70% of the population of California, according to the governor, Gavin Newsom. “We bent the curve in the state of California once. We will bend the curve again. We will crush this pandemic. We will annihilate it. We’ll get past this, but we’re going to have to be tougher.”
Updated at 22.07 BST
1 Jul 2020 21.03 BST Richmond, Virginia, mayor calls for removal of all Confederate statues Levar Stoney, the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, where protests against statues honoring Confederate leaders have resulted in clashes with far-right agitators, has ordered the immediate removal of all Confederate statues in the city. “It is time to put an end to the lost cause, Replace the racist symbols of oppression and inequality,” he said.” During a Richmond City Council meeting earlier that day, the mayor introduced legislation to immediately remove the remaining Confederate statues along the city’s infamous Monument Avenue. Stoney contended his emergency powers allow him to speed up the healing process for the former capital of the Confederacy amid weeks of protests over police brutality and racial injustice.
This week the Guardian spoke with Black Virginians at the statue of former Confederate leader Robert E Lee on Monument Avenue as they shared their experiences with Black hair discrimination.
Updated at 22.07 BST
1 Jul 2020 20.48 BST Trump still thinks coronavirus is just going to go away somehow, hopefully Joanna Walters The president told Fox Business just now that “I think we’re gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.” Trump ludicrously claimed to Fox Business just now that "I think we're gonna be very good with the coronavirus. I think that at some point that's going to sort of just disappear, I hope." (The virus will not disappear on its own.) pic.twitter.com/ZkLtjKUEDu — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 1, 2020 New infections are at record levels in the US, an all-time high, as everyone has been reporting for days and public health experts have been warning for weeks. And, again, this: How Trump and his public health officials diverge on Covid-19 Read more
1 Jul 2020 20.38 BST Trump does an about-face on masks - sort of - as Republicans shift Joanna Walters Donald Trump, who has avoided being seen in public wearing a face covering, said today that he would wear a mask - if he were in close quarters with other people, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “I’m all for masks,” Trump told Fox Business Network, Reuters reported. “If I were in a tight situation with people I would absolutely” wear a mask, he added. But he doesn’t believe in mandating the wearing of masks nationwide, “because you have many places in the country where people stay very long distance.” Trump has only been photographed wearing a mask around others once, behind the scenes on a factory tour in May. President Trump wears a mask during his tour of the Ford Rawsonville Components Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, where ventilators, masks and other medical supplies are being manufactured. https://t.co/UCqBVUEuBZ
📷 Anonymous pic.twitter.com/eiIFVNPVIh — NBC News (@NBCNews) May 22, 2020 Since the new surges of new coronavirus cases across southern and western states, after hasty reopening, that has brought the US to a new all-time high of daily infections, a change of outlook is slowly happening in GOP circles. Top congressional Republicans hauling themselves belatedly onto the mask wagon this week include Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House minority leader Kevin McCarthy. And Mike Pence, who has been wearing a mask more of late, but has been wishy-washy on the topic of mandating, saying it’s up to local authorities. Republican leaders in masks!
Vice President Mike Pence, right, is greeted with an elbow bump by Arizona governor Doug Ducey, left, as he arrives today in Phoenix to discuss the record surge in coronavirus cases. Photograph: Ross D Franklin/AP And senior Republican senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee joined a plea to Trump to wear a mask, as he chaired a hearing in Congress yesterday where public health expert Anthony Fauci gave dire warning about the virus being out of control. Alexander pleaded with Americans to take politics out of it and stop associating be For Trump with not wearing a mask and being Against Trump with wearing one. And McConnell said yesterday “we must have no stigma” about wearing masks. Here are some things the president has previously said about face masks, having early on dismissed any idea that he would or should wear one. 7 May: Trump tells aides that wearing one would “send the wrong message”. 21 May: Says he wouldn’t wear a mask in public because he “didn’t want to give the press the pleasure of seeing it”. 26 May: “Oh, OK, you want to be politically correct,” to reporter who declines to remove mask during White House press conference. 20 June: “There was a time when people thought it was worse wearing a mask. I let people make their own decision … if people want to wear masks I think that’s great. I won’t be. Not as a protest but I don’t feel that I’m in danger.” Fauci has urged mask-wearing repeatedly. In late May he said: “I want to protect myself and protect others, and also because I want to make it be a symbol for people to see that that’s the kind of thing you should be doing.” Read more here about how Trump and his public health experts diverge on science and health re Covid: How Trump and his public health officials diverge on Covid-19 Read more
Updated at 20.41 BST
1 Jul 2020 20.09 BST Coronavirus continues to scorch Sunbelt Joanna Walters Arizona recorded more coronavirus deaths, infections, hospitalizations and emergency-room visits in a single day than ever before in a crisis, in a day across the Sunbelt that sent a shudder through other parts of the country and led distant states to put their own reopening plans on hold. “Put a mask on it”
Vice President Mike Pence waves as he arrives to meet with Arizona governor Doug Ducey to discuss the surge in coronavirus cases. Photograph: Ross D Franklin/AP In Florida, hospitals braced for an influx of patients, with the biggest medical center in Florida’s hardest-hit county, Miami’s Jackson Health System, scaling back elective surgeries and other procedures to make room for victims of the resurgence underway across the South and West, The Associated Press reports. Vice President Mike Pence, head of the White House coronavirus task force, planned to visit Arizona today, where cases have spiked since stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May. Arizona reported record single-day highs of almost 4,900 new Covid-19 cases, 88 new deaths, close to 1,300 ER visits and a running total of nearly 2,900 people in the hospital. Florida recorded more than 6,500 new cases down from around 9,000 on some days last week, but still alarming and a running total of over 3,500 deaths. Ahead of the Fourth of July, counties in South Florida are closing beaches to fend off large crowds that could spread the virus. The run-up in cases has been blamed in part on what New Jersey’s governor called “knucklehead behavior” by Americans not wearing masks or obeying other social-distancing rules. “Too many people were crowding into restaurants late at night, turning these establishments into breeding grounds for this deadly virus,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in forbidding restaurants with seating for more than eight people from serving customers inside from midnight to 6am. Health experts say the virus in Florida and other Southern states risks becoming uncontrollable, with case numbers too large to trace. Marilyn Rauth, a senior citizen in Punta Gorda, said Florida’s reopening was “too much too soon.”
“The sad thing is the Covid-19 spread will probably go on for some time though we could have flattened the curve with responsible leadership,” she said. “Experience now has shown most people won’t social distance at beaches, bars, etc. The governor evidently has no concern for the health of the state’s citizens.” Some distant states and cities that seemed to have tamed their outbreaks, including Colorado, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey, hit pause or backtracked on some of their reopening plans for bars and restaurants. And New York and New Jersey are asking visitors from 16 states from the Carolinas to California to quarantine themselves for two weeks. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is delaying its resumption of indoor dining at restaurants, and not because of any rise in cases there. The number of confirmed cases in the US per day has roughly doubled over the past month, hitting 44,800 on Tuesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. That is higher even than what the nation witnessed during the deadliest stretch of the crisis in mid-April through early May.
Updated at 20.12 BST


theguardian--2020-07-01--Trump says Covid-19 will 'disappear' after US reports record one-day increase

Donald Trump has said he believes the coronavirus will “ just disappear ” , one day after the US recorded more than 44,000 new cases , a new all-time daily high .
Eight states reported new single-day highs of freshly diagnosed cases on Tuesday , and the dire numbers follow a warning by the public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci that the US is “ going in the wrong direction ” and infections could more than double , to reach 100,000 cases a day .
In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday , Trump was asked whether he really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that the virus will simply disappear .
“ I do .
I do , ” the president said .
“ Yeah sure .
At some point .
And I think we ’ re going to have a vaccine very soon too.
” “ We ’ re headed back in a very strong fashion ... And I think we ’ re going to be very good with the coronavirus , ” he added .
“ I think that at some point that ’ s going to sort of just disappear .
I hope.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ downplaying the risks of the virus , and for his refusal to promote simple safety measures such as wearing a mask .
Asked about this on Wednesday , he said he “ thinks masks are good ” but said he does not believe making masks mandatory across the country was necessary .
Officials in Alaska , Arizona , California , Georgia , Idaho , Oklahoma , South Carolina and Texas announced single-day-high case numbers for Tuesday .
The Covid Tracking Project said that the US ’ s seven-day average for new daily cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that hospitalizations jumped by the highest number since 21 April .
The European Union confirmed on Tuesday it would bar Americans from non-essential travel to the bloc while the US struggles to bring the virus under control .
New York governor Andrew Cuomo , a Democrat , excoriated Trump for his continued defense of the administration ’ s slow and chaotic response to the outbreak , saying at a press briefing : “ The buck stops on the president ’ s desk ” .
“ He was in denial .
He has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been saying .
Come clean with the American people .
At least have the courage to admit what everybody else already knows : you were wrong , ” Cuomo said .
The governor went on to implore states to reject the president ’ s rhetoric and listen to the science , making a play on Trump ’ s former time as a reality TV host .
“ Denying reality does not defeat reality .
He has lived in denial , and he has been denying the scientific facts since day one , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reality won , and now the country is suffering because of the president ” .
A number of states have been forced to roll back reopening efforts .
In California , the governor ordered the closure of all recently reopened bars on Wednesday , and halted indoor operations of restaurants , movie theaters , museums and zoos across the majority of the state following a surge in coronavirus cases .
Arizona ’ s governor , Doug Ducey , abruptly ordered bars , gyms , movie theaters and water parks to shut down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the worst hit in the US .
In Texas , elective surgeries in some counties were abandoned , as the state grapples with more than 6,500 people hospitalized from Covid-19 .
Meanwhile , several Texas bar owners filed a $ 10m federal lawsuit against state governor Greg Abbott , in an attempt to void his executive order shutting down bars for a second time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic .
As the new details on the extent of the crisis emerged , Trump launched a series of attacks on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times , US senator Elizabeth Warren and MSNBC .
In tweets , Trump said that Biden was “ corrupt ” , suggested again that people damaging federal statues and monuments could spend more than 10 years in prison , and again used the racist term “ Pocahontas ” as he criticized a plan by Warren to rename US military bases named after Confederate figures .
Warren has claimed to have Native American ancestry .
Amid his frenzy of internet use , Trump also retweeted a post from himself , made a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LONE WARRIOR !
” and lauded the conservative channel Fox News for having bested its rivals in TV ratings , adding “ Thank you President Trump ” .

Adam Gabbatt in New York and Kenya Evelyn in Washington

Donald Trump has said he believes the coronavirus will “just disappear”, as the US recorded 52,000 new cases on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins figures, a new all-time daily high.
Eight states had reported new single-day highs of freshly diagnosed cases on Tuesday, when the national daily total for new cases sat at just over 44,000, a record until the new figure emerged. The spike followed a warning by the public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci that the US is “going in the wrong direction” and infections could more than double, to reach 100,000 cases a day.
By Thursday morning, infections were rising in up to 40 states, and 14 states had reported overnight experiencing record daily highs. About 40% of the US is now changing course on reopening.
In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether he really believes, as he has stated previously, that the virus will simply disappear.
“I do. I do,” he said. “Yeah sure. At some point. And I think we’re going to have a vaccine very soon too.”
Trump added: “We’re headed back in a very strong fashion … And I think we’re going to be very good with the coronavirus,. “I think that at some point that’s going to sort of just disappear. I hope.”
Trump has faced fierce criticism for downplaying the risks of the virus, and for his refusal to promote simple safety measures such as wearing a mask. Asked about this on Wednesday, he said he “thinks masks are good” but said he does not believe making masks mandatory across the country was necessary.
Officials in Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas announced single-day-high case numbers for Tuesday. The Covid Tracking Project said that the US’s seven-day average for new daily cases has doubled since 13 June, and that hospitalizations jumped by the highest number since 21 April.
The European Union confirmed on Tuesday it would bar Americans from non-essential travel.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, excoriated Trump for his continued defense of the administration’s slow and chaotic response to the outbreak, saying at a press briefing: “The buck stops on the president’s desk”.
Cuomo said: “He was in denial. He has been denying what every health expert in America has been saying. Come clean with the American people. At least have the courage to admit what everybody else already knows: you were wrong.
Cuomo went on to implore states to reject the president’s rhetoric and listen to the science, making a play on Trump’s former time as a reality TV host.
“Denying reality does not defeat reality. He has lived in denial, and he has been denying the scientific facts since day one,” he said. “Reality wins and reality won, and now the country is suffering because of the president.”
05:22 Why is coronavirus still surging in the US? – video explainer
A number of states have been forced to roll back reopening efforts. In California, the governor ordered the closure of all recently reopened bars on Wednesday, and halted indoor operations of restaurants, movie theaters, museums and zoos across the majority of the state following a surge in coronavirus cases.
Arizona’s governor, Doug Ducey, abruptly ordered bars, gyms, movie theaters and water parks to shut down this week, as the state became one of the worst hit in the US.
In Texas, elective surgeries in some counties were abandoned, as the state grapples with more than 6,500 people hospitalized from Covid-19.
Meanwhile, several Texas bar owners filed a $10m federal lawsuit against state governor Greg Abbott, in an attempt to void his executive order shutting down bars for a second time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
As the new details on the extent of the crisis emerged, Trump launched a series of attacks on Joe Biden, CNN, the New York Times, US senator Elizabeth Warren and MSNBC.
In tweets, Trump said that Biden was “corrupt”, suggested again that people damaging federal statues and monuments could spend more than 10 years in prison, and again used the racist term “Pocahontas” as he criticized a plan by Warren to rename US military bases named after Confederate figures. Warren has claimed to have Native American ancestry.
Amid his frenzy of internet use, Trump also retweeted a post from himself, made a day earlier, which read: “THE LONE WARRIOR!” and lauded the conservative channel Fox News for having bested its rivals in TV ratings, adding: “Thank you President Trump.”


theguardian--2020-07-01--CIA official chose not to tell Trump of Russia bounty report, top adviser claims

The US national security adviser said a CIA official tasked with briefing the president decided not to tell him about reports that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers because it was “ unverified intelligence ” .
The claim from Robert O ’ Brien came as top members of the administration gave differing accounts on the status of intelligence reports on Russian bounty payments , and why Trump had not taken action in response , but had repeatedly pressed to re-admit Russia to the G7 club of nations .
Trump himself continued to suggest that the allegations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans were a “ hoax ” .
It has been reported that the intelligence was included in the written presidential daily brief ( PDB ) given by the CIA .
O ’ Brien appeared to suggest it had not been included in verbal briefings given to Trump .
“ The president ’ s career CIA briefer decided not to brief him because it was unverified intelligence , ” O ’ Brien told Fox News , adding : “ She made that call and , you know what , I think she made the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not going to criticize her .
And knowing the facts that I know now , I stand behind that call.
” O ’ Brien was severely criticised for putting the blame for a major policy issue on a relatively junior CIA official .
“ This is the same scapegoating play that the White House ran in the coronavirus context – blaming Trump ’ s intelligence briefer for something that is chiefly and fundamentally a failing of the White House staff , ” said Ned Price , a former CIA analyst and national security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now know that the information was included in Trump ’ s written PDB , which is how the intelligence community regularly flags items that the President needs to know .
Nothing in the PDB is discretionary ; everything in that short document is in there because – in the estimation of the intelligence community – the president needs to know it to fulfill his charge.
” Intelligence experts have also pointed out that intelligence routinely briefed to the president is rarely “ verified ” , but presented with varying degrees of confidence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been told , and questioned the veracity of the reports .
“ From what I hear , and I hear pretty good , the intelligence people – many of them – didn ’ t believe it happened at all , ” the president told Fox News .
“ I think it ’ s a hoax .
I think it ’ s a hoax by the newspapers and the Democrats.
” Meanwhile , Mike Pompeo , the secretary of state , insisted that the Russian threat in Afghanistan was real and had been properly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kept informed .
“ We took this seriously ; we handle it appropriately , ” Pompeo , a former CIA director , told reporters .
“ The president has been consistently aware of the challenges that Russia presents to us and he is aware of the risk in Afghanistan .
“ It ’ s why we have spent so much time over this past year at the president ’ s direction to reduce risk to our forces in Afghanistan in a way no previous administration has done.
” Pompeo said it was up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to meetings of the G7 group of major industrialised democracies , but added : “ I think it is wholly important and appropriate for the United States to continue to have dialogue with the Russians to convince them to change some of the activities that are inconsistent with what it is the United States needs to do to preserve security and freedom for its own people.
” A former senior US official confirmed to the Guardian that reports of Russian bounties were circulating inside the White House before the summer of 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point had not been fully corroborated .
The official said that more detailed information had surfaced since then , but added it was likely that president had ignored the news as it conflicted with his desire to cultivate good relations with Vladimir Putin .
“ He doesn ’ t like hearing bad news about all kinds of things , unless he ’ s forced to , ” the former senior official said .
CNN cited former officials on Wednesday as saying Trump ’ s resistance to intelligence warnings about Russia led his national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the PDB to brief him verbally less often on Russia-related threats to the US .
A former Taliban spokesman , Mullah Manan Niazi , told the Daily Beast : “ The Taliban have been paid by Russian intelligence for attacks on US forces - and on Isis forces - in Afghanistan from 2014 up to the present .
”

The US national security adviser has said a CIA official tasked with briefing the president decided not to tell him about reports that Russia paid bounties to the Taliban for killing American soldiers because it was “unverified intelligence”.
The claim from Robert O’Brien came as top members of the administration gave differing accounts on the status of intelligence reports on Russian bounty payments, and why Trump had not taken action in response, but had repeatedly pressed to re-admit Russia to the G7 club of nations.
Trump himself continued to suggest that the allegations of Russia paying Taliban fighters to kill Americans were a “hoax”.
It has been reported that the intelligence was included in the written presidential daily brief (PDB) given by the CIA. O’Brien appeared to suggest it had not been included in verbal briefings given to Trump.
“The president’s career CIA briefer decided not to brief him because it was unverified intelligence,” O’Brien told Fox News, adding: “She made that call and, you know what, I think she made the right call, so I’m not going to criticize her. And knowing the facts that I know now, I stand behind that call.”
O’Brien was severely criticised for putting the blame for a major policy issue on a relatively junior CIA official.
“This is the same scapegoating play that the White House ran in the coronavirus context – blaming Trump’s intelligence briefer for something that is chiefly and fundamentally a failing of the White House staff,” said Ned Price, a former CIA analyst and national security spokesman.
He added: “We now know that the information was included in Trump’s written PDB, which is how the intelligence community regularly flags items that the President needs to know. Nothing in the PDB is discretionary; everything in that short document is in there because – in the estimation of the intelligence community – the president needs to know it to fulfill his charge.”
Intelligence experts have also pointed out that intelligence routinely briefed to the president is rarely “verified”, but presented with varying degrees of confidence.
Trump continued to insist he had not been told, and questioned the veracity of the reports.
“From what I hear, and I hear pretty good, the intelligence people – many of them – didn’t believe it happened at all,” the president told Fox News. “I think it’s a hoax. I think it’s a hoax by the newspapers and the Democrats.”
Meanwhile, Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, insisted that the Russian threat in Afghanistan was real and had been properly addressed, implying the president had been kept informed.
“We took this seriously; we handle it appropriately,” Pompeo, a former CIA director, told reporters. “The president has been consistently aware of the challenges that Russia presents to us and he is aware of the risk in Afghanistan.
“It’s why we have spent so much time over this past year at the president’s direction to reduce risk to our forces in Afghanistan in a way no previous administration has done.”
Pompeo said it was up to the president whether to invite Russia to meetings of the G7 group of major industrialised democracies, but added: “I think it is wholly important and appropriate for the United States to continue to have dialogue with the Russians to convince them to change some of the activities that are inconsistent with what it is the United States needs to do to preserve security and freedom for its own people.”
A former senior US official confirmed to the Guardian that reports of Russian bounties were circulating inside the White House before the summer of 2019, and raised concern, but at that point had not been fully corroborated.
The official said that more detailed information had surfaced since then, but added it was likely that president had ignored the news as it conflicted with his desire to cultivate good relations with Vladimir Putin.
“He doesn’t like hearing bad news about all kinds of things, unless he’s forced to,” the former senior official said.
CNN cited former officials on Wednesday as saying Trump’s resistance to intelligence warnings about Russia led his national security team, including those who delivered the PDB to brief him verbally less often on Russia-related threats to the US.
A former Taliban spokesman, Mullah Manan Niazi, told the Daily Beast: “The Taliban have been paid by Russian intelligence for attacks on US forces - and on Isis forces - in Afghanistan from 2014 up to the present.”


theguardian--2020-07-01--Who is Lauren Boebert, the QAnon sympathizer who won a Republican primary?

Lauren Boebert isn ’ t the only pistol-packing-on-the-job restaurant owner in America , and she isn ’ t the first fan of the conspiracy theory QAnon to run for office , but she may be the first woman to combine those unusual elements – and they may have helped propel her to a primary win over a five-term congressman late on Tuesday .
Donald Trump congratulated Boebert on her surprise victory in a Colorado Republican primary , even after first endorsing her opponent , longstanding congressman Scott Tipton .
Boebert makes much of the fact that she “ believes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upholding the constitution of the United States ” , which should normally be seen as typical , patriotic American values of a nonpartisan nature but are increasingly being given proprietorial spin by ultra-conservatives as a definitive part of their political platform .
Boebert will run in November ’ s general election against Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush .
Her claim to fame locally is that waiters in her restaurant openly carry guns .
It is named Shooter ’ s Grill and is located in a town called Rifle , in a rural part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s leading Rockies ski resorts such as Vail and Aspen .
“ Our freedom and our constitutional rights are on the ballot this November and Republicans just sent a loud and clear message that they want me there to fight for them , ” Boebert said in a statement , issued from her campaign watch party in Grand Junction , the Aspen Times reported on Tuesday night .
She poses with a gun in a holster on her thigh .
Earlier this year , Boebert said in an interview that she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy theory , but she stopped just short of saying she was a follower .
However , she did say : “ Everything that I ’ ve heard of Q , I hope that this is real because it only means that America is getting stronger and better , and people are returning to conservative values.
” QAnon followers believe that Trump is fighting enemies within his own government , in the so-called “ deep state ” , a permanent , renegade “ government ” within a government made up of civil servants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will of the people and with the president as its latest victim .
And that , more widely , followers are in a battle against darker forces of the world .
Even former Trump strategist Steve Bannon , a prime mover in the formation and propagation of the deep state conspiracy theory in recent years , has since said the concept should not be taken seriously .
But some QAnon followers even subscribe to one of the theories that disrupted Hillary Clinton ’ s campaign in 2016 : that she was involved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a pizza restaurant by liberals on the outskirts of the capital .
The QAnon name comes from online clues purportedly posted by a high-ranking government official known as “ Q ” .
An in-depth podcast series by the New York Times called Rabbit Hole at one point featured a former QAnon follower who finally realizes she ’ s been duped but explained how easily the theory and messages from online followers suck in ordinary people who would not think of themselves as rightwing radicals and are just churchgoing “ middle Americans ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their fortunes , and finding something to belong to that strikes such a powerful cord .
But the QAnon fanbase has been expanding , with supporters turning up at Trump rallies and edging closer and closer to party politics , with now more than half a dozen Republican candidates set to be on the ballot in November who have promulgated QAnon theories , according to a report by NBC .
Boebert won the primary for Colorado ’ s third congressional district after a campaign in which she accused the incumbent , Tipton , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president had endorsed him .
She will run in November ’ s general election against Mitsch Bush , a former state lawmaker who won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday by defeating businessman James Iacino .
Boebert made a name for herself after loudly protesting against the Democratic state governor Jared Polis ’ orders to close businesses to fight the coronavirus pandemic .
She kept her restaurant open in defiance of closure orders .
Boebert confronted the then Democratic presidential candidate Beto O ’ Rourke during one of his campaign stops last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , questioning him on suggestions he would confiscate guns – a moment that landed her on right-leaning Fox News .
“ A sober look at the Tipton Record shows a back-burner representative that has failed to live up to his conservative chops that he touted on his Tea Party-inspired campaign trail , ” Boebert wrote in a recent Aspen Times column , mentioning the grassroots , hard-conservative , libertarian-leaning movement of the 2010s that disrupted the Republican party and altered their caucus in Congress .
“ If his record lived up to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel so compelled to run , ” she said .
Boebert ’ s win shocked most political observers – along with Tipton , who skipped some candidate forums and didn ’ t campaign like an incumbent at risk , the Denver Post reported on Wednesday .
She has vowed to do battle with liberals “ for the heart and soul of our country ” .
But the Post pointed out that Tipton won by eight points in the 2018 election , and conventional wisdom says the Democrats now have a better chance in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Lauren Boebert isn’t the only pistol-packing-on-the-job restaurant owner in America, and she isn’t the first fan of the conspiracy theory QAnon to run for office, but she may be the first woman to combine those unusual elements – and they may have helped propel her to a primary win over a five-term congressman late on Tuesday.
Donald Trump congratulated Boebert on her surprise victory in a Colorado Republican primary, even after first endorsing her opponent, longstanding congressman Scott Tipton.
Congratulations on a really great win! https://t.co/rMpFiV6LvY — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2020
Boebert makes much of the fact that she “believes in personal freedom, citizen rights, and upholding the constitution of the United States”, which should normally be seen as typical, patriotic American values of a nonpartisan nature but are increasingly being given proprietorial spin by ultra-conservatives as a definitive part of their political platform.
Boebert will run in November’s general election against Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush.
Her claim to fame locally is that waiters in her restaurant openly carry guns. It is named Shooter’s Grill and is located in a town called Rifle, in a rural part of Colorado west of Denver and the state’s leading Rockies ski resorts such as Vail and Aspen.
“Our freedom and our constitutional rights are on the ballot this November and Republicans just sent a loud and clear message that they want me there to fight for them,” Boebert said in a statement, issued from her campaign watch party in Grand Junction, the Aspen Times reported on Tuesday night.
She poses with a gun in a holster on her thigh.
I am a mother to 4 boys. My husband and I are raising them to be strong men! I refuse to send my children into a socialist nation. Their freedom IS my motivator! Threaten the liberty of Americans, and I'll be there to hold you accountable! #USHouse #CO03 #HellNObeto @BetoORourke pic.twitter.com/ncuwoYLdnH — Lauren Boebert for Congress (R-CO3) (@laurenboebert) May 3, 2020
Earlier this year, Boebert said in an interview that she was “very familiar” with the QAnon conspiracy theory, but she stopped just short of saying she was a follower.
However, she did say: “Everything that I’ve heard of Q, I hope that this is real because it only means that America is getting stronger and better, and people are returning to conservative values.”
QAnon followers believe that Trump is fighting enemies within his own government, in the so-called “deep state”, a permanent, renegade “government” within a government made up of civil servants and security operatives intent on thwarting the will of the people and with the president as its latest victim. And that, more widely, followers are in a battle against darker forces of the world.
Even former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, a prime mover in the formation and propagation of the deep state conspiracy theory in recent years, has since said the concept should not be taken seriously.
But some QAnon followers even subscribe to one of the theories that disrupted Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016: that she was involved in a child sex trafficking ring run out of a pizza restaurant by liberals on the outskirts of the capital.
The QAnon name comes from online clues purportedly posted by a high-ranking government official known as “Q”.
An in-depth podcast series by the New York Times called Rabbit Hole at one point featured a former QAnon follower who finally realizes she’s been duped but explained how easily the theory and messages from online followers suck in ordinary people who would not think of themselves as rightwing radicals and are just churchgoing “middle Americans” feeling anxious, lost and down on their fortunes, and finding something to belong to that strikes such a powerful chord.
But the QAnon fanbase has been expanding, with supporters turning up at Trump rallies and edging closer and closer to party politics, with now more than half a dozen Republican candidates set to be on the ballot in November who have promulgated QAnon theories, according to a report by NBC.
Boebert won the primary for Colorado’s third congressional district after a campaign in which she accused the incumbent, Tipton, of not being sufficiently pro-Trump even though the president had endorsed him.
She will run in November’s general election against Mitsch Bush, a former state lawmaker who won the Democratic nomination on Tuesday by defeating businessman James Iacino.
Boebert made a name for herself after loudly protesting against the Democratic state governor Jared Polis’ orders to close businesses to fight the coronavirus pandemic. She kept her restaurant open in defiance of closure orders.
Boebert confronted the then Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke during one of his campaign stops last year, in the Denver suburb of Aurora, questioning him on suggestions he would confiscate guns – a moment that landed her on right-leaning Fox News.
“A sober look at the Tipton Record shows a back-burner representative that has failed to live up to his conservative chops that he touted on his Tea Party-inspired campaign trail,” Boebert wrote in a recent Aspen Times column, mentioning the grassroots, hard-conservative, libertarian-leaning movement of the 2010s that disrupted the Republican party and altered their caucus in Congress.
“If his record lived up to his campaign rhetoric, I wouldn’t feel so compelled to run,” she said.
Boebert’s win shocked most political observers – along with Tipton, who skipped some candidate forums and didn’t campaign like an incumbent at risk, the Denver Post reported on Wednesday.
She has vowed to do battle with liberals “for the heart and soul of our country”.
But the Post pointed out that Tipton won by eight points in the 2018 election, and conventional wisdom says the Democrats now have a better chance in the seat with a non-incumbent GOP candidate.


theguardian--2020-06-30--'We've made too much progress to slow down': tracking John Lewis's long fight

John Lewis , the civil rights leader turned 17-term congressman from Georgia , has seen plenty in his 80 years that would test one ’ s faith in the long fight .
As a young man , Lewis , the third of 10 children from a sharecropping family in Alabama , led sit-ins to integrate lunch counters in Nashville , marched with Martin Luther King , and was beaten by the Klan as part of the Freedom Riders in the South Carolina ; he ’ s been arrested over 40 times , five as a legislator , and spent months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly defended the necessity of his signature civil rights achievement – the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , for which he had his skull fractured by police crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Selma ’ s Bloody Sunday – only to see it stripped of its enforcement power by the supreme court in 2013 , and further gutted as Republican legislatures enacted voter suppression laws in the last decade .
He ’ s witnessed the election of Donald Trump , whom he has called “ without a doubt ” the “ worst president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now , as America convulses with the largest and most widespread protests for racial justice since the 1960s civil rights movement , as corporate America and cultural institutions reckon with their roles in systemic racism and segregation , as Black Lives Matter activists direct attention to how much has not changed since the days of Jim Crow legislation , a new film revisits and celebrates Lewis ’ s long fight .
John Lewis : Good Trouble , directed by Dawn Porter in partnership with CNN films , a by-the-books documentary on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s oft-romanticized civil rights activism in the 1960s with his role as the “ conscience of Congress ” in over 30 years in the House .
The film ’ s title derives form Lewis ’ s slogan ( and , in recent years , hashtag ) of getting in “ good trouble ” – non-violent agitation to direct attention to injustice , or to the shoddy foundation of the rules .
Good Trouble toggles between Lewis ’ s work in the cauldron of the civil rights movement of the early 1960s and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he campaigned for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections .
Odes to Lewis often immediately reach back to his work in the 1960s , but footage from the campaign trail – Lewis bonding with an older black woman in Georgia about picking cotton as children , or invoking a crowd in Texas to get in good trouble with the steady passion of a seasoned preacher – demonstrate how “ he ’ s still doing the work , ” Porter told the Guardian .
“ That is not ancient history .
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s present , at least before his diagnosis with stage four pancreatic cancer in December 2019 , is as a senior leader in the House of Representatives , and a role model and mentor for members of a diverse , progressive freshman class including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , Ilhan Omar , Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley , all of whom testify to Lewis ’ s influence in the film ( along with such veterans as Hillary and Bill Clinton , Nancy Pelosi and the late Elijah Cummings ) .
“ If John Lewis at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he did , I wouldn ’ t be here today , ” says Ocasio-Cortez .
Lewis ’ s roots are not as a legislator so much as an agitator steeped in the principles of non-violence as a philosophy preached by the Rev James Lawson , whom Lewis discovered as a young man at Fisk University in Nashville .
Good Trouble traces Lewis ’ s bone-deep commitment to non-violence as a practice – as a student activist in the Nashville sit-ins , as one of the 13 original Freedom Riders crisscrossing the south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passivity in enforcing desegregation of buses , as co-founder and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC ) – from the early 1960s to the present , such as his leading role in a 26-hour sit-in at the Capitol to demand gun control legislation after the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando .
In an echo of renewed commentary on the necessity of violence to command attention for change , Good Trouble revisits conflict within the fracturing 1960s civil rights movement , as Lewis was hesitant to cheer Black Power and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carmichael , who considered non-violence a tactic rather than principle .
In the film , Lewis recalls solidifying his desire to run for office upon the assassination of Robert F Kennedy , after which he experienced a depression , and “ worried about what was happening in America ” , according to Porter .
“ And I think when he came out of that , he took a long , hard look at himself , ” what he has called an “ executive session ” , “ and he decided that he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen amazing power and strength in the collective humanity , and so that was the path he was going to follow and be guided .
And I think he has not looked back from that.
” Throughout Good Trouble , and in an interview this month with New York magazine in the wake of nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin , Lewis displays an unflappable optimism in the path forward , an unwavering belief in non-violence as principle , faith in “ the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confronted and the ballot as “ the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society .
The steadiness never wavered behind the scenes , either , according to Porter .
Over the course of filming in 2018 and early 2019 – years in which a good , oh , 50 or so dispiriting , democracy death-spiral news cycles one-upped themselves – Lewis guided her “ away from being reactive back to a proactive , ‘ What do you want to accomplish ?
What do we need to do ?
’ ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I started to get the message , which is that if a John Lewis at 80 years old is optimistic and still believes in the goodness of people , that we ultimately will get to a place where there ’ s more members of a beloved community , that means something , ” Porter said .
“ He ’ s seen so much in his life that could make him bitter .
And that is just not who he is.
” “ He really focuses on a legislative opportunity , but he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in government that should be part of the conversation , ” Porter said .
But she hoped the film , in which her camera finds Lewis joking with his sisters , talking with too many people in the airport and showing off a collection of ceramic chickens , shows Lewis ’ s “ very subtle , wry humor ” .
“ He is a very peaceful person .
He is a person who has seen horrific things , but he can also appreciate life in its fullness.
” Lewis frequently makes the call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the film , to a deep fear : that one day he will wake up , and American democracy will be gone .
It ’ s a fair question , given the flagrant transgressions and dog-whistling of the current administration , if that point is nearing , or gone .
How would we know ?
“ We ’ ve come too far , we ’ ve made too much progress , to slow down or to go back , ” Lewis told New York in response to the fear .
“ So we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public appearances have waned in the wake of his cancer diagnosis .
But as he told Porter , staring unbowed at the camera : “ As long as I have breath in my body , I will do what I can.
” • None John Lewis : Good Trouble is available digitally in the US on 3 July with a UK date yet to be announced

John Lewis, the civil rights leader turned 17-term congressman from Georgia, has seen plenty in his 80 years that would test one’s faith in the long fight.
As a young man, Lewis, the third of 10 children from a sharecropping family in Alabama, led sit-ins to integrate lunch counters in Nashville, marched with Martin Luther King, and was beaten by the Klan as part of the Freedom Riders in the South Carolina; he’s been arrested over 40 times, five as a legislator, and spent months in jail.
As congressman, he repeatedly defended the necessity of his signature civil rights achievement – the Voting Rights Act of 1965, for which he had his skull fractured by police crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Selma’s Bloody Sunday – only to see it stripped of its enforcement power by the supreme court in 2013, and further gutted as Republican legislatures enacted voter suppression laws in the last decade.
He’s witnessed the election of Donald Trump, whom he has called “without a doubt” the “worst president for civil rights since the 1960s”.
Now, as America convulses with the largest and most widespread protests for racial justice since the 1960s civil rights movement, as corporate America and cultural institutions reckon with their roles in systemic racism and segregation, as Black Lives Matter activists direct attention to how much has not changed since the days of Jim Crow legislation, a new film revisits and celebrates Lewis’s long fight.
John Lewis: Good Trouble, directed by Dawn Porter in partnership with CNN films, a by-the-books documentary on a storied and heroic subject, ties Lewis’s oft-romanticized civil rights activism in the 1960s with his role as the “conscience of Congress” in over 30 years in the House. The film’s title derives form Lewis’s slogan (and, in recent years, hashtag) of getting in “good trouble” – non-violent agitation to direct attention to injustice, or to the shoddy foundation of the rules.
Good Trouble toggles between Lewis’s work in the cauldron of the civil rights movement of the early 1960s and on the road in 2018, as he campaigned for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. Odes to Lewis often immediately reach back to his work in the 1960s, but footage from the campaign trail – Lewis bonding with an older black woman in Georgia about picking cotton as children, or invoking a crowd in Texas to get in good trouble with the steady passion of a seasoned preacher – demonstrate how “he’s still doing the work,” Porter told the Guardian. “That is not ancient history. It’s very much our present.”
Lewis’s present, at least before his diagnosis with stage four pancreatic cancer in December 2019, is as a senior leader in the House of Representatives, and a role model and mentor for members of a diverse, progressive freshman class including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, all of whom testify to Lewis’s influence in the film (along with such veterans as Hillary and Bill Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and the late Elijah Cummings).
“If John Lewis at 19, 20 wasn’t doing what he did, I wouldn’t be here today,” says Ocasio-Cortez.
Lewis’s roots are not as a legislator so much as an agitator steeped in the principles of non-violence as a philosophy preached by the Rev James Lawson, whom Lewis discovered as a young man at Fisk University in Nashville. Good Trouble traces Lewis’s bone-deep commitment to non-violence as a practice – as a student activist in the Nashville sit-ins, as one of the 13 original Freedom Riders crisscrossing the south to expose the federal government’s passivity in enforcing desegregation of buses, as co-founder and chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) – from the early 1960s to the present, such as his leading role in a 26-hour sit-in at the Capitol to demand gun control legislation after the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando.
In an echo of renewed commentary on the necessity of violence to command attention for change, Good Trouble revisits conflict within the fracturing 1960s civil rights movement, as Lewis was hesitant to cheer Black Power and ceded leadership of the SNCC to Stokely Carmichael, who considered non-violence a tactic rather than principle.
Photograph: Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
In the film, Lewis recalls solidifying his desire to run for office upon the assassination of Robert F Kennedy, after which he experienced a depression, and “worried about what was happening in America”, according to Porter.
“And I think when he came out of that, he took a long, hard look at himself,” what he has called an “executive session”, “and he decided that he had seen horrific things but he had also seen amazing power and strength in the collective humanity, and so that was the path he was going to follow and be guided. And I think he has not looked back from that.”
Throughout Good Trouble, and in an interview this month with New York magazine in the wake of nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, Lewis displays an unflappable optimism in the path forward, an unwavering belief in non-violence as principle, faith in “the conscience of the American people” when confronted and the ballot as “the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society.
The steadiness never wavered behind the scenes, either, according to Porter. Over the course of filming in 2018 and early 2019 – years in which a good, oh, 50 or so dispiriting, democracy death-spiral news cycles one-upped themselves – Lewis guided her “away from being reactive back to a proactive, ‘What do you want to accomplish? What do we need to do?’” she recalled.
“After a while, I started to get the message, which is that if a John Lewis at 80 years old is optimistic and still believes in the goodness of people, that we ultimately will get to a place where there’s more members of a beloved community, that means something,” Porter said. “He’s seen so much in his life that could make him bitter. And that is just not who he is.”
Photograph: Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
“He really focuses on a legislative opportunity, but he also thinks there’s a morality in government that should be part of the conversation,” Porter said. But she hoped the film, in which her camera finds Lewis joking with his sisters, talking with too many people in the airport and showing off a collection of ceramic chickens, shows Lewis’s “very subtle, wry humor”.
“He is a very peaceful person. He is a person who has seen horrific things, but he can also appreciate life in its fullness.”
Lewis frequently makes the call for Good Trouble but admits, in the film, to a deep fear: that one day he will wake up, and American democracy will be gone. It’s a fair question, given the flagrant transgressions and dog-whistling of the current administration, if that point is nearing, or gone. How would we know? “We’ve come too far, we’ve made too much progress, to slow down or to go back,” Lewis told New York in response to the fear. “So we must go forward.”
Lewis’s public appearances have waned in the wake of his cancer diagnosis. But as he told Porter, staring unbowed at the camera: “As long as I have breath in my body, I will do what I can.”


theguardian--2020-07-02--Trump has 'gone awol' as president amid coronavirus pandemic, says ex-CIA director

Donald Trump has “ essentially gone awol from the job of leadership that he should be providing a country in trouble ” during the coronavirus pandemic , a former defence secretary and CIA director said on Wednesday .
Leon Panetta , who served in various capacities under nine US presidents , became the latest prominent public figure to accuse Trump of effectively surrendering to the virus and abandoning Americans to their fate , using the military jargon awol , meaning absent without leave .
“ This is a major crisis , ” Panetta told Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci has warned that America may hit 100,000 new cases a day , twice the current rate .
“ But the president , rather than bringing together some kind of national strategy to confront this crisis , simply resorts to tweeting about vandalism and other things to kind of divert attention from the crisis that ’ s there.
” He added : “ We have a president that is not willing to stand up and do what is necessary in order to lead this country during time of major crisis .
I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that responsibility.
” The virus has infected more than 2.6m Americans and killed 128,000 , according to Johns Hopkins University .
Newly reported infections topped 50,000 on Wednesday for the first time , an all-time high in the US outbreak , and are rising significantly in 40 states , more than a dozen of which have been forced to pause reopening plans .
Hospital beds and testing capacity are under strain .
Trump is accused of a double failure of leadership , first downplaying the virus in January and February and then , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billed himself as a “ wartime president ” , recklessly pushing states to reopen , holding a campaign rally and reverting to a head-in-the-sand approach .
Now , as then , he has claimed the virus will “ just disappear ” , adding “ I hope ” in an interview , even as Covid-19 ravages the nation .
When Trump held a town hall on Fox News with Sean Hannity last week , only three minutes of the hour were dedicated to the coronavirus , according to an analysis by CNN .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its first briefing in nearly two months , it took place at the health department rather than the White House and was fronted by the vice-president , Mike Pence , whereas the president had frequently taken the helm before .
Trump ’ s Twitter feed is dominated by attention-deflecting attacks on election rival Joe Biden , fulminations over statues being toppled , bellicose calls for law and order and bald pronouncements such as “ THE LONE WARRIOR !
” – but the virus is seldom mentioned .
Asked by the Guardian whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talk less about the virus , Kayleigh McEnany , the White House press secretary , said on Wednesday : “ The president is not focused on talking ; he ’ s focused on action .
And this administration has taken historic action with regard to the coronavirus .
“ We have an excess amount of PPE , surge – a huge amount of ventilators in the stockpile .
Things that could never be done , we were told , have been done under this administration .
Testing more than 600,000 a day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with regard to coronavirus.
” Democrats argue that Trump is ignoring the disaster while passing the buck to state governors .
Speaking in Wilmington , Delaware , on Tuesday , Biden said : “ It seems like our wartime president has surrendered and waved the white flag , and left the battlefield.
” Moe Vela , a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Biden at the White House , said : “ I think he really believes that if he doesn ’ t talk about it , and that if he distracts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to forget that he was responsible for it .
“ He thinks that if he talks about something else or focuses on some other topic or engages in some other ridiculous behaviour pattern then we ’ re going to forget that people are dying .
How do you forget that people are dying ?
This is not a resurgence ; this is a continuation of a very deadly virus that is spreading like wildfire and he ’ s running in the opposite direction.
” Vela , chief transparency officer of TransparentBusiness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rank in the top one or two examples of the epitome of failed leadership in the history of our nation .
You contrast this to an Abraham Lincoln and you can dramatically see the extreme ends of the spectrum of leadership.
” Neera Tanden , president of the Center for American Progress , a liberal thinktank in Washington , is currently recovering from Covid-19 .
Asked for her view of Trump ’ s response to the pandemic , she replied : “ I don ’ t think it ’ s fit to print @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus has been , I think , the worst of any large scale democracy in the world .
It ’ s unprecedented .
There ’ s no national plan.
” Tanden , a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election , added : “ He ’ s caught because his performance has been so terrible on the virus that he thinks he can just change the subject by not talking about it .
The problem is that it ’ s the chief concern of voters , much more than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the pressure group Protect Our Care found that even voters who approve of Trump ’ s handling of the economy care more about his botched response to the virus .
Some 57 % believe that Trump ’ s policies are increasing the chances that many more people will die from the coronavirus , while only 17 % believe they decrease it .
Overall , the survey found , 60 % of voters disapprove of how Trump has handled the coronavirus and 57 % believe the president is to blame for the deaths @ @ @ @

Donald Trump has “essentially gone awol from the job of leadership that he should be providing a country in trouble” during the coronavirus pandemic, a former defence secretary and CIA director said on Wednesday.
Leon Panetta, who served in various capacities under nine US presidents, became the latest prominent public figure to accuse Trump of effectively surrendering to the virus and abandoning Americans to their fate, using the military jargon awol, meaning absent without leave.
“This is a major crisis,” Panetta told Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN, noting that top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci has warned that America may hit 100,000 new cases a day, twice the current rate.
“But the president, rather than bringing together some kind of national strategy to confront this crisis, simply resorts to tweeting about vandalism and other things to kind of divert attention from the crisis that’s there.”
He added: “We have a president that is not willing to stand up and do what is necessary in order to lead this country during time of major crisis. I have never experienced a president who has avoided that responsibility.”
The virus has infected more than 2.6m Americans and killed 128,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Newly reported infections topped 50,000 on Wednesday for the first time, an all-time high in the US outbreak, and are rising significantly in 40 states, more than a dozen of which have been forced to pause reopening plans. Hospital beds and testing capacity are under strain.
05:22 Why is coronavirus still surging in the US? – video explainer
Trump is accused of a double failure of leadership, first downplaying the virus in January and February and then, after a frenetic April in which he billed himself as a “wartime president”, recklessly pushing states to reopen, holding a campaign rally and reverting to a head-in-the-sand approach. Now, as then, he has claimed the virus will “just disappear”, adding “I hope” in an interview, even as Covid-19 ravages the nation.
When Trump held a town hall on Fox News with Sean Hannity last week, only three minutes of the hour were dedicated to the coronavirus, according to an analysis by CNN. When the White House coronavirus task force held its first briefing in nearly two months, it took place at the health department rather than the White House and was fronted by the vice-president, Mike Pence, whereas the president had frequently taken the helm before.
I have never experienced a president who has avoided that responsibility Leon Panetta
Trump’s Twitter feed is dominated by attention-deflecting attacks on election rival Joe Biden, fulminations over statues being toppled, bellicose calls for law and order and bald pronouncements such as “THE LONE WARRIOR!” – but the virus is seldom mentioned.
Asked by the Guardian whether the president had made a conscious decision to talk less about the virus, Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said on Wednesday: “The president is not focused on talking; he’s focused on action. And this administration has taken historic action with regard to the coronavirus.
“We have an excess amount of PPE, surge – a huge amount of ventilators in the stockpile. Things that could never be done, we were told, have been done under this administration. Testing more than 600,000 a day. This president has done a historic job with regard to coronavirus.”
05:28 From miracle cures to slowing testing: how Trump has defied science on coronavirus – video explainer
Democrats argue that Trump is ignoring the disaster while passing the buck to state governors. Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday, Biden said: “It seems like our wartime president has surrendered and waved the white flag, and left the battlefield.”
Moe Vela, a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Biden at the White House, said: “I think he really believes that if he doesn’t talk about it, and that if he distracts us from it, somehow we’re going to forget that he was responsible for it.
“He thinks that if he talks about something else or focuses on some other topic or engages in some other ridiculous behaviour pattern then we’re going to forget that people are dying. How do you forget that people are dying? This is not a resurgence; this is a continuation of a very deadly virus that is spreading like wildfire and he’s running in the opposite direction.”
Vela, chief transparency officer of TransparentBusiness, added: “It could easily rank in the top one or two examples of the epitome of failed leadership in the history of our nation. You contrast this to an Abraham Lincoln and you can dramatically see the extreme ends of the spectrum of leadership.”
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal thinktank in Washington, is currently recovering from Covid-19. Asked for her view of Trump’s response to the pandemic, she replied: “I don’t think it’s fit to print. President Trump’s response to the virus has been, I think, the worst of any large scale democracy in the world. It’s unprecedented. There’s no national plan.”
Tanden, a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, added: “He’s caught because his performance has been so terrible on the virus that he thinks he can just change the subject by not talking about it. The problem is that it’s the chief concern of voters, much more than the economy.”
A poll by Hart Research for the pressure group Protect Our Care found that even voters who approve of Trump’s handling of the economy care more about his botched response to the virus. Some 57% believe that Trump’s policies are increasing the chances that many more people will die from the coronavirus, while only 17% believe they decrease it.
Overall, the survey found, 60% of voters disapprove of how Trump has handled the coronavirus and 57% believe the president is to blame for the deaths associated with it.


theguardian--2020-07-02--US reports daily case record of 52,000 after Trump says Covid-19 will 'disappear'

Donald Trump has said he believes the coronavirus will “ just disappear ” , as the US recorded 52,000 new cases on Wednesday , according to Johns Hopkins figures , a new all-time daily high .
Eight states had reported new single-day highs of freshly diagnosed cases on Tuesday , when the national daily total for new cases sat at just over 44,000 , a record until the new figure emerged .
The spike followed a warning by the public health expert Dr Anthony Fauci that the US is “ going in the wrong direction ” and infections could more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day .
By Thursday morning , infections were rising in up to 40 states , and 14 states had reported overnight experiencing record daily highs .
About 40 % of the US is now changing course on reopening .
In an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday , Trump was asked whether he really believes , as he has stated previously , that the virus will simply disappear .
“ I do .
I do , ” he said .
“ Yeah sure .
At some point .
And I think we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very soon too.
” Trump added : “ We ’ re headed back in a very strong fashion … And I think we ’ re going to be very good with the coronavirus , .
“ I think that at some point that ’ s going to sort of just disappear .
I hope.
” Trump has faced fierce criticism for downplaying the risks of the virus , and for his refusal to promote simple safety measures such as wearing a mask .
Asked about this on Wednesday , he said he “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he does not believe making masks mandatory across the country was necessary .
Officials in Alaska , Arizona , California , Georgia , Idaho , Oklahoma , South Carolina and Texas announced single-day-high case numbers for Tuesday .
The Covid Tracking Project said that the US ’ s seven-day average for new daily cases has doubled since 13 June , and that hospitalizations jumped by the highest number since 21 April .
The European Union confirmed on Tuesday it would bar Americans from non-essential travel .
New York governor Andrew Cuomo , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense of the administration ’ s slow and chaotic response to the outbreak , saying at a press briefing : “ The buck stops on the president ’ s desk ” .
Cuomo said : “ He was in denial .
He has been denying what every health expert in America has been saying .
Come clean with the American people .
At least have the courage to admit what everybody else already knows : you were wrong .
Cuomo went on to implore states to reject the president ’ s rhetoric and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ play on Trump ’ s former time as a reality TV host .
“ Denying reality does not defeat reality .
He has lived in denial , and he has been denying the scientific facts since day one , ” he said .
“ Reality wins and reality won , and now the country is suffering because of the president.
” A number of states have been forced to roll back reopening efforts .
In California , the governor ordered the closure of all recently reopened bars on Wednesday , and halted indoor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ museums and zoos across the majority of the state following a surge in coronavirus cases .
Arizona ’ s governor , Doug Ducey , abruptly ordered bars , gyms , movie theaters and water parks to shut down this week , as the state became one of the worst hit in the US .
In Texas , elective surgeries in some counties were abandoned , as the state grapples with more than 6,500 people hospitalized from Covid-19 .
Meanwhile , several Texas bar owners filed a $ 10m federal lawsuit against state governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ void his executive order shutting down bars for a second time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic .
As the new details on the extent of the crisis emerged , Trump launched a series of attacks on Joe Biden , CNN , the New York Times , US senator Elizabeth Warren and MSNBC .
In tweets , Trump said that Biden was “ corrupt ” , suggested again that people damaging federal statues and monuments could spend more than 10 years in prison , and again used the racist term “ Pocahontas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren to rename US military bases named after Confederate figures .
Warren has claimed to have Native American ancestry .
Amid his frenzy of internet use , Trump also retweeted a post from himself , made a day earlier , which read : “ THE LONE WARRIOR !
” and lauded the conservative channel Fox News for having bested its rivals in TV ratings , adding : “ Thank you President Trump .
”


theguardian--2020-07-02--Trump’s bond with veterans starts to fracture over Russian bounty plot

Military veterans helped sweep Donald Trump to power in 2016 , turning out in swing states like Ohio and Florida as Trump vowed to spend vast sums on defense .
They have largely stuck with him ever since , even as Trump has repeatedly attacked venerated military leaders .
But as Trump grapples with the scandal over his reported inaction after being briefed on a Russian plot to pay bounties for the killing of US troops , cracks in the relationship are starting to show , and a series of military figures have lined up to condemn the president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump ’ s bond with the military appeared to have become fractured .
Some veterans and members of the military were horrified by Trump ’ s pledge to deploy active-duty military forces to anti-racism protests and demonstrations .
“ Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try , ” said marine general and Trump ’ s former defense secretary James Mattis in an extraordinary critique of the president in early June .
“ Instead he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort .
We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.
” Since then , things have only got worse for Trump .
The New York Times reported on Friday that the Trump administration had ignored intelligence about a Russian plot to offer bounties to Afghan militants to kill US troops .
Trump has called the report – aspects of which have been confirmed by other outlets – a hoax , and insisted he was not briefed on the Russian plan .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ since reported that the information was included in a daily intelligence briefing in February , although Trump is known to rarely read those briefings .
The report of the plot , and Trump ’ s response , could prove to be the straw that broke the camel ’ s back when it comes to the armed forces .
Even Republicans were shocked by the allegations .
“ I ’ m not really sure he absorbs a lot of this stuff , ” US congressman Paul Cook , a marine veteran , who represents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ He ’ s probably thinking about the polls.
” Cook , who is retiring from Congress at the end of his current term , added : “ I ’ m not going to be an apologist for Trump .
Trump is Trump.
” As Trump ’ s response has oscillated between the threat not being credible and him not being made aware of it , some veterans have expressed alarm at the latter explanation – at a president who is not being given , or who is not reading , important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s even worse if he didn ’ t know , ” Mikie Sherrill , a Democratic congresswoman from New Jersey , told NJ.com .
“ That speaks to a much broader crisis .
What is he doing to fulfill his role as commander in chief ?
How is it that we were briefing allies on this and our own president didn ’ t know ?
I don ’ t have any theories on how that might happen .
I can ’ t fathom it.
” Sherrill added : “ If you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the line for country , you want to have leadership in place that ’ s going to value your life , and do what they can to protect you .
That ’ s the deal .
So yeah , it ’ s very personal to me.
” The sentiment was echoed by Erik Hendriks , whose son was killed in an attack in Afghanistan in April 2019 .
The attack has been linked to the Russian bounty effort , and Hendricks questioned what Trump and the military knew about the plot in advance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they go – any soldier , a marine , navy , air force , army – I ’ m sure they want to believe that the government is 100 % in their corner , ” Hendriks told Associated Press .
“ And if any of this is true , how could a soldier actually believe that anymore ?
How could this government let one soldier go on patrol out there knowing this is true ?
” Hendriks ’ mother , Felicia Arculeo , and Shawn Gregoire , the mother of Michael Isaiah Nance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack , have demanded an investigation into the Russian bounty plot and the Trump administration , as pressure grows on the president to explain what happened .
“ I really want someone to get to the bottom of this , ” Gregoire told CNBC .
“ Even if he was not briefed , what ’ s happening now ?
” Referring to Trump , Gregoire asked : “ What are you doing now , now that you know ?
” Trump ’ s immediate response has been to post a series of distressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initially claiming he did not receive intelligence on the Russian plot – he has since attempted to dismiss the concept as a hoax .
The administration is yet to announce action against Russia , which Trump has treated favorably since his election , yet the issue is unlikely to go away .
On Wednesday , Senator Bob Menendez , the ranking member of Senate foreign relations committee , proposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin and other officials for offering bounties to kill US troops .
Historically military members and veterans tend to favor Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the military has so far endured his attacks on military families , and the venom Trump has directed at John McCain , even after the senator died .
That support held in 2018 , even as voters flocked to Democrats , when Trump ’ s Republican party still won 58 % of the military vote , but with just four months to go , Trump has found himself immediately targeted over the Russian scandal .
The Lincoln Project , a group of influential anti-Trump Republicans who plan to spend big money advertising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , quickly capitalized on Trump ’ s handling of the alleged bounty plot on Saturday .
“ Putin pays the Taliban cash to slaughter our men and women in uniform , and Trump is silent , weak , controlled , ” the ad says .
“ When Trump tells you he stands by the troops , he ’ s right – just not our troops .
”

Military veterans helped sweep Donald Trump to power in 2016, turning out in swing states like Ohio and Florida as Trump vowed to spend vast sums on defense. They have largely stuck with him ever since, even as Trump has repeatedly attacked venerated military leaders.
But as Trump grapples with the scandal over his reported inaction after being briefed on a Russian plot to pay bounties for the killing of US troops, cracks in the relationship are starting to show, and a series of military figures have lined up to condemn the president.
Even before news of Russian bounties broke, Trump’s bond with the military appeared to have become fractured. Some veterans and members of the military were horrified by Trump’s pledge to deploy active-duty military forces to anti-racism protests and demonstrations.
“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try,” said Gen James Mattis, Trump’s former defense secretary, in an extraordinary critique of the president in early June.
“Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”
Since then, things have only got worse for Trump.
The New York Times reported on Friday that the Trump administration had ignored intelligence about a Russian plot to offer bounties to Afghan militants to kill US troops. Trump has called the report – aspects of which have been confirmed by other outlets – a hoax, and insisted he was not briefed on the Russian plan.
The New York Times and CNN have since reported that the information was included in a daily intelligence briefing in February, although Trump is known to rarely read those briefings. The report of the plot, and Trump’s response, could prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back when it comes to the armed forces. Even Republicans were shocked by the allegations.
“I’m not really sure he absorbs a lot of this stuff,” US congressman Paul Cook, a marine veteran, who represents several military installations, told Associated Press. “He’s probably thinking about the polls.”
Cook, who is retiring from Congress at the end of his current term, added: “I’m not going to be an apologist for Trump. Trump is Trump.”
As Trump’s response has oscillated between the threat not being credible and him not being made aware of it, some veterans have expressed alarm at the latter explanation – at a president who is not being given, or who is not reading, important briefing documents.
‘Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try,’ said Mattis. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP
“I think it’s even worse if he didn’t know,” Mikie Sherrill, a Democratic congresswoman from New Jersey, told NJ.com.
“That speaks to a much broader crisis. What is he doing to fulfill his role as commander in chief? How is it that we were briefing allies on this and our own president didn’t know? I don’t have any theories on how that might happen. I can’t fathom it.”
Sherrill added: “If you’re going to put your life on the line for country, you want to have leadership in place that’s going to value your life, and do what they can to protect you. That’s the deal. So yeah, it’s very personal to me.”
The sentiment was echoed by Erik Hendriks, whose son was killed in an attack in Afghanistan in April 2019. The attack has been linked to the Russian bounty effort, and Hendricks questioned what Trump and the military knew about the plot in advance.
“When they sign up and they go – any soldier, a marine, navy, air force, army – I’m sure they want to believe that the government is 100% in their corner,” Hendriks told Associated Press.
“And if any of this is true, how could a soldier actually believe that anymore? How could this government let one soldier go on patrol out there knowing this is true?”
Hendriks’ mother, Felicia Arculeo, and Shawn Gregoire, the mother of Michael Isaiah Nance, who was killed in the same attack, have demanded an investigation into the Russian bounty plot and the Trump administration, as pressure grows on the president to explain what happened.
“I really want someone to get to the bottom of this,” Gregoire told CNBC. “Even if he was not briefed, what’s happening now?”
Referring to Trump, Gregoire asked: “What are you doing now, now that you know?”
Trump’s immediate response has been to post a series of distressed messages to Twitter, where – despite initially claiming he did not receive intelligence on the Russian plot – he has since attempted to dismiss the concept as a hoax.
The administration is yet to announce action against Russia, which Trump has treated favorably since his election, yet the issue is unlikely to go away. On Wednesday, Senator Bob Menendez, the ranking member of Senate foreign relations committee, proposed sanctions on Vladimir Putin and other officials for offering bounties to kill US troops.
Historically military members and veterans tend to favor Republican candidates, and Trump’s relationship with the military has so far endured his attacks on military families, and the venom Trump has directed at John McCain, even after the senator died.
That support held in 2018, even as voters flocked to Democrats, when Trump’s Republican party still won 58% of the military vote, but with just four months to go, Trump has found himself immediately targeted over the Russian scandal.
The Lincoln Project, a group of influential anti-Trump Republicans who plan to spend big money advertising against the president during the election campaign, quickly capitalized on Trump’s handling of the alleged bounty plot on Saturday.
“Putin pays the Taliban cash to slaughter our men and women in uniform, and Trump is silent, weak, controlled,” the ad says. “When Trump tells you he stands by the troops, he’s right – just not our troops.”