theguardian--2020-09-09--Disloyal review: Michael Cohen's mob hit on Trump entertains – but will it shift votes?

Michael Cohen is no saint .
Aside from the obvious , Donald Trump ’ s former fixer has never entered into a formal cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors , a fact duly noted by the US attorneys ’ office for the southern district of New York in its sentencing memorandum .
Because of that , the “ inability to fully vet his criminal history and reliability impact his utility as a witness ” .
On top of that , Cohen boasts in his memoir of his exposure to the mob as a teenager , and even compares his reception in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Capone and El Chapo .
Yes , it ’ s easy to distrust Cohen .
On that score , Disloyal should be taken with more than a grain of salt .
Its author is no hero .
But that doesn ’ t make the book any less interesting .
For all its black-hearted opportunism and self-aggrandizement , it delivers a readable and bile-filled take on Trump and his minions .
What the book lacks in genuine contrition is made up for with score-settling and name-calling .
Like Omarosa Manigault Newman before him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of others : Don Jr , Jared Kushner , Roger Stone and Steve Bannon , for starters .
Right off the bat , Cohen shares that the president lacks respect for his namesake .
According to Cohen , Trump Sr would repeatedly tell him Donnie possessed the “ worst fucking judgment ” of anyone he had ever met .
That ’ s saying something .
Likewise , asked by his oldest son if he is nervous about appearing in a televised wrestling match with the WWE impresario Vince McMahon , Trump Sr banishes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of stupid fucking question is that ?
” Humiliation is central to Trump and Cohen ’ s MOs – and it doesn ’ t end there .
Shown a photo of his sons ’ hunting escapades , Trump is angered , and again tears into his hapless offspring : “ You think you ’ re a fucking big man ?
Get the fuck out of my office.
” He sounds a lot like Tony Soprano .
More important , he shared Melania ’ s displeasure over junior ’ s penchant for big-game hunting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book by Ivana Trump recorded that it was she who wanted to call their son Donald Jr , to which Donald Sr replied : “ You can ’ t do that !
” Ivanka Trump is immune from the president ’ s derision .
After all , Donald once told Howard Stern that if he weren ’ t her father , he ’ d have dated her .
Cohen is not her dad , though , so is less hesitant in tattling on the favorite child .
After writing about how Ivanka once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dinners , Cohen recalls a brush with the law in connection with Trump Soho , an ill-fated condominium hotel in Manhattan , and Ivanka ’ s elaborate plans for Trump Moscow .
Once again , the Trumps are caught in the headlights of the Manhattan district attorney .
In Cohen ’ s telling , after first adopting a “ hands-off policy ” to the Russia project , Ivanka became enthusiastic when she learned the building would contain a health and wellness center named for her .
She was prepared to hire the architect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cohen .
In the end , Cohen laments , “ all three kids were starved for their father ’ s love ” .
Jared Kushner also emerges worse for wear .
Words like “ inexperienced ” and “ unqualified ” tumble on to the page .
Cohen observes that “ Kushner was supremely arrogant , a real snob ” with an “ exaggerated sense of his importance and intelligence ” .
Elsewhere , however , Cohen expresses admiration for macho swagger and strut .
So confusing .
Speaking of which , Disloyal offers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ views of Vladimir Putin .
Cohen records that on numerous occasions Trump told him the Russian president was “ the richest man in the world by a multiple ” .
Trump is quoted explaining : “ If you think about it , Putin controls 25 % of the Russian economy … imagine controlling 25 % of the wealth of a country .
Wouldn ’ t that be fucking amazing.
” Consistent with that take , Trump muses that a Russian oligarch who bought property from him was actually doing Putin ’ s bidding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Putin , ” Trump purportedly said .
“ That ’ s all they are doing – investing Putin ’ s money.
” Disloyal contains three references to Martin Scorsese ’ s Goodfellas , doffs its hat to The Godfather and The Valachi Papers , and gives shout-outs to John Gotti and Henry Hill .
Organized crime pervades the book , and Cohen does not sound at all disapproving .
Said differently , Trump ’ s world was the crew the author always dreamed of joining .
As expected , Cohen goes granular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silence of the adult film star Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal , a Playboy model .
As for Trump ’ s roving eye and priapism , Cohen captures him dissing Melania in the face of her purported threats to leave their marriage .
“ I can always get another wife , ” Trump says .
“ That ’ s no problem for me , if she wants to go , so be it.
” According to Cohen , the “ relationship was just another deal , plain and simple ” .
Four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such detail matters less and less .
The American public knows about the dysfunction .
Oddly , the most significant portion of the book is its epilogue .
It describes the efforts of William Barr , Trump ’ s second attorney general , to stifle publication of Disloyal even if it meant trampling Cohen ’ s first amendment rights and sending him back to prison .
For once , Cohen really was a victim .
Barr ’ s efforts to be Roy Cohn 2.0 – Trump ’ s consigliere , in corridors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are real , not imagined .
As the president has repeatedly attested , the attorney general has succeeded in bending the law and the constitution .
In the din caused by Trump ’ s comments regarding the military , Disloyalty still cut through .
Whether it changes any minds before 3 November remains open to debate .

Michael Cohen is no saint. Aside from the obvious, Donald Trump’s former fixer has never entered into a formal cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors, a fact duly noted by the US attorneys’ office for the southern district of New York in its sentencing memorandum. Because of that, the “inability to fully vet his criminal history and reliability impact his utility as a witness”.
On top of that, Cohen boasts in his memoir of his exposure to the mob as a teenager, and even compares his reception in federal prison to that accorded to Al Capone and El Chapo.
Yes, it’s easy to distrust Cohen. On that score, Disloyal should be taken with more than a grain of salt. Its author is no hero.
But that doesn’t make the book any less interesting. For all its black-hearted opportunism and self-aggrandizement, it delivers a readable and bile-filled take on Trump and his minions.
What the book lacks in genuine contrition is made up for with score-settling and name-calling. Like Omarosa Manigault Newman before him, Cohen entertains, albeit at the expense of others: Don Jr, Jared Kushner, Roger Stone and Steve Bannon, for starters.
Right off the bat, Cohen shares that the president lacks respect for his namesake. According to Cohen, Trump Sr would repeatedly tell him Donnie possessed the “worst fucking judgment” of anyone he had ever met. That’s saying something.
Organized crime pervades the book, and Cohen does not sound at all disapproving
Likewise, asked by his oldest son if he is nervous about appearing in a televised wrestling match with the WWE impresario Vince McMahon, Trump Sr banishes him and comments: “What kind of stupid fucking question is that?”
Humiliation is central to Trump and Cohen’s MOs – and it doesn’t end there.
Shown a photo of his sons’ hunting escapades, Trump is angered, and again tears into his hapless offspring: “You think you’re a fucking big man? Get the fuck out of my office.” He sounds a lot like Tony Soprano. More important, he shared Melania’s displeasure over junior’s penchant for big-game hunting.
As it happens, an earlier book by Ivana Trump recorded that it was she who wanted to call their son Donald Jr, to which Donald Sr replied: “You can’t do that!”
His explanation: “What if he’s a loser?”
Ivanka Trump is immune from the president’s derision. After all, Donald once told Howard Stern that if he weren’t her father, he’d have dated her. Cohen is not her dad, though, so is less hesitant in tattling on the favorite child.
After writing about how Ivanka once joined him and his wife for lasagne dinners, Cohen recalls a brush with the law in connection with Trump Soho, an ill-fated condominium hotel in Manhattan, and Ivanka’s elaborate plans for Trump Moscow. Once again, the Trumps are caught in the headlights of the Manhattan district attorney.
In Cohen’s telling, after first adopting a “hands-off policy” to the Russia project, Ivanka became enthusiastic when she learned the building would contain a health and wellness center named for her. She was prepared to hire the architect Zaha Hadid, discarding drawings supplied by Cohen.
William Barr’s efforts to be Roy Cohn 2.0 – Trump’s consigliere in corridors of power Cohen could never reach – are real
In the end, Cohen laments, “all three kids were starved for their father’s love”.
Jared Kushner also emerges worse for wear. Words like “inexperienced” and “unqualified” tumble on to the page. Cohen observes that “Kushner was supremely arrogant, a real snob” with an “exaggerated sense of his importance and intelligence”.
Elsewhere, however, Cohen expresses admiration for macho swagger and strut. So confusing.
Speaking of which, Disloyal offers a window into the president’s views of Vladimir Putin. Cohen records that on numerous occasions Trump told him the Russian president was “the richest man in the world by a multiple”.
Trump is quoted explaining: “If you think about it, Putin controls 25% of the Russian economy … imagine controlling 25% of the wealth of a country. Wouldn’t that be fucking amazing.”
Consistent with that take, Trump muses that a Russian oligarch who bought property from him was actually doing Putin’s bidding.
“The oligarchs are just fronts for Putin,” Trump purportedly said. “That’s all they are doing – investing Putin’s money.”
Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka, seen at the White House in June. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Disloyal contains three references to Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas, doffs its hat to The Godfather and The Valachi Papers, and gives shout-outs to John Gotti and Henry Hill. Organized crime pervades the book, and Cohen does not sound at all disapproving. Said differently, Trump’s world was the crew the author always dreamed of joining.
As expected, Cohen goes granular in narrating his efforts to buy the silence of the adult film star Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, a Playboy model. As for Trump’s roving eye and priapism, Cohen captures him dissing Melania in the face of her purported threats to leave their marriage.
“I can always get another wife,” Trump says. “That’s no problem for me, if she wants to go, so be it.” According to Cohen, the “relationship was just another deal, plain and simple”.
Four years into Trump’s presidency, though, such detail matters less and less. The American public knows about the dysfunction.
Oddly, the most significant portion of the book is its epilogue. It describes the efforts of William Barr, Trump’s second attorney general, to stifle publication of Disloyal even if it meant trampling Cohen’s first amendment rights and sending him back to prison.
For once, Cohen really was a victim. Barr’s efforts to be Roy Cohn 2.0 – Trump’s consigliere, in corridors of power Cohen could never reach – are real, not imagined. As the president has repeatedly attested, the attorney general has succeeded in bending the law and the constitution.
In the din caused by Trump’s comments regarding the military, Disloyalty still cut through. Whether it changes any minds before 3 November remains open to debate.


theguardian--2020-09-10--Trump 'wanted to play down' Covid despite knowing deadliness, Bob Woodward book says – as it happene

Trump 'wanted to play down' Covid despite knowing deadliness, Bob Woodward book says – as it happened

Iowa ’ s governor , Kim Reynolds , is refusing to enforce a White House coronavirus taskforce recommendation to close bars and require people to wear masks after Covid-19 infections in some of the state ’ s cities surged .
Meanwhile , coronavirus cases have risen sharply across the whole midwest in recent weeks , putting the region at the forefront of America ’ s pandemic .
The region accounted for six of the eight states with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases by early September even as infections fell in other parts of the US previously among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest number of positive cases per capita in the country over the past 14 days .
Iowa and South Dakota are enduring the highest percentage increases .
Missouri has seen more than 1,300 new cases a day on average over the past week .
In Iowa , the increase was centered on university towns following the return of students to classes .
By late August , two of the state ’ s cities , Ames and Iowa City , were enduring the worst coronavirus surges in the country .
The per capita infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Amid warnings that the failure to enforce masks and social distancing was likely to cost hundreds of additional lives in the coming months , the White House taskforce said in a report on 31 August that bars “ must be closed ” in 61 of Iowa ’ s 99 counties and seating in restaurants should be limited .
It also recommended restrictions on the size of gatherings in the worst-hit counties , along with the closure of gyms .

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

10 Sept 2020 01.00 BST From me and Joan E Greve: Fires are raging across the west. More than 85 significant wildfires are burning across the region. In California, high, dry winds stoked dozens of out-of-control blazes that have forced helicopter rescues and evacuations. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year, and the fires scorched farming town of Malden. Fires also forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho.
More than 85 significant wildfires are burning across the region. In California, high, dry winds stoked dozens of out-of-control blazes that have forced helicopter rescues and evacuations. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year, and the fires scorched farming town of Malden. Fires also forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho. Mike Pence and officials from Donald Trump’s campaign are expected to attend a a fundraiser hosted by a couple that subscribe to the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory. The event is scheduled to take place in Montana. Hosts Caryn and Michael Borland shared QAnon memes and posts on their social media.
The event is scheduled to take place in Montana. Hosts Caryn and Michael Borland shared QAnon memes and posts on their social media. Trump acknowledged in March that he was trying to downplay the threat of coronavirus, according to a new book from Bob Woodward. The president told the journalist earlier this year, “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.” Trump also acknowledged coronavirus was “deadly” and airborne as early as February, while publicly saying the virus would “disappear”.
according to a new book from The president told the journalist earlier this year, “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.” Trump also acknowledged coronavirus was “deadly” and airborne as early as February, while publicly saying the virus would “disappear”. Reacting to Woodward’s book, Trump said he “perhaps” misled the country about coronavirus to avoid creating panic. When asked whether he had misled the American public, the president said this afternoon, “Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps that’s so. The fact is, I’m a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don’t want people to be frightened. I don’t want to create panic.”
When asked whether he had misled the American public, the president said this afternoon, “Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps that’s so. The fact is, I’m a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don’t want people to be frightened. I don’t want to create panic.” Biden accused Trump of betraying the country by downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic. Delivering a speech in Warren, Michigan, the Democratic nominee said, “He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. He failed to do his job on purpose ... It was a life and death betrayal of the American people.”
Delivering a speech in Warren, Michigan, the Democratic nominee said, “He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. He failed to do his job on purpose ... It was a life and death betrayal of the American people.” A senior DHS official claimed he was told to stop providing intelligence assessments of Russian election interference. In a new whistleblower complaint, Brian Murphy, the former acting DHS undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, said he was told an “intelligence notification” regarding Russian disinformation should be “held” because it “made the President look bad”. The House intelligence committee has called on Murphy to testify about the allegations later this month.
In a new whistleblower complaint, the former acting DHS undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, said he was told an “intelligence notification” regarding Russian disinformation should be “held” because it “made the President look bad”. The House intelligence committee has called on Murphy to testify about the allegations later this month. Trump released his list of potential future supreme court nominees. The list included three Republican senators: Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz. But Hawley and Cruz quickly signaled they did not plan to leave the Senate anytime soon.
Updated at 01.14 BST
9 Sept 2020 00.33 BST Chris McGreal Iowa’s governor, Kim Reynolds, is refusing to enforce a White House coronavirus taskforce recommendation to close bars and require people to wear masks after Covid-19 infections in some of the state’s cities surged. Meanwhile, coronavirus cases have risen sharply across the whole midwest in recent weeks, putting the region at the forefront of America’s pandemic. The region accounted for six of the eight states with the highest number of new Covid-19 cases by early September even as infections fell in other parts of the US previously among the worst hit. North Dakota has the largest number of positive cases per capita in the country over the past 14 days. Iowa and South Dakota are enduring the highest percentage increases. Missouri has seen more than 1,300 new cases a day on average over the past week. In Iowa, the increase was centered on university towns following the return of students to classes. By late August, two of the state’s cities, Ames and Iowa City, were enduring the worst coronavirus surges in the country. The per capita infection rates were higher than any individual country. Amid warnings that the failure to enforce masks and social distancing was likely to cost hundreds of additional lives in the coming months, the White House taskforce said in a report on 31 August that bars “must be closed” in 61 of Iowa’s 99 counties and seating in restaurants should be limited. It also recommended restrictions on the size of gatherings in the worst-hit counties, along with the closure of gyms. Iowa refuses to close bars and require masks as Covid-19 cases surge in cities Read more
Updated at 01.17 BST
9 Sept 2020 23.57 BST Jessica Krug, the George Washington University professor who made headlines around the world after confessing she was in fact a white woman from Kansas City despite having claimed she was Black has resigned, according to the university. “Dr Krug has resigned her position, effective immediately. Her classes for this semester will be taught by other faculty members, and students in those courses will receive additional information this week,” noted the university in a statement issued Wednesday. Last week, the university announced it had cancelled classes taught by Krug. Her colleagues in the history department had called on her to step down from her post, saying they were “shocked and appalled by Dr Jessica Krug’s admission on September 3, 2020, that she has lied about her identity for her entire career”. In a Medium essay, Krug said she claimed identities “that I had no right to claim: first North African Blackness, then US rooted Blackness, then Caribbean rooted Bronx Blackness”. Jessica Krug: university cancels classes by white academic who posed as Black Read more
Updated at 00.05 BST
9 Sept 2020 23.27 BST Meanwhile, fires are raging across the west Large, fast-moving fires raged on across the American west on Wednesday, destroying hundreds of homes in the Pacific north-west and sending a dense plume of smoke that turned skies amber across parts of the region. More than 85 significant wildfires are burning across the west. In California, high, dry winds stoked dozens of out-of-control blazes that have forced helicopter rescues and evacuations. In Washington, more acres burned in a single day than firefighters usually see all year, and the fires scorched farming town of Malden. Fires also forced people to flee in Oregon and Idaho. “The geographic scale and intensity of what is transpiring is truly jarring,” wrote Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. “What’s remarkable is that there’s so many fires,” said Chris Field, who directs the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. “Even as someone whose job is to understand what’s happening, it’s really hard to keep up.” Winds fuel wildfires in California as blazes rage across US west Read more
9 Sept 2020 23.03 BST Poll: Slight shift away from Biden in Kenosha in wake of protests A poll of voters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, from Marquette Law School found that while Joe Biden still leads Donald Trump by four points, the Democratic candidate’s support is slipping slightly in the wake of protests against police brutality and a deadly shooting. The police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black 29-year-old father, sparked widespread protests in Kenosha. Amid demonstrations, a white Trump supporter was charged with shooting two men and injuring another.
Updated at 23.19 BST
9 Sept 2020 22.37 BST Victoria Bekiempis A health official hired by a Donald Trump appointee has been working to prevent Dr Anthony Fauci from talking about dangers that Covid-19 poses to children, Politico reported on Wednesday. The attempts by Dr Paul Alexander – who serves as a senior adviser to Michael Caputo, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) assistant public affairs secretary – were described in emails obtained by Politico. Alexander reportedly told media liaisons at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about what Fauci should discuss during interviews. Alexander opined on Fauci’s possible responses to inquiries from publications such as Bloomberg News, HuffPost and BuzzFeed. “I continue to have an issue with kids getting tested and repeatedly and even university students in a widespread manner … and I disagree with Dr Fauci on this. Vehemently,” Alexander wrote in a 27 August email, in response to a press office rundown of Fauci’s planned remarks to Bloomberg. In an email Tuesday, Alexander also told Fauci’s spokesperson that he should not advocate mask-wearing by children in a planned MSNBC sit-down. “Can you ensure Dr Fauci indicates masks are for the teachers in schools. Not for children,” Alexander reportedly said in this email. “There is no data, none, zero, across the entire world, that shows children, especially young children, spread this virus to other children, or to adults or to their teachers. None. And if it did occur, the risk is essentially zero.” Trump official preventing Fauci from discussing Covid children risk – report Read more
Updated at 23.23 BST
9 Sept 2020 22.30 BST Edward Helmore The White House coronavirus adviser Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that AstraZeneca’s decision to pause global trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine was “unfortunate” – but not an uncommon safety precaution in a vaccine development process. The UK drugmaker AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had voluntarily paused trials, including late-stage ones, after an unexplained illness in a participant. The company said it was working to expedite a review of safety data by an independent committee to minimize any potential impact on the trial timeline. “This particular candidate from the AstraZeneca company had a serious adverse event, which means you put the rest of the enrollment of individual volunteers on hold until you can work out precisely what went on,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the top public health expert on the coronavirus, said in an interview with CBS News on Wednesday morning. “It’s really one of the safety valves that you have on clinical trials such as this, so it’s unfortunate that it happened,” Fauci added. “Hopefully, they’ll work it out and be able to proceed along with the remainder of the trial but you don’t know. They need to investigate it further.” The vaccine, which AstraZeneca is developing with the University of Oxford, has been described by the World Health Organization as probably the world’s leading candidate and the most advanced in terms of development. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University school of public health said via Twitter that the significance of the interruption was unclear. “We have no idea whether this is a big deal or not. Science is hard. This is why we have to let the trials play out. I remain optimistic we will have a vaccine found to be safe and effective in upcoming months,” he said, but cautioned: “Optimism isn’t evidence. Let’s let science drive this process.” Anthony Fauci calls pausing of Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial 'unfortunate' Read more
9 Sept 2020 22.05 BST Today so far That’s it from me on this very newsy Wednesday. My west coast colleague Maanvi Singh will take over for the next few hours. Here’s where the day stands so far: Trump acknowledged in March that he was trying to downplay the threat of coronavirus, according to a new book from Bob Woodward. The president told the journalist earlier this year, “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.” Trump also acknowledged coronavirus was “deadly” and airborne as early as February, while publicly saying the virus would “disappear”.
according to a new book from The president told the journalist earlier this year, “I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.” Trump also acknowledged coronavirus was “deadly” and airborne as early as February, while publicly saying the virus would “disappear”. Reacting to Woodward’s book, Trump said he “perhaps” misled the country about coronavirus to avoid creating panic. When asked whether he had misled the American public, the president said this afternoon, “Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps that’s so. The fact is, I’m a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don’t want people to be frightened. I don’t want to create panic.”
When asked whether he had misled the American public, the president said this afternoon, “Well, I think if you said in order to reduce panic, perhaps that’s so. The fact is, I’m a cheerleader for this country. I love our country and I don’t want people to be frightened. I don’t want to create panic.” Biden accused Trump of betraying the country by downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic. Delivering a speech in Warren, Michigan, the Democratic nominee said, “He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. He failed to do his job on purpose ... It was a life and death betrayal of the American people.”
Delivering a speech in Warren, Michigan, the Democratic nominee said, “He had the information. He knew how dangerous it was. He failed to do his job on purpose ... It was a life and death betrayal of the American people.” A senior DHS official claimed he was told to stop providing intelligence assessments of Russian election interference. In a new whistleblower complaint, Brian Murphy, the former acting DHS undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, said he was told an “intelligence notification” regarding Russian disinformation should be “held” because it “made the President look bad”. The House intelligence committee has called on Murphy to testify about the allegations later this month.
In a new whistleblower complaint, the former acting DHS undersecretary for intelligence and analysis, said he was told an “intelligence notification” regarding Russian disinformation should be “held” because it “made the President look bad”. The House intelligence committee has called on Murphy to testify about the allegations later this month. Trump released his list of potential future supreme court nominees. The list included three Republican senators: Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz. But Hawley and Cruz quickly signaled they did not plan to leave the Senate anytime soon. Maanvi will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated at 22.12 BST
9 Sept 2020 21.52 BST The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports: A government watchdog group asked North Carolina officials to investigate a report that Louis DeJoy, the postmaster general, pressured his employees in the private sector to donate to Republican candidates and then reimbursed them through his company. Louis DeJoy testifies before the House oversight committee. Photograph: Tom Williams/AP The complaint, filed by the North Carolina chapter of Common Cause, came after former employees of DeJoy’s logistics company, New Breed Logistics, told the Washington Post DeJoy would push them to write checks or attend Republican fundraisers. DeJoy would subsequently increase bonus payments to make up for those contributions. A DeJoy spokesman did not directly address whether DeJoy had made such arrangements to the Post, but said DeJoy had not run afoul of campaign finance laws. In a filing with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, lawyers for Common Cause noted the state sets a $5,100 maximum individual donation limit and prohibits donors from giving money either anonymously or under someone else’s name. The group asked North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, to launch a similar investigation. “Our state’s campaign finance laws are designed to protect the fundamental integrity of our elections and guard against undue influence by self-serving mega donors and special interests,” Bob Phillips, the executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. “Violations of these laws undermine public trust in our democracy and must be treated with the utmost seriousness. No one is above the law, no matter the size of their bank account.” DeJoy, a major Republican donor, was appointed postmaster general by the USPS board of governors earlier this year, despite having no prior experience at the agency. A former governor told Congress last month that DeJoy did not appear to be a serious candidate for the job and struggled to answer questions about the position. He has faced loud calls for his resignation after reports of widespread mail delays across the country. DeJoy conceded last month that a program he implemented to try and get trucks to run on time had caused delays, but offered few details on what he was doing to fix it. He also said he would not reinstall mail sorting machines that had been removed from post office facilities.
9 Sept 2020 21.41 BST Here is the full list of potential future supreme court nominees that Trump announced at the White House this afternoon: Bridget Bade, judge on the US court of appeals for the ninth circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the ninth circuit Daniel Cameron, attorney general of Kentucky
attorney general of Kentucky Tom Cotton, US senator from Arkansas
US senator from Arkansas Paul Clement, partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP
partner with Kirkland & Ellis LLP Ted Cruz, US senator from Texas
US senator from Texas Stuart Kyle Duncan, judge on the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit Steven Engel, assistant attorney general for the office of legal counsel at the Department of Justice
assistant attorney general for the office of legal counsel at the Department of Justice Noel Francisco, former solicitor general
former solicitor general Josh Hawley, US senator from Missouri
US senator from Missouri James Ho, judge on the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the fifth circuit Gregory Katsas, judge on the US court of appeals for the DC circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the DC circuit Barbara Lagoa, judge on the US court of appeals for the eleventh circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the eleventh circuit Christopher Landau, US ambassador to Mexico
US ambassador to Mexico Carlos Muñiz, justice on the supreme court of Florida
justice on the supreme court of Florida Martha Pacold, judge on the US district court for the northern district of Illinois
judge on the US district court for the northern district of Illinois Peter Phipps, judge on the US court of appeals for the third circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the third circuit Sarah Pitlyk, judge on the US district court for the eastern district of Missouri
judge on the US district court for the eastern district of Missouri Allison Jones Rushing, judge on the US court of appeals for the fourth circuit
judge on the US court of appeals for the fourth circuit Kate Todd, deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel to the president
deputy assistant to the president and deputy counsel to the president Lawrence VanDyke, judge on the US court of appeals for the ninth circuit
Updated at 22.10 BST


theguardian--2020-09-09--Trump loyalists interfered to downplay Russia election threat – whistleblower

Trump loyalists running the Department of Homeland Security manipulated intelligence reports to play down the threat of Russian election interference and white supremacists and exaggerate the threat of antifa and anarchist groups , according to the department ’ s former top intelligence official .
The official , Brian Murphy , said he was demoted in August from his position running the department ’ s office of intelligence and analysis because of his refusal to go along with the fabrication of intelligence to match Donald Trump ’ s rhetoric , and for making formal complaints about the political pressure .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Murphy was transferred to a DHS management position after his team was found to have collected information on reporters and protesters in Portland , Oregon .
In his complaint , he claims the office “ never knowingly or deliberately collected information on journalists , at least as far as Mr Murphy is aware or ever authorized ” , and he described the reporting as “ significantly flawed ” .
He insists the real reason for his transfer was his refusal to manipulate vital intelligence on national security .
Murphy alleges that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 2018 , when the then homeland security secretary , Kirstjen Nielsen , asked his office to inflate the numbers of known or suspected terrorists crossing the border with Mexico , in support of Trump ’ s demand for a border wall .
Murphy says the intelligence identified three such terrorist cases .
In December 2018 , Nielsen told the House judiciary committee there were 3,755 .
According to Murphy ’ s testimony , Nielsen and her successor , Chad Wolf , continued to exaggerate the terrorist threat at the border in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ figures .
Murphy ’ s most serious allegations concern the effort to downplay Russian meddling in the election while it was under way .
In May this year , Murphy says , Wolf told him “ to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States , and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran ” .
Wolf told Murphy the orders came from the national security adviser , Robert O ’ Brien .
“ Mr Murphy informed Mr Wolf he would not comply with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put the country in substantial and specific danger , ” the whistleblower complaint says .
On 7 July , Murphy was told to stop circulating any information about Russian disinformation efforts until he met Wolf .
The next day , according to the complaint , the acting homeland security secretary told Murphy the assessment of the Russian role “ should be ‘ held ’ because it ‘ made the president look bad ’ ” .
When Murphy objected , he was excluded from meetings on the subject , and an alternative assessment was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interference on a par with China and Iran – an equivalence which Murphy , and most intelligence experts , say is not supported by the facts .
“ This is a huge deal , ” the former National Security Agency lawyer Susan Hennessey wrote on Twitter .
“ Is [ national security adviser ] O ’ Brien directing the [ intelligence community ] and others to lie about or distort the China election threat to hurt Biden and help Trump ?
” Top administration officials , including the director of national intelligence , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Mike Pompeo ; and the attorney general , William Barr , have claimed that China is as big a threat , if not a much greater danger , to the integrity of the US elections than Russia , with the implication that China favours Trump ’ s Democratic challenger , Joe Biden .
No substantial evidence has been presented to support that claim , which is contradicted by a vast amount of material , including reports by the special counsel Robert Mueller , and the Republican-led Senate intelligence committee , detailing Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a homeland threat assessment ( HTA ) drawn up by Murphy ’ s intelligence analysts in March this year was also blocked by Wolf and other DHS political appointees because of its sections on Russian interference and the white supremacist threat .
Murphy was told by his superiors he “ needed to specifically modify the section on white supremacy in a manner that made the threat appear less severe , as well as include information on the prominence of violent ‘ leftwing ’ groups ” .
When he refused , the HTA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It is Mr Murphy ’ s assessment that the final version of the HTA will more closely resemble a policy document with references to antifa and ‘ anarchist ’ groups than an intelligence document , ” his complaint says .
Hennessey , a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the executive editor of the Lawfare blog , urged some scepticism over Murphy ’ s claims in view of his office ’ s involvement in the monitoring of journalists in Portland .
“ Murphy ’ s account is especially weak on key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for whistleblowing , as opposed to astonishingly bad judgment .
It could be that , in an effort to tell a self-serving story , he is also revealing very serious ( and real ) wrongdoing at DHS , ” she wrote .

Trump loyalists running the Department of Homeland Security manipulated intelligence reports to play down the threat of Russian election interference and white supremacists and exaggerate the threat of antifa and anarchist groups, according to the department’s former top intelligence official.
The official, Brian Murphy, said he was demoted in August from his position running the department’s office of intelligence and analysis because of his refusal to go along with the fabrication of intelligence to match Donald Trump’s rhetoric, and for making formal complaints about the political pressure. He filed a whistleblower reprisal complaint on Tuesday.
Murphy was transferred to a DHS management position after his team was found to have collected information on reporters and protesters in Portland, Oregon. In his complaint, he claims the office “never knowingly or deliberately collected information on journalists, at least as far as Mr Murphy is aware or ever authorized”, and he described the reporting as “significantly flawed”.
He insists the real reason for his transfer was his refusal to manipulate vital intelligence on national security.
Murphy alleges that the efforts to falsify DHS intelligence date back to 2018, when the then homeland security secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, asked his office to inflate the numbers of known or suspected terrorists crossing the border with Mexico, in support of Trump’s demand for a border wall.
Murphy says the intelligence identified three such terrorist cases. In December 2018, Nielsen told the House judiciary committee there were 3,755.
According to Murphy’s testimony, Nielsen and her successor, Chad Wolf, continued to exaggerate the terrorist threat at the border in 2019, while being aware of the real figures.
Murphy’s most serious allegations concern the effort to downplay Russian meddling in the election while it was under way. In May this year, Murphy says, Wolf told him “to cease providing intelligence assessments on the threat of Russian interference in the United States, and instead start reporting on interference activities by China and Iran”.
Wolf told Murphy the orders came from the national security adviser, Robert O’Brien.
“Mr Murphy informed Mr Wolf he would not comply with these instructions, as doing so would put the country in substantial and specific danger,” the whistleblower complaint says.
On 7 July, Murphy was told to stop circulating any information about Russian disinformation efforts until he met Wolf. The next day, according to the complaint, the acting homeland security secretary told Murphy the assessment of the Russian role “should be ‘held’ because it ‘made the president look bad’”.
When Murphy objected, he was excluded from meetings on the subject, and an alternative assessment was leaked to the press which put Russian interference on a par with China and Iran – an equivalence which Murphy, and most intelligence experts, say is not supported by the facts.
“This is a huge deal,” the former National Security Agency lawyer Susan Hennessey wrote on Twitter. “Is [national security adviser] O’Brien directing the [intelligence community] and others to lie about or distort the China election threat to hurt Biden and help Trump?”
Top administration officials, including the director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe; the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo; and the attorney general, William Barr, have claimed that China is as big a threat, if not a much greater danger, to the integrity of the US elections than Russia, with the implication that China favours Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden. No substantial evidence has been presented to support that claim, which is contradicted by a vast amount of material, including reports by the special counsel Robert Mueller, and the Republican-led Senate intelligence committee, detailing Russian interference.
According to the whistleblower complaint, a homeland threat assessment (HTA) drawn up by Murphy’s intelligence analysts in March this year was also blocked by Wolf and other DHS political appointees because of its sections on Russian interference and the white supremacist threat.
Murphy was told by his superiors he “needed to specifically modify the section on white supremacy in a manner that made the threat appear less severe, as well as include information on the prominence of violent ‘leftwing’ groups”. When he refused, the HTA was taken out of his hands.
“It is Mr Murphy’s assessment that the final version of the HTA will more closely resemble a policy document with references to antifa and ‘anarchist’ groups than an intelligence document,” his complaint says.
Hennessey, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and the executive editor of the Lawfare blog, urged some scepticism over Murphy’s claims in view of his office’s involvement in the monitoring of journalists in Portland.
“Murphy’s account is especially weak on key allegation that he was reassigned as retaliation for whistleblowing, as opposed to astonishingly bad judgment. It could be that, in an effort to tell a self-serving story, he is also revealing very serious (and real) wrongdoing at DHS,” she wrote.


theguardian--2020-09-09--Trump names three sitting senators among 20 possible supreme court picks

Donald Trump named three sitting senators as people he would consider nominating to the US supreme court if he is re-elected .
Trump announced 20 names on Wednesday that he said would be added to his previously released list of potential supreme court picks .
He said one of three conservative Republican senators with law degrees – Tom Cotton of Arkansas , Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri – could be his next selection to the nation ’ s top court .
“ Over the next four years , America ’ s president will choose hundreds of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four supreme court justices ” , Trump said – both probably exaggerated figures .
The new justices could “ fundamentally transform America without a single vote in Congress ” , Trump said .
“ If there ’ s one thing this president doesn ’ t lie about , it ’ s his eagerness to stack the courts with extremists prepared to carry out Republicans ’ conservative agenda , overturning access to health care and abortion , ” Nan Aron , president of Alliance for Justice , said .
“ This is a last-ditch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ base .
Trump is clearly trying to distract the American public from an astonishing number of damning allegations right now.
” Ben Jealous , president of People for the American Way , said : “ At a time when Donald Trump ’ s judges and justices are already posing an existential threat to healthcare and coverage for pre-existing conditions , his updated list of potential supreme court nominees is yet another emergency alarm making clear the extremely high stakes of this election.
” He added : “ This list is packed with far-right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racked up deeply troubling records on lower courts.
” Conservative judicial activist groups , however , greeted the new list of names with cheers .
“ President Trump continues to keep his promise to prioritize the appointment of judges while Joe Biden continues to duck the issue and hide his list , ” Carrie Severino , president of the Judicial Crisis Network , said .
Hawley ruled himself out of the running to be a potential nominee , tweeting he had “ no interest in the high court ” .
Cruz appeared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was “ humbling and an immense honor ” to be included on Trump ’ s list but indicating he would remain in the Senate for the time being .
Cotton , however , seemed more interested , saying he would always “ heed the call for service ” , and tweeting : “ It ’ s time for Roe v Wade to go.
” Trump said Biden , his Democratic opponent in the presidential race , “ must release a list of justices for people to make a decision as to how they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practice of releasing lists of names of judges is unique to Trump , who did so in his first presidential run to reassure so-called “ values voters ” that he was safe to support .
Trump has elevated an unprecedented number of attorneys to the federal bench who have had no previous experience as judges , but the inclusion on Wednesday of three senators in his list of supreme court picks was seen as a boisterously political move .
“ Is this supposed to win over swing voters ?
” tweeted the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinks he is still running for the Republication nomination.
” Trump ’ s news conference at the White House to announce his list , designed to shore up evangelical Christian and conservative support for his re-election bid , quickly turned into a back-and-forth with reporters about his coronavirus policy .
Damaging revelations emerged with the publication of advance excerpts of a new book by the Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward on Wednesday .
Woodward writes that Trump knew in February , a month before the widespread Covid-19 outbreak in the United States , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he intentionally “ downplayed ” it .
Trump is trailing by double-digit margins in national polling averages and some polls have shown him losing support among the base of white evangelical Christians who helped propel him to victory in 2016 .
Trump warned those voters on Wednesday that life in America would change for good if he was not re-elected , playing on fears that a Democratic president would appoint justices committed to “ repealing the second amendment ” , “ funding late-term abortion ” and removing “ the words ‘ under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump also warned that a Democratic president would install judges who would “ cripple police departments ” and empower “ rioters , looters anarchists and terrorists ” .
Neither of the two supreme court justices nominated during Biden ’ s eight years as vice-president have made any such moves , and decades of public statements and officials votes by Biden have indicated no such intention .

Donald Trump named three sitting senators as people he would consider nominating to the US supreme court if he is re-elected.
Trump announced 20 names on Wednesday that he said would be added to his previously released list of potential supreme court picks.
He said one of three conservative Republican senators with law degrees – Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri – could be his next selection to the nation’s top court.
“Over the next four years, America’s president will choose hundreds of federal judges” and “up to four supreme court justices”, Trump said – both probably exaggerated figures. The new justices could “fundamentally transform America without a single vote in Congress”, Trump said.
Progressive groups quickly criticized the announcement.
“If there’s one thing this president doesn’t lie about, it’s his eagerness to stack the courts with extremists prepared to carry out Republicans’ conservative agenda, overturning access to health care and abortion,” Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice, said. “This is a last-ditch effort by the president to energize his base. Trump is clearly trying to distract the American public from an astonishing number of damning allegations right now.”
Ben Jealous, president of People for the American Way, said: “At a time when Donald Trump’s judges and justices are already posing an existential threat to healthcare and coverage for pre-existing conditions, his updated list of potential supreme court nominees is yet another emergency alarm making clear the extremely high stakes of this election.” He added: “This list is packed with far-right ideologues, many of whom have already racked up deeply troubling records on lower courts.”
Conservative judicial activist groups, however, greeted the new list of names with cheers. “President Trump continues to keep his promise to prioritize the appointment of judges while Joe Biden continues to duck the issue and hide his list,” Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, said.
Hawley ruled himself out of the running to be a potential nominee, tweeting he had “no interest in the high court”.
Cruz appeared to also rule himself out, saying it was “humbling and an immense honor” to be included on Trump’s list but indicating he would remain in the Senate for the time being.
Cotton, however, seemed more interested, saying he would always “heed the call for service”, and tweeting: “It’s time for Roe v Wade to go.”
Trump said Biden, his Democratic opponent in the presidential race, “must release a list of justices for people to make a decision as to how they should properly vote”. But the practice of releasing lists of names of judges is unique to Trump, who did so in his first presidential run to reassure so-called “values voters” that he was safe to support.
Trump has elevated an unprecedented number of attorneys to the federal bench who have had no previous experience as judges, but the inclusion on Wednesday of three senators in his list of supreme court picks was seen as a boisterously political move.
“Is this supposed to win over swing voters?” tweeted the former federal prosecutor Peter Zeidenberg. “Trump thinks he is still running for the Republication nomination.”
Questions about coronavirus revelation
Trump’s news conference at the White House to announce his list, designed to shore up evangelical Christian and conservative support for his re-election bid, quickly turned into a back-and-forth with reporters about his coronavirus policy.
Damaging revelations emerged with the publication of advance excerpts of a new book by the Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward on Wednesday. Woodward writes that Trump knew in February, a month before the widespread Covid-19 outbreak in the United States, that coronavirus was a lethal threat and that he intentionally “downplayed” it.
Trump is trailing by double-digit margins in national polling averages and some polls have shown him losing support among the base of white evangelical Christians who helped propel him to victory in 2016.
Trump warned those voters on Wednesday that life in America would change for good if he was not re-elected, playing on fears that a Democratic president would appoint justices committed to “repealing the second amendment”, “funding late-term abortion” and removing “the words ‘under God’ from the constitution”.
Trump also warned that a Democratic president would install judges who would “cripple police departments” and empower “rioters, looters anarchists and terrorists”.
Neither of the two supreme court justices nominated during Biden’s eight years as vice-president have made any such moves, and decades of public statements and officials votes by Biden have indicated no such intention.


theguardian--2020-09-09--Mike Pence slated to speak at fundraiser hosted by QAnon supporters

Mike Pence and top officials from Donald Trump ’ s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory , according to an event invitation obtained by the Associated Press and a review of social media postings .
The hosts of the fundraiser , Caryn and Michael Borland , have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts , their social media activity shows .
The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 14 September fundraiser in Bozeman , Montana , is expected to draw influential figures in the president ’ s orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle , a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr , the GOP chairwoman , Ronna McDaniel , the Republican National Committee finance chairman .
Todd Ricketts , and the RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr , the event invitation shows .
While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon , the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taylor Greene , another QAnon supporter , as a “ future Republican star ” .
The president has refused to condemn QAnon , recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is “ gaining in popularity ” and that its supporters “ like me very much ” .
Representatives for Pence declined to comment on the fundraiser , though the vice-president has previously called QAnon a “ conspiracy theory ” .
“ I don ’ t know anything about QAnon , and I dismiss it out of hand , ” he told CBS last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did not immediately comment on the fundraiser .
Caryn and Michael Borland did not return a call seeking comment on the event .
QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy fiction spread largely through the internet , centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “ deep state ” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals .
It is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous “ Q ” , purportedly a government insider .
The story has grown to include other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some extreme Trump supporters .
The movement is often likened to a rightwing cult ; some followers have run for office , primarily in the Republican party , though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates .
Trump has refused to say QAnon is false .
The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts , as well as other discredited conspiracies .
Michael Borland prominently features several QAnon “ Q ” logos on his Facebook page .
One features a flaming “ Q ” with a Christian cross in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ QAnon oath as well as its slogan , which states : “ Where We Go One We Go All.
” From his Twitter account , which also features the “ Q ” logo , he also shared a post that labeled the Black Lives Matter movement “ terrorists ” and made his own threat to shoot protesters , according to a 25 June post .
Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts .
In April , she responded to a pro-Trump tweet from a QAnon account by replying “ Always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The couple has donated over $ 220,000 to Trump ’ s re-election , the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland ’ s name .
They were guests at the president ’ s renominating convention last month .
They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn , including one that shows Michael Alfaro , a Trump fundraiser from Illinois , in the foreground .
Alfaro , who is also slated to attend the Montana fundraiser , responded in the comments : “ Working for the Borland family on South Lawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dined with the Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky , according to a caption on a 27 August Facebook photo of the couple and Paul .
Michael Borland also posed for a photo that same day with the House minority leader , Kevin McCarthy of California , Borland ’ s Facebook account shows .
The couple previously posed for a picture with Trump , which Michael Borland posted to Facebook on 20 December .

Mike Pence and top officials from Donald Trump’s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation obtained by the Associated Press and a review of social media postings.
The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking.
Beyond the vice-president, the 14 September fundraiser in Bozeman, Montana, is expected to draw influential figures in the president’s orbit including Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top Trump fundraising official who is dating Donald Trump Jr, the GOP chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee finance chairman. Todd Ricketts, and the RNC co-chairman Tommy Hicks Jr, the event invitation shows.
While many Republicans have dismissed QAnon, the fundraiser is another sign of how the conspiracy theory is gaining a foothold in the party. Trump has hailed the Georgia congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, another QAnon supporter, as a “future Republican star”. The president has refused to condemn QAnon, recently telling reporters that the conspiracy theory is “gaining in popularity” and that its supporters “like me very much”.
Representatives for Pence declined to comment on the fundraiser, though the vice-president has previously called QAnon a “conspiracy theory”.
“I don’t know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand,” he told CBS last month.
Q&A What is QAnon? Show QAnon is a wide-ranging and baseless internet conspiracy theory that has been on the fringes of rightwing internet communities for years, but its visibility has exploded in recent months amid the social unrest and uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic. QAnon has its roots in previously established conspiracy theories, some relatively new and some a millennium old. QAnon evolved out of Pizzagate and includes many of the same basic characters and plotlines without the easily disprovable specifics. But QAnon also has its roots in much older antisemitic conspiracy theories. The idea of the all-powerful, world-ruling cabal comes straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fake document used throughout the 20th century to justify antisemitism. Another QAnon canard is a modern remix of the age-old antisemitic blood libel. “Q”, posing as a government insider with top security clearance, has made more than 4,000 posts so far. Cryptic and elliptical, they often consist of a long string of leading questions designed to guide readers toward discovering the “truth” for themselves through “research”. It’s a kind of participatory internet scavenger hunt with perceived high stakes and a ready-made community of fellow adherents. Experts in conspiracy theories point out belief in QAnon is far from common. The largest Facebook groups had approximately 200,000 members in them before Facebook banned them. When Twitter took similar action, it limited features for approximately 150,000 accounts. While most QAnon followers will not engage in violence, many already have, or have attempted to, which is why the FBI identified the movement as a potential domestic terror threat. Participation in QAnon also often involves vicious online harassment campaigns against perceived enemies, which can have serious consequences for the targets. QAnon is gaining traction as a political force in the Republican party in the US. Media Matters has compiled a list of 77 candidates for congressional seats who have indicated support for QAnon and at least one of them, Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, will in all likelihood be elected in November 2020. Julia Carrie Wong Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback.
Representatives for the Trump campaign did not immediately comment on the fundraiser. Caryn and Michael Borland did not return a call seeking comment on the event.
QAnon is a wide-ranging conspiracy fiction spread largely through the internet, centered on the baseless belief that Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals. It is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous “Q”, purportedly a government insider.
The story has grown to include other longstanding conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. The movement is often likened to a rightwing cult; some followers have run for office, primarily in the Republican party, though some have been independent or run as third-party candidates. Trump has refused to say QAnon is false.
The Borlands have shared multiple QAnon social media posts, as well as other discredited conspiracies.
Michael Borland prominently features several QAnon “Q” logos on his Facebook page. One features a flaming “Q” with a Christian cross in the middle. He has also shared the QAnon oath as well as its slogan, which states: “Where We Go One We Go All.”
From his Twitter account, which also features the “Q” logo, he also shared a post that labeled the Black Lives Matter movement “terrorists” and made his own threat to shoot protesters, according to a 25 June post.
Caryn Borland has retweeted or engaged with QAnon Twitter accounts. In April, she responded to a pro-Trump tweet from a QAnon account by replying “Always” with a praying hands emoji.
The couple has donated over $220,000 to Trump’s re-election, the bulk of which was made in Caryn Borland’s name.
They were guests at the president’s renominating convention last month. They posed for photos from the White House South Lawn, including one that shows Michael Alfaro, a Trump fundraiser from Illinois, in the foreground. Alfaro, who is also slated to attend the Montana fundraiser, responded in the comments: “Working for the Borland family on South Lawn!”
The couple also said they dined with the Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to a caption on a 27 August Facebook photo of the couple and Paul.
Michael Borland also posed for a photo that same day with the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, Borland’s Facebook account shows.
The couple previously posed for a picture with Trump, which Michael Borland posted to Facebook on 20 December.


theguardian--2020-09-09--Stacey Abrams: 'This is not a fight that’s going to be won in a single election'

The two months between Labor Day and the US election in November are crunch time for Stacey Abrams .
Two years ago , during the 2018 midterms , the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia pressed to register and rally voters amid disturbing revelations about the fairness of the election .
Two weeks before election day , an investigation found that the state of Georgia had improperly purged 340,000 people from voter registration rolls without notice ; the man in charge of running a fair election , secretary of state Brian Kemp , had previously blocked 53,000 people – 80 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote due to minor discrepancies in their state records .
Kemp , a Republican and outspoken Trump loyalist , was also running against Abrams , who would have become the nation ’ s first black female governor , had she not lost by a razor-thin margin of about 55,000 votes .
Abrams never conceded the race due to the issues of voter suppression and a number of civil rights lawsuits still tied up in court .
And now , as the clock closes in once again on a monumental , bitterly contested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ democratic bedrock which arguably cost her the governorship , and whose shakiness could fundamentally undermine American government .
In 2018 , “ so much attention was being paid to my campaign and my election that I think it eclipsed the larger issue , ” she told the Guardian , “ which is that voter suppression is happening across this country and regardless of who the target may be , the effect is that you break the machinery of democracy for everyone.
” In 2019 , Abrams launched Fair Fight , a grassroots organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free and fair elections .
As explained by All In : The Fight For Democracy , an Amazon Prime documentary on the long arc of voting rights and suppression in the US , attempts to curtail the most institutional form of American democracy have proliferated in the last 20 years .
Since the election of Barack Obama in 2008 and the 2013 supreme court ruling which defanged the 1965 Voting Rights Act , “ voter suppression has taken on a much more aggressive and malevolent turn that we haven ’ t really seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
All In , directed by Lisa Cortés and Liz Garbus , splices Abrams ’ s 2018 campaign and her 2020 Fair Fight movement with a history lesson on America ’ s democratic promise long unfulfilled , tracing enfranchisement from its limit to white male property owners at the nation ’ s outset through Reconstruction , a brief window of black enfranchisement in which numerous black men were elected to Congress and state governments .
But by the turn of the 20th century , southern states turned to the so-called “ Mississippi Plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to vote by using the societal conditions imposed on African Americans , such as poverty and low literacy rates , as the preconditions for voting .
Hence , poll taxes .
Literacy tests rigged for failure .
The permanent barring of felons , which disenfranchised African Americans targeted by draconian penal codes for everyday behavior , such as loitering in a street .
Voter intimidation , harassment and violence .
Jim Crow legislation ravaged the swift gains of Reconstruction and paralyzed the black electorate for nearly a century ; by the 1950s , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the south were registered to vote .
Contemporary history is a “ new reiteration of a long continuum ” , Cortés told the Guardian .
“ When you look at the history of voting rights and voter suppression , you see it ’ s inherent in the DNA of our country.
” In the past , it was “ billy clubs and hoses ; now it ’ s strict voter ID laws and purges and the intentional poll closures .
They ’ re a part of the same power playbook.
” Abrams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reveal the same power playbook at work now in seemingly neutral laws made to look reasonable .
Measures such as voter ID laws and mass clearings of voter rolls “ sound intentionally benign to lull us into ignoring them ” , she said .
“ But let ’ s be clear : we have voter ID laws from the inception of our country .
You always had to say who you are and demonstrate it to cast a ballot .
What ’ s different is how restrictive and how suppressive the type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 election , for example , 33 states had some form of voter identification measure , ostensibly to combat voter fraud but in practice targeting minority groups ; black voter turnout plunged seven percentage points .
North Dakota imposed a law requiring a street address to vote , which imperiled the rights of Native Americans living on reservations , who often do not have a fixed government-recognized address .
In Texas , voter ID laws accepted a handgun license , but not the student ID for public universities often issued to young voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – how it morphs to meet the moment , how defenders deny charges of intentional racism based on vague language – is something Abrams , 46 , knows well .
Raised in Gulfport , Mississippi , Abrams was “ steeped in not just the history of what voter suppression is , but I was raised to believe that when you see a problem , your job is to solve it ” .
Her parents , Methodist ministers , took her to the polls as a child and instilled the importance of the Voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ equipped me for this moment ” , she said .
“ I may not have become governor , but that does not absolve me of the responsibility to ensure that the voices of Americans get heard .
I ’ m not entitled to history .
And we aren ’ t entitled to our choice of winning at the ballot box .
What we are entitled to is being heard.
” She ’ s excited about the partnership with Amazon Prime , she said , because she believes in “ meeting people where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ telling them the truth about what they face.
” That truth is that suppression tactics are on the rise , that some of the greatest enfranchisement progress of the civil rights era is at risk of being lost , if not lost already , a struggle further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic .
Case in point : the disastrous primary elections in Wisconsin and Georgia this spring , in which voters waited upwards of five hours at drastically restricted poll locations , especially in predominantly African American neighborhoods .
It ’ s enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In “ tries to combat the hopelessness by showing the progress ” , said Abrams .
“ You can only make progress if you know where you are and where you ’ ve been.
” The week we spoke , police in Kenosha , Wisconsin , shot Jacob Blake , a black man , in the back as he tried to climb into his car .
The current president undermined the post office and railed against non-existent , disproven voter fraud .
Faith in mail-in voting has plunged .
Given the mess of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , uphill fight for voting rights , how does one hold on to hope ?
“ This is not a fight that ’ s going to be won in a single election or even a single decade , ” Abrams responded .
“ This has been a perennial challenge from the inception of our nation .
My hope is drawn from the fact that we haven ’ t given in yet .
After 240 years , I would be forgiven for just saying , never mind .
But we are celebrating in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the right to vote through the 15th amendment , the 100th anniversary of women ’ s suffrage , where white women got the right to vote .
As a black woman , I may not have benefited immediately from either , but I am the product of the legacy of both .
That is hope.
” Abrams derives hope , too , from the nationwide marches for Black Lives Matter this summer in response to the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor .
“ There ’ s connective tissue between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the action that has to be taken at the ballot box , ” she said .
“ In years past , the shooting of Jacob Blake would ’ ve been chalked up to one more shooting , and there would ’ ve been a sense of hopelessness – there ’ s no point in responding , there ’ s no point in protest , ” she added .
“ What we see in protest is an activation of humanity that says that we deserve more .
We deserve justice , we deserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as they may be , there is hope in the marginalized demanding to be seen , especially in an election.
” After the 2018 election and a bid for Biden ’ s vice-presidential nomination that ultimately went to Kamala Harris , Abrams remains mum on another run for political office .
Looking forward , she ’ s focused on the fight to vote , ensuring an accurate 2020 census and battling the related scourge of gerrymandered representative districts .
“ I ’ m not saying I ’ m not running again , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now is to make sure that we have a democracy that I can run in.
” • None All In : The Fight for Democracy is now showing at cinemas in the US and will be available on Amazon from 18 September

The two months between Labor Day and the US election in November are crunch time for Stacey Abrams. Two years ago, during the 2018 midterms, the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia pressed to register and rally voters amid disturbing revelations about the fairness of the election. Two weeks before election day, an investigation found that the state of Georgia had improperly purged 340,000 people from voter registration rolls without notice; the man in charge of running a fair election, secretary of state Brian Kemp, had previously blocked 53,000 people – 80% of them black – from registering to vote due to minor discrepancies in their state records.
Kemp, a Republican and outspoken Trump loyalist, was also running against Abrams, who would have become the nation’s first black female governor, had she not lost by a razor-thin margin of about 55,000 votes.
Abrams never conceded the race due to the issues of voter suppression and a number of civil rights lawsuits still tied up in court. And now, as the clock closes in once again on a monumental, bitterly contested election, Abrams is focused on the democratic bedrock which arguably cost her the governorship, and whose shakiness could fundamentally undermine American government. In 2018, “so much attention was being paid to my campaign and my election that I think it eclipsed the larger issue,” she told the Guardian, “which is that voter suppression is happening across this country and regardless of who the target may be, the effect is that you break the machinery of democracy for everyone.”
In 2019, Abrams launched Fair Fight, a grassroots organization to expose voter suppression and advocate for free and fair elections. As explained by All In: The Fight For Democracy, an Amazon Prime documentary on the long arc of voting rights and suppression in the US, attempts to curtail the most institutional form of American democracy have proliferated in the last 20 years. Since the election of Barack Obama in 2008 and the 2013 supreme court ruling which defanged the 1965 Voting Rights Act, “voter suppression has taken on a much more aggressive and malevolent turn that we haven’t really seen since Jim Crow,” Abrams said.
All In, directed by Lisa Cortés and Liz Garbus, splices Abrams’s 2018 campaign and her 2020 Fair Fight movement with a history lesson on America’s democratic promise long unfulfilled, tracing enfranchisement from its limit to white male property owners at the nation’s outset through Reconstruction, a brief window of black enfranchisement in which numerous black men were elected to Congress and state governments. But by the turn of the 20th century, southern states turned to the so-called “Mississippi Plan” to systematically deny minorities the right to vote by using the societal conditions imposed on African Americans, such as poverty and low literacy rates, as the preconditions for voting. Hence, poll taxes. Literacy tests rigged for failure. The permanent barring of felons, which disenfranchised African Americans targeted by draconian penal codes for everyday behavior, such as loitering in a street. Voter intimidation, harassment and violence. Jim Crow legislation ravaged the swift gains of Reconstruction and paralyzed the black electorate for nearly a century; by the 1950s, only 3% of age-eligible black people in the south were registered to vote.
Contemporary history is a “new reiteration of a long continuum”, Cortés told the Guardian. “When you look at the history of voting rights and voter suppression, you see it’s inherent in the DNA of our country.” In the past, it was “billy clubs and hoses; now it’s strict voter ID laws and purges and the intentional poll closures. They’re a part of the same power playbook.”
Abrams’s mission with All In is to reveal the same power playbook at work now in seemingly neutral laws made to look reasonable. Measures such as voter ID laws and mass clearings of voter rolls “sound intentionally benign to lull us into ignoring them”, she said. “But let’s be clear: we have voter ID laws from the inception of our country. You always had to say who you are and demonstrate it to cast a ballot. What’s different is how restrictive and how suppressive the type of ID can be.”
Photograph: Courtesy of Amazon Studios
In the 2016 election, for example, 33 states had some form of voter identification measure, ostensibly to combat voter fraud but in practice targeting minority groups; black voter turnout plunged seven percentage points. North Dakota imposed a law requiring a street address to vote, which imperiled the rights of Native Americans living on reservations, who often do not have a fixed government-recognized address. In Texas, voter ID laws accepted a handgun license, but not the student ID for public universities often issued to young voters.
The insidious trajectory of voter suppression – how it morphs to meet the moment, how defenders deny charges of intentional racism based on vague language – is something Abrams, 46, knows well. Raised in Gulfport, Mississippi, Abrams was “steeped in not just the history of what voter suppression is, but I was raised to believe that when you see a problem, your job is to solve it”. Her parents, Methodist ministers, took her to the polls as a child and instilled the importance of the Voting Rights Act. Their legacy and lessons “equipped me for this moment”, she said. “I may not have become governor, but that does not absolve me of the responsibility to ensure that the voices of Americans get heard. I’m not entitled to history. And we aren’t entitled to our choice of winning at the ballot box. What we are entitled to is being heard.”
She’s excited about the partnership with Amazon Prime, she said, because she believes in “meeting people where they are. I also believe in telling them the truth about what they face.” That truth is that suppression tactics are on the rise, that some of the greatest enfranchisement progress of the civil rights era is at risk of being lost, if not lost already, a struggle further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Case in point: the disastrous primary elections in Wisconsin and Georgia this spring, in which voters waited upwards of five hours at drastically restricted poll locations, especially in predominantly African American neighborhoods. It’s enough to make one despair, but All In “tries to combat the hopelessness by showing the progress”, said Abrams. “You can only make progress if you know where you are and where you’ve been.”
Photograph: Courtesy of Amazon Studios
The week we spoke, police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot Jacob Blake, a black man, in the back as he tried to climb into his car. The current president undermined the post office and railed against non-existent, disproven voter fraud. Faith in mail-in voting has plunged. Given the mess of 2020, and the protracted, cyclical, uphill fight for voting rights, how does one hold on to hope? “This is not a fight that’s going to be won in a single election or even a single decade,” Abrams responded. “This has been a perennial challenge from the inception of our nation. My hope is drawn from the fact that we haven’t given in yet. After 240 years, I would be forgiven for just saying, never mind. But we are celebrating in this year the 150th anniversary of black men getting the right to vote through the 15th amendment, the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, where white women got the right to vote. As a black woman, I may not have benefited immediately from either, but I am the product of the legacy of both. That is hope.”
11:48 Stacey Abrams v Brian Kemp: inside the bitter battle for Georgia's soul – video
Abrams derives hope, too, from the nationwide marches for Black Lives Matter this summer in response to the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. “There’s connective tissue between the protests we see in the streets and the action that has to be taken at the ballot box,” she said.
“In years past, the shooting of Jacob Blake would’ve been chalked up to one more shooting, and there would’ve been a sense of hopelessness – there’s no point in responding, there’s no point in protest,” she added. “What we see in protest is an activation of humanity that says that we deserve more. We deserve justice, we deserve answers.
“As unsettling and discomfiting as they may be, there is hope in the marginalized demanding to be seen, especially in an election.”
After the 2018 election and a bid for Biden’s vice-presidential nomination that ultimately went to Kamala Harris, Abrams remains mum on another run for political office. Looking forward, she’s focused on the fight to vote, ensuring an accurate 2020 census and battling the related scourge of gerrymandered representative districts. “I’m not saying I’m not running again,” she said, “but my focus now is to make sure that we have a democracy that I can run in.”


theguardian--2020-09-09--Norwegian far-right MP nominates Donald Trump for Nobel peace prize

A Norwegian far-right MP has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel peace prize for a second time , citing his role in the normalising of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates .
Christian Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News : “ For his merit , I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other peace prize nominees.
” Trump responded to news of his nomination for the 2021 prize by expressing his thanks on Twitter .
The bar for being nominated for the prize is low , as nominations are accepted from any politician @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from heads of state .
For the 2020 prize , the winner of which has yet to be announced , there were 318 candidates .
Tybring-Gjedde said in his nomination letter : “ As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE , this agreement could be a gamechanger that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity.
” As yet there has been no sign of this happening , with a recent visit by the US secretary of state , Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further developments .
Tybring-Gjedde was one of two Norwegian politicians who nominated Trump for the peace prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea .
The Norwegian Nobel committee does not publicly comment on nominees .
Under its rules , the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years .
A group of Republicans from the House of Representatives also sent an open letter to the committee in 2018 urging them to award the prize to Trump the following year .
A previous attempt to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominations submitted for him in 2017 turned out to have been faked .
They were subsequently withdrawn by the committee , leading Norwegian police to contact the FBI to try to trace the culprits .
The Nobel peace prize was awarded to Barack Obama in 2009 for his “ extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people ” .
He donated the $ 1.4m award to charity .
In 2013 Trump called for Obama ’ s award to be rescinded .
Other previous US administration recipients of the prize have included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts in ending the first world war and part in creating the League of Nations .
Jimmy Carter received the award in 2002 , and the former vice-president Al Gore was honoured in 2007 , for his efforts to spread knowledge about climate change .

A Norwegian far-right MP has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel peace prize for a second time, citing his role in the normalising of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Christian Tybring-Gjedde told Fox News: “For his merit, I think he has done more trying to create peace between nations than most other peace prize nominees.”
Trump responded to news of his nomination for the 2021 prize by expressing his thanks on Twitter.
The bar for being nominated for the prize is low, as nominations are accepted from any politician serving at a national level, or from heads of state. For the 2020 prize, the winner of which has yet to be announced, there were 318 candidates.
Tybring-Gjedde said in his nomination letter: “As it is expected other Middle Eastern countries will follow in the footsteps of the UAE, this agreement could be a gamechanger that will turn the Middle East into a region of cooperation and prosperity.”
As yet there has been no sign of this happening, with a recent visit by the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to the region yielding no further developments.
Tybring-Gjedde was one of two Norwegian politicians who nominated Trump for the peace prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea. The Norwegian Nobel committee does not publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years.
A group of Republicans from the House of Representatives also sent an open letter to the committee in 2018 urging them to award the prize to Trump the following year.
A previous attempt to nominate Trump ended in mystery when two nominations submitted for him in 2017 turned out to have been faked. They were subsequently withdrawn by the committee, leading Norwegian police to contact the FBI to try to trace the culprits.
The Nobel peace prize was awarded to Barack Obama in 2009 for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people”. He donated the $1.4m award to charity. In 2013 Trump called for Obama’s award to be rescinded.
Our NOBEL PRIZE FOR PEACE president said "I'm really good at killing people" according to just out book Double Down. Can Oslo retract prize? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2013
Other previous US administration recipients of the prize have included Woodrow Wilson in 1920, for his efforts in ending the first world war and part in creating the League of Nations. Jimmy Carter received the award in 2002, and the former vice-president Al Gore was honoured in 2007, for his efforts to spread knowledge about climate change.


theguardian--2020-09-09--'I don't want to create panic': Trump defends coronavirus remarks he made to Bob Woodward – video

Donald Trump said he was 'trying to avoid panic ' by not revealing the severity of Covid-19 , despite CNN @ @ @ @ @ an interview in February in which he acknowledged the virus was 'deadly ' .
The @ @ @ @ @ comments to the journalist Bob Woodward for Woodward 's book Rage , insisted his strategy @ @ @ @ @ to remain calm , as the virus spread across the country

Donald Trump said he was 'trying to avoid panic' by not revealing the severity of Covid-19, despite CNN audio published on Wednesday from an interview in February in which he acknowledged the virus was 'deadly'.
The president, who defended his comments to the journalist Bob Woodward for Woodward's book Rage, insisted his strategy was focused on encouraging Americans to remain calm, as the virus spread across the country


theguardian--2020-09-09--Trump's Covid-19 response a 'life and death betrayal' of Americans, says Biden – video

Joe Biden took the offensive against Donald Trump during a campaign event in Warren , Michigan after CNN released audio @ @ @ @ @ Bob Woodward in February that he knew coronavirus was ‘ deadly ’ and airborne .
@ @ @ @ @ ‘ failed to do his job on purpose ’ as he knew the danger of @ @ @ @ @ of the virus for months • Trump ‘ wanted to play down ’ Covid despite @ @ @ @ @ book says – live

Joe Biden took the offensive against Donald Trump during a campaign event in Warren, Michigan after CNN released audio of Trump telling the journalist Bob Woodward in February that he knew coronavirus was 'deadly' and airborne.
Biden said the president had 'failed to do his job on purpose' as he knew the danger of Covid-19 but downplayed the severity of the virus for months