theguardian--2020-06-16--DoJ sets new dates to begin death-row executions following legal battle

The justice department has set new dates to begin executing federal death-row inmates following a long legal battle over the plan to resume the executions for the first time since 2003 .
William Barr , the attorney general , directed the federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions , beginning in mid-July , of four inmates convicted of killing children .
The move is likely to add a new front to the national conversation about criminal justice reform and raise interest in an issue that has largely lain dormant in recent years amid the culture battles that Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abortion and immigration in the lead-up to the 2020 elections .
Three of the men had been scheduled to be put to death when Barr announced the federal government would resume executions last year , ending an informal moratorium on federal capital punishment as the issue receded from the public domain .
The justice department had scheduled five executions set to begin in December , but some of the inmates challenged the new procedures in court , arguing that the government was circumventing proper methods in order to wrongly execute inmates quickly .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the executions of two of the inmates scheduled in December hadn ’ t been rescheduled .
The federal government ’ s initial effort was put on hold by a trial judge , and the federal appeals court in Washington and the supreme court both declined to step in late last year .
But in April , the appeals court threw out the judge ’ s order .
Lawyers for the inmates are asking the supreme court to order a halt to the process .
“ The American people , acting through Congress and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long instructed that defendants convicted of the most heinous crimes should be subject to a sentence of death , ” Barr said in a statement .
The inmates who will be executed are : Danny Lee , who was convicted in Arkansas of killing a family of three , including an eight-year-old ; Wesley Ira Purkey , of Kansas , who raped and murdered a 16-year-old girl and killed an 80-year-old woman ; Dustin Lee Honken , who killed five people in Iowa , including two children ; and Keith Dwayne Nelson , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rollerblading in front of her Kansas home and raped her in a forest behind a church before strangling the young girl with a wire .
Three of the executions – for Lee , Purkley and Honken – are scheduled days apart beginning 13 July .
Nelson ’ s execution is scheduled for 28 August .
The DoJ said additional executions will be set at a later date .
Executions on the federal level have been rare and the government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping , rape and murder of a young female soldier .
Though there hasn ’ t been a federal execution since 2003 , the DoJ has continued to approve death penalty prosecutions and federal courts have sentenced defendants to death .
In 2014 , following a botched state execution in Oklahoma , Barack Obama directed the DoJ to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs .
Donald Trump has spoken often about capital punishment and his belief that executions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appropriate punishment for some crimes , including mass shootings and the killings of police officers .
Lawyers for the men decried the Justice Department ’ s decision to move ahead with the executions .

The justice department has set new dates to begin executing federal death-row inmates following a long legal battle over the plan to resume the executions for the first time since 2003.
William Barr, the attorney general, directed the federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions, beginning in mid-July, of four inmates convicted of killing children.
The move is likely to add a new front to the national conversation about criminal justice reform and raise interest in an issue that has largely lain dormant in recent years amid the culture battles that Donald Trump already is waging on matters such as abortion and immigration in the lead-up to the 2020 elections.
Three of the men had been scheduled to be put to death when Barr announced the federal government would resume executions last year, ending an informal moratorium on federal capital punishment as the issue receded from the public domain.
The justice department had scheduled five executions set to begin in December, but some of the inmates challenged the new procedures in court, arguing that the government was circumventing proper methods in order to wrongly execute inmates quickly.
The department wouldn’t say why the executions of two of the inmates scheduled in December hadn’t been rescheduled.
The federal government’s initial effort was put on hold by a trial judge, and the federal appeals court in Washington and the supreme court both declined to step in late last year. But in April, the appeals court threw out the judge’s order. Lawyers for the inmates are asking the supreme court to order a halt to the process.
“The American people, acting through Congress and presidents of both political parties, have long instructed that defendants convicted of the most heinous crimes should be subject to a sentence of death,” Barr said in a statement.
The inmates who will be executed are: Danny Lee, who was convicted in Arkansas of killing a family of three, including an eight-year-old; Wesley Ira Purkey, of Kansas, who raped and murdered a 16-year-old girl and killed an 80-year-old woman; Dustin Lee Honken, who killed five people in Iowa, including two children; and Keith Dwayne Nelson, who kidnapped a 10-year-old girl who was rollerblading in front of her Kansas home and raped her in a forest behind a church before strangling the young girl with a wire.
Three of the executions – for Lee, Purkley and Honken – are scheduled days apart beginning 13 July. Nelson’s execution is scheduled for 28 August. The DoJ said additional executions will be set at a later date.
Executions on the federal level have been rare and the government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in 1988 – most recently in 2003, when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping, rape and murder of a young female soldier. Though there hasn’t been a federal execution since 2003, the DoJ has continued to approve death penalty prosecutions and federal courts have sentenced defendants to death.
In 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, Barack Obama directed the DoJ to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs.
Donald Trump has spoken often about capital punishment and his belief that executions serve as an effective deterrent and an appropriate punishment for some crimes, including mass shootings and the killings of police officers.
Lawyers for the men decried the Justice Department’s decision to move ahead with the executions.


theguardian--2020-06-17--Trump envoy brokers White House meeting for Kosovo and Serbia presidents

The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia will meet at the White House later this month , as Donald Trump aims to make a breakthrough in the long-running dispute between the two nations .
The meeting , announced this week by Trump ’ s controversial Balkan envoy , Richard Grenell , came as a surprise to European capitals and raised concerns in some quarters that a hasty deal between Belgrade and Pristina could involve a land-swap that could have unpredictable knock-on effects .
“ If , and it ’ s a big if , this initiative succeeds , it will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the EU and its many years of efforts trying to normalise relations between Belgrade and Pristina , ” said Corina Stratulat , of the European Policy Centre in Brussels .
Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory .
The republic broke away after a 1999 Nato bombing campaign against Serbia , and declared independence in 2008 .
A potential deal could pave the way for trade , mutual recognition and eventual EU accession for both countries .
The Kosovo president , Hashim Thaçi , on Tuesday confirmed he would attend the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no time to waste , no time to stagnate or to hesitate , we need to move as fast as possible towards the perspective to become part of the organisation of the United Nations , Nato and the EU.
” Grenell , in announcing the White House meeting , played down the idea of an overarching deal .
“ As we have consistently said , we must first make progress on growing the economies .
This is the focus , ” he wrote on Twitter .
Serbia ’ s president , Aleksandar Vučić @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks would be primarily economic in nature , and added that Serbia wanted to engage with both the US and with EU efforts to find a solution .
“ We ’ re not going to fight with Germany or America , ” Vučić said .
“ It ’ s important that in the battle of the elephants we remain unhurt.
” The role of Grenell , a Trump loyalist , has been controversial .
In April , Kosovo ’ s ousted prime minister Albin Kurti accused the US envoy of mounting a coup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a potential deal .
Kurti said Grenell was not interested in the substance of a deal but only “ the signature on the bottom of the paper ” , which could be presented as a success for Trump in an election year .
“ My government was not overthrown for anything else but simply because ambassador Grenell was in a hurry to sign an agreement with Serbia , ” Kurti said in April .
Molly Montgomery , a White House adviser to Joe Biden when he was vice president , said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % at face value ” Grenell ’ s insistence that the White House talks would be purely about economics .
“ In the context of Kosovo and Serbia , economic issues are often tied with political issues as we ’ ve seen in the past , ” she said .
She also noted that the EU has been “ boxed out completely ” from the talks .
After announcing the talks , Grenell lashed out at critics on Twitter , including Carl Bildt , the former Swedish prime minister and chair of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had criticised the decision to sideline the EU .
Bildt was suffering from “ Trump Derangement Syndrome ” , Grennel wrote .
On Tuesday , the EU ’ s newly appointed envoy for peace talks , the former Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák , flew to Belgrade and Pristina , in what looked like the EU playing catchup .
Ian Bancroft , who worked for the EU in North Kosovo and wrote a recent book about the area , said the EU-led dialogue had achieved a lot of incremental successes , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s statehood , making Pristina amenable to a US-brokered deal .
“ Kosovo has been denied even visa liberalisation , hence all talk of a European perspective rings hollow , ” he said .
He noted , however , that both sides would be aware that the rushed timeframe , combined with Trump ’ s uncertain election prospects , made the prospects for a comprehensive , workable deal minimal .
“ A possible Biden administration would have a very different stance on the matter , ” Bancroft said .
In another sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any deal , within hours of Grenell ’ s announcement on Monday Vladimir Putin , Russia ’ s president , called Vučić to remind him that any deal should be approved by the UN security council .
Vučić has played a delicate balancing act in recent years , courting the EU while maintaining good relations with Russia .
Moscow is wary of a deal that could mean Serbia , one of its few allies in Europe , opens the door to increased US or Nato influence .
Vučić will travel to Moscow to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House .

Shaun Walker Central and eastern Europe correspondent and Julian Borger in Washington

The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia will meet at the White House later this month, as Donald Trump aims to make a breakthrough in the long-running dispute between the two nations.
The meeting, announced this week by Trump’s controversial Balkan envoy, Richard Grenell, came as a surprise to European capitals and raised concerns in some quarters that a hasty deal between Belgrade and Pristina could involve a land-swap that could have unpredictable knock-on effects.
“If, and it’s a big if, this initiative succeeds, it will be something of a slap in the face for the EU and its many years of efforts trying to normalise relations between Belgrade and Pristina,” said Corina Stratulat, of the European Policy Centre in Brussels.
Richard Grenell, the US envoy, has been accused of not being interested in the substance of a deal. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty
Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory. The republic broke away after a 1999 Nato bombing campaign against Serbia, and declared independence in 2008. A potential deal could pave the way for trade, mutual recognition and eventual EU accession for both countries.
The Kosovo president, Hashim Thaçi, on Tuesday confirmed he would attend the talks and said: “Kosovo has no time to waste, no time to stagnate or to hesitate, we need to move as fast as possible towards the perspective to become part of the organisation of the United Nations, Nato and the EU.”
Grenell, in announcing the White House meeting, played down the idea of an overarching deal. “As we have consistently said, we must first make progress on growing the economies. This is the focus,” he wrote on Twitter.
Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, also said on Tuesday that the talks would be primarily economic in nature, and added that Serbia wanted to engage with both the US and with EU efforts to find a solution. “We’re not going to fight with Germany or America,” Vučić said. “It’s important that in the battle of the elephants we remain unhurt.”
The role of Grenell, a Trump loyalist, has been controversial. In April, Kosovo’s ousted prime minister Albin Kurti accused the US envoy of mounting a coup to depose him because of his scepticism about a potential deal. Kurti said Grenell was not interested in the substance of a deal but only “the signature on the bottom of the paper”, which could be presented as a success for Trump in an election year.
“My government was not overthrown for anything else but simply because ambassador Grenell was in a hurry to sign an agreement with Serbia,” Kurti said in April.
The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, pictured on 11 June, said he wanted to engage with both the US and EU. Photograph: Marko Đurica/Reuters
Molly Montgomery, a White House adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, said it was difficult “to take 100% at face value” Grenell’s insistence that the White House talks would be purely about economics. “In the context of Kosovo and Serbia, economic issues are often tied with political issues as we’ve seen in the past,” she said. She also noted that the EU had been “boxed out completely” from the talks.
After announcing the talks, Grenell lashed out at critics on Twitter, including Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister and chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, who had criticised the decision to sideline the EU. Bildt was suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome”, Grennel wrote.
On Tuesday, the EU’s newly appointed envoy for peace talks, the former Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák, flew to Belgrade and Pristina, in what looked like the EU playing catchup.
Ian Bancroft, who worked for the EU in North Kosovo and wrote a recent book about the area, said the EU-led dialogue had achieved a lot of incremental successes, but had made little progress on consolidating Kosovo’s statehood, making Pristina amenable to a US-brokered deal. “Kosovo has been denied even visa liberalisation, hence all talk of a European perspective rings hollow,” he said.
He noted, however, that both sides would be aware that the rushed timeframe, combined with Trump’s uncertain election prospects, made the prospects for a comprehensive, workable deal minimal. “A possible Biden administration would have a very different stance on the matter,” Bancroft said.
In another sign of the delicate geopolitical considerations linked to any deal, within hours of Grenell’s announcement on Monday, Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, called Vučić to remind him that any deal should be approved by the UN security council. Vučić has played a delicate balancing act in recent years, courting the EU while maintaining good relations with Russia.
Moscow is wary of a deal that could mean Serbia, one of its few allies in Europe, opens the door to increased US or Nato influence. Vučić will travel to Moscow to meet Putin just days before going to the White House.


theguardian--2020-06-17--How Trump's missteps undermined the US's recovery from pandemic

Despite the inertia and dysfunction that plagued the early stages of the US government ’ s response to the coronavirus pandemic , the situation could still have been somewhat rescued if Donald Trump had merely backed the efforts of his own administration , public health experts say .
Instead Trump has shown little active leadership and frequently undermined government efforts and advice aimed at curbing the virus by encouraging reopening protests and refusing to wear a face mask .
As America pushes ahead with reopening businesses and allowing public gatherings even as Covid-19 infections have jumped to alarming new highs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ opportunities have severely undermined the recovery phase of a pandemic that has already claimed 120,000 lives in the US .
On 16 April , the White House issued guidelines to states on how to safely restart normal life again .
Many epidemiologists saw them as flawed – too broad , still not backed with a robust system of testing and tracking infected people to prevent a resurgence of the virus – but it was at least something consistent to work to at a delicate stage of the pandemic .
Instead , Trump announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of winning now ” and the next day responded to protests demanding an immediate reopening by tweeting “ LIBERATE MICHIGAN ” , “ LIBERATE MINNESOTA ” and “ LIBERATE VIRGINIA ” .
From calling himself a wartime president fighting an invisible enemy , Trump , having seen some initial progress and a modest rebound in the stock market , vacated the battlefield , observers say .
An official close to the pandemic effort , who did not want to be named , said the federal response has been a “ shitshow ” with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , coordinator of the coronavirus taskforce ; Jared Kushner , the president ’ s son-in-law ; and Mike Pence have all tried to fill .
“ Trump had a plan from Dr Birx and if he had asked for a little more patience from the public we ’ d have a very different situation to now , ” said Andy Slavitt , former acting head of Medicare and Medicaid Services .
“ But he was unwilling to do that .
He couldn ’ t wait .
“ There ’ s no science saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The way the virus works is that it goes to places it hasn ’ t been and infects people , and that ’ s happening again now .
No one has an easy job in this and there are tough decisions to make , but that ’ s where you need leadership .
We ’ ve lacked that.
” Another potential turning point arrived earlier in the crisis , on 3 April , when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) , which has been largely sidelined during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face coverings .
Again , the advisory was not perfect – surgical masks are far more effective but were in short supply because of a deficient federal stockpile .
Public health researchers have found , however , that even homemade masks can prevent Covid-19 spreading through coughing and sneezing and with Republican men far less likely to wear masks than other groups , a strong endorsement of the CDC advice from Trump could have pushed mass mask wearing and cut the pandemic off at the knees .
But Trump revealed he won ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and pondered “ sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk , the great Resolute Desk , I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents , prime ministers , dictators , kings , queens , I don ’ t know , somehow I don ’ t see it for myself ” .
He subsequently removed a mask he was wearing during a tour of a factory in Michigan to avoid the media seeing him in one .
“ There ’ s been a complete failing in the national response @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undermine it in the same press conference is the epitome of what ’ s gone wrong , ” said Tom Frieden , former head of the CDC .
Slavitt pointed out that countries such as the Czech Republic and New Zealand , which instituted strong , consistent measures , have been able to emerge from the pandemic without mask wearing .
“ Trump could ’ ve worn a mask for four weeks , asked people on the other side of the aisle to do the same and you ’ d get a dramatic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to operate very close to normal again , ” he said .
“ He would have a booming economy , very little virus and the closed borders , which he wants anyway .
The public can take hard news if they are being given it straight but Trump doesn ’ t do bad news .
He can ’ t do the little bit of sacrifice to see it through , ” Slavitt added .
As the White House ’ s visible pandemic response has eroded – the coronavirus taskforce has not held a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been left to the states to time the reopenings of restaurants , bars , retailers and other public spaces .
Infections are now trending upwards in 18 states , with evidence that a restart in travel and interactions between people is driving the increasing numbers , along with expanded testing .
Arizona is a new Covid-19 hotspot , with two weeks of record high infections , prompting Kate Gallego , the mayor of Phoenix , to warn that “ hospitals are really struggling ” with the influx of new patients .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ after reopening while in Florida a state record 2,581 new infections were confirmed on Saturday , breaking the previous high from just a day previously , two weeks after the state allowed the reopening of bars , movie theaters and other entertainment venues .
Overseas , countries such as New Zealand have instituted a traffic light-style system to inform the public of increasing danger and dial restrictions up or down in response .
US epidemiologists have also looked enviously at the data dashboards used in places such as Singapore , which track infection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some states , such as Oregon , have paused reopenings due to an increase in cases , many others are pushing ahead regardless , citing the economic and mental health costs of continued lockdown .
“ Americans are on the move , and they can ’ t be tied down , and they can ’ t be restrained unless they make a voluntary decision that this is right for me and my health or my family , ” said Asa Hutchinson , governor of Arkansas .
Some Republicans have expressed frustration over what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the anti-racism protests that have roiled the US in the wake of George Floyd ’ s death , pointing out these gatherings may well have spread the virus .
The fallout from the protests and conservatives ’ reluctance to isolate further will probably make it extremely challenging to reimpose lockdown should infections escalate .
“ Shutting down is not the answer , ” said Henry McMaster , governor of South Carolina , last week , even after his state epidemiologist warned she was more worried than ever about the spread of Covid-19 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to go and work for a living.
” Frieden said that states with declining cases may seek to restrict travel from those with soaring infection rates , while pushing what he calls the three Ws – washing hands , wearing masks and watching your distance – to avoid an explosive spread .
“ Predicting the future is a risky undertaking , though , ” he said , “ People are very reluctant to go back into lockdown , although some people will want to stay home .
We do need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t the barrier to reopening , it ’ s the route to reopening .
”

Despite the inertia and dysfunction that plagued the early stages of the US government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the situation could still have been somewhat rescued if Donald Trump had merely backed the efforts of his own administration, public health experts say.
Instead Trump has shown little active leadership and frequently undermined government efforts and advice aimed at curbing the virus by encouraging reopening protests and refusing to wear a face mask.
As America pushes ahead with reopening businesses and allowing public gatherings even as Covid-19 infections have jumped to alarming new highs in a number of states, missed opportunities have severely undermined the recovery phase of a pandemic that has already claimed 116,000 lives in the US.
On 16 April, the White House issued guidelines to states on how to safely restart normal life again. Many epidemiologists saw them as flawed – too broad, still not backed with a robust system of testing and tracking infected people to prevent a resurgence of the virus – but it was at least something consistent to work to at a delicate stage of the pandemic.
Instead, Trump announced “we’re in the process of winning now” and the next day responded to protests demanding an immediate reopening by tweeting “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”, “LIBERATE MINNESOTA” and “LIBERATE VIRGINIA”.
From calling himself a wartime president fighting an invisible enemy, Trump, having seen some initial progress and a modest rebound in the stock market, vacated the battlefield, observers say.
An official close to the pandemic effort, who did not want to be named, said the federal response has been a “shitshow” with a leadership vacuum that Dr Deborah Birx, coordinator of the coronavirus taskforce; Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law; and Mike Pence have all tried to fill.
“Trump had a plan from Dr Birx and if he had asked for a little more patience from the public we’d have a very different situation to now,” said Andy Slavitt, former acting head of Medicare and Medicaid Services. “But he was unwilling to do that. He couldn’t wait.
No one has an easy job in this and there are tough decisions to make, but that’s where you need leadership. We’ve lacked that Andy Slavitt
“There’s no science saying taking a month off ends the virus. The way the virus works is that it goes to places it hasn’t been and infects people, and that’s happening again now. No one has an easy job in this and there are tough decisions to make, but that’s where you need leadership. We’ve lacked that.”
Another potential turning point arrived earlier in the crisis, on 3 April, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has been largely sidelined during the pandemic, advised Americans to wear cloth face coverings. Again, the advisory was not perfect – surgical masks are far more effective but were in short supply because of a deficient federal stockpile.
Public health researchers have found, however, that even homemade masks can prevent Covid-19 spreading through coughing and sneezing and with Republican men far less likely to wear masks than other groups, a strong endorsement of the CDC advice from Trump could have pushed mass mask wearing and cut the pandemic off at the knees.
But Trump revealed he would not be wearing a mask himself, and pondered “sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know, somehow I don’t see it for myself”.
He subsequently removed a mask he was wearing during a tour of a factory in Michigan to avoid the media seeing him in one.
“There’s been a complete failing in the national response and to recommend mask wearing and then undermine it in the same press conference is the epitome of what’s gone wrong,” said Tom Frieden, former head of the CDC.
Slavitt pointed out that countries such as the Czech Republic and New Zealand, which instituted strong, consistent measures, have been able to emerge from the pandemic without mask wearing. “Trump could’ve worn a mask for four weeks, asked people on the other side of the aisle to do the same and you’d get a dramatic reduction in the infection rate and start to operate very close to normal again,” he said.
The public can take hard news if they are being given it straight but Trump doesn’t do bad news Andy Slavitt
“He would have a booming economy, very little virus and the closed borders, which he wants anyway. The public can take hard news if they are being given it straight but Trump doesn’t do bad news. He can’t do the little bit of sacrifice to see it through,” Slavitt added.
As the White House’s visible pandemic response has eroded – the coronavirus taskforce has not held a briefing for nearly two months – it’s been left to the states to time the reopenings of restaurants, bars, retailers and other public spaces. Infections are now trending upwards in 18 states, with evidence that a restart in travel and interactions between people is driving the increasing numbers, along with expanded testing.
Arizona is a new Covid-19 hotspot, with two weeks of record high infections, prompting Kate Gallego, the mayor of Phoenix, to warn that “hospitals are really struggling” with the influx of new patients.
New Covid cases nearly doubled in Alabama after reopening while in Florida a state record 2,581 new infections were confirmed on Saturday, breaking the previous high from just a day previously, two weeks after the state allowed the reopening of bars, movie theaters and other entertainment venues.
People have lunch at a restaurant in Bal Harbour, Florida, on 20 May. Photograph: Michele Eve Sandberg/Rex/Shutterstock
Overseas, countries such as New Zealand have instituted a traffic light-style system to inform the public of increasing danger and dial restrictions up or down in response. US epidemiologists have also looked enviously at the data dashboards used in places such as Singapore, which track infection cases from contact between people. While some states, such as Oregon, have paused reopenings due to an increase in cases, many others are pushing ahead regardless, citing the economic and mental health costs of continued lockdown.
“Americans are on the move, and they can’t be tied down, and they can’t be restrained unless they make a voluntary decision that this is right for me and my health or my family,” said Asa Hutchinson, governor of Arkansas.
Some Republicans have expressed frustration over what they see as a hypocritical reaction to the anti-racism protests that have roiled the US in the wake of George Floyd’s death, pointing out these gatherings may well have spread the virus. The fallout from the protests and conservatives’ reluctance to isolate further will probably make it extremely challenging to reimpose lockdown should infections escalate.
“Shutting down is not the answer,” said Henry McMaster, governor of South Carolina, last week, even after his state epidemiologist warned she was more worried than ever about the spread of Covid-19 in South Carolina. “People have to be able to go and work for a living.”
Frieden said that states with declining cases may seek to restrict travel from those with soaring infection rates, while pushing what he calls the three Ws – washing hands, wearing masks and watching your distance – to avoid an explosive spread.
“Predicting the future is a risky undertaking, though,” he said, “People are very reluctant to go back into lockdown, although some people will want to stay home. We do need to realize, though, that public health isn’t the barrier to reopening, it’s the route to reopening.”


theguardian--2020-06-17--Facebook unveils plans to boost voter turnout in US elections

Facebook will launch “ the largest voting information effort in US history ” in the run-up to November ’ s general election , the company has said , aiming to help 4 million Americans register to vote with a new voting information centre .
That goal , spread across Facebook , Instagram and Messenger , is double the number of voters registered as a result of its previous drives , in the 2016 and 2018 elections .
The company is also hoping it can prevent a repeat of the foreign interference that plagued the last US presidential election .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most advanced systems in the world to combat election interference , ” said Naomi Gleit , Facebook ’ s vice-president of product management and social impact .
“ The Voting Information Center will be another line of defence .
By getting clear , accurate and authoritative information to people , we reduce the effectiveness of malicious networks that might try to take advantage of uncertainty and interfere with the election.
” Facebook is also making an unprecedented concession to those worried about the effect of targeted political advertising on the site .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and allow advertisers to use all its standard targeting tools , but individual users will now be able to turn off all social issue , electoral and political ads , removing them wholesale from Facebook products .
Facebook will also finally show who paid for a political ad for even after it has been shared by another user , and will begin tracking ad spend on a candidate-by-candidate basis , to “ help you understand how much advertisers and candidates are spending to reach voters ” .
When it comes to less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook hopes its moderation team will help .
Since 2016 , the company says , it has tripled the number of people working on “ security and safety issues ” .
The company ’ s experience of “ more than 200 elections since 2017 ” will also help , Nick Clegg , Facebook ’ s vice-president for global affairs and communications , wrote in a comment piece for the Telegraph .
“ I ’ ve seen with each election we ’ ve got better and better at defending the integrity of the democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 ’ s Today programme on Wednesday morning .
“ In 2016 , I think everybody in a sense got it wrong because no one was aware at the time what the level and sophistication of Russian interference would be , ” he added .
“ It was the first time that foreign organised adversaries were trying , through social media platforms like Facebook , to interfere in an election ” .
Facebook ’ s primary goal is to encourage people to vote , says founder Mark Zuckerberg .
“ I believe Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter suppression – which disproportionately targets people of colour – but also to actively support well-informed voter engagement , registration and turnout , ” he wrote in USA Today on Wednesday .
The drive comes as Facebook has suffered unprecedented internal turmoil over its decision not to take down a Donald Trump post that many of its own employees believed to be inciting violence , a decision that Clegg refused to directly support on Wednesday .
Asked multiple times whether he agreed with the choice to leave the post up , Clegg demurred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision-making process carried a similar sort of collective responsibility to his previous position in the UK cabinet .
Without referring directly to the controversy , Zuckerberg argued that that decision too showed the company ’ s commitment to electoral freedom .
“ Free expression is part of the messy process of democracy , and we take our responsibility to protect it incredibly seriously , ” he wrote .
“ Everyone wants to see politicians held accountable for what they say – and I know many people want us to moderate and remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules against speech that will cause imminent physical harm or suppress voting , and no one is exempt from them .
But accountability only works if we can see what those seeking our votes are saying , even if we viscerally dislike what they say.
” The voting information centre will appear at the top of the Facebook and Instagram feeds , starting this summer , and will contain guidance on how to vote , including advice on registration , information on postal voting , help on the process of voting in person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with announcements about any changes to the process .

Facebook will launch “the largest voting information effort in US history” in the run-up to November’s general election, the company has said, aiming to help 4 million Americans register to vote with a new voting information centre.
At the same time, Facebookwill not act to prevent Donald Trump from making false claims about state voting procedures and declare them “fraudulent” – rhetoric that many experts say constitutes a form of voter suppression.
The voter registration goal, spread across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, is to double the number of voters registered as a result of its previous drives, in the 2016 and 2018 elections. The company is also hoping it can prevent a repeat of the foreign interference that plagued the last US presidential election.
“We’ve built some of the most advanced systems in the world to combat election interference,” said Naomi Gleit, Facebook’s vice-president of product management and social impact. “The Voting Information Center will be another line of defense. By getting clear, accurate and authoritative information to people, we reduce the effectiveness of malicious networks that might try to take advantage of uncertainty and interfere with the election.”
Facebook is also making an unprecedented concession to those worried about the effect of targeted political advertising on the site. The company will continue to take such ads, and allow advertisers to use all its standard targeting tools, but individual users will now be able to turn off all social issue, electoral and political ads, removing them wholesale from Facebook products.
Facebook’s voting information centre. Photograph: Facebook
Facebook will also finally show who paid for a political ad even after it has been shared by another user, and will begin tracking ad spend on a candidate-by-candidate basis, to “help you understand how much advertisers and candidates are spending to reach voters”.
When it comes to less forthright attempts to influence the vote, Facebook hopes its moderation team will help. Since 2016, the company says, it has tripled the number of people working on “security and safety issues”. The company’s experience of “more than 200 elections since 2017” will also help, Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice-president for global affairs and communications, wrote in a comment piece for the Telegraph.
Facebook’s primary goal is to encourage people to vote, says founder Mark Zuckerberg. “I believe Facebook has a responsibility not just to prevent voter suppression – which disproportionately targets people of colour – but also to actively support well-informed voter engagement, registration and turnout,” he wrote in USA Today on Wednesday.
This effort may be undermined by Facebook’s hands-off approach to Trump’s use of the platform as he pursues a campaign of voter suppression with baseless attacks on mail-in voting.
Facebook considers Trump’s steady stream of baseless attacks on mail-in voting to constitute “legitimate debate” about “the viability and integrity of different forms of voting”, said Clegg, on a conference call with reporters on Wednesday.
Clegg said that Trump’s statements do not violate its rules against voter suppression because “we draw a distinction between attempts to directly intimidate and discourage voters themselves” and “debate between politicians”.
“I don’t think anyone in Silicon Valley is inserting themselves in the legitimate debate between the states and administration,” he said.
In late May, Twitter took the unprecedented step of appending a warning label and link to a factcheck on a pair of Trump’s tweets that made false statements about California’s voting process, citing a policy that bars users from manipulating elections by posting misinformation that could dissuade voters from participating in an election.
Facebook declined to take action against the post, however, sparking unprecedented internal turmoil. Many of the company’s employees believed the president’s message to be inciting violence, a decision that Clegg refused to directly support on Wednesday.
Asked multiple times whether he agreed with the choice to leave the post up, Clegg told the BBC that his role in the decision-making process carried a similar sort of collective responsibility to his previous position in the UK cabinet.
Without referring directly to the controversy, Zuckerberg argued that the decision showed the company’s commitment to electoral freedom.
“Free expression is part of the messy process of democracy, and we take our responsibility to protect it incredibly seriously,” he wrote.
“Everyone wants to see politicians held accountable for what they say – and I know many people want us to moderate and remove more of their content. We have rules against speech that will cause imminent physical harm or suppress voting, and no one is exempt from them. But accountability only works if we can see what those seeking our votes are saying, even if we viscerally dislike what they say.”
The voting information centre will appear at the top of the Facebook and Instagram feeds, starting this summer, and will contain guidance on how to vote, including advice on registration, information on postal voting, help on the process of voting in person, and posts from local election authorities with announcements about any changes to the process.


theguardian--2020-06-17--Is the Trump family destroying Donald's presidency from the inside?

Revenge , as Mary Trump seems well aware , is a dish best served cold .
Twenty years after a bitter familial feud over her grandfather ’ s will , Donald Trump ’ s niece looks like she is finally about to wreak vengeance on her uncle .
The Daily Beast reported on Monday that Mary , 55 , who is the daughter of Donald ’ s late brother Fred Trump Jr , has written a “ harrowing and salacious ” book about the president .
Too Much and Never Enough will be published in the US on 28 July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Convention .
The timing is clearly designed to do maximum damage .
Why the bad blood ?
Well , for one thing , Mary reportedly blames Donald for mistreating her alcoholic father – behaviour she believes contributed to his death from a heart attack at the age of 42 .
Then there was the fight over Fred Trump Sr ’ s estate in 2000 .
Mary and her brother , Fred Trump III , claimed they were dealt with unfairly in their grandfather ’ s will as a result of “ fraud and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his siblings .
The ill will is said to have escalated when Donald , in retaliation for the lawsuit , cut off medical insurance for Fred III ’ s seriously ill infant son , who required round-the-clock care .
Fred III was quoted as saying : “ Our family puts the ‘ fun ’ in dysfunctional.
” Dysfunctional is an understatement .
The appearance-obsessed Trumps project an image of unity , but , behind the polished facade , they seem to loathe and distrust each other .
This is not surprising , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favourite mantras to his kids growing up was reportedly : “ Don ’ t trust anyone.
” According to a GQ profile of Donald Trump Jr , the president used to ask his children whether they trusted him .
When they replied : “ Of course , ” he would tell them off for not learning their lesson .
Maybe he had a point : Mary ’ s book ( which is also said to contain “ damning ” comments from Donald ’ s sister , the retired federal judge Maryanne Trump Barry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has written a critical tell-all about the president , but I would be surprised if it were the last time one of his own undermined him .
The question is : which Trump will turn on the president next ?
Donald probably does not need to worry much about his oldest sons , Eric and Donald Jr : they seem too stupid to be scheming .
( Years of unfettered hair gel abuse may have rotted their brains . )
Ivanka , however , seems more than capable of sacrificing dear daddy to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interesting feature of Trump ’ s presidency has been the frequent “ leaks ” to the press declaring how Ivanka and her husband , Jared Kushner , are diligently working behind the scenes to exert a moderating influence on the president .
If these mysterious leaks are to be believed , Javanka have saved us from Donald ’ s worst instincts .
But Ivanka is too obvious .
It is always the quiet ones you have to watch out for – and you don ’ t get much quieter than Melania Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ivanka has reportedly nicknamed her “ the Portrait ” ; Melania , in turn , calls Ivanka “ the Princess ” .
Melania may be taciturn , but she is no dummy – nor is she a pushover .
According to a new unauthorised biography of Melania ( which the White House has dismissed as “ fiction ” ) , an enterprising Ivanka tried to rename the First Lady ’ s Office the “ First Family Office ” , but Melania was having none of it .
She also , apparently , put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House as if it was her own home .
In addition , it has been widely reported that she used her husband ’ s presidency as an opportunity to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement – staying in New York during the first few months he was in office as leverage for negotiations .
“ That woman !
She will be the end of him , ” one of Trump ’ s friends was reportedly overheard saying about Melania ’ s refusal to move to Washington .
Who knows , those may be prophetic words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what Mary has started .

Revenge, as Mary Trump seems well aware, is a dish best served cold. Twenty years after a bitter familial feud over her grandfather’s will, Donald Trump’s niece looks like she is finally about to wreak vengeance on her uncle.
The Daily Beast reported on Monday that Mary, 55, who is the daughter of Donald’s late brother Fred Trump Jr, has written a “harrowing and salacious” book about the president. Too Much and Never Enough will be published in the US on 28 July, a month before the Republican National Convention. The timing is clearly designed to do maximum damage.
Why the bad blood? Well, for one thing, Mary reportedly blames Donald for mistreating her alcoholic father – behaviour she believes contributed to his death from a heart attack at the age of 42. Then there was the fight over Fred Trump Sr’s estate in 2000. Mary and her brother, Fred Trump III, claimed they were dealt with unfairly in their grandfather’s will as a result of “fraud and undue influence” by Donald and two of his siblings. The ill will is said to have escalated when Donald, in retaliation for the lawsuit, cut off medical insurance for Fred III’s seriously ill infant son, who required round-the-clock care. Fred III was quoted as saying: “Our family puts the ‘fun’ in dysfunctional.”
Dysfunctional is an understatement. The appearance-obsessed Trumps project an image of unity, but, behind the polished facade, they seem to loathe and distrust each other. This is not surprising, considering that one of Donald’s favourite mantras to his kids growing up was reportedly: “Don’t trust anyone.” According to a GQ profile of Donald Trump Jr, the president used to ask his children whether they trusted him. When they replied: “Of course,” he would tell them off for not learning their lesson. Maybe he had a point: Mary’s book (which is also said to contain “damning” comments from Donald’s sister, the retired federal judge Maryanne Trump Barry) marks the first time a Trump has written a critical tell-all about the president, but I would be surprised if it were the last time one of his own undermined him. The question is: which Trump will turn on the president next?
Donald probably does not need to worry much about his oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr: they seem too stupid to be scheming. (Years of unfettered hair gel abuse may have rotted their brains.) Ivanka, however, seems more than capable of sacrificing dear daddy to advance her ambitions. Indeed, an interesting feature of Trump’s presidency has been the frequent “leaks” to the press declaring how Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, are diligently working behind the scenes to exert a moderating influence on the president. If these mysterious leaks are to be believed, Javanka have saved us from Donald’s worst instincts.
But Ivanka is too obvious. It is always the quiet ones you have to watch out for – and you don’t get much quieter than Melania Trump. The first lady says so little that Ivanka has reportedly nicknamed her “the Portrait”; Melania, in turn, calls Ivanka “the Princess”.
Melania may be taciturn, but she is no dummy – nor is she a pushover. According to a new unauthorised biography of Melania (which the White House has dismissed as “fiction”), an enterprising Ivanka tried to rename the First Lady’s Office the “First Family Office”, but Melania was having none of it. She also, apparently, put an end to Ivanka treating the White House as if it was her own home. In addition, it has been widely reported that she used her husband’s presidency as an opportunity to renegotiate her prenuptial agreement – staying in New York during the first few months he was in office as leverage for negotiations. “That woman! She will be the end of him,” one of Trump’s friends was reportedly overheard saying about Melania’s refusal to move to Washington. Who knows, those may be prophetic words. Perhaps Melania will end up finishing what Mary has started.


theguardian--2020-06-17--Trump is trying to block publication of John Bolton's book. What's he scared of? | Lloyd Green

On Tuesday , the Trump administration asked a federal judge to block publication of John Bolton ’ s The Room Where It Happened , the former national security adviser ’ s twice-delayed kiss-and-tell memoir of life in the Trump White House .
Last week , Simon & Schuster , Bolton ’ s publisher , announced : “ This is the book Donald Trump doesn ’ t want you to read.
” They got that one right .
The book depicts “ a president for whom getting re-elected was the only thing that mattered , even if it meant endangering or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sink in .
To be sure , the administration ’ s latest gambit should come as no surprise .
Earlier in the year , when the president ’ s acquittal in the Senate was still fresh and he was blithely ignoring warnings about Covid-19 , Trump was also demanding that Bolton be criminally investigated .
Hillary Clinton was not alone .
For good measure , Trump reportedly called Bolton a “ traitor ” to whomever would listen .
But beyond personal animus , this is the fight Trump has been itching for .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ critics .
Two years ago , the president and his minions threatened to block publication of Fire and Fury , Michael Wolff ’ s scandalous account of the Trump White House , after the Guardian ran excerpts before the book ’ s drop date .
Back then it was simply a brushback pitch , legal theatre of the absurd .
The warning carried no mention of national security .
Unsurprising , since Wolff ’ s book was about Trump ’ s eco-system being a cross between the Lord of the Flies meets Gossip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secrets .
Indeed , publisher Henry Holt responded by bringing publication forward by four days .
The book , it claimed , was “ an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse ” , which is highbrow speak for “ shove it ” .
No lawsuit followed ; casualties were minimal .
Steve Bannon , another Trump White House refugee , was served with a cease-and-desist letter warning him not to talk to the press .
Heh heh .
The word on the street is that Bannon is now phoning in the plays to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a coach from the sidelines , not as a quarterback on the field .
Sadly , the ghosts of the Pentagon Papers are back .
Once again , an unmoored administration appears determined to use the courts to muzzle its critics .
During Richard Nixon ’ s first term , the New York Times and the Washington Post published excerpts of a secret official history of the Vietnam war , which made clear that the US military effort in south-east Asia was doomed to failure .
American victory was never going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of office , 40,000 US troops already lay dead ; another 20,000 would be killed on his watch .
Then as now , the president raged and the first amendment to the constitution was expected to take a back seat .
Nixon and his allies sought to prevent the Post and the Times from telling the truth .
Fortunately , the government lost before the US supreme court in a six-to-three decision .
In a concurring and historic opinion , the late Hugo Black opined that a temporary injunction obtained by the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argument .
Black wrote : “ every moment ’ s continuance of the injunctions … amounts to a flagrant , indefensible , and continuing violation of the first amendment.
” As for relationship between the press , citizenry and those who govern , the concurrence was equally emphatic : “ The press was to serve the governed , not the governors .
The government ’ s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the government.
” To be sure , the former Manhattan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fan of free speech and a free press .
Craving public mention should not be confused with respecting free expression or the truth .
Years ago , Trump unsuccessfully sued the Times and Tim O ’ Brien , an investigative reporter , because they had the temerity to question whether he was the billionaire he claimed to be .
More recently , Trump ’ s campaign claim that they were defamed by the Post and the Times for publishing op-eds that concerned possible Russian interference in the 2016 elections .
Trump has also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to strip CNN ’ s Jim Acosta of his White House press pass , and treated the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as a non-event .
The blow-up between Trump and Bolton also highlights divisions among conservatives .
Trump is no longer everyone ’ s favorite .
Bolton ’ s lawyer is Chuck Cooper , a former justice department colleague from the Reagan administration .
Cooper also represented Jeff Sessions , the former attorney general , during the Mueller investigation , and Sessions is currently locked in a battle for the Republican nomination for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bolton ’ s spokeswoman , Sarah Tinsley , served in the Trump White House and holds Republican credentials dating back to the Reagan years too .
On Monday , Trump accused Bolton of peddling “ highly classified information ” , and branded The Room Where It Happened “ highly inappropriate ” .
As for Bolton the man , Trump remarked , “ Maybe he ’ s not telling the truth .
He ’ s been known not to tell the truth , a lot.
” Really ?
Bolton ’ s the guy who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
He ’ s been consistently trailing Joe Biden in the polls .
Like the upcoming election , Trump ’ s legal attack on Bolton will be one for the ages .
Justice Black will probably be watching from the great courtroom in the sky .
• None An attorney in New York , Lloyd Green was opposition research counsel to George HW Bush ’ s 1988 campaign and served in the Department of Justice from 1990 to 1992

On Tuesday, the Trump administration asked a federal judge to block publication of John Bolton’s The Room Where It Happened, the former national security adviser’s twice-delayed kiss-and-tell memoir of life in the Trump White House. Last week, Simon & Schuster, Bolton’s publisher, announced: “This is the book Donald Trump doesn’t want you to read.”
They got that one right. The book depicts “a president for whom getting re-elected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation”. Let that sink in.
To be sure, the administration’s latest gambit should come as no surprise. Earlier in the year, when the president’s acquittal in the Senate was still fresh and he was blithely ignoring warnings about Covid-19, Trump was also demanding that Bolton be criminally investigated. Hillary Clinton was not alone. For good measure, Trump reportedly called Bolton a “traitor” to whoever would listen.
But beyond personal animus, this is the fight Trump has been itching for. It’s chance to silence his critics.
Two years ago, the president and his minions threatened to block publication of Fire and Fury, Michael Wolff’s scandalous account of the Trump White House, after the Guardian ran excerpts before the book’s drop date. Back then it was simply a brushback pitch, legal theatre of the absurd.
The warning carried no mention of national security. Unsurprising, since Wolff’s book was about Trump’s eco-system being a cross between the Lord of the Flies meets Gossip Girl – hurt feelings, not state secrets.
Indeed, publisher Henry Holt responded by bringing publication forward by four days. The book, it claimed, was “an extraordinary contribution to our national discourse”, which is highbrow speak for “shove it”.
No lawsuit followed; casualties were minimal. Steve Bannon, another Trump White House refugee, was served with a cease-and-desist letter warning him not to talk to the press.
Heh heh. The word on the street is that Bannon is now phoning in the plays to a beleaguered Trump campaign. This time as a coach from the sidelines, not as a quarterback on the field.
Sadly, the ghosts of the Pentagon Papers are back. Once again, an unmoored administration appears determined to use the courts to muzzle its critics.
During Richard Nixon’s first term, the New York Times and the Washington Post published excerpts of a secret official history of the Vietnam war, which made clear that the US military effort in south-east Asia was doomed to failure. American victory was never going to happen. When Nixon took the oath of office, 40,000 US troops already lay dead; another 20,000 would be killed on his watch.
Then as now, the president raged and the first amendment to the constitution was expected to take a back seat. Nixon and his allies sought to prevent the Post and the Times from telling the truth. Fortunately, the government lost before the US supreme court in a six-to-three decision.
In a concurring and historic opinion, the late Hugo Black opined that a temporary injunction obtained by the government should have been immediately vacated without oral argument. Black wrote: “every moment’s continuance of the injunctions … amounts to a flagrant, indefensible, and continuing violation of the first amendment.”
As for relationship between the press, citizenry and those who govern, the concurrence was equally emphatic: “The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. The government’s power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the government.”
To be sure, the former Manhattan real estate developer has never been a fan of free speech and a free press. Craving public mention should not be confused with respecting free expression or the truth.
The blow-up between Trump and Bolton also highlights divisions among conservatives. Trump is no longer everyone’s favorite
Years ago, Trump unsuccessfully sued the Times and Tim O’Brien, an investigative reporter, because they had the temerity to question whether he was the billionaire he claimed to be. More recently, Trump’s campaign claim that they were defamed by the Post and the Times for publishing op-eds that concerned possible Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Trump has also called for tougher libel laws, sought to strip CNN’s Jim Acosta of his White House press pass, and treated the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as a non-event.
The blow-up between Trump and Bolton also highlights divisions among conservatives. Trump is no longer everyone’s favorite.
Bolton’s lawyer is Chuck Cooper, a former justice department colleague from the Reagan administration. Cooper also represented Jeff Sessions, the former attorney general, during the Mueller investigation, and Sessions is currently locked in a battle for the Republican nomination for the Alabama Senate seat. Likewise, Bolton’s spokeswoman, Sarah Tinsley, served in the Trump White House and holds Republican credentials dating back to the Reagan years too.
On Monday, Trump accused Bolton of peddling “highly classified information”, and branded The Room Where It Happened “highly inappropriate”. As for Bolton the man, Trump remarked, “Maybe he’s not telling the truth. He’s been known not to tell the truth, a lot.”
Really? Bolton’s the guy who keeps copious notes. And the president? He’s been consistently trailing Joe Biden in the polls. Like the upcoming election, Trump’s legal attack on Bolton will be one for the ages. Justice Black will probably be watching from the great courtroom in the sky.


theguardian--2020-06-18--Bolton's book shows it's still possible to be shocked by Trump's presidency

The conventional Washington wisdom before Wednesday afternoon was that it was hard to imagine anything that would still have the capacity to shock us about Donald Trump and his presidency .
Then John Bolton ’ s memoir leaked , with recollections of his time as national security adviser that appeared to have gone beyond parody and just kept travelling .
According to Bolton , Trump told Xi Jinping that the mass incarceration of Uighurs was “ exactly the right thing to do ” , and asked the Chinese leader for help getting re-elected .
He said journalists should be executed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cool ” to invade Venezuela .
He was uninterested in disarming North Korea , but obsessed for months about getting a CD of Elton John ’ s Rocket Man to Kim Jong-un .
He thought Finland was part of Russia .
He defended Saudi Arabia over the slaughter of dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi as a wheeze to distract attention from a minor scandal involving daughter Ivanka ’ s use of private email account .
And that are just the first scrapings from Bolton ’ s account The response has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has happened before in the wake of a thousand tweets and insider revelations .
This is , after all , a head of state who mused about dropping a nuclear bomb into a hurricane .
The most important question is whether these new insights into White House chaos from an insider with rock-hard conservative credentials will cut through the constant din of the Trump era and change any votes – which is a wordy way of asking : doesn ’ t anything matter any more ?
In the language of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in ” when it comes to opinions about the Trump administration .
The dividing line is whether Americans are horrified or enthralled by it .
Trump himself has boasted he could “ stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody ” and not “ lose any voters ” .
The reality turns out to be even more macabre .
More than 117,000 Americans have died from coronavirus , many of them because the administration ’ s handling of the pandemic has been worse than just about every other country on earth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet nearly 40 % of the electorate still think Trump has done a good job in fighting off what he calls the “ plague from China ” .
And almost every Republican senator has continued to vote for Trump ’ s agenda .
“ For diehard Trumpers , Bolton ’ s book , and the revelations about trading US trade security for election assistance , will make no difference , ” Wendy Schiller , political science professor at Brown University , said .
“ They will still walk over hot coals to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are plenty of ways to ease the pain .
Pro-Trump media will attack Bolton as a resentful , self-promoting renegade , and they will have plenty of material to work with .
Bolton does not emerge from his time in office or the ensuing months as an icon of public virtue .
If he had agreed to testify before the House impeachment hearings , he would have raised the alarm over the presidential abuses he now says so disturbed him , and just maybe something could have been done about it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refusal as anything other than to keep the best material for his $ 2m book deal .
By his own account , Bolton remained at Trump ’ s side even long after he witnessed the president soliciting the Chinese communist leadership to help him win reelection .
The “ turning point ” only came when Trump changed his mind about bombing Iran , a longstanding Bolton objective .
So there are lots of bullets with which to shoot the messenger , and yet still some reason to believe that the message may survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even with all the inequities of the US electoral system , Trump ’ s 40 % core voters will not be enough to get him reelected .
He needs some independents and that ’ s where Bolton ’ s book may well deepen and accelerate the process of corrosion .
“ For independents and more moderate Republicans who voted for him in 2016 in key swing states , like Michigan , Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , North Carolina and Arizona , the Bolton revelations may further increase “ Trump fatigue ” , Schiller said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election will be decided by razor thin margins in these states , if these voters stay home , or worse defect to Biden , Trump loses.
” The Bolton memoir also blunts the central attack line the Trump campaign is using against his Democratic opponent .
On the day the news of the book broke , it was running Facebook ads portraying Biden as Xi ’ s ventriloquist ’ s doll , and hugging a map of China with the tagline “ Sleepy Joe loves China ” .
All of that becomes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Xi he was “ the greatest Chinese leader in 300 years !
” , and quickly amending that to “ the greatest leader in Chinese history.
” And just to prove irony is dead , buried and forgotten in the age of Trump , the president chose Wednesday to sign the “ Uighur human rights policy act ” into law , threatening accountability for Beijing jailers , as a way of stiffening his anti-China credentials .
Running against China is Trump ’ s formula for distracting away from the pandemic and its consequent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his rival .
That narrative is much more complicated now .
“ If he gives in to Xi , has destroyed the economy , and let the virus run rampant , what is left ?
” asked Thomas Wright , director of the centre on the US and Europe at the Brooking Institution .
But there are still over four months to go before the election and those look like they will be long months .
Bolton may seem like ancient history by 3 November .
After all , his own conclusions from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president is a master of distraction and will do anything to win .
“ The Trump presidency is not grounded in philosophy , grand strategy or policy , ” Bolton writes .
“ It is grounded in Trump .
”

The conventional Washington wisdom before Wednesday afternoon was that it was hard to imagine anything that would still have the capacity to shock us about Donald Trump and his presidency.
Then John Bolton’s memoir leaked, with recollections of his time as national security adviser that appeared to have gone beyond parody and just kept travelling.
According to Bolton, Trump told Xi Jinping that the mass incarceration of Uighurs was “exactly the right thing to do”, and asked the Chinese leader for help getting re-elected. He said journalists should be executed. He thought it would be “cool” to invade Venezuela. He was uninterested in disarming North Korea, but obsessed for months about getting a CD of Elton John’s Rocket Man to Kim Jong-un. He thought Finland was part of Russia. He defended Saudi Arabia over the slaughter of dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi as a wheeze to distract attention from a minor scandal involving his daughter Ivanka’s use of a private email account. And that are just the first scrapings from Bolton’s account
The response has been a collective gasping on Twitter and TV, which has happened before in the wake of a thousand tweets and insider revelations. This is, after all, a head of state who mused about dropping a nuclear bomb into a hurricane.
The most important question is whether these new insights into White House chaos from an insider with rock-hard conservative credentials will cut through the constant din of the Trump era and change any votes – which is a wordy way of asking: doesn’t anything matter any more?
In the language of the pollsters, craziness is already “baked in” when it comes to opinions about the Trump administration. The dividing line is whether Americans are horrified or enthralled by it.
Trump himself has boasted he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not “lose any voters”. The reality turns out to be even more macabre. More than 117,000 Americans have died from coronavirus, many of them because the administration’s handling of the pandemic has been worse than just about every other country on earth, with the possible exception of Brazil. Yet nearly 40% of the electorate still think Trump has done a good job in fighting off what he calls the “plague from China”. And almost every Republican senator has continued to vote for Trump’s agenda.
“For diehard Trumpers, Bolton’s book, and the revelations about trading US trade security for election assistance, will make no difference,” Wendy Schiller, political science professor at Brown University, said. “They will still walk over hot coals to vote for him.”
For the ever-Trumpers, there are plenty of ways to ease the pain. Pro-Trump media will attack Bolton as a resentful, self-promoting renegade, and they will have plenty of material to work with.
Bolton does not emerge from his time in office or the ensuing months as an icon of public virtue. If he had agreed to testify before the House impeachment hearings, he would have raised the alarm over the presidential abuses he now says so disturbed him, and just maybe something could have been done about it. It is hard to see his refusal as anything other than to keep the best material for his $2m book deal.
By his own account, Bolton remained at Trump’s side even long after he witnessed the president soliciting the Chinese communist leadership to help him win reelection. The “turning point” only came when Trump changed his mind about bombing Iran, a longstanding Bolton objective.
So there are lots of bullets with which to shoot the messenger, and yet still some reason to believe that the message may survive to inflict its own slow-bleeding wound.
Even with all the inequities of the US electoral system, Trump’s 40% core voters will not be enough to get him reelected. He needs some independents and that’s where Bolton’s book may well deepen and accelerate the process of corrosion.
“For independents and more moderate Republicans who voted for him in 2016 in key swing states, like Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona, the Bolton revelations may further increase “Trump fatigue”, Schiller said. “Given that the US 2020 presidential election will be decided by razor thin margins in these states, if these voters stay home, or worse defect to Biden, Trump loses.”
The Bolton memoir also blunts the central attack line the Trump campaign is using against his Democratic opponent.
On the day the news of the book broke, it was running Facebook ads portraying Biden as Xi’s ventriloquist’s doll, and hugging a map of China with the tagline “Sleepy Joe loves China”. All of that becomes more awkward when the incumbent has told Xi he was “the greatest Chinese leader in 300 years!”, and quickly amending that to “the greatest leader in Chinese history.”
And just to prove irony is dead, buried and forgotten in the age of Trump, the president chose Wednesday to sign the “Uighur human rights policy act” into law, threatening accountability for Beijing jailers, as a way of stiffening his anti-China credentials.
Running against China is Trump’s formula for distracting away from the pandemic and its consequent economic disaster, as well as demonising his rival. That narrative is much more complicated now.
“If he gives in to Xi, has destroyed the economy, and let the virus run rampant, what is left?” asked Thomas Wright, director of the centre on the US and Europe at the Brooking Institution.
But there are still over four months to go before the election and those look like they will be long months. Bolton may seem like ancient history by 3 November. After all, his own conclusions from his time in Trumpworld are that the president is a master of distraction and will do anything to win.
“The Trump presidency is not grounded in philosophy, grand strategy or policy,” Bolton writes. “It is grounded in Trump.”


theguardian--2020-06-17--John Bolton’s bombshell Trump book: eight of its most stunning claims

Donald Trump ’ s former national security adviser John Bolton has made a series of explosive claims about the US president in his new book The Room Where It Happened , according to numerous news reports and an excerpt .
Most notably , Bolton claims Trump asked China to use its economic power to help him in the 2020 election , and tried to kill criminal investigations as “ favors ” for dictators he liked .
The explosive allegations came after a White House lawsuit sought to block the publication of Bolton ’ s book .
But ahead of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been leaked to the New York Times and Washington Post , which reported on some of the stunning claims .
An excerpt also appeared in the Wall Street Journal .
Here are eight of the most shocking revelations : 1 .
Trump pleaded with China to help win the 2020 election According to the excerpt of Bolton ’ s book published by the Wall Street Journal , Trump asked China to use its economic power to help him win a second election .
In one instance , Trump and President Xi Jinping were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Trump then , stunningly , turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election , alluding to China ’ s economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he ’ d win , ” Bolton writes .
“ He stressed the importance of farmers and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome .
I would print Trump ’ s exact words , but the government ’ s prepublication review process has decided otherwise.
” 2 .
Trump suggested he was open to serving more than two terms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wall Street Journal , Trump also seems to support Xi ’ s idea of eliminating presidential term limits .
“ Xi said he wanted to work with Trump for six more years , and Trump replied that people were saying that the two-term constitutional limit on presidents should be repealed for him , ” Bolton writes .
“ Xi said the US had too many elections , because he didn ’ t want to switch away from Trump , who nodded approvingly.
” Bolton ’ s book reportedly details cases where Trump tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dictators .
One incident published in the Washington Post includes a 2018 discussion with the Turkish president , Recep Erdoğan .
Bolton says Erdoğan gave Trump a memo claiming that a Turkish firm under investigation in the US was innocent .
“ Trump then told Erdoğan he would take care of things , explaining that the southern district prosecutors were not his people , but were Obama people , a problem that would be fixed when they were replaced by his people.
” According to Bolton , Trump was also approving when Xi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muslims in detention camps .
“ According to our interpreter , ” Bolton writes , “ Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps , which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do.
” According to leaked Communist party documents published in November , at least 1 million Uighur Muslims are detained in the camps .
5 .
Trump defended Saudi Arabia to distract from a story about Ivanka Trump made headlines in November 2018 when he released a bizarre statement defending the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It included lines such as “ The world is a very dangerous place !
” and “ maybe he did and maybe he didn ’ t !
” According to Bolton ’ s book , making headlines was the point .
A story about his daughter Ivanka using her personal email for government business was also in the news at the time .
After waging war on Hilary Clinton during the 2016 campaign for doing the same thing , Trump need a distraction .
“ This will divert from Ivanka , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read the statement in person , that will take over the Ivanka thing.
” 6 .
Trump ’ s top staff mocked him behind his back From what has been reported , it sounds like Bolton ’ s book provides one of the clearest insights into the despair of Trump ’ s top officials behind the scenes .
In one example given by the New York Times , Bolton claims he received a note from the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , after Trump ’ s 2018 meeting with North Korea ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He is so full of shit.
” On top of this , Pompeo also allegedly said a month later that Trump ’ s diplomatic efforts with North Korea had “ zero probability of success ” .
Bolton ’ s book reportedly details some giant holes in Trump ’ s knowledge .
In one instance , Bolton says Trump didn ’ t seem to know basic knowledge about the UK , asking its former prime minister Theresa May : “ Oh , are you a nuclear power ?
” .
On top of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once asked if Finland was part of Russia , and repeatedly mixed up the current and former presidents of Afghanistan .
8 .
Trump thought it would be ‘ cool ’ to invade Venezuela According to the Washington Post , Bolton claims Trump said invading Venezuela would be “ cool ” , and that the country was “ really part of the United States ” .

Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton has made a series of explosive claims about the US president in his new book The Room Where It Happened, according to numerous news reports and an excerpt.
Most notably, Bolton claims Trump asked China to use its economic power to help him in the 2020 election, and tried to kill criminal investigations as “favors” for authoritarian leaders he liked.
The explosive allegations came after a White House lawsuit sought to block the publication of Bolton’s book. But ahead of its scheduled release next week it has now been leaked to the New York Times and Washington Post, which reported on some of the stunning claims. An excerpt also appeared in the Wall Street Journal.
Here are eight of the most shocking revelations:
1 Trump pleaded with China to help win the 2020 election
According to the excerpt of Bolton’s book published by the Wall Street Journal, Trump asked China to use its economic power to help him win a second election.
In one instance, Trump and President Xi Jinping were discussing hostility to China in the US. “Trump then, stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election, alluding to China’s economic capability and pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win,” Bolton writes.
“He stressed the importance of farmers and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome. I would print Trump’s exact words, but the government’s prepublication review process has decided otherwise.”
2 Trump suggested he was open to serving more than two terms
In another eye-opening exchange published in the Wall Street Journal, Trump also seems to support Xi’s idea of eliminating presidential term limits. “Xi said he wanted to work with Trump for six more years, and Trump replied that people were saying that the two-term constitutional limit on presidents should be repealed for him,” Bolton writes. “Xi said the US had too many elections, because he didn’t want to switch away from Trump, who nodded approvingly.”
3 Trump offered favors to authoritarian leaders
Bolton’s book reportedly details cases where Trump tried to kill criminal investigations as favors to authoritarian leaders. One incident published in the Washington Post includes a 2018 discussion with the Turkish president, Recep Erdoğan. Bolton says Erdoğan gave Trump a memo claiming that a Turkish firm under investigation in the US was innocent. “Trump then told Erdoğan he would take care of things, explaining that the southern district prosecutors were not his people, but were Obama people, a problem that would be fixed when they were replaced by his people.”
4 Trump praised Xi for China’s internment camps
According to Bolton, Trump was also approving when Xi defended China’s internment of Uighur Muslims in detention camps. “According to our interpreter,” Bolton writes, “Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do.”
According to leaked Communist party documents published in November, at least 1 million Uighur Muslims are detained in the camps.
5 Trump defended Saudi Arabia to distract from a story about Ivanka
Trump made headlines in November 2018 when he released a bizarre statement defending the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. It included lines such as “The world is a very dangerous place!” and “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”
According to Bolton’s book, making headlines was the point. A story about his daughter Ivanka using her personal email for government business was also in the news at the time. After waging war on Hilary Clinton during the 2016 campaign for doing the same thing, Trump needed a distraction.
“This will divert from Ivanka,” Trump reportedly said. “If I read the statement in person, that will take over the Ivanka thing.”
6 Trump’s top staff mocked him behind his back
From what has been reported, it sounds like Bolton’s book provides one of the clearest insights into the despair of Trump’s top officials behind the scenes.
In one example given by the New York Times, Bolton claims he received a note from the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, after Trump’s 2018 meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, simply saying, “He is so full of shit.” On top of this, Pompeo also allegedly said a month later that Trump’s diplomatic efforts with North Korea had “zero probability of success”.
7 Trump thought Finland was part of Russia
Bolton’s book reportedly details some giant holes in Trump’s knowledge. In one instance, Bolton says Trump didn’t seem to know basic knowledge about the UK, asking its former prime minister Theresa May: “Oh, are you a nuclear power?”. On top of this, he also alleges that Trump once asked if Finland was part of Russia, and repeatedly mixed up the current and former presidents of Afghanistan.
8 Trump thought it would be ‘cool’ to invade Venezuela
According to the Washington Post, Bolton claims Trump said invading Venezuela would be “cool”, and that the country was “really part of the United States”.


theguardian--2020-06-17--Trump was willing to halt criminal investigations as 'favor' to dictators, Bolton book says

Donald Trump was willing to halt criminal investigations to “ give personal favors to dictators he liked ” , according to a new book written by his former national security adviser John Bolton .
In his memoir , due to be published later this month , Bolton reports that Trump pleaded with China ’ s President Xi Jinping to help him get re-elected by buying more US agricultural products , according to accounts of his forthcoming memoir .
In his pursuit of a good personal relationship with Xi , Trump is described as brushing aside human rights issues , even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue to build concentration camps for China ’ s Muslim Uighur population .
In his book , which Trump ’ s justice department has attempted to stop being published , Bolton argues the House impeachment inquiry should have ranged much further than just Trump ’ s efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government for his own political gain .
According to excerpts published by the Wall Street Journal , New York Times and the Washington Post , Bolton describes a pattern of corruption in which Trump routinely attempts to use the leverage of US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal ends .
“ The pattern looked like obstruction of justice as a way of life , which we couldn ’ t accept , ” Bolton writes , adding that he took his concerns to the attorney general , William Barr .
The anecdote involving Xi is particularly damaging for Trump in the run-up to an election in which he is trying to position himself as tough on China , and his opponent , Joe Biden , as being in Beijing ’ s pocket .
In the memoir , The Room Where It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the June 2019 G20 meeting in Japan .
Xi complained to Trump about US critics of China , and Trump suggested a way Xi could help him defeat his domestic opposition .
“ He [ Trump ] then , stunningly , turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election , alluding to China ’ s economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns , pleading with Xi to ensure he ’ d win , ” Bolton writes .
“ He stressed the importance of farmers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wheat in the electoral outcome .
I would print Trump ’ s exact words but the government ’ s prepublication review process has decided otherwise.
” Reports in the wake of the G20 meeting suggested that Trump had put pressure on Xi to buy more US farm produce but Xi had been reluctant to make any commitments .
Speaking to the Senate on Wednesday , the US trade representative , Robert Lighthizer , denied Trump asked Xi for election help .
Trump emerges in the pages of the book as entirely unconcerned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violations , including the incarceration of over a million Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang province .
“ At the opening dinner of the Osaka G20 meeting in June 2019 , with only interpreters present , Xi had explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang , ” Bolton writes , according to an excerpt published in the Wall Street Journal .
“ According to our interpreter , Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps , which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s top Asia staffer , Matthew Pottinger , told me that Trump said something very similar during his November 2017 trip to China.
” Trump also refused to issue a statement commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre .
“ That was 15 years ago , ” he told Bolton ( it was the 30th anniversary ) .
“ Who cares about it ?
I ’ m trying to make a deal .
I don ’ t want anything , ” Trump said , according to Bolton ’ s account .
Bolton refused to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where his account would probably have been the most important piece of evidence put before Congress , and the veteran diplomat was widely accused of holding back his evidence for his book , putting personal profit before duty .
Bolton said he would appear if subpoenaed by the Senate , but Republicans voted to block the appearance of witnesses at the trial .
“ Bolton ’ s staff were asked to testify before the House to Trump ’ s abuses , and did .
They had a lot to lose and showed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he refused , and said he ’ d sue if subpoenaed .
Instead , he saved it for a book , ” Adam Schiff , the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee , wrote on Twitter .
“ Bolton may be an author , but he ’ s no patriot.
” Bolton accuses congressional Democrats of committing “ impeachment malpractice ” by limiting the inquiry to the Ukraine affair ( making US military aid conditional on Kyiv handed over compromising information on Biden ) and moving too quickly .
Bolton argues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s intervention into US investigations into Turkey ’ s Halkbank to curry favour with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and into the China telecommunications manufacturer ZTE , with the aim of pleasing Xi .
Bolton ’ s book quotes Trump as saying that invading Venezuela would be “ cool ” and that it was “ really part of the United States.
” He recounts a meeting in New Jersey last summer at which Trump railed against journalists , declaring : “ These people should be executed .
They are scumbags @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also confirms what Korea experts long suspected – that the summit diplomacy with North Korean dictator , Kim Jong-un , was intended as spectacle .
Trump appeared unconcerned with the whole subject of denuclearisation .
“ Trump told … me he was prepared to sign a substance-free communique , have his press conference to declare victory , and then get out of town , ” Bolton wrote .
The president , however , became obsessed in the following months with getting his secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , to deliver an autographed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Man to Kim , to make light of the epithet Trump had formerly used on the North Korean leader .
Bolton ’ s book also goes through a litany of what Trump does not know about the world – that Britain had nuclear weapons of its own , for example , or that Finland was not part of Russia .
In a conversation with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe , the president kept confusing the current and former presidents of Afghanistan .
The book describes the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as mocking the president behind his back at a 2018 summit with North Korean leader , Kim Jong-un , slipping Bolton a note about Trump saying : “ He is so full of shit.
” Pompeo consistently described Trump ’ s summit diplomacy with Kim as a significant diplomatic achievement , in the face of deep scepticism from experts .
According to Bolton , Pompeo described the initiative to charm Kim from early on as having “ zero probability of success ” .
A last-ditch effort by the White House and the justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the book came to late as copies had already been distributed to booksellers and journalists .
Federal prosecutors were reported on Wednesday to be mulling charges against Bolton .

Donald Trump was willing to halt criminal investigations to “give personal favors to dictators he liked”, according to a new book written by his former national security adviser John Bolton.
After excerpts from the memoir, which is due to be published later this month, were printed in various news outlets, the Trump administration applied for an emergency temporary restraining order against Bolton on Wednesday night in an attempt to block the book’s release.
Trump himself tweeted that the book was “made up of lies & fake stories” and called Bolton a “disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war”.
Bolton alleges that Trump pleaded with China’s President Xi Jinping to help him get re-elected by buying more US agricultural products, according to accounts of his forthcoming memoir.
In his pursuit of a good personal relationship with Xi, Trump is described as brushing aside human rights issues, even providing encouragement to the communist leader to continue to build concentration camps for China’s Muslim Uighur population.
Bolton argues the House impeachment inquiry should have ranged much further than just Trump’s efforts to pressure the Ukrainian government for his own political gain.
According to excerpts published by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and the Washington Post, Bolton describes a pattern of corruption in which Trump routinely attempts to use the leverage of US power on other countries to his own personal ends.
“The pattern looked like obstruction of justice as a way of life, which we couldn’t accept,” Bolton writes, adding that he took his concerns to the attorney general, William Barr.
The anecdote involving Xi is particularly damaging for Trump in the run-up to an election in which he is trying to position himself as tough on China, and his opponent, Joe Biden, as being in Beijing’s pocket.
In a statement, Biden said that if Bolton’s “accounts are true, it’s not only morally repugnant, it’s a violation of Trump’s sacred duty to the American people to protect America’s interests and defend our values”.
In The Room Where It Happened, Bolton describes a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the June 2019 G20 meeting in Japan. Xi complained to Trump about US critics of China, and Trump suggested a way Xi could help him defeat his domestic opposition.
“He [Trump] then, stunningly, turned the conversation to the coming US presidential election, alluding to China’s economic capability to affect the ongoing campaigns, pleading with Xi to ensure he’d win,” Bolton writes.
“He stressed the importance of farmers, and increased Chinese purchases of soybeans and wheat in the electoral outcome. I would print Trump’s exact words but the government’s prepublication review process has decided otherwise.”
Reports in the wake of the G20 meeting suggested that Trump had put pressure on Xi to buy more US farm produce but Xi had been reluctant to make any commitments. Speaking to the Senate on Wednesday, the US trade representative Robert Lighthizer denied Trump asked Xi for election help.
Trump emerges in the pages of the book as entirely unconcerned by China’s gross human rights violations, including the incarceration of over a million Uighurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang province.
Trump and Xi in Beijing in November 2017. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images
“At the opening dinner of the Osaka G20 meeting in June 2019, with only interpreters present, Xi had explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang,” Bolton writes, according to an excerpt published in the Wall Street Journal.
“According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do. The National Security Council’s top Asia staffer, Matthew Pottinger, told me that Trump said something very similar during his November 2017 trip to China.”
Trump also refused to issue a statement commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
“That was 15 years ago,” he told Bolton (it was the 30th anniversary). “Who cares about it? I’m trying to make a deal. I don’t want anything,” Trump said, according to Bolton’s account.
The Trump administration has attempted to stop the publication of Bolton’s book, claiming it contains classified information. A last-ditch effort by the White House and the justice department this week came too late as copies had already been distributed to booksellers and journalists. Federal prosecutors were reported on Wednesday to be mulling charges against Bolton.
In a statement on Wednesday, responding to the latest attempt, Bolton’s publisher Simon & Schuster called the justice department’s restraining order “a frivolous, politically motivated exercise in futility. Hundreds of thousands of copies have already been distributed around the country and the world. The injunction as requested by the government would accomplish nothing.”
Bolton refused to testify in House impeachment proceedings against Trump, where his account would probably have been the most important piece of evidence put before Congress, and the veteran diplomat was widely accused of holding back his evidence for his book, putting personal profit before duty.
Bolton said he would appear if subpoenaed by the Senate, but Republicans voted to block the appearance of witnesses at the trial.
“Bolton’s staff were asked to testify before the House to Trump’s abuses, and did. They had a lot to lose and showed real courage. When Bolton was asked, he refused, and said he’d sue if subpoenaed. Instead, he saved it for a book,” Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House intelligence committee, wrote on Twitter. “Bolton may be an author, but he’s no patriot.”
Bolton accuses congressional Democrats of committing “impeachment malpractice” by limiting the inquiry to the Ukraine affair (making US military aid conditional on Kyiv handed over compromising information on Biden) and moving too quickly.
Bolton argues that the inquiry should have looked into Trump’s intervention into US investigations into Turkey’s Halkbank to curry favour with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and into the China telecommunications manufacturer ZTE, with the aim of pleasing Xi.
Bolton’s book quotes Trump as saying that invading Venezuela would be “cool” and that it was “really part of the United States”. He recounts a meeting in New Jersey last summer at which Trump railed against journalists, declaring: “These people should be executed. They are scumbags.”
The former national security adviser also confirms what Korea experts long suspected – that the summit diplomacy with Kim Jong-un was intended as spectacle. Trump appeared unconcerned with the whole subject of denuclearisation.
“Trump told … me he was prepared to sign a substance-free communique, have his press conference to declare victory, and then get out of town,” Bolton wrote. The president, however, became obsessed in the following months with getting his secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to deliver an autographed CD of Elton John’s Rocket Man to Kim, to make light of the epithet Trump had formerly used about the North Korean leader.
Bolton’s book also goes through a litany of what Trump does not know about the world – that Britain had nuclear weapons of its own, for example, or that Finland was not part of Russia.
In a conversation with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the president kept confusing the current and former presidents of Afghanistan.
The book describes Pompeo, who is unstintingly loyal in public, as mocking the president behind his back at a 2018 summit with Kim, slipping Bolton a note about Trump saying: “He is so full of shit.”