theguardian--2020-09-11--Religious right in drive to police election amid dubious voter fraud claims

Religious right and social conservative groups are training thousands of volunteers in key 2020 battleground states such as Pennsylvania , Michigan and Wisconsin to watch for alleged fraud with the expansion of mail-in ballots , plus filing lawsuits to block more voting by mail , which they claim with scant evidence will lead to sizable election fraud .
Texas-based True the Vote , a central player in the right ’ s anti-vote-by-mail drives , has trained about 10,000 volunteers in areas including handwriting analysis who are expected to volunteer in key counties such as Allegheny in Pennsylvania and Las Vegas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail and at the polls , said True the Vote ’ s founder , Catherine Engelbrecht .
True the Vote , which has Tea Party roots , has done training sessions with several national religious and social conservative groups such as Intercessors for America , the Thomas More Law Center and Eagle Forum , as well as a few dozen smaller local groups nationwide , said Engelbrecht .
“ I ’ m particularly concerned about mail-in voting fraud , ” Engelbrecht said , though there has been little evidence produced that mail-in voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in American elections .
For Engelbrecht , however , the mission to police the 2020 electoral process is almost a religious one .
That message was palpable on a 1 May monthly prayer call hosted by Intercessors , when Engelbrecht called the fight to curb mail-in voting a “ spiritual battle ” for “ control of the free world ” , according to Right Wing Watch , which tracks conservative groups for the liberal People for the American Way .
Dave Kubal , the Intercessors president who participated in the prayer call , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anointed ” by God for her current work , and hailed her as a “ warrior for liberty ” .
As part of its 2020 battle plan to monitor both mail-in voting and the polls for fraud , Engelbrecht said that True the Vote is recruiting thousands of military veterans including from the American Legion and the Seal community , to join its “ Continue to Serve ” program .
“ We ’ re reaching out to veterans groups and first responders.
” True the Vote says it is promoting “ free and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experts say that historically the group has backed measures to curb minority voting – including voter-ID laws and voter-roll purges – and organized election observers who have been charged with intimidation .
“ True the Vote is a misnomer , ” said Gerry Hebert , a leading voting rights lawyer who worked on the issues for 21 years at the justice department .
“ They should be called Suppress the Vote.
” While True the Vote ’ s volunteer training this year has been heavily focused on the risks of mail-in voting fraud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have opted to deploy some arenas for in-person voting , True the Vote has begun volunteer training plans to monitor these large voting sites .
Engelbrecht said that the majority of True the Vote ’ s election training was being done with small local groups in a few dozen counties in swing states nationwide , but she declined to name any of the local groups .
To help coordinate its training with local groups and some national ones , True the Vote intends to launch a “ command center ” later this month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people interested in working in different counties .
The religious right ’ s battle to thwart mail-in voting overlaps larger poll monitoring and legal drives by the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump ’ s campaign , which have spread unfounded claims about the risks of mail-in voting and the need to monitor polls for fraud .
The RNC has said it planned to recruit 50,000 poll watchers and was budgeting $ 20m for election legal fights .
Trump himself has made numerous specious claims that large expansions of mail-in voting will lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for seeking to boost mail-in voting in light of Covid-19 .
In June , Trump tweeted without evidence that “ millions of mail-in ballots will be printed by foreign countries and others , ” creating the “ scandal of our times ” .
And at a North Carolina rally this month , Trump even urged his followers illegally to vote twice – by mail and at the polls – to test the system for fraud .
The specter of mail-in voting fraud is fueling other religious conservative projects .
True the Vote joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backing the Amistad Project of the Thomas More Center in lawsuits accusing Michigan ’ s governor and secretary of state of endangering the integrity of the election and silencing political speech through emergency orders and actions spurred by pandemic health concerns .
One Amistad lawsuit filed in a MIchigan claims court challenges the secretary of state ’ s moves to expand access to mail-in and absentee voting , which the lawsuit claims endangers election integrity .
The Amistad Project is run by the ex-Kansas attorney general Phill Kline , whose law license was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kansas agency found he committed 11 ethical violations in investigations of abortion providers .
This week , True the Vote also sued Montana ’ s governors for offering counties the option to conduct universal mail-in voting in this year ’ s elections .
Election law experts warn that True the Vote and its allies ’ drives , coupled with Trump ’ s blistering attacks against expanding mail-in voting , will fuel voter suppression .
“ True the Vote is not interested in preventing fraud , ” said election lawyer Hebert .
“ They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by denying and obstructing the rights of minority voters to cast their ballots.
” But Engelbrecht seems to see her battle against mail-in voting in apocalyptic terms to judge by her 1 May prayer call with Intercessors , according to Right Wing Watch .
Vote-by-mail supporters “ want to cause chaos , and they ’ re going to spread it across the country like a virus , ” Engelbrecht said .
“ We know that this is from Satan .
”

Religious right and social conservative groups are training thousands of volunteers in key 2020 battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to watch for alleged fraud with the expansion of mail-in ballots, plus filing lawsuits to block more voting by mail, which they claim with scant evidence will lead to sizable election fraud.
Texas-based True the Vote, a central player in the right’s anti-vote-by-mail drives, has trained about 10,000 volunteers in areas including handwriting analysis who are expected to volunteer in key counties such as Allegheny in Pennsylvania and Las Vegas in Nevada to detect voting fraud by mail and at the polls, said True the Vote’s founder, Catherine Engelbrecht.
True the Vote, which has Tea Party roots, has done training sessions with several national religious and social conservative groups such as Intercessors for America and Eagle Forum, as well as a few dozen smaller local groups nationwide, said Engelbrecht.
“I’m particularly concerned about mail-in voting fraud,” Engelbrecht said, though there has been little evidence produced that mail-in voting fraud has ever been a significant problem in American elections.
For Engelbrecht, however, the mission to police the 2020 electoral process is almost a religious one. That message was palpable on a 1 May monthly prayer call hosted by Intercessors, when Engelbrecht called the fight to curb mail-in voting a “spiritual battle” for “control of the free world”, according to Right Wing Watch, which tracks conservative groups for the liberal People for the American Way.
Dave Kubal, the Intercessors president who participated in the prayer call, reportedly said that Engelbrecht had been “anointed” by God for her current work, and hailed her as a “warrior for liberty”.
As part of its 2020 battle plan to monitor both mail-in voting and the polls for fraud, Engelbrecht said that True the Vote is recruiting thousands of military veterans including from the American Legion and the Seal community, to join its “Continue to Serve” program. “We’re reaching out to veterans groups and first responders.”
True the Vote says it is promoting “free and fair elections” but independent election law experts say that historically the group has backed measures to curb minority voting – including voter-ID laws and voter-roll purges – and organized election observers who have been charged with intimidation.
“True the Vote is a misnomer,” said Gerry Hebert, a leading voting rights lawyer who worked on the issues for 21 years at the justice department. “They should be called Suppress the Vote.”
While True the Vote’s volunteer training this year has been heavily focused on the risks of mail-in voting fraud, Engelbrecht noted that since NBA teams have opted to deploy some arenas for in-person voting, True the Vote has begun volunteer training plans to monitor these large voting sites.
Engelbrecht said that the majority of True the Vote’s election training was being done with small local groups in a few dozen counties in swing states nationwide, but she declined to name any of the local groups.
To help coordinate its training with local groups and some national ones, True the Vote intends to launch a “command center” later this month to advise and respond to questions from people interested in working in different counties.
[Vote-by-mail supporters] want to cause chaos, and they’re going to spread it across the country like a virus Catherine Engelbrecht
The religious right’s battle to thwart mail-in voting overlaps larger poll monitoring and legal drives by the Republican National Committee and Donald Trump’s campaign, which have spread unfounded claims about the risks of mail-in voting and the need to monitor polls for fraud. The RNC has said it planned to recruit 50,000 poll watchers and was budgeting $20m for election legal fights.
Trump himself has made numerous specious claims that large expansions of mail-in voting will lead to massive fraud, and attacked Democrats for seeking to boost mail-in voting in light of Covid-19. In June, Trump tweeted without evidence that “millions of mail-in ballots will be printed by foreign countries and others,” creating the “scandal of our times”.
And at a North Carolina rally this month, Trump even urged his followers illegally to vote twice – by mail and at the polls – to test the system for fraud.
The specter of mail-in voting fraud is fueling other religious conservative projects.
True the Vote joined a coalition in late August that is backing the Amistad Project of the Thomas More Society in lawsuits accusing Michigan’s governor and secretary of state of endangering the integrity of the election and silencing political speech through emergency orders and actions spurred by pandemic health concerns.
One Amistad lawsuit filed in a MIchigan claims court challenges the secretary of state’s moves to expand access to mail-in and absentee voting, which the lawsuit claims endangers election integrity. The Amistad Project is run by the ex-Kansas attorney general Phill Kline, whose law license was suspended indefinitely several years ago after a Kansas agency found he committed 11 ethical violations in investigations of abortion providers.
This week, True the Vote also sued Montana’s governors for offering counties the option to conduct universal mail-in voting in this year’s elections.
Election law experts warn that True the Vote and its allies’ drives, coupled with Trump’s blistering attacks against expanding mail-in voting, will fuel voter suppression.
“True the Vote is not interested in preventing fraud,” said election lawyer Hebert. “They’re interested in perpetrating it, by denying and obstructing the rights of minority voters to cast their ballots.”
But Engelbrecht seems to see her battle against mail-in voting in apocalyptic terms to judge by her 1 May prayer call with Intercessors, according to Right Wing Watch.
Vote-by-mail supporters “want to cause chaos, and they’re going to spread it across the country like a virus,” Engelbrecht said. “We know that this is from Satan.”


theguardian--2020-09-11--When will we know who’s won the US election?: Politics Weekly Extra - podcast

This week the question might seem a simple one , but it isn ’ t .
Jonathan asks Sam Levine @ @ @ @ @ the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the US election on 3 November , and the conversation @ @ @ @ @ the infamous 2000 presidential election , when George W Bush narrowly ( and potentially wrongly @ @ @ @ @ the Oval Office .
So , when will we know who ’ s won this @ @ @ @ @ know what you think of the podcast : send your feedback to podcasts @ theguardian.com @ @ @ @ @ by going to gu.com/supportpodcasts

Presented by Jonathan Freedland, with Sam Levine. Produced by Danielle Stephens

This week the question might seem a simple one, but it isn’t. Jonathan asks Sam Levine in New York about how the Covid-19 pandemic will affect the US election on 3 November, and the conversation leads to Jonathan reminiscing about the infamous 2000 presidential election, when George W Bush narrowly (and potentially wrongly) pipped Al Gore to the Oval Office. So, when will we know who’s won this year?
Let us know what you think of the podcast: send your feedback to podcasts@theguardian.com
Help support the Guardian by going to gu.com/supportpodcasts


theguardian--2020-09-11--Nothing sticks to Donald Trump. But could this be an exception? | Emma Brockes

It has been a while since I ’ ve travelled through an airport in the US , but I assume that in that time , nothing has changed .
Specifically : buying snacks in a branch of Hudson News and being asked , while paying , if you would like to make a donation with your purchase to support the US military .
This never got any less weird , not just the solicitation , but the piety with which it was made .
As a friend said after one such experience , he was sorely tempted to reply , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like to reduce their budget by at least 80 % ” .
It would , we suspected , result in instantaneous repatriation to Britain .
Reverence for the military is a cultural norm in the US that makes the recent Donald Trump firestorm around veterans unusual .
According to a report in the Atlantic , the president allegedly made private remarks in which he referred to dead American soldiers as “ losers ” , and “ suckers , ” while expressing bafflement as to why anyone would join the military .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he is said to have asked .
Trump , of course , denies having said any of this , as he has denied most of the terrible things attributed to him over the years .
And he has insulted the military before .
In 2016 , while still running for president , he attacked Khizr Khan , the father of a US army captain killed in Iraq , after he appeared at the Democratic national convention .
A year earlier , he said of John McCain , “ he ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I like people that weren ’ t captured.
” And of course Trump has , over the years , insulted far more vulnerable groups than the US military , including disabled people , immigrants and a long list of women accusing him of sexual misconduct , all without making any apparent dent in his public approval .
If the “ loser ” remarks landed differently this time , it is thanks , in part , to a dynamic that Trump himself has set up with his supporters .
It ’ s a curious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his base precisely because they are so wildly implausible .
A large part of Trump ’ s popularity lies in his shamelessness ; in his willingness to lie , flagrantly and repeatedly , to disregard the most basic political and social norms .
Prior to this latest upset , his brazenness clearly struck many of his supporters as a twisted version of truth to power , a burn-the-house-down middle finger to “ liberal values ” and all they imply .
The fact that his lying was so adolescent and obvious made it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The problem for Trump , now , is that faced with arguably the one area of American life you can ’ t trash without consequence , it is impossible for him to row back and claim plausible deniability .
If he got away with the comments about Khan in 2016 , it was by making capital out of Khan being a Muslim .
( Trump suggested Khan ’ s wife , Ghazala , wasn ’ t permitted to speak . )
And there is a big difference between a guy in real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his mouth off about McCain ’ s war record , and a sitting president disparaging the nation ’ s fallen soldiers .
“ Nothing sticks ” has become the received wisdom about Trump , but amid the fallout from the Atlantic story last week , there were indications this might be an exception .
On social media , people reported Trump-loving relatives and neighbours , many of them veterans , being given pause about the president for the first time .
Trump himself seemed rattled , so much so that he sent out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Atlantic story “ is not true ” , she tweeted , and called it “ activism , not journalism ” – a rare intervention by the first lady .
And there was mild disturbance in the polls .
Trump should , last week , have received a boost from the Republican nominating convention , and all his “ law and order ” rhetoric around social unrest in Kenosha and Portland .
Instead , he remained behind in every swing-state poll .
Not by much – according to one Fox News poll , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Arizona , eight in Wisconsin , and four in North Carolina – but the very fact he was lagging at all suggested his credibility might have taken a hit .
You have to spit three times after making this kind of statement , of course , but there was one further cause for slight optimism : for the first time , in August , the Biden campaign out-fundraised Trump , attracting $ 154m more in donations .
( Overall , Biden still lags considerably , with an overall fundraising haul prior to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s $ 1.2bn . )
It might be nothing ; it might be something .
It would , however , have a certain poetic justice to it if , after allegations of rape , flagrant racism , and a body-count ( thus far ) of 191,000 Americans from Covid-19 did nothing to undermine Trump , it was the country ’ s devotion to the military – that fundamentally conservative American reflex – that finally brought him down .

It has been a while since I’ve travelled through an airport in the US, but I assume that in that time, nothing has changed. Specifically: buying snacks in a branch of Hudson News and being asked, while paying, if you would like to make a donation with your purchase to support the US military. This never got any less weird, not just the solicitation, but the piety with which it was made. As a friend said after one such experience, he was sorely tempted to reply, “on the contrary: I would like to reduce their budget by at least 80%”. It would, we suspected, result in instantaneous repatriation to Britain.
Reverence for the military is a cultural norm in the US that makes the recent Donald Trump firestorm around veterans unusual. According to a report in the Atlantic, the president allegedly made private remarks in which he referred to dead American soldiers as “losers”, and “suckers,” while expressing bafflement as to why anyone would join the military. “What’s in it for them?” he is said to have asked.
Trump, of course, denies having said any of this, as he has denied most of the terrible things attributed to him over the years. And he has insulted the military before. In 2016, while still running for president, he attacked Khizr Khan, the father of a US army captain killed in Iraq, after he appeared at the Democratic national convention. A year earlier, he said of John McCain, “he’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.” And of course Trump has, over the years, insulted far more vulnerable groups than the US military, including disabled people, immigrants and a long list of women accusing him of sexual misconduct, all without making any apparent dent in his public approval.
If the “loser” remarks landed differently this time, it is thanks, in part, to a dynamic that Trump himself has set up with his supporters. It’s a curious fact about his denials that they appeal to his base precisely because they are so wildly implausible. A large part of Trump’s popularity lies in his shamelessness; in his willingness to lie, flagrantly and repeatedly, to disregard the most basic political and social norms. Prior to this latest upset, his brazenness clearly struck many of his supporters as a twisted version of truth to power, a burn-the-house-down middle finger to “liberal values” and all they imply. The fact that his lying was so adolescent and obvious made it all the more thrilling to the mob.
The problem for Trump, now, is that faced with arguably the one area of American life you can’t trash without consequence, it is impossible for him to row back and claim plausible deniability. If he got away with the comments about Khan in 2016, it was by making capital out of Khan being a Muslim. (Trump suggested Khan’s wife, Ghazala, wasn’t permitted to speak.) And there is a big difference between a guy in real estate who is running for office shooting his mouth off about McCain’s war record, and a sitting president disparaging the nation’s fallen soldiers.
“Nothing sticks” has become the received wisdom about Trump, but amid the fallout from the Atlantic story last week, there were indications this might be an exception. On social media, people reported Trump-loving relatives and neighbours, many of them veterans, being given pause about the president for the first time. Trump himself seemed rattled, so much so that he sent out Melania to speak up for him – the Atlantic story “is not true”, she tweeted, and called it “activism, not journalism” – a rare intervention by the first lady.
And there was mild disturbance in the polls. Trump should, last week, have received a boost from the Republican nominating convention, and all his “law and order” rhetoric around social unrest in Kenosha and Portland. Instead, he remained behind in every swing-state poll. Not by much – according to one Fox News poll, Trump lagged behind Biden by nine points in Arizona, eight in Wisconsin, and four in North Carolina – but the very fact he was lagging at all suggested his credibility might have taken a hit.
You have to spit three times after making this kind of statement, of course, but there was one further cause for slight optimism: for the first time, in August, the Biden campaign out-fundraised Trump, attracting $154m more in donations. (Overall, Biden still lags considerably, with an overall fundraising haul prior to August of $699m to Trump’s $1.2bn.)
It might be nothing; it might be something. It would, however, have a certain poetic justice to it if, after allegations of rape, flagrant racism, and a body-count (thus far) of 191,000 Americans from Covid-19 did nothing to undermine Trump, it was the country’s devotion to the military – that fundamentally conservative American reflex – that finally brought him down.
Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist


theguardian--2020-09-11--Trump continues attacks on Biden, boasts about Nobel peace prize nomination – video

Donald Trump continued his attacks on Democratic presidential candidate , Joe Biden , calling him 'the worst presidential candidate in @ @ @ @ @ ' .
Speaking from a rally in Freeland , Michigan , two months ahead of @ @ @ @ @ said 'If Biden wins , China wins .
If Biden wins , the mob wins @ @ @ @ @ the rioters and anarchists , arsonists and flag burners win . '
Trump also boasted @ @ @ @ @ prize nomination , which he received for normalising of relations between Israel and the United @ @

Speaking from a rally in Freeland, Michigan, Donald Trump boasted of his recent Nobel peace prize nomination. A Norwegian far-right MP, named Christian Tybring-Gjedde, has nominated the US president for the prize for a second time, citing his role in the normalising of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
• Norwegian far-right MP nominates Donald Trump for Nobel peace prize


theguardian--2020-09-10--Pelosi press conference: Woodward interview shows Trump's contempt for supporters – watch back

Nancy Pelosi has said that Donald Trump ’ s interview with Bob Woodward , where the president said he intentionally @ @ @ @ @ avoid panic , was evidence of 'contempt ' for Americans ’ health .
During her @ @ @ @ @ House speaker said Trump ’ s comments were not a sign of real leadership • @ @ @ @ @ row over Woodward coronavirus revelations continues – live

Nancy Pelosi has said that Donald Trump’s interview with Bob Woodward, where the president said he intentionally downplayed the coronavirus pandemic to avoid panic, was evidence of 'contempt' for Americans’ health.
During her weekly press conference, the House speaker said Trump’s comments were not a sign of real leadership


theguardian--2020-09-12--Trump and Biden attend 9/11 memorial ceremonies – as it happened

Hello everyone , this is Julia Carrie Wong picking up the blog from smoky Oakland , California .
I ’ ll have more news and politics coming your way for the rest of the evening .
First up : QAnon-supporting candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene ’ s election to Congress is all but assured after her Democratic opponent , Kevin Van Ausdal , abruptly dropped out of the race to represent Georgia ’ s 14th district .
Van Ausdal attributed his withdrawal from the race to “ family and personal reasons ” in a statement posted on Twitter .
His campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign will continue and that the Democratic Party of Georgia is attempting to find a replacement candidate .
Van Ausdal ’ s campaign was always a long shot .
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes the 14th district , which covers north-west Georgia , as “ one of the most reliably Republican territories on the East Coast ” .
But the race drew national attention due to Greene ’ s history of racist and bigoted statements and her embrace of the antisemitic QAnon conspiracy theory .
Greene has argued that Muslims should not be allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lives Matter activists to neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan , and described the election of Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib as “ an Islamic invasion ” .
She refused to apologize for posing for a photograph with a white supremacist , and has refused to disavow her support for the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory , which posits that a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats and celebrities run the world while engaging in pedophilia and drinking the blood of abused children .
Despite these views , Greene has received support from prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As I reported last month , her primary campaign was backed by groups connected to the White House chief of staff , Mark Meadows , and his wife ; the chairman of the board of prominent conservative thinktank the Heritage Foundation ; and multiple Republican mega-donors .
You can read more about Greene ’ s financial backers here :

Julia Carrie Wong (now), Joan E Greve and Martin Belam (earlier)

11 Sept 2020 00.32 BST Most television news coverage of the wildfires in California, Washington and Oregon fails to mention the connection between the fires and the climate crisis, according to a new analysis by Media Matters. My colleagues Lois Beckett and Maanvi Singh report: Reviewing coverage aired over the 5-8 September holiday weekend, the progressive media watchdog group found that only 15% of corporate TV news segments on the fires mentioned the climate crisis. A separate analysis found that during the entire month of August only 4% of broadcast news wildfire coverage mentioned climate crisis ...
Although untangling the weather conditions from climate crisis is complicated, it’s clear that overall, in recent years “fire risk is increasing dramatically because of climate change”, said Chris Field, who directs the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Global heating has given rise to drier, hotter conditions and more frequent, extreme droughts that have left the landscape tinder-dry and prone to explosive blazes. The climate crisis is not the only factor involved in these historic fires, however. A century of fire suppression has led to a surfeit of vegetation fueling the blazes. “A deficit of fire, concatenated with the effects of climate change have led us here,” said Don Hankins, a fire ecologist at California State University, Chico. Washington governor Jay Inslee said at a press conference today that we should start calling wildfires “climate fires”. “This is not an act of God,” Inslee said, according to the AP. “This has happened because we have changed the climate of the state of Washington in dramatic ways.”
Inslee ran for the Democratic presidential nomination as a single-issue candidate, focusing entirely on the need for urgent action to address climate change.
Updated at 01.35 BST
11 Sept 2020 00.08 BST Rumors and misinformation about the origins of the wildfires across the west have frustrated officials and tied up resources, leading to pleas from public officials to stop sharing rumors on social media. Now the Portland office of the FBI is weighing in: pic.twitter.com/QxJ8BCe116 — FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) September 11, 2020 As I reported yesterday, much of this misinformation is circulating on Facebook. One particularly misleading article, which used a single source to allege that the fires might be part of a coordinated “attack”, on the website Law Enforcement Today was shared more than 70,000 times on Facebook, receiving nearly 350,000 engagements. Facebook’s third-party fact checkers have rated claims that the leftist anti-fascist activists known as “antifa” are behind the fires as false.
Updated at 01.36 BST
11 Sept 2020 23.31 BST Speaking of Georgia’s 14th district... QAnon supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene was running to fill the seat of Representative Tom Graves, who announced his decision not to run for re-election last December. Graves has just announced that he will “step down from Congress and begin the next chapter of life in October”. 🚨Georgia GOP Rep. TOM GRAVES stepping down. Wasn’t seeking re-election. But won’t even stick it out till January. pic.twitter.com/Is9aFFyjvT — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) September 11, 2020 That raises questions about whether the seat will be filled for the balance of the term.
Updated at 23.55 BST
11 Sept 2020 23.16 BST Facebook board member Peter Thiel met with “one of the most influential and vocal white nationalists in modern-day America” in the summer of 2016, BuzzFeed News reported today. According to emails seen by BuzzFeed News, Thiel met with Kevin DeAnna at a dinner party described as “Right Wing Dinner Squad, III”. DeAnna founded a far-right youth organization and has written extensively for white nationalist outlets, including Counter-Currents, American Renaissance and VDare. After the dinner, Thiel emailed DeAnna to say he “really enjoyed meeting” him and to suggest possible further meetings in San Francisco or Washington DC, according to the report. The full report by BuzzFeed has many more details about Thiel’s involvement with leaders of the “alt-right” – white nationalists who saw Donald Trump’s political ascendency as an opportunity to take their ideas mainstream in 2016. These white nationalists, who want to establish a whites-only ethnostate, apparently hoped that Thiel would fund their movement and become “our George Soros”. Neither Thiel nor Facebook commented to BuzzFeed News on Thiel’s association with white nationalists. Facebook did not ban white nationalism until March 2019, despite the company’s longstanding ban on hate movements and pressure from experts in extremism and civil rights. The company asserted that there was a meaningful distinction between white supremacy and white nationalism until March 2019, when it changed its policy. Despite this, white nationalist publications such as VDare remained on the site. VDare was finally banned by Facebook in May 2020, not because it is a white nationalist publication, but because it violated Facebook’s rules against coordinated inauthentic behavior.
Updated at 23.54 BST
11 Sept 2020 22.50 BST In the latest sign of how ugly the presidential race has become, Trump baselessly accused Joe Biden of using performance-enhancing drugs in a new interview. Fox News released a clip from Trump’s recent interview with host Jeanine Pirro, which will air in full tomorrow night. In the clip, Trump says of Biden, “I think there’s probably — possibly — drugs involved. That’s what I hear. I mean, there’s possibly drugs.” "I think there's probably, possibly drugs involved. That's what I hear." -- during interview with Judge Jeanine, Trump casually accuses Joe Biden of using performance enhancing drugs pic.twitter.com/RVWJMqPNhn — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 11, 2020 The evidence-free accusation appeared to be an odd acknowledgement from Trump that his Democratic opponent has delivered some successful speeches recently, including Biden’s widely praised nomination acceptance speech at last month’s virtual convention. “I don’t know how you can go from being so bad where you can’t even get out a sentence,” Trump said. “I mean, you saw some of those debates with the large number of people on the stage,” Mr Trump added. “He was — I mean, I used to say, ‘How is it possible that he can even go forward?’” Last month, Trump similarly called for Biden to be drug-tested before the two nominees face off in their first debate.
11 Sept 2020 22.25 BST Hello everyone, this is Julia Carrie Wong picking up the blog from smoky Oakland, California. I’ll have more news and politics coming your way for the rest of the evening. First up: QAnon-supporting candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene’s election to Congress is all but assured after her Democratic opponent, Kevin Van Ausdal, abruptly dropped out of the race to represent Georgia’s 14th district. Van Ausdal attributed his withdrawal from the race to “family and personal reasons” in a statement posted on Twitter. His campaign manager Vinny Olsziewski subsequently announced that the campaign will continue and that the Democratic Party of Georgia is attempting to find a replacement candidate. A message from Kevin Van Ausdal pic.twitter.com/Y5LtVcpK2B — Kevin Van Ausdal (D) (@KevinVanAusdal) September 11, 2020 Van Ausdal’s campaign was always a long shot. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution describes the 14th district, which covers north-west Georgia, as “one of the most reliably Republican territories on the East Coast”. But the race drew national attention due to Greene’s history of racist and bigoted statements and her embrace of the antisemitic QAnon conspiracy theory. Greene has argued that Muslims should not be allowed to serve in government, compared Black Lives Matter activists to neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, and described the election of Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib as “an Islamic invasion”. She refused to apologize for posing for a photograph with a white supremacist, and has refused to disavow her support for the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, which posits that a secret cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats and celebrities run the world while engaging in pedophilia and drinking the blood of abused children. Despite these views, Greene has received support from prominent Republicans and praise from Donald Trump. As I reported last month, her primary campaign was backed by groups connected to the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and his wife; the chairman of the board of prominent conservative thinktank the Heritage Foundation; and multiple Republican mega-donors. You can read more about Greene’s financial backers here: 'Mind-bogglingly irresponsible': meet the Republican donors helping QAnon reach Congress Read more
Updated at 22.35 BST
11 Sept 2020 22.00 BST Today so far That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague, Julia Carrie Wong, will take over the blog for the next few hours. Here’s where the day stands so far: Trump and Biden attended ceremonies to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Both of the presidential nominees traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to honor the 40 passengers who died aboard Flight 93. “Our sacred task, our righteous duty, and our solemn pledge, is to carry forward the noble legacy of the brave souls who gave their lives for us 19 years ago,” Trump said in a speech.
Both of the presidential nominees traveled to Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to honor the 40 passengers who died aboard Flight 93. “Our sacred task, our righteous duty, and our solemn pledge, is to carry forward the noble legacy of the brave souls who gave their lives for us 19 years ago,” Trump said in a speech. Bahrain is joining the United Arab Emirates in normalizing relations with Israel, Trump announced. Bahrain is expected to join the UAE and Israel for a normalization signing ceremony at the White House next week.
Trump announced. Bahrain is expected to join the UAE and Israel for a normalization signing ceremony at the White House next week. Dr Anthony Fauci said life would likely not return to normal until “well into 2021”, even if a coronavirus vaccine comes later this year. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, told MSNBC, “If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it’s going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021.”
even if a coronavirus vaccine comes later this year. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, told MSNBC, “If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it’s going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021.” A federal prosecutor reportedly resigned from the investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation to protest political influence over the inquiry. The Hartford Courant reports that prosecutor Nora Dannehy resigned over concerns that attorney general William Barr was pressuring John Durham to prematurely release findings from his investigation. Some of the president’s allies have voiced hope the investigation will deliver an “October surprise” that could help carry Trump to reelection in November.
The Hartford Courant reports that prosecutor resigned over concerns that attorney general was pressuring to prematurely release findings from his investigation. Some of the president’s allies have voiced hope the investigation will deliver an “October surprise” that could help carry Trump to reelection in November. A federal appeals court ruled Florida was allowed to require former felons to repay all outstanding debts before registering to vote. Critics have denounced the requirement as a “poll tax”. The court’s decision could prevent hundreds of thousands of Florida residents from being able to vote in the November elections. Julia will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated at 22.02 BST
11 Sept 2020 21.39 BST At the White House this afternoon, Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Army Sergeant Major Thomas P Payne for “conspicuous gallantry”. Donald Trump presents the Medal of Honor to Army Sgt. Maj. Thomas P. Payne. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters The White House released a statement describing the act of heroism that won Payne the Medal of Honor. “On October 22, 2015, during a daring nighttime hostage rescue in Kirkuk Province, Iraq, in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, then-Sergeant First Class Payne led a combined assault team charged with clearing one of two buildings known to house hostages,” the statement says. “Sergeant Payne’s extraordinary heroism and selfless actions were key to liberating 75 hostages during a contested rescue mission that resulted in 20 enemy fighters killed in action.” During the White House ceremony, Payne said the rescue raid “underlined our country’s undying commitment to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
Updated at 22.03 BST
11 Sept 2020 21.21 BST Trump voiced opposition to another massive coronavirus relief package, a day after the Senate failed to pass the Republican “skinny” relief bill. Trump said of the Democratic House speaker and Senate minority leader, “Pelosi and Schumer want Trillions of Dollars of BAILOUT money for Blue States that are doing badly, both economically and in terms of high crime, as a condition to making a deal on stimulus - But the USA is coming back strong!” Pelosi and Schumer want Trillions of Dollars of BAILOUT money for Blue States that are doing badly, both economically and in terms of high crime, as a condition to making a deal on stimulus - But the USA is coming back strong! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2020 Democrats have called for spending $2.2 trillion on the next relief package, but the White House has said a bill of that size is a non-starter. The Senate voted down Republicans’ $300 billion bill yesterday, leaving no current path forward for another relief package. Speaking in Kentucky today, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said, “I wish I could tell you we were going to get another package, but it doesn’t look that good right now.”
11 Sept 2020 21.01 BST Florida can require former felons to pay fines before voting, court rules The Guardian’s Sam Levine reports: Florida can require people with felony convictions to repay all outstanding debts before they are eligible to vote again, but does not have to tell them how much they owe, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. The hugely consequential decision will likely shut out hundreds of thousands of voters in the key battleground state in this fall’s presidential election. The 6-4 ruling from the US Court of Appeals for the 11th circuit came in a lawsuit challenging a 2019 Republican-backed law imposing the restrictions. After Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a 2018 measure - often called Amendment 4 - to automatically restore voting rights to people once they complete their criminal sentences, Republicans authored a new law requiring repayment of all fines, fees, and court costs before they can vote again. An estimated 774,000 people with felonies have outstanding debts, and many cannot afford to pay. In late May, US District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida could not block people from voting if they genuinely could not pay. But on Friday, the majority in the 11th circuit ruled Florida officials had broad discretion to choose the conditions people with felony convictions had to meet before their voting rights were restored. “This ruling runs counter to the foundational principle that Americans do not have to pay to vote. The gravity of this decision cannot be overstated,” said Julie Ebenstein, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case from the American Civil Liberties Union.
11 Sept 2020 20.45 BST Legal experts said federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy’s resignation from the investigation into the origins of the Russia probe indicated possible corruption in the inquiry. From a former special counsel to the general counsel of the department of defense: 🚨🚨
Canary in coal mine dead.
Looks like profound corruption in Barr-Durham probe—attempted October surprise.
Top Durham aide, Nora Dannehy resigns partly because “team is being pressed for political reasons to produce a report before its work is done”!https://t.co/JvXtU8k4bY — Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) September 11, 2020 From a former spokesperson for the justice department under the Obama administration: Really big. Nora Dannehy is an incredibly well-respected prosecutor - not the type of person who would take this step for no reason. https://t.co/Oc4y2Foiv0 — Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) September 11, 2020 From a University of Alabama law professor: Nora Dannehy is highly regarded. She investigated the firings of 9 US Attys during the Bush administration & is widely viewed as a non-partisan professional. https://t.co/jla0svnMxJ — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) September 11, 2020
11 Sept 2020 20.23 BST Prosecutor resigns from inquiry into Trump-Russia investigation over concerns about political pressure - report A federal prosecutor has reportedly resigned from John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Russia probe over concerns about political pressure from attorney general William Barr. The Hartford Courant reports: Federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy, a top aide to U.S. Attorney John H. Durham in his Russia investigation, has quietly resigned from the U.S. Justice Department probe - at least partly out of concern that the investigative team is being pressed for political reasons to produce a report before its work is done, colleagues said.
Dannehy, a highly regarded prosecutor who has worked with or for Durham for decades, informed colleagues in the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Haven of her resignation from the Department of Justice by email Thursday evening. The short email was a brief farewell message and said nothing about political pressure, her work for Durham or what the Durham team has produced, according to people who received it. ... Colleagues said Dannehy is not a supporter of President Donald J. Trump and has been concerned in recent weeks by what she believed was pressure from Barr - who appointed Durham - to produce results before the election. They said she has been considering resignation for weeks, conflicted by loyalty to Durham and concern about politics. Durham’s investigation has attracted the interest of the president’s allies, some of whom have expressed hope the inquiry will produce an “October surprise” that will help Trump’s re-election bid. During his press conference yesterday, the president said of the investigation, “I could be involved if I wanted to. I thought it would be better if I wasn’t. I think it’s better if our great attorney general handles it. He has Durham, who is a very, very respected man, and we’re going to see what it is.”
Updated at 20.43 BST
11 Sept 2020 20.03 BST Fauci: life will not go back to normal until 'well into 2021' During his MSNBC interview this morning, Dr Anthony Fauci said it would probably take another year before life returns to a sense of “normality,” even if a coronavirus vaccine is approved in the coming months. Dr. Fauci discusses distributing the coronavirus vaccine to the public and returning to "normality":
"If you're talking about getting back to a degree of normality, which resembles where we were prior to COVID, it's gonna be well into 2021. Maybe even towards the end of 2021." pic.twitter.com/FHhdWhSsFb — MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 11, 2020 Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease specialist, echoed previous comments that he was cautiously optimistic a vaccine would be developed by the end of the year or early next year. “But by the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccine and get a majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that’s likely not going to happen until the end of 2021,” Fauci said. “If you’re talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it’s going to be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021.” Fauci, who serves as the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also expressed concern that the country’s rate of new coronavirus cases has plateaued at the alarmingly high level of 40,000 per day.
Updated at 20.22 BST


theguardian--2020-09-11--Federal court rules Florida felons must pay off debts to state before voting

Florida can require people with felony convictions to repay all outstanding debts before they are eligible to vote again , but it does not have to tell them how much they owe , a federal appeals court ruled on Friday .
The hugely consequential decision will probably shut out hundreds of thousands of voters in the key battleground state in this fall ’ s presidential election .
The 6-4 ruling from the US court of appeals for the 11th circuit came in a lawsuit challenging a 2019 Republican-backed law imposing the restrictions .
After Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a 2018 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to automatically restore voting rights to people once they complete their criminal sentences , Republicans authored a new law requiring repayment of all fines , fees and court costs before those people could vote again .
An estimated 774,000 people with felonies in Florida have outstanding debts , which many can not afford to pay , and the challengers in the case argued the state was essentially conditioning the right to vote on a tax , which is unconstitutional .
“ This ruling runs counter to the foundational principle that Americans do not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gravity of this decision can not be overstated , ” said Julie Ebenstein , one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case from the American Civil Liberties Union .
In late May , the US district judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida could not block people from voting if they genuinely could not pay .
But on Friday , the majority in the 11th circuit ruled Florida officials had broad discretion to choose the conditions people with felony convictions had to meet before their voting rights were restored .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the majority wrote , “ are directly related to legitimate voter qualifications ” .
“ States may restrict voting by felons in ways that would be impermissible for other citizens , ” the court said , pointing to a 1974 supreme court case .
“ The people of Florida could rationally conclude that felons who have completed all terms of their sentences , including paying their fines , fees , costs , and restitution , are more likely to responsibly exercise the franchise than those who have not.
” Even though Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obligations before they can vote , figuring out how much they owe is often impossible , even for state officials .
There is no centralized place to look up how much someone owes .
Some criminal sentences are from decades ago and record-keeping of court payments is often shoddy .
Local clerks testified during a trial in May that there are often conflicting amounts in records .
But in an extraordinary determination , the 11th circuit said on Friday that while Florida could require payment to vote , it had no obligation to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ owed .
Florida does not have a constitutional obligation to provide that information to voters , Judge William Pryor wrote for the majority .
The 11th circuit is one of three appellate courts the Trump has recently flipped to have a majority of Republican-appointed judges .
Five of the six judges in Friday ’ s decision were Trump appointees .
Florida hits criminal defendants with a dizzying array of court costs and fees , used to fund the courts , which people with felonies must repay before they can vote again .
Hinkle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , saying it amounted to a “ tax by any other name ” .
But the 11th circuit overturned that on Friday , saying that court costs and fees served a legitimate purpose because they were part of a criminal ’ s punishment .
About 85,000 people with felony convictions have registered to vote since Amendment 4 went into effect in January 2019 .
It will take Florida ’ s top election officials about six years to verify that all of them are eligible to vote .
In a small win for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circuit said on Friday that those 85,000 would remain eligible to vote until or unless the state determined they were ineligible .
But in a lengthy dissent , Judge Adalberto Jordan wrote that people with felony convictions might not vote because they feared being eventually found ineligible and prosecuted .
“ The fact that Florida had restored voting rights to 0 felons as of the time of trial indicates that this scheme does not ‘ rationally ’ further the goal of re-enfranchising felons , ” he wrote .
“ Instead , it shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are doing their best to slowly but surely suffocate Amendment 4 .
“ I doubt that today ’ s decision – which blesses Florida ’ s neutering of Amendment 4 – will be viewed as kindly by history , ” he added .

Florida can require people with felony convictions to repay all outstanding debts before they are eligible to vote again, but it does not have to tell them how much they owe, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday. The hugely consequential decision will probably shut out hundreds of thousands of voters in the key battleground state in this fall’s presidential election.
The 6-4 ruling from the US court of appeals for the 11th circuit came in a lawsuit challenging a 2019 Republican-backed law imposing the restrictions. After Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a 2018 measure – often called Amendment 4 – to automatically restore voting rights to people once they complete their criminal sentences, Republicans authored a new law requiring repayment of all fines, fees and court costs before those people could vote again. An estimated 774,000 people with felonies in Florida have outstanding debts, which many cannot afford to pay, and the challengers in the case argued the state was essentially conditioning the right to vote on a tax, which is unconstitutional.
“This ruling runs counter to the foundational principle that Americans do not have to pay to vote. The gravity of this decision cannot be overstated,” said Julie Ebenstein, one of the lead attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case from the American Civil Liberties Union.
In late May, the US district judge Robert Hinkle ruled that Florida could not block people from voting if they genuinely could not pay. But on Friday, the majority in the 11th circuit ruled Florida officials had broad discretion to choose the conditions people with felony convictions had to meet before their voting rights were restored. The financial issues at question in the case, the majority wrote, “are directly related to legitimate voter qualifications”.
“States may restrict voting by felons in ways that would be impermissible for other citizens,” the court said, pointing to a 1974 supreme court case. “The people of Florida could rationally conclude that felons who have completed all terms of their sentences, including paying their fines, fees, costs, and restitution, are more likely to responsibly exercise the franchise than those who have not.”
Even though Florida requires people with felonies to repay financial obligations before they can vote, figuring out how much they owe is often impossible, even for state officials. There is no centralized place to look up how much someone owes. Some criminal sentences are from decades ago and record-keeping of court payments is often shoddy. Local clerks testified during a trial in May that there are often conflicting amounts in records.
But in an extraordinary determination, the 11th circuit said on Friday that while Florida could require payment to vote, it had no obligation to tell people with felonies how much they owed. Florida does not have a constitutional obligation to provide that information to voters, Judge William Pryor wrote for the majority. The 11th circuit is one of three appellate courts the Trump has recently flipped to have a majority of Republican-appointed judges. Five of the six judges in Friday’s decision were Trump appointees.
Florida hits criminal defendants with a dizzying array of court costs and fees, used to fund the courts, which people with felonies must repay before they can vote again. Hinkle struck down that provision of the law, saying it amounted to a “tax by any other name”. But the 11th circuit overturned that on Friday, saying that court costs and fees served a legitimate purpose because they were part of a criminal’s punishment.
About 85,000 people with felony convictions have registered to vote since Amendment 4 went into effect in January 2019. It will take Florida’s top election officials about six years to verify that all of them are eligible to vote. In a small win for the challengers in the case, the 11th circuit said on Friday that those 85,000 would remain eligible to vote until or unless the state determined they were ineligible.
But in a lengthy dissent, Judge Adalberto Jordan wrote that people with felony convictions might not vote because they feared being eventually found ineligible and prosecuted.
“The fact that Florida had restored voting rights to 0 felons as of the time of trial indicates that this scheme does not ‘rationally’ further the goal of re-enfranchising felons,” he wrote. “Instead, it shows that Florida’s organs of government are doing their best to slowly but surely suffocate Amendment 4.
“I doubt that today’s decision – which blesses Florida’s neutering of Amendment 4 – will be viewed as kindly by history,” he added.


theguardian--2020-09-11--Bahrain to normalise ties with Israel, Donald Trump announces

Bahrain has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel , and will join the United Arab Emirates in signing an agreement at the White House on Tuesday .
“ Even great warriors get tired of fighting , and they ’ re tired of fighting , ” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office , portraying the deals as peace agreements , although neither Gulf monarchy has ever been at war with Israel , and both had already established extensive informal ties .
Bahrain has long advocated Israel ’ s integration in the region .
“ The sand was loaded up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to see that a lot of that sand is going to be loaded up with peace , ” Trump said .
The US president presented the deals as part of a transformation of the region , adding : “ When I took office the Middle East was in a state of absolute chaos.
” The announcement comes less than a month after the UAE agreed to boost economic ties and work towards full diplomatic relations with Israel .
A key element of that deal – that Israel would suspend its plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called into question within days of its announcement .
Foreign ministers from both Gulf states will sign respective agreements with Israel ’ s prime minister , Benjamin Netanyahu , on Tuesday .
The Trump administration has pursued a strategy of persuading the Gulf monarchies to normalise relations with Israel after failing to make progress towards a settlement between Palestinians and Israelis .
Both the lead US negotiator , the president ’ s son-in-law and adviser , Jared Kushner , and the US ambassador to Israel , David Friedman , are close to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinian territorial concessions .
Many Palestinians have viewed the Gulf states ’ rapprochement with Israel , without any gains for Palestinian rights , as a betrayal .
Khaled Elgindy , a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington , said on Twitter : “ The Bahrain announcement , coming on heels of UAE normalization , is another blow to Palestinians and hopes for statehood or ending occupation.
” Hadar Susskind , the head of Americans for Peace Now , said : “ Normalization with the Arab world is welcome , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occupation and the conflict with the Palestinians.
” Kushner said that he expected more Arab countries to follow suit in establishing formal relations with Israel .
“ We were not sure what the reaction would be , but it ’ s been overwhelmingly positive , and more and more countries are rushing to try to figure out how can they do good things for their citizens and create a paradigm for a much more peaceful and prosperous future , ” he said , but would not name countries .
Kirsten Fontenrose , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ security council , said Bahrain would not have agreed to normalisation without the approval of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman ( widely known as MBS ) , but added that Saudi Arabia itself was unlikely to follow the same path while Bin Salman ’ s father was still on the throne .
“ Bahrain does not make a move in foreign policy without Saudi approval , and I think since MBS is not at liberty to normalize relations between Saudi and Israel right now because King Salman is opposed until there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fontenrose , now the director of the Scowcroft Middle East security initiative at the Atlantic Council .
“ This is the way to signal that the next leadership of Saudi Arabia does support the idea of Arab-Israeli normalisation.
” Morocco , Kuwait and Oman are also considered possible candidates .
One disincentive , Fontenrose said , was that two key benefits the UAE thought it would get from its agreement with Israel are now in question .
Israel has continued to oppose the Emirati purchase of US F35 stealth fighter jets and disputed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of its aspirations to annex Palestinian territory on the West Bank .

Bahrain has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, and will join the United Arab Emirates in signing an agreement at the White House on Tuesday.
“Even great warriors get tired of fighting, and they’re tired of fighting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, portraying the deals as peace agreements, although neither Gulf monarchy has ever been at war with Israel, and both had already established extensive informal ties. Bahrain has long advocated Israel’s integration in the region.
“The sand was loaded up with blood, and now you’re going to see that a lot of that sand is going to be loaded up with peace,” Trump said. The US president presented the deals as part of a transformation of the region, adding: “When I took office the Middle East was in a state of absolute chaos.”
Iran’s foreign ministry described Bahrain’s decision as shameful, state television reported on Saturday. “The rulers of Bahrain will from now on be complicit in the crimes of the Zionist regime which is a threat to the security of the region and the Muslim world,” the broadcaster quoted a foreign ministry statement as saying.
The announcement comes less than a month after the UAE agreed to boost economic ties and work towards full diplomatic relations with Israel. A key element of that deal – that Israel would suspend its plans to annex the West Bank – was called into question within days of its announcement.
Foreign ministers from both Gulf states will sign respective agreements with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday.
The Trump administration has pursued a strategy of persuading the Gulf monarchies to normalise relations with Israel after failing to make progress towards a settlement between Palestinians and Israelis.
Both the lead US negotiator, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, and the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, are close to the rightwing pro-settlement groups and have promoted substantial Palestinian territorial concessions.
Many Palestinians have viewed the Gulf states’ rapprochement with Israel, without any gains for Palestinian rights, as a betrayal.
Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said on Twitter: “The Bahrain announcement, coming on heels of UAE normalization, is another blow to Palestinians and hopes for statehood or ending occupation.”
Hadar Susskind, the head of Americans for Peace Now, said: “Normalization with the Arab world is welcome, but not as a tool to normalize the occupation and the conflict with the Palestinians.”
Kushner said that he expected more Arab countries to follow suit in establishing formal relations with Israel. “We were not sure what the reaction would be, but it’s been overwhelmingly positive, and more and more countries are rushing to try to figure out how can they do good things for their citizens and create a paradigm for a much more peaceful and prosperous future,” he said, but would not name countries.
Kirsten Fontenrose, a former senior official in the Trump national security council, said Bahrain would not have agreed to normalisation without the approval of Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (widely known as MBS), but added that Saudi Arabia itself was unlikely to follow the same path while Bin Salman’s father was still on the throne.
“Bahrain does not make a move in foreign policy without Saudi approval, and I think since MBS is not at liberty to normalize relations between Saudi and Israel right now because King Salman is opposed until there’s a Palestinian solution,” said Fontenrose, now the director of the Scowcroft Middle East security initiative at the Atlantic Council. “This is the way to signal that the next leadership of Saudi Arabia does support the idea of Arab-Israeli normalisation.”
Morocco, Kuwait and Oman are also considered possible candidates.
One disincentive, Fontenrose said, was that two key benefits the UAE thought it would get from its agreement with Israel are now in question. Israel has continued to oppose the Emirati purchase of US F35 stealth fighter jets and disputed that the agreement entailed a long-term suspension of its aspirations to annex Palestinian territory on the West Bank.


theguardian--2020-09-10--Rock & Roll President: how musicians helped Jimmy Carter to the White House

It ’ s hard to think of a public figure with an image further removed from rock ’ n ’ roll than the former US president Jimmy Carter .
“ With his cardigan sweaters and devout Christian faith , he doesn ’ t come off as a particularly cool or hip guy , ” said Mary Wharton , director of a new film titled Jimmy Carter : Rock & Roll President , to the Guardian .
“ He wasn ’ t even a part of the rock generation .
But he was curious about it.
” Enough , in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deep dive into his son Chip ’ s Bob Dylan albums , absorbing both the honesty of the sound and the meanings behind the songs .
It helped that Carter already had a significant knowledge of every genre that influenced stars of the rock generation , including blues , R & B , folk and most profoundly , gospel .
His belief in both the beauty and the sociological impact of all those styles helped Carter forge an improbable bond with the biggest rock stars of the 70s , a connection that became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The core of Wharton ’ s film argues that stars like the Allman Brothers , Bob Dylan and Crosby , Stills & Nash , as well as outlaw country artists like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash , played a crucial role in getting Carter into the White House in 1976 .
The Allmans took the lead , performing concerts to raise money for his run for the Democratic nomination when he had scant funds and no national name recognition .
“ I was practically a non-entity , ” Carter says in the film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brothers .
When they endorsed me , all the young people said , ‘ Well , if the Allman Brothers like him , we can vote for him.
” Even so , the power of the youth vote was just being tested at that point .
The previous presidential election , in 1972 , in which Republican incumbent Richard Nixon squared off against Democrat George McGovern , was the first national election that saw the voting age drop from 21 to 18 .
Yet , Nixon won in a landslide .
Four years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Watergate and Nixon ’ s successor Gerald Ford , there was a far clearer mandate for change .
“ The youth vote that time was massive , ” said Chris Farrell , the movie ’ s producer .
“ Eighteen- and 19-year-olds voted for Carter .
Then it spread way beyond that.
” Though Carter wasn ’ t especially young at the time , at 52 , his team were , led by head press secretary Jody Powell , who was 23 , and chief of staff , Hamilton Jordan , then 32 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rolling Stone put the two staff members on their cover , calling them “ The White House Whiz Kids ” .
“ They were young people , speaking to young people , ” said Farrell .
Still , the level of support the rock stars gave Carter represented something new .
In the late 1960s , when rock became the cutting-edge force in pop culture , its stars were more likely to support a vague notion of revolution , while lobbing the occasional epithet at Nixon .
“ For them to associate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as cool , ” said Wharton .
But by the mid-70s , rock had become more mainstream , and magazines like Rolling Stone were eager to flex their growing power by backing candidates more aggressively .
While many politicians were eager to court the icons of the rock generation , Carter had a distinct advantage .
“ The fact that he was an independent thinker appealed to these musicians , ” Farrell said .
“ He wasn ’ t just following the party line for politicians for the last 30 years.
” More @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music ’ s top names far pre-dated his presidential run .
As governor of Georgia , he invited Dylan to the state mansion .
“ When I met Jimmy , the first thing he did was quote my songs back to me , ” Dylan says in the documentary .
“ It was the first time I realized my songs had reached into the mainstream .
It made me a little uneasy .
But he put my mind at ease by showing me he had a sincere appreciation .
He was a kindred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t meet every day and that you ’ re lucky to meet if you do.
” Around the same time , Carter befriended Gregg Allman , whose band had shepherded the huge “ southern rock ” movement , along with acts like the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd .
Together , the bands presented a fresh image for the south , a wave that paralleled the ascent of politicians like Carter , who , in the early ‘ 70s were heralded as part of the “ new south ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ final interviews before his death in 2018 , he talked about first meeting Carter in Georgia , describing him as “ this guy with an old pair of Levi ’ s with holes in them , no shirt , no shoes , ” he said .
“ I thought , ‘ Who ’ s this bum hanging out at the governor ’ s mansion ?
’ That was Jim.
” Still , Carter would never have become more than a figure of curiosity to the musicians were it not for his faith in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together .
His first exposure to that came while growing up in a rural area of the south whose population was 80 % Black .
“ The gospel music of the Black churches was all around him , ” said Farrell .
“ It really resonated with him.
” His own faith had much to do with that .
“ Music is the closest any of us will get to the divine , ” Wharton said .
“ And Jimmy Carter has always been connected to his spirituality.
” Despite winning the backing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision to run for president still seemed a folly at first .
“ We thought his odds are a little low , ” recalled the Allman Brothers ’ Chuck Leavell in the film .
“ But you never know unless you try.
” To make Carter ’ s triumph even less probable , he wasn ’ t the only presidential candidate at the time harnessing the influence of rock stars .
Governor Jerry Brown of California , who was dating Linda Ronstadt , then at the peak of her popularity , featured her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the equally powerful Eagles .
As a result , some joked that the two politicians were running their own “ battle of the bands.
” Yet , only Carter had enough credibility to win over a musician like Nile Rodgers , who had earlier been a member of the Black Panther party .
“ His campaign made us feel like now we had a candidate who saw the world the way we did , ” Rodgers says in the film .
Still , a deeper look into the history of Carter ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on race wasn ’ t always as pristine as the film presents .
In his run for governor of Georgia , he made statements that led many voters in the state to believe he was in favor of segregation , and he did oppose bussing at one point .
For that reason , many Georgia voters felt betrayed when he took a strong anti-segregation stance after he got into office .
In fact , his first act upon taking office was to hang a portrait of Martin Luther King in the governor ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protest outside the ceremony .
Once he made the leap to the White House , Carter made his feelings equally plain .
He offered amnesty to those who avoided the draft during the Vietnam war , an important decision for the young voters who had supported him .
His first guest in his new Washington home was Gregg Allman , a risky move since the singer was , at the time , facing a cocaine possession charge .
( He got out of it by testifying against his supplier ) .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gregg , ” Wharton said , “ but he stood by his friend.
” Carter ’ s loyalty underscored his allergy to judgment , a key part of his expression of Christianity .
“ His isn ’ t the evangelical , fundamentalist view , ” Farrell said .
“ He had a purer view of what Christianity meant.
” Carter had an equally clear view of the complex connection between music and race .
During the Jazz on the White House Lawn concert he hosted , featuring stars like Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great American art form where , for a long time , black and white musicians were not able to play together , ” Farrell said .
“ He called it out as racism .
In 1978 , to hear Jimmy Carter say that was incredible.
” Despite the wave of hope that ushered Carter into the White House – and regardless of his achievements in office , including the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt – his administration was overshadowed by runaway inflation , gasoline shortages , and most ruinously , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make him a one-term president , losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980 in a landslide .
“ I always thought he got the shortest end of the stick of any president in modern history , ” says Nile Rodgers in the film .
“ When the history books are written , people are going to see him in a very different light.
” Certainly , in the years since he left office Carter has risen to near saint status , buoyed by his work with his foundation .
At 95 , he remains @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Small wonder so many who are quoted in the film talk about how Carter brought back “ dignity ” and “ integrity ” to the office , the precise inverse of the most common descriptions of the current occupant of the White House .
In a time when young people have become more energized about politics than at any time since Carter ’ s era , Wharton hopes her film demonstrates to millennials and eligible post-millennials the power they hold .
“ There ’ s a lot to be done to work towards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” she said .
“ But the only way to do that is to vote.
” • None Jimmy Carter : Rock & Roll President is now available in virtual cinemas in the US with a UK date to be announced

It’s hard to think of a public figure with an image further removed from rock’n’roll than the former US president Jimmy Carter. “With his cardigan sweaters and devout Christian faith, he doesn’t come off as a particularly cool or hip guy,” said Mary Wharton, director of a new film titled Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, to the Guardian. “He wasn’t even a part of the rock generation. But he was curious about it.”
Enough, in fact, to inspire him to take a deep dive into his son Chip’s Bob Dylan albums, absorbing both the honesty of the sound and the meanings behind the songs. It helped that Carter already had a significant knowledge of every genre that influenced stars of the rock generation, including blues, R&B, folk and most profoundly, gospel. His belief in both the beauty and the sociological impact of all those styles helped Carter forge an improbable bond with the biggest rock stars of the 70s, a connection that became central to his ascent to power.
The core of Wharton’s film argues that stars like the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as outlaw country artists like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash, played a crucial role in getting Carter into the White House in 1976. The Allmans took the lead, performing concerts to raise money for his run for the Democratic nomination when he had scant funds and no national name recognition. “I was practically a non-entity,” Carter says in the film. “But everyone knew the Allman Brothers. When they endorsed me, all the young people said, ‘Well, if the Allman Brothers like him, we can vote for him.”
Even so, the power of the youth vote was just being tested at that point. The previous presidential election, in 1972, in which Republican incumbent Richard Nixon squared off against Democrat George McGovern, was the first national election that saw the voting age drop from 21 to 18. Yet, Nixon won in a landslide. Four years later, in a country weary from Watergate and Nixon’s successor Gerald Ford, there was a far clearer mandate for change. “The youth vote that time was massive,” said Chris Farrell, the movie’s producer. “Eighteen- and 19-year-olds voted for Carter. Then it spread way beyond that.”
Though Carter wasn’t especially young at the time, at 52, his team were, led by head press secretary Jody Powell, who was 23, and chief of staff, Hamilton Jordan, then 32. After Carter won the White House, Rolling Stone put the two staff members on their cover, calling them “The White House Whiz Kids”. “They were young people, speaking to young people,” said Farrell.
Still, the level of support the rock stars gave Carter represented something new. In the late 1960s, when rock became the cutting-edge force in pop culture, its stars were more likely to support a vague notion of revolution, while lobbing the occasional epithet at Nixon. “For them to associate with a politician wasn’t seen as cool,” said Wharton.
But by the mid-70s, rock had become more mainstream, and magazines like Rolling Stone were eager to flex their growing power by backing candidates more aggressively. While many politicians were eager to court the icons of the rock generation, Carter had a distinct advantage. “The fact that he was an independent thinker appealed to these musicians,” Farrell said. “He wasn’t just following the party line for politicians for the last 30 years.”
More importantly, Carter’s connection to music’s top names far pre-dated his presidential run. As governor of Georgia, he invited Dylan to the state mansion. “When I met Jimmy, the first thing he did was quote my songs back to me,” Dylan says in the documentary. “It was the first time I realized my songs had reached into the mainstream. It made me a little uneasy. But he put my mind at ease by showing me he had a sincere appreciation. He was a kindred spirit – the kind of man you don’t meet every day and that you’re lucky to meet if you do.”
Around the same time, Carter befriended Gregg Allman, whose band had shepherded the huge “southern rock” movement, along with acts like the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Together, the bands presented a fresh image for the south, a wave that paralleled the ascent of politicians like Carter, who, in the early ‘70s were heralded as part of the “new south”. In one of Gregg Allman’s final interviews before his death in 2018, he talked about first meeting Carter in Georgia, describing him as “this guy with an old pair of Levi’s with holes in them, no shirt, no shoes,” he said. “I thought, ‘Who’s this bum hanging out at the governor’s mansion?’ That was Jim.”
Jimmy Carter with Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. Photograph: Courtesy of the Carter Presidential Library
Still, Carter would never have become more than a figure of curiosity to the musicians were it not for his faith in the power of music to bring people together. His first exposure to that came while growing up in a rural area of the south whose population was 80% Black. “The gospel music of the Black churches was all around him,” said Farrell. “It really resonated with him.”
His own faith had much to do with that. “Music is the closest any of us will get to the divine,” Wharton said. “And Jimmy Carter has always been connected to his spirituality.”
Despite winning the backing of the musicians, Carter’s decision to run for president still seemed a folly at first. “We thought his odds are a little low,” recalled the Allman Brothers’ Chuck Leavell in the film. “But you never know unless you try.”
To make Carter’s triumph even less probable, he wasn’t the only presidential candidate at the time harnessing the influence of rock stars. Governor Jerry Brown of California, who was dating Linda Ronstadt, then at the peak of her popularity, featured her in musical fundraisers along with her friends, the equally powerful Eagles. As a result, some joked that the two politicians were running their own “battle of the bands.”
Yet, only Carter had enough credibility to win over a musician like Nile Rodgers, who had earlier been a member of the Black Panther party. “His campaign made us feel like now we had a candidate who saw the world the way we did,” Rodgers says in the film.
A still from Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President. Photograph: Greenwich Entertainment
Still, a deeper look into the history of Carter’s politics shows that his public stance on race wasn’t always as pristine as the film presents. In his run for governor of Georgia, he made statements that led many voters in the state to believe he was in favor of segregation, and he did oppose bussing at one point. For that reason, many Georgia voters felt betrayed when he took a strong anti-segregation stance after he got into office. In fact, his first act upon taking office was to hang a portrait of Martin Luther King in the governor’s mansion, which caused the KKK to protest outside the ceremony.
Once he made the leap to the White House, Carter made his feelings equally plain. He offered amnesty to those who avoided the draft during the Vietnam war, an important decision for the young voters who had supported him. His first guest in his new Washington home was Gregg Allman, a risky move since the singer was, at the time, facing a cocaine possession charge. (He got out of it by testifying against his supplier). “Everyone told Carter to distance himself from Gregg,” Wharton said, “but he stood by his friend.”
Carter’s loyalty underscored his allergy to judgment, a key part of his expression of Christianity. “His isn’t the evangelical, fundamentalist view,” Farrell said. “He had a purer view of what Christianity meant.”
Carter had an equally clear view of the complex connection between music and race. During the Jazz on the White House Lawn concert he hosted, featuring stars like Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan, “he talked about this great American art form where, for a long time, black and white musicians were not able to play together,” Farrell said. “He called it out as racism. In 1978, to hear Jimmy Carter say that was incredible.”
Despite the wave of hope that ushered Carter into the White House – and regardless of his achievements in office, including the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt – his administration was overshadowed by runaway inflation, gasoline shortages, and most ruinously, the Iranian hostage crisis. All that helped make him a one-term president, losing to Ronald Reagan in 1980 in a landslide. “I always thought he got the shortest end of the stick of any president in modern history,” says Nile Rodgers in the film. “When the history books are written, people are going to see him in a very different light.”
Certainly, in the years since he left office Carter has risen to near saint status, buoyed by his work with his foundation. At 95, he remains a strong advocate for public good. Small wonder so many who are quoted in the film talk about how Carter brought back “dignity” and “integrity” to the office, the precise inverse of the most common descriptions of the current occupant of the White House. In a time when young people have become more energized about politics than at any time since Carter’s era, Wharton hopes her film demonstrates to millennials and eligible post-millennials the power they hold. “There’s a lot to be done to work towards the ideals this country was founded on,” she said. “But the only way to do that is to vote.”


theguardian--2020-09-11--Trump boasts about Nobel peace prize nomination – video

Speaking from a rally in Freeland , Michigan , Donald Trump boasted of his recent Nobel peace prize nomination .
@ @ @ @ @ named Christian Tybring-Gjedde , has nominated the US president for the prize for a second @ @ @ @ @ in the normalising of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates .


theguardian--2020-09-12--Trump ally who sought to change CDC Covid reports claims he was fighting 'deep state'

A former Trump campaign official now spokesman for the US health department sought to change key reports on the coronavirus pandemic , in some cases “ openly complaining ” that they “ would undermine the president ’ s optimistic messages about the outbreak ” , according to internal emails seen by Politico .
The official , Michael Caputo , told the website he was attempting to stymie “ ulterior deep state motives in the bowels ” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , or CDC .
The news comes after reports that a whistleblower at the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stop making Donald Trump “ look bad ” , via reports on Russian election interference .
It also comes as a new book by Bob Woodward details the president ’ s reasoning behind optimistic messaging about the coronavirus outbreak .
“ I wanted to always play it down , ” Trump told Woodward in March , more than a month after telling him the virus was “ deadly stuff ” .
“ I still like playing it down , because I don ’ t want to create a panic.
” Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to save them for his book – caused outcry .
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland , 6.4m people have been infected in the US and more than 192,000 have died .
Other counts put the death toll over 200,000 .
Caputo , who became spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services in April , is a Republican consultant who worked on the Trump campaign in 2015 and 2016 .
He has links to Russia , having worked in the country ’ s energy industry , and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence arising from the Russia investigation was commuted by the president .
Politico reported that under Caputo ’ s direction , CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports were subject to “ substantial efforts to align … with Trump ’ s statements , including the president ’ s claims that fears about the outbreak are overstated , or stop the reports altogether ” .
“ Caputo and his team have attempted to add caveats to the CDC ’ s findings , ” the website said , “ including an effort to retroactively change agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risks of Covid-19 and should have made clear that Americans sickened by the virus may have been infected because of their own behavior.
” One report Caputo ’ s team tried to stop , the website said , concerned hydroxychloroquine , an anti-malarial drug which Trump and key aides pushed for use in treatment of Covid-19 but which studies have said can be dangerous .
The report was published last week , reportedly after being held for a month because its authors ’ political views were in question .
In one August email @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accused the CDC of writing “ hit pieces on the administration ” and trying to “ hurt the president ” .
Caputo told the website : “ Buried in this good [ CDC ] work are sometimes stories which seem to purposefully mislead and undermine the president ’ s Covid response with what some scientists label as poor scholarship – and others call politics disguised in science.
” He also said : “ Our intention is to make sure that evidence , science-based data drives policy through this pandemic – not ulterior deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The “ deep state ” conspiracy theory , enthusiastically propounded by the president and senior aides , holds that a permanent government of bureaucrats and intelligence officials exists to thwart Trump ’ s agenda .
Trump recently claimed that the “ deep state ” was responsible for the Food and Drug Administration delaying approval for unproven Covid therapeutics .
Steve Bannon , a former Trump campaign manager and White House strategist now under indictment for fraud , was a key early proponent of the “ deep state ” theory .
He is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nut cases ” and “ none of this is true ” .

A former Trump campaign official now spokesman for the US health department sought to change key reports on the coronavirus pandemic, in some cases “openly complaining” that they “would undermine the president’s optimistic messages about the outbreak”, according to internal emails seen by Politico.
The official, Michael Caputo, told the website he was attempting to stymie “ulterior deep state motives in the bowels” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
The news comes after reports that a whistleblower at the Department of Homeland Security said he was told to stop making Donald Trump “look bad”, via reports on Russian election interference.
It also comes as a new book by Bob Woodward details the president’s reasoning behind optimistic messaging about the coronavirus outbreak.
“I wanted to always play it down,” Trump told Woodward in March, more than a month after telling him the virus was “deadly stuff”.
“I still like playing it down, because I don’t want to create a panic.”
Trump’s comments – and Woodward’s decision to save them for his book – caused outcry. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, 6.4m people have been infected in the US and more than 192,000 have died. Other counts put the death toll over 200,000.
Caputo, who became spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services in April, is a Republican consultant who worked on the Trump campaign in 2015 and 2016. He has links to Russia, having worked in the country’s energy industry, and to Roger Stone, a Trump ally whose sentence arising from the Russia investigation was commuted by the president.
Politico reported that under Caputo’s direction, CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports were subject to “substantial efforts to align … with Trump’s statements, including the president’s claims that fears about the outbreak are overstated, or stop the reports altogether”.
“Caputo and his team have attempted to add caveats to the CDC’s findings,” the website said, “including an effort to retroactively change agency reports that they said wrongly inflated the risks of Covid-19 and should have made clear that Americans sickened by the virus may have been infected because of their own behavior.”
One report Caputo’s team tried to stop, the website said, concerned hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug which Trump and key aides pushed for use in treatment of Covid-19 but which studies have said can be dangerous. The report was published last week, reportedly after being held for a month because its authors’ political views were in question.
In one August email seen by Politico, another political appointee accused the CDC of writing “hit pieces on the administration” and trying to “hurt the president”.
Caputo told the website: “Buried in this good [CDC] work are sometimes stories which seem to purposefully mislead and undermine the president’s Covid response with what some scientists label as poor scholarship – and others call politics disguised in science.”
He also said: “Our intention is to make sure that evidence, science-based data drives policy through this pandemic – not ulterior deep state motives in the bowels of CDC.”
The “deep state” conspiracy theory, enthusiastically propounded by the president and senior aides, holds that a permanent government of bureaucrats and intelligence officials exists to thwart Trump’s agenda.
Trump recently claimed that the “deep state” was responsible for the Food and Drug Administration delaying approval for unproven Covid therapeutics.
Steve Bannon, a former Trump campaign manager and White House strategist now under indictment for fraud, was a key early proponent of the “deep state” theory.
He is on record saying it is “for nut cases” and “none of this is true”.