theguardian--2020-05-15--The fight is on for progressives to push Biden to the left. They might just win | Cas Mudde

Joe Biden has had a hard time capturing the hearts of progressive Democrats .
Like the media , progressive Democrats tend to see him as a centrist – a status quo candidate who just wants to return the US and the world to the pre-Trump era .
Even Biden ’ s collaborations with Bernie Sanders , including the recently announced unity taskforces , are often dismissed as pure window-dressing .
But this kind of blithe dismissal of the presumptive Democratic nominee misreads both the politician and the times .
It is true that Biden was never a very progressive Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative one .
He has been a classic “ centrist Democrat ” .
But it ’ s important to note that this places him not in the political center of the US electorate , but in the center of the Democratic party – a party that has shifted left significantly since 2016 , as has Biden .
Biden is a realist .
He knows when the times are a-changin ’ .
That ’ s why he joined Barack Obama in 2008 and why he has moved to reconcile with Sanders in 2020 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is smart enough to acknowledge that Sanders represents the direction the party ’ s base is moving to , and that he could shape that transformation .
As Gabriel Debenedetti argues in his excellent New York magazine article on the Biden campaign , the Covid-19 pandemic has opened Biden ’ s eyes to the need for a more radical approach to policy and governance .
As Biden told a group of donors : “ The blinders have been taken off because of this Covid crisis.
” Crises can lead to fundamental changes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ consequences , such as Adolf Hitler ’ s rise to power in the wake of the Great Depression , that same crisis also gave rise to the greatest progressive project in US history : Franklin D Roosevelt ’ s New Deal .
While heralded as a “ radical ” by many today , FDR was in many ways a realpolitiker , politically expedient and adjustable to the mood of the times .
But perhaps the best comparison would be FDR ’ s protege Lyndon B Johnson , the southerner who , in an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the wake of the national trauma of the assassination of John F Kennedy , introduced some of the most important civil rights legislation in US history .
As with Johnson , the current crisis provides Biden with an opportunity to step out of the shadow of his charismatic and inspiring Democratic predecessor , Obama , and become a much more transformative president .
To be clear , this is not a foregone conclusion .
Moderates , both Democrats and Republicans , also see Biden as a great opportunity , in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many of them have been around Biden for years , if not decades , and play important roles in his campaign – I ’ m looking at you , Larry Summers .
But the recently announced unity taskforces – on the climate crisis , criminal justice reform , economy , education , healthcare and immigration – show a more mixed picture .
First , they much better reflect the ethnic and gender diversity of the contemporary Democratic party and its electorate – with many prominent African American and Hispanic members as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Second , they include many prominent progressives , including Sanders surrogates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal – hardly politicians who will accept a token role .
While some “ Bernie or bust ” keyboard warriors will invariably denounce these progressives as sellouts , and some jaded progressives as naive , they are actually realists who should be supported and strengthened .
Few politicians understand the signs of the times better than Ocasio-Cortez .
She knows that the country and the party are changing , and she understands that the Covid-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that change .
Moreover , these progressives realize that Biden does not have a set ideology , but is in many ways an empty vessel whose domestic policies and priorities are still very much in flux and in play .
In other words , progressives have two fights to fight : one for a President Biden , against the Republicans , and one for a progressive Biden presidency , against the moderate Democrats .
• None Cas Mudde is a Guardian US columnist and the Stanley Wade Shelton UGAF professor in the school @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University of Georgia .
His latest book is The Far Right Today

Joe Biden has had a hard time capturing the hearts of progressive Democrats. Like the media, progressive Democrats tend to see him as a centrist – a status quo candidate who just wants to return the US and the world to the pre-Trump era. Even Biden’s collaborations with Bernie Sanders, including the recently announced unity taskforces, are often dismissed as pure window-dressing. But this kind of blithe dismissal of the presumptive Democratic nominee misreads both the politician and the times.
It is true that Biden was never a very progressive Democrat, but neither was he a particularly conservative one. He has been a classic “centrist Democrat”. But it’s important to note that this places him not in the political center of the US electorate, but in the center of the Democratic party – a party that has shifted left significantly since 2016, as has Biden.
Biden is a realist. He knows when the times are a-changin’. That’s why he joined Barack Obama in 2008 and why he has moved to reconcile with Sanders in 2020. After two powerful primary campaigns, Biden is smart enough to acknowledge that Sanders represents the direction the party’s base is moving to, and that he could shape that transformation.
As Gabriel Debenedetti argues in his excellent New York magazine article on the Biden campaign, the Covid-19 pandemic has opened Biden’s eyes to the need for a more radical approach to policy and governance. As Biden told a group of donors: “The blinders have been taken off because of this Covid crisis.”
Crises can lead to fundamental changes. While we mainly focus on the darkest consequences, such as Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the wake of the Great Depression, that same crisis also gave rise to the greatest progressive project in US history: Franklin D Roosevelt’s New Deal. While heralded as a “radical” by many today, FDR was in many ways a realpolitiker, politically expedient and adjustable to the mood of the times.
But perhaps the best comparison would be FDR’s protege Lyndon B Johnson, the southerner who, in an atmosphere of intense polarization over civil rights and in the wake of the national trauma of the assassination of John F Kennedy, introduced some of the most important civil rights legislation in US history. As with Johnson, the current crisis provides Biden with an opportunity to step out of the shadow of his charismatic and inspiring Democratic predecessor, Obama, and become a much more transformative president.
To be clear, this is not a foregone conclusion. Moderates, both Democrats and Republicans, also see Biden as a great opportunity, in their case to re-establish the status quo. Many of them have been around Biden for years, if not decades, and play important roles in his campaign – I’m looking at you, Larry Summers.
But the recently announced unity taskforces – on the climate crisis, criminal justice reform, economy, education, healthcare and immigration – show a more mixed picture. First, they much better reflect the ethnic and gender diversity of the contemporary Democratic party and its electorate – with many prominent African American and Hispanic members as well as twice as many female than male co-chairs. Second, they include many prominent progressives, including Sanders surrogates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal – hardly politicians who will accept a token role.
While some “Bernie or bust” keyboard warriors will invariably denounce these progressives as sellouts, and some jaded progressives as naive, they are actually realists who should be supported and strengthened. Few politicians understand the signs of the times better than Ocasio-Cortez. She knows that the country and the party are changing, and she understands that the Covid-19 crisis provides a unique opportunity to accelerate that change.
Moreover, these progressives realize that Biden does not have a set ideology, but is in many ways an empty vessel whose domestic policies and priorities are still very much in flux and in play. In other words, progressives have two fights to fight: one for a President Biden, against the Republicans, and one for a progressive Biden presidency, against the moderate Democrats.


theguardian--2020-05-16--'It eats him alive inside': Trump's latest attack shows endless obsession with Obama

President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump once sat together in the Oval Office .
“ I was immediately struck by Trump ’ s body language , ” wrote journalist Jon Karl in his memoir Front Row at The Trump Show .
“ I was seeing a side of him I had never seen .
He seemed , believe it or not , humbled.
” It was November 2016 and , just for once , Trump was not in charge of the room , Karl recalls .
Obama was still president , directing the action and setting the tone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ a little freaked out ” .
What the two men discussed in their meeting that day , only they know .
But what became clear in the next three and a half years is that Obama remains something of an obsession for Trump ; the subject of a political and personal inferiority complex .
Observers point to a mix of anti-intellectualism , racism , vengeance and primitive envy over everything from Obama ’ s Nobel peace prize to the scale of his inauguration crowd and social media following .
Ben @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide , tweeted this week : “ Trump ’ s fact-free fixation on Obama dating back to birtherism is so absurd and stupid that it would be comic if it wasn ’ t so tragic.
” “ Birtherism ” was a conspiracy theory that Trump started pushing in 2011 ( “ He doesn ’ t have a birth certificate .
He may have one but there is something on that birth certificate – maybe religion , maybe it says he ’ s a Muslim , I don ’ t know.
” ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ full circle with “ Obamagate ” , which accuses his predecessor of working in league with the “ deep state ” to frame Trump for colluding with Russia to win the 2016 election .
There is zero evidence for this claim .
Indeed , a case could be made that the supposed “ deep state ” did more to help Trump than hurt him when the FBI reopened an investigation into his opponent , Hillary Clinton , just before election day .
When questioned by reporters , Trump himself has struggled to articulate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Price , a former CIA analyst , dubbed it “ a hashtag in search of a scandal ” .
But his allies in the Republican party and conservative media are stepping up to build a parallel universe where this is the big story and Obama is at the center of it .
Sean Hannity , a host on Fox News , demanded : “ What did Barack Obama know and when did he know it ?
” Over the past week , the channel ’ s primetime shows have devoted more coverage to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama ” than to the coronavirus pandemic – and Trump ’ s mishandling of it .
Tara Setmayer , a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill , said : “ Donald Trump always need a foil .
This riles up his base because they cling to anything that diverges responsibility for anything from Donald Trump over to someone else .
And in this case Barack Obama is the boogeyman of the month.
” Beyond political expediency , there is a more profound antipathy at work .
From the Iran nuclear deal to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regulations to the Affordable Care Act , Trump has always seemed to be on a mission to erase his predecessor ’ s legacy .
With few deep convictions of his own , Obama became a negative reference point for Trump .
Between 22 November 2010 and 14 May 2020 , he tweeted about Obama 2,933 times , according to the Trump Twitter Archive .
There are a few reasons , argues Setmayer , host of the Honestly Speaking podcast .
“ First off , Donald Trump has a problem where I think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that President Obama is still so admired .
Number two , I think he has a problem with people of color who are in authority that don ’ t do the kind of song and dance that he wants them to do .
“ Barack Obama is not a ‘ shuck and jive ’ person of color , and those are the kinds of people that Donald Trump seems to be attracted to if you look at who he surrounds himself with as far as minorities are concerned.
” Third , Setmayer points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association dinner , where Trump sat stony-faced and humiliated as Obama lampooned the Celebrity Apprentice host ’ s nascent political ambitions .
Obama even pointed to a photoshopped image of a Trump White House with hotel , casino , golf course and gold columns .
“ A lot of people think that this is where this all started , ” Setmayer continued .
“ President Trump does not have a sense of humor , he ’ s not self-deprecating , and the White House correspondents ’ dinner is a fun event where people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in politics.
” Rashad Robinson , president of Color of Change , a civil rights advocacy group , said : “ This obsession , of course , is absolutely rooted in racism .
Some of the accusations have been deeply racialized , from the questioning of Obama ’ s intelligence to talking about how much basketball he plays to questioning his birthplace and citizenship.
” Trump has shredded many norms , including that of presidents maintaining a respectful contact with their predecessors .
He has dismissed the idea of seeking Obama ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his part , Obama has carefully chosen his moments to condemn certain decisions or policies without mentioning Trump by name .
But tensions flared last week when a tape leaked of Obama on a private conference call with about 3,000 alumni of his administration , describing Trump ’ s leadership in the pandemic as “ an absolute chaotic disaster ” .
He also warned a justice department move to drop charges against Trump ’ s former national security adviser Michael Flynn , who admitted lying to the FBI about his conversations with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ indicates that “ the rule of law is at risk ” .
Trump has described Flynn as a wronged “ hero ” and argued that Obama and his vice-president , Joe Biden , the presumptive Democratic nominee for November ’ s election , should “ pay a big price ” for supposedly derailing the retired general ’ s career .
Critics suggest that the president is seeking to weaponise the justice department for electoral gain .
Matthew Miller , a former director of the office of public affairs at the department , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ action against Barack Obama , he obviously doesn ’ t have anything to worry about .
But when you look at what ’ s happened at the justice department with the complete politicisation of that department , I think it ’ s quite possible that they ’ re going to be coming after people from the Obama administration , using the criminal justice process any way they can.
” It would be one of the gravest consequences of Trump ’ s Obama obsession .
Miller added : “ There ’ s some racism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s driven by the fact that Obama has the thing that Trump has always craved but never achieved , and that ’ s respect .
I ’ ve always thought that the respect that Barack Obama gets from people in this country and around the world is something that just eats Trump alive inside.
” Obama issued a tweet on Thursday that contained one word : “ Vote.
” He is expected to campaign vigorously for Biden , wooing voters who crave a return to what they saw as the dignity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his presence is also likely to be inverted by Trump to rally his base with dark warnings that , like Clinton before him , Biden would effectively represent a third term of Obama .
The 2016 rally chants of “ Lock her up !
” might be replaced by “ Lock him up !
” The 2020 election could yet turn into a final showdown between Obama and Trump , even if only one of their names is on the ballot .
It will be a clash of opposites : one a mixed-race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same woman for nearly three decades and publishes annual lists of his favorite books ; the other a white billionaire and reality TV star who wed three times and measures success in TV ratings .
Where one is renowned for elegant turns of phrase and shedding tears after mass shootings , the other serves up jumbled word salads and schoolboy spelling errors and has struggled to show empathy for the coronavirus dead .
Michael D ’ Antonio , a political commentator and author of The Truth About Trump , said : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , it ’ s hard to imagine two presidents more different .
It ’ s very obvious Trump is continually comparing himself with Obama in his own mind .
Obama ’ s over his head , over his shoulder , always looming as the guy who could speak in paragraphs and juggle more than one thing at once and deal with them effectively .
”

President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump once sat together in the Oval Office. “I was immediately struck by Trump’s body language,” wrote journalist Jon Karl in his memoir Front Row at The Trump Show. “I was seeing a side of him I had never seen. He seemed, believe it or not, humbled.”
It was November 2016 and, just for once, Trump was not in charge of the room, Karl recalls. Obama was still president, directing the action and setting the tone. His successor “seemed a little dazed” and “a little freaked out”. What the two men discussed in their meeting that day, only they know.
But what became clear in the next three and a half years is that Obama remains something of an obsession for Trump; the subject of a political and personal inferiority complex.
Observers point to a mix of anti-intellectualism, racism, vengeance and primitive envy over everything from Obama’s Nobel peace prize to the scale of his inauguration crowd and social media following.
Ben Rhodes, a former Obama national security aide, tweeted this week: “Trump’s fact-free fixation on Obama dating back to birtherism is so absurd and stupid that it would be comic if it wasn’t so tragic.”
“Birtherism” was a conspiracy theory that Trump started pushing in 2011 (“He doesn’t have a birth certificate. He may have one but there is something on that birth certificate – maybe religion, maybe it says he’s a Muslim, I don’t know.”) . Nine years later, he has come full circle with “Obamagate”, which accuses his predecessor of working in league with the “deep state” to frame Trump for colluding with Russia to win the 2016 election.
There is zero evidence for this claim. Indeed, a case could be made that the supposed “deep state” did more to help Trump than hurt him when the FBI reopened an investigation into his opponent, Hillary Clinton, just before election day. When questioned by reporters, Trump himself has struggled to articulate what “Obamagate” means. Ned Price, a former CIA analyst, dubbed it “a hashtag in search of a scandal”.
But his allies in the Republican party and conservative media are stepping up to build a parallel universe where this is the big story and Obama is at the center of it. Sean Hannity, a host on Fox News, demanded: “What did Barack Obama know and when did he know it?” Over the past week, the channel’s primetime shows have devoted more coverage to the bogus crimes of “Barack Hussein Obama” than to the coronavirus pandemic – and Trump’s mishandling of it.
Trump has a problem where I think he’s just jealous of the fact that Obama is still so admired Tara Setmayer
Tara Setmayer, a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill, said: “Donald Trump always needs a foil. This riles up his base because they cling to anything that diverges responsibility for anything from Donald Trump over to someone else. And in this case Barack Obama is the boogeyman of the month.”
Beyond political expediency, there is a more profound antipathy at work. From the Iran nuclear deal to the Trans Pacific Partnership, from environmental regulations to the Affordable Care Act, Trump has always seemed to be on a mission to erase his predecessor’s legacy. With few deep convictions of his own, Trump found a negative reference point in Obama. Between 22 November 2010 and 14 May 2020, he tweeted about Obama 2,933 times, according to the Trump Twitter Archive.
U.S. President Barack Obama, right, speaks as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump listens during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. Photograph: Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images
There are a few reasons, argues Setmayer, host of the Honestly Speaking podcast. “First off, Donald Trump has a problem where I think he’s just jealous of the fact that President Obama is still so admired. Number two, I think he has a problem with people of color who are in authority that don’t do the kind of song and dance that he wants them to do.
“Barack Obama is not a ‘shuck and jive’ person of color, and those are the kinds of people that Donald Trump seems to be attracted to if you look at who he surrounds himself with as far as minorities are concerned.”
Third, Setmayer points to the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where Trump sat stony-faced and humiliated as Obama lampooned the Celebrity Apprentice host’s nascent political ambitions. Obama even pointed to a photoshopped image of a Trump White House with hotel, casino, golf course and gold columns.
“A lot of people think that this is where this all started,” Setmayer continued. “President Trump does not have a sense of humor, he’s not self-deprecating, and the White House correspondents’ dinner is a fun event where people make fun of each other, especially in politics.”
“This obsession, of course, is absolutely rooted in racism.
Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy group, said: “This obsession, of course, is absolutely rooted in racism. Some of the accusations have been deeply racialized, from the questioning of Obama’s intelligence to talking about how much basketball he plays to questioning his birthplace and citizenship.”
Trump has shredded many norms, including that of presidents maintaining a respectful contact with their predecessors. He has dismissed the idea of seeking Obama’s input during the coronavirus pandemic. For his part, Obama has carefully chosen his moments to condemn certain decisions or policies without mentioning Trump by name.
But tensions flared last week when a tape leaked of Obama on a private conference call with about 3,000 alumni of his administration, describing Trump’s leadership in the pandemic as “an absolute chaotic disaster”. He also warned a justice department move to drop charges against Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who admitted lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador during the presidential transition, indicates that “the rule of law is at risk”.
Trump and his wife Melania with Barack and Michelle Obama at the inauguration in January 2017. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images
Trump has described Flynn as a wronged “hero” and argued that Obama and his vice-president, Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for November’s election, should “pay a big price” for supposedly derailing the retired general’s career. Critics suggest that the president is seeking to weaponise the justice department for electoral gain.
Matthew Miller, a former director of the office of public affairs at the department, said: “In terms of any real action against Barack Obama, he obviously doesn’t have anything to worry about. But when you look at what’s happened at the justice department with the complete politicisation of that department, I think it’s quite possible that they’re going to be coming after people from the Obama administration, using the criminal justice process any way they can.”
The 2016 rally chants of “Lock her up!” might be replaced by “Lock him up!”
It would be one of the gravest consequences of Trump’s Obama obsession. Miller added: “There’s some racism there but, most of all, it’s driven by the fact that Obama has the thing that Trump has always craved but never achieved, and that’s respect. I’ve always thought that the respect that Barack Obama gets from people in this country and around the world is something that just eats Trump alive inside.”
Obama issued a tweet on Thursday that contained one word: “Vote.” He is expected to campaign vigorously for Biden, wooing voters who crave a return to what they saw as the dignity and stability of his era. But his presence is also likely to be inverted by Trump to rally his base with dark warnings that, like Clinton before him, Biden would effectively represent a third term of Obama. The 2016 rally chants of “Lock her up!” might be replaced by “Lock him up!”
The 2020 election could yet turn into a final showdown between Obama and Trump, even if only one of their names is on the ballot.
It will be a clash of opposites: one a mixed-race cerebral lawyer who has been married to the same woman for nearly three decades and publishes annual lists of his favorite books; the other a white billionaire and reality TV star who wed three times and measures success in TV ratings. Where one is renowned for elegant turns of phrase and shedding tears after mass shootings, the other serves up jumbled word salads and schoolboy spelling errors and has struggled to show empathy for the coronavirus dead.
Michael D’Antonio, a political commentator and author of The Truth About Trump, said: “There’s so much that separates them, it’s hard to imagine two presidents more different. It’s very obvious Trump is continually comparing himself with Obama in his own mind. Obama’s over his head, over his shoulder, always looming as the guy who could speak in paragraphs and juggle more than one thing at once and deal with them effectively.”


theguardian--2020-05-16--Steve Linick: State Department official investigating Pompeo is fired

The Trump administration has fired the state department ’ s inspector general who is reported to have been investigating the secretary of state , Mike Pompeo , for a potential abuse of office .
The inspector general , Steve Linick , was given notice of his dismissal late on Friday night and is to be replaced by Stephen Akard , a close ally of the vice-president , Mike Pence , from his home state of Indiana .
A state department spokesperson said that Akard , who has been running the office for foreign missions , would take over immediately as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic congressional aide , just before his abrupt dismissal Linick had opened an investigation into allegations that Pompeo had been using a political appointee at the state department to run personal errands for him and his wife , Susan .
Under US law the president is required to give 30 days ’ notice before firing an inspector general , to allow Congress to investigate the reasons for dismissal .
In recent months Congress has not used that month-long notice period to prevent the termination of other watchdog officials fired by the president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the House of Representatives , Trump said : “ It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General .
That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General.
” Linick is the latest in a string of officials in watchdog roles fired by the president in recent months , turning on its head the tradition that such jobs are filled with non-partisan figures .
Trump has demanded personal loyalty from officials working in the administration , especially those in an oversight role .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a president trying to protect one of his most loyal supporters , the secretary of state , from accountability , ” said Eliot Engel , the Democratic chair of the House foreign affairs committee .
“ I have learned that the Office of the Inspector General had opened an investigation into Secretary Pompeo .
Mr Linick ’ s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation.
” Linick is not the first inspector general to be fired late on a Friday night .
On 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community inspector general , Michael Atkinson , who had first deemed credible a whistleblower complaint expressing concern about Trump ’ s call last summer to his Ukrainian counterpart , Volodymyr Zelenskiy , which ultimately triggered impeachment proceedings against the president .
On 1 May Trump dismissed the principal deputy inspector general at the department of health and human services , Christi Grimm , who had published a report about shortage of medical supplies at hospitals around the country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic .
“ Let ’ s be clear : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing the jobs the law authorizes and requires IGs [ inspectors general ] to do , ” Michael Bromwich , former justice department inspector general , said in a tweet .
“ This will not end until Congress takes these retaliatory firings seriously .
The appointment of a crony of the VP further politicizes jobs that by statute are supposed to be non-partisan .
Another important norm defiled.
” In 2019 a state department whistleblower reportedly alleged that Pompeo had used his security detail to run chores like picking up food and picking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ salon .
Walter Shaub , former head of the US Office of Government Ethics , said : “ The assault on the IG is late-stage corruption , and Trump ’ s kicking down one of the last bulwarks that stand between us and the burgeoning corruption-driven authoritarianism.
” He added some advice to journalists : “ Cover it like you ’ re a foreign correspondent in a collapsing republic .
Because you are .
”

The Trump administration has fired the state department’s inspector general who is reported to have been investigating the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, for a potential abuse of office.
The inspector general, Steve Linick, was given notice of his dismissal late on Friday night and is to be replaced by Stephen Akard, a close ally of the vice-president, Mike Pence, from his home state of Indiana. A state department spokesperson said that Akard, who has been running the office for foreign missions, would take over immediately as acting inspector general.
According to a Democratic congressional aide, just before his abrupt dismissal Linick had opened an investigation into allegations that Pompeo had been using a political appointee at the state department to run personal errands for him and his wife, Susan.
Under US law the president is required to give 30 days’ notice before firing an inspector general, to allow Congress to investigate the reasons for dismissal. In recent months Congress has not used that month-long notice period to prevent the termination of other watchdog officials fired by the president.
In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Trump said: “It is vital that I have the fullest confidence in the appointees serving as Inspectors General. That is no longer the case with regard to this Inspector General.”
Linick is the latest in a string of officials in watchdog roles fired by the president in recent months, turning on its head the tradition that such jobs are filled with non-partisan figures. Trump has demanded personal loyalty from officials working in the administration, especially those in an oversight role.
“This firing is the outrageous act of a president trying to protect one of his most loyal supporters, the secretary of state, from accountability,” said Eliot Engel, the Democratic chair of the House foreign affairs committee. “I have learned that the Office of the Inspector General had opened an investigation into Secretary Pompeo. Mr Linick’s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation.”
Linick is not the first inspector general to be fired late on a Friday night. On 3 April this year Trump dismissed the intelligence community inspector general, Michael Atkinson, who had first deemed credible a whistleblower complaint expressing concern about Trump’s call last summer to his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which ultimately triggered impeachment proceedings against the president.
On 1 May Trump dismissed the principal deputy inspector general at the department of health and human services, Christi Grimm, who had published a report about shortage of medical supplies at hospitals around the country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Let’s be clear: all of these moves are punishment for doing the jobs the law authorizes and requires IGs [inspectors general] to do,” Michael Bromwich, former justice department inspector general, said in a tweet.
“This will not end until Congress takes these retaliatory firings seriously. The appointment of a crony of the VP further politicizes jobs that by statute are supposed to be non-partisan. Another important norm defiled.”
In 2019 a state department whistleblower reportedly alleged that Pompeo had used his security detail to run chores like picking up food and picking up the family dog from the grooming salon.
Walter Shaub, former head of the US Office of Government Ethics, said: “The assault on the IG is late-stage corruption, and Trump’s kicking down one of the last bulwarks that stand between us and the burgeoning corruption-driven authoritarianism.” He added some advice to journalists: “Cover it like you’re a foreign correspondent in a collapsing republic. Because you are.”


theguardian--2020-05-16--The US Senate voted to let Trump spy on your search history. But all is not lost | Trevor Timm

In a shameful vote this week as part of an extension of the dreaded and controversial Patriot Act , the Senate handed William Barr and the Trump administration the ability to spy on Americans ’ web browsing and internet search histories without a warrant .
The vote on a bipartisan amendment to protect this information from government surveillance sparked immediate outrage online – and deservedly so .
Our web browsing and search histories contain the most intimate personal information .
Any administration – let alone the draconian Trump justice department – should be required to comply with the fourth amendment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the amendment failed to pass the 60-vote threshold by exactly one vote , 59-37 , with two Democratic caucus members , including Bernie Sanders , failing to show up .
“ As far as I can tell we lost because there were some people absent , ” Ron Wyden , who co-sponsored the bill with Republication senator Steve Daines , told Politico .
Even worse , 10 Democrats – including Dianne Feinstein , Sheldon Whitehouse and Mark Warner – sided with Mitch McConnell and the Trump administration and voted against the provision .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to privacy and civil liberties issues some Democrats have consistently sided with the Trump administration , despite portraying the president as lawless and unaccountable on a variety of subjects .
It never ceases to be infuriating .
But lost in the mix of this damaging loss for privacy , and perhaps even because of it , was some very good news .
A second privacy-focused amendment to the Patriot Act – one that garnered far less coverage but is potentially even more substantive – did pass overwhelmingly on Wednesday night .
Because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fit into a headline , it received a fraction of the attention .
But it may be because the vote on web browsing histories sparked immediate outrage on Twitter , politicians from both parties felt the need to accept it .
The amendment , known as the Leahy-Lee amendment – named after its bipartisan co-sponsors Patrick Leahy and Mike Lee – reforms the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance ( Fisa ) court in a significant way .
The Fisa court , which authorizes national security and foreign intelligence surveillance on US soil , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s attention during the Snowden disclosures .
The court , for decades , would listen to the government ’ s side of an argument for new surveillance powers in complete secrecy , and almost never heard from the civil liberties perspective .
The court was known to rubber-stamp virtually anything the FBI or NSA asked for .
This one-sided system , as the New York Times reported at the time , carved out classified exceptions to the fourth amendment and “ created a secret body of law giving the National Security Agency the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Americans ” without the public knowing about it .
After the Snowden disclosures , Congress was forced to create an amicus curiae – or “ friend of the court ” – position , which at very limited times and at the court ’ s discretion , would be allowed to resist the government ’ s arguments .
Even though the position was extremely restricted , over the past several years , it has been shown to work on the few occasions it ’ s been used .
The Leahy-Lee amendment significantly strengthens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s civil liberties representative much more latitude to access classified information and broadens their ability to weigh in on virtually all cases that may infringe upon the civil liberties of Americans .
And here ’ s where it gets interesting .
The House passed a different version of a Patriot Act extension back in March , so now the Senate ’ s version has to go back to the House , so the bills can match up .
It gives privacy advocates another opportunity to get through even more robust changes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search data .
This issue is not the same partisan fight that we have become so accustomed to in Washington .
Instead of a Republican-Democrat split , like so many issues in recent years , the fight over privacy and the Patriot Act has pitted a bipartisan left-right coalition against the moderate , pro-national security state establishment of both parties .
Many Republicans crossed the line to vote with the majority of Democrats , while 10 Democrats sided with Barr and the Trump administration to hand them this power .
While it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protect online privacy as it has become this generation ’ s seminal issue , the fight is not over .
Especially if representatives hear loud and clear how much this issue means to Americans .
• None Trevor Timm is executive director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation

In a shameful vote this week as part of an extension of the dreaded and controversial Patriot Act, the Senate handed William Barr and the Trump administration the ability to spy on Americans’ web browsing and internet search histories without a warrant.
The vote on a bipartisan amendment to protect this information from government surveillance sparked immediate outrage online – and deservedly so. Our web browsing and search histories contain the most intimate personal information. Any administration – let alone the draconian Trump justice department – should be required to comply with the fourth amendment before trawling through it.
Depressingly, the amendment failed to pass the 60-vote threshold by exactly one vote, 59-37, with two Democratic caucus members, including Bernie Sanders, failing to show up. “As far as I can tell we lost because there were some people absent,” Ron Wyden, who co-sponsored the bill with Republication senator Steve Daines, told Politico.
Even worse, 10 Democrats – including Dianne Feinstein, Sheldon Whitehouse and Mark Warner – sided with Mitch McConnell and the Trump administration and voted against the provision. Time and again, when it comes to privacy and civil liberties issues some Democrats have consistently sided with the Trump administration, despite portraying the president as lawless and unaccountable on a variety of subjects. It never ceases to be infuriating.
But lost in the mix of this damaging loss for privacy, and perhaps even because of it, was some very good news. A second privacy-focused amendment to the Patriot Act – one that garnered far less coverage but is potentially even more substantive – did pass overwhelmingly on Wednesday night. Because the substance of the amendment was much harder to fit into a headline, it received a fraction of the attention. But it may be because the vote on web browsing histories sparked immediate outrage on Twitter, politicians from both parties felt the need to accept it.
The amendment, known as the Leahy-Lee amendment – named after its bipartisan co-sponsors Patrick Leahy and Mike Lee – reforms the secretive foreign intelligence surveillance (Fisa) court in a significant way. The Fisa court, which authorizes national security and foreign intelligence surveillance on US soil, first came to the general public’s attention during the Snowden disclosures.
The court, for decades, would listen to the government’s side of an argument for new surveillance powers in complete secrecy, and almost never heard from the civil liberties perspective. The court was known to rubber-stamp virtually anything the FBI or NSA asked for. This one-sided system, as the New York Times reported at the time, carved out classified exceptions to the fourth amendment and “created a secret body of law giving the National Security Agency the power to amass vast collections of data on Americans” without the public knowing about it.
After the Snowden disclosures, Congress was forced to create an amicus curiae – or “friend of the court” – position, which at very limited times and at the court’s discretion, would be allowed to resist the government’s arguments. Even though the position was extremely restricted, over the past several years, it has been shown to work on the few occasions it’s been used.
The Leahy-Lee amendment significantly strengthens the amicus position, giving the court’s civil liberties representative much more latitude to access classified information and broadens their ability to weigh in on virtually all cases that may infringe upon the civil liberties of Americans.
And here’s where it gets interesting. The House passed a different version of a Patriot Act extension back in March, so now the Senate’s version has to go back to the House, so the bills can match up. It gives privacy advocates another opportunity to get through even more robust changes, like the Wyden amendment protecting our Google search data.
This issue is not the same partisan fight that we have become so accustomed to in Washington. Instead of a Republican-Democrat split, like so many issues in recent years, the fight over privacy and the Patriot Act has pitted a bipartisan left-right coalition against the moderate, pro-national security state establishment of both parties. Many Republicans crossed the line to vote with the majority of Democrats, while 10 Democrats sided with Barr and the Trump administration to hand them this power.
While it’s incredibly depressing Congress has failed to protect online privacy as it has become this generation’s seminal issue, the fight is not over. Especially if representatives hear loud and clear how much this issue means to Americans.


theguardian--2020-05-16--Coronavirus US live: Obama criticizes Trump in virtual graduation speech – as it happened

Barack Obama delivered a rare rebuke of a sitting president from one of his predecessors on Saturday when he criticized the Trump administration ’ s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during an online commencement address to graduates of 78 historically black colleges and universities .
A just-published story from my colleague Jessica Glenza has further details .
“ Let ’ s be honest , a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country , ” Obama said .
“ We see it in the disproportionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As he continued , Obama criticized federal response efforts to the pandemic : “ More than anything , this pandemic has fully , finally torn back the curtain that so many of the folks in charge know what they ’ re doing .
A lot of them aren ’ t even pretending to be in charge , ” he said .
The speech was the first of two addresses Obama was due to give on Saturday .
He is also scheduled to take part in a prime time special for high-school graduates that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major TV networks .

Bryan Armen Graham (now), Tom Lutz  and Joanna Walters (earlier)

16 May 2020 23.19 BST Barack Obama delivered a rare rebuke of a sitting president from one of his predecessors on Saturday when he criticized the Trump administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during an online commencement address to graduates of 78 historically black colleges and universities. A just-published story from my colleague Jessica Glenza has further details. “Let’s be honest, a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country,” Obama said. “We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities.” As he continued, Obama criticized federal response efforts to the pandemic: “More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge,” he said. The speech was the first of two addresses Obama was due to give on Saturday. He is also scheduled to take part in a prime time special for high-school graduates that starts at 8pm Eastern on all the major TV networks. Barack Obama attacks Trump administration's response to coronavirus pandemic Read more
16 May 2020 23.00 BST The White House says Donald Trump’s latest firing of a federal watchdog came following a recommendation by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo. “Secretary Pompeo recommended the move, and President Trump agreed,” an administration official said on Saturday after two top Democrats announced a probe into Trump’s dismissal of Steve Linick, the state department’s inspector general, on Friday night. New York representative Eliot Engel and New Jersey senator Bob Menendez said the decision “may be an illegal act of retaliation” in letters to the White House, the state department and the inspector general’s office announcing the investigation, asking that administration officials provide all records related to the firing to the committees by Friday, according to the AP.
16 May 2020 22.14 BST The results of more than 35,000 Covid-19 tests ordered by a Florida-based health care system and performed by a third-party lab are unreliable, the company said Saturday. The Associated Press reports: According to AdventHealth, a faith-based health care system, the situation has created unacceptable delays. AdventHealth didnt name the third-party lab but said it had terminated its contract with the lab. The tests were a mixture of positive and negative results, and some had been at the lab for a while. About 25,000 of the unreliable tests were in the central Florida area. AdventHealth president and CEO Terry Shaw said the company will notify patients who are impacted. AdventHealth has 49 hospitals in nine states. Company spokeswoman Melanie Lawhorn said two of those states are joint venture systems and were not affected by the unreliable testing. On Saturday, Florida’s department of health reported more than 600 new coronavirus cases in the past 24-hour period, lifting the overall count to 44,811. A total of 1,964 people have died from the virus, up 47 from Friday.
16 May 2020 21.03 BST Barack Obama criticizes Trump administration's coronavirus crisis response Jessica Glenza At an online “virtual” commencement ceremony for Historically Black College and Universities this afternoon, the former US president, Barack Obama, told graduates moments ago about his successor administration’s actions on the pandemic: More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge.” The takedown of the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic is a rare rebuke from a former president. It follows Obama’s leaked remarks last week that the government response to Covid-19 had been “an absolute chaotic disaster”. But Saturday’s remarks were made openly to likely thousands of graduating students tuned in online.
Updated at 21.10 BST
16 May 2020 20.15 BST While a majority of North American thoroughbred tracks have been shuttered during the pandemic, Churchill Downs and Santa Anita Park resumed live racing on Saturday in what the Associated Press says could be a lifeline for owners and trainers with smaller barns who have been suffering without steady income. Ready to start the 2020 Spring Meet @ChurchillDowns pic.twitter.com/gP3ci677hI — Churchill Downs PR (@DerbyMedia) May 16, 2020 “We’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully,” Maryland-based owner and trainer Linda Gaudet said from Kentucky, where she’s preparing for racing to return Saturday at Churchill Downs. “The owners and the trainers and the riders, they need to get back to work, make a living.” A mix of government restrictions and positive Covid-19 results stopped racing in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, California and elsewhere in March, and Gaudet said “it’s been a long two months.” Racing without fans continued only at a handful of tracks, including Florida’s Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs and Arkansas’ Oaklawn Park. Trainer Norm Casse recently said from Florida that as long as some tracks are running, he’s able to keep his operation going. “I don’t think there’s probably an industry in the country that’s not affected by this in some way, shape or form,” Norm Casse said. “You take comfort in the fact that you know you’re not alone, that everybody’s going to be making sacrifices. Everybody probably stands to lose a little something from all of this and just be grateful to be in the position we were in to begin with.” Some are in better position than others. Deep-pocketed owners and big-time trainers like two-time Triple Crown winner Bob Baffert can handle the reduction in racing. It’s more concerning for the small businesses throughout the industry, from owners and trainers to jockeys, grooms and other employees. “Those businesses don’t have the financial flexibility, perhaps the cash reserves, to weather this storm for longer than a month or two,” National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Alex Waldrop said. “If this extends past May into June or July, you’re going to see attrition. You’re going to see people who aren’t going to be able to remain viable business operations.”
16 May 2020 19.54 BST Congressmen announces examination of watchdog firing by Trump Representative Eliot Engel of New York, a Democrat and the chairman of the House foreign affairs committee (as well as a leading figure in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump at the start of the year), announced that the committee would be probing the firing last night of the State Department inspector general, Steve Linick. Today I launched an investigation into President Trump’s firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. @SenatorMenendez and I requested that administration officials preserve all records related to the firing & turn info over to the committees by Friday, May 22. pic.twitter.com/vUtHhgjERG — Eliot Engel (@RepEliotEngel) May 16, 2020 In a statement, Engel said: “This firing is the outrageous act of a president trying to protect one of his most loyal supporters, the Secretary of State, from accountability. I have learned that the Office of the Inspector General had opened an investigation into Secretary Pompeo. Mr. Linick’s firing amid such a probe strongly suggests that this is an unlawful act of retaliation. “This president believes he is above the law. As he systematically removes the official independent watchdogs from the Executive Branch, the work of the Committee on Foreign Affairs becomes that much more critical. In the days ahead, I will be looking into this matter in greater detail, and I will press the State Department for answers. “I thank Mr. Linick for his distinguished service.”
16 May 2020 19.41 BST Investigation into watchdog firing - report The US House foreign relations committee has just announced an investigation into the firing last night of Donald Trump’s inspector general at the State Department, Reuters reports. Steve Linick was ousted last night as the department’s internal watchdog. He had been reportedly looking into the actions of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. According to a Democratic congressional aide, just before his abrupt dismissal Linick had opened an investigation into allegations that Pompeo had been using a political appointee at the state department to run personal errands for him and his wife, Susan. More details as they emerge. Steve Linick: State Department official investigating Pompeo is fired Read more
Updated at 19.42 BST


theguardian--2020-05-16--Barack Obama attacks Trump administration's response to coronavirus pandemic

Barack Obama attacked the Trump administration ’ s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during a speech on Saturday .
The comments are a rare rebuke of a sitting president from one of his predecessors , and come in the midst of a pandemic that has had devastating and disproportionate effects on communities of color in the United States .
“ Let ’ s be honest , a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country , ” said Obama , during an online commencement address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ universities ( HBCUs ) .
“ We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities.
” As he continued , Obama criticized federal response efforts to the coronavirus crisis : “ More than anything , this pandemic has fully , finally torn back the curtain that so many of the folks in charge know what they ’ re doing .
A lot of them aren ’ t even pretending to be in charge , ” he said .
The former president ’ s comments come amid dual crises – one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the US , and another born by the economic impacts of attempts to contain the virus through lockdowns .
So far , there have been 1.4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US , and 88,000 people have died from the virus .
Those crises , as well as the high-profile killings of black people by police , loomed large in the virtual event , itself necessitated by the shutdown of large gatherings to stem the spread of the disease .
“ These aren ’ t normal times .
You ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession , ” said Obama .
He added that the injustices faced by African Americans are not new , and described the recent high-profile killing of Ahmaud Arbery , an unarmed black jogger who was shot and killed after being pursued in broad daylight by a white former police officer and his son through a neighborhood in Georgia .
“ We see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t submit to their questioning , ” said Obama .
He went on to use the circumstances of the online graduation as a rallying cry for new graduates : “ If the world ’ s going to get better , it ’ s going to be up to you.
” Although Obama has largely avoided criticizing Trump ’ s performance in office , in a call leaked last week the former president described the US government ’ s coronavirus response as , “ an absolute chaotic disaster , ” and questioned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to drop charges against former national security advisor Michael Flynn could endanger the “ rule of law ” in the United States .
The remarks prompted the US Senate majority leader , Mitch McConnell , to tell the former president to “ keep his mouth shut ” .
The week also saw the emergence of # Obamagate , which one former CIA analyst described as , “ a hashtag in search of a scandal ” .
Obama ’ s remarks were preceded by speeches and performances by musicians , actors and entertainers such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Doug E Fresh , Wyclef Jean , Common , Kevin Hart , Wendy Raquel Robinson and Vivica A Fox .
Messages to graduates tuning in online because they could not hold traditional celebrations on campus were shot through with acknowledgements of America ’ s history of racial segregation .
This , speakers said , made the universities essential , while noting the perseverance required to spend a final semester largely online , and the bittersweetness of the moment itself .
“ This is obviously not the way you wanted to graduate , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , coach of the NBA ’ s Los Angeles Clippers , “ But you know what else we know ?
You ’ re going to make us all proud.
” Graduates , speakers said , would be sent out into an “ uncertain world , ” but one they had a chance to improve upon .
“ As graduates , you now join the ranks of national and world leaders , influencers , ” said Senator Kamala Harris of California .
“ I know this is a trying time , but please do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dampen your ambitions , your hopes or your dreams , because your country needs you , ” said Harris .
She attended the HBCU Howard , recently ran for the Democratic nomination and is a contender to become Joe Biden ’ s running mate in the 2020 election .
Obama attended Columbia and Harvard Law .
He was due to join other luminaries on Saturday evening in a virtual speech to graduating US high schoolers .

Barack Obama has attacked the Trump administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic during speeches to graduating students.
The comments on Saturday were a rare rebuke of a sitting president from one of his predecessors, and come in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 88,000 people in the United States, a death toll far higher than any other country, and had devastating and disproportionate effects on communities of color.
“More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge,” Obama said during an online commencement address to graduates of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) on Saturday.
“Doing what feels good, what’s convenient, what’s easy — that’s how little kids think,” he said in a second virtual speech on Saturday evening for graduating US high school students. “Unfortunately, a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way — which is why things are so screwed up.
“I hope that instead, you decide to ground yourself in values that last, like honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others.”
In an interview with ABC news, Peter Navarro, a top economic adviser to the president, said he was “glad Mr Obama has a new job as Joe Biden’s press secretary”. Biden, Obama’s former vice president, is running against Trump for president.
The former president’s comments came amid dual crises – one a pandemic disproportionately sickening people of color in the US, and another born by the economic impacts of attempts to contain the virus through lockdowns. So far, there have been 1.4 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US.
“Let’s be honest, a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that black communities have historically had to deal with in this country,” said Obama in the HBCU speech. “We see it in the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on our communities.”
Those crises, as well as the high-profile killings of black people by police, loomed large in the virtual event, itself necessitated by the shutdown of large gatherings to stem the spread of the disease.
“These aren’t normal times. You’re being asked to find your way in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession,” said Obama.
He added that the injustices faced by African Americans are not new, and described the recent high-profile killing of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black jogger who was shot and killed after being pursued in broad daylight by a white former police officer and his son through a neighborhood in Georgia.
“We see it when a black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him, if he doesn’t submit to their questioning,” said Obama.
Congrats to the high school Class of 2020, as well as to the teachers, coaches, and most of all, parents and family who’ve guided you along the way. Thanks for letting me be part of your big day! pic.twitter.com/RjYvHs2BhC — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 17, 2020
He went on to use the circumstances of the online graduation as a rallying cry for new graduates: “If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you.”
Although Obama has largely avoided criticizing Trump’s performance in office, in a call leaked last week the former president described the US government’s coronavirus response as, “an absolute chaotic disaster,” and questioned whether the justice department’s decision to drop charges against former national security advisor Michael Flynn could endanger the “rule of law” in the United States.
The remarks prompted the US Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to tell the former president to “keep his mouth shut”. The week also saw the emergence of #Obamagate, a conspiracy theory pushed by the president that accuses Obama of attempting to frame Trump for colluding with Russia to win the 2016 election. One former CIA analyst described as “a hashtag in search of a scandal”.
Obama’s remarks were preceded by speeches and performances by musicians, actors and entertainers such as Steve Harvey, Anthony Hamilton, Doug E Fresh, Wyclef Jean, Common, Kevin Hart, Wendy Raquel Robinson and Vivica A Fox.
Messages to graduates tuning in online because they could not hold traditional celebrations on campus were shot through with acknowledgements of America’s history of racial segregation.
This, speakers said, made the universities essential, while noting the perseverance required to spend a final semester largely online, and the bittersweetness of the moment itself.
“This is obviously not the way you wanted to graduate, we get that,” said Doc Rivers, coach of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, “But you know what else we know? You’re going to make us all proud.”
Graduates, speakers said, would be sent out into an “uncertain world,” but one they had a chance to improve upon.
“As graduates, you now join the ranks of national and world leaders, influencers,” said Senator Kamala Harris of California.
“I know this is a trying time, but please do not let the moment of this crisis dampen your ambitions, your hopes or your dreams, because your country needs you,” said Harris. She attended the HBCU Howard, recently ran for the Democratic nomination and is a contender to become Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election.


theguardian--2020-05-16--Swing states become partisan battlegrounds in America's fight against Covid-19

They were the battleground states that handed the White House keys to Donald Trump by a whisker .
Now they are the battleground states of the coronavirus pandemic , microcosms of a crisis that , far from bringing America together , threatens to tear it apart .
Michigan , Pennsylvania and Wisconsin formed the blue wall that crumbled in 2016 as Hillary Clinton lost them by a combined total of fewer than 80,000 votes ( 0.06 % of 137m votes cast ) .
Each is led by a Democratic governor whose lockdown orders , while mitigating the spread of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s race with Joe Biden in 2020 .
“ We have to get your governor of Pennsylvania to start opening up a little bit , ” Trump told workers at a medical supply distribution hub in Allentown this week .
“ You have areas of Pennsylvania that are barely affected , and they want to keep them closed .
Can ’ t do that.
” On Friday , hundreds of demonstrators descended on Pennsylvania ’ s state capitol in Harrisburg to protest the stay-at-home order from Governor Tom Wolf .
Pennsylvania ranks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capita , according to a Reuters tally .
In Wisconsin , meanwhile , the state supreme court ’ s conservative majority this week struck down a stay-at-home order extension issued by Governor Tony Evers .
“ We ’ re the Wild West , ” he said despairingly .
Trump was quick to describe it as a “ win ” over the “ Democrat Governor ” , tweeting : “ The people want to get on with their lives .
The place is bustling !
” Indeed , photos of crowded bars quickly appeared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s lead , on Friday Republicans who control the state legislature in Michigan urged a judge to strike down stay-at-home orders and restrictions on businesses imposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer .
Republicans complain that her approach is overly cautious , particularly in areas that have not been hit as hard with the virus as the Detroit area , which has two thirds of the state ’ s cases .
Armed protesters , some with Confederate flags and Trump regalia , have gathered at the Michigan state capitol in Lansing over the past three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was cancelled to avoid a repeat of a recent incident in which gun-toting demonstrators crowded inside the building .
Clinton tweeted : “ Armed men storming a legislature to disrupt its democratic proceedings is domestic terrorism .
It can not be tolerated.
” A man was charged with terrorism , accused of death threats against Whitmer .
The protesters have been endorsed by Trump , who at one point tweeted “ Liberate Michigan ” , guaranteeing outsized media exposure despite polls showing a majority in favour of restrictions on businesses , schools and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Neil Sroka , a city council member in Grosse Pointe Farms , Michigan , said : “ Frankly , the right wing agitators that were trying to pull a stunt with these protests really put their foot in their mouth by having folks marching around with weapons .
“ Everyone is frustrated at being cooped up in their house , and certainly the weather here in Michigan hasn ’ t helped , but those folks that were protesting in the capitol do not reflect the views of anywhere close to a majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in general.
” Sroka , who is also spokesperson for the progressive group Democracy for America , said partisan divisions over the issue are beginning to emerge , though they remain relatively modest .
But he was “ shocked ” by this week ’ s events across Lake Michigan in Wisconsin .
“ Experiencing the deaths that we have here in the Detroit area and then seeing pictures from people crowding into bars over the last couple of days is just horrifying , ” he continued .
“ You can ’ t be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not feel the aura of death .
Seeing the crowds in a place like Wisconsin just hours after the ban was lifted , there is a real disjointedness and a sense that parts of America may not understand what it ’ s like to be living through this.
” Wisconsin had already stunned observers last month when Evers was again overruled by Republicans who forced a primary election to go ahead , leaving people in face masks to line up for hours to cast ballots .
Critics described it as a chilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but guarantees Republicans a legislative majority .
Ed Fallone , a Marquette University Law School professor who unsuccessfully ran for the Wisconsin supreme court as a Democrat , said : “ We ’ ve had two Wisconsin supreme court decisions that undermine the Democratic governor ’ s authority and now it ’ s fully expected that even local jurisdictions that have in place countywide or citywide stay-at-home orders will have litigation brought against them .
It ’ s pretty much Democrat versus Republican , top-to-bottom.
” Reports suggest that the pandemic has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and culture wars .
Many protesters , taking their lead from Trump , refuse to wear face masks or maintain physical distance .
“ Science is no match for tribalism in this dysfunctional country , ” wrote Frank Bruni , a New York Times columnist .
“ And protective masks , God help us , are tribal totems.
” Fallone has seen evidence of the trend in Wisconsin .
“ I ’ m on various political Facebook groups throughout Wisconsin and you can see on social media the difference between people who react @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t wearing face masks and who are upset about it , and then other folks who are mocking anyone who tries to social distance , ” he said .
“ It ’ s become very political .
People take their cues from their leaders and so , on the Republican side , people are taking their cues from the Trump administration and the state Republican party leaders who are consistently talking about freedom and liberty and go where you want , do what you want .
And on the Democrat side , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s recommendations and engage in social distancing and wear face masks.
” Confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan crossed 50,000 while Covid-19 deaths rose slightly to 4,825 , the state health department said on Friday .
More than 11,000 cases had been identified in Wisconsin as of Thursday night , according to a New York Times database , and at least 434 people had died .
More than 63,000 cases had been identified in Pennsylvania as of Thursday night , along with about 4,300 deaths , the Times reported .
Just as in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national trends into sharp focus .
Democratic governors across the country have generally urged caution , particularly in major cities , citing concerns for public health from a virus that has killed more than 85,000 people in the US – more than any other country in the world .
But Republican governors have tended to err on the side of reopening faster , alarmed that more than 36m Americans have submitted unemployment claims since mid-March and retail sales dipped 16.4 % last month .
Southern states such as Georgia and Texas were among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reopen .
“ Vaccine or no vaccine , we ’ re back , ” Trump said in the White House rose garden on Friday while announcing a major US drive to create a coronavirus vaccine .
Polls show Biden beating Trump in battleground states but Wendy Schiller , a political science professor at Brown University in Providence , Rhode Island , warns that he still faces political traps .
“ The fundamental problem for the Democratic party is that in order to defeat Trump , they almost have to cheerlead for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheerlead for new [ coronavirus ] hotspots in swing states .
It sounds gruesome , but really that ’ s so far what they ’ re banking on to beat Trump .
“ And in this case , Trump is absolutely smarter than that and what he is offering , not only his base but voters in swing states , is hope .
It ’ d actually be reminiscent , in a much less articulate way , of Ronald Reagan .
He ’ s basically saying , ‘ I got you to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get you back to the promised land economically again ’ .
Schiller added : “ Trump will run on a message of hope from now until November , and he ’ ll basically dare the Democrats to prove him wrong .
And then he ’ ll say , ‘ You don ’ t believe in America .
You ’ re betting against America.
’ “ It ’ s a very interesting corner that he ’ s boxing the Democrats into and I think they ’ re hoping that people realise that the mismanagement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like tariffs against China and supply chains undermine Trump , but those are very sophisticated arguments to make .
When the Democrats have to make sophisticated arguments , the Democrats lose .
The good news for the Democrats , the only saving grace , is that Joe Biden can speak swing state language .
”

They were the battleground states that handed the White House keys to Donald Trump by a whisker. Now they are the battleground states of the coronavirus pandemic, microcosms of a crisis that, far from bringing America together, threatens to tear it apart.
Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin formed the blue wall that crumbled in 2016 as Hillary Clinton lost them by a combined total of fewer than 80,000 votes (0.06% of 137m votes cast). Each is led by a Democratic governor whose lockdown orders, while mitigating the spread of the virus, could shape the US president’s race with Joe Biden in 2020.
“We have to get your governor of Pennsylvania to start opening up a little bit,” Trump told workers at a medical supply distribution hub in Allentown this week. “You have areas of Pennsylvania that are barely affected, and they want to keep them closed. Can’t do that.”
On Friday, hundreds of demonstrators descended on Pennsylvania’s state capitol in Harrisburg to protest the stay-at-home order from Governor Tom Wolf. Pennsylvania ranks 12th among states in Covid-19 cases per capita, according to a Reuters tally.
In Wisconsin, meanwhile, the state supreme court’s conservative majority this week struck down a stay-at-home order extension issued by Governor Tony Evers. “We’re the Wild West,” he said despairingly. Trump was quick to describe it as a “win” over the “Democrat Governor”, tweeting: “The people want to get on with their lives. The place is bustling!” Indeed, photos of crowded bars quickly appeared on social media.
Following Wisconsin’s lead, on Friday Republicans who control the state legislature in Michigan urged a judge to strike down stay-at-home orders and restrictions on businesses imposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Republicans complain that her approach is overly cautious, particularly in areas that have not been hit as hard with the virus as the Detroit area, which has two thirds of the state’s cases.
Armed protesters, some with Confederate flags and Trump regalia, have gathered at the Michigan state capitol in Lansing over the past three weeks. On Thursday a legislative session was cancelled to avoid a repeat of a recent incident in which gun-toting demonstrators crowded inside the building.
Clinton tweeted: “Armed men storming a legislature to disrupt its democratic proceedings is domestic terrorism. It cannot be tolerated.” A man was charged with terrorism, accused of death threats against Whitmer.
The protesters have been endorsed by Trump, who at one point tweeted “Liberate Michigan”, guaranteeing outsized media exposure despite polls showing a majority in favour of restrictions on businesses, schools and social gatherings, despite mass job losses.
Neil Sroka, a city council member in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, said: “Frankly, the right wing agitators that were trying to pull a stunt with these protests really put their foot in their mouth by having folks marching around with weapons.
“Everyone is frustrated at being cooped up in their house, and certainly the weather here in Michigan hasn’t helped, but those folks that were protesting in the capitol do not reflect the views of anywhere close to a majority of people in my community and Michiganders in general.”
Sroka, who is also spokesperson for the progressive group Democracy for America, said partisan divisions over the issue are beginning to emerge, though they remain relatively modest. But he was “shocked” by this week’s events across Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.
“Experiencing the deaths that we have here in the Detroit area and then seeing pictures from people crowding into bars over the last couple of days is just horrifying,” he continued. “You can’t be here in Wayne County, Michigan, and not feel the aura of death. Seeing the crowds in a place like Wisconsin just hours after the ban was lifted, there is a real disjointedness and a sense that parts of America may not understand what it’s like to be living through this.”
Wisconsin had already stunned observers last month when Evers was again overruled by Republicans who forced a primary election to go ahead, leaving people in face masks to line up for hours to cast ballots. Critics described it as a chilling consequence of aggressive gerrymandering, which all but guarantees Republicans a legislative majority.
Ed Fallone, a Marquette University Law School professor who unsuccessfully ran for the Wisconsin supreme court as a Democrat, said: “We’ve had two Wisconsin supreme court decisions that undermine the Democratic governor’s authority and now it’s fully expected that even local jurisdictions that have in place countywide or citywide stay-at-home orders will have litigation brought against them. It’s pretty much Democrat versus Republican, top-to-bottom.”
Reports suggest that the pandemic has been sucked into America’s political polarisation and culture wars.
Many protesters, taking their lead from Trump, refuse to wear face masks or maintain physical distance. “Science is no match for tribalism in this dysfunctional country,” wrote Frank Bruni, a New York Times columnist. “And protective masks, God help us, are tribal totems.”
Fallone has seen evidence of the trend in Wisconsin. “I’m on various political Facebook groups throughout Wisconsin and you can see on social media the difference between people who react when they run into folks who aren’t wearing face masks and who are upset about it, and then other folks who are mocking anyone who tries to social distance,” he said.
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has been a target of protestors’ anger. Photograph: AP
“It’s become very political. People take their cues from their leaders and so, on the Republican side, people are taking their cues from the Trump administration and the state Republican party leaders who are consistently talking about freedom and liberty and go where you want, do what you want. And on the Democrat side, people are trying to follow the governor’s recommendations and engage in social distancing and wear face masks.”
Confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan crossed 50,000 while Covid-19 deaths rose slightly to 4,825, the state health department said on Friday. More than 11,000 cases had been identified in Wisconsin as of Thursday night, according to a New York Times database, and at least 434 people had died. More than 63,000 cases had been identified in Pennsylvania as of Thursday night, along with about 4,300 deaths, the Times reported.
Just as in the 2016, the swing states bring national trends into sharp focus. Democratic governors across the country have generally urged caution, particularly in major cities, citing concerns for public health from a virus that has killed more than 85,000 people in the US – more than any other country in the world.
But Republican governors have tended to err on the side of reopening faster, alarmed that more than 36m Americans have submitted unemployment claims since mid-March and retail sales dipped 16.4% last month. Southern states such as Georgia and Texas were among the first to allow shops and businesses to reopen.
“Vaccine or no vaccine, we’re back,” Trump said in the White House rose garden on Friday while announcing a major US drive to create a coronavirus vaccine.
Polls show Biden beating Trump in battleground states but Wendy Schiller, a political science professor at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, warns that he still faces political traps.
“The fundamental problem for the Democratic party is that in order to defeat Trump, they almost have to cheerlead for a bad economy and they also have to cheerlead for new [coronavirus] hotspots in swing states. It sounds gruesome, but really that’s so far what they’re banking on to beat Trump.
“And in this case, Trump is absolutely smarter than that and what he is offering, not only his base but voters in swing states, is hope. It’d actually be reminiscent, in a much less articulate way, of Ronald Reagan. He’s basically saying, ‘I got you to the promised land economically once, I will get you back to the promised land economically again’.
Schiller added: “Trump will run on a message of hope from now until November, and he’ll basically dare the Democrats to prove him wrong. And then he’ll say, ‘You don’t believe in America. You’re betting against America.’
“It’s a very interesting corner that he’s boxing the Democrats into and I think they’re hoping that people realise that the mismanagement of messaging on Covid and additional things like tariffs against China and supply chains undermine Trump, but those are very sophisticated arguments to make. When the Democrats have to make sophisticated arguments, the Democrats lose. The good news for the Democrats, the only saving grace, is that Joe Biden can speak swing state language.”


theguardian--2020-05-16--Covid-19 hurts the most vulnerable – but so does lockdown. We need more nuanced debate | Joshua Craz

Covid-19 hurts the most vulnerable – but so does lockdown. We need more nuanced debate | Joshua Craze and Carlo Invernizzi-Accetti

The argument over lockdown seems to have crystallized into a simple – and simplistic – binary : health versus the economy .
If you position yourself on the left , you value health over money , and so support the lockdown .
That ’ s a mistake .
The “ health versus the economy ” frame ignores how disastrous the lockdown has been to America ’ s poor .
Despite rhetoric about “ shared sacrifice ” , the ability to self-isolate is overwhelmingly correlated to income .
While middle-class professionals congratulate themselves for staying inside , their isolation is dependent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ labor without essential equipment or while ill. Making matters worse , these exposed workers also tend to have more of the health conditions – including hypertension and diabetes – that make Covid-19 so deadly .
In America , getting sick is a class condition .
This pandemic is an X-ray , exposing the racial and class inequalities of our society .
Look at the data on the communities that are hardest hit by the virus .
New York City is often described as the “ center of the pandemic ” , but a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shows that poorer neighborhoods are bearing the brunt .
In Chicago , 70 of the first 100 Covid-19 victims were black ; Milwaukee tells a similar story .
To make matters worse , the government ’ s measures to mitigate the economic effects of Covid-19 lockdowns exacerbate previously existing inequalities .
Trump ’ s much-vaunted bailout has created a multitrillion-dollar money supply for the largest corporations in the country , with almost no critical oversight requirements .
At the same time , people whose livelihoods are being destroyed are being asked to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the conditions for which exclude many of those who need it most .
This amounts to a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich .
Just like in 2008 , capital has taken hold of the crisis , and turned it to its own advantage .
Yet at this stage simply lifting the lockdown to get the economy going would do more harm than good .
The lockdown has generated its own crisis .
Immediately lifting the lockdown would risk exacerbating the damage already suffered by America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 million people filed for unemployment .
The sectors most affected by these job losses – those predicated on face-to-face interaction – are overwhelmingly peopled by precariously employed , low-paid laborers who have little in the way of savings or capacity to weather this catastrophe .
The lockdown thus doubly damns the poor : most likely to be made ill at work , they are also most likely to lose their jobs .
That doesn ’ t mean it makes sense to rush people back to work in unsafe conditions that might lead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many workers are rightly scared of returning to workplaces that do not properly ensure their safety .
Given the intense competition that is likely to emerge over the few jobs that remain in America , many big employers may create a “ race to be bottom ” that forces workers to compete to accept dangerous working conditions .
Taking the class and racial consequences of this crisis seriously means thinking more carefully about how we “ reopen ” the economy .
One way to do this would have been a program of contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and taking care of those who actually have the disease ( or are most vulnerable to it ) , while allowing others to keep the economy going .
Such a program was successfully undertaken in South Korea .
Unfortunately , it may already be too late for this approach .
In any event , Trump ’ s Republican base would never tolerate what they view as a violation of privacy .
The strategy adopted by some northern European countries – such as Sweden – was another possibility .
Keeping the economy going , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to those who get sick , is less irrational than it might seem .
That approach involves less economic disruption .
Whether it leads to more deaths in the long run is still an open question .
The problem is that the Swedish model pre-supposes a well-functioning healthcare system , whereas American healthcare has suffered decades of contraction under the brunt of neoliberal policies ; South Korea has three times as many hospital beds per 1,000 people as the US does .
Neither the Swedish nor South Korean models are possible in America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis that the US faces , which is dealing with the disaster caused by the lockdown .
Rather than insisting on staying at home , the left should argue for implementing an end to the lockdown that actually answers the demands of the workers striking at Amazon , Checkers , Instacart , and elsewhere for safe working conditions and worker ’ s rights .
A recent bill proposed by senators Sanders , Harris and Markey – which includes expanded unemployment insurance and the waiving of all student loan payments during the crisis – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must be done to address the structural inequalities that have made the coronavirus so deadly in the first place .
Universal healthcare and a complete overhaul of working conditions and unemployment benefits must be part of any comprehensive strategy for economic recovery .
So is a massive public investment program that doesn ’ t just focus on propping up the stock market , but actually creates long-lasting and well-paid jobs .
The objections that were routinely raised against such proposals before the Covid-19 emergency centered on the difficulty of financing such programs .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the crisis has taught us anything , it ’ s that the money can be found when there ’ s a political will for it .
It ’ s just a question of who we want it to benefit .

The argument over lockdown seems to have crystallized into a simple – and simplistic – binary: health versus the economy. If you position yourself on the left, you value health over money, and so support the lockdown. That’s a mistake.
The “health versus the economy” frame ignores how disastrous the lockdown has been to America’s poor. Despite rhetoric about “shared sacrifice”, the ability to self-isolate is overwhelmingly correlated to income. While middle-class professionals congratulate themselves for staying inside, their isolation is dependent on a class of workers who often labor without essential equipment or while ill. Making matters worse, these exposed workers also tend to have more of the health conditions – including hypertension and diabetes – that make Covid-19 so deadly. In America, getting sick is a class condition.
This pandemic is an X-ray, exposing the racial and class inequalities of our society. Look at the data on the communities that are hardest hit by the virus. New York City is often described as the “center of the pandemic”, but a map of the most affected areas clearly shows that poorer neighborhoods are bearing the brunt. In Chicago, 70 of the first 100 Covid-19 victims were black; Milwaukee tells a similar story.
To make matters worse, the government’s measures to mitigate the economic effects of Covid-19 lockdowns exacerbate previously existing inequalities. Trump’s much-vaunted bailout has created a multitrillion-dollar money supply for the largest corporations in the country, with almost no critical oversight requirements. At the same time, people whose livelihoods are being destroyed are being asked to make do with a one-off $1,200 payment, the conditions for which exclude many of those who need it most.
This amounts to a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. Just like in 2008, capital has taken hold of the crisis, and turned it to its own advantage.
Yet at this stage simply lifting the lockdown to get the economy going would do more harm than good. The lockdown has generated its own crisis. Immediately lifting the lockdown would risk exacerbating the damage already suffered by America’s poorest.
In April, at least 20 million people filed for unemployment. The sectors most affected by these job losses – those predicated on face-to-face interaction – are overwhelmingly peopled by precariously employed, low-paid laborers who have little in the way of savings or capacity to weather this catastrophe. The lockdown thus doubly damns the poor: most likely to be made ill at work, they are also most likely to lose their jobs.
That doesn’t mean it makes sense to rush people back to work in unsafe conditions that might lead to a new spike of infections. Many workers are rightly scared of returning to workplaces that do not properly ensure their safety. Given the intense competition that is likely to emerge over the few jobs that remain in America, many big employers may create a “race to be bottom” that forces workers to compete to accept dangerous working conditions.
Taking the class and racial consequences of this crisis seriously means thinking more carefully about how we “reopen” the economy.
One way to do this would have been a program of contact tracing, aimed at identifying, isolating and taking care of those who actually have the disease (or are most vulnerable to it), while allowing others to keep the economy going. Such a program was successfully undertaken in South Korea. Unfortunately, it may already be too late for this approach. In any event, Trump’s Republican base would never tolerate what they view as a violation of privacy.
The strategy adopted by some northern European countries – such as Sweden – was another possibility. Keeping the economy going, while offering quality healthcare and other benefits to those who get sick, is less irrational than it might seem. That approach involves less economic disruption. Whether it leads to more deaths in the long run is still an open question. The problem is that the Swedish model pre-supposes a well-functioning healthcare system, whereas American healthcare has suffered decades of contraction under the brunt of neoliberal policies; South Korea has three times as many hospital beds per 1,000 people as the US does.
Neither the Swedish nor South Korean models are possible in America today, and neither resolve the true crisis that the US faces, which is dealing with the disaster caused by the lockdown. Rather than insisting on staying at home, the left should argue for implementing an end to the lockdown that actually answers the demands of the workers striking at Amazon, Checkers, Instacart, and elsewhere for safe working conditions and worker’s rights.
A recent bill proposed by senators Sanders, Harris and Markey – which includes expanded unemployment insurance and the waiving of all student loan payments during the crisis – is a good start. But more must be done to address the structural inequalities that have made the coronavirus so deadly in the first place.
Universal healthcare and a complete overhaul of working conditions and unemployment benefits must be part of any comprehensive strategy for economic recovery. So is a massive public investment program that doesn’t just focus on propping up the stock market, but actually creates long-lasting and well-paid jobs.
The objections that were routinely raised against such proposals before the Covid-19 emergency centered on the difficulty of financing such programs. But if the way we have responded to the crisis has taught us anything, it’s that the money can be found when there’s a political will for it. It’s just a question of who we want it to benefit.